Sunday, July 10, 2016

Daniel Cormier And Cain Velasquez Toned Down Their Hardcore Training Methods Leading Up To UFC 200


Cain Velasquez defeated Travis Browne by TKO in the 1st round UFC 200 (Screenshot Report)

Getty Image

American Kickboxing Academy is notorious for producing champions and having those champions pull out of fights due to injury. Cain Velasquez is equally considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and one of the most likely to not make it to the Octagon on fight day. He reinforced this unfortunate legend after pulling out of various fights, including a Februaryheavyweight title fight rematch with Fabricio Werdum. While Daniel Cormier has only recently pulled out of a fight, his light heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones in April, AKAs Josh Thomson and others carry that injury stigma with them as much as the teams winning pedigree.

Velasquez is now right around the corner from 34 years old, and Cormier turned 37 in March. The hard sparring sessions and intense weightlifting gauntlets take a toll on a fighters body, even if it leads to great success in the cage.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Cormier and Velasquez admitted that it was time to adjust their methods.

A lot of people dont see behind the scenes what we do to get ready for fights, Velasquez said. They just see fight day, and we go out there and fight. But theres a lot of hard work that needs to happen beforehand, and weve been criticized for sparring too hard. But hey, thats the best way to get ready for a fight, we think, and its proven.

Of course, sparring for some teams is the bread and butter of training, while other champs, like Robbie Lawler, rarely spar. Some dont want to take the damage in training, and now this tweet from DC before Rockhold was knocked out by Michael Bisping is catching flak.

Took 7 years but I am officially a beast. Today I dropped @LukeRockhold :) feeling like a 2 division champ lol jk :)

Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) May 9, 2016

So perhaps the training isnt all that light, but it is different.

Right after Cain got hurt, he talked to me and he goes, We dont want to say old, but us experienced guys, maybe we should reevaluate our training a little bit, Cormier told MMAjunkie. It made me take a hard look at myself, as it did Cain. We both had to take a hard look at ourselves, as we had to prepare for these new fights. It was a blessing in disguise.

The newfangled AKA will get a good look at UFC 200 when Cain Velasquez takes on Travis Browne and Daniel Cormier finally rematches Jon Jones for the undisputed light heavyweight belt. Itll be interesting to see the results.

(Via MMA Junkie)

Source: http://uproxx.com/sports/ufc-200-cain-velasquez-daniel-cormier-injury-training-change/

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UFC 200 Predictions: Early Look At Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne Fight


Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne - UFC 200 Highlights

If there was ever a perfect stage for Cain Velasquez to reignite his mixed martial arts career, it would be UFCs highlybilled bicentennial extravaganza.Thirteen months and 12 events removed from losing his heavyweight crown, former champion Velasquez re-enters the octagon against seventh-ranked and powerful Travis Browne at UFC 200 Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with hopes of earning another title shot in the near future.

In many respects, the 33-year-old Velasquez (13-2) is an obviousfavorite over former 6-foot-7 Gladiator and VFC champion Browne (18-3-1, 14 KOs), however, another loss could spell disaster for Velasquez.

Odds makers at online sports book Bovada.lv have tabbed Velasquez as a -305 favorite and Browne as a +235 underdog, and rightly so.Before succumbing to now former champion Fabricio Werdums third-round guillotine chokeat UFC 188 in June 2015, Velasquez was riding the best and most challenging string of bouts in his career, all while proving resilient in the face of adversity.

Photo: Reuters

Over a three-year span, the California native cast aside a murders row of UFC heavyweights, many in the first round. Velasquez pummeled Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for a shot at the title and then took down Brock Lesnar for the crown in 2010.

He then lost the title in his first defense against Junior dos Santos one year and a month later, but would regain his form with a TKO over the legendary Antonio Silva and followed up with a championship decision over Dos Santos at UFC 155. Velasquez would meet both fighters again over his next two fights (both victories), before falling prey to Werdum.

Still, Velasquez finds himself in a similar spot as 2010 and 2011, with a chance to redeem and prove to himself, UFC, and president Dana White that he belongs atopthe topsy-turvy division.

On the other hand, Browne represents an entirely different animal and may be unlike any opponent Velasquez has faced before.

Blessed with incredible size and knockout power, Browne too is gunning for the top of the heavyweight division and his first realistic title shot in more than two years. Fourteen of the 33-year-olds victories have come by way of knockout, and he does own impressive wins over Brendan Schaub and current No. 3 ranked Alistair Overeem and No. 8 Josh Barnett.

Prediction: Rust and psychology are major factors for Velasquez to shake off. His power cant be questioned, but timing, speed, and mental toughness will have to be rediscovered in the first round in order for a successful bout. A case can be made for Browne to pull off the upset, however, hes prone to make mistakes early with all three of his losses coming by way of first-round knockouts. Look for a slugfest but for Velasquez to prevail with a knockout by the second round.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/ufc-200-predictions-early-look-cain-velasquez-vs-travis-browne-fight-2389450

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WWE News: John Cena Cutting Back House Show Appearances, No Longer Wrestling Full-Time


John Cena brings a brave WWE Universe member into the ring after Raw: July 4, 2016

Since his return to WWE back in May, John Cena has been in a rivalry fifteen years in the making with AJ Styles. WWEs Money in the Bank PPV was history in the making as Cena & Styles wrestled for the first time in a WWE ring. Although Styles came away with the victory due to interference by The Club, the feud is going to continue on WWE television through Summerslam.

Its a testament to the career John Cena has had in WWE that he can continue to work with anyone at his age to have one of the most talked about and anticipated matches on any WWE card. However, there are some obvious questions about his body holding up after almost fifteen years of wrestling. The biggest question is how much longer Cenas WWE career will last?

John Cena has made it crystal clear that despite all of his success outside of WWE, the company will remain his top priority until he can no longer wrestle at the level hes accustomed to, and the WWE Universe expects from him. Since hes still a human being, Cena is still wrestling for WWE at that level, but hes just not going to be able to wrestle as often as he once did for the company.

[Image via WWE.com]According to some new information from CageSideSeats.com, John Cena is cutting back on working WWE live events and house shows to lighten his schedule. Its being said that he wont be touring with WWE full-time like he used to, but his television time should remain at the same level as in recent years. h**l miss a Raw here and there, but h**l be present almost every week.

There are a few different angles to look at this news. The first is Cena and WWE officials are limiting his schedule to prolong his wrestling career as long as possible. Another thing is that if Cena is no longer making appearances during the majority of WWE live events, then the appearances he does make are more special.

Its easy to forget that John Cena returned to WWE four months earlier than the expected timetable for his recovery from shoulder surgery. Its a testament to the work ethic of Cena, but its understandable that WWE wouldnt want to overwork him for his first few months back in the ring.

At Battleground, WWE booked Cena to tag with Enzo and Big Cass against The Club. The match will have even odds, will give Enzo and Cass a boost to work with top WWE superstars, and allows WWE to push the end of Cena vs. Styles at Summerslam. But, another pro for the six man tag match is it is less of a strain on Cena as he continues to get used to being back in the ring.

[Image via WWE.com]The fact is that John Cena has earned his part-time status, but hes also going to be needed after the WWE Draft and brand split. The rumors are claiming that itll be John Cena and AJ Styles as the top superstars on SmackDown, so their feud could even continue after Summerslam and reestablish the second WWE World Championship for the SmackDown brand.

One of the last great challenges left for John Cena in WWE is to break Ric Flairs World Championship record of sixteen title reigns. As of this writing, Cena is at fifteen title reigns. Its unclear if WWE is going to book Cena to unseat The Nature Boy as the greatest champion this industry has ever seen, but all signs are pointing to John Cena breaking Flairs record. If thats the future of John Cenas WWE career, hes going to need to stay healthy and seize the chance to join wrestling immortality.

[Image via WWE.com]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/3287749/wwe-news-john-cena-cutting-back-house-show-appearances-no-longer-wrestling-full-time/

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Mark Ruffalo: Morgan Freeman is a blessing to me


NOW YOU SEE ME 2 Trailer # 3 (2016)

The magic and mystique of 2013s Now You See Me is back. Woody Harrelson and Mark Ruffalo return in their roles as part of a band of magicians bent on stealing from the rich to help the poor. While the first film focussed on a lot of big Vegas-style magic, Now You See Me2 will feature a wider variety of tricks.

The sequel follows the Four Horsemen when their scheme to expose corporate bad guys goes awry with a new nemesis showing up tech prodigy Walter Mabry, played by Daniel Radcliffe. Jesse Eisenberg returns as illusionist J Daniel Atlas, Dave Franco as street magician Jack Wilder and Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley, Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes, while Lizzy Caplans Lula joins as the newest member of the group. Ruffalo talks about his experience, character and more. Excerpts from a transcript:

Q. Tell us how different the sequel is from the first part?

The movies have the same joie de vivre we have with each other in real life. This is a little bit grander than the first one. The payoff is a final, big magic trick that is mindblowing and really satisfying.

Q. What was your favourite part in the movie?

The best sequence in the movie is the card one where they are passing around the card trying to keep it away from the guards thats a really good secret. That was beautiful cinematic work!

Q. Can you tell us about your character and how it fits into the movie this time?

We know what hes up to this time, but it isnt going smoothly. Theyre trying to expose a tech upstart who has figured out how to put a backdoor on all kinds of encryption in order to steal information. The whole game is to expose this guy, but it quickly starts to go sideways. At the same time, Atlas is questioning my leadership and my credibility at the FBI is in question. I am in a bit of a crisis and for my character the journey is really to find himself, whatever that means.

Q. Tell us about your experience while shooting for Now You See Me 2.

It was a complete discovery and I dont think any of us were planning to do a second one; there was no talk of it. I jokingly, at one point when we were on the final part of the first movie, said maybe we could have a spinoff. But there was so much competition at the box office post our sequel, I dont think any of us thought it would do as well as it did. After it did so well, it was then we started talking about the second one. But it wasnt till I got the script that we talked about what the story was going to be. And then we had to work on that script a lot, Solomon, Jon Chu, Bobby Colin and the cast all of us together. In fact, we were all working on it even while we were shooting.

Q. Was it fun working with the cast again?

The group gets along really well and we had our first movie to really build the bond and I think we all really cared about it, we really wanted to make it work so there was a spirit of us all being part of it and collaborating. So theres a lot of improvisation with the horsemen, I mean theyre delicious, youll just love them in this movie!

Q. How was it to work with Morgan Freeman again?

Morgan and I had a lot of stuff to do together in the first film, and thus I go to spend a lot of time with him. He was really like a blessing to me. Hes one of those great actors I really look up to. He is in the true sense very kind and supportive. Honestly, I was really nervous about working with him but he eased things down for me.

Q. How is Dylans relationship with Thaddeus this time around?

This time youll see how the comfort zone between Dylan and Thaddeus increases, which gives Thaddeus all the power in the relationship and he uses that to exact his revenge on Dylan in the form of a humiliating comeuppance.

Q. Have your kids watched any of your movies? How do they react?

I remember the first time my son Keen saw me on TV, I was away and he was there with the nanny. He saw me and ran to the television set and started banging on the side of it, like, How is he? Papa! Papa! Come out, come out! It was really sweet and so literal for him. He literally thought I was in the TV! Most of the movies Ive done my kids cant watch yet, technically, but, yeah, the ones that they can, they have seen all of them.

Q. Despite your dedication to conservation, you still manage your acting career just fine. How do you juggle between the two?

Acting has sort of become my day job now, sadly. Its what I do to support all this other stuff. Like Why are we living in a modern society where we dont trust the water thats coming out of our tap? We shouldnt be in that position.

Q. How was it to work with Jon Chu?

What he does beautifully is choreography. The way he moves the camera is really specific, and really imaginative too! He reveals the story like a magic trick, peeling back layer after layer. Hes brought the franchise a really high-tech feeling to take it one step further.

Q. Could you spill out details on your upcoming movie Thor: Ragnarok?

Itll be an intergalactic buddy road movie with Banner and Thor. I think it will be smashing. Youll see a lot more Hulk and the Hulk gets Hulkier and bigger. (Smiles.)

Source: http://www.thestatesman.com/news/marquee/mark-ruffalo-morgan-freeman-is-a-blessing-to-me/147673.html

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$540M Mega Millions ticket sold in Indiana


Mega Millions Jackpot reaches $540 million

A lucky winner in Indiana hit the $540 million Mega Millions jackpotfor Friday evening"s drawing.

Maryland Lottery officials said it was the third-highest Mega Millions jackpot since the game started.

"Anybody who plays Mega Millions or plays any kind of lottery ticket, get out there and get that ticket," Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Erica Palmisano said.

The $380 million cash option would net the winner $257.1 million after taxes.

The winning numbers drawn Friday night were 8, 19, 20, 55, 73 and the mega ball was 5.

There was one second-tier $1 million winning ticket sold at Greenway Liquors on Greenbelt Road in Prince George"s County, Maryland Lottery officials said.

Here"s a reminder, just in case you think someone from Maryland has no chance of winning.

"Someone in Maryland won in 2012. They won one third of a $656 million jackpot," Palmisano said. "Someone tonight could very well when the jackpot."

You can watch Mega Millions drawings Tuesdays and Fridays on WBAL-TV 11 News at 11 p.m.

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 44 states and jurisdictions.

Source: http://www.wbaltv.com/entertainment/mega-millions-jackpot-grows-to-540-million/40401148

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UFC 200: Start time, TV schedule and what to read for Lesnar vs. Hunt


UFC 200 Preview Show

UFC 200 takes place Saturday ight inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It features women"s Bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, who will attempt to defend her 135-pound belt for the first time ever against No. 4-ranked contender Amanda Nunes in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event of the evening. That bout replaces the rematch between Light Heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, and interim title holder, Jon Jones, which was scrapped just days ago because "Bones" was flagged for a potential doping violation. Cormier still remains on the PPV main card, but will instead compete in a three-round non-title match against former Middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.

UFC 200"s PPV main card, which will start promptly at 10 p.m. ET, will feature three other fine matches. In the co-main event, WWE superstar Brock Lesnar will return from a five-year layoff from UFC competition to see if he can still hang with the most dangerous men in the world when he locks horns with K-1 kickboxing Grand Prix champion, and mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran, Mark Hunt. UFC 200 will also feature an interim Featherweight title fight between former champions Jose Also and Frankie Edgar (Lightweight), as well as a pivotal Heavyweight clash between Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne.

To check out the complete UFC 200: "Lesnar vs. Hunt" fight card and line up, clickhere.

As is always the case, UFC will also deliver a complete "Prelims" undercard that features seven bouts, four of which will air on FOX Sports 1, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The remaining three will stream on its subscription-only online digital network, "Fight Pass," starting at 6:30 p.m.

Below are the numerous ways in which you can watch UFC 200: "Lesnar vs. Hunt" later tonight (all times ET):

More UFC 200 coverage from SB Nation

Online:

Fight Pass (Early "Prelims), starting at 6:30 p.m. (Exclusions: Brazil, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Somalia.)FOX Sports 1 ("Prelims" on FOX Sports 1), starting at 8 p.m, streaming on Fight Pass. (Exclusions: United States, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, Italy, San Marino, Brazil, Latin America, Barbados, Jamaica, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Somalia.)UFC.TV (PPV main card), starting at 10 p.m.YouTube (PPV main card), starting at 10 p.m. (United States, Canada, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Argentina and Mexico only.)

Cable/Satellite:

FOX Sports 1 ("Prelims"), starting at 8 p.m. (Channel Finder)DirecTV and Dish (PPV main card), starting at 10 p.m.On your television (PPV main card), starting at 10 p.m. (contact your local cable provider)

Tablet/Mobile:

Android MarketApp Store

Local Area:

Bar / Restaurant (Check your area here)

You can also watch UFC 200 through your television or set-top box, including Apple TV and Roku, as well as through a video game console such as PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

More UFC 200 coverage from SB Nation

SB Nation combat sites will also cover the entire event in our live UFC 200: "Lesnar vs. Hunt" threadshere,here andhere. Updates will begin with the first fight at 6:30 p.m., and run right through the main event that will likely start sometime around midnight.

In the meantime, get up to speed on all things UFC 200, including previews, predictions, interviews, breakdowns, videos, analysis and so much more. Be sure to check out the most comprehensive collection of stories available anywhere for "Lesnar vs. Hunt" righthere.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/2016/7/9/12133954/ufc-200-brock-lesnar-mark-hunt-tv-schedule-start-time

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Mort en direct du torero Victor Barrio aprs un coup de corne de Lorenzo, une bte de plus de 500 kilos: une premire ...


"Brutal Cornada" Mata a Torero Victor Barrio en Corrida de Toros en Teruel, España

Linfirmerie des arnes a constat 20h25 (18h25 GMT) la mort du torero, qui avait reu un coup de corne du ct droit du thorax, a indiqu cette entreprise, Tauroemocion.

Selon les mdias espagnols, il sagit de la premire mort dun torero en trente ans en Espagne.

(EPA)

Les images tlvises de la corrida montrent comment Lorenzo, un taureau de plus de 500 kilos, assne le coup de corne fatal, qui semble senfoncer sous laisselle, secouant plusieurs fois avec violence le torero en habit de lumire rouge et dor.

Puis la bte est loigne par les compagnons de Victor Barrio pendant que celui-ci gt terre, les yeux grand ouverts, mais sans doute inconscient.

(EPA)

Le chef du gouvernement sortant espagnol Mariano Rajoy a adress ses condolances aprs sa mort. Mes condolances la famille et les collgues de Victor Barrio, mort Teruel. Repose en paix, a-t-il tweet.

Originaire de Grajera, village de la province de Sgovie (centre), ce torero lanc et talentueux selon les spcialistes avait dbut en 2008 et frquent les arnes de toute lEspagne, y compris Las Ventas de Madrid, selon la biographie figurant sur son site officiel.

Daprs les mdias espagnols, le dernier dcs dun torero dans des arnes en Espagne remonte 1985, quand un jeune prodige de 21 ans Jos Cubero El Yiyo est mort, embroch au coeur.

(EPA)

Lanne dernire, un autre clbre torero espagnol, Francisco Rivera Paquirri a t gravement bless aprs un coup de corne laine. Son pre avait t tu dans des circonstances semblables en Andalousie en 1984.

Les festivits qui devaient avoir lieu lissue de cette dernire journe de corridas ont t annules.

Selon les dernires donnes officielles disponibles, 1.868 spectacles taurins ont t organiss en Espagne en 2014. Ils ont attir six millions de spectateurs, selon lAssociation nationale des organisateurs de spectacles taurins (Anoet), qui affirme que les toros rapportent annuellement 3,5 milliards deuros.

Mais la tauromachie divise. La Catalogne (nord-est) a ainsi interdit les corridas en 2012, et certaines villes ont suspendu la feria.

Le parti de dfense des animaux en Espagne Pacma, qui milite en particulier pour linterdiction des spectacles taurins, a notamment obtenu un score lectoral remarqu aux dernires lgislatives, dans un pays o les opposants la corrida se font de plus en plus entendre.

La corrida tait diffuse en direct la tlvision. Sur Youtube circule le moment o Victor Barrio a t mortellement encorn. ATTENTION, la scne peut heurter.

Source: http://www.sudinfo.be/1619271/article/2016-07-10/mort-en-direct-du-torero-victor-barrio-apres-un-coup-de-corne-de-lorenzo-une-bet

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