Questions &'nd Support » A very important meeting is coming up

In its latest installment, UFC 169 will take place in Newark, New Jersey with two titles on the line. This is a shot at redemption for Urijah Faber, his chance to win a title fight. Its also a massive proving ground for Jose Aldo, not that he needs it. If Aldo can pick up the victory, he will be at nearly a decade without defeat. He isnt even 27; his talent will only increase over the next few years. There is also a bout in the heavyweight division with Alistair Overeem facing Frank Mir. On paper it sounds like a great matchup but will need a dramatic ending or tense action packed rounds in order for people to be talking about it the next day. Here are the UFC 169 picks from the team at TSN 1290s the “Weigh In”. Jordan Cieciwa, Big Marv and Toby… thats right, just Toby. Catch us on air every Saturday at 11:30am ct/12:30pm et. Renan Barao (31-1-0) vs. Urijah Faber (30-6-0) Jordan Cieciwa Who doesnt love a big title fight? Well if you are Uriah Faber, history says you actually may not. His only losses came at the hands of champions. There are few people in the game as talented as him, especially when it comes to wrestling and the use of unorthodox strikes. Hes shown unbelievable skill with elbows off the cage and spinning back fists. His ability to target is second to none. Thats only gotten better with the addition of Duane ‘Bang Ludwig. Across the cage from him is the very dangerous Renan Barao. Barao came out of obscurity to start dismantling his competition in both the WEC and UFC. He is on nearly a decade long win streak. Ask anyone, except Eddie Wineland, and theyll say he is a submission specialist. He beat Wineland very quickly and with an amazing back kick to start the process. His talent is unquestioned now, and his ability to push the pace will make him hard to beat. So much so that I dont think “The California Kid” can do it. Barao via fourth round submission Big Marv You could make the argument that Urijah Faber was the fighter of the year in 2013. He went 4-0 last year, with only one of his fights going the distance. Even that fight, against Yuri Alcantara, was a dominant decision for Faber. In fact the last time Faber lost was to Renan Barao in 2012. Since then, the California Kid has been more determined than ever. With an incredible improvement in striking thanks to Alpha Males new coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig. However, lets not sleep on the champ. Renan Barao took that interim title with his win over Faber and has staked his claimed as not only the 135lb king, but also in the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world. It is so hard to pick a winner here. Will Faber choke again in a championship fight situation? I say not this time. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision Toby This one should be an amazing fight! Faber had an outstanding 2013 and will look to finally become a UFC Champion, all that stands in his way is Renan Barao, who has the longest current unbeaten streak in active MMA today (33). This has fight of the night potential and as much as Id like to see “The California Kid” becoming the UFC champ I believe Renan Barao will have his hand raised in this one. Renan Barao via decision Jose Aldo (23-1-0) vs. Ricardo Lamas (13-2-0) JC What were you doing when you were 18? If you were an 18-year-old Jose Aldo, you were suffering your last MMA loss. At 27, Aldo has been on a nearly nine-year win streak. Most of those wins are while holding the UFC featherweight title. He is perhaps one of the sharpest fighters in the game. Fortunately, he isnt talked about all that often because it seems to have kept him hungry. Aldo will probably keep this fight standing and use some amazing leg kicks to slow his opponent down. Though let it be known that Ricardo Lamas is no slouch either. Lamas is on a four-fight win streak of his own and looked great stopping Cub Swanson with a triangle choke and Erik Koch with elbows. The good news for fans, both these athletes stop fights including Aldo who has a 30% decision rate. That to me is fantastic. I think that, in combination with his skill level, will have this fight ending sometime in the fourth round. We will be treated to a lot of leg kicks and some great movement and skill on display. Jose Aldo via fourth round TKO Toby After watching Jose Aldo fight for the past couple of years Ive learned two things, he is without a doubt one of the best pound for pound fighters in MMA and its hard to bet against him. Ricardo Lamas is a real threat but I see Aldo getting his hand raised and us fans being one step closer to an Aldo vs. Pettis super fight. Jose Aldo via TKO BM Jose Aldo is one of those champions that just seems infallible. His striking is fast and vicious, his ground and pound is relentless, he has slick jiu jitsu and is almost impossible to take down. All of that adds up to him being one of the best in the world pound-for-pound. However, his opponent Ricardo Lamas has this crazy habit of winning fights he shouldnt. Sorry Toby, weve got to put the Aldo vs. Pettis super fight on hold, Lamas is taking this one. Ricardo Lamas via TKO round 4. Frank Mir (16-8-0) vs. Alistair Overeem (36-13-0) JC This is one of those fights that really means very little in the heavyweight division, but will be interesting to watch. I have a very bad feeling it will end in the first round with a toe hold, but who knows, Mir might try to show off his “highly average” boxing skills. Lets face it, Alistair Overeem comes into this fight with a bad rap for using drugs (very deserved), and being a one sided fighter. Overeem has no business being in the cage with a jujitsu whiz like Frank Mir. Mir is also not afraid to end a fight with an “uncool” submission. He grabbed Brock Lesnars toe and threatened to break it. The loser of this fight probably wont have much longer in the UFC, and I dont know that its a bad thing. The winner probably wont ever contend for a title, but at least they dont have to retire or go find work somewhere else. Its a simple case of a very impressive K-1 specialist in Overeem, meeting up with a jujitsu guy that will take the submission anyway he can. I expect that Mir will find and exploit the very large weakness that is Overeems ground game. Mir via second round submission. BM Both these guys are desperate for a win. With Overeem, he beat up Bigfoot for two rounds before his cockiness got the best of him. Against Travis Browne, he almost finished him, but Brown proved too tough and Overeem got caught. In Frank Mirs last fight, he was slow and Barnet destroyed him quickly. Against Cormier, he was slow and lost by decision. The difference between the two, Overeem still has it, while it looks like Mir does not. Plus, Mir wont be able to weather the early storm like Silva or Browne. Its going to be an early night for both men. Alistair Overeem via KO round 1 Toby This is a possible “Loser leaves town” fight, with both fighters coming off consecutive losses Mir (3) Overeem (2). Overeem has lost some weight which will help his cardio, I love watching both of these guys fight but in this case I believe Overeems stand-up will be the difference on Saturday. Alistair Overeem via TKO Ultra Boost 1.0 Australia . The world No. 1 had one of the most dominating performances in a final and was on his way to a possible shutout on Sunday until the third-seeded Berdych broke the super Serbs serve in the 12th game of the match. NMD Buy Australia . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/supersta...-australia.html. The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Wholesale NMD R1 . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. NMD Shoes Australia . We wonder if the price of a Roberts rookie card has at least gone up a few cents? Tribute Tweets #Padres Tony Gwynn had 287 career plate appearances against #Braves trio of Maddux, Glavine, & Smoltz, he hit . Any other year, Blue Jays righty hander Marcus Stroman would be a top notch candidate for rookie of the year in the American League. I still think he will finish a solid third in the voting but for the 2014 season, as there are really only two stand-alone candidates. In a league starved for power hitters and runs these days, Jose Abreu has put up some incredible numbers. The 27-year-old who defected from Cuba signed a six-year, $68-million deal with the Chicago White Sox last winter. Hes making $7 million this season and has been worth every penny, Hes set a White Sox rookie record with 35 homers, has driven in 102 runs and is hitting .322. Few of his home runs are "cheap" and he hits the kind of monster shots that keep fans talking well after the game is over. Should Abreu get the Rookie of the Year award on a silver platter? Many would say yes, that he has no real competition, but Id beg to differ on that. Matt Shoemaker is having an incredible season in his own right with the Angels. Hes 15-4 with a 3.16 ERA, and those 15 victories are a Halos rookie record. Hes struck out 119 and walked only 24. All of this from a right hander who turns 28 on September 27. This might venture more into the MVP category than Rookie of the Year, but Shoemaker has more than picked up the slack since another Angels standout Garrett Richards was injured and lost for the season. The Angels also have the best record in baseball at 93-56 and lead Oakland by 10 full games. At worst, Shoemaker and Abreu should share the award, and yes that has happened before. In 1976 in the National League, Padres reliever Butch Metzger shared the honours with Reds starter Pat Zachry. In 1979 Blue Jays shortstop Alfredo Griffin split the vote right down the middle with Twins 3rd baseman John Castino. There are those who argue Abreu shouldnt even be eligible since he played pro ball in Cuba, but the preceddent has already been established: Jackie Robinson , who won the very first Rookie of the Year award back when there was only one for both leagues played in the old Negro Leagues before breaking the colour barrier and signing with the Brooklyn organization in 1946.dddddddddddd Does being named the top rookie lead to a great career? Not always. In fact, going back to 1947, only 14 winners have gone on to earn a place in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. The Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers have had the top rookie a record 16 times. The Yankees hold the American League record with eight. The Blue Jays and the Montreal Expos tied with two rookies of the year. The Jays two were both acquired in trades: Alfredo Griffin in 1979 and Eric Hinske in 2002, while Montreal were homegrown in pitcher Carl Morton in 1970 and Andre Dawson in 1977. The only Canadian I know of to win the award was outfielder Jason Bay of the Pirates in 2004, and the only current team never to have had a rookie of the year is Arizona. A very important meeting is coming up in West Palm Beach Florida on September 23. On that date, the Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners will be meeting to try and finalize financing for a new Spring Training baseball facility that would house the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. Both clubs desperately want upgraded facilities that would also lessen the travel time to their grapefruit league games. Washingtons current lease with Vierra, Florida runs through 2017, while the Astros can leave Kissimmee, Florida after 2016. You might remember, as recently as this past spring, the Blue Jays were involved with Houston in a similar project in Palm Beach Gardens, when local residents balked at having the ball teams in their neighborhood with all the inherent noise and traffic, That deal ultimately fell apart. The Blue Jays current lease with Dunedin expires after 2017. ' ' '