TORONTO -- They say iron sharpens iron, which augurs well for Mike Ricci at UFC 165 this weekend. Cheap Jerseys From China . The 27-year-old lightweight from Montreal spent much of his 10-week training camp for American Myles (Fury) Jury working with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The two have trained before but the busy St-Pierrre was in Montreal for an extended period of time -- "which is rare," according to Ricci -- that dovetailed with Riccis camp. "He has been my main sparring partner for this fight," Ricci said. "Ive done most of my rounds this training camp with him." Not surprisingly, Ricci (9-3) lost most of those rounds against the bigger man, and a champion to boot. But the 155-pounder says he began to steal the odd one. "It feels good when youre working and working and you win small battles here and there against guys like that," he said. "You know youve been improving." Light-heavyweight title-holder Jon (Bones) Jones takes on Swedens Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson in Saturdays main event at the Air Canada Centre. Ricci is one of seven Canadians on the undercard. Francis Carmont, a French middleweight who fights out of Montreal, is on the main card. Ricci also trains with welterweight Rory (Ares) MacDonald, a close friend, at Montreals Tristar Gym. Like GSP, MacDonald is preparing for a fight at UFC 167 in November. St-Pierre takes on No. 1 contender Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas while No. 3 MacDonald faces No. 8 (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler. Ricci says St-Pierre is more than generous with his time in the gym. "Its unreal. If Georges wanted to, he could just do his own thing and then leave," said Ricci. "But he stays and he puts in work with guys. Not only just me because I have a fight coming up, hell work with everybody. "You could even see this guy maybe even developing into a great coach one day. He stays, he puts in the work and he puts in the time and he explains things. And he gets to the bottom of them. Ill do a round with him and then after hell be like OK we have to work on this when sparrings over. Its great to have him as a training partner. And I havent had him around this much and working with me this much in a while. It was a very good experience." Fighting as a welterweight, Ricci lost last December to Colton Smith in the final of Season 16 of "The Ultimate Fighter." He bounced back at UFC 158 in March to defeat Colin (The Freakshow) Fletcher, a finalists in the Australia versus U.K. TUF spinoff. It was a dominant win, albeit one that was less than stirring in terms of entertainment. But it was a memorable night for Ricci, coming in front of a hometown crowd. He walked out to the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight," explaining later that the story said it all. "I have been waiting for this moment all my life," he said later, quoting the song. "I grew up wanting to win in the Octagon and Ive spent six years on a road of blood and sweat to make sure I got here. "I had some UFC jitters, but I spoke with GSP two days ago and he said Listen, get used to them because they never, ever go away so I was nervous but I expected to be going in. Winning a UFC fight means everything to me." Ricci walked out to the cage in traditional martial arts garb, complete with a sword. He says his goal in the Fletcher fight was simply the win. "I felt like my position (in the UFC) wasnt as secure as Id like it to be ... I came back down to my weight class and I just felt it was the fight I had to win. "You get into those fights where you know you can win them if you do as youre supposed to do," he added. "You know you will 100 per cent win and I knew that I would 100 per cent beat Fletcher if I stuck to a game plan. "But I wasnt 100 per cent sure if I would finish him with that game plan. But the win to me was more important. So I went down that road. ... I hit him plenty of times. Could I have hit him more? Yes. Could I have been more aggressive? Yes. But I did what I had to to win and stay safe. I feel like my position is more solidified now" Thats good because the 24-year-old Jury represents a step up. Jury (12-0) has won all three of his UFC fights since appearing on Season 15 of "The Ultimate Fighter." He was on Season 13 initially but had to leave through injury. Ricci says he chose Jury over two other opponents. "Easier fights, to be honest with you," Ricci said. "This is the fight that I wanted. This is what felt like it was supposed to happen to me." Jury is not short of confidence, judging from the bio on his website (www.teamfury.com). "At just 24 years old, Jury is what the experts refer to as the new breed of the sport; a hybrid fighter, well versed in all aspects of the demanding game," the bio reads. "And, when you combine the baby- faced looks of a Hollywood actor with the ferocity and tenacity of a young Mike Tyson, youre left with a dangerous concoction of a modern day warrior with tunnel vision, glaring all the way to the top." Cheap Jerseys . Louis Blues.The Senators trailed by one goal heading into the third period on Saturday and couldnt spark a comeback as the Blues dominated the final 20 minutes to hang on to a 3-2 victory. Cheap Jerseys China .First up at the Malabo Stadium is Guinea against the Ivory Coast, sans Drogba. The second Group D match will pit Mali against Cameroon, which is playing without Etoo.OAKLAND, Calif. - Stephen Curry got involved in a rare altercation before finishing with 22 points and 10 assists, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 126-113 on Wednesday night for their franchise-record 17th straight home win.The typically mild-mannered Curry ran at Trevor Ariza after the Rockets forward bumped him on the way down court early in the third quarter. Curry had to be held back by teammates, and officials called a technical foul on Ariza following a video review.The Warriors had already grabbed control by outscoring Houston 30-13 in the second quarter. They led by 30 in the third before the Rockets reserves made the final margin closer.Golden State swept the four-game season series against the Rockets for the first time since 1973-74.James Harden had 33 points and six assists for Houston.HAWKS 110, PACERS 91ATLANTA (AP) — DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Teague each scored 17 points, Kyle Korver dunked for the first time in more than two years, and Atlanta tied a franchise record with its 14th straight win.With the victory, the Hawks improved to a stunning 35-8 and Mike Budenholzer clinched a spot as the Eastern Conference coach in next months All-Star game in New York City.Budenholzer could be taking several players with him. The Hawks romped to their 28th victory in the last 30 games, showing the kind of teamwork that has become their trademark in a season that no one saw coming.CJ Miles led the Pacers with 18 points. Indiana shot just 39.7 per cent.THUNDER 105, WIZARDS 103, OTWASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Westbrook drove for the winning layup with 0.8 seconds left in overtime, and Kevin Durant scored 34 points in Oklahoma Citys fourth consecutive victory.Durant and Westbrook scored all 13 of the Thunders points in the extra period, including Durants dunk over Marcin Gortat and Westbrooks uncontested layup off of an inbounds play after Oklahoma City had called timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining.Westbrook finished with 32 points and led a third-quarter comeback that made up a 12-point halftime deficit. Durant, the D.C. native whose 2016 free agency is much anticipated in his hometown, added seven rebounds.Nene scored 24 points for the Wizards, including nine of Washingtons 11 points in overtime. John Wall had 28 points and 13 assists.PISTONS 128, MAGIC 118AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Brandon Jennings had 24 points and a career-high 21 assists, and Detroit held on for the victory.Andre Drummond added 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won 12 of 15. Detroit nearly blew a 21-point third-quarter lead, but Jennings helped the Pistons close it out in the fourth.Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 26 points.Greg Monroe had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit, which never trailed. The Pistons led by 11 after the first quarter and by 17 at halftime.SUNS 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 113PHOENIX (AP) — Eric Bledsoe had a season-high 33 points, and Phoenix managed to get the win after blowing a big first-half lead.Isiah Thomas added a season-high 27 points for the Suns, who have won seven consecutive home games.Portland grabbed a 110-105 lead on Nicolas Batums 3-pointer with 2:22 to go, but Phoenix closed the game with a 13-3 run.Batum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by as many as 25 in the second quarter. Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews scored 22 points apiece.Bledsoe was 11 for 22 from the field and 10 for 15 at the line. He also had 10 rebounds and six assists.GRIZZLIES 92, RAPTORS 86MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Marc Gasol scored 26 points for Memphis, and Zach Randolph had 19 points and 13 rebounds.The Grizzlies broke open a close game with a 13-3 run midway through the fourth quarter. There were 14 ties and six lead changes for the night.Gasol was 9 for 16 from the field, and also had seven rebounds and five assists. Randolph was 8 of 14.Toronto had five players score in double figures, but dropped to 3-8 in its last 11 games. Lou Williams scored 221 points, and Kyle Lowry had 20. Cheap NFL Jerseys. .The Raptors shot 32 per cent (27 for 85) from the field.CAVALIERS 106, JAZZ 92CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James scored 26 points, Kevin Love added 19 and the rejuvenated Cavaliers earned their fourth consecutive victory.Shaking off a flu bug that forced him to miss practice Tuesday and also slowed Kyrie Irving, James added nine assists and seven rebounds. The Cavs are 4-1 since the four-time MVP returned after missing eight games with a strained back and knee.Irving added 18 points and Timofey Mozgov had 16 for Cleveland, beginning to find its stride following a stretch of injuries and two major trades. J.R. Smith scored 15 as all five Cavs starters scored at least that many for the second straight game.Enes Kanter had 24 points and 17 rebounds for Utah, which has dropped five of six. Gordon Hayward scored 14 points.PELICANS 96, LAKERS 80NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 29 points and blocked four shots in his return from a sprained toe, leading the Pelicans to the win.Eric Gordon had 17 points and a season-high 10 assists for New Orleans. Tyreke Evans added 19 points and Quincy Pondexter finished with 12.Los Angeles shot 37 per cent from the field in its season-long sixth consecutive loss.Lakers star Kobe Bryant returned after missing two games as part of coach Byron Scotts plan to give the 36-year-old guard extra rest this season. He scored 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting.NETS 103, KINGS 100SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Brook Lopez scored 22 points and blocked six shots, leading Brooklyn to its second win in the last 10 games.The Nets had a 23-point lead in the opening half, but the Kings eventually cut it to two late in the fourth quarter. Some clutch shooting by Joe Johnson helped preserve the victory for Brooklyn.Johnson finished with 16 points. Jarrett Jack added 16 points and eight assists.Sacramento lost its fifth straight game. DeMarcus Cousin had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Rudy Gay scored 25 points.MAVERICKS 98, TIMBERWOLVES 75MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chandler Parsons scored 22 points, and Dallas hit 11 3-pointers.Parsons made 9 of 13 shots and Dirk Nowitzki added 16 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes for the Mavericks (30-13), who crept in front of idle Houston (29-13) for sole possession of fourth place in the demanding Western Conference.Andrew Wiggins had 18 points for the Timberwolves (7-34), who tied a franchise mark for worst record halfway through the season. Nikola Pekovic scored 14 points in 23 minutes in his return from a 31-game absence for a right ankle injury.The Mavericks shot 51 per cent and held the Wolves to 35 per cent shooting.HORNETS 78, HEAT 76CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 15 points, Bismack Biyombo had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the surging Hornets held on for the win.Charlotte won for the eighth time in nine games despite going without a field goal in the final seven minutes. The Hornets had a 56-41 rebounding edge against the Heat, who played without Hassan Whiteside and Luol Deng.Miami had a chance to win the game on its final possession, but Chris Bosh missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Mario Chalmers ran down the loose ball and fired up another 3 that missed from corner.Bosh and Dwyane Wade each had 17 points for Miami.KNICKS 98, 76ERS 91PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carmelo Anthony had 27 points and 11 rebounds, powering the Knicks to the road win.The worst team in the Eastern Conference is suddenly on a hot streak. New York snapped its 16-game losing streak Monday with a win against New Orleans and made it two straight with the victory against the lowly Sixers.The Sixers eight wins are only one more than New Yorks total, and each team could be headed for the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.Michael Carter-Williams led Philadelphia with 27 points and seven assists. Robert Covington scored 17, and Jerami Grant had eight blocks.Jose Calderon had 15 points and seven assists for New York. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '
