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LAS VEGAS -- Daniel Cormier beat one of the greatest fighters of all time at UFC 200, though it was not the night he or the fans envisioned.Cormier (18-1) defeated the great Anderson Silva via unanimous decision Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Cormier took Silva down in all three rounds of their nontitle light heavyweight fight. Judges awarded Cormier with unanimous 30-26 scores.Of course, Cormier was supposed to defend his 205-pound championship against interim champion Jon Jones in the main event, but that matchup was canceled when Jones was informed of a potential doping violation Wednesday. Silva, 41, replaced Jones on two days notice.The Las Vegas crowd booed Cormiers game plan of taking Silva to the floor. Afterward, Cormier said the strategy was necessary.Ive been training for a specific guy for eight weeks, said Cormier, who trains out of American Kickboxing Academy. The guy falls out of competition. I was a little nervous. Hes so good, I did what I had to do. Its tough to switch opponents. The guys the greatest fighter weve ever seen in the Octagon. I cant complain. I did what I had to do.Silva (33-8) was only two months removed from a surgical procedure to remove his gallbladder. UFC president Dana White praised him afterward for taking the fight on short notice.He went in and fought the light heavyweight champion of the world, White said on SportsCenter after UFC 200. People love Anderson, man. What he did this weekend reminded everybody of why he was the great champion he was. Everybody respected him tonight and gave him love.Silva didnt put up much of a fight early, giving up a single-leg takedown on Cormiers first attempt. The rest of the round essentially consisted of Silva trying to tie Cormier up from the bottom.A nice right hand by Cormier early in the second round appeared to wake up Silva a little. He jumped into a knee strike, which drew a smile from Cormier. Moments later, Cormier caught a body kick and took Silva down, which drew boos from the crowd.Referee John McCarthy helped Silva out with two stand-ups -- one in the second and one in the third. It was clear that Silva had no shot at getting back to his feet on his own against Cormier, an Olympic-level wrestler and former heavyweight.In the third round, Silva flirted with what would have been one of the most shocking comebacks in UFC history, hitting Cormier with a stiff left kick to the body that had him visibly wincing. Silva went after Cormier with another jumping knee, which opened the door for Cormier to grab on and tie Silva up in a clinch until the end of the fight.Silva, who hasnt recorded a win since October 2012, did not appear upset with the result.This fight was a big personal challenge for me, Silva said through an interpreter, to accept it and come in here and put into practice all Ive done throughout the years.Cormier, 37, remains the undisputed light heavyweight champion. He has defended the title once, via split decision against Alexander Gustafsson in October. A contenders bout between Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira at UFC 202 on Aug. 20 could determine Cormiers next opponent. Jones, meanwhile, is facing a potential two-year suspension. Kansas City Royals Pro Shop . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Cheap Royals Jerseys . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Stitched Royals Jerseys . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Fake Royals Jerseys . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Ohio State reminded us all last season that sometimes what seems like a good problem is really just a problem.There is no doubt who the quarterback of the Buckeyes will be to start this season. Barring injury, J.T. Barrett is the man and considering all the retooling being done around him, he might just be the most important player in the conference.Unless its the new quarterbacks for Ohio States top two rivals. Defending conference champion Michigan State and Michigan will be breaking in starters. How quickly they bring stability to the position will have a major impact on the playoff hopes of both the Spartans and Wolverines.Those are the givens, but looking beyond the quarterbacks (in most cases) there are other players who will play pivotal roles for their Big Ten teams this season. Here are six:TOMMY ARMSTRONG, QB, NEBRASKAArmstrong has not been at Nebraska since Bill Callahan was coach, but it sure does feel that way for the senior who has been starting since midway through his redshirt freshman season. Armstrongs first season in Mike Rileys offense produced the expected ups and down. He passed for 3,030 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran 400 yards and seven scores. He also completed a substandard 55 percent and tossed 16 interceptions. Cut down on the picks and boost that percentage above 60 and the Cornhuskers could be back in the Big Ten title game.VINCE BIEGEL, LB, WISCONSINThe senior was one of the best linebackers in the country last season, teaming with Joe Schobert to form a devastating pass-rush combo. They combined for 17 1/2 sacks and 23 hurries. Schobert is gone, meaning offenses can pay more attention to Biegel. How will he respond?JALEEL JOHNSON, DT, IOWAThe 310-pound senior pprovides some pass rush in the middle and helps free up leading tackler Josey Jewell.dddddddddddd Even with an All-America at cornerback in Desmond King, Johnson has potential to be the best player on a solid defense.ANDREW NELSON, OT, PENN STATEThe Nittany Lions offensive line had more depth and talent last season, but still not enough production. A healthy Nelson locking down left tackle and providing protection for whoever plays quarterback is paramount. Penn State has some weapons at receiver and running back. The line has to give them a chance to flourish.R.J. SHELTON, WR, MICHIGAN STATEMichigan States new starting quarterback will be looking for a new No. 1 receiver to replace all-conference performer Aaron Burbridge, who had more catches and yards than the Spartans second- and third-leading receivers combined. Shelton was No. 3 with 43 catches for 503 yards. There are talented youngsters on the roster, but Shelton is the leader.MIKE WEBER, RB, OHIO STATEThe promising sophomore missed all of last season with a knee injury. He returns to find plenty of carries waiting for him now that Ezekiel Elliott is in the NFL and Brionte Dunn was dismissed from the team. Its probably too much to ask Weber to be the all-around player Elliott was for the Buckeyes, but he needs to be go-to No. 1 back.---EXTRA POINT:Six more pivotal players: Trey Edmunds, RB, Maryland; Darius Hamilton, DL, Rutgers; Austin Carr, WR, Northwestern; Shannon Brooks, RB, Minnesota; Hardy Nickerson, LB, Illinois; Jonathan Crawford, S, Indiana.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '