One of England’s most beloved sporting figures, Sir Bobby Robson, yielded to his courageous fight with cancer recently at the age of 75. British soccer fans mourned his passing after a lifetime in the game, first as a player and then a team manager and elder statesman. Even the often snippy British press had nothing bad to say about the universally respected Robson, headlining their obituaries with adjectives like The Bravest Knight or simply The Legend.

Robson enjoyed a productive career as a player that spanned 20 years and was spent primarily in the English Premier League with Fulham and West Bromwich Albion. He also competed for England’s national team on twenty occasions, netting four goals in international play.

After his retirement in’68 as an active player, he found more fame as a team manager. His guiding hand transformed Ipswich Town from a laughing stock to an EPL powerhouse and he would lead the club for well over a decade. He would also serve as the England National Team manager for 8 years, before ending his career in British football with a stint as manager of Newcastle United that ended in 2004.

Robson earned even more love and admiration from his countrymen due to his public battle with cancer. Although a brain tumor left him partially paralyzed in 2006, he never wavered in his commitment to English football or to raising money and awareness for cancer treatment. After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2007, he dedicated the rest of his life to helping others with the same diagnosis. He started the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, and raised well over one million pounds for the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre in Newcastle.

Such was the respect for Robson that two other soccer icons not known for seeing eye to eye were quick to pay their respects. Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho gave this tributes shared his thoughts on Robson:

“I wanted to and I will keep with me always the Bobby Robson of every day, a person who had extraordinary passion for life and for football, with an extraordinary enthusiasm. Bobby Robson is one of those people who never die, not so much for what he did in his career, for one victory more or less, but for what he knew to give to those who had, like me, the good fortune to know him and walk by his side. My thoughts and embraces go to all his loved ones.”

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson eloquently paid tribute to Robson:

“In my 23 years working in England there is not a person I would put an inch above him. I was never too big or proud to ask him for advice, which he gave freely and unconditionally. And I’m sure I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that. I mourn the passing of a great friend, a wonderful individual, a tremendous football man and somebody with passion and knowledge of the game that was unsurpassed.”

“His character was hewn out of the coalface; developed by the County Durham mining background that he came from. His parents instilled in him the discipline and standards which forged the character of a colossal human being. He added his own qualities to that which he passed on to his sons. The strength and courage he showed over the past couple of years when battling against his fifth bout of cancer was indescribable. Always a smile, always a friendly word with never a mention of his own problems.”

“The world, not just the football world, will miss him. Let’s hope it won’t be long before another like him turns up because we could never get enough of them.”

Many EPL clubs will honor Robson in some form or another during the upcoming season with a number of more lasting tributes planned. Several statues and other permanent forms of remembrance are reportedly under consideration.

Ross Everett is a consulting staff handicapper for Oddsbay sportsbook directory. He has written extensively on World Cup soccer betting, cooking, clogging, drag racing and falconry. He lives in Las Vegas with three dogs and a a pair of retired racing wombats.

Being called a third wheel isn’t generally a compliment. It usually means you aren’t wanted. But when you own a fifth wheel, everyone will want to be around you and travel with you. Fifth wheels are one of the roomiest RVs on the market with plenty of space and privacy for all.

The maximum number of slide-outs, five, can add an extra fifteen feet of space when parked. The ceilings on fifth wheels are known to be built higher than other models, for a spacious feel. There are a variety of amenities that come with the top-of-the line models, including custom cabinetry and detailing from bathroom sinks to shower tiles.

Bring your closest eight family members or friends on a trip to a hidden paradise or down to Disney World. RVs make memories, while allowing you all the creature comforts of home. Up to 40 feet in length, RVs can be outfitted as a second home.

Models start at $20,000 while the most luxurious can cost over a million dollars. However, that money goes towards unique RV features like a master bedroom or living room that sits on top of the truck bed.

Next time you’re on the road and want to run to the grocery store, or want to take a backcountry road to the middle of nowhere, simply detach the fifth wheel and leave it at the campground. The versatility of fifth wheels is one of the reasons for their popularity.

Similar to hotel accommodations, fifth wheels have showers, living rooms, bedrooms. Entertainment is a no-brainier with state of the art equipment that brings in TV, internet, movies, audio and more. If you dream of it, you can probably take it in a fifth wheel.

For those who don’t own a monster truck, lightweight models make it easy to attach to half ton trucks. New lightweight models have all the same amenities as more traditional models.

A fifth wheel isn’t for everyone, but it is for the exclusive, for those who like to live life at a certain level. Family and friends can pile in, or this resort can be a private nest for couples, turning a bedroom into an office. Time fades away in a fifth wheel as you travel at any speed you like, lingering in magical locations or speeding away from bad weather.

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When it comes to business hotels, there are practically endless amenities that are provided to customers in order to ensure their experience is as pleasant and as enjoyable as possible. Today, there are more amenities supplied by hotels than ever before. This means that modern hotels are more refined than ever as well.

In modern business hotels, you can do all sorts of activities to either make your business ventures more efficient, or you can enjoy many pleasures that simply make your trips more enjoyable. Whatever you are looking for from your business hotels, it is likely that the hotel knows of a way of supplying what you want and need as you travel your way around the world.

One common feature that you will find in modern business hotels is a full scale restaurant. Many of the upscale hotels realize that their customers want a very easy way to purchase their meals each night. By supplying an upscale restaurant to their customers, business travelers can go to the lobby for their night out. And the best part is, while you are eating in the restaurant, you can have as much fun as you want without worrying about how you are going to find your way back to your hotel. Once you are done having fun, you can simply walk back to your room in just a few minutes time.

If you are looking for more entertainment from your modern hotels, you should certainly look for hotels that are targeting the entertainment aspects of their hospitality. Today, more hotels than ever are supplying TV sets in their lobbies.

Along with comfortable furniture scattered about the lobby, you can be sure that watching the news or some other form of entertainment in a hotel’s lobby can be quite enjoyable. When you are watching TV, you can also people watch and enjoy your time even more. This is often a great way to unwind after a long busy day.

Other features that are commonly included in upscale business hotels includes Internet access. When you want to quickly check something online, or simply take a break from the hustle bustle of life, you can simply stop at the computer center that is provided by your hotel to have an enjoyable experience.

If you are looking for an activity that gets you far away from your everyday activities, you should certainly check out the hotels that provide complete sports clubs to their guests. When you are in a hotel that provides gym access and other related amenities, you can be sure that you can get away from it all at any time you want to. Some of the hotels that come with gyms also have spas available for your enjoyment. A spa is a great way to end your vigilant exercise activities.

The best part about modern hotels is the fact that you are with fellow business travelers throughout your stay. When you can sit in the lobby and watch the news, you can count on a friendly body to be there with you who will want to discuss the latest events occurring around the world. Also, when you go to the gym, you can be sure you will find some sort of camaraderie amongst the business travelers who are unwinding through some good exercise activities. Wherever you stay as a business traveler, you can be sure that you will find other fellow business travelers enjoying the special amenities each hotel you visit provides.

Our Toronto airport hotels offer the highest quality of hospitality and accommodations in the market. Conveniently located across the GTA, these hotels in Toronto are defined by the comfortable lodgings and luxurious facilities at competitive prices.

When selecting the shades that best fit you, 3 factors should be considered. First and foremost, shades are used to guard your eyes. A pair of shades that give no protection can really be more harm than good. Secondly, your sun shades should feel relaxed. Ultimately, you need to look great in your shades, so pick a pair with some consideration of style.

Sunglasses can be made from many different sorts of materials. These materials also carry with them assorted levels of protection. Make efforts to avoid those that can’t provide 99-100% protection from UVA and UVB radiation.

Dark shades do less for your eyes than you think. A darker hint makes it more at ease for you to see in the bright sun. However , dark shaded sun shades make it simpler for you to open your eyes, permitting UVA and UVB rays larger access to your eyes to cause more damage. If compelled to select, you are better off with a couple of sunglasses with UVA protection and a light gray hint than in dark lenses with no UVA protection.

If your dear vision isn’t enough to convince you to be choosey about your sun shades, consider one other thing. When you squint your eyes, you are causing your forehead and sides of your face to wrinkle. Nobody wants crow’s achievement before their time.

For extraordinarily bright settings where the sun has surfaces to reflect off of, polarized lenses may be useful. Polarized sunglasses scale back the glare due to the sun hitting the water, snow or other surface.

When you try on sunglasses, pay attention to how they feel on your face. Does the nosepiece rest firmly on the bridge of your nose without sliding? Is the frame a good fit for your face and rests gradually over your ears? If the shades are going to cause you discomfort, you’ll be much more likely to take them off.

It isn’t completely required that you wear the designs you see celebs sporting at every point. Those shades may be more easy to find than others, but they are not the only ones out there. Pick frames that flatter the shape of your face and complement your style.

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The Oakland Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and then prevailed in the kicking duel that followed en route to a–9 upset of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Much maligned quarterback Jamarcus Russell played his best game of the season despite two interceptions, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. It was only the Raiders’ second win of the season, and only the Eagles’ second loss. Oakland now stands at 2-4 while Philadelphia slid to 3-2.

NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Raiders as a whopping +14 home underdog were never in any trouble as Oakland took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it. Oakland evened their mark against the NFL pointspread at 3-3, while the Eagles dropped to 3-2 against the number. The 22 points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 40′. It was the Raiders’ fourth UNDER in six outings, while it was the Eagles’ first UNDER of the season against four OVER verdicts.

After the contest, Raiders’ coach Tom Cable said for the first time all season his team focused their intensity in the right direction:

“We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play. That’s all you can say. There’s no magic words or anything like that.”

Last week’s 44-7 loss to the New York Giants may have served a wakeup call to the Raiders. In particular, they were offended by comments made by Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce that the game ‘felt like playing a scrimmage’. Raiders’ wide receiver Louis Murphy didn’t dispute the comments but instead took them to heart:

“That gave me extra fuel. You have to look yourself in the mirror and man up. His comments were true. We played flat. We didn’t play with any emotion. This game was totally different. We took those comments to heart.”

The Raiders’ defense received the bulk of the credit for the victory as they pressured Donovan McNabb all day, sacking him six times. The Eagles became the first team in three years to not score an offensive touchdown against the Raiders. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott each had a pair of sacks, and Scott had the following observation:

“I’m sure they watched the Giants game and thought we were sorry. But all week coach Cable talked about persevering and forget the past and move forward so we can get to where we want to go.”

After the game, McNabb had little to say:

“I’m embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We’re a much better football team.”

The Raiders will try to put together an actual winning streak as they host the New York Jets next Sunday. Oakland is a +7 home underdog with the total set at 35. They’ll play their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers on the road the following Sunday before a bye week. Philadelphia will play the Redskins at Washington next Monday night. The Eagles are a -6′ road favorite with the total set at 38′. They’ll return home for games the following two Sundays against the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Had things happened differently, Nick Diaz would forever be part of MMA history. Regardless of how his career transpired after February, 2007 he should have been remembered as part of one of the greatest fights ever. His PRIDE 33 matchup against Takanori Gomi should have created a legacy like the first Forrest Griffin/Stephan Bonnar bout, only it was better. It was a mixed martial arts version of Gatti/Ward or Castillo/Corrales 1. It should have been the biggest victory of Diaz’s career and the centerpiece of his highlight reel.

On April 10th, the Nevada Athletic Commission announced that he’d failed a drug test. The Nevada Athletic Commission considers a THC level over 50 a positive result for marijuana usage. Nick Diaz’s THC level was an astounding 175 and that led NSAC Chairman Dr. Tony Alamo to speculate that in this situation marijuana was a performance enhancing drug. The rationale was that during the fight Diaz was feeling no pain”literally. Diaz was fined, suspended and the result of the fight against Gomi changed to a no decision.

Diaz had singlehandedly removed the luster from a classic bout. Following an action packed and very close first round Gomi took control in the second. Gomi had opened a cut on Diazs face and it was bleeding a gusher. On several occasions Gomi implored the referee to stop the fight, or at least check on the cut due to the excessive blood flow. With the ref showing no signs of stopping the fight and Diaz hanging tough, Gomi took the fight to the ground and in a matter of seconds found himself forced to tap out to a gogoplata.

While Diaz might not be a bad person, hes definitely someone who attracts trouble. Instead of learning a lesson from the experience of his positive drug test, he became a more outspoken advocate of marijuana use. While the relative risk pot smoking is debatable and beyond the purview of this article one thing is certain”fighters are prohibited from its use. Sadly, it appears that Diaz places a greater value on his recreational drug use than his legacy as a professional prizefighter.

Ironically, Japans notoriously lax oversight of mixed martial arts makes it a perfect fit for Diaz. He doesnt have to worry about drug tests or athletic commissions who arent sympathetic to his claiming a need for medical marijuana. His workrate, conditioning and versatility as a fighter will be appreciated by the Japanese fans, and offers countless matchup opportunities for the promotion. Most significantly, perhaps, his participation with Japanese promotions DREAM or Sengoku provides Diaz the opportunity to put his missteps behind him and reassert himself as one of the sports most exciting fighters and not as a ‘cautionary tale’.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48. Virginia Tech has gone OVER in 3 of 5 games this year, while Duke has gone OVER in all three of their games with posted totals.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor threw for 327 yards on 17 of 22 passing and two touchdown passes with no interceptions. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:

“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer noted:

“I don’t think that’s the old Duke football team.

Blue Devils coach David Cuttcliffe said his team is reaching the point where moral victories aren’t enough:

“We got close enough in the fourth quarter to go beat a great team. Once you taste that, you like it. I wouldn’t say we spit it out — it wasn’t a choke — but we just didn’t finish.”

Despite getting the win, Hokies coach Beamer was critical of the performance:

“Too many penalties and too many long plays. We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us. … Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road, and this is probably one of those.”

Still, he praised his team for doing what they needed to do to preserve the victory:

“When we needed to run the football, and we did, and got points, that was critical to this ball game. They were going to take the run away, so you’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”

Virginia Tech will host Boston College next Saturday before traveling to Atlanta the following weekend for a game against Georgia Tech. Theyll enjoy a bye week before a nationally televised Thursday night game at home against North Carolina on October 29th. Duke will play at North Carolina State next Saturday before a bye week. Theyll return to action at home on October 24th against the University of Maryland and play on the road at Virginia the following week.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

The New Orleans Saints used a 14 point fourth quarter to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 on Sunday to win their first Superbowl in franchise history. Drew Brees broke open a tight game midway through the final quarter with his touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, and Tracy Porter scored on a 74 yard interception return as the Colts were driving on the next series to secure the victory. Brees was named Superbowl MVP on the basis of his 288 yard, 2 touchdown, 0 interception performance.

After enthusiasts had come in early on the favored Colts, a good deal of buyback on the Saints had pushed the line to -4′ and the New Orleans backers were enriched by their team’s outright victory. The underdog has now covered three straight Superbowls and taken the money in five of the last seven games. The 48 points scored stayed well under the posted total of 57.

In his postgame interview, a jubilant Brees gave much of the credit to the city of New Orleans:

“We play for so much more than ourselves. We played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way. It means everything. We’re here because of their strength and everything they fought through here the last few years. They’ve given us so much support, so we owe it all to our fans.”

“Just to think of the road we’ve all traveled, the adversity we’ve all faced. It’s unbelievable. I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. We just all looked at one another and said, ‘We’re going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief.”

Never known for his elocution, Peyton Manning had little to say after the game particularly about the decisive interception return:

“Made a great play. Made a great play. Corner made a heck of a play. Certainly disappointing, very disappointing. Disappointing.”

Saints’ coach Sean Payton made a bold call at the beginning of the second half when he called for an onside kick. Saints linebacker Jonathan Casalis suggested it was a game changing play:

“We were really excited when he made the call. That changed everything.”

Payton explained the unorthodox decision:

“We’re going to be aggressive. We’d seen the onside kick all week and guys executed it well. It turned out to be a big change of possession.”

The city of New Orleans will celebrate their team’s victory with a parade. With Mardi Gras celebrations already scheduled to begin shortly thereafter, it could be quite some time before New Orleans returns to business as usual. Add New Orleans to cities like Miami, Bar Harbour, Palm Springs and Fire Island as must see spots for any fabulous football fan on the go.

Ross Everett is a consulting sports handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is in charge of providing daily free sports picks to Internet sites and broadcast media outlets. He is a widely published freelance writer specializing in sports handicapping, harness racing, wombat breeding and fencing. He lives in Southern Nevada with three dogs and a herd of wombats.

Sports betting futures plays are often dismissed by more serious handicappers as poor values by definition. They’re most frequently associated with rank amateurs looking for a big payoff with little risk. For example, a player might be entranced with a +10000 payoff should St. George, Utah be awarded the 2020 Summer Olympic games. While that would definitely be a nice payday, the problem is that the “true odds” of St. George, Utah hosting the Olympics is well in excess of a million to one. That means that even the huge ‘plus number’ offered represents an underlay situation and a poor wagering value.

For the more serious bettor, there’s a number of obvious problems with futures wagers. They require that your wagering ‘capital’ be tied up for months. Furthermore, once you’ve placed your bet you’re at the mercy of injuries, suspensions, trades and the other numerous factors that can spell defeat for a sports team. It’s no simple task keeping up with these variables on a day to day basis, and predicting them over a longer term is the province of psychics and not sports handicappers.

So why bet futures at all? More so than anything else, its essential to think of sports wagering not in terms of who wins or loses, but in terms of value. Properly utilized, future book wagers are often a great source of value. Below are some of the ways I like to use future wagers:

Futures can be a good way to leverage value on propositions where your knowledge is greater than the bookmaker’s. For example, many sports books offer betting propositions on entertainment oriented events like the Academy Awards. A handicapper who pays close attention to the movie industry and Hollywood news can stay one step ahead of the linesmaker.

Every year some sportsbooks start to take action on the big Academy Awards categories like Best Picture and Best Director well before the actual nominations are released. If you can stay up-to-date on the buzz surrounding certain films you can get substantially better value than if you wait until after the nominations are released.

Making the Academy Awards an even better candidate for futures wagers is the nature of the film business itself. The release schedule for films is set well in advance, and after the year end cut off date no ’surprise’ releases can sneak in to consideration. At this point, its relatively easy to narrow down the serious contenders and with some work to come up with a ’short list’ of Oscar candidates.

Taking a position for profit: Now well turn our attention to sports and how to use the futures wager there. As I noted above, sports inherently presents more variables than the film industry. Furthermore, the top teams are usually not priced for value. Currently you can get +650 on New England to eventually win the 2010 Superbowl. The Patriots are certainly capable of winning, but the value just isn’t there.

The place to find value in this sort of proposition is to look at the less obvious teams. A few years ago an associate of mine took positions on several teams NHL that started slowly, including the Calgary Flames at 40/1. By the end of the regular season they were down to prices as low as 5/1 or 6/1.

This play didn’t necessitate a crystal ball or a Canadien genie with a profound interest in hockey–instead, it was a simple matter of determining teams that offered true odds of championship success that were lower than the price offered in the future bet. At prices like 25/1 or 40/1 its possible to back several dark horse ‘candidates’ and if one or more enjoy postseason success it presents a number of opportunities to hedge and guarantee a profit.

Don’t forget the field. Many bettors dismiss plays on the field in a futures wager out of hand, thinking that the wager represents all of the entrants not good enough to justify an individual price. If you pay attention, however, you can frequently use a field wager to your advantage. Shortly after Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500 I found a sportsbook that was offering a field wager on the NASCAR rookie of the year award at 15/1. Richard Childress Racing hadn’t officially announced Harvick as the fulltime replacement for Earnhardt, but the word on the streets strongly suggested that would be the case. I knew that Harvick was a talented young driver (he was the 2000 Busch Series rookie of the year), but the unique situation with a rookie driving for one of the best financed and most experienced teams in the sport was too good to pass up. I made the bet on Harvick at just the right time, since after he was announced as the replacement for Earnhardt the line dropped to 5/1. After he won his first race (in his third race) the line dropped to 2/1 and by mid season the field was a -250 chalk.

Clearly the Harvick play was a ‘best case scenario’ but there are other instances where value can be had on ‘the field’. While sportsbooks have learned a lot about NASCAR in recent years, up until a few years ago it was frequently possible to find a ‘field’ bet on road course races that included the ’specialists’ that teams frequently hire for these events. In other words, it was possible to bet a group of road course ‘ringers’ such as Ron Fellows, Scott Pruett and Robbie Gordon with one wager. Again, you have to keep your eyes open and be ready to act quickly to take advantage of these rare opportunities.

Don’t forget to shop around for the best wagering value. This is true with any sports bet, but particularly so with futures wagers as the prices you find will vary much more than a typical pointspread. A little bit of effort can easily reveal a more advantageous price, meaning greater line value.

Ross Everett is a widely published well known writer specializing in sports handicapping, drag racing, travel and falconry. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is in charge of providing daily free sports picks to a number of websites and broadcast media outlets. He lives in Las Vegas with three dogs and a wombat.

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva had lost a lot of his luster coming into Saturday nights UFC 101 matchup with former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin. He was undefeated in his previous nine UFC contests, but his last three victories had been far from impressive. Even Dana White criticized his recent effort and finally conceded that St. Pierre might, indeed, be the best all around fighter in the game.

That all changed at UFC 101. Silva was simply dominant as he overwhelmed the naturally larger Griffin, knocking his opponent down three times before finishing the fight with a spectacular”yet almost effortless”straight right hand. The TKO victory was The Spiders most impressive showing since his submission triumph over Dan Henderson at UFC 82. Ironically, Hendo”off his own devastating KO victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100″will likely be Silvas next challenger for his middleweight title.

The live crowd in Philadelphia clearly favored the likable Griffin and gave him a huge ovation as he bounced to the ring to his trademark walk-in song Shipping Up To Boston by the Dropkick Murphys. Silva, meanwhile, received a smattering of boos as he confidently strode to the cage. Silva displayed much more humility toward the fans than he has in his recent outings, bowing in all four directions after the entered the cage.

He displayed none of that courtesy toward Griffin once the fight began and was simply the wrecking machine that UFC fans had grown accustomed before his recent run of lackluster performances. Forrest came right at Silva, assuming that his natural size advantage would equate to a strength advantage as well.

The second knockdown clearly hurt Griffin, though he once again made it back to his feet quickly and landed a combination of his own. This was his best”and last”offense of the fight. Silva quickly floored Griffin with a left hand that left little doubt to the eventual outcome of the contest. The double tough Griffin made it to his feet again, and tried to land a leg kick”which Patrick Cote had used with some success in their fight.

Silva, backing up, landed a perfect and almost effortless straight right that sent Griffin down for good. The referee didnt even bother to count as he waved his arms over the prone fighter as Silva celebrated his win. Griffin quickly exited the cage and, reportedly, the arena. Postfight reports suggested that he wanted to get immediate medical attention for a dislocated jaw suffered on the penultimate knockdown.

Silva, apparently making an effort to be more fan friendly, did his postfight interview in English with a Portuguese interpreter standing at the ready. His message was simple: I want to fight against the best. Whoever the best is at the time, I want to fight them. Though Silva didnt really affirm that hed be campaigning more at the heavier weight, that was the implicit message of his comment.

Ross Everett is a widely published respected freelance writer specializing in casino gambling, surfing and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf.