England. "Even last year when there was one or two little criticis

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." Dave Winfield Jersey . Its Wu-Tang and Outkast in the final. Now, we all know youve played the role of Andre 3000 in the past, does that mean Outkast is getting your vote?AJ: You know it, you know it. Wil Myers Padres Jersey . 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Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley.VANCOUVER -- Peter Schmeichel left a mark on an entire generation of goalkeepers in Denmark. A larger-than-life personality known for his intimidating style in the 18-yard box, Schmeichels career spanned some 20 years -- including a memorable tenure at Manchester United. Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted was one of the young Danes who took notice of the man who played a record 129 times for his country. "He was definitely a big influence because a couple years in a row there he was the best keeper in the world," Ousted said this week. "I was impressed with the saves he made, but also the presence he had when he was playing. "I think like every other Danish goalkeeper, you grew up watching him." But the 29-year-old Ousted is carving out his own story and style in Vancouver, far from where the fiery Schmeichel patrolled the pitches in Europe. "He doesnt play like (Schmeichel) and doesnt have his personality," Whitecaps goalkeeper coach Marius Rovde with a chuckle. "So he has nothing thats like him except for his (blonde) hair. "Maybe hes crazy in different ways." Ousted joined the Whitecaps in June 2013 on a free transfer from Denmarks Randers FC and hasnt looked back, shooting up the depth chart last season once he arrived to grab the starters role ahead of Brad Knighton and the aging Joe Cannon -- neither of whom are still with the club. He has helped Vancouver (1-0-2) to an undefeated start to the 2014 campaign, including his first clean sheet of the season last weekend in a 0-0 road draw against the New England Revolution. "David, since the time hes been here, has been very professional," said Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit. "His drive and his comfort level has always been here and always been high, but I think hes just getting used to playing with his defenders, hes getting used to playing in this league and I think hes getting better and better. "You want him to keep us in it and make big saves when called upon. Hes definitely done that for us this season." It wasnt exactly a smooth transition early on, however. Ousted started his Major League Soccer career with 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers last August before following that up a week later with a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. What followed was a couple of shaky outings that had some questioning if he was the right fit in Vancouver. Rovde pushed hard for the club to sign the six-foot-four 195-pound goalkeeper and wasnt put off by a 0-3-2 string that included eight goals against. "Youre coming to a new league and sometimes in this league, things happen that dont in other leagues -- defenders make mistakes or they dont pressure as hard," said Rovdee.dddddddddddd "You suddenly get free shots from 18, 20 yards that youre not used to. "If youre going to play well in this league, youre going to have to expect the unexpected as a goalkeeper." There was no doubt in Rovdes mind that Ousted was Vancouvers goalkeeper of the present and future. "I expected him to go straight in and be a starter because he has played bigger games than you can play in MLS," said Rovde. "He has played against FC Copenhagen, had clean sheets against them in front of 40,000 fans. He has played those big games. There wasnt any reason to wait." Ousted -- who now has five clean sheets in 16 career starts with Vancouver -- said it took some time to get adjusted not only to a new league, but a new continent. "I definitely feel more acclimatized. Im settled here now. I know the league a little bit better," said Ousted, who stayed behind in Vancouver for extra off-season work after the Whitecaps missed the playoffs in 2013. "Both the style of play and the players here are a little bit different. You have to get used to it, get used to the whole thing with the travel and the different venues. "Maybe it took a little while longer for me than I thought it would but I feel like Im getting used to it now and hopefully I can continue playing well." The Whitecaps have had no complaints about his play so far in 2014. Ousted made a big save early in the clubs season-opening 4-1 home win over the New York Red Bulls and was responsible for saving points the last two weekends on the road -- a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA and that scoreless final in New England. "Even last year when there was one or two little criticisms against him for goals going in, David has remained a top keeper," said rookie Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. "His work ethic is fantastic. Hes a great guy off the field. Yes he has saved us a point or two now in the last couple of games, but hes the same keeper as he was against New York and hes the same keeper today." Working with Ousted from the centre of defence, DeMerit has noticed more of a take-charge attitude so far in the young season, which continues Saturday at home against the Houston Dynamo (2-0-0). "I think hell continue to be a leader back there for us because he needs to be," said DeMerit. "Down the spine of our team, thats where the leadership needs to come from." Added Ousted: "Its a big part of my game and something that Im trying to develop even more -- being the guy they can rely on and the guy whos taking responsibility. "I was glad that the club put their confidence in me and I still am. Im still working hard to try and repay that confidence." ' ' '