-pound belt with a scintillating win

[lw789]

While cautious optimism surrounds the prospects of an NHL franchise in Las Vegas, one interested party is patiently awaiting to see where he fits once the dust settles. Murray Craven, a former NHL player and friend of potential owner Bill Foley, could find his way into the front office should a new team arrive in Sin City. Obviously when he started exploring his hockey team, Ive been in contact with Bill and weve talked about different things, Craven told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on Thursday. Thats where my involvement is right now, much like the franchise itself, its moving forward but still exploratory. Craven, who played 1,071 regular-season games with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, added he would be interested in a role with the Vegas team, saying he and Foley have discussed the idea amongst other things. Ive shared with him what my thoughts are regarding the game, weve talked about different structures of management and a little bit about what it takes to put a team together mostly on the hockey operations side of things, thats what our discussions have been about, Craven said. Beyond that, would I like to be involved? Definitely. But well see what happens first. What happens first is proving to the NHL brass that a team is viable for the region in question. Despite criticisms surrounding a questionable fan base in Vegas - the curse of the tourist attraction - Foley told ESPN.coms Scott Burnside on Thursday the team will be for the hometown crowd, not those visiting from elsewhere. We know that were going to get great casino support, he said. But I want the guy that lives in Henderson (located just outside of Las Vegas), I want him to be there. I dont want to see everyone in the stands with a Canucks jersey on. Im not trying to promote the Red Wings. The push for the hometown help is well underway with the potential ownership group launching a website looking for fan support, as well as plans for a season-ticket drive to be launched in February. The door is open. Now we have to walk through the door, Foley told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. We want to demonstrate to the NHL that there is a lot of interest in Las Vegas. Craven has already willingly walked through the door, acting as a close advisor to Foley. For now, hell have to settle for cautious optimism. One thing Ive learned from Bill over the years, until everything is certain, I mean, we havent talked about what my role would be, its all preliminary at this point, Craven told LeBrun. Until they have a firm commitment, Bill is of the mind that theres no use talking about that kind of stuff until we know whether were going to get this team or not. Its going to be interesting moving forward, for sure. Not only Bill, but the Maloofs, are very excited about the prospect of them being able to get this season-ticket drive under way, gauging the interest, and really rallying the city around and being the first professional team there. Thats critical in their plans and I think its so necessary that the whole city buys into it and takes ownership of the team as far as the community. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson needed an impressive victory over an unheralded Rustam Khabilov to keep his name relevant in the 155-pound title picture, and he delivered, submitting the gritty challenger in the fourth round. The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov" event, which took place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M. Khabilov (17-2) was impressive to start the fight, utilizing powerful strikes and impressive grappling to rattle Henderson (21-3) in the early going. But as the bout wore on, the former champion gained steam and the Russian began to slow. In the fourth round, southpaw Henderson clipped Khabilov with a tricky lead uppercut-left cross combination that sent his opponent toppling to the canvas. Henderson immediately jumped on his opponents back and locked in a rear-naked choke. Trapped, Khabilov had no choice but to tap out 76 seconds into the frame. "Anybody who wants to fight for the belt, come see me," Henderson said after the win. In the nights co-feature hometown lightweight Diego Sanchez (25-7) delivered a typical crowd-pleasing performance, moving forward from start to finish and looking to brawl with British slugger Ross Pearson (15-7). And while it appeared he had come up short at the end of the three-round affair, judges awarded Sanchez a controversial split-decision win. The three-round matchup was a contrast in styles, as Pearson looked to remain technical and move in and out of range. Meanwhile, Sanchez looked to punch, kkick and wrestle his way to victory any way possible.dddddddddddd As Pearsons strikes started to add up, blood trickled down Sanchezs face. It was an entertaining scrap, but one that Pearson appeared to have won. Two of three judges saw it differently, much to Pearsons dismay. UFC president Dana White, who watched the fights on TV from his home in Maine, called the fight a "robbery." "What can I say?" Pearson asked after the surprising result. "Im confident that I won every round. I didnt get hit once. I guess its my fault for leaving it in the hands of the judges." In a key flyweight matchup, top contender John Dodson (16-6) made his claim for a second crack at the promotions 125-pound belt with a scintillating win over John Moraga (14-3). While the pace was moderate for much of the match, Dodson exploded when the opportunity presented itself, eventually rattling off a series of punches punctuated with a knee that broke Moragas nose. While Moraga made it to the end of the second round, the attending doctor waved off the fight before the third round began. "I really wanted to go to that third round, so Im a little disappointed," Dodson said. "I feel like we cheated the fans out of another five hard minutes. I was landing my shots very well, and it seemed like a caught him with everything I threw." Current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson puts his belt on the line against Russian slugger Ali Bagautinov at next weeks UFC 174 event in Vancouver. Dodson could very well be in line for the winner. Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '