WEC 52 Preview: The Last Time You'll See Urijah Faber In The WEC Cage
Urijah Faber has not fought outside the WEC since Ocotber 2006. In March of 2006 he captured his first WEC featherweight title at WEC 19. He successfully defended his 145-pound title 5 times between January 2007 and June 2008 when he was first upset by Mike Brown for his first loss in 3 years. The knockout was somewhat of a fluke as he ran into Brown’s fist while attempting a spinning-elbow. If he’s not careless trying to provide yet another highlight, who knows.
Faber would go on to fight for the featherweight title two more times, losing again to Mike Brown and then to Jose Aldo in the WEC’s first and only PPV. Neither Brown nor Aldo finished Faber despite serious injuries. Faber finished the second fight with Brown with two broken hands. Early in the fight he was winning, but by the end of the fight he couldn’t use his hands.
By the time his WEC 48 fight with Aldo was done, Faber’s leg was battered and bruised so badly that he could barely stand. Sure, he still got his ass kicked, but he damn he’s a tough son of a bitch. With Aldo on top of the division, the drop to bantamweight is a welcome one, but he’ll always be remembered as the king of the WEC’s featherweight division.
Urijah Faber (23-4, 8-3 WEC) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2, 2-2 WEC)
Despite Faber’s successful run at 145, he says that the drop to 135 has him revitalized. They say that its a more natural weight for the former champion. He certainly didn’t look depleted as he weighed in at 136 yesterday, but he also admitted it wasn’t a fun cut. Mizugaki is a solid first test for Faber. While he’s just 2-2 in the WEC, all his fights have gone the distance and he engaged in a classic title fight against Miguel Torres. Most fans and everyone at Zuffa will be rooting for Faber to recapture his magic in a new weight class tonight.
Joseph Benavidez (12-2, 3-2 WEC) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (14-2, 4-1 WEC)
Winner of this fight would be a good next fight for Faber, but he’ll probably get a title shot if he takes out Mizugaki. Both guys are considered top 10 at the weight class so it should be a good one. Benavidez shouldn’t face the kind of size difference that ultimately hurt him against Dominick Cruz.
Chad Mendes (8-0, 3-0) vs. Javier Vazquez (15-4, 2-2 WEC)
If Mendes beats Vazquez tonight to 4-0 in the WEC in 2010, well, that’s a damn solid year. Vazquez has won two straight, but one was against Jens Pulver in what might as well be considered a bye. Big night for Mendes.
Erik Koch (10-1, 2-1 WEC) vs. Francisco Rivera (5-0, WEC Debut)
Rivera will be making his WEC/UFC debut and three of his career wins have been by KO or TKO. So he’s got some power, but he’s also run up that 5-0 record against opponents with a combined record of 8-11. You’ve got to go with the more experienced Koch here.
Demetrious Johnson (7-1, 1-1 WEC) vs. Damacio Page (12-4, 3-1 WEC)
Page should take his third straight, unless he’s looking ahead to his days in the UFC. As you can see, Brittney Palmer has already looked ahead. Let’s hope nothing bad happens to her this weekend.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Raphael Assuncao vs. L.C. Davis
Edward Faaloloto vs. Anthony Njokuani
Zack Micklewright vs. Dustin Poirier
Clint Godfrey vs. Michael McDonald
Yves Jabouin vs. Brandon Visher
Mackens Semerzier vs. Cub Swanson
[Images via Brittney Palmer and Urijah Faber‘s Twitters]