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LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Two days before putting his title on the line, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones took in a Justin Timberlake concert in the same arena where he will fight Saturday night.Most people would be freaking out in their hotel room, a relaxed Jones said.Apprised of his opponents pre-fight plans, challenger Daniel (DC) Cormier smiled.No concerts in my future, he said. Again I one-up him. I got to watch Justin Timberlake go through his whole concert a couple of days ago with nobody in the arena. So go ahead, enjoy yourself with 20,000 people. I did it with 100.The UFC 182 main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena has been marked by such one-upmanship since the matchup was announced last July.Were both so competitive, we dont want to give the other guy anything, said Cormier. I dont want to let him beat me at anything. So if he makes a joke, I want to try and make a funnier joke.At times, the rivalry has boiled over. The two fighters came to blows at a Las Vegas photo-op in August, tumbling off the stage in a sea of bodies that left one security official with a broken rib and netted the two combatants fines and community service.An exchange over a satellite feed later that day, as both fighters sat in separate rooms at the UFC offices for an ESPN interview, offered a private look at the animosity between the two.I wish they would let me next door so I could spit in your face, Cormier, adding an F-bomb, said after the two traded insults.You know I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, replied Jones (20-1).Such vitriol is manna from heaven for the UFC, which had a tough year in 2014 due to a spate of injuries to frontline fighters.While the fight wasnt a sellout as of noon Friday — tickets were available from US$170 in the top row to $2,500 cageside — the UFC still expects a gate of $3 million-plus as well as a bumper pay-per-view audience of 750,000-plus buys.In the fight game, especially in MMA, its fun when you get this because its very rare, UFC president Dana White said of the bad blood.In a weight class that was once the rock star division of the UFC, the Jones-Cormier fight is probably the biggest news since the trilogy between Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell and Randy (The Natural) Couture in 2003, 2005 and 2006.Jones became the UFCs youngest ever champion at 23 when he dethroned Mauricio (Shogun) Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011. He has defended the 205-pound title seven times since, replacing former middleweight champion Anderson Silva as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.The lone blemish on Joness 21-fight record was a loss by disqualification in 2009 against Matt (The Hammer) Hamill, who was beaten and broken before the illegal elbow was called.Joness legacy is already impressive. His reign as champion when he enters the cage Saturday will measure 1,386 days, the longest in UFC light-heavyweight history.His run of 11 straight wins is the longest active streak in the UFC.While Cormier (15-0) comes from an elite wrestling background, he has outstruck every UFC or Strikeforce opponent he has faced.The challenger has said he plans to press Jones from the get-go, a strategy the champion seemed to welcome. Hes a wrestler at heart. Im a martial artist ... I think when I pop him with some of the things I plan on popping him with, I think hes going to say OK, that hurt and Im not moving in on him again like that. And I think when that starts to happen, Ill pull away with the fight.While Jones has consistently been victorious in the cage, he has not won over all the fans and remains a polarizing figure.In 2012, a drunk-driving conviction put a dent in the image of a scriptures-quoting family man. But he does not shy away from his faith, telling reporters this week he rang in the New Year with a family prayer session.Christians are not perfect people, he said. We are just people ... At the end of the day, a Christian is not someone that does everything right. Christians are ultimately sinners who recognize that theyre sinners and they try to do things a little bit better. But perfect, I never claimed to be.Joness self-confidence and desire to march to his own drum has turned off some, including White at times.He definitely rubs people the wrong way, said White.Hes the champ and hes annihilated the whos who in this division and people are always rooting for the challenger.While Jones has been an occasional thorn in Whites side — UFC 151 was cancelled when Jones refused to accept Chael Sonnen as an injury replacement for Dan Henderson — the UFC boss says the champion has been very good to deal with recently.While some athletes choose to avoid social media to ignore the negativity of some fans, Jones embraces it. He knows every one of his 971,000 Twitter followers makes a difference to potential sponsors.Jones, a native of Ithica, N.Y., who trains in Albuquerque, N.M., is clearly at ease in his own skin and with his chosen occupation.This really is my comfort zone, he said with a smile. Fighting scary guys, guys that most people would be like crapping their pants (to challenge). This is my lane. I live in this lane.The 27-year-old Jones offers opponents a unique challenge thanks to his size and array of weapons. A former junior college champion wrestler, he stands six foot four with an 84-inch reach.The five-foot-11 Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler who came fourth at the Athens Games in 2004, will be giving up 12 inches in reach. He knows he will have to get in close to have a chance.If I stand on the outside, I will tell you right now, I will lose that fight. So its no secret that I need to get close, said Cormier, who trains in San Jose and works as a UFC analyst on Fox when hes not competing.Punches to the body may also play a part for Cormier. They worked for No. 1 contender Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson, whose five-round war with Jones in Toronto at UFC 165 in 2013 proved that the champion is human.Cormier, who has stuffed all 11 takedown attempts in his four UFC fights, knows staying off his back is also a key. Jones, whose 50.9-per cent takedown accuracy leads all active light-heavyweights, finishes opponents when he gets on top of them.Jones believes his age, speed and versatility will count in his favour against the 35-year-old Cormier.Every round starts on its feet and Im very aware I have a much larger array of techniques on my feet than he does.Jones also points at his record.Hes 4-0 in the UFC. Im 15-0 in the UFC, he said. I really feel like Im the aggressor in this fight, like Im the predator. I dont feel Im defending my belt at all, I feel like Im getting ready to attack this challenger.Lightweight Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone, a Jones teammate who fights Myles (Fury) Jury in Saturdays co-main event, agrees.I just dont know if Cormier has the tools to beat him.The bookies think enough of Cormier, however, to keep the odds low. Jones is less than a 2-1 favourite.Cormier, ranked second among light-heavyweight contenders, is No. 14 on the UFCs pound-for-pound ranking list — separated from Jones by a line of current or former champions.This fight has proved to be a twisted road to the cage.Jones was originally due to meet Gustafsson in September at UFC 178, a card originally slated for Toronto before being shifted to Las Vegas. Cormier stepped in when Gustafsson injured his knee.The fight was then pushed back to January after Jones suffered a leg injury of his own.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys Outlet . 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This time, Tebow was in a groove the entire second half -- not just in the waning minutes -- and his teammates on defence were getting gobbled up.CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks felt the repercussions of Brent Seabrooks hit on David Backes again on Sunday. How it affects the rest of their playoff series against the St. Louis Blues remains to be seen. Seabrook was suspended for three games by the NHL on his 29th birthday for his elbow to Backes head late in the third period of St. Louis 4-3 overtime win in Game 2. Now Chicago has to dig out of a 2-0 hole without one of its best defencemen in a rocky start to its Stanley Cup title defence. "You need his size, you need his presence and experience and his leadership," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said before Seabrooks suspension was announced. "Hes got the big shot on the point and hes on our power play as well. He kills penalties, so he plays all important minutes." Seabrook received a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty after he wiped out Backes at 15:09 of the third, and the Blues used the resulting power play to score the tying goal with 6.4 seconds left in regulation on Vladimir Tarasenkos long wrist shot. Backes had to be helped off the ice and did not return. The captains status for Monday nights Game 3 is up in the air. "All I know is hes upright, and thats about it right now," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Sunday. "We dont have any further information and probably wont have until late tomorrow." Backes and Seabrook were not made available to the media on the day off, but much of the talk centred on the hit anyway. The TV broadcast picked up someone taunting Backes in the aftermath of the big blow, but it was unclear if it was coming from the ice or the crowd in the corner where the play occurred. "I saw them talking to him. It makes it a little more gutless," Blues forward Ryan Reaves said. "I dont think theres any need for that. He doesnt even know where he really is. I think if they want to start getting into that battle, we can play the same way. Well see where it takes us." Quenneville said he did not see or hear any players taunting Backes after he went down. In addition to the hit by Seabrook, Hitchcock also was upset by Bryan Bickells knee-on-knee collision with Blues centre Vladimir Sobotka in the third. He said the Blackhawks forward was involved in a similar play with defenceman Alex Pietrangelo in the first. "That part bothers me more than the hit on David, a hit that went array," Hitchcock said. "The hit on Sobotka was a continuation of what happened to Petro in the first period." Here are five things to watch in Game 3 of thiis increasingly testy series: HOME SWEET HOME: The Blackhawks went 11-2 at home in the playoffs last year, outscoring the Wild, Red Wings, Kings and Bruins by a combined score of 41-23.dddddddddddd They went 27-7-7 at the United Center this season, including a 2-0-1 mark against the Blues. "You just feed off of it," Quenneville said. "Itll be exciting to get back here, get some of the positive vibes off it and look to turn this thing around." VLADIMIR THE GREAT: Tarasenko missed the last 15 games of the regular season with a broken right thumb. But the 22-year-old Russian forward caused all sorts of headaches for the Blackhawks in the first two games of the series. The speedy Tarasenko had a first-period goal in the playoff opener, and then had the tying power-play score in Saturdays victory. With Seabrook out for the next three games and Backes status in question, Tarasenko could take on a more prominent role for the rest of the series. SO MANY PENALTIES: The Blues and Blackhawks combined for 17 penalties and 61 penalty minutes in Game 2. The defending Stanley Cup champions were responsible for 11 of those penalties and 41 penalty minutes, both season highs. It looked as if the Blackhawks wanted to match the physicality of the Blues, and it took them out of their puck possession game at times. "I think a little bit we might have played into their hands, but weve got to get back to our hockey, because when were playing that way we do a good job and thats how we win," Chicago forward Brandon Saad said. BEEN HERE BEFORE: St. Louis began last years playoffs with a pair of 2-1 victories over Los Angeles at home, including an overtime win in the opener. The Blues then lost the next four games against the Kings. "We played the best game all year Game 3 in Los Angeles and lost," Hitchcock said. "This is going to be a very long series and were going to have to be better than weve been if we expect to win a game in Chicago." ABOUT THOSE GOALTENDERS: Blues goalie Ryan Miller has been solid since Chicagos three-goal first period in Game 1. He had 25 saves in Saturdays win, and all three of the Blackhawks goals came with traffic in front of the net. Corey Crawford made 48 saves for Chicago in the triple-overtime opener, but he was disappointed with his 27-save performance in Game 2. "He said he needs to be better, and he needs to be better," Quenneville said. ___ AP Sports Writer R.B. 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