Liebe, Lust und Leben » came on a wrist shot from the right hash marks, bea

Before his loss to Nate Diaz on March 5, the legend of Conor McGregor had been built through boldness and an almost clairvoyant ability to call his own shots.Its one thing to establish lofty standards of pay-per-view buys and fight purses as a master marketer and all-time great trash-talker. Its another if the substance of what you are inside the cage isnt quite what the hype machine made it out to be.Entering his first bout with Diaz, the currency of McGregors words had never held greater value. The cultivation of his Mystic Mac persona knew almost no limits.Move up two weight classes to face a new opponent on 11 days notice? No problem. For even McGregors harshest of critics -- those who believed his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo had been a fluke or still questioned what an elite wrestler with a full training camp might do to him -- there was a voice of disbelief whispering at every turn: What if McGregor is right? What if he really is as good as he says he is?McGregor wasnt just playing with house money entering UFC 196; he was setting it on fire and laughing at the flames. And in the first round against Diaz, as he danced around the cage and bloodied his opponents right eye with pinpoint punches, McGregor was improbably backing up just the latest in a long line of outrageous claims.The clown prince of mixed martial arts was ready to become the sports new king, with a pay-per-view-shattering superfight against a returning Georges St-Pierre, who was cageside, likely next on the horizon.But McGregors legend ran out of gas. It was picked apart, scowled at and submitted by a fighter he had taken for granted, in the face of odds the UFCs 145-pound champion had refused to accept were against him.The two fighters will meet for a second time on Saturday, headlining UFC 202 in Las Vegas. For Diaz, who used the dramatic win (and circus atmosphere surrounding the rematch) to negotiate the kind of purse he has long deserved, the fight offers an opportunity at unlikely stardom. But for McGregor, the stakes are much higher.There are plenty of arguments to be made how McGregors star power could survive a second straight loss to Diaz, but his legend would never be the same. Not the one he was attempting to build entering their first bout.Thats why Saturdays rematch is a must-win for McGregor in terms of how well remember him down the line. It may also prove to be a must-win for the UFC.It takes stars to drive mainstream interest, and following the UFCs recent $4 billion sale, its new owners are at a bit of a deficit in that category. Its something McGregor is well aware of, too.Somebody estimated my net worth to be $4 billion -- that was my reaction [to the sale], McGregor told ESPN.com last week. There is 95 percent bums in the game, thats the Gods honest truth. Like I said, if I took myself out of here, it would be just hillbillies hugging each other to the bell. Nobody brings what I bring; nobody has done what I have done. If 2015 was McGregor bringing in all these numbers and breaking all these records and then 2016 it sold for $4 billion, I simply know my net worth now, and its $4 billion.When you look up and down the UFC roster, there is no one within the same area code when it comes to McGregors value to the company as a star. Not only are Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar handcuffed by bad press and likely suspensions following their UFC 200 doping violations, its unclear whether Ronda Rousey will ever return, let alone ever be the same.McGregor could only increase his value to the UFC should he defeat Diaz, which by the way, would provide the company with another lottery ticket to cash whenever it pleases in the form of a trilogy fight. But a second McGregor loss would be another story.For the most part, you only get one shot at cultivating the idea of true invincibility in combat sports. Its a false narrative, of course, especially in MMA, where one mistake at any given moment can cost you a fight. But history has proven you can earn it back by instantly fixing your one mistake, something even GSP was able to do by avenging his upset title loss to Matt Serra in 2008.McGregor has built-in excuses he can one day lean on as a justification for the first defeat -- everything from mismanaged cardio to Diaz, the much bigger fighter, being a late replacement. But he must win the rematch decisively in order to do so. Its something not lost on the Irishman, which is why he has compounded an already stubborn decision by insisting that the rematch be contested at 170 pounds.What kind of fighter would I be if I said, Hey, I didnt get you at 170, let me try to get you at 155, McGregor told ESPN.com in June. Ill make my adjustments. I ate up to the weight. This time, I wont do that.In one sense, fighters are the greatest liars in all of sports, mostly out of necessity due to the irrational confidence needed just to enter the fighting arena. But McGregor never appears to be acting, even throughout the more circus-like moments in his initial rise.Thats why its hard to imagine McGregors confidence and boldness ever truly being the same with a second consecutive defeat to the same fighter, which history supports can be demoralizing at the elite level.BJ Penn and Anderson Silva never fully recovered from losing their UFC titles in back-to-back defeats to Frankie Edgar and Chris Weidman, respectively. Former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has never been the same since two title defeats to Cain Velasquez. In boxing, both Larry Holmes (twice against Michael Spinks) and Shane Mosley (twice each to both Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright) never returned to the same level.Yes, McGregor could conceivably lose to Diaz and still return to featherweight, where he remains the UFC champion. But his audacious aura -- the very foundation his star was built upon -- will be damaged.Will McGregor one day go down as merely a talented loudmouth who was finally exposed -- twice -- for biting off more than he could chew? Or will his intangibles, skills and fighting spirit prove to be as historically significant as his ability to draw eyes?McGregor deserves respect for how he has handled himself as a fighter, one who simply refuses to back down from a challenge. Make no mistake, hes in for another one on Saturday.Its fitting that the fight would be in Vegas, where McGregor is essentially going all-in on himself. Considering his boldness up to this point, there should be no other way.A victory over Diaz on Saturday is the only true way for McGregor to reclaim what was lost. Khalil Mack Womens Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Dan Hampton Youth Jersey . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.chicagobearfootballauthentic.com/authentic-anthony-miller-bears-jersey/ . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Jim McMahon Bears Jersey . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Khalil Mack Jersey . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. LOS ANGELES -- Tanner Pearson missed his spot on his shootout attempt. Luckily for him, so did Jacob Markstrom.Pearson scored for the fourth time this season and got the lone shootout goal, lifting the Los Angeles Kings over the previously unbeaten Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night.Pearson fired from the right hash marks and beat Markstrom between the legs.Ill admit, that was a missed shot, Pearson said. I was trying to go high and kind of fanned on it and had to go five-hole.Peter Budaj was pressed into service after Jeff Zatkoff injured his groin in the morning skate and stopped 22 shots for his second straight win. Budaj played in his 300th NHL game and is the third goalie the Kings have used this season. Jonathan Quick also injured his groin in the season opener in San Jose and is expected to miss the next three months.Budaj joined the Kings on a two-way deal last season and played mostly in the minors. The 34-year-old appeared in just one game in the NHL last season, but now figures to get more work after going 3 for 3 in the shootout.It was a special moment. Ive come a long ways, Budaj said. Two years ago I was on a (professional try out) and I didnt have anything. A year and half later, Im not the guy who will play most of the games. It shows you that you should never quit.Alexander Edler tied it on a power play with 34.4 seconds left in the third period.The Kings had a power play for the final 1:16 of overtime but Markstrom made two keys saves to send it into a shootout. Markstrom made 28 saves.Brayden McNabb and Dustin Brown also scored while Los Angeles built a 3-0 lead, but the Canucks rallied to force overtime for the fourth time in five games this season. Vancouver is 4-00-1, including three wins after trailing going into the third period.ddddddddddddThis time, Markus Granlund scored 8:40 into the second period and Henrik Sedin got a goal with 4:03 left in the second to cut the deficit to 3-2, setting up Edlers equalizer on a wrist shot from the left point.We didnt deserve a point after the first two periods, Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. We didnt create a lot the first two. But our guys stayed with it and we capitalized on that power play late when we needed to. Its better to get one point than nothing.Pearsons shootout goal came on a wrist shot from the right hash marks, beating Markstrom five-hole.McNabb scored 4:35 into the first when he banked a wrist shot off the crossbar and behind Markstrom. Pearson scored with 1:36 left in the first when Markstrom failed to cleanly glove Alec Martinezs point shot and Pearson knocked in the rebound.The Kings scored again 33 seconds into the next period when Markstrom lost his footing in the crease and let Brown poke in a rebound for a shorthanded goal. Brown also had two assists.Game notes The Kings recalled Jack Campbell from Ontario of the American Hockey League on Saturday to back up Budaj. ... Pearson now has points in all three games he has played this year. ... Brown scored his first shorthanded goal since Feb. 25, 2012 against Chicago, the fourth of his career, and the first shorthanded goal for Los Angeles this season. It was the first three-plus point game for Brown since Dec. 29, 2015.UP NEXTCanucks: Play at Anaheim on Sunday night.Kings: Host Columbus on Tuesday night. ' ' '