UFC on Fox: Demetrious Johnson defends title; Rampage Jackson loses

Demetrious Johnson successfully defended his flyweight title at UFC Chicago, unanimously outpointing John Dodson in front of a capacity crowd Saturday night at the United Center.

Dodson, fighting at 125 pounds, landed left hands twice in the second round, sending Johnson to the ground. In the third round, Johnson had a takedown and landed a knee to get back in the fight. Johnson was warned after two illegal knees, a low blow in the first round and an illegal knee in the fourth round.

Johnson (17-2-1) started taking control late in fourth land, landing a series of knees to Dodson’s head and a series of punches as Dodson (15-6) tired. It continued in the fifth and final round, as Dodson couldn’t defend repeated knees to his head.

Johnson struggled in the first two rounds.

“I got dazed a little bit, but I am in good shape,” Johnson said. “It is going to happen. You are going to get hit.”

In what may have been the most anticipated fight of the night, Glover Teixeira topped Rampage Jackson in a unanimous decision in a light heavyweight bout.

Jackson, the 34-year-old former light heavyweight champion was taken down in all three rounds, but Teixeira (20-2) couldn’t take advantage. Jackson (32-11) got back to his feet every time. Late in the second round, both fighters exchanged blows. Jackson tried to shrug off Teixeira’s punches, but fatigue appeared to be setting in.

The fight was scored 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

Jackson, who fought his last fight under his current UFC contract, has been critical of the UFC and how he perceives the organization treats its fighters. He insists the fight was his last in the UFC, but plans on continuing his MMA career.

In a lightweight bout, Anthony Pettis (14-2) landed a left kick to Donald Cerrone’s body and followed with a left jab in the second round, knocking Cerrone (19-5) to the ground and winning his third straight fight.

In another main card fight, 30-year-old Chicago native Ricardo Lamas (13-2) dropped a series of elbows and punches on 24-year-old Erik Koch (13-2) before the featherweight bout was stopped by referee John McCarthy. Lamas had Koch pinned to the ground and went to work on Koch’s bloodied face.

ETC.

Thomas comments on steroid era

Retired Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas feels even better about his career after watching steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens fail to gain entry to the Hall of Fame.

“I think I’ve done enough to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” he said Saturday at the team’s fan convention.

“Watching all the nonsense unfold and not really knowing what was going on, it makes me much more proud of my career,” he said. “I competed in that era. I played at a high level in that era. There are a lot of great players, but as it unfolds, a lot of it was not the real deal. I know 100% I was the real deal.”

Bonds, Sosa and Clemens were denied in their first year of eligibility amid suspicions by some voters that their accomplishments were boosted by performance-enhancing drugs. Mark McGwire, 10th on the career home run list, received 16.9% of the vote on his seventh try, far short of the 75% needed for election.

“I wouldn’t say I feel bad for them,” Thomas said. “I respected them on the field, but they chose this. They made their own decisions off the field and they’ve got to live with it.”

A person familiar with the negotiations said pitcher Jhoulys Chacin and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a $6.5-million, two-year contract.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement is subject to a physical.

Chacin had asked for $2.6 million in arbitration and had been offered $1.7 million by the Rockies. The 25-year-old right-hander was eligible for arbitration for the first time after going 3-5 with a 4.43 ERA in 14 starts last year, when he missed more than three months because of right shoulder inflammation. He made $482,000.

The Houston Rockets have reinstated suspended forward Royce White and he’s due to report to the team’s developmental league affiliate on Feb. 11.

The 6-foot-8 White, the 16th overall pick in the last draft, has been on the inactive list all season as he worked on an arrangement with the team to balance his acknowledged anxiety disorder with the demands of the NBA schedule.

Lindsey Vonn showed she can beat Tina Maze in the Slovenian’s best discipline and on her home snow.

Though it may be too late to challenge her biggest rival for the overall World Cup title, Vonn is looking like Maze’s biggest challenger at next month’s world championships.

The American proved that she has fully recovered from a recent illness by winning a World Cup giant slalom at Maribor, Slovenia, her second win in two weeks.

Vonn was third behind Maze after the first run but overcame several errors in the second to put down the fastest time. Vonn won in 2 minutes 22.2 seconds for her first GS victory since last March.

Maze still clinched her third giant slalom discipline title by placing second. Maze had a near-perfect first run, but a poor start to the second cost her valuable time and she finished 0.08 seconds behind Vonn.

With her 59th World Cup win overall, Vonn’s just three away from equaling Annemarie Moser Proell’s record on the women’s side.

Dominik Paris of Italy won the classic World Cup downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria. American Ted Ligety missed a gate and failed to finish.

Paris came down the 2-mile Streif course in 1 minute 57.56 seconds, followed by world downhill champion Erik Guay of Canada 0.13 behind and Hannes Reichelt of Austria in third.

Chris Wood eagled the 18th hole to win the Qatar Masters for his first European Tour title, overtaking Sergio Garcia and George Coetzee.

The 142nd-ranked Englishman hit a six-iron from 200 yards to 12 feet to set up the winning putt. He closed with a three-under 69 to finish at 18-under 270. Garcia and Coetzee tied for second, a stroke back. Garcia shot a 66, and Coetzee had a 65.

Florida State’s E.J. Manuel passed for a touchdown and rushed for another on the South’s first two drives in a 21-16 victory over the North in the Senior Bowl at Mobile, Ala.

Manuel and running backs Stepfan Taylor and Mike James combined to put the game for senior NFL prospects away on the final drive. Stanford’s Taylor carried five times for 32 yards and caught a six-yard pass from Manuel.

Four-time winner Roger Federer and top-ranked Victoria Azarenka will defend their titles at the BNP Paribas Open in March at Indian Wells, with the deep fields also including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova.

The tournament runs March 4-17.

Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have combined to win eight of the last nine men’s titles in the desert. Also entered are Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It could be a big early test for Nadal, who plans to return from a seven-month layoff Feb. 4. The women’s field includes Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Sam Stosur, Caroline Wozniacki and American Sloane Stephens, who upset Serena Williams at the Australian Open.

Javier Fernandez became the first Spaniard to win the European figure skating title after an exceptional performance in the men’s free skate Saturday at Zagreb, Croatia.

Carolina Kostner of Italy successfully defended the women’s title, edging 16-year-old Russian Adelina Sotnikova by less than a point to claim her fifth European crown.