Fertitta confirmed the UFC’s plans via Twitter.

“The California Kid” will be looking to avoid a case of déjà vu when he clashes with Cruz after losing a hard-fought, five-round decision in July allowing rival Cruz to retain his title and even the score at 1-1 a piece. Faber beat Cruz as a featherweight in WEC. The 26-5 Faber submitted Brian Bowles in his only fight since the scrap, his third victory in four outings.

Meanwhile, Cruz will be looking to close the chapter of his life dedicated to Faber by edging him out in their trilogy. The 26-year old champ holds an overall record of 19-1 and hasn’t been beaten in five years.

TUF 15 is set to debut on FX come March 9 and will feature Faber/Cruz serving as the heads of two teams comprised of lightweights/welterweights.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“Lesnar had a long way to go,” Faber explained in an interview with the UFC shortly after UFC 141 had concluded. “It’s unfortunate that he’s stopping already and not gonna put in some more time because a great athlete, he has a strong mind, but he just needed to do more training in MMA. This isn’t the old days of MMA where you can be one dimensional.”

Though Faber did credit Lesnar for having an improved jab he appeared far from impressed by the showing as a whole.

Talk also turned to another fighter in the Faber family, albeit one whose battle was legitimately life threatening in comparison to the 32-year old’s chose profession. Faber offered an update on his sister, Michaella Faber, who was seriously injured in a November accident and whose recent brain surgery prompted him to shave his standard shaggy do.

“She had two brain surgeries, a collapsed lung, a fractured spine, was in a coma for six days and she’s already doing phenomenal…walking and talking. She just has to put her skull back in and she’ll be ready to go.”

Watch below as Faber discusses Lesnar, being a TUF coach, his love of Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz, and more…

The latter group had their beliefs affirmed this week when UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber published a video of him shaving his head in support of his sister, Michaella, who was injured in a serious auto accident and recently underwent brain surgery necessitating the need to give her a buzz.

Thus far her prognosis for recovery looks good, as Faber recently pointed out that she’d been released from the hospital and would be looking at having part of her skull reattached at some point in the near future. With love and support like that received from “The California Kid”, known to her as “big brother”, there’s little doubt she’ll be back to full speed sooner than expected. It’s the Faber way.

Check out the endearing video below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/TWITTER

The show, which has aired on Spike TV since it’s premiere in 2005, will move to FX starting in 2012 and take on a live format for the first time ever. Each week fans will not only see Cruz and Faber train their team of competitors but they’ll see the elimination fight live on the show.

“We’re producing ground-breaking television with ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Live,’ and we can’t wait to kick this season off with FX in March. It’s going to be can’t-miss TV,” said UFC president Dana White. “Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber are two incredible personalities who also happen to be two of the best fighters in the world. They genuinely dislike each other, and I expect this to make for the best season yet.”

Once the show wraps up, Cruz and Faber will meet for a third time in a five-round title fight for Cruz’s divisional strap. The two are 1-1 in their series with Faber handing Cruz the only loss of his career back in 2007 in a featherweight title fight via Guillotine Choke. Cruz extracted a measure of revenge earlier this year in July when he defeated Faber by unanimous decision and defended his bantamweight title.

Both fighters are upbeat about not only coaching on the show, but also to get another chance to beat each other up.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a gym rat and love learning and teaching mixed martial arts,” stated Cruz. “This is a dream come true. To get a chance to coach TUF and beat Faber again is all the motivation I need. This is going to be an insane season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’”

Faber had similar thoughts, saying, “I am looking forward to mentoring a bunch of hungry and talented fighters. The new cast needs to be ready to work hard and learn. Having Dominick coach on the opposite side couldn’t be more perfect. I’m not too thrilled about being in each other’s space for an extended period of time, as I am sure we are going to get on each other’s nerves. But I can’t wait to mentally beat him up as a coach and then literally beat him up in the cage and swipe that UFC strap.”

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Dillashaw, who trains with Faber as part of the Team Alpha Male unit out of Sacramento, California, was defeated by Dodson, a Jackson MMA student alongside Jones. Due to Dodson’s victory, Faber was forced to post a video of him doing 100 pushups, while saying Dodson’s name each time.

“Here you go ‘Bones’ Jones, Dodson looked tough, T.J. will be back better. Same bet for a rematch,” Faber wrote on Twitter.

Enjoy watching how fast “The California Kid” executes his pushups in the video below (and feel like less of a man in the process to boot)…

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Faber and Cruz are 1-1 against each other, with “The Dominator” having claimed a decision earlier this year. Faber had won two straight, with his lone losses since 2005 coming in championship matches to the likes of Cruz, Jose Aldo, and Mike Brown.

Bowles, meanwhile, is 10-1 with his lone career loss coming via doctor’s stoppage to Cruz in 2010 for the WEC bantamweight title.

“I think I am a little bit faster and a little more elusive and can be more creative in there. I know I will probably frustrate him a bit. I know Brian Bowles, he is a buddy, he is also a tough guy that doesn’t say much, no bark and a big bite,” said Faber, in a recent interview with ABC News. “Not many people know who he is, but they’ll know when we have this fight how tough he is and how tough I am and I am looking to make statement.”

UFC 139 features a main event pitting Dan Henderson against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and takes place this Saturday from San Jose, California on pay-per-view. Faber-Bowles will be part of the main card, as well match-ups like Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann and Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

White’s confirmation came in a recent conversation with ESPN where he referred to Demetrious Johnson’s current streak and victory over Miguel Torres as reason for receiving an October shot at current champ Dominick Cruz rather than awarding the opportunity to Faber/Bowles.

Another aspect likely considered in the case of “The California Kid” was the fact he fought Cruz earlier this month at UFC 132, falling in the end by way of Unanimous Decision. Faber entered the match-up having won back-to-back fights since dropping down from featherweight and holds an overall record of 25-5 with wins over Eddie Wineland, Takeya Mizugaki, Jeff Curran, and in a 2007 clash with Cruz.

Bowles also saw action at the July 2 event, emerging with a victory over Mizugaki after submitting Damacio Page at UFC Live 3 in his previous pairing. Bowles is 10-1 with the only flaw on his record coming as the result of an injury stoppage after breaking his hand in a WEC title-fight with Cruz.

UFC 139 is scheduled for November 19 in San Jose. The only other officially announced bout involves middleweights Chris Weidman and Tom Lawlor, though a heavyweight headliner between champ Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos has been rumored for the show.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to the UFC, the former 145-pound champ will face Brian Bowles, a bantamweight belt-holder in WEC, at UFC 139. It is believed the event will take place in San Jose on November 19 with a headlining heavyweight title-fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

“Before a possible trilogy can be considered between Faber and his rival, Dominick Cruz, he will take on one of the division’s truly elite fighters,” explained promotional head Dana White. “A win over Faber would be massive for Bowles’ bid to challenge for the belt that was once his. The stakes are high and the fight will be intense.”

Both men fought earlier this month at UFC 132 with differing results, as “The California Kid” lost a Unanimous Decision to Cruz while 10-1 Bowles outpointed Takeya Mizugaki in preliminary action. The win was the second in a row for Bowles after losing his gold at WEC 47 due to an injury-related stoppage. Among his ten total victories are finishes against Marcos Galvao, Damacio Page, and Miguel Torres.

Faber has gone 2-1 since dropping to 135 pounds but holds a number of notable victories from his time in WEC including success against Jens Pulver, Raphael Assuncao, and Jeff Curran, as well as in his original 2007 match-up with Cruz. He holds an overall record of 25-5 with thirteen submissions and seven TKOs.

While Velasquez vs. Dos Santos is rumored for the show, the only other officially announced fight for UFC 139 features TUF 8’s Tom Lawlor taking on undefeated middleweight sensation Chris Weidman.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the bantamweights’ upcoming battle was reported by way of the UFC’s Twitter account and seems to indicate neither will serve as coach on the next season of the Ultimate Fighter as had been speculated.

The two talented 135-pounders met once before in March 2007 while “The California Kid” held WEC’s featherweight title, a bout resulting in a 98-second submission of the debuting Cruz, and have been linked to a second go-round based on their success since then as well as an open, mutual dislike of one another.

“He chose me as his enemy and I accept,” Faber stated when speaking about Cruz on a recent conference call with media.

Cruz has won eight straight since the loss including a pair of point-based victories over Faber’s protégé Joseph Benavidez under WEC’s banner. He is 17-1 in his career with the bulk of his wins coming by way of decision including success against Brian Bowles and Scott Jorgensen.

The July 2 fight will mark an attempt by Faber to go 3-0 since dropping to bantamweight after losing a Unanimous Decision, and the ability to walk without a limp on a temporary basis, to Jose Aldo at WEC 48 last April. The 31-year old West Coaster holds an overall record of 24-5 including wins at 135 over Takeya Mizugaki and Eddie Wineland.

PHOTO CREDIT – WEC
In addition to Faber’s bid for gold and Fitch/Penn settling their UFC 127 draw, UFC 132 is also set to feature fights between on-the-cusp lightweights George Sotiropoulos and Evan Dunham as well as former 205-pound champ Tito Ortiz and TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader.

Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!

Welcome to “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s regular weekly feature highlighting insight and opinion from Adam Tool and myself on six subjects plucked from the Mixed Martial Arts landscape. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column.

After seeing Urijah Faber’s debut at 135-pounds last week, would you rather see him get an immediate shot at the UFC bantamweight title or involved in a “super-fight” against Miguel Torres?

Tool: I know I’m not alone in craving the Faber/Torres match-up, as it’s been talked about for years. It may have been more appealing back when each man held WEC gold, but I don’t think there could be a better time than now to make this fight. Both fighters are desperate to reclaim gold and a bout between them would give the winner an undisputable claim to top contendership in the bantamweight division. I say that if Torres makes it past Antonio Banuelos in February the UFC should go ahead and do Faber vs. Torres as soon as possible, but I won’t be surprised if they don’t.

Faber is easily the biggest star from the WEC so in that regard I anticipate that he’ll be placed into the top contender spot against the winner of Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgenson. The first UFC bantamweight champ will undoubtedly be the #1 fighter in the division, and he’ll also be a name that most UFC fans are completely unfamiliar with. The best way to raise the current champ’s profile is to slot him in against a well-known competitor, and Faber fits that bill better than anyone.

Conlan: Similar to Tool, I would also prefer to see the Faber/Torres fight finally come together but instead envision “The California Kid” getting an immediate opportunity to win the bantamweight belt based on his popularity (not to mention how sharp he looked in his divisional debut against Takeya Mizugaki).

However, as I said, the thought of the two WEC icons finally facing off in the cage is a far more appealing prospect in my opinion than another one-win title-shot for Faber. I also think their personalities, well as experience as head-trainers, are perfectly suited for an upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter. TUF has done an excellent job of building marketable Mixed Martial Artists, and I can’t think of many better ways to introduce fans to a new group of potential 135/145-pound stars to fans who may not necessarily be overly familiar with the weight-classes.

Sixteen of the UFC’s last twenty PPV main-card bouts have gone to decision. Is such a statistic troubling, and, if so, how would you propose the promotion fixes it?

Tool: I don’t think it’s all that troubling, even though as a fan I can’t help but long for more finishes. The fighters that call the UFC home are amongst the best competitors in the world, and as such they’re not the type of guys that will go down easily. In my opinion the rise of decisions speaks more to the toughness of the fighters rather than a problem with the current system. You look at some of the fighters that have lost these recent decisions, guys like Nate Marquardt, Paulo Thiago, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and these are fighters that are notoriously difficult to put away. It’s a credit to UFC Matchmaker Joe Silva for creating match-ups that are so evenly matched, because if that wasn’t the case I’m sure we’d see more fighters blowing their over-matched opponents out of the water.

Of course the increase in decisions is also a bit troubling given the current state of MMA judging. We hear the phrase “never let it go the judges” all the time, yet that’s exactly what plenty of fighters are doing. It’s unfortunate that we can’t always rely on judges to make the right decision when they hand in their cards at the end of a fight, and it seems like a simple thing like giving judges monitors could help eliminate this problem sooner than later. Truth be told, I’m not nearly as worried about the number of overall decisions as I am about the number of questionable decisions popping up. I’d be fine with a five-fight card featuring every fight going the distance, just as long as I don’t have to worry about anything before Bruce Buffer reads the scorecards.

Conlan: I don’t know that the statistic is necessarily troubling, but I do think the percentage of decisions over the past few months is a point worth noting. To echo Tool’s statements, with the ever-deepening pool of talent in MMA the sport’s top competitors aren’t always going to be able to finish each other in fifteen, even twenty-five, minutes when throwing down in the ring. Also related to MMA’s evolution, there is too much on the line in terms of money/opportunity to always throw caution to the wind. The number of Chris Leben-like, balls-to-the-wall fighters is going to continually decrease as long the involved stakes remain on the rise. Legitimately, in today’s market, the difference between a win and a loss can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions in the long run.

I think it might be worth comparing results from the past year or two with those of mid-to-late 2010 before worrying too much. However, if decisions are indeed on the rise, especially with the afore-mentioned issues with ringside scoring, it might be worth discussing the potential outcome of increasing the number of involved rounds (five for regular fights, seven for title-bouts). Maybe even adding a fourth/sixth frame with the possibility of a single five-minute “overtime” if necessary at the end of the bout’s allotted time would work.

Regardless, one of Mixed Martial Arts’ most-appealing qualities in comparison to boxing is the number of ways a fight can be finished as opposed to involving a ton of stalling and an outcome where neither involved individual has a mark on his/her face. If you lose the anything-can-happen aspect, and every PPV starts featuring 3-4 decisions, MMA’s reputation will take a hit it can ill afford.

What percentage of likelihood would you assign to the possibility of B.J. Penn retiring from MMA if he loses decisively to Matt Hughes this weekend?

Tool: I’d put it at around 5%. Penn’s mindset is an impossibly difficult thing to predict, and the man has hinted at retirement on more than one occasion. While Penn has spoken about retirement in the past, he’s talked more frequently about wanting to be one of the best fighters of all time. While his career accomplishments will certainly put him in that category, I don’t think that he’s ready to be done just yet. Someone that wants to be one of the best of all time would probably not be satisfied with ending his career on three straight losses. There are plenty of interesting match-ups left to be made for Penn in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions, so unless he thinks his best days are behind him I don’t believe we’ll see the end of Penn’s UFC career this weekend.

Conlan: I’ll go with 1%. However, if Penn hadn’t come out recently and said he’s interested in a return to lightweight, as well as more fights at 170-pounds, I’d give it a much higher percentage.

He’s hard to predict and he certainly doesn’t have to fight anymore from a financial perspective. If he falls to Hughes it will be a massive blow to his ego, as well as the first three-fight losing streak of his career. Penn is a prideful person, and dropping bouts to a 37-year old who himself has hinted at hanging his gloves up in the not-too-distant future, as well as someone who might be even better as a featherweight (Frank Edgar), isn’t exactly the stuff confidence is built of. Again, because he’s expressed a desire to continue competing beyond this weekend I don’t think it’s likely he’ll retire with a loss, but if the former double-divisional champ had been more ambiguous on the subject of his in-ring prospects in 2011 I think the possibility of permanently heading back to Hilo would be far more distinct.

Which UFC 123 competitor do you think will fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship sooner: “Rampage” Jackson or Phil Davis?

Conlan: At first glance I asked myself, “Is this a serious question?” Then, after giving it a little more thought, I realized the inherent brilliance involved. The obvious answer is clearly “Rampage”, yet he’s facing an exceptional opponent at the event and has also hinted at prematurely retiring from MMA to focus on his acting career. On the other hand, Davis has an opportunity to 4-0 inside the Octagon against a tough adversary in the form of Tim Boetsch while also maintaining his unblemished record after eight professional fights.

However, regardless of their respective match-ups at UFC 123, or records and statuses after this weekend, I think Jackson is more likely to get a shot at the UFC’s 205-pound crown before Davis based purely on name value and past accomplishments in the sport. Even if “Mr. Wonderful” beats Boetsch he still won’t possess a win over a “Top 10” opponent while “Rampage” has beaten, or been highly competitive against, a number of top-ranked fighters. He’s also extremely marketable whereas Davis can likely still walk down a street in Los Angeles without getting approached by anyone who recognizes him. Jackson can go 3-1 over his next four fights and get a title shot whereas the same luxury won’t be afforded to the former Penn State All-American wrestler.

The only way Davis gets a crack at the belt before Jackson is if “Rampage” hangs his gloves up for good and I think he loves fighting too much to retire and risk finding himself wondering “what if” at 40-45 after a middle-of-the-road run in Hollywood.

Tool: I’m not sure if that’s the only way Davis gets a shot at the belt before Jackson. We do need to consider the possibility (sad as it may be) that Jackson is on the decline as far as his skills in the cage go. After all it’s entirely possible that “Rampage” won’t win against a quality opponent ever again. I don’t think it’s very likely, but it’s certainly possible. He didn’t get completely blown out by Rashad Evans but he didn’t exactly look competitive for the majority of that fight. I’m willing to give him some leeway due to the long layoff he experienced heading into that fight, and his performance this weekend should give us a much better idea of which direction his career is heading. Obviously Jackson’s name value gives him an edge in terms of where he stands in the division, and Brendhan’s right in his estimate that it won’t take more than a few solid wins to get “Rampage” back into the title picture.

As far as Davis goes, I’m fairly certain that this weekend’s match-up is designed to showcase his talents to a wider audience. Given the pattern the UFC has shown in bringing along their other prospects I’d be willing to bet that we’re still at least two years away from Davis entering the mix of contenders. That being said, it could certainly be a much quicker process if Davis gets the right kind of wins against the right kind of opponents. The upper level of the light heavyweight division isn’t as stacked as it used to be, and with several fighters on their way down the ladder now is the perfect time for a few new faces to rise up. Obviously guys like Jon Jones and Ryan Bader are pretty much there already, but there’s still plenty of room. I imagine that we’ll be seeing much more of Davis after this weekend and if the fans get behind him in a big way we could see him knocking on the door of contendership sooner than expected.

BUY/SELL – George Sotiropoulos should become the #1 contender in the lightweight division if he beats Joe Lauzon this weekend.

Conlan: “BUY”, though he won’t be next in line for a title-shot since, according to Dana White, the winner emerging from WEC lightweight champ Ben Henderson’s upcoming title-defense against Anthony Pettis is already entrenched as being next in line for a chance at competing for the UFC’s lightweight belt.

However, this is a “BUY” for me because the operative word in the question is “should”. In beating Lauzon (if he does), Joe Stevenson, and Kurt Pellegrino – not to mention the other four opponents he’s consecutively defeated in the Octagon – Sotiropoulos has accomplished more on a bigger stage against a higher-quality of opponent than both Pettis/Henderson and should get his due.

That being said, I don’t disagree with the logic behind the UFC’s decision to promote a unification bout, as MMA is a business after all. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to feel the most-deserving person is going to face Gray Maynard/Edgar if the Aussie is able to get by Lauzon at UFC 123, something that’s far from guaranteed by the way.

Tool: I’ve got to go with “buy” as well, and the only other guy I’d want to slot into the top contenders spot would be Evan Dunham. If Dunham gets past Kenny Florian in January I expect we may see these two matched up to determine the next top contender while we wait for the UFC & WEC titles to be merged. I’m still not sold on the idea of the WEC champion being the #1 contender right away, but at this point it’s useless to try and argue against the idea. Sotiropoulos is one of the hottest fighters in the lightweight division so here’s hoping he gets his shot sooner than later. Obviously he needs to get past Lauzon first, but unless the Aussie brings a terrible gameplan into the cage this weekend I think it’s safe to say that he’ll maintain his undefeated record inside the octagon.

Whose performance at UFC 122 impressed you the most?

Conlan: Alessio Sakara’s stomach bug for helping free up Jorge Rivera to fight Michael Bisping while also opening the main card up for a fun fight between Duane Ludwig and Nick Osipczak?

But seriously, though I always appreciate the effort and athleticism exhibited by Mixed Martial Artists, I wasn’t close to “impressed” with anything I saw at the event other than perhaps the German crowd’s passion for the sport and their countrymen competing in the cage.

Ludwig and Osipczak both looked good, as did Krzysztof Soszynski, Dennis Siver, and Amir Sadollah, but none of them made me feel as though they’ll be divisional threats at any point in the foreseeable future. I didn’t see anything from Yushin Okami giving me confidence in his ability to beat Anderson Silva (or Vitor Belfort for that matter) and I think Nate Marquardt would have won that very same fight five-out-of-ten times if it was replayed for a separate judging panels. Overall, it was a ho-hum event for me as it seems to have been for most who took in the show, and I it would be dishonest of me to act as though I was blown away by anything I saw last weekend.

Tool: UFC 122 was an utterly forgettable event, but there were a few bright spots to be had during the show. I was impressed with Karlos Vemola, but I’m not ready to jump on that bandwagon until I see how his cardio holds up in a fight that’s longer than 5 minutes. I always enjoy seeing the continuous improvement of Amir Sadollah, but Brendhan’s right when he says that the TUF 7 champ isn’t likely to threaten for the welterweight title anytime soon. I also have to tip my hat to Vladimir Matyushenko, as “The Janitor” picked up a much-needed stoppage victory to keep his UFC career alive.

I suppose I need to give the nod to Siver though, as he’s now won six of his last seven fights. The names under his win column aren’t enough to put him into talk of title contention, but his habit of finishing fights in exciting fashion is bound to keep him on the UFC main cards for the foreseeable future. He’s a tough draw for anybody in the lightweight division and I imagine we’ll see him in the cage against a much tougher opponent for his next fight.

Clay Guida Talks About Visiting Amsterdam (MiddleEasy.com)

Mike Brown Wants One Last Bout in WEC (Versus.com)

Urijah Faber Talks About Fighting in the Octagon (MMAFighting.com)

“The Korean Zombie” Moving Away from Undead Style (MMAConvert.com)

Joseph Benavidez Speaks About his Past, Present, and Future (Heavy.com)

Ever Wanted to Check Out Antonio McKee’s Crib? (MMAScraps.com)

Thales Leites Back on the Winning Track (FIGHT! Magazine)

You Saw What Fighters Dressed Up Like for Halloween…Now It’s Time for MMA-Themed Costumes (WatchKalibRun.com)

MMA in New York Takes a Blow (CagePotato.com)

Though Faber had expressed an interest in fighting as soon as September 30th, he and his fans will have to wait a little longer, as MMAWeekly has confirmed WEC’s foremost face will step into the ring against previously-scheduled bantamweight opponent Takeya Mizugaki on November 11th at WEC 52.

The 26-year old Mizugaki should sound familiar to MMA fans remembering his epic five-round battle against Miguel Torres in April 2009. The 13-4-2 fighter has gone 2-1 since making his mark in America at the event with decision wins over Jeff Curran and Rani Yahya (and a decision loss to Scott Jorgensen sandwiched in-between them).

Faber is currently 23-4 and has only been finished once in his WEC career. After making a name for himself in the sport as one of the top 145-pound fighters competing, the dimple-chinned superstar has gone 2-3 in his last five bouts though two were decision losses in championship match-ups where he fought injured.

When asked about what happened to his knee, Faber responded, “I was doing some kickboxing and takedowns and my leg got yanked from the outside in. They said it was an atypical injury to my MCL. My MCL kind of peeled away from the bone. They told me I wouldn’t need surgery, but I’d be out four to six weeks. I was able to do some stuff without twisting it, so I was able to work out, do physical therapy and stay in shape.”

Fortunately, the Team Alpha Male patriarch’s recovery is going as planned. “It’s been six weeks since I hurt my leg, this was supposed to be a six-week injury and I had my first full week of practice last week,” said Faber. “I’m back to full-on training now. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to fight in November. I told (WEC) I could go in September when I found out I’d be out four to six weeks. I wanted to be on the September 30th card, but I got pushed back to November.”

“The California Kid” also elaborated on his plans after likely facing his original opponent prior to the injury, Takeya Mizugaki, at 135-pounds later this year.

“Where I’m at right now, I’m just having a great time and fighting my heart out. I just want fights that make sense. (Miguel) Torres would be bigger for me right now than (Dominick) Cruz. There are all kinds of fights I can do right now and can go back up to 145. I feel like I can do well against most anybody at 145 and I’d be willing to go to 155 at some point.”

Faber is 23-4 but has fallen in three of his last five bouts, including gutsy decision losses to top featherweight Mike Brown and current 145-pound champion Jose Aldo. He holds notable victories in his career over Bibiano Fernandes, Jeff Curran, Raphael Assuncao, and bantamweight title-holder Cruz.

A bout between Faber and Raphael Assuncao has been verbally agreed to, and will take place at WEC 46 on January 11 according to a recent report on MMAWeekly.com.

Faber has not seen competition since losing his bid to regain the 145 title against current champion Mike Brown at WEC 41 where “The California Kid” fractured his right hand in the bout, causing him to sit on the sidelines for the last few months. The 22-3 Team Alpha Male standout, will be looking to make a statement to earn another shot at the belt.

Assuncaoo is coming off of a split decision victory over Yves Jabouin at WEC 43. He holds an overall record of 14-1, and is currently 2-0 since joining the WEC. Both his victories in the organization have come by the judge’s cards.

WEC 46 is scheduled to return to the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, and could possibly be headlined by Faber’s return. Other rumors swirling are that a lightweight title unification bout between Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson could also headline the event.

WEC general manager, Reed Harris, recently confirmed the deal as a guest on MMAJunkie.comRadio.

Harris, who was promoting the upcoming WEC 43: Cerone vs Henderson, said, “I had been talking to Urijah for months. I told him six weeks ago, we’ll get this thing done.”

Faber’s manager, Mike Roberts has since confirmed the signing adding, “It was a pleasure working with Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Reed Harris to get the deal done. Urijah gets to stay right where he wanted to, and make another run at that belt.”

While the details of money and actual fights, have not been disclosed, it was confirmed by Harris that “The California Kid” would be with the organization for at least six fights.

Faber, who suffered injuries to both of his hands during his second attempt at champion Mike Brown, is rumored to make a return to the cage in January.

X-ray photo from Faber's Twitter account

Sidelined since June after breaking two bones in his right hand during a bout with current WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown, the forecast appears to be clear for “The California Kid” to begin working his way back up to title-contendership.

The good news was confirmed by none other than Urijah Faber himself through his Twitter account.

According to Faber, who stopped by his doctor’s office before hopping on a plane in support of Fight Night participant Justin Buchholz, he’s been cleared to start working with a punching bag and expects to be fully ready to return by January of 2010.

We use that to transcend weight classes and compare fighters, so we can decide which ones are the best in the world. And let’s not kid ourselves we all have our pound for pound favorites.

One of mine is Urijah Faber. The California Kid meets all my criteria for being one of the premier fighters in the world. And to be frank, he’s one of my favorite fighters to root for personally.

He can beat his opponent in a variety of different ways.

He rarely loses.

He does unique things in the ring that we’ve never seen before.

He finishes off his opponents when the opportunity presents itself.

He takes on all comers.

He is a very entertaining and talented fighter.

He respects MMA and is a great ambassador for the sport.

Put that all together and those are the main reasons I always have Faber ranked at the top of my pound for pound rankings. Having said that, I believe that after Sunday night, Faber will be 1-2 in his last three fights.

As we all know, fighting is often based on match-ups. First let me say that I am not in the “Mike Brown got lucky camp.” Those people who think Brown won with a lucky punch the first time out couldn’t be more misguided.

Brown is a darn good fighter. He’s won nine straight fights and hasn’t lost in nearly four years.

And even before the big right hand that dropped Faber, he was tossing the former featherweight champion around the cage like a rag doll. So, luck had nothing to do with Brown’s victory. He was the much better man that night.

But I think if we were talking about overall skills, a lot of us would give the edge to Faber. Not many fighters have the diverse arsenal of striking, wrestling, Muay Thai, submissions and defense that the California Kid possesses.

However, I believe Brown is just a flat-out bad match-up for Faber. This happens in MMA sometimes. I think the most famous case was in one of the biggest moneymaking fights of all-time between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

I was always a big Ortiz fan but after watching these two fighters go at it the first time, the rematch didn’t hold much drama for me. I thought if Ortiz and Liddell squared off 100 times, “The Iceman” would have won around 97 times.

Liddell just presented a terrible match-up for the ground and pounding Ortiz. Liddell, who had arguably the best takedown defense in MMA history, just wouldn’t allow Ortiz to shoot in and bring him to the mat.

This made Ortiz one-dimensional and forced him to stand and slug it out with Liddell. It was only a matter of time before one of the sport’s greatest strikers would emerge victorious.

I see this being the same kind of bad match-up for Faber. The two fighters may technically weigh the same but anyone with eyes can see that Brown is the bigger man.

I have lifted weights for many years and I’m a pretty solid guy. But I weigh the same as Cheick Kongo. Trust me – and you can ask my wife if you don’t believe me – Kongo is a much bigger dude than I am, despite us weighing exactly the same and both having muscular builds.

Physically, Brown is thicker and stronger than Faber and we saw that in the first fight, well before the knockout. Is there any reason to believe that’s going to change on Sunday night? I don’t think so.

Now Faber can fight a lot of different ways but he’s most effective when he either clinches and strikes from close range or takes his opponent to the ground with his excellent wrestling skills. I just can’t see him doing either to the bigger, stronger Brown.

This means Faber will most likely be forced to stand and exchange and while he is comfortable in fighting that style, that’s advantage Brown.

Faber is a fighter who is going to knock you out with a couple of precision shots, not one huge blow. With Brown’s power, it’s one and done, as Faber found out in the first fight.

And just like in the Ortiz-Liddell match-up, I think it’s only a matter of time before Brown takes advantage, lands a big shot and comes away with the win.

As I scanned the Internet this past week, I saw a lot of people chalking this fight up to Faber and basically calling it a mere formality. I couldn’t disagree more. Faber may win because he’s one of the best fighters in the world but even if he does regain the title, it’s going to be a war.

Like I said, Urijah Faber is one of my favorite fighters and I will be rooting for him on a personal level Sunday night. However, if I’m being objective, it will be Brown who answers his critics at WEC 41 and scores another resounding win, putting his name in the pound for pound discussion as well.

While the WEC has yet to officially announced the fight, FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the finalized matchup from a source close to one of the fighters late Monday night.

Brown vs. Faber II will take place in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, Calif. at the Arco Arena. Despite previous comments made by UFC President Dana White, the fight card will not take place on pay-per-view and is instead slated to air on the VERSUS Network.

Faber won the then-vacant WEC featherweight title against Joe Pearson at WEC 25, the first-ever WEC event promoted under Zuffa ownership. The former University of California-Davis amateur wrestling standout went on to successfully defend the title four times with wins over Domink Cruz, Chance Farrar, Jeff Curran, and Jens Pulver.

However, Faber’s attempt to add a fifth consecutive defense to his resume ended in failure after he missed a spinning back fist against Brown at WEC 36 this past November and was TKO’d due to strikes at 2:23 of round 1.

Despite the disappointing loss, Faber rebounded with a guillotine choke submission just one minute and 34 seconds into a rematch against Pulver during WEC 38 this past January.

Against Brown, Faber will have display better tactical prowess against a significantly larger opponent who formerly competed at lightweight. One of the most underrated fighters in all of MMA, Brown is currently on a nine fight win streak.

The American Top Team fighter has not lost since second round submission against Masakazu Imanari during a DEEP event in Japan in December of 2005. A former veteran of the defunct BodogFIGHT promotion, Brown holds notable wins in his career over Yves Edwards, Renato Tavars, Jeff Curran, and his most recent victory against Leonard Garcia at WEC 39 earlier this month.

Brown’s win over Garcia was his first-ever defense of the WEC featherweight title and came at 1:57 of round 1 following a arm triangle submission. The win boosted Maine native’s lifetime record in the WEC to a perfect 3-0.

However, according to Dana White, the inevitable could be on the verge of becoming official. During an exclusive interview with the UFC president, he not only expressed his confidence that the fight is going to happen, but hinted that it could headline the WEC’s first-ever pay-per-view.

“I’m very confident its going to happen,” White said in an exclusive comment to KHTK radio in Sacramento while on location in Germany, where he was working to promote UFC 99. “… I’m very, very confident it’s going to be on pay-per-view…  (And) I’m very, very, very confident it will happen in Sacramento.”

White indicated the potential PPV is likely to be price pointed at $39.95.

While Brown vs. Faber II has yet to be finalized, all signs point to a June date at the Arco Arena in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, Calif., a story that this reporter first broke two months ago.

Several hurdles, such as Faber’s impending free agency, must be overcome before the matchup can become official. However, a contract resolution is expected soon, as Faber’s management will be in Columbus, Ohio this week for UFC 96.

Faber is managed by the same group that manages UFC light heavyweight Mark Munoz, who is slated to make his Octagon debut this Saturday vs. TUF 3 veteran Matt Hamill.

“We are in hopes that an agreement will come shortly,” Mike Roberts of MMA Inc. told KHTK. “We are working diligently on both sides to ensure an agreement that is beneficial to both parties.”

As soon as Faber’s new deal can be finalized, the path will then be clear for both he and Brown to sign bout agreements for the potential June title fight.

Faber will join me in studio tonight between 9-12 p.m. PT to address this story. You can listen locally in Sacramento on KHTK or online at KHTK.com.

Fabiano indicated that he his next fight will be at on Sunday, April 5 at WEC 40 in Chicago and that Faber has been discussed as a potential opponent. According to the source, Faber will not be competing during the month of April.

After losing the WEC featherweight to Mike Brown at WEC 36 in November, Faber rebounded with a first round submission against Jens Pulver last month at WEC 38. It’s still unclear when his next fight will be but sources have revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that WEC officials are considering a possible June date at the Arco Arena in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, Calif. and that he’d be a logical fit to headline the card.

The potential show has yet to be finalized and in the event that it is, Faber’s involvement would still not be a guarantee. As of now, he currently has just two fights remaining on his WEC contract and it is believed that he’s looking to re-negotiate his current deal before challenging for the WEC featherweight title again. If Faber won the title he would essentially be forgoing his eligibility to hit the open market as he would be subject to the terms of the promotion’s champion clause.