winner since Armstrong got five in 2004

winner since Armstrong got five in 2004

16.02.2019 14:27

Each week, ESPN.com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.This week, Okamoto squares off with UFC lightweight contender Michael Johnson?to discuss all things MMA. Johnson (16-10), headlines Saturdays UFC Fight Night card in Hidalgo, Texas, against Dustin Poirier (20-4).?1.?What is the final say on CM Punks UFC debut: inspirational or a joke?Johnson:?I cant sit here and watch what CM Punk did and call it inspirational. Yes, he went in there and fought a UFC fight, but I think he should have tested himself somewhere else before going in and giving a performance like that. Mickey Gall didnt even really do much. He took Punk right down and controlled him, and I think CM Punk didnt know what to expect once he started getting punched. To get an opportunity like that [and] fight for the biggest promotion -- thats a blessing. People work their entire life to get to that point and never do, and he was just given it. To go out there and perform like that? Thats not inspirational.Okamoto:?This topic has been beaten into the ground the last three days. To sum my thoughts up one more time: Punk won me over. Maybe Im being gullible, but I believe his interest in this sport was (and still is) genuine. I think the UFC saw an opportunity to monetize his debut and offered him a deal anyone in his position would have accepted. You cant fault Punk for taking a golden opportunity. I also think he looked very bad in his debut -- so bad the UFC cant justify giving him a second shot. I hope months from now we hear about Punk fighting with some random independent promotion, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, taking a fight against a similarly skilled opponent. He always said he was doing this for himself and no one else. Thatd be the way to prove it.2.?No UFC heavyweight champion has ever defended a title more than twice consecutively. Will Stipe Miocic become the first?Johnson:?Yes, I think Stipe will defend it more than twice. Its his attitude. The way hes approaching his last few fights and approaching the game, it just seems like he has no pressure on him. Thats very dangerous for opponents, when a fighter comes in and doesnt have any worries, just a great camp. I think thats what is setting him aside from everyone else right now.Okamoto:?Man, history says no -- and how can you disagree with history? Miocic is the 17th heavyweight champion in UFC history. There have definitely been champs before him I thought were up to the task, and they all fell. Not to mention, 2016 has been the year of fallen champs. I agree 100 percent with what Johnson said about Miocics demeanor. Hes a very comfortable champion. Hes got a lot of self-belief and his pulse never seems to go up, regardless of his surroundings. I want to say yes on this, but I cant get over the fact weve been here before and no one has been able to do it. My final answer is no.3.?Will Alistair Overeem ever make it to a UFC title fight again?Johnson:?I dont think hell ever get back from that performance [his loss to Miocic on Saturday in UFC 203] ?and he doesnt deserve to, if you ask me. I dont know what you can even say about a performance like that. I think it was a huge letdown. To see a guy fight like that in a championship fight makes you wonder if he even deserved to be in that fight. We all saw him running around. Thats not what people want to see. Alistair comes from a background as a great striker -- thats what people expected to see. They didnt expect to see him turn his back and run from Stipe. I dont know if that was his game plan, to try and lure Stipe into something -- we saw Overeem drop Stipe once -- but after that it didnt work, and I thought he fought really scared. I dont think he deserves another shot at all.Okamoto:?This is a tough one. I worry about Overeems ability to take a shot. You saw it at UFC 203. He was in control of that fight against Miocic and then, in a matter of milliseconds, he wasnt. A lot of that had to with durability. Miocic got dropped by a clean left hand, but he recovered quickly. Overeem, on the other hand, took a couple combinations and never looked the same. It seemed that he needed the bell to save him as soon as he took his first shot. That doesnt bode well in the heavyweight division, but at the same time, theres no denying Overeems skill. A bounce-back of two or three wins in a row is very feasible. Ill actually say yes here, but its not a very confident answer.4.?Who should be the next heavyweight title challenger: Fabricio Werdum or Cain Velasquez?Johnson:?Its Cain Velasquez, in my opinion. Werdum suffered a knockout to Stipe [in May at UFC 198] and I dont think Werdums performance against Travis Browne was good enough to make him the No. 1 contender. I think Stipe vs. Cain is a great matchup. I think Cain will press him Stipe and try to take him down, while throwing heavy hands. The way Stipe moves around, it seems hes really finding his niche -- his game -- right now. I would definitely go with Stipe in that matchup. I think his movement and punching ability would favor him.Okamoto:?I agree its Velasquez. Werdum is ranked higher, so if he is jumped by Velasquez, Werdum will have a legitimate gripe. But even so, doesnt it still strangely feel like Velasquez is the man to beat in this division? Dont get me wrong, Miocic is the champ and the undisputed No. 1 heavyweight, but theres still that feeling of, Well, if Cain could only stay healthy. Hes healthy now and coming off a very Cain-like performance at UFC 200. The time to book that fight is now. If we know anything about Velasquez, its that he might not be healthy for long. Book that fight while the opportunity exists.5.?What is the best sleeper fight at Saturdays UFC Fight Night card in Hidalgo, Texas?Johnson:?Im gonna say featherweights?Chas Skelly [15-2] and Maximo Blanco [12-7-1]. Chas has been down here at Blackzilians in Boca Raton, Florida, training with us. Ive seen how dedicated he is. Hes really tough, and I dont think many people are watching this card to see this fight. Its a sleeper.Okamoto:?You could probably call the main event a sleeper if you wanted, as this entire event is flying under the radar. I actually like Johnsons pick a lot. Skelly will likely look to use his wrestling against Blanco, who I think will be able to stuff plenty of those attempts and look to make Skelly pay for it. It looks like a potentially high-action fight. Ill also mention lightweights?Islam Makhachev?and?Chris Wade. Makhachev is a 24-year-old prospect with a lot of promise, but hes coming off a very ugly loss in his last fight, plus a situation with the United States Anti-Doping Agency in which he was pulled from an event in April but later cleared of any wrongdoing. Ive heard plenty of positive reviews about Makhachevs potential, and he has a legitimate test in front of him in Wade. Cheap Lebrons From China . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Best Cheap Lebrons . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. http://www.cheaplebronsfromchina.com/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Wholesale Lebrons China . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Cheap Lebrons For Sale . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost.PARIS -- I wont let you down like Lance Armstrong. This Tour de France champion is for real. That, in so many words, is the promise Chris Froome made as the newest winner of cyclings showcase race so badly hurt over the years by riders who doped to win it. Because of their deceit, Froome faced a barrage of questions as he dominated rivals over three weeks of racing, all centred on the same key concern: Can we believe in you? Yes, he insisted. The sport is changing, he argued. He handled the scrutiny politely and adroitly. He said he understood the skepticism. And on the podium in Paris, his wiry frame wrapped in his canary yellow jersey, Froome asked the guardians of the 110-year-old race and all those who love it to trust him. "This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time," he said. In two years, Britain has had two different winners: Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and now Froome, a cooler, calmer, more understated but no less determined character than his Sky teammate with famous sideburns. Froome rode into Paris in style: Riders pedaled up to him to offer congratulations; he sipped from a flute of champagne; a Tour organizer stuck an arm from his car window to shake Froomes hand. He dedicated his victory to his late mother, Jane, who died in 2008. "Without her encouragement to follow my dreams I would probably be at home watching on TV," he said. Froome took the race lead on Stage 8 in the Pyrenees, never relinquished it and vigorously fended off rivals whose concerted challenges turned this 100th Tour into a thriller. Froome and his Sky teammates linked arms as they rode for the line. "This is a beautiful country with the finest annual sporting event on the planet. To win the 100th edition is an honour beyond any Ive dreamed," he said. Five-time winners Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain joined Froome on the podium. Missing, of course, was Armstrong. Stripping the serial doper of his seven wins tore a hole in the Tours roll of honour as large as that left by World War II, when the race didnt take place from 1940-46. None of the 100th editions podium finishers -- Froome, Nairo Quintana and Joaquim Rodriguez -- have ever failed a drug test or been directly implicated in any of cyclings litany of doping scandals. That is an encouraging and notable departure both from the Armstrong era and many other Tour podiums before and since. "In a way, Im glad that Ive had to face those questions. That after all the revelations last year and just the tarnished history over the last decade, all thats been channeled toward me now," Froome said. "I feel Ive been able to deal with it reasonably well throughout this Tour, and hopefully thats sent a strong message to the cycling world that the sport has changed -- and it really has." "The pelotons standing together, the riders are united and its not going to be accepted anymore." The spectacular nighttime ceremonies, with the Eiffel Tower in glittering lights and the Arc de Triomphe used as a screen for a flashing lightshow, capped what has been a visually stunning Tour. It started with a first-ever swing through Corsica, Frances so-called "island of beauty," before veering through the Pyrenees to Brittany and then across France to the races crescendo in the Alps -- 3,404 grueling kilometres (2,115 miles) in total. Because of the unique late-afternoon start for the final Stage 21, the riders raced on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees as the sun cast golden hues over the peloton and shhadows lengthened over the dense, cheering crowds.dddddddddddd Marcel Kittel won the final sprint on the avenue, the Germans sprinters fourth stage win of this Tour. French Air Force jets in formation trailed red, white and blue smoke in the skies. The riders circled like a necklace around the Arc de Triomphe in their bright colored team jerseys. After setting off from the magnificent Versailles Palace, the former residence of three kings and their seat of power until the French revolution of 1789, the riders were granted the privilege of meandering through the chateaus manicured gardens, past lakes like mirrors, spurting fountains and statues looking on stonily. Before the pace picked up sharply on the Champs-Elysees, Sundays 133-kilometre ride was largely leisurely. The 169 finishers -- from 198 who started -- savored the pleasure of surviving the three-week ordeal. Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria topped the Canadian contingent with a 70th-place finish overall. Tour rookies David Veilleux of Cap-Rouge, Que., finished 123rd while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., was last in 169th. "We are very proud of these three Canadian riders at the Tour de France," said Jacques Landry, head coach at Cycling Canada. "Crossing the finish line of the Tour de France is a remarkable feat, and we should all be proud of them." Quintana, the 23-year-old Colombian who secured second place behind Froome with an impressive win on Saturdays penultimate Stage 20, laughed as third-placed Rodriguez tried to spark up a cigar in the saddle. Froomes clear physical superiority made him overwhelming favourite going into the Tour and carried him through it. His winning margin of 4 minutes, 20 seconds was the largest since 1997, when Jan Ullrich -- who has since admitted to doping -- beat Richard Virenque -- who also confessed to using performance-enhancers -- by 9 minutes, 9 seconds. Armstrong had larger margins of victory than Froome but those no longer count. Froomes three stage victories -- in the Pyrenees, on Mont Ventoux in Provence and in a mountainous time trial -- were the most for a Tour winner since Armstrong got five in 2004, results now annulled. Sky team manager Dave Brailsford said the Tour is seeing "a new generation" of young riders who "have never lived in an era of doping." Cyclings future "is in good hands with Chris, because he is an exceptional rider and an exceptional character." Unlike some other riders who cut short questions about doping and bristled, Froome said he was happy during the Tour to discuss the issue that has so poisoned his sport. He said he, too, felt let down by his cheating predecessors. Froome argued that his success demonstrates that cyclings anti-doping system -- now among the most rigorous, invasive and sustained of any sport -- must be working, because otherwise he wouldnt be able to win. At 28, Froome is entering his peak years as a bike racer. His prowess on climbs and in time trials gives him the essential ingredients to win more Tours. At Sky, hes backed by one of the best-funded, organized and smartest teams. With few exceptions, including the absent Giro dItalia winner Vincenzo Nibali and Wiggins, the cream of cyclings grand tour riders raced in the 100th edition. That Froome beat them so handily suggests hell again be the overwhelming favourite in 2014 -- in the 101st Tour that starts in Leeds, northern England. ------ AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire and Associated Press Writer Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '


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