kle), S Jacob Hagen (right leg), S Shamarko Thomas (right

LAS VEGAS -- UFC 200 is Saturdays undisputed biggest betting event, the marquee attraction of a busy sports weekend that also includes the Wimbledon mens and womens finals and the Euro 2016 final.The card was dealt a blow when Jon Jones dropped out of the headlining match with Daniel Cormier, but the UFC was able to quickly fill the void as former champion Anderson Silva signed on to fight Cormier in an intriguing nontitle bout. The Miesha Tate-Amanda Nunes womens bantamweight title bout now takes over as the headliner, with popular heavyweight Brock Lesnar also taking on Mark Hunt -- and just like that, the buzz around the T-Mobile Arena is as electric as ever.The fact that this kind of change doesnt derail the whole show (and that one cant imagine a boxing card scrambling so effectively on short notice) shows how far the Ultimate Fighting Championship has come, especially since its humble beginnings as a niche sport in the 1990s. Weve come to expect the UFC to have exciting title fights and competitive cards from top-to-bottom for fans and bettors alike.That hasnt always been the case.UFC 1 was held on Nov. 12, 1993 at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, and was promoted by original owners Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG). Early editions of these mixed martial arts events -- commonly referred to as MMA, which includes all the other organizations, although were focusing here on the history of the UFC -- were promoted as no-holds-barred bouts with no rules. There was no set number of rounds and there were no weight classes; contestants fought until the loser was knocked out or choked out, or tapped out.Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) famously referred to the fledgling sport as human cockfighting in 1996 and there were calls to outlaw it. The UFC had many other critics, and it wasnt able to get licensed in Nevada. Instead, it held cards all over the country in a wide variety of cities: Charlotte, North Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Casper, Wyoming; Buffalo, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Birmingham, Alabama; Augusta, Georgia; Dothan, Alabama; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The UFC also hosted events in Puerto Rico and Japan as its fan base grew.The UFC slowly made its way into pop culture and the mainstream, receiving a big boost in that regard when it was featured on the wildly popular TV show Friends on May 8, 1997. In an episode titled The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion, Monicas millionaire boyfriend Pete Becker (played by Jon Favreau) competes in the octagon and repeatedly takes a beating.John Avello, the director of race and sports at the Wynn Las Vegas, was at his former job at Ballys in the mid-1990s.This was 20 years ago, so I dont have specific recollections of conversations of UFC at that time, Avello says now, but the discussions were probably similar to what were seeing now with esports. I dont recall any meetings with the Gaming Control Board like were having already with esports, but we were keeping an eye on it and deciding how we would book it and how it would be handled by Gaming.Lets face it, it was a younger persons game -- just like esports is now -- but us old bookmakers know how to adjust, and when they cleaned up the sport, it made it OK for us to book it.While the no rules policy appealed to the desired demographic of 18-to-34 males, the UFC gradually outlawed eye-gouging, fish-hooking, hair-pulling, head-butting and blows below the belt to make the sport less barbaric. To appeal to state athletic commissions, they also added rounds and a scoring system to make it more like a sport -- more like boxing, but still decidedly different.The Fertitta brothers -- Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III, who inherited the Palace Station Hotel-Casino from their father, Frank Jr., in 1993 and built the Station Casino empire here in Las Vegas -- bought the UFC for $2 million in 2001 (current UFC President Dana White, the Fertittas childhood friend, also owns a minority ownership stake). That was just after UFC 29, and they continued to legitimize the sport, which ultimately led to the UFC getting licensed in Nevada.Marc Ratner was the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission from 1992 to 2006 and is credited with helping the UFC get licensed in the state. Ratner later left the NSAC in 2006 to become the UFCs vice president of regulatory affairs, and he has helped the UFC get licensed in every other state -- capped off by New York making it legal in March. Thats a huge comeback from when 36 states banned no-holds-barred fighting in the 1990s.The first card held in Nevada was UFC 33, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sept. 28, 2001. Hugh Citron was a sportsbook supervisor at Mandalay Bay, which was an independent book at that time, and jumped at the chance to set MMA odds.I followed UFC since its inception and was fascinated by it, Citron said, but we didnt book it until we hosted that first event in Las Vegas. The main reason was to give the fans going to the fights a chance to bet, but we found out right away that the UFC had very dedicated fans -- and they werent afraid to bet.In the following years, other books started booking UFC but would usually just do the main event. But we knew that any fights we put on the board would get tons of action.As Citron alluded to, the UFC became more popular with the sportsbooks in Vegas as MMAs popularity grew in the mainstream, and stars such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz emerged. Bettors also loved that most fights didnt go to the judges scorecards, so there were more clear-cut results rather than the kind of controversial decisions that have plagued boxing.The Vegas sportsbooks handle UFC mostly the same way as boxing, with odds on the two fighters and an over/under on the number of rounds. There hasnt been much in the way of prop betting, though there have been a few notable exceptions. When UFC 183 was held on Super Bowl eve in 2015, the Westgate SuperBook posted a prop on the number of completed rounds in the Anderson Silva-Nick Diaz fight vs. the number of made field goals by the Patriots and Seahawks; the FGs were -0.5 and a -150 favorite, but the Silva-Diaz bout went five rounds and only one FG was made in the Super Bowl.Another milestone event was UFC 51 on April 9, 2005, which featured the finale of The Ultimate Fighter reality show that aired on Spike TV. Avello -- who has become well-known outside Nevada for his odds on reality shows such as Survivor, American Idol, The Bachelor and just about any other reality show you can name -- said he remembers getting caught up in The Ultimate Fighter craze, which White, to this day, credits as the turning point when the UFC really went big-time. Avello points out there were other factors that helped the UFC become the force that it is today.There were big names, for sure, but UFC also benefited with the decline of boxing, Avello said. Boxing, which really made this town back in the day with so many big fights, started to fall apart with so few big names except for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in recent years, and the heavyweight division has pretty much been nonexistent. UFC has pretty much just filled that void. If the sport of boxing had stayed strong, UFC wouldnt have had as easy of a time growing like it has.Citron marvels at how the sport has continued to increase in popularity, but says handicapping UFC hasnt changed too much.Back when we started booking UFC, it was easier to follow because there were maybe 10 fighters in each weight class, so it wasnt hard to know them all pretty good, he said from his Stratosphere office, where he has worked since 2012, and still enjoys putting up his UFC odds. Now, the UFC has hundreds of fighters, so that makes it more challenging. Its still not like boxing, where you can make a heavy favorite. In UFC, you never want to lay a really big price, because as weve seen with some of the big upsets, anything can happen. The fighters have to engage, unlike boxing, where a fighter might be able to dance around. When you have to engage, theres a lot more ways to lose.Avello agrees with certain public sentiments that the UFC has almost grown too much, and does question whether the product is getting to the point of overexposure. It took 16 years to get to UFC 100 in 2009, or an average of just over 6 cards a year, and now were at UFC 200 just seven years later -- an average of about 14 pay-per-view cards per year, to say nothing of the cards broadcast on TV.Even though Avello mentioned the decline of boxing several times, he stops short of saying UFC has surpassed boxing in the betting arena.Its still comparing apples and oranges, Avello says. Theres still nothing like a big title fight like we had last year with Mayweather-Pacquiao, but the problem with boxing nowadays is that you rarely get a card with good fights on the undercard. But if you take away those mega-boxing events, the UFC cards out-handle the lesser boxing events because theyre usually deeper with more good fights.However, Jay Kornegay of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook disagrees, saying that the UFC out-handles boxing, at least at his book, and it comes down to that increase in volume.UFC out-handles boxing at a 2-to-1 clip, with boxing being skewed by a few marquee fights, said Kornegay, adding that an average UFC card takes in bets comparable to a solid NFL playoff game. This disparity is widening every year. UFC cards can offer up to 10 matches to wager on, while boxing only offers one to three at most. A lot of boxing undercard matches arent worthy for posting on betting boards.Despite losing the Jones-Cormier matchup, Saturday nights UFC 200 will still produce big lines at the betting windows at the sportsbooks in Vegas. As of 10 a.m. PT Friday, the consensus Vegas lines for the top fights were:Tate -240 over Nunes, a popular underdog play at +200Hunt -170 over the popular Lesnar at +150Cormier -450 over Silva at +375And a great matchup with a tight line, featuring Frankie Edgar (-115) vs. Jose Aldo (-105)Nike Air Max Womens 90 2018 .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Green . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. http://www.nikeairmaxwomens90.com/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Black and White .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Yellow . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves.NEW ORLEANS -- Ben Roethlisberger has played only two series this preseason, which might be all he needs.Roethlisberger torched New Orleans for 148 yards and two touchdown passes in his first action this preseason, then got the rest of the game off while the Steelers rolled to a 27-14 victory on Friday night.We were looking for some production and he gave us some production, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Roethlisberger, who completed 12 of 17 passes. Thankfully he did it in a small number of (snaps), so we got him in and got him out.Roethlisberger, who sat out of the first two preseason games, opened by leading a 14-play, 76-yard drive on which he converted two third downs and found tight end Jesse James for a 5-yard score. His next series was highlighted by his 57-yard scoring pass down the left sideline to Antonio Brown, also playing for the first time this preseason.Pittsburgh running back LeVeon Bell also made his preseason debut, gaining 21 yards on three carries, but his lost fumble in the second quarter led to Drew Brees only TD pass. Brees strike went to Willie Snead, who made a difficult juggling catch as he landed on his back following a collision near the back of the end zone.Brees had a difficult night behind a struggling offensive line. It didnt help that starting left tackle Terron Armstead left unexpectedly in the first half. Brees completed 9 of 12 passes, but for only 78 yards. One of his better throws connected with newly acquired tight end Coby Fleener for 26 yards, but it was called back for holding on Armstead.Execution -- actually blocking people -- seemed to be the problem, Saints right tackle Zach Strief said. I know this -- I dont know that I ever felt as responsible for our team doing poorly as I think we do as a group right now. Thats tough and yet we deserve it and it will be on us to change it. Nobody else.The Saints have dropped all three preseason games.Steelers backup Landry Jones went 19 of 22 for 206 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates. He also completed a 58-yard pass to Coates to set up Chris Boswells 40-yard field goal.ROOKIE WATCHSteelers: Second-round pick Sean Davis started his third straight game as the slot cornerback. Hes listed at safety but getting snaps at slot cornerback since an injury to 2015 second-round pick Senquez Golson. Linebacker Tyleer Matekavich, a seventh-round pick, intercepted Garrett Grayson late in the game.dddddddddddd Rookie DT Javon Hargrave sacked Grayson. First-round pick CB Artie Burns still has not played (left quadriceps).Saints: Undrafted rookie receiver Tommylee Lewis, among the top playmakers in training camp, made a 31-yard TD catch from Grayson. Undrafted rookie cornerback DeVante Harris was beaten over the top on Browns long touchdown catch.POSITION BATTLESSteelers: Alejandro Villanueva started at left tackle for a third straight week and appears to have secured that spot over Ryan Harris, a nine-year veteran who won a Super Bowl with Denver last season. Veteran linebacker Arthur Moats started in place of Bud Dupree, who is working his way back from a groin injury.Saints: Andurs Peat, New Orleans top 2015 pick, started at right guard and did not play any snaps at tackle, as he had in the previous two games. Senio Kelemete started at left guard ahead of Tim Lelito, who later came in for Peat and Kelemete switched to the right side. The Saints did not have any field goal opportunities for Kai Forbath or Connor Barth.INJURY UPDATESteelers: RT Marcus Gilbert (right elbow), DE Cam Heyward (right ankle), S Jacob Hagen (right leg), S Shamarko Thomas (right groin).Saints: Armstead left for undisclosed reasons. Michael Hoomanwanui, one of the Saints top blocking tight ends, was carted off (left leg). RB back Daniel Lasco, a seventh-round pick, was shaken up by a helmet-to-helmet hit by Pittsburghs Vince Williams, who was flagged for a persona; foul. Lasco was down several minutes before walking to the sideline. Rookie DB Jimmy Pruitt (right leg) was helped off the field.QUOTABLESSteelers: Yall want to talk about the game? Thats all Im going to talk about. -- Linebacker James Harrison, speaking to reporters for the first time since meeting NFL investigators regarding a 2015 report that he used performance enhancers.Saints: Weve kept things very simple up to this point and so its not like were out there with a great game plan and trying to trick people and throwing the kitchen sink at them. -- Drew Brees.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '