Sacramento Bee finally notices superstar in its backyard -- long ignored by the Bee, MMA fighter Urijah Faber finally gets some coverage

The most charismatic and recognizable MMA fighter in the world, Urijah Faber has achieved nearly worldwide fame -- but until this weekend, he got almost no respect from his hometown newspaper, the Sacramento Bee.

Faber fought Featherweight belt holder Mike Brown before 13,000 fans at Sacramento's Arco Arena Sunday night and lost in a unanimous decision. Faber broke his right hand early in the bout, leaving him without 50 percent of his punching power, and unable to use wrestling moves that normally characterize his fights.

In today's sports section, the Bee covered the bout in an above the fold piece bylined by Bee writer Melody Gutierrez. Click here to see it.

Faber's professional record is 22-3. His fights have been seen by millions of MMA fans on the Versus network -- but people who get their news from the Sacramento Bee might have no idea who he is because the Bee's previous coverage consists of videos posted on the Bee's web site here and there, or an occasional article in the sports page. (See WEC page on Faber here.)

One more thing to show you -- check out Faber's broken hand -- below is a an xray of Faber's right hand after the fight. Look closely at the two bones on the right. Two gnarly breaks.

The top photo (AP/Jeff Chiu) shows Brown on the left, Faber on the right, delivering a kick. Xray photo credit: UrijahFaber.com

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