Faber, Pulver to headline big June WEC show

Organization aims high with event set at Sacramento's Arco Arena

Josh Hedges / Zuffa	Urijah Faber's popularity has grown with his recent winning streak, and next he faces another well-liked fighter in Jens Pulver.

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By Mike Chiappetta

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updated 12:30 p.m. ET March 26, 2008

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Zuffa LLC (UFC's parent company) bought World Extreme Cagefighting in December 2006 with the hope that it could establish the organization as a legitimate No. 2 in the world of mixed martial arts.

It decided to focus on the lighter weight divisions, signed a deal with the Versus network for exposure and set about building its stars in the same fashion as UFC.

And on June 1, they will get a better idea of how close their ambition is to their goal when the WEC presents two of its biggest stars in a featherweight title bout: Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver. The fight will take place at Sacramento's Arco Arena, a 17,000-seat venue that is by far the biggest the WEC has run.

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Faber won the belt in March 2006 and has made four successful title defenses en route to a sterling 20-1 record that has him ranked by many as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The 28-year-old former collegiate wrestler is known for a relentless offense and top-notch stamina.

Pulver, meanwhile, is a former UFC lightweight champion who dropped down in weight class and moved to the WEC after losing to B.J. Penn last June. In his first WEC match he defeated Cub Swanson by anaconda choke last December.

Also on the card is bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, who will be defending his crown against powerful slugger Manny Tapia.

Torres has one of MMA's best records, boasting a 33-1 mark, while Tapia is unbeaten at 10-0-1.

Former NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz will make his WEC debut on the card. The two-time All-American was the 2001 NCAA champ at Oklahoma State at 197 pounds. He'll fight as a middleweight in the WEC.