UFC 152: Jones Defends Title; 'Mighty Mouse' Wins Belt

Tom Szczerbowski, US Presswire

 

 

 

TORONTO -- On the bright side, Vitor Belfort lasted far longer than anyone expected.

Still, it wasn't enough for the heavy underdog to unseat UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who rebounded from a turbulent few months outside the cage for a gutsy performance inside it.

Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) survived a first-round scare and then battered Belfort (21-10, 10-6) over the following rounds to pick up a fourth-round submission victory at UFC 152.

The pay-per-view event took place Saturday at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

UFC 152 GALLERY: All the action from Toronto

Jones, one of the sport's top pound-for-pound fighters, entered the cage for the first time since a May DWI arrest and a subsequent clash with UFC officials. Jones initially was slated to fight Dan Henderson on Sept. 1 at UFC 151 in Las Vegas. However, when Jones turned down a fight with injury replacement Chael Sonnen on nine days' notice, UFC officials canceled the event outright and publicly lambasted Jones while pinning the blame on him.

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Jeff Gordon's latest promise: Breakdance in victory lane

Jeff Gordon's mustache might be gone, but the lighthearted bravado that inspired the throwback look remains despite a disastrous start to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

 The four-time champion, who dutifully made good on a promise to sport a pencil-thin wisp of hair on his upper lip if he qualified for the Chase, made another oath he might regret Thursday.

Unveiling a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles paint scheme on his No. 24 Chevrolet for the Oct. 14 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gordon vowed to breakdance in victory lane with his 2-year-old son, Leo, if he wins the Bank of America 500.

"It might be light," laughed Gordon, who stunned many with his deft repertoire of 1980s electric boogaloo moves last December in an impromptu performance during the postseason awards ceremony in Las Vegas. 

"I've got to teach Leo to dance. A win is huge, as I've already shown, I'm a man of my word. I can pull off a couple of little moves that maybe won't hurt me too bad."

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Yunel Escobar suspended 3 games for slur on eyeblack

Yunel Escobar delivered his message. Major League Baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays responded with one of their own, a blunt, forceful directive that said: Homophobia will not be tolerated.

Escobar, the Blue Jays' starting shortstop, was suspended three games for wearing what the team called "an unacceptable message'' on his eyeblack during Saturday's game.

The players association was consulted on the matter and won't appeal the suspension.

A photo of Escobar's eyeblack, sporting a sentence with a Spanish-language slur against gays, was posted online Monday, sparking debate on social media and spurring MLB to investigate.

Escobar met with news reporters before Tuesday's game at Yankee Stadium and said through coach Luis Rivera that the slur on his face was "just a joke."

"I agree with the suspension. I don't have any problem with that. â?¦ I'm embarrassed," said Escobar, a native of Cuba who came to the USA as a teenager. "I'm sorry for my actions of the other day. â?¦ I don't have anything against homosexuals.

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Pirates Trade Nate McLouth to Braves

The 2009 trading season began in earnest Tuesday evening.

The Pittsburgh Pirates sent Nate McLouth to Atlanta in exchange for three prospects, according to a statement released by the Braves. Outfield prospect Gorkys Hernandez and pitching prospects Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke are headed to Pittsburgh in return for McLouth.

It's not surprising to see the Braves acquire some outfield help; none of their outfielders has an OPS above .700 and they're still well within striking distance in the NL East. McLouth was an All-Star in 2008 and despite an oblique injury, he was off to a good start in 2009, hitting .256/.349/.470 with nine home runs for the Pirates. In addition to his offense, he won a Gold Glove last year playing center field in spacious PNC Park.

By : Pat Lackey

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