WEC 41 Preview: Brown vs. Faber 2

Speed

Although most people believe Faber has a clear advantage in this department, do not count out Brown’s ability to move around the cage and always find himself in a good position in relation to his opponent.

Faber is as quick as they come, not just on his feet, but also when pinned to the ground; he is able to get himself out of some very sticky situations by using leverage and moving quickly enough for his opponent not to catch up. On foot, he is deadly once he has found his range and can move in, throw a few combos and move out, a skill that will come in handy against the more powerful Brown.

X-Factors

There are a couple of X-factors in this fight.

For starters, this is the first time Faber has challenged for the belt since WEC 19, March 2006, and although it may not sound like such a big deal, some fighters say that they feel some added pressure when they are attempting to win their title back.

The second factor is the location of the fight. The fact that the fight is taking place in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, CA can either help him immensely or add that much more pressure on him. Faber is a showman; he loves the attention, so I think that fighting in his hometown, in such a big arena will make him much more eager to put on a show.

Brown, on the other hand will have to deal with a hostile crowd and the fact that he is the champion and has to defend it now for the first time against the guy that once held it.

Prediction

This is a tough one; one could see Brown’s dominance over the past three years, his power and quickly go with him.

Others will see Faber, the exciting showman, and think his speed and “improv” skills will win back his belt.

This will be a quick fight, expect more of a ground game but don’t think this will go the distance, both men like to jump right in and impose their wills on their opponents.

I say Brown’s power and technique will trump Faber’s wild, unorthodox style and he wins with a TKO in the third retaining his WEC Featherweight belt.

Regardless of who wins this, really, let’s just hope this is a good one.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?