When heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was forced out of his latest title defence with an injury, the UFCs debut in Mexico los

When heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was forced out of his latest title defence with an injury, the UFCs debut in Mexico lost much of its lustre. Gerard Pique Jersey .Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt will try to restore that appeal when they fight for the interim belt at UFC 180 in Mexico City on Saturday night.This event was supposed to be a showcase for Velasquez, the Mexican-American champion who has a strong following in Mexico. Instead, the oft-injured Velasquez hurt his right knee and dropped out of his bout against Werdum (18-5-1) last month, sending the UFC scrambling for something to show the 21,000 fans who sold out the Arena Cuidad de Mexico in eight hours.The promotion came up with a matchup between Werdum, the 37-year-old Brazilian veteran on a four-fight winning streak, and Hunt (10-8-1), the 40-year-old Australian brawler with a history of thrilling fights.Yet even the fighters in the main event cant pretend their showcase is an ideal situation, knowing theyre fighting for a belt with an asterisk.Its not for the championship, Hunt said. Cain is the champion. Its a shot to fight the champion. Its bad news for Fabricio, but its great for me. Ive already won just by being here. Six years ago, people were laughing at me. Now Im here and Im winning.While Hunt is seizing his unlikely opportunity, Werdum realizes he has little to gain and plenty to lose when he steps in with Hunt, one of the UFCs most powerful punchers.Werdum, who famously beat Fedor Emelianenko in a 2010 Strikeforce bout, patiently worked his way up the ranks after rejoining the UFC three years ago, only to watch his long-awaited title shot turn into an interim fight when Velasquez couldnt stay healthy.At least hes probably the new crowd favourite: Werdum, who speaks fluent Spanish, plans to walk to the cage to the strains of Cielito Lindo, the classic Mexican song.I was supposed to fight Cain Velasquez, and all the fans were supporting him. Thats normal, Werdum said. Now theyre supporting me, so I chose a walk-out song for Mexico. Theyre going to be very happy, and Im going to use this extra energy.The undercard features rising Mexican-American welterweight Kelvin Gastelum against veteran title contender Jake Ellenberger, along with featherweights Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez.Hunt got the call from the UFC one month after he stopped Roy Nelson in Japan for his fifth win in seven fights, losing only to former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos in that stretch. Its an impressive run for a former kickboxer who lost six consecutive MMA bouts during a four-year stumble ending in 2010.Hunt took the fight with Werdum on less than four weeks notice despite being well over the 265-pound heavyweight limit. He approaches the drastic weight cut and Mexico Citys altitude challenges with his usual aplomb.Its disgusting what Im putting in my body, Hunt said. No carbs at all. Im basically working on fresh air. All the guys and I are just walking around here delirious, but its what youve got to do. A lot of protein, a lot of fish. Its disgusting. ... When I retire Im going to release a book: How Mark Hunt Lost 21 Kilos in 3 1/2 Weeks, and its going to make me a lot of money. People are going to buy it.Although Velasquez cant fight, he still travelled from Californias Bay Area to Mexico City to promote the event, constantly expressing regret about his injuries. Velasquez hopes to fight next year on another card in Mexico, but realizes he cant choose.It is frustrating, because I want to be active and keep fighting, Velasquez said. What can you do? All I do is go out there and train and fight and this stuff happens. Theres nothing I can do. Just keep positive. Ive been here before, so stay positive and get better. Alvaro Odriozola Jersey . Pospisil, whose season-ending goal is to improve his ATP Tour ranking enough to qualify for one of the 32 seedings at Januarys Australian Open, dominated Karlovic in 59 minutes. The world No. 40 never faced a break point and limited the big mans threatening ace count to a mere eight, while striking five key aces of his own. Nacho Fernandez Spain Jersey . The 27-year-old hit .209 in 86 at-bats last year after missing the 2010 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. http://www.soccerspainfansshop.com/Cesar-Azpilicueta-UEFA-European-Spain-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla.PORTLAND, Ore. -- A broad smile lit up Will Bartons face when he was asked what he thought about the fans chanting his name in Portlands 124-80 rout of Brooklyn. "I like to think Im the peoples champ," Barton joked after scoring had a season-high 20 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench in an inspired victory for the short-handed Trail Blazers. "I had a lot of fun tonight," he said. "We got a win, a big-time win. We had a lot of guys down (with injuries) so this win was huge for us." Portland won its fourth straight game despite missing forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The teams top scorer and rebounder has been out five straight games with a left groin sprain. Jason Collins, who became the NBAs first openly gay player when he signed a 10-day contract with the Nets on Sunday, entered the game without much fan reaction and played a pair of scoreless stretches in the fourth quarter when coach Jason Kidd had taken out his starters. Deron Williams had 12 points for the Nets, who suffered their third-worst margin of defeat in franchise history. It was the teams lowest point total this season. Kidd said the Nets looked listless. "Our energy was not there," he said. "On the offensive end, we missed shots and we kind of felt sorry for ourselves -- which carried over to the defensive end, and we didnt make stops." Mo Williams scored 21 points and Nicolas Batum had 19 in three quarters to lead seven Trail Blazers in double figures. Portland coach Terry Stotts also pulled his starters in the fourth quarter. The Blazers were hurting up front. In addition to Aldridge, Portland also was without forward Joel Freeland, who was missing his sixth game with a right knee sprain, and second-year centre Myers Leonard, who was out with a right ankle sprain. The Blazers also announced just before the game that forward Thomas Robinson, a key reserve in Aldridges absence, injured his left knee in Portlands 100-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Results of an MRI on Wednesday were negative. The Blazers started Dorell Wright in place of Aldridge, who leads the Blazers with an average of 23.9 pooints and 11. Marco Asensio Jersey. 4 rebounds. "We didnt have anything to lose," guard Wesley Matthews said. "We look like an AAU team out there. We dont have any size other than RoLo (centre Robin Lopez). No one is playing their true positions. Were just playing off ball movement, off chemistry and its working for us." The Nets saw the return of starting guard Shaun Livingston. "That was an ugly night," said Livingston, who did not play in Brooklyns 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday because of a bruised tailbone. The Blazers opened with an 11-2 run, which was countered by a 10-2 run by the Nets that gave Brooklyn a 16-15 lead. Portland answered with a 12-2 run to go up 29-20 going into the second quarter. Bartons alley-oop dunk from Williams put Portland up 33-22. His jumper extended the lead to 45-30, and then a 3-pointer and his dunk pushed it to 58-34 at the break. Barton scored 12 points in the second quarter as the Blazers finished off the first half on a 19-4 run. Portland extended its lead to as many as 34 points in the third quarter. Portlands margin of victory was the largest for either team in the history of the series "Well, I didnt see that coming," Stotts said. "It was a good effort by everyone who played." Hours after Collins signed on Sunday he was on the court for the Nets, playing 11 minutes with two rebounds and a steal against the Lakers. He also had five fouls. Against the Blazers, Collins played seven total minutes and attempted a field goal. The Nets signed him to help in the absence of centre Brook Lopez, who is out for the season because of a broken right foot. The Nets will play again Thursday night in Denver. The Blazers have a break until Saturday night, when they host the Nuggets. NOTES: Portland won the only other meeting between the teams this season, 108-98 at the Barclays Center. ... Portland got a scare in the first quarter when starting guard Matthews fell after getting tangled up with Paul Pierce and briefly retreated to the locker room. Matthews later returned to hearty applause from the fans. ... Brooklyns 34 points was a first-half low for a Portland opponent. 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