Two years ago, would it even be thinkable that Urijah Faber would not only not be the WEC Featherweight Champion, but that most experts would give him little to no chance to regain that title against the current champion?

Doubtful.

Yet, that's the very predicament "The California Kid" finds himself in today. Without the belt, but with renewed purpose, the face of World Extreme Cagefighting and perhaps the entire featherweight division takes on his toughest test to date as he tangles with champion Jose Aldo, a man most consider to be the top of the featherweight division.

A lot rides on this fight. For Faber, losing his second chance to regain the title after losing his belt and the rematch to Mike Brown could define his legacy. And for the WEC, their first foray into pay-per-view could prove disastrous if the face of the franchise is soundly defeated by a Brazilian superfighter most MMA fans have never heard of.

But don't tell that to Faber. Sacramento's own is both clairvoyant and optimistic heading into this battle. After an impressive submission win over Raphael Assuncao at WEC 46, Faber believes he is poised to regain what was once his and reign over the 145lbs division once again. In fact, if you ask him, this is a match-up that suits his style.

As for predictions, we'll worry about those later. But there can be no doubt that what rides for Faber on Saturday are the greatest stakes of any fight in his career to date.

To listen to the entire thing, click below:

Transcribed highlights from our conversation after the break.

On evaluating GSP's performance at UFC 111:

Faber: I's hard to say. They give you all the reward when you're the champion in this sport. That's just the way it is. Having the ability to shut a guy who's the number one contender down the way he did is pretty impressive. I think he tried to finish it on a number of occasions, went for the submissions, and tried to pound the guy. But at what point do you become a guy that is trying to please a fan and the other one to cement your reputation and spot in the record books as the most dominant champ? Thomas: Let me ask you: is it always really an either/or situation? Is it either you can take the path he took and go for the submission or you stand-up and get knocked out? It seems to me, I mentioned this before. If you look at the Mayhem Miller fight, a very similar ...same kind of offensive output in terms of submissions from St. Pierre, but St. Pierre beat him up for three rounds. Seemed to me [this time] very little attempt from St. Pierre, who from all accounts has pretty good ground and pound. Isn't there gray area where you can say St. Pierre didn't use all of the tools that he has? Faber: You could say that, but it's a lot more difficult when you're actually in there fighting. It's not like he's fighting someone he can throw around like a little kid even though it may look like that sometimes from the best fighters. You know, these guys are dangerous guys. They're exactly the same size. They have the exact same focus, exact same time to prepare. So, Hardy's a dangerous, dangerous opponent. Could we have seen a more exciting fight? I'm sure, but he got the job done, almost took his arm off in the process, so I, for one, throw caution to the wind and keep it exciting. But that's my style and it plays into me winning a lot of times, so it's hard to be a critic on a guy who just had a dominating performance.

On the "fairness" of being ranked three in the world:

Faber: Sure, you guys can rank me wherever...It doesn't factor in to how I evaluate myself, no. But it is irritating when you know you're better than something. I think the FIGHT! Magazine rankings for a time there had me completely off the rankings altogether because they're computer based and who knows what program they're using or method or whatever it was. As long as it's close to reality it doesn't bother me in the least bit because it doesn't really matter.

On evaluating Jose Aldo:

Faber: It basically comes down to this. When I really watch back to his fights his precision on his punches hasn't been the key factor. I think he's got precise kicks and knees that have really done the damage and he's got fast hands. He throws them fairly accurately, but the biggest thing for him is that he goes in for the kill. He's got dangerous stand-up. He's got strong jiu-jitsu. His wrestling defense is pretty good, I think partially because of his athleticism. I think as far as being well-rounded I'm the better guy. My wrestling caliber is better, I feel like my Brazilian jiu-jitsu game is better. I'd give [Aldo] a slight edge in the stand-up because he's been finishing all of his guys with the stand-up, but I've got heavy hands and I've got all the tools to put him in danger when it comes to stand-up as well. So, it's basically being first and putting my will power onto him and making sure I'm not caught by one of his heavy knees or kicks.

On Aldo vs Brown:

Faber: I was impressed. I don't want to say ‘surprised' necessarily. Before I was thinking "Man, this could be the first time we see Jose Aldo tested". And it really wasn't. First round, you could've possibly given the round to Brown. It was not a decisive round either way. But in the second round I think Brown just did not look like he was in the fight. He talked about it afterward about he wasn't mentally in that fight, he had his cut, things like that. A lot of times you feel like people make excuses afterward, but I kinda got that sense when I watched that fight. And as far as match-ups go, the difference in speed was very, very apparent. It was just weird. The way the fight finished was Aldo kinda bumped Mike Brown over and he turned over like the slowest I've ever seen anyone turn over, and Aldo took his back and put the legs in and punched. Didn't knock him out or anything, but was in a dominating position. So, it's hard to say when you look at the match-up, I mean it's going to be nothing like when I fight him.

On evaluating his performance against Assuncao:

Faber: I think I did well. One of the things I was really working on was being a little more precise in my punching because that was downfall against Brown the second time. I hit [Brown] in the top of the head with a wild, heavy punch and busted my hand. So, when I did land some punches [against Assuncao] they were on the button and some damage. And then I was able to capitalize with a submission. I've got a history of submitting guys that were known for their jiu-jitsu game. That's because I've got a really strong jiu-jitsu game. I've been training for six and a half years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and before that twelve years of wrestling at the highest level as a Division I wrestler and in the NCAA Division I tournament. So, I don't think people give enough credit to my ground game. You didn't get to see it against Mike Brown because I didn't have any hands to grapple, so you're seeing a one-handed guy in there struggle, defending shots and getting back up. I've got a strong ground game. I felt like I got to showcase that again [against Assuncao].

On whether he sees himself as a stronger athlete than Aldo:

Faber: It's relative, you know? There's strength, there's speed, there's explosivity. I think we're both different. I've shook his hand, put my hands on his body before. The guy's a solid dude, not weak by any means, we're just built different. I'm sure there are parts of me that are stronger than him and maybe vice versa, but I feel like I'm a good match-up.

On whether a loss to Aldo means the end for the WEC: