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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Urijah Faber has been out of action since his five round loss to Renan Barao in July, recuperating from injury and getting himself healthy. He's been cleared to return to action, and he may have his return fight set.
According to a report from Tatame.com, Faber will take on England's Vaughan Lee at UFC 156 in Las Vegas on Super Bowl weekend.
Lee has lost two of three fights in the UFC, dropping a decision to Chris Cariaso and most recently being submitted by T.J. Dillashaw in July. Sandwiched in between those losses was a submission win over Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto in Japan.
Faber's loss to Barao moved him to 2-2 in the UFC, and was his fifth straight loss in a title fight. The former WEC Welterweight Champion hasn't won a title fight since beating Jens Pulver in 2008. However, he's been undefeated in non-title competition, going 5-0 in fights without a belt on the line since his first loss to Mike Brown.
Penick's Analysis: This is a fight that only makes sense if you're trying to get Faber back into the win column in quick fashion. Lee was absolutely manhandled by T.J. Dillashaw, who fights a similar style without the same tools or effectiveness as Faber. "The California Kid" is going to be a heavy favorite into this fight, and it's a head scratching booking for his return after fighting Barao.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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