UFC 107 Main Events Announced

B.J. Penn will defend his UFC lightweight title against Diego Sanchez on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn., the promotion officially announced Tuesday.

The UFC also confirmed previously reported matchups pitting Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo and Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago.

“I can’t wait to defend the title,” Penn said in a news release. “I know what kind of competitor Diego Sanchez is and I am training very hard. This will be a good test.”

Penn submitted Kenny Florian in his most recent defense at UFC 101 in August. Sanchez, 2-0 at 155 pounds and 21-2 overall, is coming off a split decision over Clay Guida in June.

“I’ve always wanted to face the best,” Sanchez said. “I’ve worked so hard for this and now I finally have a shot at the title. I’m training like I’ve never trained before and I expect an all-out war.”

Mir and Kongo will be the co-headliners for the event, which takes place at the FedEx Forum.

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Dallas Mavericks Team News

Size matters in the NBA, but that doesn’t always mean bigger is better. Small is a size, too.

And when it comes to lineups, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle believes in diversity. Yes, he likes to have big men in the game. Most NBA champions have a strong inside presence.

But he also likes to use a three-guard lineup and has done so frequently in the preseason, especially with J.J. Barea occupying one of the spots. The 6-foot Puerto Rican has played 80 minutes in the three exhibitions, behind only Dirk Nowitzki (81 minutes) and Jason Kidd (83).

Barea’s been on the court with Kidd and either Jason Terry or rookie Roddy Beaubois a lot.

“I love it,” Barea says. “I love playing with point guards at the same time. It makes the job a lot easier for all of us. It gets the ball moving, and I like that.”

Until Beaubois gains some experience, Barea figures to keep the job of backing up Kidd. But it can be argued that he’s at his best when playing with Kidd, which allows Barea to look for his shot more. Throw in Terry and the smallish backcourt instantly gives the Mavericks plenty of offense in support of Nowitzki, Shawn Marion or whoever else is on the floor.

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Mavs Fan Jam – Free Admission

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Silva to Defend Title vs. Belfort at UFC 108

Anderson Silva is set to defend his middleweight title against fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort at UFC 108.

The event is expected to take place on Jan. 2 from Las Vegas, kicking 2010 off with a bang.

UFC president Dana White recently confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the bout has been verbally agreed to by both fighters.

Silva’s last trip to the Octagon was a highlight-reel, first-round knockout win over Forrest Griffin, which followed a middleweight championship title defense over Thales Leites, while Belfort has most recently put together impressive back-to-back knockouts over the likes of Rich Franklin and Matt Lindland.

credit: cbssports/silva belfort ufc 108

Ultimate Fighter Season Preview

Kimbo, Rampage and lots of blood on tap for new ‘TUF’ season

There is more buzz surrounding the premiere of the 10th season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter than for any season since 2006.

You have Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson as one of 16 heavyweight contestants trying to earn his way onto the UFC roster. You have two coaches who love to talk trash: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans. Three cast members have previous UFC experience. Four more have NFL experience.

There’s also former IFL heavyweight champ Roy “Big Country” Nelson, one of the favorites to win it all.

… for more visit cbs/tuf preview

Rangers/Yankees Game 2 Preview

It’s been a month since A.J. Burnett won a game. Facing the Texas Rangers might help him end his rough stretch.

The right-hander looks to avoid a fourth straight loss while trying to help the New York Yankees to a second straight win and series victory over the visiting Rangers on Thursday.

Burnett (10-7, 4.08 ERA) hopes to close out a disappointing August on a positive note and bounce back from his worst outing of the season.

He allowed nine runs and nine hits – including three homers – in five innings of a 14-1 loss at Boston on Saturday. Burnett fell to 0-3 with a 6.32 ERA in his last five starts since going 5-0 with a 2.01 ERA in six outings from June 27-July 27.

Burnett once again disagreed with catcher Jorge Posada(notes) about pitch selection in his last start, a matter manager Joe Girardi feels has been blown out of proportion.

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Strikeforce Signs Rogers/Fedor

Strikeforce Signs Brett Rogers vs Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko will make his Strikeforce debut in a showdown with undefeated heavyweight Brett Rogers, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced on Wednesday during the Russian superstar’s public workout at the Fighthouse Gym in New York City. No date or venue was announced.

Unbeaten in his last 27 fights, Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC) flattened former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia in his most recent outings. The 32-year-old Russian knocked out Arlovski with one punch 3:14 into their match at Affliction “Day of Reckoning” in January but has not competed since.

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Texas HS Football Preseason Rankings

FOR TEXAS CLASS 5A REGION I PRESEASON RANKINGS CLICK HERE

In 2009, Class 5A Region I will still house some of the toughest competition and biggest home run hitters in the state when it comes to the teams overall and the talent pool that resides within it.

Looking at the region’s top teams and the way the potential playoff brackets align themselves, it will be a certainly obvious observation that not only is Division II the stronger of the two playoff brackets, it is also the most top-heavy collection of teams assembled for one bracket in recent memory. But that senario is a bit too far in the future to gage on how things will play out. There is still an entire season left to be played out. As they say, don’t get your hopes up too high, anything is possible, especially in the world of Texas HS Football.

The Top Dogs

Despite losing some of its top stars such as Rex Burkhead, Nate Bonsu, Jerod Monk and Nikita Whitlock, the scene in 8-5A is still very competitive and hot off the presses. Allen, the defending Division I state champion, with the reemergence of the Plano East Panthers back onto the playoff scene, could find themselves thrown into a much tougher and challenging Division II bracket. Plano East comes into 2009 on a high note not only with a win in its final game of the season, but qualifying and competing against some of the state’s best at the annual state 7on7 tournament. SImply learning how to win and using motivation can almost certainly change the entire structure of your outlook ahead.

… for a complete preview visit texasHSfootball/5a season preview

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UFC 102 Live this Weekend- Preview

Couture Vs. Nogueira Headlines UFC 102 from Portland, Oregon on August 29

Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

The headline bout of the evening features an intriguing crossroads match between Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrido Nogueira. Couture hasn’t fought in nearly a year, since his stoppage loss to Brock Lesnar. Nogueira fought at the end of 2008, surprisingly losing to Frank Mir via stoppage. While the winner gets another crack at the title, the loser will lose significant ground in the UFC heavyweight division.

Nogueira clearly has the advantage in terms of jiu-jitsu, however Couture’s wrestling and ring generalship should allow him to keep the fight wherever he wants it to be. I expect Couture to move inside of Nogueira’s longer reach and when the fight gets to the ground, he’ll be the one on top unleashing the punishment. Nogueira however can take plenty of punishment for being stopped, so I expect this one to go to a decision.

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Favre Makes it Official

Favre takes self-centered behavior to new extreme

There are limits as to how far NFL players can push their luck. And then there’s Brett Favre.

How many of his peers could flip-flop on retirement, skip 10 days of training camp and then waltz into the starting lineup at their own whim? Favre did just that Tuesday when signing — finally — with Minnesota.

Maybe a handful of other elite all-stars could get away with this type of self-serving behavior. Most wouldn’t try. I can’t imagine fellow quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady being willing to put their own interests ahead of teammates who already have given so much time and energy preparing for the upcoming season.

Yet the “Gun for Hire” motto has become the Favre way — and the Vikings were willing to accept all the bullets that come with it.

… for more visit foxnews/farve return

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