Although UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao is among the worlds best mixed martial artists, hes still working on building a significant fan base in North America. Shoes NZ Sale . His biggest fan in the world just might be UFC President Dana White, and thats just one reason Barao is the star of UFC 173. Barao (34-1) faces T.J. Dillashaw in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on Saturday, headlining the UFCs traditional Memorial Day weekend card in its hometown. "I think (Barao) is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world," White said. "I love this guy." Its tough to argue with White, given Baraos 22-fight winning streak and perfect record in UFC competition. The 135-pound Brazilian dynamo excels with both jiu-jitsu and strikes, fighting with a flair that has led to stoppages in six of his last nine fights. "I think I have a lot to improve in my game, but its always a pleasure to hear from your boss that you are the No. 1," Barao said. "This is the recognition of the hard work and training." Barao likely faces bigger obstacles than Dillashaw (10-2), a heavy underdog, on his path to stardom. Barao is a champion of a lighter weight class, which makes him traditionally less interesting to many fight fans. He also doesnt speak much English, making him tough to promote in North America. Even his Brazilian fans dont know much about his personality outside the cage -- although at least they know his last name isnt actually Barao, the Portuguese word for Baron and a nickname given to him by his grandmother. But with the UFC looking for new attractions in the absence of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, Barao is getting a chance to show off his incredible skills on another major stage, and White is confident fans will figure out what theyre seeing. "With Anderson, it took a long time for people to catch on," White said of his long-reigning former middleweight champion. "It doesnt happen overnight. When you look at the numbers, its all there. (Barao) is a killer. He tries to go in there and finish. Hes the type of guy I like to watch fight." Dillashaw worked his way into position for a title shot with five wins in six fights, but his matchup with Barao is the fourth fight that has been scheduled to headline this card. The Northern California native is eager to take advantage of the chance created when Raphael Assuncao, who beat Dillashaw by split decision last October, dropped out of this title shot with a rib injury. "Hes a great champion, but everyone has holes in their game," Dillashaw said. "Hes sloppy in exchanges, but he makes it work because hes a big, powerful athlete. I need to stay with what Im good at and use my angles to disrupt his power." Just in case Baraos fight against a game underdog doesnt intrigue enough pay-per-view buyers, UFC 173 also features light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier against veteran Dan Henderson, along with a bout between welterweights Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger. Cormier (14-0) is also a rising name in the UFC, but hes not a tough sell. The talkative former Olympic wrestler has been a dynamic fighter in Strikeforce and the UFC at heavyweight and light heavyweight, where hes currently closing in on a title shot against pound-for-pound contender Jon Jones. Henderson (30-11) is a significant underdog, but any fighter is just one punch away from disaster when hes in the cage with the 43-year-old veteran whose knockout power is no longer aided by testosterone replacement therapy. "(Hendersons) big right hand is the single biggest weapon in MMA, even more dangerous than Ronda Rouseys armbar," Cormier said. "It can come at any time from any direction. No question thats what makes this a dangerous fight. But Ive made a career of making those guys, who possess that something special, like they never had it. I need to stay super-focused and avoid those punches." Although Henderson has lost three of his last four fights, he knocked out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in spectacular fashion just two months ago. "I want to knock everyone out that I fight," Henderson said. "Its not always the easiest thing to pull off, but Ive done pretty well with it throughout my career. And its definitely nice knowing you have that power going into a fight." Shoes NZ From China . "Its not done, but its a huge step," Hannover general manager Dirk Dufner said. Poor defending allowed the visitors to score in the second minute, when Leon Andreasens header from Christian Panders cross sent the ball inside the far post. Cheap Shoes NZ . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on. SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Mercedes Nico Rosberg was fastest in the second practice for Formula Ones season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday, edging Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber on a wet Interlagos track. Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Rosberg timed one minute 27.306 seconds in the afternoon session at the 4.3-kilometre track in Sao Paulo, .225 ahead of Vettel and .286 in front of Webber, who is competing in his last F1 race at the Brazilian GP. The Australian driver, who will join Porsches endurance program, has won two of the last four races at Interlagos. Rosberg had been fastest in the first practice session with a lap of 1:24.781, when track conditions were better. "I had a good start into the weekend, I was very quick in the rain," said Rosberg, who won twice this year and is sixth in the drivers championship. "I have higher hopes now that perhaps we can give Red Bull a hard time this weekend." Rosbergs Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton was second and Vettel was third in the morning despite briefly running off the track near the end of the session. Hamilton spun and recovered in both sessions. It rained heavily in the afternoon and drivers couldnt switch to intermediary tires until the final minutes. "We were working on understanding the tires in both conditions today (Friday)," Webber said. "We had the full wet and intermediate tires on the car and we did quite a few laps. It was a productive day in preparation for tomorrow (Saturday), as we expect ssome more wet conditions. Shoes NZ 2020. " More rain is expected for Saturdays qualifying run and maybe for Sundays race. "We all know that the weather plays always a big role here at Interlagos and can catch you out," Rosberg said. "We were not able to run that much but the track feels really great and it was great fun to be out there and find the limit in these difficult conditions." Vettel was the only driver to test the prototype dry weather tires that will be used by teams in 2014. Vettel ran a lap with them in the first session despite the damp track, but it was enough to give engineers at least some information that might be useful for next season. "We knew it would be wet today (Friday) and might be tricky. It was good to get a bit of a base line in these conditions. We need to be sharp for the next two days and make the right calls. The main loss from the rain was that we didnt run on the 2014 tires." Teams and drivers know little about what to expect next year because the series will go through a major change in engine rules, switching from the current 2.4-litre V8 units to a 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine, a move that will demand significant alterations in the design of cars. The Brazilian GP marks the last race before several driver changes at some of F1s top teams. World champion Kimi Raikkonen of Finland leaves Lotus for Ferrari, where Felipe Massa lost his ride before joining Williams. The Brazilian replaces Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela, who could be up for the Raikkonen seat at Lotus. McLaren will replace Mexican Sergio Perez with rookie Kevin Magnussen of Denmark, and Australian Daniel Ricciardo, from Red Bulls sister team Toro Rosso, will replace Webber. ' ' '