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HIGH STAKES FOR FABER
AND ASSUNCAO
 (PRESS
RELEASE) -- If Urijah Faber is the Tyreke Evans of the lighter
weight classes, you can expect that “The California Kid” will be
looking to hit the game-winning shot when he faces Raphael Assuncao
at ARCO Arena on Sunday night. An explosive, speedy fighter who is
considered among the best 145-pounders in the world, Faber (22-3)
has his sights set on reclaiming the featherweight title. And while
many believe a Faber win this weekend would lead to a mega-fight
with champion Jose Aldo, the 30-year-old Sacramento native isn’t
thinking that far ahead just yet. “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.” It’s probably best that Faber’s sole focus
is on Assuncao, because if Faber is Sacramento Kings’ star Tyreke
Evans, Assuncao is Los Angeles Lakers’ stud Ron Artest. A staunch
defender with a relentless approach, the 27-year-old is among the
most dangerous grapplers in the game. While the native of Recife,
Brazil is often soft-spoken, he doesn’t mince his words when it
comes to his desire to beat Faber and earn a world title shot.
“Urijah deserves to be where he is at in this sport,” Assuncao said
upon arriving in his opponent’s hometown earlier this week. “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.” With the anticipation for the
Faber-Assuncao clash growing, WEC officials aren’t surprised that
both men are eyeing a future shot at the world title. Thus, WEC
officials have flown champion Aldo in from his native Brazil to sit
cageside for the event and get a look at perhaps the first
challenger to his throne. “Jose wanted to be here in the worst way,”
Harris said. “He wants to see Faber and Assuncao first hand and get
a look at two fighters that want his belt. With that said, the
energy at ARCO Arena on Sunday night is going to be amazing. 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.” Bud Light® presents Varner vs. Henderson will be
televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00
p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD
and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and
how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
For more information, visit www.wec.tv. Follow WEC at http://twitter.com/WEConVERSUS.
About World Extreme Cagefighting® The WEC brand is recognized as one
of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United
States. WEC, founded in 2001, is the sister organization of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship® and today features the most
prominent light weight fighters in the world. Owned and operated by
WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC
produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through
the Versus network.WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports
en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is
shown on The Score network in Canada, Setanta Sports in Australia,
Globosat in Brazil, and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information
and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting®
and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or
service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United
States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions,
LLC. About VERSUS VERSUS celebrates real competition across all
platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more
than 75 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the
National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the
IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de
France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme
Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers
collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top
conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy
League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on
television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and
sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original
programs, such as Sports Soup and The Contender that audiences can't
find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast
Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems
and satellite operators throughout the United States. About Maloof
Sports & Entertainment Maloof Sports & Entertainment includes the
Sacramento Kings (NBA) and ARCO Arena. Led by Joe and Gavin Maloof,
and owned by the Maloof family with long-term, local partners, the
organization is committed to the community in Sacramento and to
making a positive, meaningful difference in the lives of families in
need in the Sacramento region. Maloof Sports & Entertainment has
donated more than $17 million to charities in 10 years of Maloof
family ownership. For more information about Maloof Sports &
Entertainment, please visit kings.com and arcoarena.com or call
916-928-0000.
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