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BOSTON -- Chael Sonnen (29-13-1) did exactly what everyone expected him to do: He outwrestled Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (21-8). Then he did what was almost unthinkable. He submitted the former UFC light heavyweight champion in the first round. The bout served as the main event of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen" card at Bostons TD Garden. Sonnen, who is primarily a middleweight, took Rua down immediately at the opening bell. But Rua patiently worked back to his feet and actually scored his own trip, working briefly from top position. But he couldnt hold Sonnen down, and hed soon pay for the mistake. With both fighters back on their feet, Sonnen shocked Rua by latching in a guillotine choke and falling to his back to finish the hold. With time ticking down, Sonnen squeezed the neck. Rua held out for as long as possible but was forced to tap with 13 seconds left in the first round. It was Ruas first submission loss since 2007. Afterward, Sonnen took the mike and issued a formal challenge to Brazilian MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. "Right here on the UFCs new home, FOX Sports 1, Wanderlei Silva, 6-feet tall and 205 pounds," Sonnen said in his post-fight interview. "Boy until I met you, I didnt know they could stack crap that high." The nights co-feature saw heavyweight dark horse Travis Browne (15-1-1) earn a stunning, come-from-behind victory over former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem (36-13). Browne was in trouble early, as an aggressive Overeem tagged him with several crushing knees to the body. While Browne absorbed the first few blows, the damage eventually sent him crumpling to the floor, where Overeem unleashed a flurry of vicious right hands. Browne covered up and moved each time referee Mario Yamasaki warned him the fight was about to be called, and he eventually found a way to his feet. Once there, things changed. As Overeem walked forward, Browne continually kicked from range. Eventually, a front kick found Overeems chin, sending him toppling to the canvas. Browne followed with two massive hammerfists, and Yamasaki awarded him the knockout win at 4:08 of the first frame. "We didnt know I was going to get my butt kicked for the first few minutes, but everything else went like we thought it would," Browne said. "I was mentally there, but Ive never had my body shut down like that on me. The referee kept saying he was going to stop it, and I was telling him that I was OK. "I was thinking about my sons and providing for my family; this is what Im made of." In a key bantamweight contest, former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Urijah Faber (29-6) proved hes still one of the worlds absolute best 135-pounders with a convincing decision win over Brazilian contender Iuri Alcantara (27-5). It was Alcantara who looked best early, cracking Fabers chin with a strike he later admitted he though may have broken his jaw. A lateral drop shortly after saw Alcantara secure a dominant position on the floor, where he went to work looking for a submission. Faber somehow survived each attempt and actually swept to the top, where he claimed momentum for the remainder of the fight. Faber outwrestled Alcantara for the final to-and-a-half rounds, repeatedly taking the action to the floor and preventing any counter attacks while peppering the head and body with ground-and-pound blows. After 15 minutes, Faber was awarded a decision win, 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27. "The beginning of the fight was pretty intense, and he was catching me with some really big punches," Faber said after the fight. "Lots of respect for Iuri. Hes a tough guy, and it was a great fight." In a matchup of perennially underrated welterweight contenders, Matt Brown (20-11) earned his sixth consecutive victory with a stunning 29-second knockout win over friend and former training partner Mike Pyle (25-9-1). Brown pushed forward from the opening bell, firing punches with impressive pressure. As Brown flurried, a right hand wobbled Pyle before a knee sent him to the canvas. Brown pounced with big right hands on the floor, and referee Kevin MacDonald stepped in to wave off the fight less than a half-minute after it started. "I really didnt want to do that," Brown said after the fight. "I love Pyle. Hes a great guy and a friend, but once youre in there, its either you or me. In a middleweight action, Boston native and late replacement John Howard (21-8) pulled off an upset win over "The Ultimate Fighter 17" finalist Uriah Hall (8-4). Hall, a striking wizard, surprisingly seemed content to wrestle for most of the fight, but Howard proved up to the challenge, defending well against the cage and countering with chopping leg kicks and leaping left hands. Hall unleashed flashy techniques in spurts, but none landed flush, and he failed to push forward after the missed techniques. Meanwhile, Howard turned in a blue-collar effort, outworking his opponent just enough to earn a split-decision in a bout that failed to live up to its potential. Final scores were 30-27, 28-29 and 29-28, allowing Howard to pick up the win in his first UFC fight since June 2011. "He did surprise me with the takedowns, and hes very dynamic on his feet," Howard said after the win. "Fighting in my hometown of Boston is a dream come true for me, and Im so thankful to the UFC for bringing me back." In the nights first main-card matchup, Boston native Joe Lauzon (22-9) struggled to find any success against fellow lightweight Michael Johnson (14-8) and fell victim to a one-sided unanimous-decision. Johnson controlled the action from start to finish, repeatedly lacing a straight left hand to the chin and countering every Lauzon strike with a flurry of his own. A gutsy Lauzon never stopped walking forward, but he struggled to gain any momentum, and Johnson was awarded the win with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-25. "This was definitely my best performance, not just because of how I performed but who I performed against," Johnson said after the win. "Joe is one of the guys I respected and wanted to fight from the time I got into the UFC. I knew hed be willing to compete with me where the fight was tough. He brought out the best in me." Wholesale New Balance Uk . CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec. New Balance Outlet UK .com) - James van Riemsdyk had two goals with one assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. http://www.cheapnewbalanceuk.com/. Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs. New Balance Sale Uk Online .Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday it is inevitable that the league will one day take after European sports and have sponsor names on team jerseys. Cheap New Balance Online .com) - The Los Angeles Kings werent playing their best hockey before the league went on break during the Winter Olympics.Prior to kick off, few would have given Euro 2016 minnows Iceland a chance against Portugal. The Nordic side, competing in their first ever major competition, are the smallest nation ever to make it to the European Championship finals.But while some might hail their improbable 1-1 draw as a triumph for the underdog, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo had a different view. In his post-match interview, the Real Madrid forward blamed his sides failure to win on their opponents tactical approach, saying, Iceland didnt try anything, they were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counter-attack. It was a lucky night for them.They scored a goal, they created two chances in the 90 minutes but otherwise they got every player behind the ball. They put the bus in the net.While no road vehicles actually made it onto the pitch during the game, Ronaldo isnt the only sportsman to use a strange excuse to justify a result, weve picked a few of our favourites from over the years…BOUNCY BALLS Kenny Dalglish blamed Newcastles FA Cup defeat to Stevenage on the ball being too bouncy Kenny Dalglish won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1995, but three years later was struggling to explain how his Newcastle side had only managed a draw against Stevenage in the FA Cup.The Scotsman eventually opted to apportion the blame to the ball, claiming it was too bouncy, an excuse which has become renowned as one of the worst in the sports history.AIR CONDITIONING Mervyn King blamed the air conditioning on his 2003 World Darts Championship defeat to Raymond Van Barneveld Mervyn Kings defeat to Raymond Van Barneveld in the 2003 World Darts Championship, was, the Englishman maintained, due to the air conditioning.Elaborating on his suggestion, King said I asked for it to be turned off before I went up there and it wasnt. I asked for it to be turned off at the break - it wasnt. The air conditioning doesnt affect Raymond because he throws a heavier dart and a very flat dart.Organisers insisted the air conditioning was left off for the duration of the match.dddddddddddd.WARDROBE MALFUNCTION Sanath Jayasuriya blamed Sri Lankas clothing in 2001 In the wake of their 2001 Champions Trophy loss, the Sri-Lanka cricket team held their kit responsible, alleging that it was too tight.Sanath Jayasuriya said: We had to add extensions to the trousers and the shirts looked more like tight-fitting womens blouses. UNEXPECTED DISTRACTION Ronnie Osullivan was put off by a streaker at the Masters in 1997 Leading 8-4 in the 1997 Masters Snooker final, little, it seemed, could derail 21-year-old Ronnie OSullivans quest to lift the trophy against fellow finalist Steve Davis.However, an unprecedented occurrence had taken place earlier in the match, in the form of Lianne Crofts, who at the start of the third frame became Snookers first-ever streaker.Needing to secure just two more frames to win, OSullivan was allegedly distracted by the incident, despite it taking place 10 frames before. He went on to lose the next six and ultimately the match.I needed to pull something out, fortunately a member of the crowd pulled something out and Ronnies…concentration was affected, Davis later said. THE PARANORMAL Eddy Curry was spooked ahead of a New York Knicks fixture Perhaps the most bizarre explanation on the list, in 2010 the New York Knicks blamed their defeat to Oklahama City Thunder on ghosts.Staying at the Skirvin Hilton, Knicks players claimed they had trouble sleeping, as they were convinced the hotel was haunted.Seven-foot tall centre Eddy Curry said he slept for just two hours on one of the nights of their stay because he couldnt stop thinking about ghosts roaming the hotel. Thunder ran out 106-88 winners. Also See: Sky Bets Premier League odds Sky Bets Transfer Specials ' ' '