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UFC 160: Which Fight Stole the Show?

Michael Stets — Sun, 26 May 2013 02:37:48 -0400

UFC 160 certainly didn’t give any of the fans who laid down their $54.95 buyer’s remorse on Saturday night. It gave them great action and huge anticipation for the future matchups that await once the dust settles from tonight's throwdown.

There were bloody battles, two split-decisions and four straight finishes to end the night. Also on the docket: TJ Grant earning a shot at Benson Henderson’s lightweight title, and fellow 155’er Khabib Nurmagomedov setting the single-fight takedown record in his win over Abel Trujillo.

The fight that stole the show you ask?

No question it was the “Fight of the Night” between Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt; a fantastic fan-friendly heavyweight battle that made its way into the third round before dos Santos ended Hunt’s night by knockout.

Hunt had absolutely nothing to lose in this fight after filling in for an injured Alistair Overeem. dos Santos on the other hand, was facing a must-win if he wanted another crack at the UFC heavyweight title.

Hunt was able to land some solid left hooks early, opening a small cut on the inside of dos Santo’s eyebrow. The No. 1-ranked heavyweight landed a few shots of his own before connecting on an overhand right that rocked Hunt sending him face first to the canvas.

That was the same punch that he landed on Cain Velasquez to win the title on the first-ever UFC on FOX card; a punch that would’ve put most fighters to sleep.

To an astonished crowd, along with commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, Hunt—known for his granite chin—was able to get back up to his feet and survived a brief flurry by dos Santos.

Hunt appeared visibly tired in the final round and his punches were often off the mark. It looked like dos Santos was heading to a decision victory until he connected on a vicious left hook that sent Hunt on his heels.

dos Santos then shocked everyone inside the MGM Grand Arena by clipping Hunt on the head with a spinning wheel kick that knocked him flat on his back. He followed up with one more right hand on the ground for good measure before referee Steve Mazzagatti called a halt to the action at 4:18 of the third round.

Credit must be given to dos Santos for turning it up towards the end of the fight. He put a stamp on his victory and lined himself up to face Velasquez to compete their trilogy of title fights.

Hunt’s four-fight win streak comes to an end, and who he may face next is anybody’s guess.

This fight had such a level of tension and excitement, it made you almost forget the main event was still to come.

dos Santos and Hunt clearly deserve their $50,000 bonuses. They stole the show.

UFC 160 Full Fight Video Highlights: Junior Dos Santos KO's Mark Hunt

Trent Reinsmith — Sun, 26 May 2013 02:26:56 -0400

Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt, two of the nicest guys in the UFC’s heavyweight division, faced off in the co-main event of UFC 160. The final ruling of the fight, a TKO, came as no surprise, but how it ended, yeah, that was a surprise.

The two fighters stayed mostly at distance in the early going of the bout, but with three minutes, 20 seconds left in the first round, dos Santos decided to close that distance, landing a big right hand behind the ear of Hunt. The punch dropped Hunt, but Hunt just rolled through and got back to his feet, looking to land some strikes of his own. He was only marginally successful, landing but never really hurting dos Santos.

In the second round, dos Santos looked to keep Hunt at bay with his jabs, but Hunt was able to sneak within range with 1:45 left in the round and tag dos Santos. Dos Santos circled out of Hunt’s range after tasting the power of his opponent and took Hunt to the mat, holding him there for the remainder of the round. The takedown was not appreciated by most of the crowd, who booed the ground actions.

When the third round began, dos Santos was on his bicycle, jabbing, moving and staying out of the range of Hunt. As the fight closed in on the final minute, dos Santos threw caution to the wind and tried a technique that we had never seen from him before, a spinning wheel kick.

The kick landed with devastating results, sending Hunt to the ground and ending the fight at the 4:18 mark of the final stanza.

Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar Will Enter UFC Hall of Fame in July

Damon Martin — Sun, 26 May 2013 02:20:18 -0400

When The Ultimate Fighter first debuted in 2005, no one was sure if the mixed martial arts reality show would be an instant hit or a ratings bomb.

Twelve episodes of fights, in-house hi-jinks and drunken escapades led to the first season finale where Forrest Griffin met Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight bout to declare the first ever Ultimate Fighter champion at 205 pounds.

What happened next over a full 15 minutes no one could have predicted.

Griffin and Bonnar engaged in a fight for the ages with both competitors slugging away at each other on the feet and on the ground. Neither one ever seemed to truly get the upper hand in the fight, but that didn't stop them from blasting away, throwing everything and the kitchen sink at each other over the course of three rounds.

When it was over, UFC President Dana White, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and just about everyone else at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas were on their feet applauding what is now considered the greatest single moment in UFC history.

Following that fight, both Griffin and Bonnar continued on in the UFC, amassing 30 total fights between the two of them. In late 2012, Bonnar retired from mixed martial arts following a loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 153 and a positive steroids test that would have ended in a lengthy suspension from the sport anyway.

On Saturday night, Griffin joined his former rival and now friend in retirement, and in July the two will team up once again for another moment in UFC history.

Speaking to the media following the conclusion of the UFC 160 post-fight press conference, White announced that Griffin and Bonnar will be inducted together into the UFC Hall of Fame during the UFC Fan Expo the weekend of UFC 162 in July.

The UFC posted the news on its official Twitter account:

The event will take place over July 5 and 6 with Griffin and Bonnar going into the UFC Hall of Fame simultaneously. They will become the 10th and 11th members respectively.

During their UFC careers, Griffin went 10-5 and managed to win the UFC light heavyweight title, while Bonnar amassed an 8-7 record overall. What they will most be remembered for, however, is their fight on April 9, 2005, that helped kick-start the UFC to new heights that it is still climbing to this day.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all information was obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

UFC 160 Cain Velasquez vs Bigfoot Silva 2 Full Fight Video Highlights

Trent Reinsmith — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:50:47 -0400

There wasn’t a copious amount of blood covering the fighters as they stood in the Octagon after the conclusion of this one, but the end result of the rematch between UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was the same as their first meeting.

The result: a first-round TKO victory for Velasquez.

Scratch that, I shouldn’t say that the result wasn’t different because the bout at UFC 160 did end a little differently than the first meeting between the two fighters—it was over quicker.

The first meeting between Velasquez and Silva took place at UFC 146; that contest lasted three minutes and 36 blood-soaked seconds. The bout at UFC 160 lasted 1:21.

Velasquez, an accomplished wrestler looked for two takedowns early, but was unable to secure either. The champion then went to plan B, which was his striking game.

After working at distance for a brief time, Silva stepped in close, and Velasquez unloaded a right that sent his opponent to a knee. Once Silva was down, the champion took his back and unloaded numerous shots to the head of the larger fighter. Silva was not defending the strikes of Velasquez, which brought the referee in for the stoppage.

At the post-fight press conference, Silva commented that some of the strikes landed to the back of his head, but upon viewing the fight a second time, I could see only one illegal strike land. All the other punches landed to the side of Silva’s head.

UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference that the Velasquez win will set up a third fight between Velasquez and former champion Junior dos Santos.

Popovich After Wild Game 3: I Went from 'Grandfatherly' to 'Ugly' in 2nd Half

Maxwell Ogden — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:45:48 -0400

Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals wasn't pretty for the San Antonio Spurs, as they committed eight first-quarter turnovers and trailed by as many as 18 points. Just seven minutes in, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich decided to bench his entire starting five.

The Spurs proceeded to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 104-93 in overtime—wait, what?

That 29-point turnaround was one of the most impressive performances we've seen all postseason, as the veteran Spurs proved to have an explosive burst in their aging legs. The question is, how did the Spurs manage to turn things around in such dramatic fashion?

As he explains in the video provided above, Popovich went from "grandfatherly" to "ugly."

"It looked like those five guys had been asleep since [Game 2]. And so we thought, we might as well get five different bodies out there and at least start to compete and not be as sloppy as that group looked, for whatever reason. ... It was one of the worst starts I've ever seen," Popovich said.

"In the first half, I was grandfatherly. In the second half, um, what word can I say? I was, uh, ugly."

The team responded.

Tim Duncan finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Tony Parker dropped 26 and Manu Ginobili tallied 19 points. More importantly, the Spurs outscored the Grizzlies in each of the final three quarters, as well as the overtime period of play.

Ginobili drained a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, thus sparking a 93-64 run.

No one in their right mind will question Popovich's coaching chops, especially with four NBA championship rings to his name. With that being said, few coaches would have the guts to bench Parker, Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Tiago Splitter simultaneously.

In Game 3, Popovich proved what makes this Spurs team so dangerous—they trust everyone and accept a lackluster effort from no one. Not even the active legends.

Narvaez vs. Orucuta: Controversial Decision Takes Away from El Huracan's Win

Brian Mazique — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:40:55 -0400

Omar Narvaez (39-1-2) was awarded a split-decision win over Felipe Orucuta (27-2) on Saturday night—or Sunday morning, depending on your location—but it didn't come without controversy.

The 37-year-old WBO super flyweight champion was given all he could handle by the 27-year-old Orucuta. The fight was close by most accounts, but many believe Orucuta deserved the decision.

With the fight taking place in Narvaez's native Argentina, it seemed unlikely Orucuta would emerge victorious without a knockout. The final judges scorecards were all over the place.

Per ESPN Deportes, two judges scored the fight for Narvaez at 115-113.

One judge had the fight scored 118-110 for Orucuta.

Boxing Scene tweeted their score and the sentiments of local broadcasters covering the fight:

With so many varying opinions, Narvaez's win seems a bit tainted. After such an illustrious career, it seems the proud Argentine can't be satisfied with this result.

A rematch is the best way to remove all doubt as to who is the better man. Ideally, that fight would take place either at a neutral site, or even in Orucuta's home country of Mexico.

Though he wasn't given the decision, Orucuta did fight well enough to earn some bargaining power if a rematch happens.

Unfortunately, the chance of a fight taken place anywhere but Argentina is slim. Narvaez has fought outside of his country seven times in his career; and just once since 2008.

The last time he fought outside of his country was in Oct. 2011 and he picked up his only loss. Narvaez was nearly shut out for 12 rounds by Nonito Donaire in a failed attempt to move up to bantamweight.

As his career winds down, Narvaez probably won't be interested in taking that sort of risk again. That is especially the case considering a rematch with Orucuta isn't exactly a pay-per-view-worthy event.

Boxing fans and Orucuta may ultimately have to charge this one to the game.

Follow me, because I love boxing and you do too.

Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 Results: Who Took Home the Fight Night Bonuses

Steven Rondina — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:36:15 -0400

The absolutely stacked UFC 160 card is now over, and the only question left (outside of who is getting cut, the title implications of each fight, what matches we could see in the future, etc., etc.) is who gets a fat bonus check for their efforts.

We saw some absolute barnburners tonight and five solid knockouts. For two of the bonuses, Dana White will have his work cut out for him. For one...not so much.

So who gets an extra $65,000 to take home to the family? Who gets a nice little addition to the “notes” section of his Wikipedia page?

Find out right here!

Submission of the Night: Glover Teixeira

This was the one easy call for Uncle Dana. Glover Teixeira ended up getting the one and only submission of the night, as he took down James Te Huna early, advanced position and forced a tap with a guillotine choke.

It wasn't an especially amazing performance by Teixeira (largely because Te Huna wasn't exactly an ideal opponent for him), but he got the win in convincing fashion. The fight does little to help his title aspirations, but his wallet is certainly happy about how things went.

Knockout of the Night: TJ Grant

There were three really impressive knockouts tonight, and two that were fairly impressive. JDS had his electrifying spinning kick knockout of Mark Hunt, TJ Grant stunned many by demolishing Gray Maynard and George Roop had a nice come-from-behind victory against Brian Bowles.

According to Dana White at the post-fight press conference, they were initially going to double down on dos Santos, but Mike Tyson insisted the KOTN check goes to TJ Grant. I can't disagree with that sentiment.

Grant swarmed a heavily-favored Maynard and delivered fans a shocker of a knockout. That sets up for a Benson Henderson vs. TJ Grant title fight some time later this year. Definitely a fight to be excited about.

Fight of the Night: Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt

The true main event of the night ended up being the Fight of the Night, and both fighters deserve every cent of the bonus check.

Sometimes, when two fearsome strikers face off, they end up being tentative and reluctant to initiate. That, though, was not the case here. Hunt threw haymaker after haymaker, and dos Santos slipped and countered every time.

That is, until he landed an out-of-nowhere spinning kick that floored Hunt, and then finished him with two devastating rights that left the Super Samoan unable to stand after. Absolutely excellent fight.

Forrest Griffin Announces Retirement at UFC 160 Press Conference

Alex Ballentine — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:35:33 -0400

In a somewhat stunning announcement, Forrest Griffin announced that he is retiring from the UFC at the UFC 160 post-fight press conference.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports tweeted out the news:

At 33 years old, Griffin walks away from the sport with a 19-7 record, but will always be remembered for his brief light heavyweight championship run and classic fight with Stephan Bonnar at the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter Finale.

Griffin captured the light heavyweight championship by defeating Rampage Jackson via unanimous decision in 2008.

The three-round war with Bonnar is widely considered a hallmark event in the UFC's history and a reason for the organization's success on cable television.

It was Griffin's inability to put on the kind of fights that get fans out of their seats that he felt forced him to retire. After watching Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann's epic fight in March, he felt that it might be time to hang it up.Among Griffin's career accolades and achievements are five fight-of-the-night awards, the UFC light heavyweight championship, the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter championship and one submission-of-the-night award.

Dana White also mentioned that Griffin will have a position with the UFC as long as he wants to hang around:

Griffin last fought in July 2012 against Tito Ortiz in what was ironically promoted as The Huntington Beach Bad Boy's retirement fight. As it turns out, it was also the last time that fans will be treated to a Forrest Griffin appearance in the Octagon.

UFC 160: Dos Santos Does Not Get KO of the Night Bonus Thanks to Mike Tyson

Andrew Saunders — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:27:18 -0400

Anyone who watched UFC 160 on Saturday night will undoubtedly end up talking about Junior dos Santos and his epic wheel-kick knockout over Mark Hunt. It was not only an incredible way to cap off a fun and entertaining fight, but one of the best finishes in the history of the heavyweight division.

However, another former heavyweight champion had something to say about who would be awarded the UFC 160 bonus for Knockout of the Night: Mike Tyson.

In the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White told the press that Junior dos Santos was originally going to be the recipient of the Knockout of the Night bonus. However, Tyson convinced him that the rightful owner of that award was T.J. Grant.

Tyson, of course, is one of the most famous athletes on the planet due to his knockout capabilities that saw the boxer knock out 44 opponents throughout his professional career.

"Iron" Mike has been visible at several UFC events in 2013. He was a guest on The Ultimate Fighter this year, was on stage during the UFC 160 weigh-ins and even came into the cage to congratulate Glover Teixeira after his victory against James Te Huna.

Officially, Tyson is not employed by the UFC, but with this announcement, his influence can clearly be felt reverberating throughout the industry.

Defying the oddsmakers, Grant wasted little time in knocking out Gray Maynard on the evening's main card. The victory was the fifth in a row for Grant, all of which have come since dropping down to the lightweight division.

Junior dos Santos won't be too worried about missing out on the $50,000 bonus, because he and Hunt earned the same paycheck for Fight of the Night.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all things UFC 160, including post-fight analysis and late-breaking news.

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin Retires

Damon Martin — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:25:52 -0400

With a 10-5 record overall in the Octagon, former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin retired from the sport on Saturday night following the conclusion of UFC 160.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement during the UFC 160 post-fight press conference, saying goodbye to Griffin as a fighter after a very memorable career with the promotion.

Griffin burst on the scene in 2005 as part of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 1, making it all the way to the finals. It's there that he met former roommate Stephan Bonnar in a battle that will likely be remembered as one of the greatest in UFC history.

The fight helped launch the UFC to the next stratosphere of popularity as the ratings for the show grew with every second that Griffin and Bonnar slugged it out over the three-round battle. When it was over, Griffin was declared the winner, but both fighters were given contracts and the bout is still replayed in highlight reels to this day.

Griffin went on to win the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 86.

While he lost the title one fight later, Griffin stuck around the UFC's light heavyweight division for five more fights before calling it a career. Recently, however, Griffin's body has started to fail him and with injuries mounting he decided to retire rather than stick around the sport for too long.

"It's been a good eight years I guess," Griffin said. "The biggest thing I've learned is when Dana White says retire, you should retire. Otherwise, you'll blow your knee out before your next fight."

Griffin's reference goes back to December 2012 when he was scheduled to fight Phil Davis at UFC 155, but a knee injury forced him out of the fight. Griffin's win over UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz at UFC 148 will stand as his last ever in the Octagon.

Over the past eight years, Griffin has remained one of the most popular fighters in the UFC and will remain with the company now in his retirement. He said he plans on working with the company's charitable efforts in places like Las Vegas where he resides.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Grizzlies Fans vs. Tony Parker: The Eva Longoria Poster Comes out in Game 3

Maxwell Ogden — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:11:50 -0400

One of the most well-documented battles of the 2013 NBA playoffs has come between San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker and the fans of the Memphis Grizzlies. During Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals series between the Grizzlies and Spurs, that rivalry was taken to another level.

The ex-factor was brought into play.

Grizzlies fans holding Eva Longoria posters to distract Tony Parker/Spurs FT shooting: twitter.com/BeyondTheBuzze…
— Beyond The Buzzer(@BeyondTheBuzzer) May 26, 2013

Parker was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.

For those unfamiliar, Parker and Eva Longoria were married from 2007 to 2011. The two were involved in a high-profile divorce, which makes this attempt at taunting Parker all the more personal.

After recent events, however, we can't sound too surprised.

Parker was recently denied service at Kelly English's Restaurant Iris in Memphis, Tennessee. English later clarified that Parker was not denied based off of his team affiliation, but the lack of available tables at the restaurant.

Something tells us that the NBA community won't accept that explanation.

We've grown accustomed to seeing fans clash with the star player of an opposing franchise, but this is an approach that walks a thin line of appropriate fan behavior. Parker has not expressed his distaste with the signs, but one can't help but imagine that it would irk him.

Just imagine if someone held up a photograph of your ex-spouse every time you went to work.

The question is, does this behavior cross any lines? Or were the Grizzlies fans in the right and simply utilized their sense of humor in sign creation?

Hit the comments section and let us know.

San Antonio Spurs' Big Three Making Statement About Championship Window

Grant Hughes — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:10:48 -0400

If there were any lingering questions about the aging San Antonio Spurs' fitness for title contention, they were answered when Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili overcame a huge early deficit and then found an extra gear in overtime to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies by a final score of 104-93 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

Each member of the original Big Three was terrific, but Duncan was particularly brilliant. The 16-year veteran put up 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 11-of-19 shooting in 44 minutes. Even more impressively, he absolutely dominated in overtime, scoring seven points in the extra period.

For some reason, those late-game heroics seemed oddly familiar.

Oh, right! That's because Duncan did virtually the same thing in Game 2, scoring six critical points to ensure the 93-89 victory.

Teams as old as the Spurs—and players as old as Duncan is, for that matter—are supposed to run out of gas down the stretch, not hit the nitrous button. The Spurs went all Fast and Furious on the Grizzlies, though, stunning them by mashing the pedal down and pulling away down the stretch.

Duncan's refusal to surrender in the face of fatigue is something of a metaphor for the way San Antonio has managed to keep its championship window propped open for more than a decade. The doubtful assertions are the same every year: The Spurs can't do it anymore. They're too old, too slow and one key injury away from finally slipping out of contention.

You know what else happens every year? The Spurs contend.

And as everyone who's been watching knows, they do it by relying on their steady veterans.

To be fair, Parker was anything but steady in the early going, as his four first-quarter turnovers were probably the biggest reason behind Gregg Popovich's wholesale substitutions with just under five minutes remaining in the period. But the crafty point guard was undaunted and recovered to score 26 points while dishing out five assists.

Plus, Ginobili turned in a vintage performance, providing plenty of herky-jerky moves and some savant-like drives en route to 19 points, five assists and seven rebounds in 30 ridiculously efficient minutes off the bench. The Argentine played like a younger version of himself in Game 3, and to him, the questions about the Spurs' age hardly even matter anymore.

But in the end, it was Duncan who pushed his team over the edge. He was masterful at the elbow in the late stages of the game, hitting jumpers, finding cutters and executing the Spurs' precise offense with unparalleled skill.

In the overtime period, his leadership was largely responsible for an offensive diet composed almost entirely of high-percentage looks.

It was a true clinic, and even the guys around the league who have watched more tape than anyone were duly impressed.

Popovich deserves a healthy amount of credit for what the Spurs have done lately, as well. His sense for when to chastise his players and when to let them work through trouble on their own has resulted in a remarkably resilient outfit. In the last couple of years, no team has managed to win more games that appeared out of reach than his Spurs.

If you step back and think about it, it's really kind of hard to explain where the Spurs are getting their energy from. It's possible that they really do sense that their run is coming to a close and they've resolved to leave everything on the floor. Or maybe they've just been through so many wars together that they know they can overcome anything.

After all, confidence goes a long way. And the Spurs have plenty of it.

Whatever the explanation, one thing's for sure: This San Antonio team is as good as it's ever been, which is really saying something.

As has been the case for what seems like forever, San Antonio's championship window remains open. And that's because Duncan, the best player of his generation, simply won't let it slam shut.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Do 'Hawks Have Their Swagger Back?

Jerry Bonkowski — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:09:36 -0400

CHICAGO – The real Chicago Blackhawks finally showed up Saturday night, not the imposters that had weakly misrepresented them in the previous three games against the Detroit Red Wings.

The same team that dominated with the best record in the NHL during the regular season, yet managed just two goals in the previous three games of the Western Conference semifinals, exploded for four goals in Game 5 to trounce the Red Wings 4-1.

Detroit still leads the best-of-seven series 3 games to 2. Game 6 is Monday in Detroit, with Game 7 (if necessary) slated to be played in Chicago at the United Center on Wednesday.

Without question, the Blackhawks played with a swagger and aggressiveness that had been conspicuously absent during much of this series—at least since Game 1, when they routed the Red Wings by an identical 4-1 score.

"You have to commend the guys," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought their attitude yesterday (in practice) was tremendous.

"They could’ve been walking around here thinking it was an awful spot, but they had the right approach. It was a very positive, good day yesterday, and today’s practice, I thought was real business-like.

"Going into the game, the guys played the way the approach was today. I commend them for being ready and doing a lot of right things."

Starting with the opening faceoff in Game 2, it had been all downhill for Chicago in the resulting three games, all losses, giving Detroit a commanding 3-1 series lead heading into Saturday's win-or-else matchup for the Blackhawks.

Even though the Red Wings' series edge has been cut, the Blackhawks are still faced with two more win-or-else situations if they hope to advance to the conference semifinals.

That may be easier said than done, however: In 19 all-time playoff series (through all rounds) where they took a 3-1 lead, Detroit went on to win 17 of those.

Still, if they play Monday in Game 6 like they did Saturday, the Blackhawks have a good chance of taking this to the series limit.

"We have to go back to Detroit, we have to win a game," Quenneville said. "I just thought today we got the momentum back on our side and let’s go in there and keep it."

While he expected Chicago to come out and play in much the same fashion as it did, Detroit counterpart Mike Babcock was a bit surprised at how his team—which looked like world-beaters in the previous three games, all wins—played in Saturday's game.

"I can be disappointed as I want," Babcock said. "We lost the game and we have a Game 6 at home and that's the way it is. We didn't play well enough to have success, give them credit.

"The team that wins the most battles and is the most determined and lets the other team have the least amount of space has been successful. I don’t think that’s going to change one bit."

And the team that did things right and wound up successful Saturday was the Blackhawks, doing everything they needed to in the dramatic must-win game:

They scored on the power play—twice, in fact, after taking advantage of just one other man-advantage situation in the first four games of the series.

After much angst personally and from Blackhawks fans, team captain Jonathan Toews finally netted his first goal not just of this series, but of the 10 games in the playoffs thus far. That scoring slump was highly uncharacteristic for Toews, who tied with teammate Patrick Kane for the team scoring lead in the regular season with 23 goals apiece.

Andrew Shaw scored two goals in a playoff game for the first time.

Even though Corey Crawford had lost the last three games in goal for the Hawks, Quenneville stuck with Crawford instead of starting Ray Emery.

The third period was perhaps one of their best all season. While they only scored one goal on Shaw's second tally of the game, they outshot the Wings by a H-U-G-E 17-4 margin, dominating Detroit 45-26 in the entire game, the Hawks' best offensive production of the playoffs.

They came out from the opening faceoff with an aggressiveness on both sides of the puck that seemed to catch Detroit by surprise.

On that last point, Chicago has primarily been a finesse team for most of the season, but Saturday they were a much more decidedly rough-and-tumble club.

They not only took the puck to the Wings, they threw their bodies around with abandon. Nothing else mattered to them but getting a win—and that's exactly what they did.

Depending on how you look at it, the Blackhawks came into Saturday's game with a huge chip on their shoulder and a heavy monkey on their backs.

But after what they did in Game 5, both the Blackhawks and their fans can only hope that there's much more from where all that came on Monday and Wednesday if the series goes its full length.

"Just take it game-by-game," said forward Patrick Sharp, who leads Chicago with six goals in the playoffs. "You can’t win the series in one period or one shift.

"You have to just approach every game and try to win it as best you can. So we’ll enjoy this one tonight, take a deep breath and give it everything we’ve got in Game 6."

It's the same situation for the Red Wings, even though they're in a better place still than their scrappy opponents.

"We knew they were going to come out on fire here," Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said of the Blackhawks. "They were better than us today. That’s a fact. We just have to regroup and come back and play better now.

"It’s up to us. We can talk about momentum here and momentum there. It’s up to the players to decide who has the momentum going into the game. We’ve been there before. We’ve been through this and just have to go home and play a good game."

All quotes were obtained by the writer.

Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski

UFC 160 Results: What Went Wrong for Mark Hunt?

Andrew Saunders — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:07:26 -0400

On Saturday night at UFC 160, fans of mixed martial arts were treated to a fantasy match between two of the best strikers that the heavyweight division has ever known as Junior dos Santos met Mark Hunt in the evening's co-main event.

After three rounds of exciting action, dos Santos was able to electrify fans around the world by knocking out Hunt with a wheel kick. Less than 60 seconds remained in the fight.

As a former K-1 kickboxing champion, Hunt was considered to be one of the only men on the planet capable of truly testing JDS and his boxing prowess. Considering that Hunt didn't win a single round of this fight and ended his evening unconscious, it's safe to say that things didn't go as planned for "The Super Samoan."

So, what went wrong for Mark Hunt at UFC 160?

JDS Had a Significant Reach Advantage

The most obvious problem that Hunt faced in this matchup came in terms of a reach disadvantage. With dos Santos being able to connect with shots from a safe distance, the shorter-limbed Hunt wasn't in a position to land his signature strikes.

However, that disadvantage in itself isn't what went wrong for the big man. It was another physical problem that gave Hunt fits.

Hunt Could not Match dos Santos' Speed

Those who saw Hunt vs. Struve know that Mark Hunt does not have a problem getting in close on big guys who have an unreal reach. That's because Hunt is quicker than he looks and surprises opponents with power shots that seemingly come out of nowhere.

Junior dos Santos had a definitive speed advantage in this contest. Considering that he fought on the outside edge of the Octagon for most of the fight, the former champion was able to circle away quickly and evade dangerous bombs blasting in his direction.

Mark Hunt Was Not Focused This Week

If you followed the pre-fight buildup for UFC 160, you are aware of Mark Hunt's issues with getting into America when he wanted to.

No part of me thinks that Mark Hunt could lose a fight because he wasn't acclimated to a different geographic setting, having been in it for a less-than-desirable period of time. However, I believe that Mark Hunt thinks this presents a disadvantage.

Anyone who knows anything about sports psychology is familiar with the concept that anything an athlete thinks is important will play a part in their mental clarity and focus.

Need evidence that the Super Samoan wasn't in the right frame of mind? Did you notice that Hunt had no logos on his shorts, nor a banner to hang in his corner?

Mark Hunt made the decision to compete without the financial backing of sponsors on Saturday night. What rational person would suddenly choose to have less income, especially someone like Hunt, who previously opened up to MMAJunkie.com about the importance of a paycheck?

"Of course, the long-term goal is to fight for the belt," Hunt said. "But it goes as always for me that (I want) big money. We've all got to eat. There's no questions on why I do it. I love fighting and everything, but we've all got to have a job. I'll fight as long as people employ me to do it."

Held back by physical barriers and entering the cage psychologically bothered, Mark Hunt was not primed for success in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

That being said, no excuses can be made for his performance. Nothing can diminish the impressive nature of JDS and his dominance at UFC 160. "Cigano" proved to be the better mixed martial artist and went as far as to put a cherry on top by knocking out an iron-chinned monster.

French Open 2013: David Ferrer Faces Best Chance to Make a Grand Slam Final

Van Sias — Sun, 26 May 2013 01:04:24 -0400

As consistently as he's been performing the past few years, it's a safe bet to book David Ferrer for a semifinal spot at the 2013 French Open.

But will he be able to take it a step further and reach the first—and quite possibly, only—Grand Slam final of his career?

The odds are better than they've ever been for the Spanish veteran, currently ranked No. 5 in the world and seeded fourth at Roland Garros, due to the pre-tournament withdrawal of No. 2 Andy Murray.

While the bump up in the seedings definitely has some perks, perhaps nothing has been more beneficial for Ferrer than being in the opposite half of the men's draw from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who are likely to meet in a blockbuster semifinal. Ferrer happens to have a career head-to-head combined record of 9-29 against the both of them.

Of course, too, Ferrer has his own potential blockbuster semifinal to contend with because he's drawn to face Roger Federer in the final four. And Federer is coming off a terrific run at the Masters 1000 event in Rome, where he made the final before falling to Nadal in the last big French Open warm-up event.

And Ferrer can't exactly count on any previous wins for dealing with Federer: He's lost all 14 matches he's played against the Swiss great.

But Ferrer can take solace in his own Rome tournament play. For the second week in a row, he took a set from Nadal, breaking a streak of the years-long streak of failing to accomplish that task on clay.

Taking a set from Nadal on clay at this point of his dominant season indicates Ferrer is playing well, if not better than ever, a level he'll be looking to continue in Paris.

Will it pay off in a Grand Slam, though? With solid play the past few weeks and the luck of the draw on his side, Ferrer could be in store for a career-defining moment.

To-Do List for Harrison Barnes to Return Even Better Next Season

Andy Liu — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:52:58 -0400

After a relatively tame regular season, Golden State Warriors' small forward Harrison Barnes found another gear in dominating the Denver Nuggets and at times, even the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs.

Granted, we hit the standard small sample size trope here, but there were more than that at play in the playoffs. With David Lee going down, we got to see what Barnes, switching to power forward for the rest of the Denver series, would do with not only more shots, but with more space to maneuver to those shots.

That being said, the larger 82-game sample did expose some of Barnes' weaknesses, and since he is at the infancy of his basketball career, Barnes will have the time and opportunity to fix any deficiencies to his game.

But it isn't as easy as just hitting the gym everyday, working with a trainer and being immediately granted 35-plus minutes in your sophomore season. Keep in mind, Lee is still on the team and by all intents and purposes, he is Mark Jackson and the management's favorite player and will continue to receive plenty of playing time, bad defense or not.

Lee's presence could prove to be an obstacle to Barnes' development, but it's something that is out of his control. We can only hope that the Warriors figure out that their strength is three-point shooting and tough perimeter defense and less of the two-point shot Lee-offense and bad defense.

The first thing Barnes can do in the offseason is working on his handle. He rarely got the chance to run the pick-and-roll, and if the Warriors' offense were to hit the next stage, he'd have to become more of a focal point.

According to Synergy Sports, only nine percent of his plays were on pick-and-rolls.

On several occasions on broken plays, Barnes used his dribble to get to a spot to pass and not to attack. The aimless dribbling neither helped the team nor himself.

This leads to the another area of improvement: his aggressiveness. The contrast between his shot selection and Klay Thompson's was, at times, dramatic this past season and is something to watch for next year.

Thompson shot a lot early in the shot clock and one could argue that Barnes didn't shoot enough. Perhaps due to the heavy use of pick-and-roll sets, the Warrior's offensive philosophy is probably shifting towards that of the Houston Rockets—except with a little more control.

According to 82games.com, Thompson and Barnes shot the ball from 0-10 feet 42 and 36 percent of the time, respectively. That's good for Thompson, even though he often struggles to finish at the rim, but Barnes' number is way too low, especially when taking into account his athleticism and finishing ability.

Though Barnes won't match the rebounding prowess Lee brings to the team, any improvements second-year forward makes in terms of ball-handling and play recognition can force Mark Jackson's hand to feature him in the offense.

Giving Barnes more minutes is good. But giving Barnes more rope on offense is even more important.

Velasquez vs. Silva: Early Knockout of Bigfoot Sets Up Must-See Rubber Match

Benjamin Klein — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:51:55 -0400

If you blinked, you might not have seen Cain Velasquez knock Antonio Silva out just over a minute into the first round of UFC 160’s heavyweight title bout Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Velasquez landed a quick right hand to the chin of Silva to knock him to the ground and then kept hitting him until the match was ended, giving the reigning champion the 12th win of his career.

The victory for Velasquez and a win from Junior dos Santos just a few minutes prior sets up a highly anticipated third matchup between the two.

Dos Santos defeated Velasquez at UFC of Fox 1 in November of 2011. But Velasquez got his revenge last December at UFC 155, winning the title in a unanimous decision. In his first title defense, Velasquez made things look very easy and will look to do the same once he takes the ring against dos Santos in the upcoming rubber match.

It will be extremely interesting to see what each takes from the previous two fights into the third.

It’s tough to pull anything from the first fight since it ended very quickly—one minute and four seconds to be precise. Dos Santos landed a huge punch and then pummeled Velasquez until the fight was called.

Dos Santos told the Associated Press, via The New York Times, the following after the first fight between the two:

I have no words to say what I’m feeling. It’s amazing, my life. I have a lot of good people around me. I think Cain Velasquez was for sure my toughest opponent. I was afraid to fight with him, because he’s very tough. I was not 100 percent for this fight, so I was scared.

The rematch is where dos Santos and Velasquez will be able to learn a lot since it went the distance. Each can watch the tape over and over, picking out what did and didn’t work. Considering dos Santos lost the fight, he’ll need to look into why he couldn’t overcome Velasquez—although I’m sure he remembers the fight like it was yesterday.

Velasquez told the Associated Press, via the NY Daily News, this after the rematch:

I knew that Junior was a tough striker and he was able to end our last fight that way, so I was prepared for him this time. I was able to effectively use my striking and my grappling to control him throughout the fight and get the title back.

Whether Velasquez can take dos Santos down might be the biggest storyline to watch. Velasquez was a two-time All-American wrestler back at Arizona State, but dos Santos is one of the best at defending takedowns, coming into Saturday night’s fight at a 74 percent defense rate.

But this third fight could end just as quickly as Saturday night’s co-feature did. Both dos Santos and Velasquez are strong and quick, meaning that one punch could do the job. Dos Santos knocked Velasquez out in just over a minute, and there’s no reason why the favor couldn’t be returned.

One thing that’s for sure is that you cannot afford to miss the third fight between dos Santos and Velasquez. It’s a lock to be just as exciting, if not more, than their previous pair of bouts.

Velasquez vs. Silva 2 Results: 5 Key Takeaways from UFC 160's Main Event

Craig Amos — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:51:18 -0400

UFC 160 is in the books, and Cain Velasquez is still the UFC heavyweight division's kingpin. His knockout win over Antonio Silva was hardly surprising, but the ease with which he achieved it can only be counted impressive.

Looking back on the action, there are a handful of notable takeaways worth consideration. Since the fight took all of 1:21 to complete, there are only so many things to be gleaned from the match, but some are quite significant as we move onward and upward through the 2013 MMA scene.

For perspective on the matchup itself, Silva's place in the division and the general state of the heavyweight division, read on.

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Biggest Takeaways from Saturday's NHL Playoff Action

Carol Schram — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:44:03 -0400

Two teams facing elimination handled their challenges in very different ways during Saturday night's NHL playoff action.

In the Eastern Conference Semifinal, the confident Boston Bruins were able to parlay their 3-1 series lead into a trip to the next round with their 3-1 victory in Game 5 over the stumbling New York Rangers.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Blackhawks were not about to roll over to a 1-3 series deficit of their own.

Their leaders stepped up and their role players scored goals as they threw a dominating blanket over the upstart Detroit Red Wings with a 4-1 win to send the series back to Detroit for Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinal on Monday.

One series ends; the other extends. Here's a look at the top takeaways from Saturday's action.

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San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Game 3 Postgame Grades and Analysis

Peter Emerick — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:41:04 -0400

We learned one thing in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals: The San Antonio Spurs can show up for just three quarters and still win playoff games.

The Grizzlies blew an 18-point lead, and squandered the best chance they had at beating the Spurs, as San Antonio dominated them in overtime, en route to a 104-93 Game 3 win.

The Spurs are just one game away from the 2013 NBA Finals, and they have Tim Duncan and his solid overtime performance to thank for that.

It's hard to lose in overtime when you make your first five shots, and the Spurs did just that—outscoring the Grizzlies 18-7 in the extra five minutes.

Duncan grabbed another playoff double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and while Tony Parker committed an awful seven turnovers, he made up for it with 26 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field.

After Memphis outscored the Spurs 29-13 in the first quarter—with Gregg Popovich benching his starters—they ended the night shooting under 40 percent from the floor and from beyond the arc.

Rebounding from such a tough loss will be very difficult for the Grizzlies, especially against a Spurs team that came back from 18 points down in one of the most difficult places to play in the entire NBA.

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The Good, Bad and Strange from UFC 160

Duane Finley — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:40:13 -0400

The premier promotion in mixed martial arts promised "heavy" things for UFC 160.

Heavyweights.

Heavy hands.

Heavy stakes.

While the tag line typically doesn't define an event, the UFC nailed it on Saturday night. When the action got under way in Las Vegas, knockouts and canvas naps were handed out on the regular. From the blood-soaked opening bout between Jeremy Stephens and Estevan Payan to the main event clobbering champion Cain Velasquez put on Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, the action came fast and furious throughout the entire card.

The leather and wheel kicks were flying at the MGM, and here is a look at the Good, Bad and Strange from UFC 160

The Good

It took Cain Velasquez one minute, 21 seconds to make his first successful title defense by snuffing out Antonio Silva. That's a great showing, and there isn't much more you can say about that.

Moving on.

Nothing means more to Junior dos Santos than holding the UFC heavyweight championship. And he took a thundering step back toward the title by knocking out Mark Hunt.

Following a brutal, lopsided beating at the hands of Cain Velasquez at UFC 155, "Cigano" was all business against the "Super Samoan." The brick-handed Brazilian dropped Hunt with a devastating overhand right in the first round, but the former K-1 Grand Prix champion recovered and survived the opening frame. The 39-year-old would also make it through the second round but not after absorbing more punishment from the former champion.

Being up two rounds on the cards, dos Santos certainly could have afforded to work out the final frame keeping his distance. But the No. 1 contender is known for being a dominant finisher, and that is exactly what he did via spinning wheel kick in the third round. Hunt's body collapsed to the canvas, dos Santos landed two big shots for good measure, and the fight was over.

A title shot was what he set out to earn, and dos Santos certainly made a strong case on Saturday night.

It took less than a round of work for Glover Teixeira to prove he's a force to be reckoned with in the light heavyweight division. After coming off a unanimous-decision victory over a listless Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the Brazilian made short work out of James Te Huna. The John Hackleman -trained fighter wasted no time looking for the submission, and once he got locked on a guillotine choke, a Te Huna tap came in short order.

Now, the biggest question lingering around Teixeira will be what comes next? The victory on Saturday night was his fourth since coming into the UFC fold and his 19th consecutive overall. With champion Jon Jones jockeying for a bout with Alexander Gustafsson, a matchup between Teixeira and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida would make good sense.

There was a lightweight title shot on the line, and T.J. Grant wasn't going to be stopped. Gray Maynard has been a perennial presence in the upper tier of the 155-pound division for the past three years, and Grant steamrolled through him.

After eating a few solid shots from "The Bully," the 29-year-old Canadian stepped up his forward pressure and landed a straight right hand that dropped Maynard to the canvas. Once the AKA-trained fighter was in trouble, Grant cranked up the thunder and pounded out the TKO stoppage. As the referee stepped in, the Nova Scotian notched his fifth consecutive victory since dropping down in the 155-pound division.

With the victory, Grant earns the opportunity to face champion Benson Henderson for the lightweight strap later this year.

I've said it time and time again: If Donald Cerrone has nothing on the line but a fight purse, he is an absolute monster. "Cowboy" showed in prime form ready to rock-n-roll, and he put a beating all over K.J. Noons to kick off the pay-per-view portion of the card.

The Jackson's MMA fighter has experienced psychological meltdowns when there is a title shot on the line, but when it is simply a matter of kicking up dust in a ruckus, Cerrone always shows up to throw down.

The Bad

The fight many fans considered would be a runaway with Fight of the Night honors turned into a lopsided beating for K.J. Noons.

The former Elite XC champion took a drubbing at the hands, feet and elbows of the former WEC title contender, and "King Karl" appeared to have zero answers for anything Cerrone threw at him. Over the course of the three-round affair, Noons returned fire in minimal measures as "Cowboy" scored at will.

The loss furthered Noons' backslide where he's lost five out of his last six showings. With the current depth of the lightweight division in the UFC, it will be interesting to see if the Hawaiian-born fighter will keep his spot on the roster.

The same can be said for bantamweight Brian Bowles. After a nearly two-year absence from competing inside the Octagon, the former WEC champion made a disappointing return against George Roop.

The Georgia-based fighter had some early success in the opening round but wilted under Roop's pressure in the second frame. From being once considered the top 135-pound fighter in the world to getting pounded out on the canvas in Las Vegas and riding back-to-back losses, the former champion has to be toeing the line of unemployment.

Then again, the bantamweight division is not incredibly deep, and this will most likely save his job.

Easily the most obvious entry into this category came courtesy of Abel Trujillo on the FX portion of the card. The Blackzilians-trained fighter lost all will to fight while being rag-dolled by Dagestani Khabib Nurmagomedov. The AKA transplant put on a grappling clinic over the three-round affair, and all Trujillo could do was look to the referee in a desperate plea for help.

This is the sport's biggest stage "Killa," and you have to work yourself out of trouble. "The Eagle" racked up an impressive 20 takedowns over the course of the fight and progressively broke Trujillo's will with every one of them.

The Strange

Getting all worked up over judging in MMA is pointless, but it's certainly fun to do. Two of the night's most entertaining scraps ended in strange split decisions where the consensus opinion went opposite of how the judge's scored the fight.

Former TUF finalist Dennis Bermudez kept his winning streak alive as he got the nod over 21-year-old Hawaiian Max Holloway. "Blessed" dominated the opening frame and appeared to do enough damage to earn the second round as well. Bermudez certainly did the lion's share of his work in the final round, but it seemed too little, too late.

The judges sitting cageside saw otherwise, and Holloway came out on the losing end of the bout.

While the decision was questionable in the fight between Rick Story and Mike Pyle, I ultimately feel the judges got this one right. After being flushed by a Story right hand in the opening round, the savvy veteran held on to survive.

In the opening minute of the second round, Story went back to work, but this time took the action to the canvas. Rather than take more punishment, Pyle went to work off his back and locked up a solid submission attempt. "Quicksand" continued to keep the guard work flowing and managed to change the tide of the round while on the mat.

In the third frame, not only did Story wilt from the pace of the fight, but Pyle also reached into his power-mullet reserves and began to put the work on Story's face. At the conclusion of the fight, Story seemed to be up two to one, but the judge's unbelievably did the correct thing and rewarded Pyle for the work he put in off his back.

Earning top honors for the event is Estevan Payan. While he was thoroughly dismantled by Jeremy Stephens in "Lil Heathen's" featherweight debut, buckets of Payan's blood graced the Octagon throughout the entire card.

Even the cageside spray paint crew couldn't put a damper on that crime scene, and those guys are professionals.

Last but not least, how could I write an article about strange happenings at UFC 160 without mentioning the constant presence of Mike Tyson. "Iron Mike" was standing with Dana White at the weigh-ins, taking in the pageantry and all over the pay-per-view broadcast as well. So much in fact, the camera crew decided to show the masses watching at home a five-second window of Tyson eating popcorn as he took in the action.

Between "Kid Dynamite" chomping down on some hot kernels and a very forced interview with a poker expert, I'm starting to feel like the UFC production crew is out to make sure I have something to enter in this category.

Well played, gents!

UFC 160 Results: Grades for Every Main-Card Fighter on Silva-Velasquez 2

Scott Harris — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:38:01 -0400

Given that he's 11-1 and a two-time UFC heavyweight champ, it's hard to believe Cain Velasquez has never successfully defended the belt.

But the odds were with him Saturday night when, exactly one year to the day after their first fight, Velasquez and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva waged a rematch, with Silva hoping to even the score after dropping a bloody TKO to Velasquez in 2012.

This entire main card, though, is what you might call armed and dangerous. Dynamite was inserted into every possible nook and cranny of these bouts. To wit, the 10 main-card fighters boasted a combined 77 knockout wins coming into the weekend.

So how did they perform? Here are grades for every main-card fighter.

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Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch: Andre Ward Should Be Next for the Cobra After Win

Alex Ballentine — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:37:24 -0400

Carl Froch avenged one of his two career losses with a thrilling decision victory on Saturday over Mikkel Kessler. Could Andre Ward be next on The Cobra's vengeance path?

Kessler got the best of the IBF Super Middleweight titleholder back in 2010, handing Froch his first defeat as a professional in a WBC championship bout via unanimous decision.

Three years later, Froch was determined to show that he is an improved fighter. It certainly showed. According to BBC Sport, The Cobra put in quite the night, throwing 998 punches, landing 272 blows.

Kessler did his part to make it a memorable fight for fans, landing 178 of his 567 attempts in an intense effort.

In his post-fight interview, Froch indicated interest in a rubber match with Kessler. Via ESPN:

However, with one loss now avenged, Froch should look to seek revenge against Andre Ward. The two super middleweights met back in 2011 in the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament.

Ward scored the victory via unanimous decision, but Froch showed that he belonged in the same ring as the champion, earning plenty of rounds as two judges scored the fight 115-113.

Two years removed from their first bout, the time is now for Froch to get the opportunity to avenge the only other blemish on his record.

Ward is a fighter with few equals in the division. Despite his lack of activity, his 10th-round TKO victory over light heavyweight Chad Dawson showed that he is a true champion of the division.

Ward,who was sitting ringside for the bout, seems keen to the idea:

While there are many who would argue that Ward would still top Froch, we won't know for sure until these two settle it in the ring once again. Between Ward's inactivity and Froch's resurgence as the clear No. 2 fighter in the division, it's a must-see fight that would generate plenty of buzz.

New York Yankees' 2013 Mock Draft: Projecting Their Top 1st-Round Targets

Kenny DeJohn — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:36:21 -0400

The New York Yankees have three picks in the first round of the 2013 first-year player draft on June 6, as the departures of both Nick Swisher (Cleveland Indians) and Rafael Soriano (Washington Nationals) netted them picks 32 and 33 to go along with their initial selection at No. 26.

General manager Brian Cashman is notorious for taking pitchers in the first round. In recent memory, Phil Hughes (2004), Ian Kennedy (2006) and Joba Chamberlain (2006) have all been drafted by Cashman and groomed in the Yankees' system.

Expect Cashman to do more of the same in 2013. Yankees scouts love selecting quality arms, and there's no shortage of such arms in this year's draft. There are several talented pitchers (both from high school and college) who could find themselves as members of the Yankees by the end of the first round.

The Yankees have always had a shortage of talented pitching in their system. Even with Cashman's propensity to select pitchers, not all of them have always panned out. New York has strong positional talent in the lower minors in Mason Williams, Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin and Slade Heathcott, though there isn't all that much pitching to be found.

Look for Cashman and Co. to solve that problem on draft day.

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San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies Game 3: Video Highlights and Recap

Brian Leigh — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:33:25 -0400

The San Antonio Spurs needed overtime to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 104-93, on Saturday night, moving within one game of sweeping their way to an NBA Finals berth.

The Grizzlies roared out to a 19-5 lead, not allowing a point until the 7:45 mark and forbidding San Antonio from reaching double digits until there were 28 seconds left in the first quarter. By the end of the frame, Memphis was up 29-13.

But the Spurs, in typical Spurs fashion, didn't panic and chipped away at the lead. They won the second quarter by a count of 27-15 and trailed by just four at the break.

Memphis held them mostly at bay in the third, leading by one heading into the fourth, but almost immediately, Danny Green hit a three-point shot that put the Spurs up 67-65. It was San Antonio's first lead of the game.

The teams traded punches all the way down to the end of the fourth. Tony Allen broke an 82-82 tie with a free throw at 2:22; Manu Ginobili put San Antonio up one with a layup a minute later; Marc Gasol hit a jumper on the next possession to give Memphis a one-point lead.

With under a minute to play, Ginobili hit two free throws to put the Spurs up 86-85 but fouled Allen on the other end. Allen hit 1-of-2, tying the game at 86, then rebounded a Ginobili miss with 19 seconds to play.

With the ball in its hands and a chance to win, Memphis got Mike Conley an ugly, off-balance layup that didn't even graze the rim. San Antonio's lockdown defense ensured that we would see overtime.

The Grizzlies would come to regret bungling that last possession. San Antonio went on a 9-1 run during the extra frame, aided by two baskets from Tiago Splitter, to take a decisive edge. Memphis had the ball down six with 90 seconds left, but a Marc Gasol miss, followed by a Tony Parker and-1, was enough to clinch the game.

Player of the Game: PF/C Tim Duncan (SAS)

MIN	FGM-FGA	PTS	REB	AST	BLK
44	11-19	24	10	5	2

And suddenly, as if by magic, the whole "Duncan didn't deserve first-team All-NBA" argument has disappeared.

Duncan provided his team with a little bit of everything, exactly when they needed it. When Memphis rolled to an early game lead, Duncan rallied the defense for quarter No. 2. When San Antonio needed someone to create his own shot, Duncan scrapped up seven points in the overtime frame.

Duncan spent the year adding vital footnotes to his impressive resume. If he continues to play at this rate, the book might need a whole new chapter.

What's Next?

San Antonio looks to close out the series in Memphis on Monday, where Game 4 will tip off at 9 p.m. ET.

If necessary, Game 5 in San Antonio tips off at the same time on Wednesday.

UFC 160 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Velasquez vs. Silva

Jonathan Snowden — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:25:05 -0400

It's slim pickings in the UFC's heavyweight division these days. Champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos stand head and shoulders above the rest of the class—and proved it at UFC 160.

Antonio 'Big Foot' Silva already knew how dangerous Velasquez is. He left blood and pride on the mat the first time he met the champion at UFC 146 last year. This time was little better.

Velasquez caught Silva with a one-two combination that dropped the giant. From there it was elementary, ground and pound leading to a stoppage.

Velasquez, of course, wasn't the night's only winner. Dos Santos delivered one of the most incredible knockouts in heavyweight history, connecting with a spinning wheel kick that dropped the hard-headed Mark Hunt and all but demanded a third match between Junior and Cain. I hope we see it before the end of the year.

The heavyweights weren't the only winners at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There was plenty of great action up and down the card and 12 winners, at least on paper.

Sometimes, however, there's more to winning than having your hand raised at the end. A fighter can win in the record books and lose in the hearts of fans and matchmakers. Likewise, a loser who shows heart and passion, like Hunt, can emerge a true winner.

Who will we remember from UFC 160? Click on to find out.

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UFC 160 Results: Fighter Salaries for Main Event and Co-Main Event

Trent Reinsmith — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:21:45 -0400

The UFC’s Memorial Day weekend event, UFC 160 has wrapped up from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and Cain Velasquez made short work of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in defending his UFC heavyweight title.

Silva looked like he might have had a chance early when he stopped two Velasquez takedowns. Velasquez, more than just a wrestler shrugged those missed takedowns off and remained calm, switching to a striking game.

That worked out well for him as he dropped Silva with a right and then finished the fight on the ground, successfully defending his title and possibly setting up a fight with the man who won the co-main event.

In that co-main event, Junior dos Santos took the fight to Mark Hunt for the first two rounds and looked like he was on his way to a decision victory. Dos Santos got on his bike for most of the third round, using jabs to keep Hunt at bay, but as time ticked down, he unleashed an unexpected move, a spinning wheel kick that put Hunt on his back.

The ground strikes that followed were just icing on the cake, delivered before the referee could get in for the stoppage.

Salaries for UFC 160 Main Event

Cain Velasquez: $400,000 for TKO win.

Antonio Silva: $75,000.

Salaries for UFC 160 Co-Main Event

Junior dos Santos: $240,000 ($120,000 plus $120,000 win bonus) for knockout win.

Mark Hunt: $160,000

Above salaries do not reflect Fight Night bonus awards or discretionary bonuses.

The remaining salaries will follow later in the week.

**Salaries provided to BR MMA via Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Could QB Gunner Kiel Return to Notre Dame in Wake of Everett Golson's Departure?

Lisa Horne — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:20:45 -0400

Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame, according to multiple sources.

This is a shocking news development. Notre Dame won't comment on why Golson is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame citing student privacy laws, according to the South Bend Tribune. But this brings up another very important news development.

Gunner Kiel, who transferred from Notre Dame to Cincinnati last March, could actually transfer back to Notre Dame without a one-year sit-out penalty.

John Infante, a well-respected expert on NCAA bylaws, explains the rule that allows Kiel to transfer back to Notre Dame in his report on Athletic Scholarships:

The student transfers to a second four-year collegiate institution, does not compete at the second institution and does not engage in other countable athletically related activities in the involved sport at the second institution beyond a 14-consecutive-day period and returns to the original institution. The 14-consecutive-day period begins with the date on which the student-athlete first engages in any countable athletically related activity (see Bylaw 17.02.1). A student may use this exception even if he or she has an unfulfilled residence requirement at the institution from which he or she is transferring.

Kiel qualifies for this rule. Moreover, even if Cincinnati were to refuse releasing Kiel from his scholarship at Cincinnati, Kiel could still transfer to Notre Dame and play this year.

Infante explains why:

If Cincinnati refuses to grant Kiel permission to contact Notre Dame about returning, it only means that Notre Dame cannot give Kiel a scholarship for one academic year or encourage the transfer. But if Kiel were to show up at Notre Dame to start the season, he would be eligible to play right away.

How messed up is this?

Kiel was the 5-star prospect who committed to Indiana and LSU. When he decommitted from LSU, head coach Les Miles reportedly said he didn't have "the chest" to play at LSU. Kiel then committed to Notre Dame and enrolled last year. After redshirting his freshman year, Kiel transferred to Cincinnati.

Would Kiel considering going back to Notre Dame? Probably not. Kiel didn't establish a relationship with Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin, according to what Kiel told NBC Sports:

I respect Coach Kelly a lot and what he does. He’s a fiery coach and he did me well. My quarterbacks coach (Chuck Martin) and I really didn’t have the relationship I wanted, and that was one reason I didn’t like it. I tried to put in the work.

You still have to wonder what is going on in Kiel's head. The projected starting quarterback at Notre Dame is gone. Tommy Rees is the new projected starter but his career has been very inconsistent. Gunner Kiel was at Notre Dame two months ago. And now he can transfer back.

Head coach Brian Kelly would love to have Kiel back. Kiel may be packing his bags again if the luck of the Irish holds true.

UFC 160 Results: What We Learned from Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

Jeremy Botter — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:20:35 -0400

Well, that was fast. Faster than the original, even.

On May 26, 2012, Cain Velasquez crushed Antonio Silva in 3:36 to earn a second shot at the UFC heavyweight title. One year later, Velasquez finished Silva in 1:20 to retain the heavyweight title he recaptured from Junior dos Santos.

Things started out slowly, with Silva escaping an early Velasquez takedown attempt. But shortly after, the champion landed a clean left/right punch combo that dropped Silva face-first to the mat. Velasquez moved to Silva's side and landed repeated punches until referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight.

Here's what we learned Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:

This Was Always Going to Be the Outcome

I didn't know how early this fight would end, but I predicted a first-round finish for Velasquez. He's simply worlds better than Silva; for that matter, he's worlds better than any other heavyweight on the planet. And yes, that includes dos Santos, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Silva earned the opportunity he got Saturday night, but he was overmatched in a big way. Velasquez was a -950 favorite at the MGM sportsbook by the time the fight started, and rightly so. He was better in every area than Silva, and this was the expected outcome.

Bring on Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3

By virtue of his performance against the incredibly durable Mark Hunt, nobody can deny that Dos Santos has earned a rematch with Velasquez for the title. I expect that fight to take place late this year, most likely in a yet-unconfirmed show in Houston.

Dos Santos is an incredible boxer, and he's likely the best fighter Velasquez can possibly face at the moment since teammate Daniel Cormier isn't an option as an opponent. The former champion scored an unbelievable spinning wheel kick knockout over Hunt, but he also beat the K-1 champion to the punch for the entirety of their fight.

Dos Santos has earned his opportunity, and plenty of folks will be interested in the third fight.

But for me, I still consider Velasquez a heavy favorite going into the third bout. I truly believe that Velasquez is easily the best heavyweight in the world, and he's one of the very best fighters on the planet, regardless of weight class.

I suspect that the third fight will look a lot like the second meeting between the two, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in seeing it.

2013 French Open: Meet 7 Americans Making Their Roland Garros Debut

Merlisa Lawrence Corbett — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:16:34 -0400

There are 37 Americans participating in the 2013 French Open. That's second only to the 56 from France.

Despite the talk of the demise of American Tennis, the U.S. has more players competing at Roland Garros than Russia (26), Germany (28) and Spain (29).

Some, like Madison Keys, have already made a name for themselves.

Then there are those like 26-year-old Alex Kuztnesov, who put in many long hours on smaller circuits, fighting for a chance at the big time.

Keys played her way up the rankings and into the main draw.

Others clawed their way through qualifiers. Among them are the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Men's Singles Champion Steve Johnson.

They may lack mega endorsement deals. But making it to the main draw of the French Open for the first time is a monumental accomplishment for most of these players.

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