responded with a jumper to cut Notre Dames lead to one, but the Hu

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Urijah Faber walked out on a Madison Square Garden stage in a Wes Welker jersey, the UFCs fun nod to that other "super" show this weekend. Peyton Manning would have been more appropriate choice. Like Manning, Faber is a former world champion and about as good as it gets in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Walking out of the cage on top? Thats where it gets tricky for the laidback Californian. Faber has a knack for losing MMA title fights, yet hes back in the octagon Saturday night with another shot at the belt. Faber fights 135-pound champ Renan Barao at UFC 169 at the Prudential Center, just a few miles away from MetLife Stadium, the site of Sundays Super Bowl. Hes 0 for 5 as the challenger in title bouts since 2008 — a measure of both his inability to rise to the occasion, yet proof of his tenacity to fight back toward the top. "Look at any other sport in the world. Who just quits if they didnt get No. 1?" Faber asked. "The reason I keep getting into these title fights is because no one else can beat me. Ive had fights to get into these positions and I win. And I win decisively." He sure does, including a stout 4-0 record in 2013. He choked out Michael McDonald just six weeks ago on a UFC on Fox card, and was pressed into service for Saturday night when injury-prone Dominick Cruz pulled out with a torn groin. "Im kind of used to Cruz not fighting these days," Faber said. Another UFC card going off without Cruz seems almost as automatic as one with Faber chasing another championship. Faber lost decisions to Cruz (2011) and the first Barao bout (2012) to extend his title-fight losing streak. "I figured Id fight him again," Faber said. "You start thinking about things right after the fight, the things that were difficult, the things you had success with. But I havent been dwelling on it, thats for sure. But looking again and recapping his fighting style is something Ive had to do." Fabers most notable championship reigns came with World Extreme Cagefighting. But "The California Kid" knows he needs a UFC championship to cement his status as one of the best in the world. "Saturdays a defining moment in his career," UFC President Dana White said. Jose Aldo defends his 145-pound championship against Ricardo Lamas and Alistair Overeem fights Frank Mir in a heavyweight bout to headline the fifth major UFC card at the Prudential Center since it opened in 2007. The UFC carved out a big slice of mainstream success in the New York area this week, with billboards and buses in Times Square promoting the show, and main event fighters were welcomed at the NFLs media day. "Anybody who knows the sport knows what great fights these are," White said. "Do I think were going to do 1 million buys this weekend? No, but I think were going to do well." Overeem and Mir could have main evented a PPV a few years back, but both heavyweights are fighting just to stay in UFC. Mir, a former heavyweight champion, hasnt won a bout in more than two years and has talked openly about moving into a broadcasting career. Overeem is riding a two-fight losing streak and is far removed from his prime and his last big win over Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 in 2011. Hes not not ready to quit. "Fighting in the UFC is the biggest stage, so theres always pressure to perform," Overeem said. "Ill keep fighting. What else can I do?" Only 34, Mir points to aging fighters like Dan Henderson as a reason to keep going in the cage for a few more years. "If I was losing to the No. 20 guy who just got to UFC, then after he beats me he cant win another fight," Mir said, "that would weigh on me." Mir said there was no shame in losing to Junior dos Santos, Daniel Cormier, and Josh Barnett. And if Mir has to fight elsewhere, even the self-proclaimed UFC lifer would consider his options. White isnt quite ready to proclaim Mir-Overeem a good ol fashioned "loser leaves town" bout. "Everybody keeps asking me if those guys are done, if one of them are getting cut," he said. "What if the fight is a (great) fight? Ill keep them both. But they need to perform on Saturday night." Replica Shoes Wholesale China . The 27-year-old forward has informed the Leafs that he will be unable to play in Monday nights home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wholesale Shoes From China . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/ . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Wholesale China Shoes Free Shipping . -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime. Cheap Shoes China Free Shipping . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks.South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jerian Grant scored 23 points and handed out eight assists to help No. 12 Notre Dame shake off a slow start and top Miami, 75-70, on Saturday. The Fighting Irish (17-2, 5-1 ACC) trailed by as many as 12 in the second half but had enough time to recover and shoot their way out of their hole. V.J. Beachem added 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and Pat Connaughton contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Hurricanes (12-5, 2-2) were led by Sheldon McClellans 17 points and JaQuan Newton chipped in 16. Tonye Jekiri scored eight with a game-high 13 rebounds, but star Angel Rodriguez had just four points on 1-of-10 shooting. Notre Dame came into the game leading the nation in field-goal percentage at 53.0, but made only two of its first 16 attempts from long distance. After Miami got back-to-back 3s from Davon Reed and McClellan to go up 43-31, the Irish broke out of their slump. Demetrius Jackson connected from beyond the arc on Notre Dames next possession, and the Irish got triples on their next three trips down the floor to cut Miamis lead to five points. They shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range in the second half. The Irish soon went on a 7-0 run that tied the game for the first time since it was 5-5 early in the first half. Connaughton missed the 3, but Jackson crashed the boards and hit the follow-up basket to even the score at 50. On their next possession, Grant passed to Steve Vasturia from the flooor and Vasturias running layup gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game.dddddddddddd After some back-and-forth play, the Irish took the lead for good on Grants triple with less than 6 1/2 minutes to go. James Palmer responded with a jumper to cut Notre Dames lead to one, but the Hurricanes would only hit three more shots from the floor the rest of the game, including McClellans dunk as time expired. Miami never trailed in an uncharacteristic first half for Notre Dame. Averaging the fourth-fewest turnovers per game in the country with 9.2, the Irish committed two in the first minute and five in the first 7 1/2 minutes. They shot just 40.7 percent from the field in the first half. The Hurricanes still only led by one at the break. After Palmers 3 with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the half put Miami up eight, Notre Dame scored on four straight possessions and would go into the break trailing 30-29. Game Notes Notre Dame now leads the all-time series, 9-8 ... Notre Dames Zach Auguste returned after a one-game absence due to a reported academic issue and scored four points in nine minutes ... Miamis Ivan Cruz Uceda scored two points in his Hurricanes debut after sitting out the first half of the season with a suspension issued by the NCAA ... The Hurricanes fell to 10-1 when leading at halftime ... Notre Dame inducted Tom Hawkins, the schools all-time leading rebounder, into its Ring of Honor. ' ' '