LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones and challenger Daniel (DC) Cormier got in each others grill and exchanged words but avoided blows Thursday in the leadup to UFC 182.That was an improvement from an August photo-op when the two fighters went after each other and tumbled off a temporary stage in the lobby of the MGM Grand. One security official broke a rib in the brouhaha which led to fines and community service for both fighters.The two rivals were more civil at a staredown this time in a ballroom at the same hotel, but only just.Jones (20-1) and Cormier (15-0) were almost nose-to nose, prompting UFC president Dana White to put his arm between the two to separate them.The fighters exchanged words, with Jones seemingly leading the way. But nothing came of it and White then left the two as they posed shoulder to shoulder before the cameras.The two stood apart but then started closing the gap and jawing again, prompting White to hastily step in as fans chanted DC.According to White, Jones turned up the heat Thursday by telling Cormier he was going to (expletive) him up so bad.And he said Youre delusional if you think youre going to win this fight, added White, whose recollection of the exchange included an F-bomb. Then it was on.Leaving the two by themselves was not such a good idea, White acknowledged.It was a rookie move, he said. But its very rare you cant leave two guys shoulder to shoulder to do the last (pose).White said when he got back to the fighters, Cormier was saying Touch me, just touch me once, adding in his own F-bomb.White said the true test of self-control will come Friday when the two face off again, this time before a larger crowd at the weigh-in.This close to the fight, the mental part, the mind games that these guys play with each other is just as important as everything else. And especially Friday, Fridays the big day. The weigh-in and the stare-off on Friday — today was nothing compared to whats going to happen on Friday. White said there wont be any extra security at the weigh-in. He will just be vigilant on stepping in between the two as needed.My job is to make sure they do not fight before the fight, said White, who was not at the August event that turned into a brawl.The two fighters have been at odds since their first meeting when Cormier, ranked second among 205-pound contenders, said Jones disrespected him. Jones disputed that view of events, saying Cormier took a joke the wrong way. Still Jones has not shied away from engaging in the war of words, in person and via social media since the matchup was announced in July.Originally slated for UFC 178 in September, the fight was pushed back when Jones injured his knee in training.The MGM Grand Garden Arena has yet to sell out although White expects it will score big among fight fans, predicting there will be 750,000 pay-per-view buys.A lot of people are talking about this fight. Theres a lot of buzz and energy for it, said White. Were due for one of these because we had a rough year last year. Im not to sad to see (20)14 go.Rough because many of the UFCs top draws were on the sidelines due to injury.Despite the fact that tickets are still available, Saturdays gate is already over US$3 million.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Fake Jerseys . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Fake Jerseys For Sale .com) - The surging Montreal Canadiens will try to match their longest winning streak of the season when they visit the Florida Panthers for Saturdays clash at BB&T Center. https://www.fakejerseyswholesale.com/ . Lost to Los Angeles in first round of playoffs. Cheap Jerseys . Rooneys latest piece of football genius lost in the furore which now stalks David Moyes, and the man who gave the Manchester United striker his start as a 16-year old at Goodison Park back in 2002. Fake Jerseys From China . Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston.My near-lifetime of attending football matches kicked off as a five-year-old snotty-nosed kid going to Craven Cottage with my family to watch Fulham play a West Ham team with that famous trio of World Cup winners - Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst. And there was travelling up to rural Rotherham in 1981 to watch Chelsea get spanked 6-0 - at a time when this upcoming seasons BPL title favourites were marooned in the bottom half of the second division. We should have heeded the ominous warning before setting out from London, as it was Halloween morning. Ive also had the utmost privilege of attending European and FA Cup Finals. That all said, last Tuesdays U-20 game at Olympic Stadium vaults right into contention as one of my most unforgettable moments inside a football stadium. I attended Tuesdays pivotal group stage game with our U-12 playing daughter. With Canadas team comprised of players the same ages as her two elder sisters, it really bought home to us the profound significance that our hometown was hosting the FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup Finals. By the sheer noise and electric atmosphere, you wouldnt have known there were only 13,000 in the very same stadium that jammed in over 60,000 when David Beckhams LA Galaxy played the Impact in 2012. This was no more apparent than in the 65th minute, when Jeanine Beckie scored the lone goal of the game to send Canada into the quarter-finals and the crowd delirious at the final whistle. That atmosphere wasnt lost on Nichelle Prince. "They were crazy, it was insane - especially with this huge stadium," she told the media post-game. "It was an honour to be able to play in it. The crowd was amazing." As some filed out of the stadium at the final whistle, we stayed behind to fully soak up the on-field celebration and lap of honour. The standout image was when the squad sprinted over to the section that their families sat in. I have no problems admitting this bought a tear to the eye. I could only imagine the immense pride which most have been felt by players and families alike. Think of all those countless hours over many years spent toiling on a training field and football pitch. And what must have coursed through their minds as the reward of a quarter-final at the World Cup now beckoned. It was hard to imagine this was the very same team that, at halftime last Friday in Toronto, looked to be doing their best impression of our U-20s in 2007. That team ended up losing all their group stage matches and werent even able to register a goal in those three matches. Whatever was said at halftime - that inspired Canada to turning round the 0-2 score line against Finland with three unanswered second half ggoals - is truly the stuff of legend.dddddddddddd Coincidentally, last Fridays victory was a day removed from the second anniversary of that glorious London 2012 bronze medal match. Toronto captured and Montreal enraptured. Now the scene shifts to Edmonton for Saturday nightsencounter with Germany - a team which certainly captured the eye in Tuesdays earlier game at Olympic Stadium. The Germans were effortless as they stroked in goal after goal past a hapless and unrecognizable Brazil. Where, I wonder, have we heard that before? Edmonton is sure to evoke and rekindle those extraordinary scenes and memories from the FIFA U-19 Womens World Championship in 2002. That was when, on the back of 10 goals and an MVP performance from Christine Sinclair, the host nation made it all the way to the final. Four Canadians made it onto the All-Star Team. Matched against our best football friends to the south in that final, it seemed we were heading for penalties until eventually becoming unstuck in the second half of extra time - courtesy of a Lindsay Tarpley winner. In doing so, the 2002 U-19 final sowed the seeds for the biggest global rivalry in the womens game. This was on clear display at that now infamous London 2012 semifinal at Old Trafford. Five of those Sinclair goals in 2002 came against England in the quarterfinal at Commonwealth Stadium. A crowd of just over 23,000 was in attendance then. A spike in the box office occurred after Tuesdays North Korea victory, with sales for the Germany quarter final already surpassing the 16,000 mark. So were already guaranteed this will be the largest crowd of Canada 2014 so far. Runners up in 2012 and champions in 2010, Germany - along with the French - are the two standout teams of the tournament. Stopping their trio of goal scorers in Diebritz, Bremer and Pamfil - who have already found the back of the net 11 times in only three matches - is a large part of the task that awaits our ladies. Park the bus, Andrew Oliviera will not. We have a trio of stardust ourselves in Kadeisha Buchanan, Nichelle Prince and Janine Beckie. These players especially have been instrumental in that extraordinary turnaround in our fortunes, since halftime against Finland last Friday. Make no mistake - if we advance, it will be against the odds. Our so-termed 12th Player at Commonwealth Stadium has a significant role to play. If Tuesdays final group stage game provided me with abiding memories, imagine what it could be like at Olympic Stadium in Montreal next Wednesday night. A possible Canada-France semifinal matchup exists. Imagine that for a moment. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter ' ' '