Ahead of her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2007, Canadian Alexis Davis never could have imagined how far fighting would take her. Budda Baker Youth Jersey . Like many womens MMA pioneers, the Port Colborne, Ont. native didnt think she would get rich by slapping on a pair of four-ounce gloves. She simply wanted to test her skills against a tough opponent. Though her first outing saw her suffer a TKO loss to former Strikeforce champ and current UFC womens bantamweight Sarah Kaufman, Davis fell in love with the thrill of competition. She also knew she had what it took to be a champion. "I remember my first goal," Davis recalled recently. "I was like, Okay, I just want to get a belt. Then I got my first belt — I won a belt in amateur Muay Thai, I got my first jiu jitsu belt and I had my Raging Wolf (womens flyweight) belt. "Now the next step is to get that UFC belt." Following more than seven years competing against the best women fighters in the world — and amassing an impressive 16-5 record, which includes a 3-0 run since joining the UFC — Davis is now set to challenge UFC womens bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey in the co-main event of UFC 175 in Las Vegas July 5. As she prepares for the biggest fight of her life, Davis admitted she is still in awe of her journey to the spotlight. "Its been almost surreal for me," Davis said. "Obviously, I just started out like most people — I just kind of did it for fun. I never thought Id be living in California and be fighting for a UFC title. I just enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep doing it. "Its crazy because Im a girl from a small town in Ontario, Canada and now I have all these huge opportunities. The world has kind of opened to me. I feel like Im almost in a dream world. Im just grateful for how far Ive come in life and the experiences Im able to have." Though Davis can fondly reminisce about her long road to the top, shes hardly standing around enjoying the view.  Not only would a victory over Rousey mean bigger paydays, it would also allow her to join the ranks of Carlos Newton and Georges St-Pierre as the sole Canadian UFC champions. Davis said she aims to etch her name in the history books alongside the former welterweight titleholders. "(I was) the first Canadian woman to be signed with the UFC and now the first to fight for a title," Davis said. "The next step is to hopefully be the first one to bring that belt back home. "Times really flying. To have this opportunity in that short amount of time — and even to just be able to fight for a belt — it doesnt happen too often. I know the division is kind of small, but every single day its growing. Im just trying to live in the moment. This is my moment in time." Of course in order to get the job done, Davis has to become the first fighter to solve the riddle of Rousey. A 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist and undefeated in MMA, Rousey has looked as unbeatable as any champion on the UFC roster. Early in her career you could pretty much set your watch to her winning via first-round armbar. However, in her last trip to the octagon four months ago, Rousey displayed a new edge to her game by dispatching Sara McMann with a vicious knee to the liver. Davis admitted she isnt completely sure what to expect from Rousey, but said she is ready for wherever the fight may take her. "Rondas progressed as a fighter," Davis said. "Now, I have to deal with a different side of her, too. Shes been working a lot on her standup, which we saw in her last fight with her hands, her footwork and her knees. So Im not quite sure what kind of style were going to see Ronda come out with. You kind of have to be prepared for everything." Though Rousey has made a career of finishing top fighters in violent fashion, Davis presents a tough challenge. A black belt in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Japanese Jujutsu, she is arguably the most skilled grappler Rousey has ever faced. Her Muay Thai background was also on full display during her dissection of Liz Carmouche in November. Davis said Rousey has never fought an opponent quite like her. "I feel like Im the most well-rounded fighter shes ever had to deal with," Davis said. "Im comfortable on my feet and Im also comfortable on the ground. "Im pretty much dangerous no matter what. Every single fight my Muay Thai gets better — dangerous kicks, dangerous strikes — along with the ground, as well. She hasnt fought a fighter with as many qualifications as I have. Either way, I think Im going to give her more of a challenge than shes ever had to face before." Davis said she plans to stun the MMA world. "(Fans) should expect complete chaos," Davis said. "Ronda has that style that brings out the best in me, where shes constantly adding pressure and on the attack. Its going to be a very fast-paced, non-stop fight." T. J. Logan Womens Jersey . -- Keith Aulie has joined the Tampa Bay Lightning. T. J. Logan Youth Jersey .C. -- Kevin Harvick won his first career pole at Darlington Raceway on Friday as he looks to chase his first Southern 500.Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Stanislas Wawrinka defeated an injured Rafael Nadal in Sundays mens final at the 2014 Australian Open. The eighth-seeded Swiss upset the world No. 1 star 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at Melbourne Parks Rod Laver Arena, where the Spaniard labored mightily with a back injury on Australia Day. Trailing a set and a break, Nadal actually left the court for a medical timeout in the second set, only to return to a chorus of boos. The Grand Slam title is the first of Wawrinkas career, in his 36th major event, as he becomes only the second-ever Swiss to corral a major singles championship, joining the great Roger Federer, who was blown out by Nadal in a semifinal here on Friday. "Rafa, Im really sorry for you, I hope your back is going to be fine, youre a really great guy, good friend and really amazing champion," Wawrinka said during the trophy presentation. "Last year I had a crazy match, I lost it. I was crying a lot after the match. But in one year a lot happened -- I still dont know if Im dreaming or not but well see tomorrow morning." In the fourth and final set on Sunday, Wawrinka broke Nadal for a 4-2 lead, only to see the gritty Spaniard break right back to hang in there. Wawrinka, however, promptly broke Nadal again and then served out the bout on his first match point by swatting one final forehand winner. Wawrinka blew through the first set and was ahead in the second when Nadal first showed signs of a back problems, as a retirement looked like a real possibility at the time, with Nadal striking sub-80-mph serves. The Lausanne native Wawrinka was aggravated during Nadals medical timeout, demanding that officials tell him why the Spaniard needed the break. Wawrinka then aggressively finished off the second set before Nadal fought back in the third. Nadal saved break points to hold in the opening game of the third set and then broke Wawrinka and held for a 3-0 lead. He won the third set as Wawrinka started piling up some errors, with the Swiss appearing unable to handle the pressure of being in his first Grand Slam final. But Wawrinka composed himself once again in the fourth and ultimately cruised to victory. Thhe Swiss slugger prevailed in 2 hours, 21 minutes by firing 19 aces among his 53 winners (53-19) and tallying three more service breaks (5-2) than Nadal on Day 14. Haason Reddick Youth Jersey. "He deserves to win the title," Nadal said of Wawrinka. "Im very happy for him, hes a great guy. "Im obviously disappointed and very sad about what happened. But thats life, thats sport. Ive really had a lot of great moments in my career. Thats a tough one. Just accept it and try to keep working hard for whats coming." Nadal has had a tough go of it with injuries at the Aussie Open. He missed last years edition during a seven-month layoff with knee injuries and illness, and his quarterfinal losses in 2010 and 2011 were affected by injuries. Wawrinka had been 0-12 lifetime against Nadal, including a round-of-32 Aussie Open loss in 2007, and had never taken a set off the Spanish great prior to Sunday. The 2009 champion Nadal was playing in his third career Aussie Open final (1-2) and second in three years. The 28-year-old Wawrinka appeared in his first career Grand Slam final. The 27-year-old Nadal played in his 19th career Grand Slam final overall (13-6), tying Ivan Lendl for second on the mens all-time list. Wawrinka will move up to a career-high No. 3 in the world on Monday after beating the top-two players in the world this week. He improved to 6-9 in his career finals overall, including 2-0 already in 2014, as he has yet to lose this year (10-0). The last player to beat the top-two seeds at a Grand Slam was Sergi Bruguera at the 1993 French Open. Nadal fell to 61-25 in his career finals, as he was trying to become the first man in the Open Era to win each Grand Slam twice. Wawrinka became the first player to beat both Nadal and Djokovic at a major event. The "Big Four" of Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Federer had won 34 of the previous 35 Slams. American legend and 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras was on the court for the trophy presentation Sunday. A win by Nadal would have tied him with Sampras on the mens all-time list. Wawrinka colleted $2.35 million for the biggest win of his career, while Nadal settled for $1.175 million. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' ' 

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