UFC Sacramento preview: The California Kid's farewell

The youthful exuberance, the cornrows, the West Coast hip-hop classic "California Love" blaring through the arena speakers.

Fight fans will be treated to those visuals and sounds for the last time when Urijah Faber skips his way to the Octagon to meet fellow bantamweight Brad Pickett at UFC on FOX 22 in his native Sacramento on Saturday. After stints in King of the Cage and the WEC, "The California Kid" will aim to retire with 10 UFC victories under his belt.

Related: California Love: Urijah Faber's 5 greatest fights in the WEC

Faber only flirted with UFC gold - on four separate occasions - but that doesn't mean his 13-year career is wanting for accolades. The 37-year-old won the WEC featherweight strap a decade ago with a beatdown of Cole Escovedo, then went on to defend it five times, handing longtime rival Dominick Cruz his sole career defeat along the way. Even after he'd been dethroned by Mike Brown, Faber further entrenched himself in the annals of WEC history, fighting through a pair of injured hands to go the distance in a rematch with Brown before surviving five rounds' worth of leg kicks from featherweight luminary Jose Aldo just two fights later.

Related: Where does Urijah Faber stand among the all-time greats?

The fruits of Faber's lengthy bantamweight stint in the UFC never became quite as ripe, as Cruz and Renan Barao each got the best of him twice, but that didn't stop "The California Kid" from dispatching just about every other fighter who dared share the Octagon with him. Now riding the first losing skid of his lengthy career, Faber will be joined in his adieu to the cage by an equally well-traveled WEC holdover in Pickett.

The Londoner takes a slump of his own into Saturday's bout, having lost four of five and most recently tapping to Iuri Alcantara at UFC 204. Given their shared runs in the WEC and closeness in age, it's a marvel Pickett and Faber hadn't tussled sooner.

Put some respect on my name

Not to have their thunder stolen, Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson will headline the bill in a five-round strawweight tilt. VanZant - a Team Alpha Male cohort of Faber's - most recently put Bec Rawlings to sleep with a flying switch kick this past summer, but until she can mount another winning streak, the naysayers spawned from a dalliance on "Dancing With the Stars" and a December 2015 loss to Rose Namajunas will chirp on.

As for her opponent, Waterson's courtship with the Octagon has been as acrimonious as VanZant's with the gym. The former Invicta atomweight champ submitted Angela Magana in her UFC debut back in July of last year, but injuries have since scrapped a date with Tecia Torres at UFC 194 and a spot on UFC Fight Night 93. Couple the injuries with Magana's journeywoman status, and the 11th-ranked Waterson enters Saturday's bout with no shortage of skeptics. 17 months' worth, to be exact.

Which upstart will get cut down to size?

Before VanZant and Waterson vie for some long-overdue respect, welterweight prospects Sage Northcutt and Mickey Gall will duke it out in the co-main event.

Gall - who put an abrupt end to CM Punk's MMA debut at UFC 203 - has his tireless mouthpiece to thank for his overnight rise, as the matchup was booked at his behest, but he's flashed slick submission skills in his trio of pro fights, forcing each opponent to tap in under three minutes.

Northcutt will also look to prove himself worthy of stouter competition after besting three of four lower-tier opponents. The young Texan went the distance for the first time in his embryonic career at UFC 200, taking a unanimous decision over Enrique Marin.

All three of Northcutt's UFC conquests have since been handed their walking papers.