LAS VEGAS, Nev. Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey . - Urijah (The California Kid) Faber finds himself in an unaccustomed position Saturday night at UFC 175 — on the preliminary card. Faber, a former WEC champion who has challenged for a UFC championship belt three times, has never lost a non-title bout and was in the main event last time out at UFC 169. But the 35-year-old bantamweight from Sacramento, currently ranked second among 135-pound contenders, find himself topping the televised preliminaries before the pay-per-view portion of the show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Middleweight champion Chris Weidman meets former light-heavyweight title-holder Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida of Brazil in the main event while womens bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey takes on Alexis Davis, a native of Port Colborne, Ont., who fights out of San Jose. Faber faces No. 12 Alex (Bruce Leroy) Caceres in a fight where a win means much more to the up-and-coming Caceres than the veteran Faber. Having an established star like Faber (30-7) lead into the pay-per-view is good for the UFC. Faber has no complaints, knowing the prelim finale will draw plenty of viewers on free TV. A canny businessman, Faber understands the value of keeping his brand in the spotlight. "I feel great," said the five-foot-six fighter with a megawatt smile and dimple in his chin. "Its kind of a strange thing. Ive gotten to the point now where Im one of the veterans of the sport. "Ive had the same lifestyle since I was a little kid — basically do your homework, hang out with your buddies and play your sports. So Im living the same life. To be the crafty old veteran at this point is kind of funny. ... Im 35 now and feeling as fresh as a daisy, ready to rock and roll. Its good position to be in." The matchup was apparently triggered by a fan on social media. The 26-year-old Caceres took up the cause and Faber accepted the bout when the UFC offered it. "Its smart to want to fight me," said Faber. "I mean, the guy doesnt have anything to lose. Im one of the bigger names in the sport." But as UFC president Dana White often says, be careful of what you wish for. Faber is a 15-1 favourite to put Caceres in his place, in the eyes of some oddsmakers. Rather than titles, Faber talks about being the best fighter he can be these days. But he believes the two can come together, even if the championship belt currently belongs to teammate T.J. Dillashaw. "I feel like I still havent had my best performance," Faber said. "When I do, I feel like Ill be the champion." Caceres (10-5 with one no contest) has won four of his last five fights. It could have been five straight but his split decision win over Kyung Ho Kang in March was changed to a no contest after he tested positive for marijuana. That earned him a six-month suspension. Faber is coming off a second defeat at the hands of Brazils Renan Barao, who lost his bantamweight title to Dillashaw one fight later. "I dont like to dwell on such," Faber said of his loss. "As soon as that one was over, it was on to the next one, I cant really change the past, It was really unfortunate because I definitely had more fight in me. Im a guy thats known for being able to push through adversity. I didnt get a chance to show that. It could have been one of my greatest fights ... So its onto the next one. Ill make this next one my greatest fight." Barao knocked Faber out in the first round at UFC 169 in February what some — including White — thought was a premature stoppage. Faber was getting the worst of it on the ground, but gave referee Herb Dean a thumbs up to show he was still on top of things. Dean missed the gesture and stepped in to stop the fight. Barao, filling in for the injured Dominick Cruz, won a five-round decision over Faber at UFC 149 in Calgary in July 2012 to win the interim bantamweight title. Faber suffered a broken rib early in the fight. A former featherweight champion in the WEC, Faber was the longtime face of MMAs lighter weight classes. But he lost his 145-pound crown to Mike Brown in November 2008 and was beaten in a rematch seven months later. After dropping an April 2010 decision to champion Jose Aldo, who had dethroned Brown, Faber dropped down to 135 pounds. He has gone 7-3 since (6-3 in the UFC) with wins over Takeya Mizugaki, Eddie Wineland, Brian Bowles, Canadian Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Iuri Alcantara and Michael McDonald and title losses to Dominick Cruz and Barao. Faber, who made his pro debut in November 2003, may have slipped down the bantamweight mountain slightly but he remains active. Saturday marks his sixth fight in a little more than 16 months. "Im pumped to be back," he said. Dillashaw winning the bantamweight title has changed the 135-pound landscape. Especially since the two train together as part of Team Alpha Male at Fabers gym. "I couldnt be more excited about that," Faber said of the Dillashaw win. "It was a big deal for our team and for myself, a guy that I helped bring up. "People have asked about us fighting and I dont really want to do that." Faber talks of "exciting fights," citing Cruz, Barao and Kid Yamamoto. "Just keep winning and putting out my best performance." But he doesnt rule out a Dillashaw clash. "If it comes to a point where we need to cross that bridge, its going to be a discussion that he and I are going to have to have with our bosses Dana and Lorenzo (UFC president Dana White and co-owner Lorenzo Feritta)." Cruz, who has not fought since October 2011 and had to give up his title due to his knee injury layoff, will have problems getting his championship belt back, according to Faber. "I dont think hell do very well against T.J.," said Faber. The California Kid speaks warmly about Caceres, citing his recent win streak and positive if somewhat quirky outlook on life. "I kind of like the guy. But Im going to beat the crap out of him." Away from the cage, Faber has proved to be one of the more successful fighter-entrepreneurs. A graduate of the University of California, Davis, where he was a standout wrestler when not working on a degree in human development, is on his second clothing company (Torque), has written a book ("The Laws of the Rings") and has had several other business ventures, usually drawing in family and friends to help. In addition to his Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, Faber also has a private gym on the California coast. A new project, in conjunction with photographer Sam Hon, is Optical Panacea which combines the imagery of a background photo with a series of action shots in MMA and other sports. Faber is also involved in the MMA Draft combine, which serves as a showcase for amateur athletes who want to get into fighting. The many ribbons to his bow may explain why Faber has no plans to follow Randy (The Natural) Couture and fight into his 40s. "I have no desire to do that," he said. "But could I? Of course I could, if I put my mind to it. But I dont think thats the plan for me" NOTES — Faber will have veteran fighter Martin (The Hitman) Kampmann in his corner as coach. Former coach Duane (Bang) Ludwig is taking advantage of his successful run at Team Alpha Male to open his own gym. Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Adrian Peterson Jersey . San Antonio was out of energy and emotion, which is usually when coach Gregg Popovich turns to Manu Ginobili for a boost. Ginobili is no longer the only player giving the Spurs a jolt of enthusiasm and showmanship off the bench. Brian Robison Jersey . Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent a letter Friday to the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce citing the derogatory nature of the word "redskins" and suggesting the committee use its influence to persuade team owner Dan Snyder and the NFL to change the name.OTTAWA -- Columbus called it Blue Jackets hockey, but the Ottawa Senators called it ugly. Ryan Johansen, R.J. Umberger and Fedor Tyutin each had a power-play goal to lead the Blue Jackets to a 4-1 victory over Ottawa on Sunday. Columbus head coach Todd Richards said after the game his team had put forth a "60-minute effort." "When were playing our best hockey thats exactly how were playing," Richards said. On the other side of the ice, Senators coach Paul MacLean had no explanation for his teams inconsistencies. MacLean is struggling to understand how his team can play so well one night and so poorly the next. "At some point and time when you hit 30 (games) you are what you are and if this is what we are as an inconsistent group its not going to be much fun," said MacLean. Umbergers second period power-play goal was the eventual winner. Derek MacKenzie had the Blue Jackets (7-10-3) only even-strength goal of the game while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots for the win. Bobrovsky wasnt overly busy, but when he was needed he made the big save. "When your goalies making big saves you want to work for him at the other end and get some goals," said Johansen. "Everybody was really good (Sunday)." Erik Karlsson scored the lone goal for the Senators (8-8-4) in the third period. Craig Anderson made 18 saves. Coming off a 4-2 comeback win against Boston on Friday, the Senators had no explanation for why they came out so poorly Sunday. But they say they know things need to improve quickly. "We cant keep battling back every game because its not going to work," said Karlsson. "Were 20 games in and it seems like theres a lot of games left to be played, but if we dont start showing up soon its going to be over quick." Trailing 3-0 to start the third, things got even worse for the Senators as MacKenzie made it 4-0 at the five-minute mark of the third. An otherwise ugly game got even uglier after Ottawas Mark Borowiecki caught Jared Boll with his head down. James Wisniewski quickly came to his teammates defence and fought Borowiecki. The two were tossed from the game once the penalties were sorted out. "I was just trying to finish a check," said Borowiecki. "I would neverr want to hurt someone or put someone in jeopardy physically or anything like that. Chad Greenway Elite Jersey. I was just trying to make a hard play and what happened, happened." The Senators broke Bobrovskys shutout bid at 17:33 of the third when Ottawa made the most of a two-man advantage on Karlssons seventh game of the season. The small crowd of 15,535 on hand for the matinee was quiet to begin with and it grew even quieter after the Blue Jackets took a 3-0 lead scoring twice in the second period. Columbus made it 2-0 at the four-minute mark of the second as Johansen took a shot from inside the blue-line and Umberger managed to get his stick on the rebound. The Blue Jackets had a two-man advantage and adding to the Senators woes was the fact Chris Phillips stick broke seconds before Tyutin made it 3-0. Special teams were clearly the difference in this one. Ottawa was 0-5 with the man advantage, scoring its only goal on a 5-on-3. "Our power play was huge and our penalty kill was great," said Nick Floigno, who played his first game against the Senators since being traded to Columbus in July 2012. "This was a big win for our team and gives us confidence." The Blue Jackets made it 1-0 at 4:50 as Johansen took a pass from Ryan Murray and then showed some great patience as he waited for a lane to clear before shooting. This marked the 14th time this season that Ottawa gave up the first goal. The Senators have a 3-8-3 record when the opposition scores first. MacLean said all aspects of the teams preparations will be looked, including slow starts. "Well examine all that stuff and well see if we need to make changes, but we need to do something," said MacLean. "At the end of the day, it comes down to the guys wearing the sweaters. They have to be ready to play. "The ultimate responsibility comes to each individual to make sure youre ready to play the game and do your job." Erik Condra returned to the lineup after missing the last six games with a leg injury. Notes: D Patrick Wiercioch, D Joe Corvo and LW Matt Kassian were a healthy scratch for the Senators. RW Erik Condra missed his sixth straight game with a leg injury a RW Jack Skille and D Dalton Prout were a healthy scratch for the Blue Jackets. ' ' '
