LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Urijah (The California Kid) Faber finds himself in an unaccustomed position Saturday night at UFC 175 — on the preliminary card. Faber, a former WEC champion who has challenged for a UFC championship belt three times, has never lost a non-title bout and was in the main event last time out at UFC 169. But the 35-year-old bantamweight from Sacramento, currently ranked second among 135-pound contenders, find himself topping the televised preliminaries before the pay-per-view portion of the show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Middleweight champion Chris Weidman meets former light-heavyweight title-holder Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida of Brazil in the main event while womens bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey takes on Alexis Davis, a native of Port Colborne, Ont., who fights out of San Jose. Faber faces No. 12 Alex (Bruce Leroy) Caceres in a fight where a win means much more to the up-and-coming Caceres than the veteran Faber. Having an established star like Faber (30-7) lead into the pay-per-view is good for the UFC. Faber has no complaints, knowing the prelim finale will draw plenty of viewers on free TV. A canny businessman, Faber understands the value of keeping his brand in the spotlight. "I feel great," said the five-foot-six fighter with a megawatt smile and dimple in his chin. "Its kind of a strange thing. Ive gotten to the point now where Im one of the veterans of the sport. "Ive had the same lifestyle since I was a little kid — basically do your homework, hang out with your buddies and play your sports. So Im living the same life. To be the crafty old veteran at this point is kind of funny. ... Im 35 now and feeling as fresh as a daisy, ready to rock and roll. Its good position to be in." The matchup was apparently triggered by a fan on social media. The 26-year-old Caceres took up the cause and Faber accepted the bout when the UFC offered it. "Its smart to want to fight me," said Faber. "I mean, the guy doesnt have anything to lose. Im one of the bigger names in the sport." But as UFC president Dana White often says, be careful of what you wish for. Faber is a 15-1 favourite to put Caceres in his place, in the eyes of some oddsmakers. Rather than titles, Faber talks about being the best fighter he can be these days. But he believes the two can come together, even if the championship belt currently belongs to teammate T.J. Dillashaw. "I feel like I still havent had my best performance," Faber said. "When I do, I feel like Ill be the champion." Caceres (10-5 with one no contest) has won four of his last five fights. It could have been five straight but his split decision win over Kyung Ho Kang in March was changed to a no contest after he tested positive for marijuana. That earned him a six-month suspension. Faber is coming off a second defeat at the hands of Brazils Renan Barao, who lost his bantamweight title to Dillashaw one fight later. "I dont like to dwell on such," Faber said of his loss. "As soon as that one was over, it was on to the next one, I cant really change the past, It was really unfortunate because I definitely had more fight in me. Im a guy thats known for being able to push through adversity. I didnt get a chance to show that. It could have been one of my greatest fights ... So its onto the next one. Ill make this next one my greatest fight." Barao knocked Faber out in the first round at UFC 169 in February what some — including White — thought was a premature stoppage. Faber was getting the worst of it on the ground, but gave referee Herb Dean a thumbs up to show he was still on top of things. Dean missed the gesture and stepped in to stop the fight. Barao, filling in for the injured Dominick Cruz, won a five-round decision over Faber at UFC 149 in Calgary in July 2012 to win the interim bantamweight title. Faber suffered a broken rib early in the fight. A former featherweight champion in the WEC, Faber was the longtime face of MMAs lighter weight classes. But he lost his 145-pound crown to Mike Brown in November 2008 and was beaten in a rematch seven months later. After dropping an April 2010 decision to champion Jose Aldo, who had dethroned Brown, Faber dropped down to 135 pounds. He has gone 7-3 since (6-3 in the UFC) with wins over Takeya Mizugaki, Eddie Wineland, Brian Bowles, Canadian Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Iuri Alcantara and Michael McDonald and title losses to Dominick Cruz and Barao. Faber, who made his pro debut in November 2003, may have slipped down the bantamweight mountain slightly but he remains active. Saturday marks his sixth fight in a little more than 16 months. "Im pumped to be back," he said. Dillashaw winning the bantamweight title has changed the 135-pound landscape. Especially since the two train together as part of Team Alpha Male at Fabers gym. "I couldnt be more excited about that," Faber said of the Dillashaw win. "It was a big deal for our team and for myself, a guy that I helped bring up. "People have asked about us fighting and I dont really want to do that." Faber talks of "exciting fights," citing Cruz, Barao and Kid Yamamoto. "Just keep winning and putting out my best performance." But he doesnt rule out a Dillashaw clash. "If it comes to a point where we need to cross that bridge, its going to be a discussion that he and I are going to have to have with our bosses Dana and Lorenzo (UFC president Dana White and co-owner Lorenzo Feritta)." Cruz, who has not fought since October 2011 and had to give up his title due to his knee injury layoff, will have problems getting his championship belt back, according to Faber. "I dont think hell do very well against T.J.," said Faber. The California Kid speaks warmly about Caceres, citing his recent win streak and positive if somewhat quirky outlook on life. "I kind of like the guy. But Im going to beat the crap out of him." Away from the cage, Faber has proved to be one of the more successful fighter-entrepreneurs. A graduate of the University of California, Davis, where he was a standout wrestler when not working on a degree in human development, is on his second clothing company (Torque), has written a book ("The Laws of the Rings") and has had several other business ventures, usually drawing in family and friends to help. In addition to his Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, Faber also has a private gym on the California coast. A new project, in conjunction with photographer Sam Hon, is Optical Panacea which combines the imagery of a background photo with a series of action shots in MMA and other sports. Faber is also involved in the MMA Draft combine, which serves as a showcase for amateur athletes who want to get into fighting. The many ribbons to his bow may explain why Faber has no plans to follow Randy (The Natural) Couture and fight into his 40s. "I have no desire to do that," he said. "But could I? Of course I could, if I put my mind to it. But I dont think thats the plan for me" NOTES — Faber will have veteran fighter Martin (The Hitman) Kampmann in his corner as coach. Former coach Duane (Bang) Ludwig is taking advantage of his successful run at Team Alpha Male to open his own gym. Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Pekka Rinne Jersey . -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. Craig Smith Jersey . The Brazilian international goalkeeper was beaten twice in the first 12 minutes of his Reds debut in a 3-1 preseason loss to Columbus Crew in Florida earlier this week. http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Dan...edators-jersey/. Despite Arsenals financial firepower, the 31-year-old midfielder was the only arrival in the January transfer window. Signed until the end of the season as injury cover, Kallstrom might not be fit until mid-March after arriving Friday at Arsenal having injured his back earlier in the week while training with Spartak Moscow. P.K Subban Jersey .Bacca took advantage of Cristian Alvarezs hesitation to head a lobbed pass over the goalkeeper and then used his feet to roll the ball into an empty net in the eighth minute. The Colombia strikers 10th goal pulled him level with Lionel Messi as the leagues third-leading scorers, far behind Cristiano Ronaldos runaway tally of 23 goals. Nashville Predators Jerseys . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. CHICAGO -- This was a no-brainer from start to finish. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane wanted to stay in Chicago and the Blackhawks wanted to keep the high-scoring forwards in the only NHL uniform they have ever known. All that was left was crunching the numbers on two of the biggest contracts in franchise history. The Blackhawks announced Wednesday they had reached eight-year extensions with two of their top performers in a long run of success that includes Stanley Cup titles in 2010 and 2013. Toews and Kane led Chicago back to the Western Conference final this year, where it lost to the eventual NHL champion Los Angeles Kings. General manager Stan Bowman said all along that the extensions were his biggest off-season priority, and it didnt take very long to reach the agreements with Pat Brisson, who represents both players. Toews and Kane each have one year left on their five-year extensions from December 2009, and July 1 was the first day they could sign new deals. Each contract is worth $84 million for an average annual value of $10.5 million, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce the contract numbers. Toews and Kane made it clear right after the Game 7 loss to Los Angeles that they wanted to stay with the Blackhawks, who added .8MoreYears to their tweets about the deal. "Theres no organization in sports that cares more about the overall experience of their fans and the success of their players," Toews said in a statement released by the team. "Theres nothing we want more as players than to continue to win Stanley Cups for the best hockey fans on the planet." Toews, the No. 3 selection in the 2006 draft, was just 20 when he became the 34th captain in team history in Jully 2008.dddddddddddd He is regarded as one of the NHLs best two-way players, winning the 2013 Selke Trophy as the leagues best defensive forward. Kane, the top overall pick in the 2007 draft, has developed into one of the NHLs most clutch players after questions about his maturity dogged the dynamic winger for the first part of the career. He had the series-clinching goal in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals at Philadelphia, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy last year as playoff MVP. The 25-year-old Kane put on another impressive display in this years post-season, almost bringing Chicago back from a 3-1 deficit against Los Angeles. He had two goals and eight assists in the final four games of the series against the Kings. The $168 million worth of extensions for Toews and Kane mean the Blackhawks have much of their core group locked up through the 2016-17 season. Bowman could face some sticky situations with the salary cap in the coming years, but his team should be a Stanley Cup contender for a while. "The signings of Jonathan and Patrick symbolize an important milestone in franchise history," Blackhawks President and CEO John McDonough said. "We are driven by the pursuit of consistent excellence and today is a huge step forward." The 26-year-old Toews has at least 23 goals and 25 assists in each of his seven NHL seasons. He set career highs with 32 goals and 44 assists in the 2010-11 season. Kane averages 25 goals and 45 assists per year. He had a career-high 30 goals and 58 assists for the 2009-10 campaign. More important for Chicago, each player has been at his best in the post-season. Kane is fifth on the franchises career list with 37 playoff goals and his 54 assists ranks sixth in team history. Toews (29 goals, 52 assists) also is in the top 10 in each category. 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