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Jose Aldo (Photo courtesy WEC)

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

After talking about the possibility of it for many months and promising it was on the horizon, World Extreme Cagefighting on Wednesday announced its first foray into the world of pay-per-view.

WEC 48: Aldo vs. Brown will take place April 24 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento and will feature a main event featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and former champion – and hometown hero – Urijah Faber.

And while speculation from MMA fans and analysts over a potential WEC pay-per-view always seemed to settle back in at what the price point would be, the WEC announced that the price of the card will be the same – $44.99 for either the standard or high-definition feed – of that of its Zuffa LLC big brother, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The WEC, though, seems poised to give fans their money’s worth for the card with the Faber-Aldo title fight, plus a co-main event lightweight championship bout between champion Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone, a rematch of one of the best fights of 2009, which Henderson won in a unanimous decision to win the then-interim lightweight belt. Henderson unified the title with a win over then-champion Jamie Varner last month. Also on the card, former featherweight champion Mike Brown meets former finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter” Manny Gamburyan.

“We are building the most action-packed card we’ve ever done for our first pay-per-view,” WEC general manager Reed Harris said in a statement Wednesday. “The Jose Aldo-Urijah Faber fight is something fans have been talking about for a long time. When those two step inside the cage, it could be one of the best fights in the history of the sport. With the Cerrone-Henderson rematch and the Brown-Gamburyan fight also scheduled, this guarantees that fans get the most bang for their buck.”

The WEC said the broadcast will feature five main-card bouts, the same as most UFC pay-per-views. As always, there is the possibility for bonus coverage to be shown, pending time constraints and the length of the main-card fights.

At 16-1 and unbeaten in the WEC at 6-0, Aldo has become one of the most exciting fighters in the sport. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he has yet to truly showcase his ground skills in the WEC – all six of his wins have been knockouts, including two Knockout of the Night bonus awards. In Faber, he will get perhaps his toughest test to date, especially fighting the former champ in his home stadium. It will be Faber’s third straight fight in his Sacramento hometown and fifth of six in his home state for “The California Kid.”

“Urijah is a good fighter, but he’s not taking my belt,” Aldo said. “My dream has been to be the world champion. Now that I have the belt, I am not giving it up.”

Faber (23-3, 8-2 WEC) held the featherweight belt for two years before dropping it to Brown at WEC 36. He also lost a rematch to Brown for the title at WEC 41 in Sacramento last June in one of the year’s best fights. After a seven-month layoff with two broken hands, Faber got back in the win column last month with a win over Rafael Assuncao.

“It’s Jose Aldo’s belt right now – but in my mind, that’s my belt,” Faber said. “My belief is that I should have that belt, and I’m gonna go in there and try to get it. I’m out here ready to prove it.”

Tickets for WEC: Aldo vs. Faber go on sale Saturday at noon Central time and will be priced from $40 to $185. There is also an online presale for WEC newsletter subscribers Friday at noon.