Regeln » g for Rousey to return is a difficult one for a fighter of Tates m

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings have wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee) and cornerback Terence Newman (neck) back in the lineup against Dallas. Both players were held out of the last game because of injuries.Previously ruled out for the Vikings on Thursday night: center Joe Berger (concussion) and punt returner Marcus Sherels (rib). Bergers injury forced the Vikings to use their seventh different offensive line combination in 12 games this season. Rookie Mackensie Alexander (groin) was also out, leaving the Vikings with only four available cornerbacks.For the Cowboys, cornerback Morris Claiborne (groin) missed his fifth straight game and linebacker Justin Durant (hamstring) was out after getting hurt in the last game. Safety Barry Church (broken forearm) returned from a four-game absence. His replacement, J.J. Wilcox, was out with a thigh injury.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLPaul Kariya Jersey . 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Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game.Miesha Tate has never been one to back down from a challenge.So when the UFC womens bantamweight champion was asked for the exact reason she accepted a title defense against Amanda Nunes -- a dangerous opponent lacking a crossover name -- for Saturdays UFC 200 card, Tate never broke stride.I took this fight because the UFC called me up and asked me if I would fight and I said yes, Tate said. Its as simple as that. There was no mention of any other names.While its fair to assume the irony of Tates situation isnt lost on her, its certainly worth mentioning.Four months ago, Holly Holm faced heavy scrutiny from UFC brass for electing to make her first title defense against Tate instead of waiting for a big-money rematch against Ronda Rousey later this year. Holms gamble backfired dramatically, as Tate rallied in Round 5 to take her title by submission at UFC 196.The fallout played out like a soap opera, as UFC president Dana White publicly blamed Holms manager Lenny Fresquez for taking a risk. Fresquez went on to suggest that Tate was offered an immediate rematch with Holm and turned it down, which Tate denied.Whichever side you believe, Tate (18-5) now finds herself in a position that is eerily similar to that of Holm in March.One year after it appeared Rousey had all but cleaned out the division, bantamweight is red-hot, as Holms upset win against Rousey in November effectively leveled the playing field. The aftermath presented Tate, fresh off her title win, with a number of potential options, including a third bout with Rousey, rematches with Holm or Cat Zingano, and a catchweight fight against Cris Cyborg Justino, fresh off her UFC debut in May at 140 pounds.In the end, Tate accepted a quick turnaround against Nunes (12-4), a dangerous striker and well-rounded threat who is riding a three-fight win streak. The only thing different from Holms situation is that Tate retained the full support of the UFC despite taking a similar risk that Holm had months earlier.Ronda was clearly not able to fight, and I dont know why they didnt have me fight Holly, Tate said. There were speculations that her management were not really on the greatest terms with UFC. I dont know that. I cant comment. But I wasnt asked for any other fight than Amanda.Tate, 29, was quick to point out that she has never been one to pick and choose opponents, saying that UFC matchmakers have a job to do, which is make fights. I just say yes. I picked this fight because it was offered to me.Matchmaker Sean Shelby recently explained the decision on a UFC-produced preview show.Its pretty easy, Shelby said. Amanda has the best win streak in the division, and she is very dangerous. Shes arguably the best stand-up fighter in the division. She can take anybody out within one round.Theres little debate regarding the danger that Nunes, 28, brings to the table. The native of Brazil is 5-1 since her UFC debut in 2013 with four first-round finishes. The only knock on her thus far has been her stamina, which was stretched in a third-round TKO loss to Zingano in 2014, as well as Nunes latest win, a unanimous decision against?Valentina Shevchenko in March.That presents an interesting dynamic to the fight. Tate, often a slow starter, hasnt seen a fight go less than three rounds since 2012. The explosive Nunes, meanwhile, has gone the distance only once (in a 2013 loss to Sarah DAlelio) before joining thee UFC and enters the first scheduled five-round fight of her career Saturday.ddddddddddddI think Im definitely battle-tested, and Ive proven that, Tate said. Every time that I fight I am prepared to go all five rounds if necessary.Nunes, who has chosen her words carefully in recent weeks, hasnt lacked for confidence. She glared at Tate during the UFC 200 news conference in April, boldly exclaiming, I have all the tools to beat you, and I will show you on July 9.A major part of Nunes platform has been her belief that Tates victory against Holm, in which she trailed on the scorecards entering the final round, had more to do with Holms lack of execution.Everybody knows about Mieshas ground game. I knew that fight was going to happen like that, Nunes said. I said to my friend that night, If Miesha can take her down, I know she is going to submit her. And it happened. Holly made a mistake. She was scared of the ground game the entire fight, and Miesha got her.Tate has taken issue with the idea that the title changed hands because of Holms mistake, believing instead that she capitalized on an opportunity.I took her down and put the kind of pressure on her that forced her to either stay underneath me and take a beating or get up and leave herself open, Tate said. That was the two choices that I gave her. In the second round, she stayed underneath me because she didnt want to give up the choke, and I beat her up 10-8 in that round.In the fifth round, she didnt want to stay underneath, so she gave up the choke. I dont think it was her making a mistake as much as me giving her no other option.Its that opportunistic side of Tates personality that makes her so exciting to watch, leaving little surprise that she was willing to risk future headlining roles by facing Nunes. But the other side of the argument is interesting.While the idea of sitting idle and waiting for Rousey to return is a difficult one for a fighter of Tates makeup, a big-money third fight between the two makes sense only if Tate has the title considering Rousey owns two convincing wins against her.The subject of whether Rousey would be next is one that Tate isnt willing to consider, at least not until she gets past Nunes. Tate went as far as intercepting a question about Rousey before it was even finished during a recent media conference call.Im going to stop you right there because there is no way Im looking past this fight with Amanda, Tate said. I just cant afford it. Ive been seeing that a lot of people are losing titles quickly and focusing on things they dont need to be. I refuse to make that mistake. I didnt get here by overlooking opponents, and Amanda is a very tough one.If it appears that Tate is shouldering the burden of added pressure entering this fight, she very much is. Like Holm before her, Tate is taking a gamble on herself.I feel like there is a lot of pressure on me, but the thing that I really like about that is I know it, I accept it and I think that I really thrive under pressure, Tate said. I put myself in these situations out of my own choice. Im not here because of any other reasons, and no one is forcing me. Im here because I like putting pressure on me because I know I perform the best under pressure.I think I was meant to be a champion. ' ' '