FanHouse JoseAldo

Ladies and gentlemen, last night was a night for the history books. Years from now, you won't remember this column, but you will understand its significance. Because last night, Nov. 18, 2009, was the night that a 23-year-old human highlight reel by the name of Jose Aldo completed his ascension to MMA royalty.

Some of you might be thinking it's way too early to put him in the company of greatness. I've seen enough.

Aldo (16-1) is a singular talent in a world of overachievers. Armed with fast-twitch muscle that makes his standup a thing of destructive beauty, a seasoned ground game, surprisingly effective takedown defense and an even fight temperament, the WEC featherweight phenom laid a beating on defending champion Mike Brown, seizing the belt and starting a reign that has every possibility of lasting for years.

All around the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas during UFC 100 weekend, MMA fighters could be seen signing autographs for adoring throngs of fans. It all seemed pretty routine: smile, shake, sign, pose. But one thing was different about the Silver Star booth. The athlete putting his pen to paper there was doing so despite having casts on both of his hands.

Urijah Faber, the former WEC featherweight champion, badly injured both of his hands during his July unanimous decision loss to Mike Brown. He dislocated his left thumb and suffered two broken bones on his right hand. The latter injury required steel plates to hasten recovery.

Faber says now that he has "no idea" when he'll be able to return to the cage, and that "it's going to be some months." In fact, it's quite likely that we won't see him back in the cage until 2010.