Für unsere Gäste » en he pulled his drive into the roug

CHICAGO -- Holly Holm has suffered consecutive defeats for the first time in her storied combat sports career.Holm (10-2) came up short in a five-round bantamweight fight against Valentina Shevchenko on Saturday. A former professional kickboxer, Shevchenko (13-2) picked Holm apart over the course of 25 minutes en route to a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight convincingly for Shevchenko (49-46).The fight, which headlined UFC Fight Night at the United Center, was Holms first appearance since she lost the UFC championship to Miesha Tate in March. Holm submitted to a rear-naked choke in the fifth round of that bout but was mostly in control until then. That was not the case Saturday, as Shevchenko consistently beat Holm to the punch on the feet.Holm, 34, is 0-2 since knocking?Ronda Rousey?out at UFC 193 in November. She had never lost back-to-back fights, dating to her professional boxing career from 2002 to 2013.We expected counterpunches, Thai clinch game, trips, and she did all that, Holm said. We trained for it. I was taught all the right things. No excuses. My coaches teach me everything. My performance was not right tonight.Holm was a betting favorite going into Saturday, though a significant amount of money came in on Shevchenko in the 24 hours leading up the bout. Fighting out of Peru, the native of Kyrgyzstan is a seasoned striker, but Holm is listed as 3 inches taller, with a 2-inch reach advantage. Holm fought at a higher weight in boxing.In the first round, the size seemed to throw Shevchenko off a bit. Holm dropped Shevchenko with a short right hand and, after giving up a takedown, popped immediately back to her feet.By the second frame, however, Shevchenko started to find her range. She caught Holm coming in with the counter right hand over and over again and started to find a home for the inside leg kick. She threw a wicked, counter-spinning back fist that Holm just managed to block. Momentum was firmly in Shevchenkos corner after the second round, and she never relinquished it.According to immediate cageside stats from FightMetric, Shevchenko out-landed Holm in total strikes 110 to 69. Shevchenko, 28, improved to 2-1 in the UFC with the win. Her loss came via decision to current champion Amanda Nunes in March.Amanda is a good fighter. She has good standing and good ground game -- and of course, I want a rematch with Nunes for the title belt, Shevchenko said.Holm seemed to be aware that she was behind on the scorecards as the fight wore on. Shevchenko opened a small cut over Holms right eye in the third round, though that didnt seem to have a huge effect on Holm. Shevchenko scored a takedown later in the round and finished with hard elbows from the top position.With the Chicago crowd chanting Holms name, the former champ tried to get her left kick going -- arguably her most devastating strike -- but the counterstriking of Shevchenko limited its effect.The UFCs 135-pound womens division has been in flux since Holms knockout of Rousey. Tate managed to hold the title for just four months, as she lost in her first title defense to Nunes at UFC 200 on July 9.I know there are competitive girls in this sport. I know theres always somebody coming in, Holm said. The top five arent the same top five they were [before]. I feel like, especially this being the first womens division in the UFC, everyone looks at that and says, I want to fight there. So they work hard. It has created a lot of competition in our weight class, which is good. I want to feel like Im up against the best. I know these girls are tough. Thats what makes a win great and a loss devastating.Despite consecutive defeats, Holm remains one of the bigger draws of the womens bantamweight division. She has potential rematches against Tate and Rousey. The UFC has also shown interest in a potential fight between Holm and dominant 145-pounder Cris Cyborg Justino, who made her UFC debut earlier this year in a 140-pound catchweight.Holm declined to comment on which of those shed be most interested in.Coming off two losses, Ive never been in this position before, Holm said. Personally, yeah, I have some wins, but I dont really feel like Im in the place to choose. I think I just have to take whatever opportunities they give me.Barboza gets the best of MelendezLightweight contender Edson Barboza (18-4) defeated former Strikeforce champion and two-time UFC title challenger Gilbert Melendez (22-6) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Barboza assaulted Melendezs body and legs with kicks, to the point that Melendez could barely stand on his lead leg by the third round.Melendez, who sat out the past year due to a drug suspension, mixed his strikes well early on but couldnt match the Brazilians offense over the course of three rounds. He hurt Barboza with a right hand in the second round and enticed him into an extended exchange but then elected to shoot a double-leg takedown in the middle of it. Barboza fought off the attempt and managed to clear the cobwebs in the process.It was one of several failed takedown attempts by Melendez. As early as the first round, Barbozas kicks and left hooks produced red welts on Melendezs body.Barboza, who trains with Mark Henry and Ricardo Almeida Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in New Jersey, has put together two consecutive high-profile wins against Melendez and Anthony Pettis. Barboza mentioned former champion Rafael dos Anjos as a potential next opponent.Ngannou finishes off MihajlovicFrench heavyweight Francis Ngannou (8-1) steamrolled his third consecutive UFC opponent in knocking out Bojan Mihajlovic with strikes on the ground at 1:34 of the first round. Mihajlovic looked out of his league from the start. Ngannou stalked his opponent around the Octagon, calmly looking for an opening. It came in the form of a blistering left hook, which put Mihajlovic down. Ngannou swarmed the Serbian with punches to finish the fight. Ngannou is 3-0 in the UFC.Herrig returns to submit CurranStrawweight Felice Herrig (11-6) came off a 15-month layoff and submitted Kailin Curran (4-3) via rear-naked choke at 1:59 of the opening round. Herrig scored a takedown after blocking a Curran head kick in the first minute. Herrig quickly passed guard and jumped straight to Currans back. Curran stood briefly, but Herrig stayed on her and slipped her right arm under Currans chin. Curran fell backward and eventually tapped to the choke. It is the fourth submission win of Herrigs career. Curran drops to 1-3 in the UFC.Cheap Jerseys From China . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. China Jerseys Cheap . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. China Jerseys Stitched .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Fake China Jerseys . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period.TROON, Scotland -- Phil Mickelson wore a black rain suit that he didnt need until he approached the far end of Royal Troon and already had stretched his lead. Henrik Stenson opened the curtains at his house expecting to see rain coming down sideways and was pleasantly surprised by the calm.Good golf and the good end of the draw is tough to beat in the British Open.Mickelson hit a wedge that spun back toward the cup until it stopped about two postage stamps away on the par-3 eighth hole, the signature shot in his 2-under 69 that allowed him to back up his record-tying start and take the 36-hole lead in a major for the first time in three years.I thought it was a good round to back up the low round yesterday, Mickelson said. I played kind of stress-free golf again. I made one or two bad swings that led to bogeys. But for the most part, kept the ball in play.He just couldnt shake Stenson, who timed his birdies perfectly.The Swede made three straight birdies before the wind showed up and the clouds began to spit rain. He added two more during lulls in the increasingly bad weather. And he wound up with a Friday-best 65 that enabled him to close within one shot of Mickelson.I was five back of Phil from yesterday, so of course I was hoping to gain a little, Stenson said. And the way it turned out, I gained quite a lot. Its still early in the tournament, though. Were only halfway through. But so far, so good. Im happy with the way I played the course. Its not easy out there.Try telling that to the players who had to endure an afternoon of gusts that topped 30 mph and rain so heavy at times it was hard to see.Some draws go your way, Rory McIlroy said, and some draws dont.Just look at the leaderboard.Mickelson was at 10-under 132, the best 36-hole total ever to lead at Royal Troon. Stenson, a runner-up to Mickelson at Muirfield in 2013, was one shot behind. Soren Kjeldsen and Keegan Bradley each shot 68 and were three shots behind.The top 14 players going into the weekend all played Friday morning. Of the 26 players still under par, only four of them played in the afternoon.The nature of links golf, and this championship, is getting the good side of the tee times. Mickelson was soaked when he walked off the course, though he managed to get in eight holes before the rain arrived. On the ninth hole, he had his caddie hold the umbrella over his ball on a 10-foot par putt, walking away at the last minute to watch his boss roll in into the cup, like hes been doing all week.Jordann Spieth? He was lucky to still be playing.ddddddddddddpieth battled through the worst of the elements to play the final six holes in even par for a 75 to finish at 4-over 146. Two hours before he finished, that looked as if it would earn him a trip back to Texas. Instead, he made the cut on the number.Its tough when we all realize before we go out that youre kind of what would be the bad end of the draw before you even play your second round, Spieth said.Then again, he wasnt sure it mattered the way he was playing.But at 4-over par, my game is not major championship-winning caliber those first two rounds, he said. It just made it pretty interesting and actually somewhat nervous on the last five, six holes because Id really like to play the weekend.McIlroy got within five shots of the lead until the weather and a few bad shots gobbled him up, and the four-time major champion dropped four shots in five holes. He had to settle for an even-par 71 and was eight shots behind, along with U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson (69).Jason Day, the worlds No. 1 player, had a 70 and was among three players who broke par in the afternoon.I felt like I shot a low-career round out there today with just how tough the conditions were, Day said.Mickelsons made his first bogey when he pulled an iron off the tee into the rough, missing a gorse bush by about two paces. He dropped another shot on the 15th when he pulled his drive into the rough and couldnt reach the green. Those were the mistakes, offset by a 25-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole when he played his tee shot off the back side of a bunker and let it feed toward the hole.He looked like a links specialist the way he used the ground. Then again, his name is on the silver claret jug for a reason.And he wouldnt mind seeing it there again.I dont feel the pressure like probably a lot of players do to try to win the claret jug because Ive already won it, he said. The desire to capture that claret jug puts a lot of pressure on. The fact Ive done it relieves some of that. I would love to add to it, but having already done that was big.Only two other players have started a major with rounds of 63-69. One was Raymond Floyd, who went on to a wire-to-wire victory at Southern Hills in the 1982 PGA Championship. The other was Greg Norman, who shot 78 in the final round of the 1996 Masters and lost a six-shot lead. ' ' '