LAS VEGAS, Nev. Yeezy Powerphase Calabasas NZ . - Josh (The Peoples Warrior) Burkman returns to the UFC as a heavy underdog against a beast of a welterweight in sixth-ranked Hector (Showeather) Lombard.Some may see it as a case of be careful of what you wish for.The five-foot-nine Lombard, a slab of muscle who holds a black belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has lost just two of his last 30 fights — most at middleweight. He has defeated Jake Shields and Nate Marquardt since dropping to 170 pounds, prompting one bookie to list the 2000 judo Olympian as a 10-1 favourite to beat Burkman on Saturday at UFC 182.But for the 34-year-old Burkman, the tough matchup is a chance to excel.Me coming back to the UFC is just not giving up on yourself, believing in yourself, following your dream really, he said in a recent interview. This is a dream come true to get back and Im just really grateful and excited for the opportunity. And I think the fans are going to see a better version of me than theyve ever seen before.Lombard (34-4-1 with one no contest) marks Burkmans first fight in the UFC since October 2008 when he lost a unanimous decision to Pete Sell at UFC 90, which saw then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva dispatch Montreals Patrick Cote in the main event.Burkman (27-10) has gone 9-2 since, with a 4-1 record in the World Series of Fighting that included avenging a 2006 loss to former UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch.Burkman has had to rehab and relearn his body since his last stint in the UFC, which ended in consecutive 2008 losses to Mike (Quick) Swick, Dustin Hazelett and Sell after a 5-2 run in the organization.The Salt Lake City native says his body simply broke down that year, perhaps with an assist from the fighter himself.A former tailback at junior college who gave up a scholarship at Utah State to pursue MMA, Burkman believes the constant contact in football affected his neck and back.Burkman suffered a bulging disk in his back while snowboarding before his training camp for Swick. Next time out, he sustained a herniated disk when he slammed Hazelett to the ground.His preparation for Sell was limited due to the injuries.I couldnt train hard. I couldnt grapple, I couldnt wrestle. My career, my body was deteriorating. He failed to make weight for the fight, saying he simply wasnt in good enough shape to shed the pounds.I went out there and fought my ass off but that doesnt mean that I was doing the right things in training. And I knew that. he said. I knew I was just going out there to fight and pick up cheques, because I couldnt train like a professional fighter in the UFC needed to be training at that time.After having an MRI on his back and neck, a surgeon told Burkman an operation was needed. Burkman balked, also resisting the offer of cortisone shots and pain pills.That was probably one of the hardest things Ive had to go through — at 29 years old, for a doctor to tell you your careers over, that you need to get surgery, he said.So I sat there and I reflected on what Id been doing and why I was where I was at. And I just got on my knees and I just said a really long prayer. And I just asked God to help me and guide the right people into my life to help me get my career and my life back really.The next day, he went to a yoga session and a friend put him in touch with an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and was willing to help. That led to a meeting with a doctor who had worked as a physical therapist on the PGA Tour.Burkman turned to yoga, massage and chiropractic help as well as eating a raw food diet and living clean.He returned to action in November 2009 against Brandon Melendez, winning by first-round KO after a six-week camp limited to footwork and hitting pads. Two fights later, he was able to hold a full camp before defeating then-unbeaten Jordan Smith in September 2010.He continues to have back flare-ups, admitting he avoided sparring for weeks in the buildup to Lombard so that hed avoid further complications.For me, no training camp is ever perfect, he said. Its managing those back injuries and managing those things so I can just step in there on fight night. Because if I can get in there on fight night, Ive got a chance.Burkman has climbed more than a few mountains in the past.He missed Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show after failing a drug test. He cleaned up his act and made it on Season 2.Then there were the injuries.When they say one step at a time, its a journey — thats absolutely what its been for me. Its been a lot of perseverance and persistence, and just continuing to believe in myself and think that I can overcome things. I think that was also part of the battle, just overcoming myself early on. I was very reckless. I just wasnt that focused. I enjoyed life, but I wasnt very disciplined. Maybe I enjoyed my time in the UFC a little bit too much at first.Burkmans goal was not just to get back into the UFC. Its to rise up the rankings.I really believe I can come in and compete with the best welterweights in the world, he said. And theres no better way to prove than to come in and fight a guy like Hector Lombard who people dont want to fight.Hes very dangerous and (I) absolutely believe that Im going to go in there and have the performance of my career.UFC president Dana White said unlike other fighters, Burkman didnt balk when he was offered Lombard.Hes a vet, hes been around. Its a big opportunity for him, White said of Burkman. And nobody else wants to fight Lombard.Whatever happens against the 36-year-old Lombard on Saturday, there is good news in Burkmans future.A brother to his two-year-old son is expected Jan. 10.A hell of a way to start off 2015, he said.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. NMD Sale NZ . The 42-ranked Czech saved seven break points while converting his one chance, and defeated the No. 3 seed in 1 hour 46 minutes. Rosol, who lost in the final in Stuttgart against Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday, awaits the winner between Philipp Kohlschreiber or 2011 champion Gilles Simon. Cheap Yeezys NZ . He was with the New York Jets in 2011 when the NFL locked out their players after they failed to agree on a new contract. Willy went undrafted but was given a look by four NFL teams before heading north. http://www.yeezyshoesnz.com/yeezy-boost-700-nz/yeezy-700-vanta.html . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Michael Sam waited and waited. Hours passed, rounds came and went, and eventually, there were only eight more picks left on the third and final day of the NFL draft. For just a moment, it looked as if his chance of being picked by a pro team and becoming the leagues first openly gay player might take a detour. Or at least be delayed. The call finally came Saturday from the St. Louis Rams, the team right down the road from where Sam played his college ball at the University of Missouri. Sam was selected in the seventh and final round and admitted it was a frustrating wait. He said teams that passed on him chickened out and he should have been drafted sooner. "From last season alone, I shouldve been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said. He stopped short of directly saying his stock dropped in the draft because he came out. "You know what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know," he said. "They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what I feel like Im a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. Im proud of where I am now." Sam came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best year of his career: He was the co-defensive player of the year in the NCAAs best football conference and had 11.5 sacks. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day, No. 4 overall, came and went, no Sam. Then the fifth and sixth, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake — and another kiss. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, with a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The six-foot-two, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted. Yeezy 750 NZ. He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and Canadas McGill University — Redmen tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went in the sixth round, 200th overall to Kansas City — were taken ahead of Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The NFL had no comment on Sam being drafted. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. "Michael Sam wouldnt have been drafted five years ago," said former Viking punter Chris Kluwe, who has accused Minnesota of cutting him in part because of his vocal support for gay rights. In the last year, NBA veteran Jason Collins has come out publicly as gay, and is now playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Collins said before the Nets playoff game against the Heat that he was watching the draft and texted Sam after he was picked. "Its a great day for Michael and his family and for the NFL," Collins said. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL — coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports — was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. But all the reaction to Sams news wasnt positive from the league. Miami safety Don Jones posted a one-word tweet, "Horrible" shortly after Sam was drafted. It was later taken down. The teams general manager said he was aware, and was disappointed. Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who is now the executive director of the gay rights advocacy group "You Can Play," said Sam only needs to do his job to have an impact beyond the field. "Michael Sam doesnt have to be a vocal advocate (for gay rights)," Davis said. "His visibility is his advocacy." ' ' '