VANCOUVER - Rory MacDonald says he doesnt feel any added pressure to carry Canadas mixed martial arts torch in Georges St-Pierre

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VANCOUVER - Rory MacDonald says he doesnt feel any added pressure to carry Canadas mixed martial arts torch in Georges St-Pierres absence. Julian Edelman Jersey . In fact, his mentors hiatus from the UFC makes McDonalds quest to reach the top of the welterweight division a little easier. "It opens things up for me to get to where I want to be," MacDonald said this week. "Ive learned a lot from Georges. No extra pressure, Ive just got to be myself." It remains to be seen if St-Pierre will return to the sport he dominated, but the 24-year-old MacDonald — who goes by the nickname "Ares" — is intent on continuing his climb this Saturday at UFC 174 when he takes on Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley in the co-main event at Rogers Arena. Both men have their sights set on Johny Hendricks welterweight title, with MacDonald ranked as the No. 2 challenger and Woodley at No. 3. Shy in front of the media glare, MacDonald said he just has to continue working on what has brought him to this point. "I think people like me for who I am," said MacDonald, who was born in Quesnel, B.C., but now trains in Montreal. "Ive gotten to the position Im in because of being who I am — a couple stumbles along the way but I feel like Im hitting my stride right now." One of those stumbles actually came in Vancouver when MacDonald (16-2) lost at UFC 115 in June 2010 to Carlos Condit. His only other defeat came to Robbie Lawler in a split decision at UFC 167 in November, but MacDonald rebounded to beat Demian Maia in a split decision at UFC 170 in February. "You pick and choose your spots. You play between defence and offence against other good fighters," said MacDonald. "I just had a great training camp. No injuries and things went great. I felt great in my sparrings and my techniques are sharp." Woodley (13-2), a two-time All-American wrestler at the University of Missouri, has just three UFC bouts under his belt, including a technical knockout victory over Condit at UFC 171 in March. MacDonald said if he fights to his strengths against Woodley, he should come out on top. "I know the techniques. They come out as instinct right now," said MacDonald. "Ive trained them so much. So Ive just got to go in there and do my thing. "Im ready for everything. Last time here was unbelievable, the response I got. If its the same, more, or less Ill be ready." In a era where athletes in all sports are constantly looking for an edge, MacDonald said he doesnt study video of his opponents before a fight, preferring to use his instincts. "Ive fought a lot of people in the past — never seen them, never heard of them and had to deal with their problems," he said. "I find it easier to do it like that, to react in the cage." MacDonald is hoping for the same against Woodley on Saturday night. "Hes a great fighter. To beat him you have to be tricky and use good techniques," he said. "I feel very confident in my abilities and the solutions I have." Keshawn Martin Patriots Jersey . Chan captured two silver medals at last months Sochi Winter Games — mens singles and the inaugural team event. But he doesnt have the urge to resume training to defend his world title when the event is held in Saitama, Japan, later this month. David Andrews Patriots Jersey . But the young forward is more than willing to shed a little blood if thats what it takes to make the team this season. "It caught me pretty good, dazed me for that shift, but I didnt want to be off the ice for too long," he said after practice, his lip still bleeding a little despite the plastic stitches holding it together. http://www.patriotsfanaticstore.com/authentic-geneo-grissom-patriots-jersey/ . Spezza scored a power-play goal with 5 minutes left and Stephane Da Costa had the other two goals to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.SAN ANTONIO -- Even though it was an ugly victory, the banged-up San Antonio Spurs were just happy to end a three-game losing streak given their troubling rash of recent injuries. Tim Duncan had 23 points and 17 rebounds, Tony Parker added 18 points and 10 assists, and San Antonio rallied past the skidding Sacramento Kings 95-93 on Saturday night. The win came in San Antonios final home game before departing for its annual "Rodeo Road Trip" that lasts nearly a month. "Its huge to start the road trip like that," Parker said. "We needed a win. Obviously we were in a little slump with those three losses. We wanted to get back on the right track." Patty Mills scored 15 points and Boris Diaw added 14 for San Antonio, which wont play at home again until Feb. 26 against Detroit. Despite playing Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento almost spoiled the going-away party for the Spurs. Isaiah Thomas had 26 points, Rudy Gay scored 23 and Derrick Williams added 14 for the Kings, who have lost seven straight. "Were playing the San Antonio Spurs; theyre going to make their runs," Gay said. "Theyre going to make tough plays. They do that time and time again. Its not were surprised that they did that. But we still had a chance to win and I still wish I had the shot back." After scoring 22 points primarily against Marco Belinelli, Gay was limited to one in the fourth with the 6-foot-8 Diaw guarding him. Gay missed a potential game-winning, 15-foot jumper over Diaw with 0.5 seconds remaining. "The rim. The rim," Gay said when asked what he saw on the final shot. "I mean, honestly, I wish I had that one back; I dont think I miss that too many other times." After being outplayed by Gay and Thomas for much of the game, the veteran Spurs took over down the stretch to end their longest losing streak of the season. Parker and Duncan scored San Antonios final eight points, but they also gave Sacramento hope by going 1 for 3 on free throws in the final 12 seconds. Duncan missed both his attempts with the Spurs clinging to a 94-93 lead. "Very, very, very (frustrating)," Duncan said. "Not many times I get that situation. Just disappointed I couldnt step up and knock them out." The Spurs were sluggish on offence with newly signed Shannon& Brown starting and Tiago Splitter returning from injury, giving them their third different starting lineup in three games. Marcus Cannon Patriots Jersey. Brown, signed to a 10-day contract, had two points and two rebounds in 14 minutes. "We need minutes," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We have to use those minutes so that guys that know the system can be out there at the end of the game. Otherwise, theyre going to be too tired at the end. He gave us good minutes so that we could get everybody else in." San Antonio shot 6 for 20 in the third quarter while falling behind by as many as 10 points. Gay and Thomas matched that production themselves, going a combined 6 for 13 in the third. Williams first 3-pointer gave Sacramento a 76-66 lead with 2 minutes left in the third. Matt Bonner hit a 3 for the Spurs and a jumper that tied the game at 85 with 6 minutes remaining. Then he drove the lane for a runner off the glass after Thomas went flying past him at the 3-point line. That gave San Antonio an 87-85 lead, its first since early in the third quarter. "(Bonner) was great," Duncan said. "He stepped up and scored a bunch of points in a row for us. Made some plays for us. Its going to be big for guys to step up as we have people out." The Spurs are still without Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, but Splitters return lifted their spirits. Splitter scored only two points but grabbed four rebounds and helped solidify the teams interior defence. "It was great to be back on the court with the guys," Splitter said. "I wasnt that aggressive on offence, but I just tried to help the guys on defence with the coverage and helps. Most importantly, we won, so Im happy." The Kings were missing leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins, who sat out his sixth straight game due to a sprained left ankle. Gay and Thomas made up for his loss offensively, accounting for half of the teams 53 first-half points. NOTES: Splitter got his loudest ovation of the season when he was announced in the starting lineup after missing 12 games with a sprained right shoulder. He came off the bench in the second half. ... Cousins suited up but did not play. He is day to day. ... Ginobili (strained left hamstring), Leonard (broken hand) and Green (broken left index finger) all sat behind the Spurs bench. NFL Jerseys China cheap jerseys ' ' '