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Canadian bantamweight Mitch Gagnon looks to prove people wrong Saturday night in Brazil. So does American middleweight C.B. (The Doberman) Dollaway.Both are heavy underdogs in the marquee bouts of the UFC Fight Night card in Barueri.The UFC lists former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida, currently ranked No. 4 among 185-pound contenders, as more than a 6-1 favourite to beat No. 10 Dollaway in the main event at the Jose Correa Arena.Ive been the underdog in my last five fights, said an unconcerned Dollaway, who won four of those with the fifth a controversial split decision loss to Tim Boetsch.Renan Barao, the No. 1 contender and former champion at 135 pounds, is more than a 7-1 favourite to defeat No. 14 Gagnon, in the co-main event. Some bookies have Barao a 10-1 favourite.Gagnon, a prickly fighter in the cage, is unfazed by the odds.Youve got to treat every fight the same, said Gagnon (12-2). Im not trying to put more stress on me than theres always been. Youre still in a fight.The 30-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., can expect a motivated opponent in Barao (34-2 with one no contest). The 27-year-old Brazilian lost his title to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173 in May. And he was forced out of their August rematch at UFC 177 last August due to health issues during weight cutting.Gagnon sees the plus side of fighting a former champion. Theres plenty of video of him.The five-foot-five Canadian arrives on a roll, having won his last four bouts since dropping his UFC debut to Bryan Caraway in a bout that earned both men US$65,000 fight of the night bonuses. Three of his recent wins came via first-round submissions.Im on the up-and-up, Im riding a four-fight win streak and Im healthy, said Gagnon.Given Baraos recent problems, its perfect timing to fight him, he added. I wouldnt want it any other way.Gagnon has covered a lot of territory in preparing for the fight. He trains in the Toronto area, commuting between gyms in Oshawa, Toronto and Oakville.He stays with a coach in Toronto during training camp, with his fiancee coming down to visit every second weekend.The Arizona-based Dollaway (16-6) is no stranger to travel himself. He has won twice in Brazil and once in Germany since January 2013.Its nothing new for me, he said of fighting in hostile territory. I know what Im walking into. It is what it is. Im going to feed off the crowd. Itll be a great night.Its awesome to be able to go out and do what I do, and be able to make that kind of emotion for so many people and so many fans.Being part of the main event in Brazil kept him from taking part in the UFCs debut card in Phoenix last weekend. The 31-year-old Dollaway watched from the stands, before arriving in Brazil 10 pounds lighter than he normally does for fight week.I knew I had to get a little leaner, he said. The fight was going to be a much longer fight — five rounds, two extra rounds than Im normally used to going. I cant be having a bad weight cut and I just need to feel good.The 31-year-old former Arizona State star wrestler has come a long way since losing to Amir Sadollah in the final of Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2008. He has survived hip and ankle surgery and founded his own gym — Power MMA and Fitness in Gilbert, Ariz. — with fellow fighters Ryan Bader and Aaron Simpson.Bader lost to Machida (21-5) in 2012 so he has plenty of insight into the elusive Brazilian. The injuries behind him and the right people around him, Dollaway (9-5 in the UFC) has made major advances. His submission arsenal includes everything from guillotine chokes to the rare Peruvian Necktie and his striking is more dangerous each time out. And his elite wrestling skills have resulted in 29 takedowns, third most in UFC middleweight history.Ive been able to be consistent for a while, getting the right coaches, the right trainers, the right atmosphere, the right sponsors and managers, he said.Running his own gym gives him another reason to be there.Like people say if you stay ready, you dont have to get ready, he said.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. Paul Molitor Jersey . Plata blasted a rising shot to the upper left corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. He got the kick after referee Allen Chapman ruled Chris Tierney fouled John Stertzer in the penalty area. Curtis Granderson Jersey .Bekker was added Wednesday in exchange for allocation money after two seasons with Toronto. The native of Canada had 29 MLS appearances, including 16 starts. Hes also played in 13 games for the Canadian national team. http://www.officialbluejaysgearshop.com/Blue-Jays-Randal-Grichuk-Kids-Jersey/ . Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger that the team is quietly gauging interest on the Senators captain, though Spezza has a limited no-trade clause and carries a large contract. Devon Travis Jersey . In mens doubles, Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Croatian Mate Pavic and Andre Sa of Brazil. Kevin Pillar Jersey . - While a fast-paced offence has become more of a fixture in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs can still grind out games when needed.TORONTO - There are many questions surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs, namely: How did this happen? How, in less than two weeks, did a team that was sitting pretty in second place in the Atlantic Division fritter away a three-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens and nine-point advantage over the Detroit Red Wings? As the players come to grips with the roots of their six-game losing streak, Tuesdays almost-comeback against the St. Louis Blues highlighted a big issue: Why cant the Leafs play with the desperation they show when down two or three goals at the start of games? "Thats the million-dollar question right now," winger James van Riemsdyk said. "It seems like every time we get down we start to ramp it up, and then its always just a little too little, too late at the end." It may be too little, too late for the Leafs if they cant figure out how to solve that problem. Theyre tied at 80 points with the Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals but are fourth among those teams for the Eastern Conferences two wild-card spots because theyve played the most games (74). Of course that also means their eight remaining are the fewest among those in the race and theres not much time to figure out slow starts, a central problem during this losing skid. Against the Blues, the Leafs scored first for the first time since March 10, but they also gave up a season-high 23 shots in the opening period and were hemmed in their zone often. "We just couldnt get out of our zone," winger Joffrey Lupul said. "They put a lot of pressure on us, and we couldnt handle it." Coach Randy Carlyle noticed some of the pressure that has been building on his team early on Tuesday night. "Theres a lot of tenseness in our players," he said after the 5-3 loss. "The first three puck recoveries, we just slapped the puck away. We didnt pick up the puck and skate with it at all. Thats showing signs of being nervous, tense, (a lack of) confidence not wanting to make a mistake, which led to more offensive-zone time (for St. Louis)." The listless Leafss led for less than five minutes, then trailed from the time David Backes scored with 32.dddddddddddd3 seconds left in the first period until the end of the game. It was only after ex-Toronto forward Alex Steen scored to make it 4-1 that the Leafs showed some fire and launched a comeback bid that fell short. At this point, players are even self-aware that the transformation is happening once they fall behind. "It seems like when we get down, then were playing with no fear, were letting some of our skill take over, our defencemen are rushing the puck out of the zone and making plays," Lupul said. "Theres something to be said about being down and not having that fear anymore, but realistically weve got to play like that right from the start. Its more of a psychological thing than it is a physical thing." If its a mental problem, defenceman Carl Gunnarsson doesnt have the answer. "Weve been talking about it," he said. "I dont know whats going on there, but weve got to figure out a way here to change it." Changing it and managing to play as well as they did in the bulk of the third period against the Blues would give the Leafs a good chance of coming out of this tailspin and making the playoffs. Gunnarsson and goaltender Jonathan Bernier agreed that, although thats a challenge, the end result could be scary for opponents. "If we play like we did in the third period for 60 minutes, I dont think theres a lot of teams that can beat us," Gunnarsson said. Of course if the Leafs make mistakes like they did in the first half of the game and throughout this losing streak, they can lose to any team left on the schedule. They visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday before returning home to face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and also have games against the Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators to close out the season. We have a lot of fight left in us," van Riemsdyk said. "Theres eight games left, and well have to leave it all out there in every game." ' ' '