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Jan 10, 2010 - 4:25:43 PM

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"I don't want to disrespect fighters at that level by giving them fights that fans can look at and say 'Okay, they are just throwing him another cupcake.' I won't do that to them. I think Urijah appreciates that. Truth be told, Urijah actually asked about Raphael first. I can't take credit for that 100 percent. I have to give credit to Urijah for that. I think that's a testament to what kind of fighter he is... My job is to find the best fighters in the world. Not only the best fighter, but the second best and the third best and the fourth best. The chips fall where they fall. That's my job. I'll let marketing and PR worry about the other stuff. It's pure sport."

-WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby talks to Heavy.com about his philosophy on putting fights together in the WEC in the context of Urijah Faber's difficult test tonight against Raphael Assuncao.

Penick's Analysis: Jonathan Snowden's entire piece over at Heavy.com is an excellent read. Faber is taking anything but the easy road in this fight after two losses to Mike Brown pushed him down the featherweight ladder a bit, and in a fight with a lot of downside for him compared to reward it is definitely a testament to his toughness and fighting spirit that he's not only taking this fight but that he requested it. And it's still absolutely a must win fight for him and the WEC in terms of his drawing power and their exposure, yet that's not the way anyone involved is taking it. It's an admirable move on their part, and for hardcore fans a great Faber performance will mean even more than it will to casual fans who may not know what Assuncao truly brings to the table.

[Urijah Faber art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]

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