Fresh off their victories at WEC 46 last weekend, former featherweight champions Urijah Faber and Mike Thomas Brown joined Jeff and I on Friday’s edition of the SDS to discuss their big wins and where they are headed in the crowded 145-pound division.

Faber, who stopped highly regarded Raphael Assuncao in the third round Sunday night, addressed the brewing controversy surrounding the title shot he earned with the win and spoke about his chances against top dog Jose Aldo. “The California Kid” also opines on his visibility in the Sacramento community and his desire to represent them in a positive fashion.

Brown also answered questions about Faber being tabbed as the next opponent for Aldo -- the man who wrested the belt from him in November. After convincingly beating Faber twice, Brown finds himself on the outside looking in as Faber gets the first crack at Aldo. Check out the podcast to hear Brown discuss his feelings on the matter as well as his performance against Anthony Morrison this past weekend.

QUINCY, Mass. -- Mike Thomas Brown came home for a wedding.

He left with mixed martial arts approved in his home state, a drained autograph pen, and wide-eyed adulation from the scores who attended a two-hour seminar the featherweight king held Monday at a new American Top Team affiliate south of Boston. The faux-hawked Maine native, who started fighting locally in 2001 after winning a state title in wrestling at Bonny Eagle High School in the town of Standish, happily obliged all photo and signature requests from locals.

His affinity for Dunkin Donuts coffee -- iced, black, no sugar -- might hint at his local roots, but Brown’s heritage doesn’t hit you over the head like fellow Mainer Tim Sylvia’s does whenever he speaks, without a single trace of an “R” sound. Brown has almost entirely dropped his New England accent.

Mike Thomas Brown has signed on to defend his featherweight crown against Brazilian upstart Jose Aldo at WEC 44 or 45 in November, Sherdog.com has confirmed following an initial report from InTheGuard.tv.

No date has been locked down for the 145-pound title tilt, although Colorado seems to be the point of destination for the event, according to a source close to the bout.

If Urijah Faber absolutely had to lose to Mike Thomas Brown Sunday in Sacramento, this was the way to do it: go out only after stretching Brown through five exhausting rounds, getting your licks and leaving some measure of doubt in fans’ minds over the outcome due to a seriously busted hand.

Faber’s immediate future is still a question mark. He’s had two opportunities to defeat the featherweight division’s best fighter, and came up short each time. A rubber match when one participant is down 0-2 isn’t unheard of, but it’ll take one or two spectacular performances by Faber and a completely barren contender’s landscape for Brown.

That won’t be an easy feat: Jose Aldo, who launched a flying knee at Cub Swanson that ended months of training in eight seconds, will be looking to capitalize on Brown’s lethargic stand-up and eyes-to-floor haymaking. Good thing Aldo doesn’t have a huge name yet, otherwise they might consider making us pay for it.

Last November, then-WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber bounced into his first fight with Mike Thomas Brown slapping hands, singing and looking very relaxed -- relaxed enough to be a guy on his way to dinner.

Turns out he was on his way to the dentist. After a miscalculated spinning elbow -- an absence of mind the phrase “WTF?” was invented for -- Brown capitalized and put Faber down for the count. Now the press has cast Brown as the bigger, bullying brother, with more raw power than Faber will be able to handle.

It makes for incendiary copy, but the reality is, the first fight didn’t last long enough to know for sure. No one had the advantage, and while Brown was able to make a show of pushing Faber on his ass from the clinch, he didn’t rack up any damage points until Faber’s mistake. Expect Faber to cut the crap this time around. Anything less than perfect, and he loses.

What It Means: The future of Faber in the WEC. If he can’t get past Brown, it’s not the smartest business to have him hanging around and picking off contenders. It could be time for either a move down (to 135 pounds and a run at Miguel Torres) or a move up to the 155-pound class.

Third-Party Investor: The Versus network, which counts on Faber’s marketability to propel the WEC’s engine. (“Win a Chance to Train with Mike Brown” sounds more like a threat than a prize.)

Who Wins: Faber. No theatrics, and a strong possibility of catching Brown on the ground if it winds up there: All four of Brown’s losses came via submission.