SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Demian Maias star was on the rise in the UFCs welterweight division, with president Dana White even talking about the possibility of a title shot for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
[b]Cheap Jersey Website[/b] . Jake Shields put a big roadblock in the way of those lofty aspirations. The veteran edged Maia for a split-decision win Wednesday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields. Shields won by scores of 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 in a moderately-paced five-round affair heavy on stalls and clinches. Maia entered the fight ranked as the No. 4 contender in the welterweight division, and had won his last three fights in the first round. White had said that Maia would be in the conversation for a title shot against champion Georges St-Pierre of Montreal with a win over Shields. But Shields, coming off a split-decision win after serving a six-month suspension for a positive drug test, did enough to win in a match lacking action. The two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts each had moments of brilliance, but the skills ultimately negated each others strengths. Even a crowd in the country where the art was born found it hard to watch, booing in moments that featured precious little movement. Neither fighter came close to locking in a finishing hold. The key moment came in the third round. With the score tied after two and Maia (18-4) starting to take over, Shields (28-6-1) hit a beautiful sweep to the top that stole him the round and put him in the drivers seat for the remainder of the fight. While he tired over the final two rounds, he did enough to earn the split decision. "That was one of my hardest two or three fights of all-time," Shields said following the win. "It was up there with Georges St-Pierre and Dan Henderson. The guys a phenom. I expected that going in. He gave me everything I could handle." The nights co-feature ended with an incredible knockout, but it was Korean judoka Dong Hyun Kim scoring the highlight-reel finish over heavy-handed Brazilian dynamo Erick Silva. After Kim dominated the opening five minutes with a top-based grappling game, Silva mounted an impressive start to open the second. A big right hand started off the barrage, and Kim was immediately in survival mode. Yet as Silva rushed forward for the finish, Kim bobbed, weaved and clinched until he could clear the cobwebs. Then it happened. With Silva launching another heavy left hand, Kim slipped the punch and scored with a left of his own on the button. Silva (15-4) was out before he hit the canvas, and Kim (18-2-1) was the surprise victor, collapsing to his knees in celebration at the 3:01 mark of the second frame. Kim was awarded a US$50,000 bonus cheque for the evenings clear "Knockout of the Night." "It was incredible and very difficult because Erick Silva is a very tough fighter," Kim said. "He tries to overpower his opponents. I knew he was going to throw a lot of punches, so I tried to counter the attack from Erick." A pair of light-heavyweight contests played out in disappointing fashion as Thaigo Silva outclassed Matt Hamill and Fabio Maldonado earned a split-decision win over Joey Beltran in a lacklustre affair. Silva, who missed weight for the matchup at Fridays official ceremony, was clearly better than Hamill, who was fighting for the first time in 13 months. While neither fighter particularly impressed, Silvas heavy punches and devastating leg kicks took their toll. Hamills vaunted wrestling attack was ineffective, and he was punching back for most of the 15-minute affair. Hamill showed heart in surviving until the final bell, but Silva was awarded the clearcut unanimous-decision win, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. "I think it was a bad fight," Silva admitted. "I had a bad weight cut, which was my own fault. I disappointed the UFC, but Ill make up for it. "I had many chances to knock him out, but I gassed out. It was a bad fight even though I won." Meanwhile, Maldonado got off to a slow start, and Beltran slowed as the fight wore on, making for a rather tedious affair eventually won 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 by Maldonado. While both fighters were willing to trade blows on the feet, Beltran preferred to fight on the inside and work dirty boxing in the clinch. Maldonado, who works better for distance, inexplicably put himself willingly in tight quarters. Beltran (14-9) scored a takedown late in the third and finished the fight winging punches at his opponent, but it was a case of too little, too late as Maldonado (20-6) was awarded the win. "I know he usually likes to slow down the pace to explode in the end, so I had to watch my pace, too," Maldonado said. "I had a few opportunities to finish it but I was always mindful of that. "I wish I had thrown more punches, boxed more, and hadnt stayed so much against the fence. I did damage there too, but I know the judges sometimes see the fence as a sign of control." Wednesdays event was attended by a reported sold-out crowd of 6,621 fans, according to UFC exec Marshall Zelaznik. In other matches: -- Brazilian submission ace Rousimar Palhares (15-5) snapped a two-fight losing streak in emphatic fashion, making Mike Pierce tap out in just 31 seconds. Despite scoring the only submission victory of the night, UFC officials declined to award the Brazilian the "Submission of the Night" bonus, citing his refusal to immediately let go of the hold after his opponents submission as "unsportsmanlike conduct." -- Bantamweight Raphael Assuncao ran his UFC record to 5-0 at 135 pounds with a hard-fought split-decision win over fellow top contender T.J. Dillashaw. The bout earned both fighters a bonus cheque for the evenings "Fight of the Night."
[b]Where To Buy Cheap Jerseys[/b] . -- Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was admitted to the hospital Friday for observation due to minor complications from cancer treatments, his family said.
[b]Cheap Jerseys Review[/b] . The San Angelo, Texas product, who was a high school and college quarterback sensation in the Lone Star State, will start his first CFL game with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-4) on Friday at Mosaic Stadium against the leagues top team, the Calgary Stampeders (11-2).CALGARY -- Basketball players swept the Canadian university sport awards in keeping with the buzz the sport is creating in Canada. Justine Colley of Saint Marys University and Carletons Philip Scrubb were named the BLG Award winners Monday as the top female and male athletes respectively in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. With the Toronto Raptors in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2008 and Torontos Andrew Wiggins touted as a possible first overall pick in the NBA draft, Colley and Scrubb hope the momentum continues for hoops in Canada. "Theres a lot of excitement over basketball, which is pretty exciting since were a pretty hockey dominant country," Colley said. "I hope more people get out to games, support all the different teams across Canada, obviously support the Raptors and hopefully they make it all the way to the final. "Its amazing to see basketball starting to flourish in Canada." Colley and Scrubb were just the second basketball players to sweep the BLG Awards in its 22-year history. Windsors Jessica Clemencon and Carletons Tyson Hinz -- a Ravens teammate of Scrubbs for the past four seasons -- were the 2011 winners. "You see all the athletes down in the States playing in the NCAA tournament and the Raptors have finally made the playoffs and the CIS is really improving in terms of basketball as well, so I think people are starting to care a little bit more about basketball and theyre recognizing our talent up here," said Scrubb. Colley and Scrubb each received a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship. They were chosen by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, which administers the awards, from a group of eight finalists. Each nominee received a gold ring and a watch. Colley from East Preston, N.S., took home the Jim Thompson Trophy that goes to the top female athlete and became the first athlete from Saint Marys to win a BLG award. "Huge honour for not only myself, but also my university," the 22-year-old guard said. "Tons of support goes into Saint Marys athletics and not just Saint Marys, but throughout the whole Atlantic area." Other finalists for the Jim Thompson trophy were McGill hockey player Katia Clement-Heydra, York sprinter Khamica Bingham and University of British Columbia volleyball player Lisa Barclay. Scrubb, from Richmond, B.C., claimed the male athletes Doug Mitchell Trophy ahead of nominees Liam Heelis, a hockey player from Acadia, Bishops football player Jordan Heather and University of Saskatchewan hockey player Derek Hulak. Scrubb follows Hinz and Osvaldo Jeanty (2006) as BLG Award winners from Carleton. The Ravens captured their fourth straight CIS mens basketball title this year. "Coming in, I was young and didnt really know what was going on, but Ive learned from passt teammates to be more unselfish and try and give back because theyve all done so much for me at Carleton," Scrubb said.
[b]Best Site Buy China Jerseys[/b]. "Overall, I think Ive improved as a person and obviously basketball has helped has well." Colley capped her fifth and final season as the all-time leading scorer in CIS womens basketball with 2,376 points. She scored 38 points in a semifinal win over Saskatchewan in the CIS championship en route to a silver medal for the Huskies. Colley also earned her second straight CIS female player-of-the-year award averaging 20.8 points per game. She was a finalist for the Jim Thompson trophy last year. "Her impact on our team and a basketball game go far beyond stats," Huskies coach Scott Munro said in a statement. "She is simply one of the best leaders I have ever been around. Her desire to compete and win separates her from any other student-athlete I have coached." Colley played last summer for the national womens team that qualified for the world championship Sept 27 to October 5 in Turkey. She wants to wear the Maple Leaf again at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. "Olympics are on every athletes radar," she said. "Next year, we would have to qualify for the Olympics on the national team and from there go on and play in Rio. Obviously I would love to be a part of that group." Scrubb, a fourth-year commerce student, led the Ravens in points with (18.6) and assists (4.9) per game as the Carleton went 33-1 versus CIS opponents. The six-foot-three guard was named the most valuable player in CIS mens basketball for the third time. When Carleton downed archrival Ottawa in the CIS final, the Ravens avenged their only loss of the season, which was to Ottawa in the OUA final. Scrubb, 21, intends to return to Carleton and win another national title with the Ravens. He was the only university player invited to the national mens team camp last summer. "His ability speaks for itself in his success," Carleton head coach Dave Smart said. "He is a humble and selfless individual regarding the team. He is an extremely good student, balancing his dedication to the team and sport with his academics." CFL football player and Olympic bobsledder Jesse Lumsden, Olympic womens hockey team goaltender Kim St. Pierre, Olympic heptathlete Jessica Zelinka and Olympic swimmer Curtis Myden are among previous recipients of the awards, which are sponsored by the law firm Borden Ladner Gervais. The Canadian Athletic Foundation that chooses the winners is a board of 21 business people from five Canadian cities. Doug Mitchell is chairman of that board. Student-athletes must compete in CIS sport a minimum of two years to be eligible and cant be a previous recipient of a BLG Award. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace