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CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Fighting in his home state for the first time in nearly five years, Matt Brown (19-11) delivered a thrilling performances with a third-round stoppage of Brazilian import Erick Silva (16-5). The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva" event, which took place at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It was Silva who looked well on his way to victory in the early going, delivering a pair of crushing kicks to the body that sent Brown crashing to the floor, doubled over in pain. But as Silva swarmed for the finish, first with strikes and then with a choke attempt, Brown somehow gutted through the onslaught and worked back to his feet. From there, it was a matter of time. Brown shook off the pain and returned fire with punches, kicks and elbows from all angles. To his credit, Silva survived the onslaught for the remainder of the first round, not to mention the entirety of the second frame, as well. Silva showed occasional signs of a comeback, as every body shot caused Brown to momentarily wince. But Browns momentum was too great and his pressure too relentless. Early in the third round, he sent Silva crashing to the floor, and after avoiding a desperation submission attempt, postured up and unleashed a furious flurry of strikes that forced referee Herb Dean to call off the bout at the 2:11 mark of the frame. Afterward, a humble Brown was typically ho-hum in regards to the "Fight of the Year" effort. "I just do what I do," Brown said. "Its my first main event in my home state. The pressure got to me a little bit. Once I settled down, I got going. "My power wasnt really there today; maybe hes that tough. When I usually hit people with those punches, they go down. He kept fighting." In the nights co-feature, Constantinos Philippou picked up a much-needed win with a thunderous first-round finish of Lorenz Larkin. The two strikers were trading bombs on the feet from the start. Philippou was firing heavy leather with his crisp boxing, while Larkin answered in kind while also missing in snapping kick to the legs. But as Philippou closed the range, he nullified some of Larkins tools, and thats when he unleashed his biggest shots. A left hand wobbled Larkin, and a right hand put him out cold at the 3:47 mark, snapping a disappointing two-fight losing streak for Philippou. "It was a big win for me," Philippou said. "It followed two very disappointing losses. Before my last fight, I wasnt sure if I wanted to keep fighting, and it showed. I looked awful. But the UFC called and gave me another shot." Lightweight striker Daron Cruickshank (15-4) scored a first-round finish of Erik Koch (14-4). It was Koch who held the centre of the cage and looked to use his range to pick apart his opponents legs. Unfortunately for Koch, Cruickshank walked through the blows and delivered a stunning left high kick that sent his opponent toppling to the canvas. Cruickshank immediately pounced with a non-stop barrage of punches and elbows that forced a merciful stop at the 3:21 mark of the first. "Its a great night for me," Cruickshank said after the win. "I showed up. When I show up, I can beat anyone. I know I belong among the best in my division, and I think I proved that tonight." In a battle of rangy welterweights, Neil Magny (10-3) started quickly then survived some late trouble to battle back for a hard-fought decision win over Tim Means (20-6-1). As two of the taller fighters in the division, both struggled to settle into a comfortable range. The back-and-forth action left the fight hanging in the balance in the final frame. Means started strong, hurting Magny with an early barrage of knees. But Magny survived the onslaught and battled back to score a takedown, stifling his opponent for the remainder of the round and edging out Means for a decision win with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. "Having to adjust to a guy who is as long or longer than me was an adjustment for me," Magny said. "Hes a hard guy to find a training partner for, difficult to imitate, but Im happy with the win. It just puts me in place to keep climbing." In heavyweight action, Australian Soa "The Hulk" Palelei (21-3) ran his winning streak to 11 fights with a crushing first-round defeat of South African UFC newcomer Ruan "Fangzz" Potts (8-2). While Potts was considered the superior grappler, Palelei took him to the floor in the early going and quickly moved to mount, where a perfectly placed left hand put his opponent to sleep at the 2:20 mark of the first round. "I think the hard work and my good coaches have helped," Palelei said. "Relentless training is the key. Ive been working hard and want to prove to everyone that I belong in the UFC." In the nights first main-card matchup, flyweight Chris Cariaso (17-5) handed highly-touted prospect Louis Smolka (7-1) his first career defeat. While Cariaso was the smaller man in the cage, his aggressive attacks throughout the bout, coupled with a strong submission game that saw him threaten to finish the fight on a few occasions, were enough to earn him a hard-fought split-decision win. "I was looking for submissions all the time," Cariaso said after the win. "When guys get low, they get susceptible to submissions, so I tried for them. "We expected him to come forward right away, which is exactly what he did, so the fight went according to plan." Wholesale Spurs Jerseys .Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes. DeMar DeRozan Jersey . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T. http://www.cheapspursjerseys.com/. Warren made six birdies and a bogey for a 5-under total of 139 to sit one shot ahead of Felipe Aguilar of Chile, who carded a 69. David Horsey of England was also on 5 under through 15 holes to join Warren atop the leaderboard before play was stopped. Derrick White Jersey .Y. -- Scott Chandler is returning to Buffalo, where he spent the past three seasons establishing himself as the Bills top pass-catching tight end. Lonnie Walker Jersey . - Their offence is underperforming.Vancouver Whitecaps rookie head coach Carl Robinson has hardly made a wrong step during his opening six months in charge at the club. His team is exciting to watch and sitting nicely positioned in the Western Conference playoff places with one match to play before the World Cup break and he has a group of players who are clearly enjoying working with him. Away from the pitch, Robinsons start has been equally impressive, as he looks to build a club with a distinct identity. The ‘Caps have become quickly known for their youthful, attacking play, but Robinson is determined to make sure he also has a team that conducts itself in the right manner. In a global sports world where there is always plenty of negative behavior to talk about, the Whitecaps coach has made it clear he wants an open and honest locker room. That was evident this week when he was asked about an incident involving Whitecaps Uruguayan attacker Sebastian Fernandez during Sundays 4-3 win at Portland. Fernandez clearly attempted to get Timbers defender Pah Madou Kah into trouble with the referee by pretending to be struck in the face. Replays clearly showed there was no contact. Robinson was as clear as could be when talking about the incident, stating that there is no place for that behavior within his club. “I spoke to him (Fernandez) at length and the players as a group,” said Robinson. “I have told them it is not acceptable. I dont condone that, the club wont condone that. It was dealt with internally and wont be happening again.” “Its not what Im about as a head coach and its not what the club is about,” he continued. “Its important they know that. It does happen, but its not going to happen with our club and Ive made my feelings known. Weve dealt with it and we move on, but its important I make him aware that its not acceptable and he wont be doing it again.” Its a refreshing approach from Robinson and one which is not seen enough from managers in the global game.dddddddddddd. A different example of the ‘Caps coach being open in his approach to management is with the clubs daily training sessions. Training grounds around the world are usually blanketed in secrecy - its all smoke and mirrors. In Major League Soccer, most teams allow media to watch their sessions for the final 15 minutes when there is nothing on show that could give away any information – but Robinson has taken a completely different approach. Every one of the Whitecaps training sessions is open to the media from start to finish. Its certainly a popular decision with the members of the media covering the team on a daily basis, but Robinsons open access policy is about much more than making people happy. “I opened up to you guys because I think it is an important relationship the club has and you are an important part for us,” Robinson said this week when asked about why he decided to go against the trend. “Ive got nothing to hide. You know the way I play and Im sure, if other teams do their homework, they will know the way we play as well. I want you to see the team spirit and camaraderie we are trying to build. If you watch training and see the way I work and how Gordon (Forrest) and Martyn (Pert) work, it will give you a fair idea of how we want to play.” Of course, while everything is going well for Vancouver, things are much easier, but from what I have seen of Robinson so far in his management role, Im certain he will have the mental toughness to deal with difficulties when they come the way of his team. The building process continues - on and off the field – as the Whitecaps look to move forward as a club, but Robinsons values are shining through as he looks to lay a solid foundation for future success. ' ' '