The right-handed punch that crowned Mike Brown champion and left Urijah Faber dazed continues to be a source of debate among mixed martial arts fans.

Was Brown's Nov. 1 knockout over Faber in Florida a fluke? Today's World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title rematch at Arco Arena will finally quiet the speculation.

"It's very offensive," Brown said. "I've been in the game a long time and I didn't take a shortcut to get here. I didn't get 21 flukes."

For Faber, the hometown mixed martial arts star, being dethroned hasn't sat well. With his surfer-boy good looks and knack for submission holds, Faber is among the most popular and marketable fighters in the sport.

"This is definitely something I've been looking forward to," Faber said. "It's going to be a knockdown, drag-out, and I expect to come out on top this time."

Large Arco crowd expected

Today's 10-bout card marks the fourth major MMA event at Arco since November 2006, with promoters often eager to return because of knowledgable arena staffers and fans.

WEC and arena staff anticipate more than 12,000 fans in attendance today, a similar turnout to the 12,682 fans at Faber's last fight in Sacramento. Faber defeated veteran Jens Pulver last June at Arco.

The WEC's back-to-back June visits aren't a coincidence, said Reed Harris, WEC general manager.

"I think we will do an annual trip here," Harris said. "I would actually like to come more than once a year."

The WEC, formed in 2001, typically averages around 6,000 fans at other venues, with Sacramento setting the record for attendance.

In a Nov. 5, 2008, bout, Brown defeated Faber at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., which is near Brown's hometown of Coconut Creek.

"We thought it only fair to have the rematch in Urijah's hometown," Harris said. "We didn't even discuss anywhere else."

And both fighters and promoters anticipate today's fight to be much different than the last one – which ended 2:23 into the first round.

"I think you're going to see a war," Harris said. "I really do. I think both of these guys are totally prepared for this fight, and both have guaranteed a win."

Faber has area roots

The crowd, no doubt, will be on Faber's side. Faber starred on Lincoln High School's wrestling team before going on to a successful four-year career at UC Davis.

With a degree in human development, Faber bucks the stereotypical fighter profile. His clean-cut image and laid-back personality have made him a marketing magnet under his nickname, "California Kid."

Faber can also add "businessman" to his résumé. He co-owns the Ultimate Fitness MMA gym in midtown and recently opened the Sacramento Sportsplex in Rancho Cordova.

Faber says he hasn't changed much from the days he drove to isolated casinos to fight for $400 in front of a few hundred fans.

"I'm more conscious of my time because there are more demands on me these days," Faber said. "I'm always trying to learn and always trying to get better. I'm working on my standup (style of fighting)."

Rivals, but respectful

Neither Faber (22-2) nor Brown (21-4) is much for trash talking. They greet each other warmly before appearances. Brown worked out Thursday at Faber's gym as part of a prefight media event.

The talk was mostly about the rematch. Faber said he's not placing any more pressure on himself for today's fight than he typically would. It's as important as all of his fights, he says.

"I definitely have something to prove to myself and fans, and that's that I'm not second best to Mike Brown," Faber said. "That is important. But every fight I take serious."

Faber said he takes one vote of confidence into the rematch – he knows what Brown's fist feels like.

"I took his best punch, and I wasn't unconscious, so that's something," Faber said.

Brown said he watched a lot of tape of Faber for their first fight and knows he should expect the unexpected.

"He's a very unpredictable guy," Brown said. "Fast, good wrestlers are what I try to get for opponents in the gym (to practice against Faber's style)."

Brown fought at Arco last June, when Faber's fight with Pulver carried the card. Brown defeated Jeff Curran in a three-round unanimous decision.

Brown said he remembers what Arco's energy felt like, but doesn't think the hometown crowd will factor much into his fight with Faber.

"Once you shut the gate, it's all out the window," Brown said. "You are just fighting. I don't think it matters if people are booing or cheering."

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.