Even before he received the call, Ali Bagautinov had a feeling he would be challenging Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight championship. [url=https://www.cheapraptors.com/]Toronto Raptors Shirts[/url] . Since debuting in the UFC last year, the Dagestan native has made waves in the 125-pound division

Even before he received the call, Ali Bagautinov had a feeling he would be challenging Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight championship. Toronto Raptors Shirts . Since debuting in the UFC last year, the Dagestan native has made waves in the 125-pound division. After finishing Marcos Vinicius with punches in front of a hostile Brazilian crowd in September, Bagautinov earned consecutive decision victories over Tim Elliott and John Lineker. Immediately following his win over Lineker at UFC 169 four months ago, Bagautinov checked the UFCs official rankings and discovered hed broken into the top five. Since each fighter ranked above him had suffered recent losses to Johnson, Bagautinov knew he was next in line. "I dont know, but for some reason I had this feeling I would be given a chance at a title shot," Bagautinov told UFC.ca through a translator. "I watch all the fights in my (weight class). So I try to keep abreast of everything thats going on." Bagautinov gets his opportunity to dethrone Johnson in the headliner of UFC 174 in Vancouver, B.C. June 14. The co-main event features a pivotal welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley. Also, former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski returns against Brendan Schaub. Not only would a win over Johnson be the culmination of all his hard work in both mixed martial arts and Combat Sambo, it would earn Bagautinov the distinction of being the first Russian titleholder in UFC history. The heavy-handed striker also recently became a father, welcoming his first-born son. It goes without saying that a victory would allow him to further support his family. Bagautinov admitted a lot is riding on his fight with Johnson. "First of all, its very important to me that I will go into the history books as the first UFC champion from Russia," Bagautinov said. "It is very important to me, and without a doubt, it will help me provide better for my family. "I think that you will see more and more fighters from Russia (in the UFC). We have a lot of very successful and very promising fighters. I believe that they might be champions and titleholders in different categories, in the future." Though Bagautinov is on the cusp of making a better life for himself and his loved ones, his road to a title shot has been bumpy. A recent report from MMABoxing.ru claimed the fighter failed a 2012 drug test and was retroactively suspended for two years by the International Sambo Federation. According to the article, Bagautinov was flagged for methylhexanemine, a dietary supplement and stimulant commonly found in nasal sprays that is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Bagautinov has since called the report bogus, stating that had he been suspended, he wouldnt have been allowed to compete in Sambo bouts in Russia. He also said the incident hasnt interfere with his training camp. "I never even thought about it," Bagautinov said bluntly. "It did not affect my training. I would say that I did experience some indignation as to why this nonsense suddenly came up. But it didnt damage me or hurt me in any way because I am focused on my training and my preparations." With the drug accusation behind him at least for now, Bagautinov has to get the job done against Johnson, who has proven to be a difficult puzzle to solve. Since capturing the inaugural flyweight championship in 2012, Mighty Mouse has been as impressive as any champion on the UFC roster. Johnsons toughness was on display in his first title defence in early 2013, as he rallied to win a unanimous decision over John Dodson. He then put on a dominant display against John Moraga last July before sealing the deal with a fifth-round armbar submission. In December, he became the first fighter to finish Joseph Benavidez by uncorking a vicious right hook for the stunning knockout win. Though Johnsons speed, footwork and timing have given other contenders fits, Bagautinov said hes figured out the flyweight champions style. "In my understanding, his style is to actually crock up his opponent and then to win during the fourth or fifth round," Bagautinov said. "I think hes trying to play it safe by not risking too much. Hes running around the cage and looking for the ninth corner. The cage has eight corners, so its as if hes looking for the ninth corner, then (he tries to deliver) the decisive strike, with a decisive result." Though Johnsons speed and slick striking are often considered among his best tools, Bagautinov feels his power and grappling will get the job done. "As Ive said before, God willing, if I get the title it will be the result of everything that I have been doing for all these years," Bagautinov said. "You can expect a beautiful and good quality fight." Stitched Raptors Jerseys .200. His solution to his hitting woes was business in the front and a party in the back."That would be a mullet," Norris says. Fake Raptors Jerseys .Y. - Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didnt flinch in the face of adversity. https://www.cheapraptors.com/ . Ireland was the last unbeaten side in the championship after France fell to Wales on Friday, and was favoured to end a three-match losing run to England with a side with more than twice as many caps, rampant momentum, and added incentive to celebrate Brian ODriscolls world record-tying 139th test cap.(SportsNetwork.com) - Will the real Ben Roethlisberger please stand up? Or, at least throw a half-dozen or so touchdown passes so well know its you? The Pittsburgh QB threw for a preposterous 12 TDs over a two-game home stretch - against Indianapolis and Baltimore - in Weeks 8 and 9, then took to the road for games against suspect opponents (the New York Jets and Tennessee) against whom it appeared that double-digits were a likelihood. Instead, the Steelers hit the offensive skids against the Jets and Titans, splitting the two games in the standings while Roethlisberger was sacked seven times, threw three interceptions and had just two plays that generated 25 or more yards. Pittsburgh was off last week for its bye and returns home for a Week 13 game with New Orleans, trailing first-place Cincinnati by a half-game in the AFC North. All we have to focus on is the stadium that were in because were in the thick of that, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. If we do what we need to do on a week-in and week-out basis in terms of our business in our stadium, then its not going to be required that we look around. We play some significant people moving forward. New Orleans being the most significant because thats who we play this week. In five games at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger has a 130.5 passer rating, 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions, and hes generated 19 plays of 25 yards or more - best in the NFL. That equals the total that Sundays passing opponent, Drew Brees, has managed in all 11 games this season. We appreciate it. We dont take it for granted, Tomlin said. Its been really good. But its not unlike him. He is capable of heating up and going for these stretches and being a significant reason why we are successful, not only offensively but as a football team. Inconveniently for the Saints, their defense is suddenly dinged-up. Nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley tore a quad muscle in last weeks home loss to Baltimore, a game in which the Ravens rushed for 215 yards. The last three New Orleans opponents have averaged 5.45 yards per carry, which could mean good things for Pittsburghs LeVeon Bell, wholl presumably get the bulk of the ball-carrying after LeGarrette Blount was released following the Tennessee game. Bell ran for 204 yards against the Titans. Additionally, quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco have completed better than 70 percent of their passes and averaged more than 10 yards per attempt against New Orleans in the last two weeks, while throwing for four touchdowns and 453 yards. The Saints have three safeties on injured reserve and will be facing a Roethlisberger receiving corps that includes Antonio Brown, who leads the NFL with 88 catches, and Lance Moore, who played with New Orleans from 2006 to 2013. Every game that we come out, it is something new, Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis said. Sometimes we have problems with the pass. Sometiimes we have problems with the run. Raptors Jerseys 2019. Sometimes we have a problem with both. We have to fix everything. When it comes to offense, New Orleans is third in the league on the road with an average of 418 yards per game, though its been hurt by 11 road turnovers and has won just once in five tries. Brees and the Saints will face a Steelers defense buffeted by the possible returns of cornerback Ike Taylor, safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker Ryan Shazier. Taylor has been out since Week 3 with a broken forearm, Polamalu missed two games with a sprained knee and Shazier last played in Week 9 before suffering an ankle injury. New Orleans has the opposite record as Pittsburghs at 4-7, but shares first place in a dreadful NFC South with Atlanta. The NFC South is the first division to have all three of its teams three or more games below .500, while the Steelers and the rest of the AFC North make up the only division in which all teams are three or more games above .500. The South is 1-10-1 in 11 games against the North this season, with the lone victory coming from 2-9 Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh in Week 4. The Saints lost three straight at home to fall to 4-7. Obviously, our margin for error is not good enough to win close games, New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. We have to be able to play better and coach better. Most importantly, we have to make sure we have thick enough skin and be able to have the mental and physical toughness to bounce back and play (at Pittsburgh), because we are playing, obviously, an important game. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Tighten Up The Steelers have allowed TDs from tight ends in four consecutive games, and those scores came from the less-than-All-Pro likes of Dwayne Allen, Crockett Gilmore, Jace Amaro and Chase Coffman. They step up the opposition dramatically against the Saints Jimmy Graham, whos got 65 receptions for 670 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games. To only say Advantage New Orleans seems insufficient. Painting Heinz Field Brown The aforementioned Brown has certainly established himself among the top pass- catching threats in the NFL over the last two seasons, and keeping him in check this week will be a huge way that the Saints can keep Sunday from turning into a video game shootout. Lewis, himself a former Steeler, will attempt to disrupt his athletic counterpart with a decided aim at physicality along the line of scrimmage. OVERALL ANALYSIS If youre of the betting persuasion, the over seems like a formality here. Brees and Roethlisberger combine for a matchup of premier NFL quarterbacks and offensive names like Brown, Graham and Bell certainly indicate that stops will be at a premium. The team that emerges with the fewest mistakes is likely to have the best time of it, and the Saints road performance thus far indicates it wont be them. Sports Network predicted outcome: Steelers 30, Saints 21 ' ' '