An die SV » on Friday that Brooks admitted Durant looked rusty and

(The Notorious) Conor McGregor is one win away from a title shot, a championship clash that will make UFC history if the brash Irish featherweight has his way.McGregor hopes to challenge 145-pound champion Jose Aldo, second only to light-heavyweight title-holder Jon (Bones) Jones in the UFCs pound-for-pound rankings. And he hopes to dethrone the Brazilian before a record crowd outdoors in Dublin at either Croke Park (his preference given its rich history) or Aviva Stadium.UFC president Dana White believes McGregor could sell out 90,000 tickets in Ireland. The UFC record is 55,724, set at UFC 129 in April 2011 at Torontos Rogers Centre.It will be the biggest fight that division has ever had. And it will be the biggest payday Aldos ever had, White said recently.But first, McGregor (16-2) must dispose of German veteran Dennis Siver (22-9 with one no contest) in the main event of a televised card at Bostons TD Garden on Saturday night.Ali needed Frazier, Bird needed Magic and the list goes on and on. And thats what McGregor is for Aldo, UFC boss Dana White said in a recent chat with reporters in Las Vegas.But everybody just assumes hes going to walk through Siver. Nobody thought he was going to beat (Dustin) Poirier but now hes just going to walk right through Siver. I dont ever count the chickens til they hatch man, believe me, because anything can happen in this sport so well see what happens.McGregor, whose four UFC wins have included three first-round stoppages, is ranked fifth among 145-pound contenders. Siver, who at 36 is 10 years older, is No. 10 on the featherweight pecking order.McGregor, who fights very well and talks even better, says its no longer personal as the fight nears.As the fight gets closer, I have no thoughts, he said in an interview. The face becomes blank. Simply a new body type that I must figure out a way to (beat).That wont take long Saturday, he believes. McGregor, who has won 12 straight, predicts a victory within two minutes.With Siver not speaking English and generally averse to trash talk, the pre-fight banter has been less than most McGregor fights.I dont engage with cheats, McGregor said in a shot at the German, who was suspended for nine months after failing a UFC 168 drug test in December 2013.Siver blamed a supplement for the failed test. McGregor isnt buying it, saying Siver tried to hide the doping.So Im sure hes probably on something right now, he said. I will go in there and I will be ruthless with him. I will really hurt him bad if the referee doesnt step in there.Siver said he made one mistake in the past, but was clean otherwise. And he insists he is clean in the present and will continue to be so.Its a measure of McGregors draw that this is his second UFC main event — the first was a July win over Brazilian Diego Brandao in his native Dublin.The fight before that, McGregor wasnt even on the main card for his Boston bout with Max Holloway, although he was one of the stars of the show.Nothing happens overnight. Sometimes youll find people that are so different than the norm, like a Conor McGregor, White said in a recent chat with reporters in Las Vegas. This kids had a couple of fights in the UFC, (and hes now) selling out the Boston Garden. What he did in Ireland. Even here in Vegas (against Poirier at UFC 178) was crazy.Those guys are one in a million.Reebok has jumped on the McGregor bandwagon, giving the featherweight a featured role in its UFC sponsorship deal along with the likes of Jones and fellow champions Ronda Rousey and Anthony Pettis, and former title-holder Johny Hendricks.McGregor reacted to the news with typical bluster.Congratulations to @Reebok on netting the biggest signature in the game. #StayReady, he tweeted.But science has backed up McGregors hype.Recent tests at the Center for Sport Performance at Cal State Fullerton demonstrated McGregors athleticism. The Irish fighter broke the lab record for balance, erasing the mark set by pro surfer Keanu Asing, and angular velocity, set by golfer Rory McIlroy. All we test in our lab is elite-level athletes. So what we found out today is not that Conor is elite. Hes elite compared to the elites, said Dr. Andy Galpin, a Cal State professor of kinesiology.Science, baby, said a contented McGregor.McGregor is fast and furious. He connects with 4.6 significant strikes per minute, a rate 60 per cent faster than the UFC average of 2.83, with three knockdowns in his four UFC fights. And hes never been put on his back in the Octagon.Aldo made his thoughts clear about McGregor last October after defeating No. 1 contender Chad Mendes for a second time at UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro with McGregor watching.I think the court is complete, Aldo said in the cage after, through an interpreter. Im the king, Chads the prince, and now we have a joker.Aldo (25-1) has won seven straight in the UFC, bringing his 145-pound title over from the WEC where he won eight in a row.He won his title in November 2009.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Phillies Jerseys China .com) - It may just be the right place and the right opponent for the Detroit Red Wings to snap their longest losing streak of the season. Fake Phillies Jerseys . His big 2-minute outburst in the fourth quarter Tuesday night is all that really mattered for the Dallas Mavericks. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/ . - The Mavericks built a 12-point lead with 2:50 to play, gave away all but two points of it, and still managed to hang on. Philadelphia Phillies Pro Shop .com) - The New York Islanders will try to solve their issues against Central Division opponents when they visit the Minnesota Wild for Tuesdays battle at Xcel Energy Center. Philadelphia Phillies Store . Belfort was originally schedule to fight Chris Weidman at UFC 173 on May 24, but a Nevada State Athletic Commission ban on testosterone replacement therapy forced the former light heavyweight champ to withdraw.Auburn Hill, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a halftime deficit to beat the lowly Detroit Pistons. Scott Brooks team might still be a little rusty with its two stars back in the lineup, but Durant had 28 points and the Thunder did enough to beat the Pistons 96-94 on Sunday. Durant, in his third game back from offseason foot surgery, made 10 of his 19 shots in his best shooting performance so far, and Russell Westbrook scored 22 with 11 rebounds and seven assists in his fourth game back after missing 14 with a broken hand. Serge Ibaka added 13 points and 13 rebounds in Oklahoma Citys fourth win in its last five. We did a good job of not only contesting shots but we contested their path, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of the effort. Defensively in that second half is what we need to do the entire game. The Thunder survived a late baseline miss from Westbrook when Josh Smith was off on a 3-pointer at the other end with 1.1 seconds remaining. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19 points to lead the Pistons, who have lost 12 in a row for the first time in five years. Detroit was coming off an overtime loss to one-win Philadelphia on Saturday after also losing in overtime to Boston on Wednesday. Why dont we just go from the answers from the last two nights and run them again, Pisstons coach Stan Van Gundy joked at the start of his postgame news conference.dddddddddddd It was after a 12-point win over the 76ers on Friday that Brooks admitted Durant looked rusty and said it would take longer than a few practices for the Thunder to jell with everyone back. They climbed out of a nine-point hole in the third quarter with a 13-4 run led by Durant and Westbrook. Later, the Thunder took a three-point lead on Durants jumper and had a 77-75 edge going into the fourth. Oklahoma City led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter but had to hold on down the stretch. After Kyle Singler cut Detroits lead to one, Durant buried a 3-pointer at the other end. Andre Drummonds dunk on Ibaka made it a two-point game with 31.5 second left, but that was the final bucket of the game for either team. Game Notes The Pistons have lost 12 in a row for the first time since a 13-game skid from Dec. 15, 2009-Jan. 12, 2010. Their last win was 96-89 in overtime at Oklahoma City on Nov. 14 to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Thunder, who were without Durant and Westbrook ... Drummond scored 16 points for Detroit, and Smith and Greg Monroe had 12 each ... The Thunder return home after a three- game road trip to host Milwaukee on Tuesday ... The Pistons host Portland on Tuesday. ' ' '