MMA Superstar, Urijah Faber (22-3) takes on Raphael Assuncao (14-1) in a featherweight contest on the main card of WEC 46 in his hometown of Sacramento Sunday January 10th. Faber is returning to the cage after being sidelined by a seriously broken hand from his 5 round decision loss to Mike Brown last June.

NW Fightscene's Spaniard sat down with Urijah recently and talked about the break, the upcoming fight with Assuncao, and a whole lot more...

NW Fightscene: First, what was it for you that got you into MMA?
Urijah Faber: For me, I've been a huge MMA fan for since I can remember. Not only the UFC when it first came out, we used to watch all of those. Boxing. Any movie that involved fighting I was in to. So its been something that I always was into. But when I graduated college I still wanted to compete. I was wrestling at UC Davis and I started coaching there. Actually a friend of mine, Tyrone Glover had taken a fight and I went and watched him and I was this is something I would like to do, so that was before I graduated college. I knew right out of college that it was something I wanted to get into but at the time it wasn't a real big career move that you could make. So I kept on coaching at UC Davis, and then took my first fight and never stopped. That was 2003 so its coming up on six and a half years, something like that.

NWFS: Now fast forward to your last fight was Mike Brown. You dislocated your left hand and broke your right, right?
Faber: Yeah, broke my thumb on my left hand. Then I broke the forth and fifth metacarpal on my right hand. I snapped the fourth one and then I shattered the fifth one.

NWFS: When did it happen?
Faber: The right hand where I broke it was when I threw an overhand right, like a minute, minute fifteen left in the first round. And then the third round was when I dislocated my thumb. And the thumb it kept going in and out of power, so I was able to somewhat use it a little bit. It would go numb, and then I could use it, and then it would go numb every time I would hit somebody so... it was really fucking frustrating actually. But had to finish the fight and I'm glad I got a chance to. I would have been pretty upset if I wouldn't have been able to finish the fight.

NWFS: So what did you go through mentally in between rounds? Was it your coach kind of getting you back into it, or was it just you mentally in your head saying I got to keep going?
Faber: I never considered quitting. When I go into a fight its not a game to me necessarily. Its like if I were in a real fight in the street I wouldn't stop fighting because my hand hurt. So that's just kind of how I approached it. I told my trainer after the first round that my hand was broken. And he just told me to shut up, I'm a champion. And I don't know if I was looking for sympathy or what. It was on my mind so I was saying it and then he just basically told me too bad... The 2nd round was pretty intense and then got past the 2nd round and was all right, let's do it.

NWFS: Afterwards you've had to go through a bunch in healing. Tell us the steps you had to go through.
Faber: This is the first time I've really broken something. I broke my finger in college but I didn't really do anything, just let it be. The doctor that I had [this time] did a really good job with the surgery, and sped the process up through the healing. He put the steel plates in there, I think there's 8 screws, and then shortened the cast time so I could get my mobility back quicker. And then I was doing hyperbaric chamber where its increased oxygen in a tank and it helps your body heal faster. And I was doing bone therapy and I was doing physical therapy. Really the combination of a lot of things but I just kind of attacked it like a full time job, getting my hand better. I sped the recovery time up at least a third. 

NWFS: When did you get to put gloves back on?
Faber: It was about 3 months after, 3 1/2 months after. Something like that. 

NWFS: How's training been now with both your hands and how do you feel.
Faber: You know I feel them sometimes. The left one especially can be more irritating. But its not like debilitating in any way. I feel like I can do everything that I need to do with my hands. Sometimes they ache a little more when its cold and things like that. And I bump them and sometimes they hurt a little bit, but everything feels great.

NWFS: What were your thoughts on the Brown Aldo fight?
Faber: Thought Aldo was a better fighter. Brown didn't look himself really for some reason. I think though the weight cut is getting to him. I think he's become a smaller guy than he was before. And I know that he had stitches in his eye also. But I thought for sure Aldo was going to win. He seemed so much faster. I foresaw Aldo getting the win but I didn't know it was going to be like that with him taking his back and getting the legs in. But Brown, he didn't look himself.

NWFS: Your fight coming up at WEC 46, what's your training camp been like?
Faber: Its been great. I've never really stopped training. I've been doing physical therapy with my hands which turned into strength and conditioning for the most part so I did a lot of that. I've gotten bigger, faster, stronger for this fight. My weight's down now of course. I just have my regular guys. Joseph Benavidez, he was getting ready for his fight where he knocked out Rani Yahya [Dec 19th at WEC 45]. Got a young guy, TJ Dillashaw. I got Chad Mendes and Danny Castillo, and Justin Buccholz, and then all my trainers. Master Tong and Fabio Prado. So just basically continued to get in great shape and improve on my game and be ready to go. Rafael is a traditional mixed martial artist. He's good at everything. I know he pushes the pace and he's got a heavy punch and good submissions so I'm just going to be ready for it.

NWFS: Do you think this will go to decision?
Faber: I sure hope not. I never try to make a fight go to decision. I'd like to finish it as fast as possible, hopefully in the first round. As far as I'm concerned, Rafael is an undefeated fighter so I've got my hands full with him. And I think he's going to be trying to finish me in the first round too. I'm expecting a tough fight. Its unfortunate you know, he's ranked five in the world and I don't think anybody knows who he is. This is a big fight. Number 3 vs number 5 guy in the world, and we're both exciting and tough dudes so I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

NWFS: Definitely has title contentions. Is that what's on your mind right now, the belt or you want a rematch with Brown? Where's your heart at?
Faber: I would say my heart is going after the belt. I feel like I have the tools to beat Brown. I'd love to fight him again and I think we will fight before everything is said and done. I'm not really worried about that. I want to get the belt and I want to fight and become the best again. Be on top of the world and that's my goal, and that's what I shoot for.

NWFS: Being on top of the world like you say, you've become a household name in MMA. How do you juggle the fame and the training and friends and family? 
Faber: You know, I keep my friends and family pretty consistent. You do have a lot more distractions but I'm not a big party animal and this isn't new to me being in the public eye. I used to act when I was a little kid. I started wrestling at UC Davis, and back in high school I was a standout, so its just been on a bigger level for me but it hasn't been too different.

NWFS: Any sponsors or anyone you'd like to thank?
Faber: Amp Energy with Pepsi is my new sponsor, just changed it up in 2010. They own No Fear also. They just moved me to the larger brand which I think is just great for the sport. I think they are going to be sponsoring the WEC now. And Form Athletics, FormAthletics.com, is a new brand that I'm doing. We'll have our Alpha Male line on there as well. So those are really my two sponsors. Got MetroPCS for this fight also, local sponsorship for the phone. And then my management company, MMA Incorporated. These guys hook it up.

Many thanks to Urijah for taking the time in speaking with NW Fightscene. Catch him fighting live Sunday, January 10th on VERSUS as the co-main event of WEC 46, taking on Raphael Assuncao. More info at WEC.tv.

Visit Urijah online at www.urijahfaber.com.