Biete - Kristall » draft.Telfair paces Idaho State with 19.8 ppg and 6.

Chael Sonnen is coming back to the cage, and hes doing it with Bellator.Sonnen, a former UFC fighter who announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in 2014, signed a multiyear, multi-fight deal with Bellator, the promotion company announced Thursday night.Sonnen, 39, said he hopes to begin in November by taking on fellow UFC alumnus Tito Ortiz, but he says hell begin the next chapter of his career with no other preferences about opponents, fight locations or even weight classes.I want to fight right now, and I dont fight in any weight division, Sonnen told The Associated Press. I fight at gangster weight. Wherever the competition is, I will show up. [Bellator president Scott] Coker has got guys under contract from 185 to 205. Hes signing guys at heavyweight. If hes got guys that want to fight, then lets fight.Sonnen, who serves as an MMA analyst for ESPN, has fought for the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight titles during a tumultuous MMA career, narrowly losing a memorable matchup with then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva. He also honed world-class fight promotion skills that turned him into a pay-per-view draw.Sonnen hasnt fought since a first-round knockout loss to Rashad Evans on Nov. 16, 2013, and received a two-year suspension in 2014 for failing a drug test.He announced his retirement after that positive test, which wasnt the first of his MMA career. He repeatedly denied interest in returning to the sport, instead starting a family and beginning a career in commentary and podcasting over the past two years.When asked Thursday why hed insisted he wouldnt make a comeback, Sonnen said: Im a heel. Heels lie.There might have been a blink of the eye where I thought it was time to transition behind a desk, but for the most part, I never meant it, Sonnen said. I was never prepared for it. I knew I was coming back, and there were more guys to beat up. ... I appreciate that you all read the book, but I can see that I left a few chapters out, so its going to continue.Sonnen had been a devoted UFC fighter, with two stints and 14 fights for the promotion company since 2005. He reentered the USADA testing pool earlier this year, a required precursor to fighting in the UFC, whose anti-doping policy is administered by the USADA. Sonnen remained vocally supportive of the UFC during his suspension, but Bellator apparently made a financial offer he couldnt resist.When asked why he chose Bellator, Sonnen solemnly joked, Zero apostrophe S, referring to a large financial offer.Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport, and I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator, Coker said.He has that entertainer X factor that cant be taught. When we were talking, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here. He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight. These are all fights that Id be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all, of these matchups together.Ortiz, Silva and MacDonald are former UFC stalwarts who moved to Bellator in recent years, along with former UFC champion?Benson Henderson?and other well-known names. Emelianenko, 39, is widely considered the best?heavyweight in MMA history, but he has fought only twice since 2012.Sonnen said he wont ask for a specific opponent beyond Ortiz, but he intends to fight early and often with Bellator.I signed with Bellator a matter of minutes ago -- theyve got a card in Austin tomorrow, and Im that Im not on it, Sonnen said in reference to Bellator 161, which pits Cheick Kongo against Tony Johnson in the headlining heavyweight bout.Bellator 161 and most of the promotions fights largely air on Spike TV, although a Sonnen-Ortiz matchup seems to be a possible pay-per-view candidate. While the fight isnt set, Sonnen said he would love to take on Ortiz, the fighter known as the Huntington Beach Bad Boy?who has been with Bellator since 2014.The Bad Boy versus the Bad Guy in November, and thats a quote, Sonnen said.Sonnen said he believes he can jump back into competition quickly. He has sparred aggressively during his time off, even setting mock fight dates to prepare.But as far as dealing with the competition and the adversity and the pain and the things you have to go through to be successful, I havent done that, Sonnen said. My body still feels good, and Im still having some good moments in the practice room. Everything is fine. Ive had some personal bests. But as far as going in there and actually doing it, youve got to have those reps. Im jonesing. November cant get here quick enough.The Associated Press contributed to this report. USWNT Gear . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. USWNT Store . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/ . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Stitched USWNT Jerseys . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Cheap USWNT Jerseys . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Greg Gard said quality and intent are discussed often when his No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers are seeking ways to be successful.Senior forward Nigel Hayes has been impactful with his efforts and intentions the last two victories for the Badgers (7-2), who host Idaho State (1-7) on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.Hayes earned Big Ten Conference player of the week accolades, the first weekly league award for the standout. Hayes averaged 18.5 points, 8.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game in wins against then-No. 22 Syracuse and Oklahoma.The Badgers recorded a season-low 5 turnovers in 67 possessions against Oklahoma. Hayes had 6 assists and no turnovers in that meeting. He also scored 18 of his game-high 28 points for Wisconsin, which shot 52.4 percent (33 of 63) in the victory.I think the whole team realizes this is how we need to play in terms of more than individually specific, Gard said. Thats been the neat part about watching some guys individually or us collectively as a team mature to understand what can make us good and what can make us real good.Ironically, the same things that make Nigel really, really good and a hard matchup are the same things that make us a really difficult matchup as a team, when everybody is on the same page.The Badgers got double-digit scoring from four players against the Sooners, including freshman G DMitrik Trice, who scored a career-high 16 points. Trice made 4-of-4 shots from beyond the arc and had no turnovers in 20 minutes off the bench.Meanwhile, Gard said he knows Idaho State coach Bill Evans, since Evans was an assistant coach at Montana with former Badgers player Freddie Owens.dddddddddddd.Idaho State, well see a variety of defenses from them, Gard said. (Evans) is the guru of zone defense and combination defenses in the Utah-Idaho-Montana region.Senior guard Ethan Telfair was suspended three games by Evans, who did not give a reason for the suspension. Telfair missed games last month during a holiday tournament in Cancun, Mexico.Telfair, a community college transfer, led the team in scoring last season with 20.2 ppg in earning Big Sky Conference newcomer of the year honors. He is the younger brother for former NBA player Sebastian Telfair, who was a first-round pick in the 2004 NBA draft.Telfair paces Idaho State with 19.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Telfair is fresh off a 26-point performance in the Bengals 79-76 road loss on Dec. 3 to Cal State Northridge.My team played hard and really competed, Evans said after the loss. We had good performances and fought really hard.Freshman guard Brandon Boyd, who averages 14.3 ppg, drained 13 of 14 fouls shots in the game against Cal State Northridge.Idaho State has relied on its perimeter game at times with efforts from a couple shooters. Junior guard Robert Jones III and Boyd are shooting 55 percent (11 of 20) and 44.1 percent (15 of 34), respectively, from beyond the arc. ' ' '