TORONTO -- His family isnt too happy about it but former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva says he cant wait to return to the cage after a lengthy layoff from a gruesome leg injury.
Michael Crabtree Jersey . The 39-year-old Brazilian is due to make his comeback Jan. 31 against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in Las Vegas. Silva (33-6) has not fought since breaking his leg last December in a fight against middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168. The Brazilian star collapsed in the cage after his leg essentially shattered when Weidman checked his kick. "Im just dying to return to the Octagon and do the thing that I most love in my life," Silva said Friday through an interpreter on a media conference call. His family doesnt share that view, however. "To tell you the truth, theyre not too happy but they respect my wish and now theyre coping with it," he added. Asked about their objections, Silva replied: "I dont think anybodys family would like to see their family going to war and with mine it wouldnt be different." Silva had surgery the night of the Weidman fight to stabilize his broken left leg, with a 40-centimetre-long rod inserted into the tibia below the knee. His fibula was also broken in what he called "a mere accident." Silva says the injured leg is at 95 per cent and improving, promising it will be 100 per cent when he makes his comeback against Diaz. The rod may came out at a later date. He said he never contemplated retirement in the aftermath of the injury. And he said there was no hesitation when it came to delivering his first kick back in the gym. Silva said there are no limitations on his leg although he is not kicking as hard as he usually does. "Hes going to wait to kick hard at the day of the fight," said the interpreter. The 30-year-old Diaz (27-9-1) last fought in March 2013 when he lost a decision to then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Silva said he expects the fight with Diaz to be one of the best standup battles of the year. "Nick Diaz is a guy that walks forward. Hes got great boxing skills and hes going to come to fight. So the fans can expect a great fight." Asked whether he had sights set on regaining his 185-point title, Silva said his first priority was to see how he performs against Diaz. "Right now its not my priority but its not out of the question to fight for the title," said the Brazilian, who has seven fights left on his contract. Silva lost his title to Weidman at UFC 162 in July 2013. The second-round knockout ended a 17-fight winning streak that included 10 successful title defences. Silva was complimentary towards Weidman, calling him "a great champion." "Very talented. The guys for real," he said. In a conference call earlier this week, Diaz said he did not enjoy fighting and was a non-violent person. Its just something he had to do. Silva saw things a little differently, saying NASCAR drivers dont go out and burn rubber when they arent competing. "Its just a sport," he said of mixed martial arts. "Its a violent sport but it is what it is."
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Frank Gore Jersey . - Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said Wednesday hes "nodded off" during meetings, but he said its something every player does.Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Patric Hornqvist returned to the lineup and scored the game-winning goal during the third period to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-3 win over Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Hornqvist, who missed 11 games due to a lower-body injury, finished with two goals, David Perron had a goal and an assist and Steve Downie and Nick Spaling also scored for the Penguins, who ended a four-game skid. Kris Letang also came back for Pittsburgh after sitting out the final game prior to the All-Star break with a concussion and tallied four assists. Thomas Greiss made 19 saves in the win. Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn each posted a goal and an assist. Jacob Trouba also lit the lamp and Evander Kane supplied three helpers as the Jets five- game winning streak came to an end. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 25 shots in defeat. Pittsburgh has won its last six games against the Jets and owns a 14-game unbeaten streak at home against them that dates back to March 24, 2007, when they were the Atlanta Thrashers. Hornqvist put the Penguins ahead for good on the power play as he was stationed in front and whacked the puck past Greiss for a 4-3 Penguins lead 7:52 into the third period. Winnipeg pulled Pavellec with over a minute remaining and Hornqvist scored on the empty net with 28 seconds left to seal the win.
John Brodie Jersey. Perron skated down below the goal line and slipped a pass into the slot, where Spaling tapped the puck into the net to open the scoring 7:09 into the game. Just over two minutes into the second, Thorburn crashed the net and tipped in Lowrys lead pass past Greiss blocker for a tied game. Winnipeg went in front 2-1 on Troubas blast from the point that went past a screened Greiss with 7:13 remaining in the middle stanza. Letang blasted a shot from the right circle and Downie buried the rebound past Pavelec for a tied game with 4.6 seconds left in the second. The Jets didnt wait long to reclaim their lead as Lowry beat Greiss with a wrister 59 seconds into the final frame, but Perron tipped the puck through the pads of Pavelec for a power-play goal and a 3-3 score at 4:23. Game Notes Pittsburgh forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were both absent from the lineup due to lower-body injuries ... Letang registered his 200th career assist on Spalings marker ... Pittsburgh is now 21-5-5 when scoring first ... Pavelec is 2-13-1 in his career against the Penguins. ' ' '