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Nov 12 '16 | By mary123 | 143

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TORONTO -- A bloody Jon (Bones) Jones defended his light-heavyweight title but was pushed to the limit by a hard-charging Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson before winning a memorable five-round decision at UFC 165 on Saturday night. Mark Herzlich Giants Jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. And it will likely be remembered as one of the best title fights in UFC history. "Who doesnt want a rematch," said UFC president Dana White. Jones and Gustafsson both earned US$50,000 bonuses for the fight of the night. Still, White refused to say a rematch would be next. Gustafsson (15-2) made the champion look human, cutting him and taking him down for the first time in his UFC career. As he promised, the Swedes hands were faster. It wasnt until the end of the fourth round that a bloody Jones finally did damage, setting the stage for a dramatic fifth. Both men were bleeding. Jones took Gustafsson down but the Swede fought his way back to his feet. Gustafsson looked exhausted and Jones threw everything at him, mixing elbows and kicks. Both fighters were taken to hospital after the main event. "Thank you for everyone support," Jones tweeted after the fight. "I felt a little off my game tonight but I learned alot about myself and I promise to come back better." In the co-main event at the Air Canada Centre, interim bantamweight title-holder Renan Barao stopped former WEC champion Eddie Wineland in spectacular fashion, finishing him with a spinning back kick to the face in the second round. Gustafsson, wearing trunks in the blue-and-yellow colours of Sweden, walked in to Aviciis "Wake Me Up." The champion, wearing a "Not Quite Human" T-shirt, followed to the sounds of "Coming Home" by Diddy and Dirty Money as the noise level escalated in the arena. At six foot five, the Swede had a one-inch height advantage on Jones. The champ still had a reach advantage thanks to his UFC-leading 84.5-inch wingspan, but it was only a three-inch edge this time. Gustafsson cooly stuffed an early takedown and came at Jones, who fought back with kicks. The Swede cut the champion at the right eye midway through the first round. And with one minute left, he took Jones down for the first time in the champions UFC career. Jones just missed with a spinning elbow in a first round that was good for Gustafsson. The Swede tripped Jones as he attempted a kick early in the second, only to have the champion get back up and charge at him. Jones stalked Gustafsson, who stuffed another takedown. The crowd roared as the round ended. Gustafsson looked to stick and move in the third while Jones looked for answers. In the fourth, Gustafsson continued to move in and out, with Jones face showing more damage from strikes. The Swedes jab was laying waste to Jones right eye. A bloody Jones stunned Gustafsson with a spinning elbow and followed with a string of knees as the round counted down, leaving the Swede dazed and bloodied. "I finally got the dogfight I was looking for," said Jones, adding he needed more work in the gym. The win -- his 10th straight -- gives Jones the record for most consecutive title defences (six) in UFC light-heavyweight history. He already holds the mark for most submissions (five) by a light-heavyweight and is tied for most finishes (nine). "Hes the champ for a reason," said Gustafsson. Wineland (20-9-1) had had a good first round but was put away soon after with Barao following the kick with several punches before referee Yves Lavigne stepped in after 35 seconds. The UFC said it was the first such spinning back kick KO in its history, earning Barao a $50,000 bonus for knockout of the night. Barao, who has won 21 straight and not lost since April 2005 in his pro debut, danced with his cornermen in the cage after the win. The flashy Brazilian, a 7-2 favourite Saturday, may upgrade the interim belt to the real thing if champion Dominick Cruz, sidelined since October 2011 by two knee surgeries, cannot return to action come 2014. It was a tough card for Canadian fighters, who went 2-5 on the night. Bantamweight Mitch Gagnon of Sudbury, Ont., and Montreal lightweight John (The Bull) Makdessi were the lone Canadian winners. Rising lightweight star Khabib (The Eagle) Nurmagomedov of Russia put on a show to open the main card, using his speed and well-stocked arsenal to win a unanimous 30-27 decision over veteran Pat (Bam Bam) Healy Healy, a big 155-pounder who was unbeaten in seven fights, had no answers for Nurmagomedov, who improved his perfect record to 21-0 and 5-0 in the UFC. At one point in the third, he slung a bloody Healy (31-16 with one no contest) over his shoulder and crossed the cage before slamming him to the canvas, bringing back memories of Matt Hughes manhandling Frank Trigg. The Russian, who walked in with a white furry hat, used his post-fight interview in the cage to ask for a title shot. Healy sported a close-cropped beard after being told to trim his facial hair by the Ontario Athletic Commission. French middleweight Francis (Limitless) Carmont (22-7) improved to 6-0 in the UFC by winning a one-sided (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) decision over Costa Philippou (12-3 with one no contest). The bigger Carmont took Philippou, a former pro boxer, completely out of his game by repeatedly taking him down and dominating him on the ground. Carmont had the top position for 12:05 of the 15 minutes. It was like womens tennis as Carmont grunted loudly each time he hit his opponent in the final seconds. Still, White wasnt impressed by the ground war. "Sorry I just woke up! Thank god thats over," he tweeted. The Montreal-based Carmont, who had welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in his corner, has won 11 straight. Lightweight Myles (Fury) Jury improved his perfect record to 13-0 with a split decision over Montreals Mike (The Martian) Ricci (9-4) in the final fight of the undercard. The drab contest drew loud boos from the 15,504 in attendance and did little to pump up the volume immediately before the main card. The judges scored it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Jury. "That wasnt the fight I was expecting at all!!!" tweeted White. In contrast, Gagnon (10-2) posted a spectacular submission win over the previously unbeaten Dustin (The Diamond) Kimura. Gagnon bloodied Kimuras face with his strikes and then pulled guard when Kimura (11-1) shot in for a takedown attempt, forcing the Hawaiian to tap out to a tight guillotine choke at 4:05 of the first round. Gagnon, returning from a one-year layoff due to knee surgery, survived an early shot to the liver and some nasty leg kicks before taking it to Kimura. The Canadian earned a $50,000 bonus for submission of the night. Makdessi (12-2) also looked sharp in knocking out Brazils Renee Forte (8-3) at 2:01 of the first round. Makdessi dropped Forte with a grazing right to the head and then punished him with a dozen more shots on the ground before Lavigne stepped in. Heavyweight Brendan (The Hybrid) Schaub choked out Matt Mitrione in a battle of former football players. Schaub put Mitrione to sleep at 4:06 of the first round with a DArce choke. Both fighters had pointed fingers and talked trash leading up to the bout but they hugged afterwards. Mitrione (6-3) played six season in the NFL with the Vikings and Giants while Schaub (11-3) had a cup of coffee with the Bills and spent time in the Arena Football League. Welterweight Stephen (Wonderboy) Thompson (8-1) knocked out Chris (The Menace) Clements of London, Ont., at 11:27 of the second round. Clements (11-5 with one no contest), in his first action since July 2012 due to shoulder surgery, saw his six-fight win streak ended. He said later he hurt his knee backstage before the show. Brazil bantamweight Wilson Reis (17-4) used his grappling skills to control Montreal veteran Ivan (The Pride of El Salvador) Menjivar (25-11) en route to a unanimous 29-28 decision. Michel (Tractor) Prazeres (17-1), in his first outing at lightweight, earned a split (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) decision over Jesse (The Bodysnatcher) Ronson of London, Ont. Ronson (13-3) was game in his UFC debut, but could not get his striking game going until it was too late and was outclassed on the grappling front. The loss snapped an eight-fight win streak. Bantamweight Alex (Bruce Leroy) Caceres (9-5-0 with one no contest) used his superior striking skills to win a split (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) decision and hand Winnipegs Roland Delorme (9-2 with one no contest) his first loss in five UFC fights. Polish heavyweight Daniel Omielanczuk (16-3-1 with one no contest) knocked out Austrian Nandor (The Hun) Guelmino (11-5-1), a former bodyguard, at 3:18 of the third round in a battle of UFC debutantes. The card was the UFCs fourth in Toronto and 14th in Canada. Jay Bromley Jersey.875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. New York Giants Online Store . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. http://www.nygiantsfanatic.com/c-33-giants-keenan-robinson-jersey.aspx . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.TORONTO -- Theres a new hip face of the franchise, a new look in the works, and in 2016 theyll host basketballs biggest party. The Toronto Raptors officially announced Monday that theyll host the 2016 NBA all-star game and unveiled homegrown rap star Drake as their new "global ambassador." They also confirmed theyll have a new look and new colours -- but not a new name -- for the 2015-16 season. Its all in an effort to turn around Canadas floundering basketball franchise, and what Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., called the beginning of a "new age" for the Raptors. Now the team has to do its part to live up to the hype. "Anything you do, for me, its all based on winning," said Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri. "This is all great and beautiful for the city, but at the end of the day, my responsibility, and my teams responsibility is to put that basketball team on the floor that is going to try and win out there. "Its going to take time and patience, but were taking on the challenge, and we love it. The people, the organization, the fans I think deserve it in Toronto." Drake, who grew up a Raptors fan and calls some of the leagues biggest stars his close friends, said he approached the team about getting involved. "I want to bring the excitement into this building, I want a team that people are dying to come see, I want the tickets to be extremely hard to get, I want to bring that aggression, I want to bring that energy," said Drake. "And obviously I want it to be a top team in the NBA, if not the top team." A crowd of several hundred people -- including reporters representing sports, entertainment and news, plus MLSE employees -- squeezed into the atrium at the Air Canada Centre for the announcement, which kicked off one of the most festive Toronto Raptors media days in the teams history. Drake -- who looked sharp wearing the lone electric blue suit among a stage full of black-clad MLSE officials and politicians, including Mayor Rob Ford -- joked he would "have to go to Harry Rosen and get some more neutral suits because the vibrant blues arent going to cut it." Leiweke scheduled the announcement to coincide with the opening of camp, he said, to set a tone for the franchise. He called the day a "turning point" for the team. "I think what youre seeing is the remaking of a franchise, the remaking of what people think about us, the remaking of the demand in the marketplace for us," Leiweke said. "I think theres a reason that we led the NBA in new ticket sales the last few weeks, theres now a buzz about this organization." Leiweke stressed the all-star game isnt the final destination, that winning a championship is. But a team that hasnt made the playoffs since 2008 has a long way to go. The Raptors went 34-48 last season, spending most of it digging out of a horrific 4-19 hole. "Not to make Masai feel any more pressure than he already feels but I think we know weve got to be competitive by the all-star game," Leiweke said. "We cant be a dormant franchise, and what we wont do is have one thing to talk about in 2016, which is an all-star game. Geoff Schwartz Giants Jersey. The all-star game should be part of a new image, it shouldnt be the new image." The players said there was reason to be optimistic. Rudy Gay, acquired in the mid-season three-team trade, looked stronger for his summer spent in the gym, and said hes put on 20 pounds of muscle. A lean Kyle Lowry looked about 20 pounds lighter. DeMar DeRozan spent much off the off-season improving his three-point shooting. Monday, they were focused on the beginning of training camp and the coming season, while sounding at best only mildly interested in all the all-star hype. "Its a lot better when you have a good team going into playoffs and is known as a good team and then host the all-star team, than (host the all-star game) as a sub-par team," Gay said. He did say Drakes backing meant something. "Hes a staple in this city, and for him to behind us as we try to get better as a franchise, it says a lot," Gay said. The 26-year-old rapper, who said he travels the world preaching the "gospel that is Toronto," grew up following the Raptors, and called the Vince Carter era the source of his best basketball memories. He envisions "everybody wearing Raptors stuff. I want to have merchandising through the roof, I want everybody to be proud and patriotic about being from here and supporting this team." Drake counts among his good friends: Raptors forward Amir Johnson, and Toronto native and University of Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins. Last week Johnson, on his own accord, bought out all of Drakes new album "Nothing Was the Same" at two Toronto stores. He then handed out the several hundred copies free to fans at downtowns Yonge-Dundas Square. "Hes just a great guy," Drake said of Johnson. "Luckily for us, we have an amazing foundation thus far, so I think for the franchise its going to take work but theres a base foundation there." What exactly his role will be -- or even how much hell be around the Air Canada Centre considering he just released his new album -- remains to be seen. But Leiweke promised Drake will have "as much a footprint on the all-star week as the NBA will allow us to." The city last hosted an all-star game in 2008 when Major League Soccer held its showcase here. The NHL staged its all-star game in Toronto in 2000 while the Toronto Blue Jays hosted baseballs marquee contest in 1991. The 2014 all-star game will be held in New Orleans while New York will host the 2015 contest. Leiweke says an NBA all-star game usually generates somewhere around $100 million for the host city but he predicted Toronto will eclipse that, saying he and Drake have been discussing making the festivities about more than just basketball and music. "Were already talking about fashion, were talking about films, were talking about food, were talking about all the things ... that are the trademark of this great city," said Leiweke. "We certainly see it as an opportunity to let everyone see all the phenomenal parts of Toronto." Wholesale Jerseys China' ' '

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