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Its time for Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafssons close-up. wholesale nfl jerseys . The lanky Swedish light-heavyweight has won four straight and five of six in the UFC. He fought five times on the undercard before graduating to the main card, where he stopped veteran Vladimir (The Janitor) Matyushenko in the first round last time out at UFC 141. Now Gustafsson (13-1) finds himself showcased in the main event, facing Brazilian Thiago Silva on Saturday in a televised UFC show at Stockholms Ericsson Globe Arena. The six-foot-five Stockholm native was always going to be a major player in the UFCs debut show in Sweden. But Gustafsson has proved in recent outings that he is a rising star in the 205-pound ranks. He put Matyushenko down with a jab. He floored Matt (The Hammer) Hamill with a string of uppercuts. He survived a rocky opening to submit James Te Huna. He punished stringbean kickboxer Cyrille Diabate on the ground en route to a submission. And in his UFC debut, he outstruck Jared Hamman. They are not marquee names but theyre not chumps either and Gustafsson has disposed of all of them, from England to Australia and Abu Dhabi to Las Vegas. The only blemish on his record is a decision loss to Phil (Mr. Wonderful) Davis, a former NCAA champion wrestler, at UFC 112 in April 2010. Gustafsson showed his smarts after that fight by training with Davis. He still does and spent several weeks preparing for this fight with Davis Alliance MMA crew in the U.S. Gustafsson is a finisher, ending eight of his 14 fights in the first round. Only one of his bouts has gone to decision. "He has the gift of hands," light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones told a media conference call Friday. "Everybody has gifts. His seem to be in his hands." "He looks tough," added former light-heavyweight title-holder Rashad Evan, who fights Jones on April 21 at UFC 145. "Long, rangy, athletic." Originally slated to meet Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in Sweden, Gustafsson found himself facing Silva after a knee injury sidelined Nogueira. The new matchup adds some mystery. Silva (14-2 with one no contest) has been out of action since Jan. 1, 2011, after being suspended for trying to tamper with a urine test. "Inconsistent with human urine," was the Nevada State Athletic Commissions verdict. The 29-year-old Brazilian, known for his throat-slitting gesture after wins, later admitted to taking steroids to help get over a back injury and trying to cover it up. Silva was suspended a year, fined US$33,750 and his UFC 125 win over Brandon (The Truth) Vera was overturned. He was slated to fight Vera again after the ban was lifted but an injury to the American fighter took care of that. A bout with Igor Pokrajac was shelved when Nogueira was hurt and Silva was headed to Sweden. Silva is a predator on his feet who also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But no one knows how the lengthy layoff will affect him. "I expect the best Thiago there is," said Gustafsson. Silvas UFC pedigree is clear, however. All five wins came by knockout or submission and the only people to beat him are former champions Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida and Rashad Evans. Gustafsson calls Silva a good fighter -- and the most dangerous opponent he has faced. But he has also said the Brazilian is not a good sportsman, explaining he thought Silva showed "no respect" in the drug-tainted Vera fight. "But whats done is done. Im just focusing on my fight right now," the Swede said. "No matter what he brings, Ill be ready for it." Whatever happens, Silva will be looking up. While a big man himself at six foot one, the Brazilian faces a six-foot-five opponent in Gustafsson. The 25-year-old Swede normally walks around at 230 pounds, cutting down to 205 for fights. Gustafsson moves well, has good boxing skills and is resourceful when it comes to wrestling. But he may want to stay off the ground against Silva. Before he turned to combat sports, Gustafsson played hockey and says he was "quite good." "I found out that this team thing wasnt really my thing ... I like to be alone and do my own thing," he added. Gustafsson said in the cage after his Matyushenko win that fighting in Las Vegas was a dream for him. Soon after, he learned that he would be fighting at home. "Its one dream after another," Gustafsson said. "Im just enjoying every day," he added. "I do what I love to do." Sweden is the latest European country to host a UFC event, joining England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Germany. The big Swede, who is engaged, says fighting in his backyard has not proved to be a distraction even if he gets now recognized in the street. MMA is growing every day in Sweden, he says. "Weve got some good talent. Weve got gyms popping up everywhere and weve got a good fan base. But after this event, it will be massive." Gustafsson keeps track of his own career via a tattoo on his left arm. Under an ace of clubs are rows of sharks teeth designating his won-lost record (the wins are black, his one loss is just the outline of the tooth). He hasnt got round to updating the Matyushenko win with some new ink but says he will after Saturday. "I will add two black sharks teeth," he said. Both Gustafsson and Silva weighed in at 205 Friday. cheap nfl jerseys . Play hard, play tough and play rough. The philosophy has been a lesson in frustration for opponents. cheap jerseys . The solutions? Not so much. Given an extra week to stew over the worst start in 45 years, Tomlin is tweaking the lineup hoping to find a spark that will help his team begin the long road back to respectability.SAN ANTONIO -- Georges Niang scored 24 points, but also broke his foot will miss the rest of the NCAA tournament, as Iowa State pulled away from No. 14 North Carolina Central in the second half for a 93-75 win Friday night in the East Region. The Big 12 tournament champions found themselves in an early struggle with a program making its first NCAA tournament appearance in just its third year as a full-time Division I program. But the Cyclones quickness and balance eventually took over. Iowa State (27-7) had five players score in double figures. Niangs two 3-pointers early in the second half keyed Iowa States run that put the game away. After the game the Cyclones announced on Twitter: "Georges Niang has a foot fracture and will miss the remainder of the season." Jeremy Ingram scored 28 for North Carolina Central (28-6), which came in on a 20-game win streak and won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Matched up against a tournament newcomer, Iowa State players said they wouldnt look past the Eagles. As this years tournament has shown, hubris breeds upsets and the Cyclones werent taking any chances, especially after a first half in which the Eagles took an early lead and stayed within five at halftime. The Cyclones were wary of a team that dominated its league, even a lightly-regarded like the MEAC. The Eagles also had notched an upset win over North Carolina State and nearly took down Wichita State, the nations only undefeated team and the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional. Earlier in the day, North Carolina Central saw their neighbours from Durham, perennial power Duke, get knocked off by Mercer in one of the tournaments biggest upsets so far and ddreamed of making some magic of their own in their tournament debut. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Jerseys. Iowa State tried to show some muscle at the start when the Cyclones opened the scoring with an alley-oop reverse dunk by Melvin Ejim. If it was a play meant to scare the Eagles, it didnt work. North Carolina Central opened the game with a flurry of 3-pointers and put bodies on the Cyclones on every rebound. Karamo Jawara scored 10 points in the first half and tied it 30-30 on a soft jumper. Iowa State appeared to get the game under control with an 8-0 run punctuated by Ejims fast break dunk. The Eagles rallied with a 9-2 run of their own before Iowa State took a 45-39 lead into halftime. North Carolina Central simply couldnt sustain it. Over 40 minutes, the Cyclones were just too fast, too strong and too balanced. There were just too many Cyclones doing too many things. Ejim, the Big 12 player of the year, scored 17 points. DeAndre Kane, the MVP of the Big 12 tournament, scored 14 with seven rebounds and five assists. Dustin Hogue and Monte Morris each scored 15. In one sequence, Hogue ripped a rebound out of the arms of an Eagles player, passed to Monte Morris, who whipped the ball to Ejim for a another dunk. And then there was Niang, whose 3-pointers pushed Iowa States lead to 11 early in the second half. Niang made four of Iowa States nine 3-pointers. North Carolina Central coach LeVelle Moton should have at least had a chance to enjoy some of his big week. But two days after the NCAA tournament bracket was announced, Bracketts 1-year-old son was hospitalized with burns after a coffee spill accident and his family didnt make the trip with him to San Antonio.wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
