On Sunday, January 10, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber will battle Raphael Assuncao with the winner likely to face current champ Jose Aldo.
Faber (22-3) hasn’t entered the cage since June, when he lost to Mike Brown and broke his hand in the process. Despite the loss, “The California Kid” knows a matchup with Aldo can be had with a win over Assuncao.
“Jose Aldo, without a doubt, has proven that he’s the champ right now,” Faber said. “So that’s the guy I’ve got to beat. But before then, I’ve got a very tough opponent in Raphael. I don’t want to get too excited about fighting Aldo yet because I’ve got another hard-headed Brazilian to try to throw around on Jan. 10.”
Raphael Assuncao has made his rise to the top with back-to-back wins in the WEC and has compiled an overall record of 14-1. Though he knows Faber is the name most fans are more familiar with, he’s quick to point out that he hasn’t gotten this far by chance.
“Urijah deserves to be where he is at in this sport,” Assuncao said. “But I didn’t get lucky in getting here either. I’ve fought my way all the way up to co-main event status. I’m ready to prove that I’m the best in the world in this weight class.”
Faber and Assuncao will be putting their skills to the test in front of the man they hope to face. Newly-crowned featherweight champion Jose Aldo will be attendance, flying in from Brazil for the event courtesy of WEC officials.
“Jose wanted to be here in the worst way,” WEC president Reed Harris said. “He wants to see Faber and Assuncao first hand and get a look at two fighters that want his belt. Urijah Faber and Raphael Assuncao are going to war to determine which fighter is more worthy of a title shot. This could be one for the record books.”
WEC 46 also features a lightweight championship bout between Jamie Varner and Ben Henderson. The event will be televised live starting at 9pm ET on Versus.
The full fight card for WEC 46 can be found here.
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