Jones reclaimed his UFC light heavyweight title by stopping Daniel Cormier in the third round with a vicious head kick and a finish on the ground at UFC 214, completing his rocky journey back to the top after 2 1/2 years of drama with his 14th consecutive victory.
He fended off a stiff challenge from Cormier (19-2), who held the belt for most of the past two years while Jones (23-1) dealt with self-inflicted setbacks outside the cage. His title belt has been stripped twice, and he endured a yearlong suspension for a doping test failure before returning to beat Cormier for the second time.
After 2 1/2 rounds of even, high-level striking, Jones landed a left head kick that caught Cormier leaning in. The champion staggered backward and then around the cage with Jones in pursuit, and Jones finished the fight on the ground with a series of merciless strikes.
Jones’ next opponent for the 205-pound belt could be Swiss sensation Volkan Oezdemir, who kicked off the pay-per-view show with a sensational 22-second knockout of Britain’s Jimi Manuwa.
Earlier, Cris “Cyborg” Justino became a UFC champion for the first time at Honda Center, stopping Tonya Evinger in the third round to win the vacant featherweight belt. Tyron Woodley also defended his welterweight title with a clear decision over Demian Maia, thoroughly frustrating the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master in a fight that drew loud boos from the Honda Center crowd.
Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler squeaked out a unanimous decision victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in another compelling matchup on the UFC’s most stacked card of the summer.
After Oezdemir got the Anaheim fans on their feet with a vicious first-round stoppage for his fifth consecutive victory, Lawler (28-11) and Cerrone kept them up with an entertaining three-round striking exhibition between two of the toughest veterans in the sport. Cerrone (32-9) shrugged after the judges favored Lawler in two of the three rounds.
Jones’ victory thrilled a crowd that was deflated after Woodley defended his welterweight belt with a strong technical performance against the 39-year-old Maia, a vaunted jiu-jitsu specialist from Brazil. Maia couldn’t get the fight to the ground thanks to the wrestling acumen of Woodley, who patiently stuffed takedowns and grinded out a victory that bored UFC President Dana White.
Afterward, White said Georges St. Pierre will fight middleweight champion Michael Bisping next instead of Woodley. White claimed that “nobody wants to watch Tyron Woodley fight.”
Jones also called out former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar for what would almost certainly be the highest-profile fight in MMA history.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Saturday, July 22, 2017
fans showed up to see Tomey's teams / Rise of the Rainbow Warriors
It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since a UCLA assistant started
his decade-long tenure at Manoa that changed UH football forever.
The confluence of Tomey’s hiring, a new stadium and football conference membership for the first time — all within the space of a couple of years — spurred unprecedented statewide popularity for the program. Attendance gradually climbed, as did the Rainbows’ talent level, quality of play and overall relevance.
After Tomey’s first year, the ’Bows posted five winning seasons in a row, peaking with the 1981 team that won its first seven games and finished 9-2.
Sometimes fans complained about what they saw as a bland offense in those years. But they showed up anyway, often filling the stadium to see UH’s trademark hard-hitting defense.
The biggest Aloha Stadium crowd in 1976 was for the last game with Larry Price as coach, when 33,737 saw a 68-3 loss to Nebraska.
Every home game drew more than 40,000 in 1987, when UH went 7-5 in Tomey’s last season.
*** [8/8/17]
“Rise of the Rainbow Warriors,” a new book from Watermark Publishing, will be released in early October. Authored by former University of Hawaii head football coach Dick Tomey, the book chronicles and celebrates the Tomey era of Rainbow Warrior football, which lasted from 1977 through 1986.
2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the hiring of Coach Tomey at UH.
Although Tomey’s Hawaii teams never won a conference championship or went to a postseason bowl game, his ten seasons at UH represented a special time in UH football history. The Tomey era brought record home attendance numbers, national television exposure, and the program’s first-ever national ranking.
“Rise of the Rainbow Warriors” examines the challenges and opportunities that the program faced during Tomey’s UH coaching tenure. In riveting detail, Coach Tomey shares behind-the-scenes stories that capture the spirit of his Rainbow Warriors teams: the amazing triumphs, the bitter disappointments and the lessons that were learned. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the Tomey era, including recruiting, the big games and the storied rivalry with BYU.
In addition, the book includes contributions from many of Coach Tomey’s former players and assistant coaches, including Blane Gaison, Falaniko Noga, Jesse Sapolu, Gary Allen, David Toloumu, Dana McLemore, Rich Miano, Joe Onosai, Mark Kafentzis, Nu’u Fa’aola, Walter Murray, Jeff Duva and others. “Rise of the Rainbow Warriors” also features 40 full-color and b/w photos.
The book was co-authored by Lance Tominaga, Web Editor at ESPN 1420.
***
Bob Hogue, 10/4/17 Midweek page 75
The confluence of Tomey’s hiring, a new stadium and football conference membership for the first time — all within the space of a couple of years — spurred unprecedented statewide popularity for the program. Attendance gradually climbed, as did the Rainbows’ talent level, quality of play and overall relevance.
After Tomey’s first year, the ’Bows posted five winning seasons in a row, peaking with the 1981 team that won its first seven games and finished 9-2.
Sometimes fans complained about what they saw as a bland offense in those years. But they showed up anyway, often filling the stadium to see UH’s trademark hard-hitting defense.
The biggest Aloha Stadium crowd in 1976 was for the last game with Larry Price as coach, when 33,737 saw a 68-3 loss to Nebraska.
Every home game drew more than 40,000 in 1987, when UH went 7-5 in Tomey’s last season.
*** [8/8/17]
“Rise of the Rainbow Warriors,” a new book from Watermark Publishing, will be released in early October. Authored by former University of Hawaii head football coach Dick Tomey, the book chronicles and celebrates the Tomey era of Rainbow Warrior football, which lasted from 1977 through 1986.
2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the hiring of Coach Tomey at UH.
Although Tomey’s Hawaii teams never won a conference championship or went to a postseason bowl game, his ten seasons at UH represented a special time in UH football history. The Tomey era brought record home attendance numbers, national television exposure, and the program’s first-ever national ranking.
“Rise of the Rainbow Warriors” examines the challenges and opportunities that the program faced during Tomey’s UH coaching tenure. In riveting detail, Coach Tomey shares behind-the-scenes stories that capture the spirit of his Rainbow Warriors teams: the amazing triumphs, the bitter disappointments and the lessons that were learned. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the Tomey era, including recruiting, the big games and the storied rivalry with BYU.
In addition, the book includes contributions from many of Coach Tomey’s former players and assistant coaches, including Blane Gaison, Falaniko Noga, Jesse Sapolu, Gary Allen, David Toloumu, Dana McLemore, Rich Miano, Joe Onosai, Mark Kafentzis, Nu’u Fa’aola, Walter Murray, Jeff Duva and others. “Rise of the Rainbow Warriors” also features 40 full-color and b/w photos.
The book was co-authored by Lance Tominaga, Web Editor at ESPN 1420.
***
Bob Hogue, 10/4/17 Midweek page 75
Thursday, July 20, 2017
OJ paroled
LOVELOCK, Nev. (AP) — O.J. Simpson was granted parole Thursday after
more than eight years in prison for a Las Vegas hotel heist,
successfully making his case in a nationally televised hearing that
reflected America's enduring fascination with the former football star.
Simpson,
70, could be a free man as early as Oct. 1. By then, he will have
served the minimum of his nine-to-33-year armed-robbery sentence for a
bungled attempt to snatch sports memorabilia and other mementos he
claimed had been stolen from him.
All four parole commissioners who conducted the hearing voted for his release after about a half-hour of deliberations. They cited his lack of a prior conviction, the low risk he might commit another crime, his community support and his release plans, which include moving to Florida.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Simpson said quietly as he buried his head on his chest with relief. As he rose from his seat to return to his prison cell, he exhaled deeply.
Then, as he was led down a hall, the former athlete raised his hands over his head in a victory gesture and said, "Oh, God, oh!"
Simpson's sister, Shirley Baker, wept and hugged Simpson's 48-year-old daughter Arnelle, who held a hand over her mouth.
During the more than hour-long hearing, Simpson forcefully insisted — as he has all along — that he was only trying to retrieve items that belonged to him and never meant to hurt anyone. He said he never pointed a gun at anyone nor made any threats during the crime.
"I'm sorry it happened, I'm sorry, Nevada," he told the board. "I thought I was glad to get my stuff back, but it just wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth it, and I'm sorry."
All four parole commissioners who conducted the hearing voted for his release after about a half-hour of deliberations. They cited his lack of a prior conviction, the low risk he might commit another crime, his community support and his release plans, which include moving to Florida.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Simpson said quietly as he buried his head on his chest with relief. As he rose from his seat to return to his prison cell, he exhaled deeply.
Then, as he was led down a hall, the former athlete raised his hands over his head in a victory gesture and said, "Oh, God, oh!"
Simpson's sister, Shirley Baker, wept and hugged Simpson's 48-year-old daughter Arnelle, who held a hand over her mouth.
During the more than hour-long hearing, Simpson forcefully insisted — as he has all along — that he was only trying to retrieve items that belonged to him and never meant to hurt anyone. He said he never pointed a gun at anyone nor made any threats during the crime.
"I'm sorry it happened, I'm sorry, Nevada," he told the board. "I thought I was glad to get my stuff back, but it just wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth it, and I'm sorry."
Saturday, July 01, 2017
Pacquiuao robbed in Australia
Jeff Horn is the new WBO welterweight champion.
The good news is that it was a very entertaining fight on the big stage, which is all too rare for boxing of late.
The bad news is that it was another controversial decision, which is all to common in boxing.
The outcome is that boxing has a new name and draw in Jeff Horn. The Australian Rocky is a world champion and he won’t be teaching school again anytime soon.
round-by-round / ESPN / punch stats
***
Jeff Horn absorbed tremendous punishment throughout the fight. He took so much in the ninth round that the referee nearly stopped the fight in his corner. He was a bloody mess.
But Horn pulled a massive -- and controversial -- upset, as he was awarded a unanimous decision against Manny Pacquiao to win a welterweight world title before an adoring hometown crowd of some 55,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Australia).
Shockingly, all three judges scored the fight for Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs). Judge Waleska Roldan had it 117-111, and judges Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan both had it 115-113.
ESPN.com scored it 117-111 for Pacquiao. ESPN ringside analyst Teddy Atlas also had it for Pacquiao, 116-111.
Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) has been here before, losing a decision and a welterweight title to Timothy Bradley Jr. by split decision in 2012 in one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. Like he was after that loss, which he avenged twice, Pacquiao was gracious.
"That's the decision of the judges," he said. "I respect that."
*** [7/10/17]
WBO review shows Pacquiao lost 5 rounds to 7. So much for CompuBox.
The good news is that it was a very entertaining fight on the big stage, which is all too rare for boxing of late.
The bad news is that it was another controversial decision, which is all to common in boxing.
The outcome is that boxing has a new name and draw in Jeff Horn. The Australian Rocky is a world champion and he won’t be teaching school again anytime soon.
round-by-round / ESPN / punch stats
***
Jeff Horn absorbed tremendous punishment throughout the fight. He took so much in the ninth round that the referee nearly stopped the fight in his corner. He was a bloody mess.
But Horn pulled a massive -- and controversial -- upset, as he was awarded a unanimous decision against Manny Pacquiao to win a welterweight world title before an adoring hometown crowd of some 55,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Australia).
Shockingly, all three judges scored the fight for Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs). Judge Waleska Roldan had it 117-111, and judges Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan both had it 115-113.
ESPN.com scored it 117-111 for Pacquiao. ESPN ringside analyst Teddy Atlas also had it for Pacquiao, 116-111.
Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) has been here before, losing a decision and a welterweight title to Timothy Bradley Jr. by split decision in 2012 in one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. Like he was after that loss, which he avenged twice, Pacquiao was gracious.
"That's the decision of the judges," he said. "I respect that."
*** [7/10/17]
WBO review shows Pacquiao lost 5 rounds to 7. So much for CompuBox.
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