bantamweight champion T.J. Dillasha

Demetrious Johnson knows he only has so many years left to ply his trade in the fight game. Though hes merely 27 years old — and has already firmly etched his name in the record books as the inaugural UFC flyweight champion — Johnson is ready to entertain opportunities outside the octagon. In doing so, he hopes to take a page from womens bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey by filming movies between bouts. "Ronda Rousey was in The Expendables 3, then she fought Miesha Tate, then she did Entourage and now shes doing Fast & Furious 7," Johnson told UFC.ca during a phone interview. "So shes found the perfect balance in her career. "I mean, who knows, I might be a horrible actor. The only way to find out is if you try it." Johnson admitted his desire to explore the silver screen is at least partly due to his lengthy layoff between fights. The 125-pound kingpins most recent outing saw him deliver one of the most vicious knockouts of 2013, when he starched Joseph Benavidez with a beautifully-timed right hook in December. He now looks to net his fourth consecutive title defence when he meets heavy-handed striker Ali Bagautinov in the main event of UFC 174 in Vancouver, B.C. June 14. Johnson said he could easily jump from a film set back into full-time training without missing a beat. "I think Im ready for it," said Johnson. "I could go act for maybe two months and then Ive got another four months to get ready for a fight, which is way more time than I need. So theres a lot of downtime between my fights and it doesnt hurt to look into doing different things. "Obviously there werent a lot of No. 1 contenders in the division with me beating Joseph, John Dodson, John Moraga and Ian McCall. So there wasnt a No. 1 contender. I think the UFC wanted to put me on ice a little bit. I fought three times last year — thats more than any other champion recently." Though growing his name value is a big motivator, Johnsons key focus remains providing for his family. This past July, he and his wife, Destiny, welcomed their first-born son, Tyren. Of course, should Mighty Mouses star continue to rise, further stability for his loved ones will surely follow. Johnson said he hasnt let the pressures of fatherhood encroach upon his duties as champion. "My wife is a stay-at-home mother and she does a fantastic job watching my son while Im training," Johnson said. "She knows how important my training is when Im getting ready for my fights. So it hasnt really changed a lot. Obviously when Im out of the gym and at home Im hands-on with my son and spending time with family. Other than that, it really hasnt changed. "Obviously you want to train your butt off. That way you can make good money and provide for them. Other than that, its my career and Ive been doing it for a long time now. So now having another mouth to feed makes it a little more serious, but I try not to let the emotion of that get to me. I try to go out there and do my best." When it comes to establishing himself as a draw in mixed martial arts, UFC 174 could represent a watershed moment for Johnson. The card marks his first time headlining a pay-per-view event. Thankfully for Johnson his name has been bolstered by three stunning performances on FOX cards in 2013. On top of knocking out Benavidez, he topped Dodson in a thrilling war and dispatched Moraga with a slick fifth-round armbar. Johnson feels his showings on FOX will translate to pay-per-view buys, but said his biggest concern is simply getting the job done against Bagautinov. "I just try not to think about it and let it happen naturally," said Johnson. "Obviously this is my first pay-per-view and I hope it sells very well, but at the end of the day Im just going to go out there, fight and compete. Hopefully people want to tune in and watch me fight. Its going to be a great fight. Ali Bagautinov is a great fighter and is coming off a three-fight win streak in the UFC." A talented Combat Sambo fighter, Bagautinov has been on a tear since debuting with the UFC in September. Following an impressive TKO victory against Marcos Vinicius, he secured consecutive decision wins over Tim Elliott and John Lineker to earn a flyweight title shot. Johnson said he and Bagautinov will give fans their moneys worth. "Hes a great fighter and always comes ready to fight," Johnson stated. "He has great wrestling and hits hard. Hes ready to try and take my title. Its going to make for a good fight because I dont go down easy. I dont go down without a fight and I think that right there is good enough for people to tune in." ----- The mixed martial arts world is still buzzing following newly-crowned UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaws spectacular upset over Renan Barao. Despite being a heavy underdog going into UFC 173 this past Saturday, Dillashaw put on a striking clinch en route to a fifth-round TKO victory. Though many were shocked by Dillashaws dismantling of Barao, UFC flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson was hardly surprised by the outcome. "I knew Dillashaw was going to bring a fight like that," Johnson told UFC.ca. "Thats how Dillashaw fights all the time. Dillashaw, out of the Team Alpha Male guys, hes one of the best fighters. He puts it together very well with the wrestling, feints, movement, angles — he does that all very well. So I kind of knew when he was going in to fight Renan Barao that it was going to be a great fight. I knew T.J. was going to bring the fight to him. "Youve seen with Renan Baraos last opponents they kind of wait back and respect him, but I knew T.J. was going to go fight him. Youve seen it in all his previous fights." Dorance Armstrong Jr. Cowboys Jersey . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. Connor Williams Cowboys Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.thecowboysfansmall.com/c-101-...n-jersey.aspx.Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Allen Hurns Cowboys Jersey .NYCFC confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that this week Lampard signed a contract to start in July — midway through the new teams first season in MLS. Deonte Thompson Jersey Burnley, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Southamptons horrid run of results continued on Saturday as the club suffered a 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor. A three-game slide had dropped the Saints out of the top four, but Saturdays defeat, their fourth straight in Premier League play, leaves the club in fifth place in the table with 26 points. Southampton had a tremendous chance to open the scoring at the hour mark when George Boyd committed a foul on Ryan Bertrand in the box, but Dusan Tadics ensuing penalty was saved by Tom Heaton. It proved to be a pivotal miss as the hosts went in front in the 73rd minute. A poor giveaway from the Southampton defense allowed Ashley Barnes to pounce on the loose ball and fire a shot past Fraser Forster at the near post. Barnes strike held up as the winner, giving Burnley its third win of the season and lifting the club to 15 points and out of the relegation zone. Chelsea maintained its position at the top of the table by picking up a 2-0 victory over Hull City on Saturday. The Blues received an early goal from Eden Hazard, who nodded home a cross from Oscar in the seventh minute. Hulls Tom Huddlestone was sent off for a rash challenge in the 60th minute, and Chelsea took advantagge of the extra man eight minutes later with Diego Costa producing his team-leading 12th goal of the season.dddddddddddd Manchester City managed to keep pace with Chelsea by grinding out a 1-0 defeat of Leicester City at the KP Stadium. Frank Lampard netted the lone goal of the affair, steering home a low cross from Samir Nasri in the 40th minute to keep the Citizens three points back of the Blues. Arsenal turned in a superb performance at the Emirates on Saturday, smashing Newcastle in a 4-1 victory. Olivier Giroud headed home the opener in the 15th minute while Santi Cazorla doubled the advantage with a sublime chip in the 54th minute. Girouds deft touch four minutes later made it three while Newcastle pulled one back through Ayozes header in the 63rd, but Cazorla converted a late penalty to restore the three-goal lead. West Bromwich Albion capitalized on Kieran Richardsons first-half red card to collect a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa behind Craig Gardners strike 18 minutes from time. Crystal Palace and Stoke City exchanged goals two minutes apart to split the points in a 1-1 draw and Stewart Downing erased a penalty from Jordi Gomez to help West Ham United salvage a point from a 1-1 draw at Sunderland. ' ' '