UFC 181: Urijah Faber 'at the top of his game' ahead of Francisco Rivera fight on FOX Sports 1

After more than a decade of competing in mixed martial arts (MMA), Urijah Faber has solidified himself as one of the true pioneers of the sport

With 38 professional fights under his belt, "The California Kid" has won numerous world titles in various promotions, though the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strap continues to elude him.

Though the Team Alpha Male leader has done more during his time in MMA than many before him, it doesn't mean he's sitting back and reflecting on his accomplishments. As he tells UFC.com, he still has plenty to do before he can stop and smell the roses.

His words:

"I haven't had time to sit back and smell the roses. I'm in 'Do Mode' right now. I'm gonna do, do, do, do and when I feel like I'm done with my journey and this path, that's when I'll look back and look at the ruins. At this moment, I'm not in the mindset of sitting back and seeing what I've done - I'm still doing."

Faber attributes his longevity in the sport to a healthy lifestyle.

Also, other than suffering plenty of damage (see pic here) in his fight against Jose Aldo at WEC 48 way back in 2010, Faber hasn't really been the recipient of punishment inside the cage. And judging by his recent performances over the last year, the 35-year-old hasn't shown any signs of a fighter who has been taking one too many punches or one who needs to contemplate retirement.

Having said that, Urijah plans to keep fighting for quite some time, as he says he doesn't want to look back on his career and feel like he left a fight on the table.

"I do this sport because I love it. If I weren't into it mentally, I wouldn't be doing it. Plus it's fun to see the sport grow every year, the sport changes and becomes more mainstream and I would really hate to have some regrets. I would hate to be the guy that is 50, 60 years old and is like, ‘When I was 35, why didn't I just do another fight or make another run at the title? I don't want to have any regrets in my fighting career, so while I'm able-bodied and I'm at the top of my game and feeling good, it only makes sense for me to fight because I don't want to be kicking myself later."

Faber looks to pick up his second straight victory and make it six of his last seven when he faces Francisco Rivera in the headlining preliminary fight of UFC 181, which airs on FOX Sports 1.

For the full fight card lineup, click here.