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Two things stand out in the UFCs middleweight rankings: the divisions depth and age.Behind 37-year-old champion Michael Bisping sit Yoel Romero (39), former champ Luke Rockhold (32), Ronaldo Jacare Souza (36) and former belt holder Chris Weidman (32, with a robust injury history).The glaring exception is Robert Whittaker. The New Zealand-born, Australia-raised striker is 25, six years younger than anyone else in the top 10.Im doing my own journey, Whittaker said. Im increasing my skill sets. Im surrounding myself with good people, and Im enjoying the journey. Im just scratching the surface of what I can be and what I can accomplish.The immediate obstacle standing in Whittakers path is 32-year-old Derek Brunson (16-3) in the main event of UFC Melbourne on Saturday (which airs live on Sunday afternoon in Australia).Fresh off a first-round TKO of Uriah Hall in September, Brunson has won five consecutive fights, the last four of which were first-round knockouts.Hes a killer athlete with a serious set of skills, said Whittaker (16-4), who himself beat Hall at UFC 193 in Melbourne. But if were standing up, were fighting my fight.If he wants to try to test out his killer power against my hands, then Im willing to take that bet.Following that advice at a window would net a plus-125 return for Whittaker, a slight underdog. But its a familiar position since his move to middleweight. In four career fights at 185 pounds -- a weight at which hes 4-0 -- Whittakers opponent has been favored three times.The primary deterrent for moving up in weight is sacrificing reach and strength to a larger class of opponent.The Reaper overcame a reach disadvantage in all four fights since leaving welterweight and will yield four inches to Brunson. Whittaker says his game is based on leverage and technique, and that he hasnt felt a discernable power difference at middleweight, rather the added energy in preparation has born fruit in the Octagon.I was killing myself trying to get to the 170 division, he said, laughing. A lot people say I look small, but Im a thick-set dude. I blame the Polynesian blood in me.The whole fight prep, Im eating and Im fueling my body instead of skipping out on the food and coming in half-starved to training every day.While added pounds havent hurt Whittakers performance, Saturday will reveal how he handles a brighter spotlight.The originally scheduled headliner between middleweight contenders Rockhold and Jacare was scrapped when Rockhold suffered a left knee injury. That promoted the previous co-main, Whittaker vs. Brunson, to a five-round main event, a first for either fighter in the UFC.Whittaker says a longer fight would favor him. And though he expressed disappointment in the Rockhold-Souza cancellation as a fan, he cant deny the benefit for his name to lead the marquee at Rod Laver Arena.To be the main event on any UFC card is an honor and a privilege, he said. To main event in my home country on a UFC card is a milestone. I truly take it as a milestone. At the beginning of my journey, I said one day I wanted to do this. Now Im doing it.Whittaker represents the modern breed of mixed martial artist. Instead of a decorated wrestler needing to learn how to strike or a traditional boxer struggling to master the ground game, hes blended multiple practices from early in his youth.He began training in karate at age 7, then transitioned to hapkido under Henrry Perez, still his coach at PMA Mixed Martial Arts in suburban Sydney. After earning a black belt in both, Whittaker took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has since graduated to a purple belt. He made his pro debut at 18.Whittaker entered the UFC conscience by winning the welterweight tournament of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. His quarterfinal victory earned knockout of the season, and his unanimous decision win in the finale over Brad Scott locked up a contract with the promotion five days before his 22nd birthday.I started for fun, I got the fever, and here I am today, Whittaker said. Im going to enjoy every step of it. Where it leads me is up to fate. I think there are going to be big things.There is no ceiling for me at the moment. I really believe that. And Im in no rush. Nike Air Max 2020 Goedkoop . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Nike Air Max 90 Heren Sale . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. http://www.airmaxkopennederland.com/uitverkoop-air-max-classic-bw.html . 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When Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber suffered major damage to two of the four primary ligaments of his left knee this spring, his season was officially declared over.And yet, there was Schwarber in Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, back in uniform as a designated hitter, even notching two RBIs in Game 2.The Cubs organization had been pleasantly surprised when Dr. Daniel Cooper, the orthopedic surgeon who reconstructed Schwarbers ACL and repaired his LCL, gave clearance for Schwarber to participate in the Fall Classic as a DH. After all, multiligament knee reconstructions are complex; depending on the extent and location of the damage, the typical window for returning to play post-surgery starts at nine months. But, when Schwarber had his six-month checkup with Cooper, the surgeon was impressed by the stability of the knee and Schwarbers strength. Cooper gave the go-ahead for the outfielder to begin hitting and running the bases. Schwarber proved he could do both, and suddenly found himself in the lineup.After he exceeded expectations by not only returning for the start of the World Series but also by delivering at the plate, perhaps Cubs fans assumed it was only natural Schwarber would be cleared days later to play in the outfield.He was not.Team president Theo Epstein announced Thursday that Schwarber did not receive medical clearance to resume playing in the field. Just days after the social media world responded with admiration for Schwarbers work ethic and determination, there were some who expressed disappointment in the decision to keep Schwarber relegated to a potential pinch-hitting role as the series resumes at Wrigley Field.What could possibly keep someone out of the lineup when the World Series is at stake?Well, theres a reason medical decisions are left to the medical personnel familiar with the athlete and his injury. No one knows better than Cooper the detail of what was involved in reconstructing Schwarbers knee. And, since Cooper is considered one of the leading experts in multiligament knee reconstruction, his recommendations are probably worth following.For those looking for the rationale behind the decision to hold Schwarber out of playing the outfield, here are some things to consider:1. ACL grafts continue to strengthen over the first year. At six months, the ACL has not yet achieveed its maximum strength.dddddddddddd2. The ACL helps control deceleration and rotation at the knee; movements that combine the two are the most demanding on the ligament and therefore the riskiest (for example: planting and cutting laterally or jumping and landing while twisting).3. The addition of uncontrolled variables increases the level of difficulty for the athlete, thus increasing injury risk. Uneven terrain (from the outfield grass to the warning track), change-of-pace running (speeding up or slowing down while tracking a ball) and obstacles (the outfield wall or other outfielders, which is how Schwarber was originally injured) are all examples of uncontrolled variables in a game setting.4. Recent research shows that reinjury rates following ACL reconstruction decrease significantly when a return to full sports occurs at a minimum of nine months after surgery.5. A second injury would not only potentially cause Schwarber to miss another full season, but there is no guarantee his recovery would match what he has already accomplished. In other words, it could be career-threatening.Schwarber incurred some risk simply by returning to hit, run the bases and slide, but that risk was far less than what he would face playing the outfield. An athlete can practice hitting, running and sliding and can repeat the effort in virtually the same manner both when practicing and playing. There is no way to simulate every scenario an athlete would encounter in the outfield. Additional months of training -- and recovery -- are warranted before returning to the most complex activities.Decisions about returning to play following an injury are always informed by medical evidence, along with considerations of risk versus reward. Clearing Schwarber to do as much as he has already done did not come without these discussions. It is perfectly reasonable for him to have been cleared for hitting and not cleared for fielding.Schwarber is a competitive athlete. Of course he would love to be playing at full capacity in the ultimate competition. But he appears to have accepted his role and is, as he said, going to embrace it.If Schwarber and the Cubs can live with the decision, maybe everyone else should, too. ' ' '