Faber returns in January to face Assuncao

The long-awaited return of World Extreme Cagefighting fan favorite Urijah Faber is now set.

MMAWeekly.com sources on Thursday confirmed that Faber would return at WEC 46 on Jan. 10 to face fellow featherweight contender Raphael Assuncao. They have verbally agreed to fight when the promotion returns to Faber’s backyard of Sacramento, Calif., at the ARCO Arena.

Faber (22-3) last fought in a loss to current 145-pound champion Mike Brown at WEC 41 in June, also in Sacramento. He fractured his right hand in the bout and has spent the past few months healing.

“That would be perfect timing for me,” Faber told MMAWeekly.com earlier this month when asked about a January return.

Assuncao (14-1) is fresh off a victory over Yves Jabouin at WEC 43 on Oct. 10. He is 2-0 since signing with the WEC. A victory over Faber would put him at or near the top of the list of featherweight championship contenders.

Faber and Assuncao is a possible headliner for the January card, but a lightweight title unification bout between champion Jamie Varner and interim titleholder Ben Henderson is the first choice to head the card. The title bout, however, hinges on Henderson gaining clearance from doctors for an injury suffered in his championship victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone earlier this month in San Antonio.

The lightweight unification bout was hoped for WEC 45 on Dec. 19 in Las Vegas, but there was no way Henderson would be ready in time. A fight between Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff is now expected to gain main event status on that card.

World Extreme Cagefighting has done well in its past two trips to ARCO Arena, both headlined by Faber. WEC 34 pulled in 12,682 fans and gate receipts of $738,855, according to the California State Athletic Commission. WEC41, where Faber lost to Brown, did slightly better, setting promotion records of 12,706 in attendance and gate receipts of $815,415.