Anderson Silva: "It Could All End On Saturday Night" (Includes Workout)

UFC 126 Silva vs Belfort (front kick knockout by silva)

Ref tells Kobe Bryant to 'make the shot'

Even Kobe Bryant's(notes) most ardent admirers often chafe at the way he forces long two-point shots. With the man's ability to wriggle his way toward freedom closer to the hoop, and especially with his Jordan-esque gifts in the post, why does Kobe always want to seem to chuck those long two-point shots? And complain endlessly when they don't go in?

Apparently NBA referee Eli Roe is an "ardent admirer" of Kobe, because he was not happy with the Laker guard's chirping following another long miss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday
That's right, "make the shot." Kobe made eight of them, in the win, but on 22 attempts (36.3 percent from the floor). Luckily, Kobe's seven assists, sound defense, and double-doubles from both Andrew Bynum(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes) aided the Lakers in the team's win over the Thunder

Jazz deal All-Star Williams to Nets

The Utah Jazz have agreed to deal All-Star point guard Deron Williams(notes) to the New Jersey Nets in a trade that will send Derrick Favors(notes), Devin Harris(notes) and two first-round draft picks to Utah, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

As reported Tuesday, the Nets are also close to receiving forward Brandan Wright(notes) and center Dan Gadzuric(notes) from the Golden State Warriors in a separate trade that sends the Warriors forward Troy Murphy(notes). New Jersey will also send $3 million to the Jazz.

The two picks the Jazz receive are the Nets’ 2011 first-round selection and a 2012 first-rounder the Nets had acquired from the Warriors, which is protected through the first seven picks.

After chasing Carmelo Anthony(notes) for six months – including three near-agreements with Denver – the Nets’ deal for Williams came together in 24 hours, sources said. The Jazz were involved with the Nets in October as part of a potential four-team trade that would have sent Anthony to New Jersey, but Williams had not been included in that deal.

A two-time All-Star point guard, Williams had been unhappy with the Jazz’s lack of progress this season and the organization believed that he would leave as a free agent in 2012. His deteriorating relationship with Jerry Sloan played a part in the Hall of Fame coach’s decision to retire earlier in the month.

Williams had seen several teammates leave through free agency or trades, and the Jazz struggled to gain traction this season while several players, including Williams, coped with injuries. Carlos Boozer(notes), Kyle Korver(notes) and Wesley Matthews(notes) all signed with other teams last summer.

Williams, 26, had no indication he would be traded to New Jersey, and hasn’t had time to even digest the deal – never mind consider an extension with the Nets.

Still, New Jersey will try to persuade Williams to sign an extension, but it remains to be seen how quickly, if at all, he’ll embrace the idea of a long-term deal with the Nets. The earliest he can sign an extension is this summer, provided the league hasn’t entered a lockout.

Nevertheless, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been determined to upstage the New York Knicks with something beyond clever quips and giant billboards. Finally, on the day of Anthony’s introductory news conference and possible debut at Madison Square Garden against Milwaukee, Prokhorov made his most dramatic statement as owner with the Williams trade.

Harris, meanwhile, had embraced the Nets’ efforts to try to trade him. After Harris pushed for the Nets to hire his former coach, Avery Johnson, the two had a difficult time working together, and Harris’ production declined across the season. The Nets discussed deals with multiple teams, including Portland and Dallas, sources said

Why Bob Sanders can still provide value

A couple of notes on the Colts’ release of safety Bob Sanders on Friday …


• Sanders has played only nine games over the past three seasons. That eventually will get you cut. But, playing in the box as a strong safety (especially in the eight-man fronts of the Tampa 2 playbook) is hell on your body. Take on pulling guards, kick out blocks from the fullback and spend a lot of time absorbing hits. That adds up—just as it did for safety Mike Brown(notes) in Chicago in the exact same defensive scheme. That is the No. 1 concern with Sanders moving forward

• His current value? I think we are going to see some strong interest in Sanders once we get a new CBA signed and start talking free agency. The question is where do you play him? The talk will center on Cover 2 teams (Chicago, Minnesota) taking a look at Sanders. But even in those systems, he looks best suited as a free safety. Yes, you can roll him down to the weak side and play some Under 10 (weak side Cover 1), but he can have an impact in the middle of the field. We always talk about range with free safeties and Sanders can get outside the numbers and over the top of the deep vertical route schemes. Plug in another safety to play in the box and let Sanders line up at FS in your Cover 2 and Cover 1 schemes.

• The entire league should take a look. Sanders has the talent to play in a pressure scheme. Defenses that will walk the safety down over a slot in man situations, bring edge pressure and play some Cover 0 (man-to-man with no safety help). Don’t view him strictly as a Cover 2 safety. Those players don’t exist anymore. You have to be able to play man (and blitz-man) coverage to get on the field as a safety in the NFL today.

• The contract will be key (as will the physicals) and Sanders will find himself playing for far less money than he was due in Indy for the 2011 season. But, if he is healthy, there is no reason not to check him out. This isn’t 2007, when Sanders won the NFL Defensive Player of Year award, but if you have a need at the position, take a look into what he can provide. There is intrigue here.

• He is a football player. When Sanders is on the field, he can be discussed with some of the top safeties in the game. Teams need to do their homework on Sanders and see if he can provide an upgrade to their roster. The safety class coming out in this year’s draft is average—something to think about.

Terrell Owens: ‘We really didn’t have the coaching’

Veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens'(notes) blunt opinions didn't spare the Cincinnati Bengals' coaching staff or owner Mike Brown(notes).


“I think if you look at the talent we had in that locker room this year and we mustered four wins, that should let you know something is not right,” Owens said during an NFL Network appearance. “Throughout the year, I saw some things that really wasn’t right. I’ve made a comment about if you’re trying to win some championships, it starts from the top down. (Warren Sapp) mentioned Mike Brown.


"I think even before I got there, they said the owner was a little different. Obviously, I saw that. You start with the head coach, and then you start with the staff on both sides of the ball. Offensively, we really didn’t have the coaching that we really needed to muster what we had on the offensive side of the ball.”


Owens also weighed in on quarterback Carson Palmer's(notes) recent trade demands, which have been denied by the Bengals.


“What a lot of people really don’t think and really don’t understand about this situation with Carson asking to be out of there (is) he’s saying something without really saying something,” Owens said. “That’s what a lot of people should read (into). There is a line that needs to be read in there. He knows that there’s some things within that organization that just aren’t right.


"Obviously Chad (Ochocinco) tried to get out of there a few years back, and obviously that didn’t work well for him. Obviously if you have your franchise quarterback who is supposed to be that guy for your team (and) trying to get out of there, that’s kind of telling the organization something, and that’s telling a lot of people out there something as well.”

Demolition derby

Ten different leaders and a huge multi-car pileup have highlighted early action in NASCAR's premier race at Daytona

Blake Griffin wows with dangerous dunk

Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin(notes) has overshadowed all others on the highlight reels of this NBA season with his powerful dunks and general dominance of opponents at the rim. When he was announced as a participant in this year's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, he became the instant favorite.

Not surprisingly, Griffin came away victorious on Saturday night, defeating Wizards' center JaVale McGee(notes) in the finals by way of an online vote from the fans. Above, watch the dunk that clinched it, a flying slam over the hood of a Kia Optima with a pass from teammate Baron Davis(notes) through the sunroof.

Truth be told, this wasn't even the best dunk of the finals by Griffin, let alone the best of the night overall. But when "coach" Kenny Smith brought out the Crenshaw Select Choir to sing R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly," it became a memorable moment, one that will be tied to Griffin for the rest of his career. Griffin appears to be on his way to a great deal of his accolades in his career -- including this season's Rookie of the Year trophy -- and this dunk contest will always be remembered as the first.

Heat again fail to stand up to Celtics

BOSTON – Mike Miller(notes) busted through the doors of the visiting locker room and turned right to walk to the Miami Heat bus when his old coach cropped up in the corridor. Together, they raised hands into the air and waved goodbye late Sunday afternoon. Miller stopped, smiled and bellowed a warning to Doc Rivers.

“Don’t leave me open like that next time,” Miller barked.

Rivers laughed, promised it wouldn’t happen again, and no one could’ve believed the Boston Celtics coach. It will happen again. And again. And again. When the game’s in the balance for the Miami Heat, the ball’s in the air, and LeBron James(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes) are mere spectators to its flight, the Celtics will live with the consequences

The Celtics are still waiting for James and Wade to rise up and unleash the fury on them that’s overpowered the rest of the league. They’re still waiting for James and Wade and Chris Bosh(notes) – the three stars flexing and preening on that smoky July party platform in Miami – to trundle down off the stage and wrest away the Eastern Conference championship.

Forget all this back-peddling Miami talk about Boston as a big brother, about themselves as some kind of neophytes trying to overcome the Celtics like Michael Jordan did the Detroit Pistons. Forget it all. The Heat need to be accountable for their expectations, for their mandate: Win now and win it all.


All alone, Miller had forever to set and prepare himself for a 3-pointer that bounced away in the final seconds of the Celtics’ 85-82 victory. Out of the congestion, James made the proper pass to Miller, but it wouldn’t negate his failure to make one of his two free throws with the Heat trailing 83-81 with 12.5 seconds left.

“Some of those go in, and some don’t,” James said. “I’ve been in the same position a few times this year and made both.” This isn’t the rest of the NBA. This is Boston, and no one is going to look to Mike Miller when the Heat lose to the Celtics. The blame goes to LeBron, because that’s where all the fawning and praise go, too.


When he fails in the final minutes against the Celtics again, the King has to come much stronger in his self-condemnation. He doesn’t get a start-over against the Celtics with the Heat, the way he wants one afforded him. All his Cleveland demons come rollicking down to Miami with him, and there’s nothing about the Celtics’ size, strength or depth that stopped him from delivering those two free throws.

Wade was sluggish for the third time against the Celtics, and so much of that has to do with the way Ray Allen(notes) makes him chase and chase and chase on defense. It wears Wade out, drains his legs and leaves his shot wayward.

“I have the same feeling right now as I had when I was in my third and fourth year and we played Detroit,” James said. “Regular season and playoffs, we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Said Wade: “Everyone has been through it. M.J. went through it with the Pistons back in the day. …This is classic, typical bigger brothers.”

What a complete cop-out. Here’s the difference: Jordan never hopped around on a smoky summer stage, flexed, preened and proclaimed the Bulls prepared to win multiple NBA championships.

James is a two-time MVP and Wade is an NBA Finals champion and MVP. Bosh is a perennial All-Star. These aren’t kids on the rise, but a franchise thrown together with a mandate to win titles immediately. They’re backing away now because they thought it would be a lot easier and have discovered differently.

Three meetings with the Celtics, three losses so far. The Heat had come so far from the two games in the first two weeks of the season, and now they had the Celtics where they wanted them: Depleted with injuries, wounded with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and still the Celtics refused to let the Heat get fast and furious in transition. They made the Heat grind, made them feel the blunt force of Kendrick Perkins(notes) and Big Baby Davis on the frontline. Kevin Garnett(notes) still made the big shots, big stops, and these Heat are still full of excuses on why they haven’t beat Boston.

What’s worse for the Heat, they couldn’t beat Boston with the Celtics missing several top bench players, without an injured Paul Pierce(notes) making a basket. Eventually, Shaquille O’Neal(notes), Delonte West(notes), Jermaine O’Neal(notes) and Marquis Daniels(notes) will be back on the floor. To hear Miami coach Eric Spoelstra say he was impressed how they almost won despite the Heat playing so poorly was surprising. The Celtics will never look so vulnerable to the Heat, and yet they still found a way to beat them again.

Funny, but the Heat didn’t start talking about the process of overtaking Boston until they couldn’t overtake Boston. They believed it would be easy and discovered the truth to be something else. Rajon Rondo(notes) remains a nightmare for the Heat. He disrupts them in every way, with the ball, with his hands, with his cunning, devious basketball psyche. When the Celtics were so listless on the way to the locker room at halftime, Rondo made some suggestions about speeding things up and Rivers told him: “You can’t worry about the other guys now. We have to follow your energy.”

Out of the locker room, Rondo tried something so unconventional, so startling that it resonated in a resounding way with his teammates. Whoever takes the ball up the floor, I’m going after them, Rondo told his coach. It turned out to be James, and Rondo shadowed him step for step, end to end on his way to an 11-point, 10-assist and 10-rebound triple-double.


The Celtics blew out the Heat in the third quarter – outscoring them by 17 – and Rondo’s teammates were mesmerized watching a 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard bodying up and disrupting James.



“I’ve never seen anybody make LeBron turn his back to the basket,” Perkins said. “He really didn’t want to put [the ball] on the ground around him. When he picked him up, the energy just picked up.”

So much so, Rivers resisted pulling Rondo away from James when it began to work against the Celtics. “We can’t do this!” Lawrence Frank, the Celtics’ defensive coordinator, blurted to his boss on the bench.

“You’re right,” Rivers said, “but we’re going to keep doing it.”

As Rivers would say later, “The matchup made no sense, hurt us a couple of times. …[But] the thing that I saw is that it gave us life.”

Rondo dropped a triple-double on the Heat, and they’re still confounded on how to slow him. Once again, Boston exposed Miami’s two profound deficiencies: point guard and the power game. Most of all, the Heat will have to prove themselves willing to stand up to the Celtics’ bullying. From Garnett to Perkins to Davis – and beyond – these Celtics have a penchant for physicality bordering on the unruly.


After Zydrunas Illgauskas flattened Rondo on a screen, Garnett leveled Miller even harder. This inspired Wade to respond with a flagrant foul on K.G., and the Celtics would win that skirmish with two free throws and the ball. The Celtics and Heat were destined for sheer loathing this season and they’ve rapidly hurtled toward hatred. With the resentment these Heat have created for themselves, and with the dour disposition of these crotchety, old Celtics, it was only a matter of time.

So, yes, Doc Rivers had to laugh outside the Celtics’ locker room Sunday afternoon. Now, he gets to go to Los Angeles and coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars, where the Celtics and Heat will combine for seven roster spots. He’s thinking about Garnett and Rondo, Pierce and Allen in this element, and he knows this won’t be a most pleasant weekend under his watch.

“Our guys are old-school in that they don’t like spending time with other people besides our team,” Rivers told Yahoo! Sports. “I find that in All-Star games, guys let their guard down a little, but K.G. and Rondo&hellip” He laughed for a moment, and carefully chose his words. “Well, the other two [Allen and Pierce] can be a little more social.


“It’s awkward. You almost don’t want them to get together with [the Heat] too much out there. But players have a way of hugging and hating.”

The pleasantries and phoniness are long gone out of this burgeoning blood war, and there’s just this unmistakable mandate for the Heat on the way into the All-Star break, on the way toward an inevitable Eastern Conference playoff showdown: Sooner or later, they’ll need to stop flexing and fronting, come down off that stage and beat the Celtics on the basketball court

Michael Vick to appear on Winfrey’s talk show

CHICAGO (AP)—The NFL star whose name became synonymous with dogfighting is scheduled to be a guest on the “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

The daytime talk show host’s interview with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick(notes) is set to air Thursday, Feb. 24.

Officials with Chicago-based Harpo Productions say the interview will cover Vick’s time in prison, his work with the Humane Society and his return to the NFL.

Vick served 18 months in prison over a dogfighting operation based on his property in Surry County, Va. In 2007, several dogs were seized from his property.

He was reinstated to the NFL for the 2009 season and has been doing public-service work, including with the Humane Society

Heated moment during NFL labor meeting

Things get personal when a team's owner mocks two star quarterbacks in attendance, sources say.
Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson mocked quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees during a Feb. 5 negotiating session with the NFL Players Association, says three league sources, a sign of disrespect that the union hopes solidifies its members in the pending labor battle with the NFL.

“[Richardson] was extremely condescending to them, especially toward Peyton,” a source said. “[Richardson] was the only person on either side who was contentious. Everybody else was respectful. They might have said, ‘I disagree with your point,’ but at least they were respectful. [Richardson] was not.”

Apparently, Richardson was particularly sarcastic when Manning started to talk about players’ safety. At one point, Richardson evidently said, “What do you know about player safety?”

Richardson was unavailable for comment. A league source denied that there was any contentious discussion between the team owner and anyone from the union’s side.

“Mr. Richardson is a former player and made clear his respect and affection for the players during the meeting,” the source said.

While negotiations between the NFL and the NFLPA have historically been marked by contentious moments, Richardson’s outburst may be especially telling for the players.

“If he’s willing to talk to [Manning] and [Brees] that way, what do you think it says about what he and the other owners think about the rest of the players?” the source said, rhetorically. “Now, it really only matters if [Richardson] is representing the opinion of 23 or even eight other owners, but it has to make you wonder.”

Richardson, who is the only former NFL player to own a team, has been considered one of the staunchest proponents of hard-line tactics in the current negotiations. Last March, Richardson addressed the rest of the NFL owners at the league’s annual spring meeting with a fiery speech. Richardson said the owners had to “take back our league” during the negotiations with players.

“We signed a [expletive] deal last time and we’re going to stick together and take back our league and [expletive] do something about it,” Richardson said, as reported by Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.


That has been interpreted as a clear indication that Richardson and some other owners want to break the NFLPA and get players to give greater concessions. The owners are currently holding firm on a request to have an additional $1 billion in expenses be removed from the pool of shared revenue.


Currently, the NFL grosses approximately $9 billion annually. Of that, $1 billion is given to the owners off the top for expenses. After that, the remaining $8 billion is split with 60 percent ($4.8 billion) going to the players and 40 percent (another $3.2 billion for a total of $4.2 billion) going to owners.

Under the owners’ proposal, the first $2 billion would go to them. The owners have tried to sell that idea by saying the money would go toward reinvestment in the game to help grow the overall amount of money that is shared.


The players are currently unwilling to accept the owners’ proposal and are facing the likelihood of having the owners lock out the players after the March 3 deadline. In response, the union would likely decertify, leaving it vulnerable.


In that regard, Richardson’s comments to Manning could backfire on the owners. In 1987, for instance, the NFL was able to split the union in large part by creating what was known as the Quarterback Club, a marketing arm that led several top quarterbacks to stop supporting the union. In the case of Manning, who is not a player representative or member of the NFLPA’s executive board, his opinion carries great weight throughout the NFL. Last August, Manning said he would be completely supportive of the union’s cause at the proper time, but has largely stayed in the background.

Having him fully behind the union could be important to maintaining unity

Driver sentenced to nine years in prison for crash that killed TapouT co-founder

An Orange County, Calif. man involved in a 2009 car crash that killed TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis today was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Jeffrey David Kirby, 53, was in December found guilty of one felony count of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated. He faced sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury.


According to a report from "OC Weekly," Superior Court Judge Richard F. Toohey heard victim-impact statements from Lewis' siblings, as well as TapouT co-founder Dan "Punkass" Caldwell and Lewis' girlfriend, Lacy Lynn White, before handing down the sentence

White was riding with Lewis in his 2004 Ferrari at the time of the accident and suffered serious injuries when she was ejected from the car. Lewis died instantly.


Kirby faced a maximum of 13 years in prison. It was his second drunk-driving conviction.


Kirby was speeding his 1977 Porsche alongside Lewis' in the early-morning hours of March 11, 2009, when he lost control of his car and hit Lewis. Lewis' car crashed into a cement light pole and was torn in half. Kirby fled shortly thereafter.


A Newport Beach Police officer witnessed the crash and called officers to the scene, where Lewis was pronounced dead.


Another Newport Beach Police officer apprehended Kirby and a female companion, Lynn Marie Nabozny, after they were caught fleeing the Porsche in a nearby parking lot. The officer said Kirby appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.


Kirby had a blood-alcohol level of .13 percent two hours after the crash, according to a release issued by the Orange Country District Attorney's office following his conviction. Nabozny was arrested for public intoxication and later released.


News of Lewis' prompted an immediate outpouring of shock and grief from the MMA community.


Lewis founded TapouT Clothing Inc. in 1997 with a trunk full of T-shirts and a few thousand dollars of start-up money. Over the past decade, he and his partners turned the company into the biggest apparel success story in MMA.


Tapout, which grossed just $30,000 in sales in 1999, pushed that number to more than $100 million in 2008 alone. Authentic Brands Group purchased the company in September for an undisclosed sum.


A longtime comic-book fan, Lewis and his colleagues, "Punkass" and "Skyscrape," went the make-up-and-costume route soon after launching the company from a San Bernardino apartment. The costumes, grassroots-marketing efforts and an often-praised work ethic made the crew celebrities in their own right.


"I knew him for 20 years," TapouT co-founder Dan "Punkass" Caldwell said in an interview on the one-year anniversary of Lewis' death. "He was my best friend in the world. I feel like I learned so much in that period of time with him. I just want to use that experience and use that knowledge to go out there and affect people like he would have wanted.

Silva vs Belfort - The Staredown

Foot Soldier,Silva flattens Belfort in UFC 126 main event

LAS VEGAS – The Battle of Brazil was no contest.

Anderson Silva retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight championship with a dramatic first-round knockout over Vitor Belfort in front of a sold-out crowd in the main event of UFC 126 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The rivals from Brazil exchanged a lot of nasty talk prior to the fight and there was clearly a lot of bad blood. But there wasn’t a punch thrown for about 90 seconds

But as they were facing each other, Silva fired a straight front kick with his left leg. The heel of Silva’s left foot landed squarely on the chin, knocking Belfort down, and, for all intents and purposes, out. Silva landed a punch or two on the ground before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped it at 3:25.

“That’s one of the strikes I was working on, but I was focusing on various kicks and attacks,” Silva said.

Silva will fight UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre next if St. Pierre successfully defends his belt against Jake Shields on April 29 in Toronto at UFC 129. With the win, Silva, the longest-reigning champion in UFC history, won a record 13th consecutive UFC fight and extended his record for successful title defenses to eight. Forrest Griffin (18-6) hadn’t fought since a disputed victory over Tito Ortiz on Nov. 21, 2009, but he managed to overcome the ring rust to pull out a unanimous decision victory over Rich Franklin in a light heavyweight fight.

Griffin caught a Franklin (28-6) kick in the first, took Franklin down and managed to spend most of the rest of the round pounding the smaller Franklin from the top position.

Griffin started the second the same way, but Franklin battled to his feet and managed to land some good strikes. The third round was a back-and-forth battle with each man having his moments, but there was no major swing of momentum either way.

Jon Jones pulled off an amazing guillotine choke to finish Ryan Bader at 4:20 of the second round in a battle of the UFC’s top prospects, but that was only part of the story.

Jones’ teammate, Rashad Evans, sprained a knee ligament in training on Friday and is out for six-eight weeks, UFC president Dana White said. As a result, Jones’ win puts him in the main event of UFC 128 on March 19 in Newark, N.J., in a battle for the UFC light heavyweight belt.

Jones (12-1) was extraordinarily impressive throughout, dominating the first round with a variety of moves, then finishing Bader (12-1) when he tried to pull guard. Jones quickly slapped on the guillotine and forced Bader to tap.

When Jones was being interviewed in the cage by UFC analyst Joe Rogan, Rogan told him he had the title shot if he wanted it. Jones dropped to his knees and put his hands on his head in exultation.

“I feel great,” Jones said. “God is so good. Hats off to Endicott, N.Y. I’m going for the title, baby! Let’s do it.”

Jake Ellenberger (23-5) and Carlos Rocha battled hard with little to separate them for three rounds and, predictably, the judges were split. But Ellenberger’s takedowns and aggressiveness apparently was the difference over the last two rounds in helping him pull out a split decision.

Rocha’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu was the difference in the first round, but Ellenberger neutralized that in the final two and landed a few hard elbows from the top.

Judges Junichiro Kamijo and Abe Belardo had it 29-28 for Ellenberger, while Adalaide Byrd had it 30-27 for Rocha. Yahoo! Sports had it 29-28 for Rocha.

“He came out very strong in the first round and then I felt him drop off in the second and third,” Ellenberger said. “I need to work on my combinations more. Of course, I knew he was going to be good on the ground and I can always fall back on my wrestling, but I want to improve my hands and that’s something I’ll work on.”

Miguel Angel Torres (39-3) was one of the most dynamic offensive fighters in the World Extreme Cagefighting, but he took the conservative route to a one-sided victory over Antonio Banuelos (18-7) in a fight that had the sellout crowd booing lustily.

Torres’ plan was to stay on the outside and use his jab and Banuelos did nothing to close the distance and get inside of the jab. After a first round in which neither was aggressive and made much of an attack, Torres at least began popping his jab in the second.

He bloodied Banuelos in the nose and mouth while cautiously circling and backing away. While it was effective and he didn’t take one truly damaging blow, he didn’t make many new fans by failing to engage or try for a finish.

“I did what my coaches told me to do,” said Torres, who was trained by the highly regarded Firas Zahabi for the bout. “I stuck to my game plan. I wanted to use my range and land my shots. I have to be a smart fighter. I try to be as exciting as possible, but I spend too much time in my life on fighting to be reckless. I have a family and an academy to think of, as well.

“He’s real tough. I think I broke his nose. He’s a very tough fighter on the inside and that’s why I was trying to keep my range. I can’t wait to get back in there and do it again.”

Donald Cerrone made an impressive UFC debut, submitting Paul Kelly with a rear naked choke at 3:48 of the second round.

The first round was relatively close, though Cerrone (14-3) seemed to have an edge, both with kicks and his hands. In the second, Cerrone managed to gain a full mount. Kelly (11-4) gave up his back as he was trying to escape and Cerrone pounced, locking in the fight-ending choke.

“It’s great to get the win,” Cerrone said. “It’s my first win in the UFC and it goes to show you that these WEC guys belong here. It feels great to get the submission win. I train with the best submission team in the world and I’m happy I was able to pull one off.”

Chad Mendes (10-0) kept his perfect record alive with a dominant performance over Michihiro Omigawa (12-9-1) in a featherweight fight, winning 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.

Mendes softened Omigawa up with leg kicks in the first round, landing several punishing kicks that clearly bothered Omigawa. Mendes was then able to repeatedly take Omigawa down and landed a series of powerful elbows that opened a large cut on Omigawa’s eyes.

Omigawa, who entered the fight on a five-bout winning streak, never was able to get anything going as Mendes controlled the match from start to finish.

Despite the one-sided victory, Mendes was not particularly pleased with his effort.

“I’m a little bummed,” he said. “I’m happy I got the win, but I have a lot to work on. I’m getting better at all aspects of the game, but it’s back to the drawing board.

“He is a tough dude with a strong chin. I hit him with a knee and he just shook it off. He is very tough to finish.”

Demetrious Johnson spoiled the much-hyped UFC debut of Kid Yamamoto, outboxing and outwrestling the Japanese star to pull out a unanimous decision victory.

The judges had it 30-27 twice and 29-28. Yahoo! Sports also had it 30-27 for Johnson.

Yamamoto (18-4), a former Japanese wrestling champion, was never able to mount much of an offense, as Johnson (8-1) either beat him to the punch or was quicker with the takedown.

In a bout between men who desperately needed a victory, Paul Taylor (11-6-1) stopped Gabe Ruediger (17-7) with a kick to the face at 1:42 of the second round.

Taylor won the first round, but opened his offense up in the second. He landed several good right hands that wobbled Ruediger, who dropped his hands. Taylor responded with a left kick to the face that instantly ended the match.

“With all the fighters coming in from the WEC, I knew I needed a win,” Taylor said. “I had two losses in a row and I knew that just a good performance wasn’t going to keep me around. I needed a win.”

Kyle Kingsbury buried Ricardo Romero with an avalanche of knees and a punishing left hooking, winning by first-round stoppage at just 21 seconds. Immediately after the bell, the fighters locked up and Kingsbury (10-2) delivered a perfectly placed knee to the solar plexus. It clearly impacted Romero (11-2), who reacted audibly and staggered toward the cage. Kingsbury connected with several more knees and then a hook to finish the fight.

“I knew I hurt him with that first knee,” Kingsbury said. “I wanted to stay composed and not rush in prematurely and make any mistakes. It feels great to get the win. I felt great coming in and felt strong tonight.”

After an uneventful first round, Mike Pierce wasted little time ending his fight with Kenny Robertson (10-1) when the second round began. Pierce came out aggressively to start the second and landed a right hand that seemed to hurt Robertson.

Pierce followed with a crushing left that landed on the chin and decked Robertson. Pierce (12-3) fired several punches on the ground before Dean stopped it at 29 seconds of the second.

“Coming into this fight, I worked and worked and worked my combinations,” Pierce said. “I wanted to make sure my hands were crisp and it’s even more gratifying to get a performance like that.”