Johny Hendricks bruised, bloodied and battered Georges St. Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory. With a second chance to claim the now-vacant belt when he faces Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 in Dallas on Saturday night, Hendricks refuses to let any frustration over that loss hinder him from finally climbing atop the 170-pound division. "As soon as the judges announced what they said, I had to put that in the back of my mind," Hendricks said. "Also, as soon as I got the fight with Robbie, everything else just disappeared. I have another great opportunity, and I dont want to waste it." Although Hendricks (15-2) wont get the chance to claim the title directly from St. Pierre, he hasnt showed much disappointment behind his bearded, bespectacled, aw-shucks Oklahoma persona. He didnt have time to stew: St. Pierre, the champion since late 2007, vacated his championship and stepped away from mixed martial arts right after that fight, leaving the UFC to match two top contenders for the right to be his successor. The choices were Hendricks and Lawler (22-9), a hard-hitting veteran who crashed out of the UFC before fighting his way back into title contention. Theyll meet at the American Airlines Center on a card also featuring Carlos Condit against Tyron Woodley in a bout that will likely determine the new champions next opponent. St. Pierres departure deprives the UFC of one of its biggest stars and pay-per-view draws, but the Quebecois champion left behind a division stacked with intriguing challengers. While Hendricks has been the class of the group, he also knows he could lose that spot by Sunday morning. "These other three guys, we all can make our own destiny," Hendricks said. "It doesnt matter if GSP is going to be here or not. Were all exciting. I think thats what makes the fans excited now, is that they dont know whats going to happen. They dont know if were going to knock each other out." Hendricks was an NCAA champion wrestler at Oklahoma State before picking up MMA, moving swiftly from smaller promotions to the UFC. He won 15 of his first 16 fights, including several against top-flight competition: Condit, Martin Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch and T.J. Grant. But he couldnt do enough to wrest the title away from St. Pierre, who took much more cosmetic damage in their bout. Hendricks would love a rematch with St. Pierre if the longtime champ ever returns, but he thinks the rugged Lawler is a tougher matchup. "Georges, he was going to throw a jab, a high kick, a low kick, and try to take you down," Hendricks said confidently. "Thats his game plan. Robbie, if you make a mistake, weve seen it time and time again that he can knock you out, so you really have to make sure that you stay focused. Thats a lot more dangerous fight. There are guys who can knock people out. Youre one punch away from losing, but those are also the more fun fights for me." Hendricks badly bruised his hands in the fight against St. Pierre, leaving him throwing punches at only a fraction of their usual velocity. He plans to get better hand wraps from his boxing coach for this bout. Hell need healthy hands against Lawler, a touted prospect who got dropped from the UFC back in October 2004 after three losses in four fights. After a series of wins in smaller-time promotions, he lost five of his eight bouts in Strikeforce before getting a chance in the UFC, where he has strung together three straight wins over Koscheck, Bobby Voelker and top prospect Rory MacDonald to earn this shot. "Ive gone through a lot of ups and downs," Lawler said. "Im just willing to get back up and grind every day to try to get better. Everything is clicking at the right time." . -- When the Los Angeles Kings are on top of their formidable defensive game, they revel in the silence they can create in a frustrated road arena. .Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New York Islanders.
https://www.cheapsunsonline.com/699z-qu ... s.html.com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. . Sixteen teams have moved on. Sixteen teams have gone home. . Louis Cardinals. He was 48. The commissioners office said Bell died in his home state of Ohio. Bell had not been feeling well over the weekend and had been scheduled to see doctors later Monday at the Cleveland Clinic.The Toronto Maple Leafs return to the Air Canada Centre tonight to face the Philadelphia Flyers as preseason action continues around the NHL. Fans in the Leafs viewing region can watch the game on TSN4 beginning at 7:30pm et. The game can also be heard on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto. In Montreal, the Canadiens kick off their pre-season schedule at the Bell Centre when they host the Boston Bruins. You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 690 and TSN.ca/Montreal at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Vancouver Canucks will also begin their exhibition schedule when they host the San Jose Sharks. The game can be heard live on TSN Radio 1040 and at TSNradiovancouver.ca at 6pm pt. The Maple Leafs beat the Flyers 3-2 in a shootout on Monday in London, Ontario. Toronto rested some of its star players for the game but Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, and Dion Phaneuf are all expected to debut tonight. Jonathan Bernier will start in goal. The Flyers were a split squad in London, with the other half of the team beating the Washington Capitals 5-4 back in Philadelphia. Sharks-Canucks Game Notes from Jeff Paterson, TSN 1040 Radio: The Vancouver Canucks open the 2014 preseason tonight with split squad games against the San Jose Sharks. The group playing at Rogers Arena includees newcomer Radim Vrbata on right wing with the Sedins and Derek Dorsett will make his home debut while prospects Linden Vey, Hunter Shinkaruk, Bo Horvat and Dane Fox will also suit up in front of the home fans.dddddddddddd Jordan Subban will skate in his first NHL exhibition game paired on defence with Dan Hamhuis. Other veterans in the Canucks home line-up tonight include Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler. Eddie Lack and Joe Cannata are expected to split the duties in goal. Doug Lidster and Glen Gulutzan will run the bench for the home game with Willie Desjardins accompanying the group to central California. The traveling team includes Nick Bonino at centre between Alex Burrows and Zack Kassian with Chris Tanev and Yannick Weber anchoring the defence. Prospects in the Stockton line-up include Brendan Gaunce and Nick Jensen. Jacob Markstrom and Joakim Eriksson make up the Canucks goaltending tandem on the road tonight. The Sharks are sending veterans Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Tommy Wingels, Mike Brown, Adam Burish, Brent Burns, Scott Hannan and Jason Demers to Vancouver. Alex Stalock and JP Anderson will be their netminders here tonight. ' ' '
