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Thu Dec 26, 2019 3:57 pm
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When Rory MacDonald enters the octagon for the main event at UFC Fight Night 54 in Halifax to face off against Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday the last thing he’ll be thinking about is a shot at the UFC Welterweight championship. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop . The last time the Quesnel, B.C. native had a title shot in sight he came up empty in a decision loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 167 in November. “It refocused me on a lot of things,” MacDonald told TSN.ca. “It kind of reset me a little bit – my attitude and approach to fighting. In the long run it was a good thing for me.” Since his defeat at the hands of Lawler, MacDonald (17-2) has proven those comments to be true. “Ares” dominated Demian Maia in two of three rounds at UFC 170 in February. After spending the entire first round on his back, victimized by Maia’s lethal ground-and-pound, MacDonald stuffed 20 of the next 21 takedowns and put on a world-class striking display in the unanimous decision win. MacDonald’s next opponent came in the form of the heavily-feared welterweight contender Tyron Woodley at UFC 174 in June. Riding a train of momentum of his own, Woodley was no match for the ever-improving MacDonald, who put together a deadly combination of striking and grappling to earn his second-straight unanimous decision. “I train to be that type of fighter that can take the fight anywhere at any point,” MacDonald said. “I think that’s one of my strengths - being able to fight any style of fighter in their strong points and weak points.” In the wake of two straight convincing victories, the 25-year-old was ready to refocus his sights on the belt. However, it was not to be. Lawler, who lost to Johny Hendricks in a bout for the vacant Welterweight championship at UFC 171 in March, earned a rematch with the new champ after consecutive victories of his own – including a title eliminator fight against Matt Brown. And with Hendricks sidelined due to a torn bicep suffered in his first matchup with Lawler, MacDonald was forced to wait again for his golden opportunity. “I was hoping the title, but it didn’t work out that way and I was prepared for that – for it to go either way,” he said. “But I was happy with the way the fight (vs. Woodley) went and I think the UFC was and all the fans watching were really happy with it, so it put me in a position to fight Tarec and hopefully get the title shot after this.” Once again, MacDonald’s target has changed and he is adamant that Saffiedine (15-3) is all he is worried about heading into his first headline assignment as well as the UFC’s first event in Halifax. He knows all too well what can happen when you look past the fighter at the opposite end of the cage. “For me, I had that opportunity with Robbie (Lawler) with a title shot on the line before,” he said. “I’m always just focused on the fight ahead of me because your most important fight is the one you’re dealing with. All I see right now is Tarec.” In Saffiedine, MacDonald is up against a former Strikeforce Welterweight champion currently on a five-fight win streak. The Belgian veteran has shown a propensity for marathon matches, having gone to decision in 10 of his last 11 bouts and winning eight of them. He has just one bout in the UFC – a unanimous decision win over Hyun Gyu Lim at UFC Fight Night 34 in January – but his record and reputation have earned a spot at No. 9 in the welterweight rankings, seven back of MacDonald at No. 2. “In my opinion we’re both some of the best talent in the Welterweight division and numbers aside, we both have a lot to win and both have a lot to lose,” MacDonald said. And while MacDonald makes a conscious effort to live in the moment, he knows very well what is at stake and that’s not easy to ignore. “I just want to be the guy wearing the belt.” Sabres Jerseys 2021 . - A lot of scenarios ran through Terrell Suggs head when the Baltimore linebacker prepared to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo Sabres Shirts . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner.DENVER -- Dillon Gee threw six scoreless innings and David Wright had one of New Yorks four RBI doubles as the Mets salvaged the final game of their series against Colorado, beating the Rockies 5-1 on Sunday. Gee (3-1) kept the Rockies off balance to run his scoreless string to a career-best 16 innings. The righty, 13-6 with a 2.66 since last May 30, surrendered six hits and struck out five, helping the Mets avoid being swept for the first time in a four-game series at Coors Field. Jhoulys Chacin (0-1) was rather rusty his first start this season, lasting five innings and giving up four runs. Chacin spent the first month on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. Nolan Arenado ran his hitting streak to 24 games with a double in the fourth, the second-longest hitting streak in Rockies history. Justin Morneau accounted for Colorados only run with a ninth-inning homer off Jeurys Familia. After wasting a a 6-0 lead in Saturdays 11-10 loss, the Mets jumped to a 4-0 lead after four innings. Wright, Chris Young and Daniel Murphy had run-scoring doubles, while Curtis Granderson chipped in an RBI single. Lucas Duda added an RBI double in the seventh that increased the lead to 5-0. He also walked three times, including one intentional. Juan Lagares extended his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games with a single to start the game. Lagares originally had the day off, but was inserted into the starting lineup after Eric Young Jr. was scratchhed. Stitched Sabres Jerseys. Young was hit just below the right eye by a baseball in batting practice before the game. Hes day to day with a bruised cheek. Gee was pinpoint with his command, keeping the Rockies guessing among his curve, cutter and slider. He found himself in a sticky situation in the seventh, but the bullpen bailed him out. With two on and no outs, Carlos Torres got two outs and Scott Rice recorded the third to wiggle out of the inning. This was opening day for Chacin, who was shut down early in spring training after experiencing inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He was teams top right-handed starter in 2013, going 14-10 with a 3.47 ERA. Chacin struggled with his control throughout the game as he gave up eight hits and walked five. He threw 86 pitches before handing things over to the bullpen. NOTES: After Gee went hitless in three at-bats, pitchers for the Mets are now 0 for 51 starting the season. Its the longest hitless streak to begin a season since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Gee is 7-1 in his last 10 road starts. ... Mets manager Terry Collins said Kyle Farnsworth remains his closer despite allowing Charlie Culbersons two-run, game-ending homer Saturday. ... Wright has a .384 average, 10 homers and 40 RBIs in 138 at-bats at Coors Field. ... To make room for Chacin on the roster, the Rockies placed C Wilin Rosario (viral infection) on the 15-day DL. ... OF Michael Cuddyer (strained left hamstring) began exercises in a pool. ' ' ' |
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