Infos » f theyll force him to coach from there agai

The UFC will anoint its top heavyweight title contender this weekend, and Fabricio Werdum believes he has waited long enough for his shot at the belt. Travis Browne is equally certain hes ready to cut in line. Browne faces Werdum in the five-round main event at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., to determine who gets the next chance to take on champion Cain Velasquez. "Its been a while since Ive fought, and Im very happy to have the chance to show Im worthy of this title," Werdum said through a translator. Werdum (17-5-1) has been the presumptive choice for a title shot for several months, but he elected not to wait around longer than a year while Velasquez recovered from surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Velasquez wont be ready to return until late fall after getting hurt in his second victory over Junior Dos Santos last October. Werdum already was far too inactive for his tastes last year while spending several months coaching on the Brazilian version of "The Ultimate Fighter," the UFCs reality-show franchise. He has fought just once in the last 22 months, submitting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the second round last June. "I didnt want to be waiting around for too long," Werdum said. "To wait for two years and never fight at all, that wouldnt be the best decision. I want to fight at least three times a year, so it was a little bit hard in the beginning, but I have to keep motivated, keep training, so I took the fight." In a news conference held at UFC fan Shaquille ONeals home gym Thursday, President Dana White confirmed that the winner of Saturdays main event will fight Velasquez in the UFCs long-expected debut in Mexico later this year, assuming injuries and the usual nuttiness of the heavyweight division dont change the plan. Werdum is taking a significant risk by stepping into the cage against the destructive Browne (16-1-1), who called him out in December after stopping Josh Barnett for his third straight victory. While Werdum has a lengthy history of success highlighted by his victory over Fedor Emelianenko in 2010, Browne is a rising force in the heavyweight division after winning six of his last seven bouts, including five by stoppage. "A chance to fight for the title is what were all in it for, but Im not going to sell myself short," Browne said. "This is part of my journey. I expect more of myself than to fight for a chance to fight for a title. My goal is to leave a legacy in this sport, so this is another fight on my road to my legacy." Browne is a native of Hawaii with vicious power and growing skill. His recent victories have featured spectacular highlights: A Superman punch to stop 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve, or the elbows that left Barnett limp on his feet last December. He doesnt have Werdums name recognition, but that would change with another big victory on a nationally televised show on Fox. "Its an honour to be bestowed with the responsibility of having the main event, of having your face up on the billboards and the posters," Browne said. "Im lucky to have a style thats very crowd-pleasing." The Orlando card also includes a bout between bantamweights Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche, while crowd-pleasing lightweight Donald Cerrone meets Brazils Edson Barboza. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Lakers Jersey . They have homered once every 27.3 at bats, which just happens to be the third best mark in the American League, albeit just 10 games into the season. Shaquille ONeal Lakers Jersey . Finlands Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Dallas over the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 Saturday night. He received plenty of help from the Stars defence and got goals from Ray Whitney and Russias Valeri Nichushkin. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/.C. -- Carter Ashton had a pair of goals and added an assist as the Toronto Marlies downed the Charlotte Checkers 5-2 on Saturday in the American Hockey League. LeBron James Lakers Jersey .C. -- Kurt Busch put his chances at "70 per cent" at running the Indianapolis 500 this year because of recent developments that have pushed a potential program along. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Lakers Jersey . As for regular Olympic spectators, theyre being warned that most travel insurance policies wont cover acts of terrorism or war. The Games in southern Russia, which run from Feb. 7-23, are being staged amid unprecedented security and under global warnings of danger.HOUSTON -- Texans coach Gary Kubiak is sticking with Case Keenum as his starter despite pulling the quarterback late in Houstons latest loss. Keenum will start on Sunday as the Texans try to snap a franchise-record eight-game skid at home against Jacksonville on Sunday. "Ive got total confidence in him," Kubiak said. But on Sunday against Oakland, he pulled Keenum for Matt Schaub late in the third quarter of a loss to the Raiders after the Texans were forced to punt on each of their first three possessions of the second half. Schaub struggled early this season and hadnt played since Oct. 13, after he was benched following an injury. Keenum, an undrafted free agent who spent last year on the practice squad, has thrown for 992 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception in four starts. Kubiak isnt worried that yanking Keenum from the game will affect his confidence. "No. Actually, I think I was really thinking of him to be honest with you," he said. "Ive been in this league a long time and dealt with a lot of quarterbacks. Im trying to develop one right now. Right or wrong, I made that decision because of the situation I thought I was fixing to put a young player in ... thats why I do what I did. He knows that. I talked to him about that." Keenum didnt seem worried about the move on Monday. "He told me the reasons it happened and its not a big deal," Keenum said. Kubiak said he decided to bring in the veteran Schaub because he thought he would be more equipped to handle the way he planned to call the game in the fourth quarter and he doesnt regret the decision. "Yeah, Id do it again because of why I did it," Kubiak said.dddddddddddd "Was it the right (decision)? Yeah, because I think at that time, thats what I wanted to do as a coach. I knew what I was fixing to do calling the game and I didnt want to put a young guy in a bad situation ... so I made that decision to go with Matt." Kubiak said he spoke with both quarterbacks on Monday and explained his decision-making to them. Schaub, the 32-year-old who has started for the Texans since 2007, was understandably unhappy with Keenum keeping the starting job. "Matt is the same every day," Kubiak said. "He wants to play. He wants to get back out there and play on a regular basis. Thats been no difference from that standpoint. It just would have been nice if we could have finished the deal yesterday." Sunday was Kubiaks first game back after missing a game recovering from a mini-stroke. He coached from the booth on advice from his doctors, and didnt like it at all. He said on Monday that he isnt sure if theyll force him to coach from there again this week. Along with dealing with his health issues, Kubiak is also fielding questions about his job security after the Texans were expected to contend for a Super Bowl, but instead have devolved into one of the AFCs most disappointing teams. "I could feel a lot better. I know that," he said. "Im just one of many people. Every player, every coach, it has been very difficult. Its tough on the organization, everybody, our fans. I feel a lot like everybody else, but Im the guy that has got to get in there and figure out a way for us to work through it and thats what Im trying to do." ' ' '