"The California Kid" Urijah Faber

Courtesy of Sherdog.com

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Watch out Sacramento, Calif., this Sunday Urijah Faber is back and ready to make his way to the top. After his loss to Mike Brown in June 2009, Faber is looking to get back on the road to once again being the WEC Featherweight champion.

• Check out "The California Kid's" rise in MMA

Faber begins his journey at WEC 46 this Sunday in his hometown against #5 featherweight contender Raphael Assuncao in a match that could possibly determine who will get a shot at Jose Aldo and the WEC Featherweight belt. "We've definitely had that discussion," said WEC general manager Reed Harris on Tuesday. "Ultimately Sean Shelby, our matchmaker, will make that decision, and we always like to wait until after the fight. But I'll be honest with you guys, we've had that discussion over the last week." The California Kid has been out of the MMA game after breaking both his hands during his last fight against former Featherweight champ Mike Brown. While Faber is looking to regain the title, he is making it known that he doesn't intend to jump ahead of himself. "I don't want to get too excited about fighting Aldo yet, I've got another hard-headed Brazilian to try and throw around. We'll see how that goes. I'm expecting a great performance and hopefully have the belt midway through 2010."
The match between Assuncao and Faber is sure to be one that will keep MMA fans on the edge of their seats. Both men are very strong on the ground with Faber having a wrestling background and Assuncao with a BJJ background. They both also have a solid stand up game which should make for a very entertaining match.
Each of these fighters is looking to prove that they should be next in line to challenge Jose Aldo for the belt. "It's up to the guys at the WEC, but I'd assume, yeah, this is the one to get us in there for the belt," Faber says. "I fought my way through. Urijah's got his credentials. I think that solidifies the number one spot for the next challenge for the belt," added Assuncao. Faber has proven himself time and time again, with a current record of 22-3 and having defended the title five times when he held it.  Assuncao, on the other hand, has never had a shot at the title but holds a record of 14-1.
One way or another this will be a match that will help either fighter on his way to glory. For Urijah Faber, this is a match to get him back in the game and to show the world that even broken hands can't stop him from being the best.