Houston within 1 on a layup with two minutes left in the fourth

Even before he received the call, Ali Bagautinov had a feeling he would be challenging Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight championship. Since debuting in the UFC last year, the Dagestan native has made waves in the 125-pound division. After finishing Marcos Vinicius with punches in front of a hostile Brazilian crowd in September, Bagautinov earned consecutive decision victories over Tim Elliott and John Lineker. Immediately following his win over Lineker at UFC 169 four months ago, Bagautinov checked the UFCs official rankings and discovered hed broken into the top five. Since each fighter ranked above him had suffered recent losses to Johnson, Bagautinov knew he was next in line. "I dont know, but for some reason I had this feeling I would be given a chance at a title shot," Bagautinov told UFC.ca through a translator. "I watch all the fights in my (weight class). So I try to keep abreast of everything thats going on." Bagautinov gets his opportunity to dethrone Johnson in the headliner of UFC 174 in Vancouver, B.C. June 14. The co-main event features a pivotal welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley. Also, former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski returns against Brendan Schaub. Not only would a win over Johnson be the culmination of all his hard work in both mixed martial arts and Combat Sambo, it would earn Bagautinov the distinction of being the first Russian titleholder in UFC history. The heavy-handed striker also recently became a father, welcoming his first-born son. It goes without saying that a victory would allow him to further support his family. Bagautinov admitted a lot is riding on his fight with Johnson. "First of all, its very important to me that I will go into the history books as the first UFC champion from Russia," Bagautinov said. "It is very important to me, and without a doubt, it will help me provide better for my family. "I think that you will see more and more fighters from Russia (in the UFC). We have a lot of very successful and very promising fighters. I believe that they might be champions and titleholders in different categories, in the future." Though Bagautinov is on the cusp of making a better life for himself and his loved ones, his road to a title shot has been bumpy. A recent report from MMABoxing.ru claimed the fighter failed a 2012 drug test and was retroactively suspended for two years by the International Sambo Federation. According to the article, Bagautinov was flagged for methylhexanemine, a dietary supplement and stimulant commonly found in nasal sprays that is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Bagautinov has since called the report bogus, stating that had he been suspended, he wouldnt have been allowed to compete in Sambo bouts in Russia. He also said the incident hasnt interfere with his training camp. "I never even thought about it," Bagautinov said bluntly. "It did not affect my training. I would say that I did experience some indignation as to why this nonsense suddenly came up. But it didnt damage me or hurt me in any way because I am focused on my training and my preparations." With the drug accusation behind him at least for now, Bagautinov has to get the job done against Johnson, who has proven to be a difficult puzzle to solve. Since capturing the inaugural flyweight championship in 2012, Mighty Mouse has been as impressive as any champion on the UFC roster. Johnsons toughness was on display in his first title defence in early 2013, as he rallied to win a unanimous decision over John Dodson. He then put on a dominant display against John Moraga last July before sealing the deal with a fifth-round armbar submission. In December, he became the first fighter to finish Joseph Benavidez by uncorking a vicious right hook for the stunning knockout win. Though Johnsons speed, footwork and timing have given other contenders fits, Bagautinov said hes figured out the flyweight champions style. "In my understanding, his style is to actually crock up his opponent and then to win during the fourth or fifth round," Bagautinov said. "I think hes trying to play it safe by not risking too much. Hes running around the cage and looking for the ninth corner. The cage has eight corners, so its as if hes looking for the ninth corner, then (he tries to deliver) the decisive strike, with a decisive result." Though Johnsons speed and slick striking are often considered among his best tools, Bagautinov feels his power and grappling will get the job done. "As Ive said before, God willing, if I get the title it will be the result of everything that I have been doing for all these years," Bagautinov said. "You can expect a beautiful and good quality fight." Cheap Jerseys .James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Wholesale Jerseys .com) - Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of 16th-ranked Sooners 48-14 loss to No. https://www.fakejerseysfromchina.com/ . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Fake Jerseys For Sale . Dwyane Wade took over in the fourth quarter. Cheap Jerseys From China . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. HOUSTON -- Coach Kevin McHale said it first and then player after player echoed his sentiment: Early in the season Houston wouldnt have won the type of game they did Sunday night. James Harden scored 41 points, Jeremy Lin had 26 and the Rockets rallied for a 118-113 overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers. "Theres no way we win this game early on in the year," Chandler Parsons said. "So I think that shows a lot about our growth and maturity and just how much were coming together and how well were playing right now." The Trail Blazers led by 3 in overtime after two free throws by Wesley Matthews. Houston took over from there, using an 8-2 run with a 3 from Harden and four points from Lin to make it 116-113 with 35.4 seconds left. Lin added two free throws after that to help the Rockets secure their fifth straight win. "We didnt have a lot of zip in us tonight ... but the guys just kept battling and kept fighting," McHale said. "Sometimes you just have to go out there and gut your way through a win." Houston trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter before using a big spurt to close the gap. Portland regained the lead 106-103 before Harden hit a 3-pointer with seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime. "The first three quarters we were basically just out there running around," Harden said. "The last quarter we got more physical and created some opportunities for our defence." LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but managed just two points in OT. Its the second straight loss for Portland, following a 103-98 defeat at Dallas on Friday. "There are a lot of angry faces because we shouldve had that game," Aldridge said. "Weve had two tough losses on the road and we definitely felt like we didnt do everything we could tonight, so of course guys are angry right now." Dwight Howard added 17 points with 12 rebounds and Chandler Parsons had 16 points for Houston. Harden also had 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals. After the win, a couple of Rockets said they feel like they are as good as any team in the league right now. But Howard, who at 28 is one of the teams oldest players, cautioned against getting too confident. "You just want to hold up that trophy come June," he said.dddddddddddd "Youve just got to stay humble. Thats the message. Stay humble and stay hungry and continue to do the small things to help us win games." Damian Lillard opened overtime with a 3-pointer for Portland, but picked up his sixth foul on a charge a few seconds later. A basket by Chandler Parsons cut the lead to 1 before Patrick Beverley fouled out, too, leaving both teams without their starting point guards. Harden knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner off the inbounds pass with 8 seconds left in the fourth and Matthews in his face to tie it. A turnover by Nicolas Batum gave Houston a chance to win it in regulation, but Beverleys jump shot clanged off the rim at the buzzer. Matthews had 26 points for Portland and Lillard 21. Houston trailed by 11 points with about eight minutes left in the fourth before going on a 12-3 run, powered by nine points from Harden, to get within 97-95 with about 3 1/2 minutes left. The only thing that slowed Harden during that span was an offensive foul that erased one his buckets. Lin got Houston within 1 on a layup with two minutes left in the fourth before a free throw by Robin Lopez. Lin gave Houston its first lead of the game -- 102-101 -- with a 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining. Lillards basket put Portland on top after that and Hardens turnover led to a pair of free throws by Matthews on the other end. Lin made one of two free throws to make it 105-103 before another free throw by Matthews. Portland was up by 12 points in the third quarter before a 5-1 spurt, with a 3-pointer by Matthews, extended the lead to 77-61. Houston got its offence going a little bit after that, scoring five straight points. But Aldridge made four quick points to push the lead up to 81-66. Portland got off to a quick start, building a 10-0 lead with five points from Lillard. Houston missed four shots and had two turnovers as the Trail Blazers built the lead. NOTES: McHale received a technical for arguing a foul call in the second quarter, and Williams and Hamilton also received technical fouls later in the second. ... Aldridge, who is from Dallas and played at the University of Texas, has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 12 regular-season trips to Houston. ' ' '