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Faber pounds Pulver, retains WEC crown

Sacramento native wins convincing decision before hometown fans

Video: MMA from NBC Sports
Torres wants showcase win
Dec 01: WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres says he's going for a K.O. against Manny Tapia.

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  UPCOMING MMA EVENTS  
  
WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia
December 3 - Las Vegas
UFC Fight Night: For the Troops
December 10 - Fayetteville, NC
The Ultimate Fighter Finale
December 13 - Las Vegas
UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008
December 27 - Las Vegas
UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson
Jan 17 - Dublin, Ireland
Affliction: Day of Reckoning
January 24 - Anaheim, Calif.


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Image: Mike Chiapetta
By NBCSports.com
updated 12:40 a.m. ET June 2, 2008

Urijah Faber held on to his WEC featherweight title Sunday night, defeating former UFC lightweight champ Jens Pulver via unanimous decision at Sacramento’s Arco Arena.

Fueled on by thousands that came to root him on in his hometown, Faber (21-1) used crisp striking and his usual fast pace to daze Pulver several times, but the challenger always managed to work his way out of trouble. Despite losing, Pulver became the first fighter to go the distance with Faber since 2004.

Many thought Faber, regarded as one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world by many media outlets, would have some trouble with Pulver, who is known for strong striking, but it was the champion who controlled the standup action, winning every round on the judges' scorecards en route to the victory.

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In the co-main event, WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres (34-1) stopped Yoshiro Maeda by TKO after the challenger was unable to continue due to swelling around his eyes.

In another featured bout, former NCAA wrestling star Mark Munoz won his WEC debut with a first-round TKO of Chuck Grigsby. After a slow start, Munoz scored a takedown and with Grigsby looking for a kneebar, Munoz turned up the heat and finished him with strikes from the top.

Full results
Urijah Faber def. Jens Pulver via unanimous decision
Miguel Torres def. Yoshiro Maeda via TKO, Rd. 3
Mark Munoz def. Chuck Grigsby via TKO, Rd. 1
Rob McCullough def. Kenneth Alexander via split decision
Donald Cerrone def. Danny Castillo via submission (armbar), Round 1
Mike Thomas Brown def. Jeff Curran via unanimous decision
Will Ribeiro def. Chase Beebe via split decision
Tim McKenzie def. Jeremy Lang via submission (triangle choke), Round 3
Alex Serdyukov def. Luis Sapo via TKO, Round 1
Jose Aldo def. Alexandre Franca Nogueira via TKO, Round 2
Dominic Cruz def. Charlie Valencia via unanimous decision


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