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MANCHESTER, England -- Its been one long love letter between Michael Bisping and this city all weekThe support you guys show me melts my heart every time, he said in his postfight interview in the Octagon at the Manchester Arena. He had just secured a dramatic unanimous decision win over Dan Henderson to ensure a successful first middleweight title defense in the UFC 204 main event.Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, Manchester. Come on!The 37-year-old who grew up down the road in the Lancashire town of Clitheroe had a face resembling that of the Elephant Man, courtesy of a few H-Bombs thrown by Henderson. The retiring American knocked Bisping down once in each of the first two rounds but was unable to finish him.Somehow, the Briton found a way both times to get to the buzzer and survive. The 21,000-strong partisan crowd roaring him on can surely take some credit for that.Each time Bisping fell to the mat, the British fans leaped to their feet and urged their man to get to his. They went through their entire songbook, with favorites such as? Stand up if you love Bisping and Walking in a Bisping wonderland.The middleweight champion was in serious danger of suffering the same fate that befell him in his first fight against Henderson, at UFC 100 in 2009. That brutal knockout is often on display in the all-time UFC highlight reel and Bisping avoided watching it for seven years until the rematch for this fight was booked and his preparations for UFC 204 had started.This guy knocked me out cold. Cold. Worst knockout in UFC history, Bisping said, as he paid respect to Henderson, who confirmed this would indeed be his last fight. The jitters I had this week -- look at my face, for crying out loud. You know what this guy can do to you.What Henderson can do to you is put you in the hospital -- and he did precisely that to Bisping, who skipped his post-fight press conference to get his facial wounds checked out by a doctor.Henderson, on the other hand, was applauded in and out of his news conference by every member of the media present.?Thank you, I appreciate that, he said. In doing so, he bowed out with the same humility that has made him such a well-respected and loved figure in mixed martial arts.One last impassioned plea -- had he changed his mind at all about retiring?No, no, Henderson said with a smile. Unfortunately that was the last one, and itll have to be an L on my record. But I left it all in there. I felt I did everything I needed to do to win the fight. Unfortunately everybody didnt see it that way.That was also the topic of his conversation with White inside the Octagon after the fight.I think we were talking about the score, and he was surprised that it wasnt a 10-8 round [in the first round], which wouldve made it a draw at the very least, depending on that fifth round. That was about it. He just expressed to me that it was an awesome fight.That first round couldve indeed been a 10-8 -- in the end, all three judges scored the fight in Bispings favor: 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 -- with Bispings face rendered a bloody mess.The H-Bomb in the opening round left Bisping with massive swelling below his good left eye, not the right eye in which he suffered a detached retina from a knockout head kick in a defeat to Vitor Belfort in 2013, an injury which kept him out for over a year.Henderson looked gassed as he strolled to his chair after his unsuccessful efforts to finish Bisping in the first two rounds. Bisping was then able to take control with his continual movement and superior cardio in the third.For the first time in five years, Henderson went into a fourth round, and perhaps luckily for him, was able to catch his breath when referee Yves Lavigne allowed him some time to recover, having been caught by an accidental low blow.He then appeared to have been galvanized by a pep talk from his corner as he prepared for one final battle.This is your entire life, his trainer screamed at him, fighting to be heard above the din of 21,000 screaming British fans, who showed no signs of tiredness despite the clock ticking past 5:30 a.m. local time, when all was said and done.You want that belt? Lets go get it. This is your last-ever one.?Henderson came out swinging in the fifth, looking to land one final H-Bomb to give a fairy-tale ending to a storied career, to ride off into the sunset with UFC gold at the age of 46.The first round, it was almost finished real close, said Henderson in his news conference. I thought that was obviously a 10-8 round. But you never know. I thought I won the first two rounds, he won the third and fourth. And I wanted to make sure I went out and won the fifth. And I felt like I did that, went out and took him down. Landed some decent shots on him. I didnt feel hurt once in the whole fight from anything, with the exception of one leg kick that hurt my thigh a little bit. Obviously by looking at him, he felt some of the shots that I hit him with.?Before this fight I felt like I accomplished enough in this sport, and I was satisfied with that. But obviously there was one more thing I really wanted to do, and really worked my ass off during training camp and thought I was ready to get it done. Yeah, Im a little frustrated feeling like I did get it done, and didnt get any credit for it, I guess. It is what it is now, theres no changing that. I just gotta live with it.Henderson had initially been given the pantomime villain treatment -- his name was roundly booed in the introductions but was chanted by almost everyone inside the Manchester Arena after the fight.?Give it up for Dan Henderson, Bisping urged the crowd, who responded with a unanimous chorus of Hendo! Hendo!?He just kicked my ass, man. Dan, good job. Hes tough as old boots. Youve gotta respect a legend.Henderson finishes with a 32-15 record and a legacy as one of the great MMA fighters.When it comes time to close the book on his own career, Bisping may also be afforded the status of legend, for this was a record-breaking 20th UFC victory for him.More satisfying for Bisping, though, was doing his hometown proud. As he promised in the buildup to the fight, there was no way he was going to lose in Manchester, not in front of his entire family, and the emotion he showed when he was announced the winner proved this was the sweetest moment of his career. Wholesale Jerseys Authenitc . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Cheap NFL Jerseys Shop .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. 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SAN FRANCISCO -- Two hot pitchers at opposite ends of their career arcs hook up Friday night when the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants open a three-game interleague series.Orioles rookie Dylan Bundy and Giants veteran Matt Cain draw the pitching assignments in the first meeting of the American League East and National League West clubs since 2013.Cain was the starting pitcher the last time the teams dueled, on Aug. 11, 2013. He took the loss in a 10-2 Giants defeat at AT&T Park, allowing three runs in seven innings.The Orioles won two of three in that series, after the Giants took two of three in their previous meeting, also in San Francisco, in 2010.The clubs have not met in Baltimore since 2004.Bundy, the Orioles first-round pick in 2011, has made only five career starts. The last four have been impressive, as the right-hander has allowed only five runs in 23 2/3 innings over that stretch.Bundy is 2-0 in August, having surrendered only five hits and two runs in 13 innings.He lost his only previous interleague start despite allowing only two hits to the Colorado Rockies in 5 2/3 innings. Both hits were home runs, a solo homer by David Dahl and a two-run shot by Nick Hundley, leading to a 3-1 Rockies win.Bundy has struck out at least seven in each of his last three starts.I try to look at: Did I give the team a chance to win? If I did, Im happy with it, Bundy said recently of his approach to being a starting pitcher. If I didnt, Im not happy with it. Thats about as simple as I can keep it. Thats your goal as a starter -- just going out there every fifth day and giving your team a chance to win.Cain, in his last two starts, has demonnstrated he can handle the Orioles regional neighbor, the Washington Nationals.dddddddddddde threw five no-hit innings against the Nationals in a 3-1 home win on July 31, then allowed five hits in five more shutout innings in a rematch last Saturday, a game the Giants won 7-1.The 10 consecutive scoreless innings have lowered Cains ERA from 5.95 to 5.16.If Cain has struggled in any area of late, its been in control. He walked a total of seven in the two Washington games.The first win over the Nationals was the 100th of Cains Giants career. Ninety-three of those wins came in his first nine years with the team.That hit me after the game was over, the 12th-year Giant said of his milestone shortly after the win. I didnt think it was going to be that big of a deal, but for it to take three years, it feels good. It definitely feels good.The series continues a rugged stretch in the Giants schedule, which features 19 consecutive games against playoff contenders. The homestand that opens Friday continues next week with three games against Pittsburgh and four against the New York Mets.The Giants are coming off a 3-3 trip to Washington and Miami.While the Giants were flying cross-country to start the series, the Orioles didnt travel at all. They didnt even have to change hotels after finishing off a four-game series in Oakland with a 9-6 win on Thursday.The Orioles upcoming schedule is no slouch, either. After facing the Giants, they head back to Camden Yards for an eight-game homestand against Boston, Houston and Washington. ' ' '