WEC 38: BIG PLANS TO OPEN YEAR IN SAN DIEGO

[font=corbel]Despite faltering in his performance against Mike Brown at WEC 36 in Hollywood, Fla., earlier this month, former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion Urijah Faber is still in the promotion's plans when it comes to putting together a blockbuster fight card.

That is exactly what the UFC's sister promotion has on tap for January.

Reliable independent sources confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the WEC is looking to kick 2009 off in style, going big right out of the gate. Current plans call for the promotion to make its first stop ever in San Diego on Jan. 25 with one of its most loaded cards to date.

As mentioned, Urijah Faber is set to be part of the fight card, although he won't get the immediate rematch with Mike Brown that he had hopes for. Brown suffered torn rib cartilage in winning the belt from Faber on Nov. 5 and is unlikely to return to action before March. It is currently unknown whom the WEC will match Faber up against, but the short list includes Leonard Garcia and Jose Aldo.

"Urijah wants to fight in January,