Americans slipped from the top of the leaderboard in qualifying to fifth in team finals -- Naddour has no regrets, pointing out hes

CLEVELAND -- Stipe Miocic broke this citys curse in May, when he won the UFC heavyweight championship. On Saturday, he made sure the curse stayed buried.Miocic (16-2) recorded his first title defense at UFC 203 inside Quicken Loans Arena, knocking out Alistair Overeem with strikes on the ground at 4:27 of the opening round.It was a career moment for the Ohio native, who was forced to win the title inside the unfriendly confines of Curitiba, Brazil, against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198.A former Strikeforce and K-1 kickboxing champion, Overeem (41-15) dropped Miocic with a left hand in the opening moments and immediately went for a guillotine. The choke appeared tight, but Miocic managed to shake free of it and get back to his feet. Overeem later claimed Miocic had tapped and the referee had missed it, but replays could not verify the claim.Miocic, who recovered quickly from the knockdown after getting back to his feet, also said he wasnt in danger on the choke.He kicked harder than I thought, Miocic said. He put me on my ass, and that guillotine -- I trained to get out of it. Im a boxer, wrestler, but I train that s--- every day.It is the 12th knockout win of Miocics career. A former collegiate wrestler and baseball player, Miocic stunned Overeem with a jab and right hand after trapping him along the fence.The Cleveland crowd roared as Miocic hammered Overeem with a right uppercut and another straight right moments later. On several occasions, Overeem literally ran away from Miocic in an effort to circle away from the pressure. He also threw a counter left hand to back Miocic off, but Miocic absorbed the punch well and continued to pursue.The finishing sequence began when Miocic caught a side kick aimed at his legs, a staple of Overeems game since joining Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Overeem tried to roll out of the takedown, but Miocic followed him to the floor on the scramble and got into top position with less than a minute left in the round. Two hard right hands left Overeem unconscious and officially guaranteed the UFC championship would remain in Ohio.Stipe was the better man today, Overeem said. Hes a great athlete. Hes tough.Originally from Amsterdam, Overeem suffered his first loss since Sept. 2014. It is the 10th knockout loss of the 36-year-olds career. Prior to UFC 203, he had recorded wins over Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson, Junior dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski. Overeem was originally supposed to fight for the UFC title in 2012 but lost the opportunity when he failed a random drug test in Nevada. He went on to lose three of his next four fights before turning it around with a four-fight win streak.Former champion Cain Velasquez (14-2) and Werdum (21-6-1) are the most obvious candidates to fight for the belt next. Werdum picked up a unanimous decision win against Travis Browne in Saturdays co-main event. Warren Moon Womens Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Tennessee Titans Jerseys . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-20-Kevin-Byard-Womens-Jersey/ .ca! 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Alex Naddour stops himself in mid-thought, his brain tapping the brakes so he can stress that hes aware his spot on the 2016 U.S. mens Olympic gymnastics team is not simply the result of the force of his considerable will.Im the luckiest guy I know, Naddour said.Let him count the ways.Theres his infant daughter, Lilah, whose arrival earlier this year gave the 25-year-old a perspective while sanding away the rough edges to his intense personality.Theres his wife, two-time world champion Hollie Vise, who knows a thing or two about the sacrifices it takes to compete at the highest level in an uncompromising sport.Theres his father, Mike, who came out of retirement to help his son become more than the one American whose grace makes pommel horse look like a good time, something to be enjoyed instead of endured.Maybe thats why the tears came so freely after Naddour heard his name called as part of the five-man group that will head to Brazil next month with the hopes of getting the U.S. back on the podium after flaming out in the finals in London four years ago. Maybe thats why he pounded his right hand over his heart at the end of his pommel horse routine on the final night of Olympic Trials.It took a lot of people to get to this point, he said.An alternate in 2012, Naddour never lacked belief he would make it even as he saw other teammates bask in the kind of attention that seemed to elude him.There were banners outside national championships, and Im not on them, he said. There were promos, I wasnt in them.There was the embarrassment of the 2013 world championships, when he was held out of the all-around competition despite finishing second behind Sam Mikulak at nationals.Nearly three years later, the snub still stings. Yet it provided more fuel to an internal fire that has long led Naddour to go his own way. He left the powerhouse program at Oklahoma in fall 2011 after clashing with coach Mark Williams over workload. Naddour wanted to focus all his attention on getting to the 2012 Olympics, something he doesnt believe he could have done if he stayed with the Sooners. Concerned over the potential workload of competing in the all-around during a collegiate season, Naddour headed back home to Arizona to train with his father.While he didnt make it to the floor in London -- watching from the stands as the Americans slipped from the top of the leaderboard in qualifying to fifth in team finals -- Naddour has no regrets, pointing out hes nearing a degree in business management at Arizona State. And because he didnt have to worry about retaining his amateur status following those games, Naddour was able to turn the paychecks he received for participating in the post-Olympic tour into a down payment on a house.ddddddddddddI know (leaving) was the right choice, said Naddour, who dabbles in real estate to help pay the bills.So was the decision to press forward with a family. He found a kindred spirit in Vise, who won a pair of gold medals at the 2003 world championships. They were married last May and she pointed to a narrow window in which they could get a jumpstart on parenthood before training for Rio overtook Naddours life.Lilahs arrival in late winter would have signaled an abrupt lifestyle change in most marriages. Not for the Naddours, who upgraded to a one-story ranch to make it easier for Lilah (and they hope, one day, the rest of their kids) to get around. Hollie gave give Alex the master bedroom so he could get some regular sleep while mother and daughter moved to the other side of the house.Maybe some other wives would get frustrated but she gets my training, she knows how bad I want it, Naddour said. She takes care of Lilah in the morning so I can sleep and nighttime when I can sleep. Without her being in the sport and knowing what it takes, that would be difficult.A typical day for Naddour includes training at the gym from 11:30-4. Hollie then arrives at the gym -- where she runs the womens program -- and leaves Lilah with one of the grandparents before Naddour takes over from 4-8. Then its dinner and a little quiet time. When Hollie and Lilah head off to bed, Naddour heads outside for cardio.Ive got some payback to do as soon as all this is over, Naddour said. Im on daddy duty probably indefinitely once my career is over.Theres no telling when that day will come. Naddour built his reputation as one of the few Americans who excel on pommel horse -- a 45-second battle between gravity and the lactic acid in your arms and legs that few Americans win. Its a pretty quick way to get the attention of U.S. national team officials, yet after just missing out on London, Naddour realized he needed to become a more complete gymnast.When we didnt get to compete (in London) it was like: `Why? What happened? he said. Then we looked at the scores and while we contribute on pommels, it wasnt enough. With a five-man team, you need other events. Everyone knows it, I didnt at the time.Now he does. While Naddour won pommel horse easily during trials, he was also third on rings, sixth on floor exercise and eighth on vault, performances that made him a lock for Rio, while other teammates were relegated to alternate.Its a role he respects, but one hes happy not to fulfill this time around. ' ' '