WEC 48: Urijah Faber - “Back to the Top”

Urijah Faber to face Jose Aldo for the WEC Featherweight belt in WEC 48's main event

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With a reign over the WEC Featherweight division that lasted over 2 years, Urijah Faber has already placed himself in the MMA history books at the age of 30. While many fighters would be satisfied to reach the achievements that Faber has, the California Kid is not finished yet. The fact that he is a driven, devastating fighter in the cage is a shocker at a first glance at Faber. Urijah Faber could be mistaken for just another surfer with his long hair, relative good looks, and laid-back attitude, but don’t let the image fool you. Faber is a solid striker with top-notch cardio and a background in wrestling, but I haven’t even mentioned his greatest asset. Once the cage door shuts, Faber fights with a ferocity that you may never expect from a beach bum look-alike.

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Urijah Faber has found himself in some real battles over the course of his 26 fights as a professional, but none may be as important as his upcoming match against Jose Aldo. The flashy Brazilian Aldo brings a unique skill set to the cage and is equally comfortable on his feet or on the mat. If Faber is going to dethrone Aldo, he is going to need to rely on his cage presence and wrestling ability to put him in a position to win the fight. One seemingly evident advantage that Urijah brings to the fight is that he has been under the brightest lights against the biggest names and put those experiences behind him. Twice Faber has battled Jens Pulver and twice he has defeated “Lil Evil.” As previously mentioned, his 2 year reign as champion of the Featherweight division also led him to two battles with Mike Brown with Brown taking both matches. While Brown may have taken Faber’s title and then defended it, Faber made many a fan with his gritty performance in the second fight with Brown. Sometime in the first round, Urijah broke his right hand (bad news for an orthodox fighter) and continued to slug his way through 4 more rounds with a modified strategy of using elbow strikes. While Aldo has the edge on paper with the striking and submission game, Faber’s intangibles of experience in championship fights, home-field advantage (WEC 48 is being held in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento), and never-say-die attitude give him more than a puncher’s chance in the fight.

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The outcome of this fight could have a lasting effect on the next several fights in the career of the California Kid. If Aldo prevails, a 3rd consecutive loss in a title fight could be the kiss of death, further removing him from a title shot. The matchmakers of the WEC may give title fights down the road to fighters on the rise in the division, thereby relegating Urijah to more of a gatekeeper’s role. If Faber defeats Aldo, there are several possible situations on the horizon. In the event of a close decision or a competitive fight that Faber wins by stoppage, Aldo may get a rematch to try to regain the belt. If Faber wins handily, I personally would like to see a third fight between Faber and Mike Brown, due to entertaining battle the two had previously at WEC 41. WEC 48 is essentially a proving ground for the Featherweight division with 5 fights being contested on the card at 145 lbs. The results of those fights will put the pieces in place for the future of the Featherweight division. Despite all the uncertainty, one thing that is for sure is that Urijah Faber will give all he’s got to make his fight against Jose Aldo an absolute slugfest.

> Don't miss the feature on Jose Aldo for WEC 48, "No Way Jose," exclusively available here at ProFighting-fans.com!

By Curt Heinrichs
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer