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VANCOUVER - UFC president Dana White credits the rise of the companys flyweight division to a champion nicknamed after a cartoon character. "Every time he fights he gets better and better," White said of Demetrious Johnson this week. "You talk about legacies - his legacy is going to be as the guy who built this division." Known in the cage as "Mighty Mouse," Johnson will look to continue that work on Saturday night at UFC 174 when he defends his title against Ali (Puncher) Bagautinov in the octagon at Rogers Arena - the first time a 125-pound division bout will anchor a pay-per view card. "Its awesome," said the five-foot-three Johnson. "The UFC has given us a shot to headline a big pay-per view so Im pretty pumped to be the man to front that bill. Hopefully we can put on an exciting show on Saturday." Johnson (19-2-1 all-time) won the UFCs inaugural flyweight title back in 2012 and has defended it three times since, including a knockout of Joseph Benavidez in December. The 27-year-old who fights out of Parkland, Wash., said the pressure of a pay-per view spectacle doesnt add any pressure to put on a show. "My jobs to go out there and fight," said Johnson, who has a record of 7-1-1 in UFC. "If you look at all the flyweight fights, there hasnt been one boring one. Obviously theres boring fights in every single division. "But I havent sat there and watched a fight and thought, Man that was pretty boring." Johnson said the five-foot-four Bagautinov (13-2, 3-0) will pose a unique challenge because the 29-year-old Russian specializes in Sambo fighting, a form of mixed martial arts that he has never faced. "In order to keep my belt Ive just got to go out there and be myself and just fight," said Johnson, a heavy favourite in the eyes of bookmakers against the fourth-ranked challenger. "Regardless of whatever happens with this fight, whether I win or lose, the same thing is going to happen (afterwards). Im going to go home, relax and get ready for my next fight, whether its be defending my belt or trying to get it back." Saturday nights co-main event has Canadas Rory (Ares) MacDonald taking on Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley in a welterweight matchup between the No. 2- and No. 3-ranked challengers for Johny Hendricks belt. "Its the biggest fight ever for (MacDonald) and Woodley," said White. "Saturday night is the night that both these two have got to go out and make people want to see them fight for the title." The soft-spoken MacDonald — who was born in Quesnel B.C., but now fights out of Montreal and was mentored by Georges St-Pierre - said the Woodley fight is a chance to show he belongs at the top of the 170-pound division. "Its a big opportunity. Every fight you take is a big opportunity, but this on in particular," said the 24-year-old. "Im facing a very talented opponent and Im very excited to be matched up against someone like that and challenge my techniques against his." MacDonald (16-2, 7-2) lost to Robbie Lawler in a split decision at Novembers UFC 167, but rebounded to take a unanimous decision against Demian Maia at UFC 170 in February. "Losing can be a good thing in the long run for a mixed martial artist," said MacDonald. "You learn your weaknesses and turn them into strengths." A technically sound fighter who learned his craft at the famed Tristar Gym alongside St-Pierre in Montreal, MacDonald said he believes hes ready to take his game to the next level. "I want people to talk after my fights and be like Wow thats another Rory MacDonald I havent seen. Thats the best Rory MacDonald Ive seen so far. Thats my goal for this fight." White said MacDonald needs to start turning some of the talk and hype surrounding his talents into consistent performances. "Rory has these moments where he comes out and does nothing," said White. "The fight isnt exciting. He doesnt seem like hes got that killer instinct to finish a fight and get to that next level to be everything that GSP said about him." The 32-year-old Woodley (13-2, 3-1), a former All-American wrestler, scored a technical knockout of Carlos Condit at UFC 171 in March and expects MacDonald to be the most well-rounded fighter he has faced. "Rory is a guy who started doing mixed martial arts all together," said the St. Louis native. "I think thats the biggest challenge. He spent quite a bit of his youth as a teenager training (in) mixed martial arts. Hes had a great camp to train out of, hes had a champion to train under. I think those are the threats, but in actuality Ive had other fights and other fighters whove been a little bit more threatening than Rory. "If you cant really threaten me to freakin knock my head off like certain other guys Ive fought, I just dont get that anxiety." Like MacDonald, Woodley added that he also sees Saturdays bout as a stepping stone to an eventual shot at the UFC welterweight title. "I plan on every fight from now on being me fighting for the title or defending the title," he said. "Im just mentally getting prepared for that. I know that I have to beat guys like him consistently." Its expected that Saturdays crowd at Rogers Arena should be on the side of the B.C.-born MacDonald, but his American opponent, perhaps naively, disagreed. "I really just dont think Rory MacDonald has this huge following in Vancouver like people think," said Woodley. "Hes not Georges St-Pierre. This is not Montreal. "Vancouver fans like MMA and they might like me, they might like him, but I think they respect what I bring to the table and they respect that I respect him, and I think thats enough." White called that view a little far-fetched. "I think hes super delusional if he thinks thats the case," White said with a smile. "Were in Canada, man. Let me tell you what — Canadas going to be cheering for the Canadian." Saturdays card also includes: light heavyweight Ryan (Darth) Bader against Rafael (Feijao) Cavalcante; heavyweight Andrei (The Pit Bull) Arlovski against Brendan (The Hybrid) Schaub; light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux against Ryan (The Big Deal) Jimmo of Saint John, N.B.; welterweight Daniel Sarafian against Kiichi (Strasser) Kunimoto; womens bantamweight Valerie (Trouble) Letourneau of Montreal against Elizabeth Phillips; bantamweight Yves (Tiger) Jabouin against Mike (The Hulk) Easton; lightweight (Ragin) Kajan Johnson of Burns Lake, B.C., against Tae Hyun (Supernatural) Bang; bantamweight Roland Delorme of Winnipeg against Michinori Tanaka; and lightweight Jason Saggo of Toronto against Josh Shockley. DaNorris Searcy Jersey . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. 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Seven NHL referees and six linesmen will be assigned upcoming games in Sochi by the IIHF as part of their 28-man officiating roster comprised of 14 refs and 14 linesmen.THE FORMATIONS Toronto FC lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, as it did last weekend in its 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders. There was one change to TFCs starting XI, as designated player, Gilberto, made his debut in a Toronto jersey, replacing Dwayne De Rosario up front. DC United named an unchanged lineup from their 3-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on the opening weekend of the season (DC had a bye last weekend). Head coach Ben Olsen again chose to line up his team in a 4-4-2 diamond formation. (Click for larger) THE GAME Toronto FCs home debut wasnt pretty. Not because the players on display were poor, but because the pitch simply wasnt ready for soccer. That is not the fault of the BMO Field grounds crew though, who did an admirable job getting the surface prepared for the game. But after the coldest winter in recent memory, it was always going to be an impossible task to turn the playing surface into the lush carpet that players come to expect. While DC United boss Ben Olsen said the pitch "was as bad as Ive ever seen in MLS", it didnt stop the players from trying to play. But the bobbly surface, which cut up as the game wore on, made it virtually impossible for the players to string long sequences of passes together. Despite the difficult conditions (it was also cold and windy down on the pitch), there were some glimpses of what lies ahead for the long-suffering fans of Toronto FC. The partnership between Jermain Defoe and Gilberto looks to be very promising. Defoes movement in the final third was exceptional, and he had a number of chances in the first half to break the deadlock. In Gilberto, Defoe has a partner who can serve as his perfect foil. The Brazilian was comfortable dropping deep to receive the ball, didnt shy away from the physical battle, and once he had the ball at his feet, was willing to drive at the back four or play the role of provider. Michael Bradley was again a dominant force in midfield, and his partnership with Jonathan Osorio is also reason for optimism. They can both get caught ahead of the ball at times (as they did in Seattle last week for the Sounders goal) but that is due more to their lack of familiarity than to any tactical negligence. The early signs are that these two players will be very influential for Toronto FC. At the back, TFC looked comfortable all game. Both Doneil Henry and Steven Caldwell had strong games, with Henry winning everything in the air. In Eddie Johnson and Fabian Espindola, DC United have two very experienced front men, but Henry and Caldwell thwarted everything that the pair could throw their way. THE TURNING POINT Only one goal separated the teams at the final whistle, and it came from great work from Torontos three designated players. Apparently, you do get what you pay for. On the hour mark, Bradley picked up a square ball from Osorio in midfield, took one touch and floated a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Gilberto, who haad made a great run in behind DC Uniteds central defender, Jeff Parke.dddddddddddd (Click for larger) Gilberto settled the ball with a perfect first touch, and as the covering defender, Bobby Boswell, was closing him down, fired a right-footed shot on target. Look at the positional awareness of Defoe when Gilberto is shooting; he put himself in the ideal position to pick up the rebound. He didnt charge in full-speed towards goal; instead, he held his run so that he could adjust his position, which gave him the best possible chance of recovering the ball. (Click for larger) DC United goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, did very well to parry the hard, low shot from Gilberto. Bobby Boswell tried to hack the ball clear, but Defoe, who had taken up the ideal position inside the penalty area, intercepted his clearance. (Click for larger) From there, Defoe did what he does best. He took one touch to set himself and one touch to fire the ball into the back of the net. THE POSITIVES In a scrappy game, it was encouraging to see the developing partnerships all over the pitch for Toronto FC. The strength of this team is its spine: Defoe-Gilberto / Bradley-Osorio / Caldwell-Henry / Julio Cesar is as good a spine as any team in MLS. If those players can stay healthy (and not miss too many games due to this summers World Cup), Toronto FC fans can look forward to playoff soccer for the first time in the clubs history. Defoe was a class apart against DC United. His movement to pull off the shoulders of the DC United defenders was something that all aspiring strikers should watch over and over again. But I thought that 20-year old Henry was immense for TFC. Ive said it before (and I promise you, Ill be saying it again) - Henry is going to be a real player. THE NEGATIVES Jackson had a game to forget, and I suspect that he could be getting a call from the Leagues Disciplinary Committee. In the 50th minute, Jackson was booked for an altercation with DC Uniteds Davy Arnaud. While the referee cautioned Jackson on the play, I think that video evidence will show that Jackson intentionally elbowed Arnaud off the ball – which could draw a suspension similar to the one received by Seattles Clint Dempsey for striking TFCs Mark Bloom last weekend. THE STAR MAN With three goals in his first two games in MLS, Defoe is off to a flying start for Toronto FC. Goals get the headlines – and rightly so – but it was Defoes overall play that was so impressive. His movement and finishing ability are superb, and if his teammates can continue to deliver him good service, it is quite possible that Defoe will sit atop the leagues scoring chart come the end of the season. Never before has Toronto FC started the season with two victories. But a major investment in better players is paying dividends early on for TFC as they sit joint top of the Eastern Conference standings with maximum points from their first two games. 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