Former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber (21-2) had emerged as the face of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), racking up five consecutive wins for the Zuffa-owned promotion, and hadn’t tasted defeat in 13 fights — an impressive streak that dated back to 2005.

Then came a well-placed, fight-ending right hand courtesy of the powerful Mike Brown in the first round of their WEC 36 main event back on November 5.

As Faber explains on MMAmania’s exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio, what you see is what you get.

“It was pretty obvious what went wrong: I jumped in with the no-look elbow. I knew he would be chasing at me because I kind of rolled away from him. I came really, really close to connecting with that elbow. Nonetheless, he ducked out and just caught me square on the chin and dazed me for a second. I went into turtle position and was protecting but was still a little dazed and the ref stepped in. I felt really good in there I just got caught and he capitalized on my mistake. I feel like nine times out of ten I win that fight but there’s no room for mistakes when you’re fighting the best guys in the world.”

The loss was only the second of his career and the first since getting stopped in the third round by Tyson Griffin at Gladiator Challenge 42: “Summer Slam” in September of 2005. But don’t expect “The California Kid” to be wasting anytime feeling sorry for himself. While he credits Brown for the win, he expects a much different outcome in the eventual rematch.

“I’ve seen Mike Brown from years back now. When I first got into the game I was backstage at a UFC event with him when he was fighting in the UFC, when I only had two fights under my belt. The guy’s a veteran. I knew he was going to be tough, he’s a lot bigger than I am as a person, probably 15 pounds or so. I knew he was going to be strong, but I wasn’t overpowered. I feel like it’s gonna be a good fight for me in the rematch.”

Unfortunately for Faber, that rematch has been temporarily put on hold. With new WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown on the mend with injured ribs and Leonard Garcia on the rise, Faber will instead rematch former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver at WEC 38 in San Diego, California, on January 25.

“Jens is an extremely tough dude. It’s not necessarily my dream fight, but I’m gonna have my hands full and there’s always danger with him involved. I gotta imagine he’s gonna be going for broke, he’s really got nothing to lose, we both need a win and I’m expecting a war. I’m always happy when there’s gonna be a war. That’s why I’m in this sport.”

Faber and Pulver first met in an action-packed five round scrap at WEC 34 back in June. Urijah came away with a clear unanimous decision victory in what is to date the most successful event ever for the promotion. Perhaps the WEC is hoping that lightning will strike twice the second time around even though “Lil Evil” has fallen on tough times of late.

Many fans felt another go-round with Pulver was a no-win situation for Faber. Another victory does nothing for him in the division and a loss could be devastating for his anticipated rematch with Brown. As Faber explains, the decision was pretty much out of his hands.

“I’m not exactly sure how they figure this stuff out. I was actually told that I was fighting Jose Aldo at first. That’s who I was preparing for, then it changed and I think they were looking for guys and Jens stepped up. He’s the type of guy that’s always ready to fight and it doesn’t really matter the scenario. I think he was just one of the guys that wasn’t bitching and moaning about fighting.”

Don’t expect a different approach for “The California Kid” heading into WEC 38. Before the upset, Faber was widely considered to be the number one featherweight mixed martial artist in the world. He was on a 13-fight win streak that included victories over Pulver, Jeff Curran, Chance Farrar, Dominic Cruz, Krazy Horse Bennett, Ivan Menjivar, Charlie Valencia and others.

He’ll likely be out for redemption just like Pulver, making this rematch an exciting fight to kick off 2009 for the WEC.

“I’m gonna go at it the same way, but [the loss] reminds you that you’re not invincible. When you’re out there beating people up fairly easily, you don’t have the opportunity to be humbled. Getting into that situation was a little bit humbling so I’ll be cautious, but I gotta let it all hang out man, that’s why people love me and that’s what I love about fighting. I love this sport. It’s something that I really cherish and I’m happy to be a part of it, win or lose.”