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In a year that has already proven to be massive for the UFC, with one major card after another, UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York looks to be the biggest and most important of them all. In honor of such a marquee event, ESPN.com is providing dedicated previews to all 13 bouts on the card, breaking down whats at stake and projecting who will win, along with quotes and statistics for each fighter.Welterweight championship: Tyron Woodley (16-3) vs. Stephen Thompson (13-1)Odds as of Nov. 5: Woodley +170, Thompson -200Dana Whites thoughtsIts an interesting fight because Woodley did just knock out Robbie Lawler in the first round, which is super impressive. Wonderboy Thompson has been on a tear, [having] just beat Rory MacDonald, and before that he beat Johny Hendricks in nasty fashion. So he beat two really good guys, and if you look at the size difference, Wonderboy is so much bigger than Woodley in height and reach. Its a fun fight. This is in New York because its a great fight. I wanted to build the best card weve ever done for Madison Square Garden in New York. Neither of these guys are from there, but this is just a great fight.Whats at stake?Woodley says he got the money fight after allOne would think a first-round, highlight-reel knockout in a welterweight championship fight wouldnt get you booed ahead of your next fight.Such is the case for Woodley, however, who acknowledges that hes headed into UFC 205 with a healthy amount of trolls in his wake. Thats despite a spectacular performance against Lawler in June.Woodley, who trains out of St. Louis and Milwaukee, believes its mostly due to misunderstanding. He said fans are under the impression that he purposefully sat out and waited for his title shot against Lawler -- he went 17 months between fights -- but those fans forget he was supposed to fight Hendricks in October. The fight never happened because Hendricks experienced a poor weight cut.After that, Woodley said the UFC made it pretty clear he was next in line. It just took a while for the promotion to tell him when he was fighting for the title.A lot of people, Stephen included, called it me waiting it out, Woodley said. I had a full training camp to fight Hendricks. In January, I was told I was going to be fighting Robbie. So I thought I was just waiting on a date. [Declining matchups] never happened.The negative fan reaction also likely stems from Woodleys comments immediately after winning the title, when he said he wished to have a money fight against Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz -- not necessarily Thompson. But again, Woodley said he accepted the Thompson fight the second it was offered to him, and as far as calling out St-Pierre, the former champ, who has said he intends to come out of retirement, Woodley wont apologize for that.Fighting is the only sport where fans dont understand this is our living, Woodley said. If I have a chance to make a larger amount of money in a legacy fight against the No. 1 welterweight in history, it makes sense for me to want that fight. You have a lot of pay-per-view money coming to this company. Why shouldnt the champion partake in a piece of that pie?This fight is still a money fight, though. Its breaking records. Fans dont realize that I got what I wanted. Im going to torch Stephen Thompson, and I made sure I get to do it in New York.Thompson: The (Canadian) elephant in the roomNine years ago, Thompson tore every ligament in his left knee. Doctors said his kickboxing career was likely over. In the end, they were right -- but not for the reasons they thought.Thompson, 33, worked tirelessly to come back from the injury, but it took time. During that process, he started working with St-Pierre at Tristar MMA in Montreal. By the time the injury was completely healed, MMA had overtaken kickboxing as his primary focus.When I got injured, I wasnt really sure where my kickboxing career was taking me, Thompson said. I had been fighting every weekend since I was 15. I was getting a little burned out, but then when they told me I might never fight again, it was crushing.I believe everything happens for a reason, and I wouldnt be where I am today without that injury. During that time, I transitioned to MMA, but I also got back a fire to compete. So when I did jump into MMA, I wasnt burned out at all anymore.St-Pierre was around for a crucial period of Thompsons transition, which has an impact on his current situation. Thompson is favored to win the welterweight title over Woodley, and if he does, one of the biggest fights for him would be a defense against St-Pierre.Thompson has already gone on record saying he believes St-Pierre would deserve a title shot, even though he hasnt fought since 2013. Due to the personal relationship with St-Pierre, its not a fight he wants -- but he isnt ruling it out, either.Hes a good buddy of mine, Thompson said. He was a big part of my inspiration. I was fairly disappointed when I had to fight another Tristar guy in Rory MacDonald, and I definitely have a closer relationship with Georges than Rory.I wouldnt want that fight to be honest, but he is one of the best. If he does come back and wants to fight for the title and Im there? May the best man win -- but I wouldnt want to be the one to call for that fight.Key statsWoodley: 16-3 record (6-2 UFC); five of 10 previous champions have defended welterweight title at least onceWoodley: 68 percent significant strike defense, best among active UFC welterweightsThompson: 13-1 record (8-1 UFC); seven-fight win streakThompson: 4.7 strikes landed per minute, sixth-highest among active UFC welterweightsBreakdownThere was a time not that long ago that Woodleys collegiate wrestling background wouldve been the X factor in this matchup. Today, however, that is no longer the case.Its not that Woodleys wrestling cant (or wont) have an impact on this title fight, but it might better serve as a plan B. Thompson has not surrendered a takedown since 2012, which was also the last (and only) time he suffered a loss.Thompsons size and style creates so much real estate between himself and an opponent. Its reasonable to think an experienced wrestler, who is used to that explosive first step -- that shot, if you will -- would have as good a chance as anyone to close through it. Woodley is as fast as they come, and that closing speed applies to his right hand as much as, if not more than, his double leg. Then again, the same could have been said about Hendricks when he fought Thompson -- and he was run out of the building.Prediction:?Thompson by third-round TKOYou make the call: Custom Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Jawaan Taylor Youth Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.officialjacksonvillejaguarspro.com/Chris-conley-jaguars-jersey/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Quincy Williams II Youth Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Gardner Minshew II Womens Jersey .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Five years ago there was hope for Zimbabwean cricket. They made a comeback to Test cricket after a six-year self-imposed exile with a win. In purely cricket terms, it was a fairy tale.Zimbabwes XI was a mix of fresh faces and players who had seemed out of their depth in the format a few years before but had become experienced. Among them was Hamilton Masakadza, who had scored a century on debut and repeated the feat in this landmark 2011 fixture; Brendan Taylor, reformed from his days as a rebel and relishing leadership; and Tatenda Taibu, whose talent overflowed. They had an exciting new-ball pair, Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis, who brought swing and pace to complement the veteran Chris Mpofu. The individuals provided all the ingredients, the backroom staff turned them into a team.On reputation alone, Grant Flower and Heath Streak inspired. When they rolled their sleeves up to work with the team, they translated that into action. Flower threw endless balls, Streak massaged bowling skills into shape, and then there was Alan Butcher, who took man-management seriously, created a safe environment and taught the players to believe in themselves.Of course the set was not perfect; few ever are. There were run-ins between the coaches and the board, there was Taibus bombshell on the eve of the match, that players did not have certainty over their contracts or their pay; and there was the reality that one Test was just one Test. But there was hope.Even though we had not played any international cricket, we had played a lot against South Africa A and we played Australia A. The guys had played a lot of cricket, as well as domestic cricket, Streak, who was Zimbabwes bowling coach at the time, said. We played a lot of international A teams at a high level, which I think helped the guys prepare.In the three months that followed, Zimbabwe had the same number of home tours. They lost more than they won but they showed the kind of fight that could lead to improvement. But now, five years later, theyre still waiting for the curve to turn properly. We were competitive. It was exciting times. Grant Flower and I were pretty hopeful that if we continued to work hard on the guys, you could see progression happening, Streak says.So far, though, all there has been is fluctuation, with periods of promise lost in deserts of uncertainty. At Test level, Zimbabwe are all but marooned, with a dearth of fixtures, form and finances causing them to flounder.In the five-year period since their comeback in 2011, Zimbabwe have played just 16 matches, the fewest of any team. Bangladesh are the only other Test team to have played fewer than 40 matches in the same period, with Australia and England playing the most - 60 and 62 respectively.Of the matches Zimbabwe have played, more than a third have been against the same opposition - Bangladesh - who they have played six times. They have played New Zealand four times, Pakistan three, West Indies twice and South Africa once, leaving no matches against England, Australia, India and Sri Lanka.In the small world of elite-level cricket, Zimbabwe have only been exposed to an even smaller circle of competition. While England have political reasons for not competing against Zimbabwe, the other three have just not organised any fixtures against them, although there is a Sri Lanka series scheduled for the end of the year. But that is not where Zimbabwes limitations stop.In 16 Tests, Zimbabwe have played at eight different venues. Two of them are at home: Harare and Bulawayo, where they have played six and four of those Tests. They have had just six away matches, one in New Zealand, two in the West Indies and three in Bangladesh, who also dont get to travel that much. Over the same period, Bangladesh have played at nine venues, but the other eight teams have played at a minimum of 18, with England and Australia getting to 33 and 32 respectively.Its not just change of scenery that Zimbabwe are after but different conditions, which will allow them to adapt better. As things stand, the surfaces Zimbabwe are most used to playing on are their own, which are slow and low year round. Both Harare Sports Club and Queens Club in Bulawayo do not offer much assistance for either seam or spin, and force batsmen to settle into slower than usual scoring rates. Test cricket in Zimbabwe is a throwback to the 1990s or earlier. Test cricket everywhere else operates in the 2000s. Surfaces are primed to suit home advantage: green mambas in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand for the quicks, raging turners in the subcontinent for the spinners. Zimbabwe would not know how to approach either because they simply never see those types of wickets.Even if a small selection of Zimbabwean players does get to experience varying conditions through club stints in other countries, the chances of those players being able to bring that experience to bear when they play for the national team are slim. Player rotation in Zimbabwean cricket is high and those that go tend to stay gone, or at least stay away long enough to deny the systemm any continuity.ddddddddddddThats why, in just 16 Tests, Zimbabwe have capped 25 new players, the joint-highest number with Australia. In those matches, there were only three occasions when Zimbabwe took the field without debutants. In total, Zimbabwe have used 36 players in this time.Streak identified the retirements of Taibu, Jarvis and Taylor as the biggest losses. Even though it was only three players, it had a massive impact on Zimbabwe. We dont have a lot of players, like Australia or India, who have players lined up, and especially those of that calibre - they are difficult to replace overnight. They were match-winners, he said.The trio aside, scanning some of the names asks many questions about how well Zimbabwes personnel are managed. Of those 25 new caps, nine have been retained from before the current series against New Zealand, while four others made their debuts in this series. What about the other half? Heres the low-down.Tendai Chatara was ruled out with an injury. Vitori, who has also struggled with injuries, has more recently been sidelined for six months, correcting an illegal action. Greg Lamb, who is 35 and was playing until last season, has presumably moved on. Keegan Meth has relocated to Canada. Malcolm Waller hoped to be in the squad for this series but was overlooked. Shingi Masakadza finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Logan Cup and played in the A matches against South Africa but was not picked. Timycen Maruma and Natsai Mshangwe played for the A side, and Richmond Mutumbami and Tafadwa Kamungozi have been used in limited-overs teams, Forster Mutizwa is playing domestically, and Jarvis has retired to play county cricket.All but Lamb and Meth are still playing cricket but Zimbabwes dilemma is that they dont seem to know how to make best use of them. The talent is there but youve got to support and nurture that talent, Streak said. Guys have to be allowed to play enough cricket to continue to evolve.Finances are one reason some have left but mostly its the unpredictability of the system that frustrates them. There are stories of players being notified of call-ups at midnight the day before a game, and of players being given to believe they will be picked and then told they are not in contention at the last minute.Because the domestic structure, which has moved away from a franchise competition to a provincial one, has so few fixtures, it cannot be used as a guideline for picking the national squad. The franchise system was initially very strong because it was supported by two or three very strong overseas professionals, and that has also fallen away, Streak says. The level of domestic cricket has just come down a bit because those sorts of guys would raise the bar. Its on a whim sometimes that players are called up - Mpofu to the current Test squad training, for example - and dropped. Vusi Sibanda played in the A matches leading up to this Test series, only to be given no explanation for why he was not part of the final squad.Some of these are down to the fac that Zimbabwes administration is in a constant state of flux, which cannot aid stability. In the five years since their Test comeback, Zimbabwe have had five coaches, moving from Butcher, to Andy Waller to Stephen Mangongo, Dav Whatmore, and now Makhaya Ntini. They have also had several different consultants, changes in the selection panel, convener, a change of chairman and managing director. Every new person who comes in brings his own plan, and often those plans do not match each other. Sometimes it is simply the cost of implementing plans that Zimbabwe cannot meet.The financial malaise of Zimbabwe Cricket has been written about at length, with investigations into the organisations debt and the alleged mismanagement of an ICC loan, but the larger context is that Zimbabwe the country is in economic meltdown. Even dollarisation has not been able to spark growth, and the result is that industry is at a standstill and small businesses are struggling to survive. In that climate, sponsors are hard to come by and funding sport is almost impossible even with the ICC grant.The biggest sufferer of the monetary squeeze is the five-day game. Its expensive for us to host Test cricket here, Streak says. We are very reliant on Indian fixtures because of the amount of revenue that brings in. If the ICC can look at ways on how we could play more cricket without impacting on us financially, that would be good.A two-tier Test structure has been mooted as one way to do that, and even though it would see Zimbabwe relegated to a second division, it may help Test cricket remain alive in the country, albeit only just. That it still is, is in itself remarkable. The players still talk about the pride in the format, and the crowds are bigger than at some higher-profile venues around the world. Theres a hunger to do more and to do better, and so, five years after their Test comeback, its the hope that hurts. ' ' '