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Making it to the UFC isnt easy. Eric Dickerson Jersey . And the road doesnt necessarily become any smoother once you get there.Alaska-based heavyweight Jared (Tha Killa Gorilla) Cannonier (7-0) has achieved his dream of earning a UFC contract. But he has had to turn to others for financial help to try to make the most of his UFC debut.Cannonier, whose day job is repairing air traffic control equipment for the Federal Aviation Administration, took two months off from work to prepare for Saturdays fight against former LSU fullback Shawn (The Savage) Jordan (16-6) on the undercard of UFC 182 in Las Vegas.Jon (Bones) Jones (20-1) looks to defend his light-heavyweight title for the eighth time when he faces former Olympic wrestler Daniel (DC) Cormier (15-0) in the main event at the MCM Grand Garden Arena. Cannonier held his training camp at The Lab in Glendale, Ariz. The gym is home to former UFC lightweight champion Benson (Smooth) Henderson as well as UFC veterans Efrain (Hecho en Mexico) Escudero and Joe (Diesel) Riggs.Im sparring with animals, Cannonier said approvingly.He raised more than US$6,000 on gofundme.com to help pay for training camps, offering signed memorabilia and his gratitude in response. Donations have ranged from $10 to $600.A lot of people came out and they donated and they supported me, he said in a recent interview. They all helped me out.Cannoniers mother and family back home also stepped up.Fighters at the beginning of their career look to earn win or performance bonuses to enhance their UFC pay. Two losing fighters at UFC 181, for example, had to make do with basic purses of $8,000, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.Originally from Dallas, Cannonier joined the U.S. Army after college. After just under three years in the military, he moved north in 2009 when he was offered a similar air traffic control equipment maintenance job in Anchorage by the FAA.If we dont do our job, thered be planes falling out of the sky left and right, he said.Cannonier, who met his wife in Alabama while he was in the army, has enjoyed his time in Alaska.The people there are really nice. Its a lot different in Texas, especially in the winter time, he said.Its also where the five-foot-11, 240-pounder started doing jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, although he got a taste of it in the military when he did a couple of months of training in the Modern Army Combatives program.He found a home in the Gracie Barra academy in Anchorage, beginning to study jiu-jitsu in February 2010 and then mixed martial arts that summer.I loved doing it, he said.He was hooked after two amateur fights, both wins.Then I decided to go pro because I felt if these guys are going to be punching me in my face, I might as well get paid for it.He made his pro debut in June 2011, stopping Alton Prince in the first round of a Fairbanks card colourfully called Midnight Sun Mayhem 1 — Final Word. He reeled off another first-round win four months later at Alaska Fighting Championship 85 — Tortures & Takedowns in Anchorage.He has won five since, all in Alaska, with three more first-round stoppages although Cannonier acknowledges that some of his opponents were inexperienced as a result of other fighters dropping out.He did not fight in 2012 after surgery to repair a torn labrum suffered in a jiu-jitsu tournament. But he won since then, attracting the attention of the UFC. His last fight was a five-round split decision over Tony Lopez in January for the Alaska Fighting Championship title.His fight schedule was interrupted after that by a three-month FAA course in Oklahoma City.Cannonier credits his wife for helping him juggle his job and training, not to mention their kids aged two and five.Im not organized at all. Shes the organizing one, he said. Shes the reason why Im able to do the sport that I love to do.In a perfect world, Cannonier would move his family to Arizona and fight full time.I appreciate my job. Im blessed to have the job I have but its not what I love to do. he said. Its work for me.Training and fighting and overcoming those obstacles in the cage and on the mats, thats more of a challenge for me, which is what I liked to do. I like to be challenged.So Saturday night could be more than a fight for Cannonier. It could be a life-changer.It could. Exactly, he agreed. Im going full steam ahead.Cannonier follows in the footsteps of Alaska fighters Lauren Murphy and Andy Enz. Alaskan Nic Herron-Webb was a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Jack Youngblood Youth Jersey .500 were once common achievements for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, both are season highs as Dallas slowly works its way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference. Deacon Jones Youth Jersey . Expensive. The NFL fined Tomlin $100,000 on Wednesday for interfering with Baltimores Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return in the third quarter of a 22-20 loss to the Ravens on Thanksgiving night. http://www.footballramsshop.us/authentic-david-long-rams-jersey/ . -- Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and travelled 60 yards up the field before finally getting tripped up by a leg tackle. MINNEAPOLIS -- After a rough first two innings, Nick Tepesch settled down and cruised through another quality outing to help the Texas Rangers stay hot. Tepesch won his second consecutive start, Elvis Andrus and Chris Gimenez each had two RBIs, and the Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Monday afternoon. Tepesch (2-0) gave up both his runs in the first two innings before lasting 6 2-3. He struck out four to win consecutive starts for the first time in his career. "Thats one of the things that made me successful today, to be able to put the first two innings behind me," Tepesch said. "Treat each inning as a new inning." Alex Rios added two more hits and now has six straight multi-hit games. The Rangers have won three straight and five of six after a rough start to the season. "Early in the season everything didnt go the way we wanted it to," Andrus said. "At the same time, we still trust in each other and we knew theres a lot of baseball left. Everyone is feeling well right now as a team." Trevor Plouffe homered and Eduardo Escobar had two hits and an RBI for the Twins, who have lost four in a row since climbing two games over .500 on May 21. After Kevin Correia (2-6) set down nine straight, Roughned Odor and Shin-Soo Choo lined back-to-back two-out singles in the fifth. Andrus followed with a double to the gap in left-centre that scored both runners and broke a 2-all tie. "Its two-out hits. Thats been the theme this season," Correia said. "That one pitch or two pitches a game, you make that one pitch and its a world of difference." Gimenez made it 6-2 with a two-run double down the line in left in the eighth off reliever Jared Burton and Texas was on its way to another win. "We just got off to a bad start," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Im so happy that were finally putting it together as a group." Minnesota had its opening day outfield back together for the first time since the first week of the season. Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia were activated from the disabled list after Sundays game and started alongside centre-fielder Aaron Hicks. But the re-enforcements werent enough to overcome Tepesch, whoo didnt allow a runner past second base after the second inning. Kurt Warner Jersey. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire knows it might take a few more at-bats before Willingham and Arcia are able to help lift Minnesotas struggling offence. "That can be a huge part of it, driving the baseball and let them get a few at-bats here," Gardenhire said. "It takes a little time, a little different pitching up here than down there." Tepesch dominated Triple-A Round Rock after getting demoted in spring training and has a 2.95 ERA in three big-league starts since being recalled May 14. "Hes shown these three starts what hes capable of doing," Washington said. "But you cant hang your hat on a couple of outings. If hes around here healthy, hes going to get many outings. I just want him to be consistent." Hicks, a career switch-hitter, informed manager Ron Gardenhire before the game that he has decided to only hit from the right side. The struggling prospect is hitting .250 right-handed compared to .149 from the left side. He had two singles Monday. Two replay reviews went against the Twins. Arcia slided into third after a botched play in the outfield in the first, but a review showed third-baseman Adrian Beltre tagging him before his foot reached the base. Gardenhire challenged an out call at first on Willinghams dribbler down the line in the sixth, but the call stood. NOTES: Hicks told Gardenhire before the game he had no confidence swinging from the left side. "He came to me this morning and said he wants to hit right-handed. So, obviously, when a guy has no confidence left-handed, you gotta do what you gotta do," Gardenhire said. ... This was Ron Washingtons 1,186th game as Rangers manager, tied with Bobby Valentine for most in franchise history. ... Texas P Tanner Scheppers, out since April 18 with elbow inflammation, had his first rehab outing on Saturday with Double-A Frisco and will make three more with Triple-A Round Rock before being eligible to return on June 3. ... Choo hopes to return to left field on Tuesday after DHing the last two games with a sore left ankle. ... Phil Hughes (5-1, 3.15 ERA) will try for his fifth consecutive win on Tuesday against the Rangers Yu Darvish (4-2, 2.35). ' ' '