Nine years ago, Sara McMann wept during the presentation of her Olympic wrestling medal. Rah... Moore Broncos Jersey . They were not tears of joy. At the time, the Athens silver medal was more a symbol of failure than success. "I really had my heart set on winning it and I was up 2-0 going into the second period (against Japans Kaori Icho)," said McMann, who makes her UFC debut Saturday at UFC 159 in Newark, N.J. "I had really worked extremely hard and done everything I could to win the gold. "I dedicated my entire life to it, so that was devastating to me ... I was heartbroken, theres just really no other way about it. I wanted more." The blow has softened with the realization that McMann had given her all. "Theres nothing more you can do," she said in an interview. "Once you put everything out there that you possibly could, you should be proud of what you did. And if thats a bronze or you made an Olympic team or you were national champion or a state champion -- whatever your goals were and, in what you did, you dedicated yourself fully to it, you should be happy with that." McMann, 32, begins another quest on the weekend at the Prudential Center against Sheila (The German Tank) Gaff on the undercard of a UFC pay-per-view show that sees Jon (Bones) Jones defend his light-heavyweight title against former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. The McMann-Gaff fight is the third female bantamweight bout in the UFC. Champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey (7-0) defeated Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February while Cat Zingano (8-0) earned a title shot with her third-round stoppage of Miesha Tate earlier this month. Victorias Sarah Kaufman (15-2) and Alexis Davis (13-5) of Port Colborne, Ont., wait in the wings for their UFC 135-pound debut. Like McMann (6-0), Rousey also has an Olympic silver -- in judo at the 2008 Games in Beijing. McMann, however, has to deal with far more pain than sporting failures. "A place like the cage does not intimidate her because shes already been through hell," said a 2012 CBS Sports "Courage in Sports" segment on McMann. In January 1999, her older brother Jason disappeared. His body wasnt found for three months and it took three years to find his killer. And in 2004, right after the Olympics, fiancee Steven Blackford -- a star collegiate wrestler in his own right -- was killed when McManns car went off the road in Colorado. After failing to make the U.S. Olympics team for the 2008 Games, McMann got pregnant with daughter Bella. Two months after becoming a mother, McMann took up jiu-jitsu with an eye to set goals and compete in the sport. Friends started urging her to try MMA and, when she tried her hand at striking, she fell in love with the sport. "I started picking things up pretty quickly and I started excelling because I was having fun learning a completely new combative sport," she said. McMann made her amateur MMA debut in June 2010, stopping Jasmine Reed in one minute 45 seconds. McMann didnt know how she would feel in the moments leading to her debut, especially against an opponent who came from a boxing background. "I was quite shocked at how relaxed I felt," McMann recalled. "I thought it was going to be way different. "Now its kind of settled out to where I get about the same amount of nerves as I would for the high-level wrestling competitions that Ive competed in." Her first pro fight lasted just 1:41, ending with a submission win over Christina Marks in May 2011. The five-foot-six McMann, who makes her home in Gaffney, S.C., has fought in a variety of promotions since and understands that MMA is an "entertainment sport." "Its real competition and your wins and losses very much count. But they also want to bring out the personality. They want the drama, they want all of the dirt. This is like a sport and soap opera mixed together." McMann has trained full time, first in wrestling and now in MMA, since she was 19. She has studied along the way, getting a major in theatre and minor in psychology before finishing up her masters degree in mental health counselling in 2010. She says shes good at time management and has "learned to let certain things go," like rescheduling training sessions when needed to be with four-year-old Bella. The flexibility of her boyfriend and training partners help ease that road. Her daughter has essentially grown up with wrestlers in the gym. "She climbs all over the guys like theyre little human Jungle Jims," said McMann. The 23-year-old Gaff (10-4-1) doesnt take much time when she wins. She has one knockout victory in eight seconds, one in 10 seconds, and two in 30 seconds each. But her most recent win -- a 10-second knockout of Jennifer Maia in March 2012 -- is somewhat controversial in that it appears that Maia gets hit after she tries to touch gloves at the opening bell. The Brazilian never recovered from the onslaught. McMann was diplomatic about the incident, saying its hard to tell from the video exactly what happened. McManns preparations for Saturdays fight included time at Montreals famed Tristar Gym. "They are awesome," she said. "Ive gone up there three times and Im planning my next trip after this." Ca... Wake Jersey . "I apologize to my supporters, my fans," he said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. "It was a mistake I made as a child and with Gods help everything will turn out OK." His real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo and hes 29, a year older than listed in the Marlins media guide. Jerseys Black Friday . -- The Detroit Lions have signed first-round draft pick Riley Reiff. ht... . Nova (3-2) was charged with an unearned run in 7 1/3 innings, helping the Yankees avoid a fourth consecutive loss. The right-hander scattered two hits and walked one. We needed a lift after the way we played in Detroit, losing three games in a row after winning the first one off of (Justin) Verlander, said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. [url=http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Malik-Jackson-Broncos-Jerseys/]M... Jackson Jersey . Right behind him was a Tiger Woods that looked all too familiar. Sabbatini played bogey-free over his final 12 holes, and despite missing a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, put together a 3-under 69 in the cool, blustery conditions at Muirfield Village to take a one-shot lead going into the weekend. Spe... Lanning Womens Jersey . Mariano Rivera enters the contest one save shy of tying the all-time record of 601 set by Trevor Hoffman, while CC Sabathia will be trying to become the first Yankee pitcher to post back-to- back 20 win seasons since Tommy John (1978-79).JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- If people were looking for Richard Sherman to get the weeklong hype for the Super Bowl started with another rant, the Seattle cornerback disappointed them. With about a dozen camera crews and 50 reporters surrounding him at a table, Sherman smiled broadly, winked when a reporter asked him about his rant at Michael Crabtree after the NFC championship game, and played it close to the vest in discussing the Super Bowl next Sunday against Denver at Metlife Stadium. There were no harsh words Sunday night. He talked about his respect for the Broncos offence, his friendship with Denver receiver Demaryius Thomas and the fact that the blowup with Crabtree led to a good discussion about race relations. There were neither guarantees nor boasts. Just honest talk. "I think you are always cognizant of it as football players, especially in todays world, that everyone is looking for a story and they are trying to get their name in the paper," Sherman said when asked if anyone had advised him to tone it down this week." Sherman is clearly more conscious about what he says after falling into disfavour with many people for his postgame rant in which he said Crabtree is a subpar receiver. The comments came moments after Sherman deflected a pass to Crabtree in the end zone late in the fourth quarter and it was intercepted, sealing the Seahawks trip to the Meadowlands. The rant with a sideline reporter seemed to transform Sherman from a player considered one of the NFLs best cornerbacks to someone who some considered a thug. Sherman doesnt see himself that way. "I am just a guy trying to be the best," Sherman said. Mike Adams Black Friday Jersey. "I am a guy who wants to help this team win. I am a fiery competitor who puts his life into his work and puts his everything into his work. I came from humble beginnings and came from a place where not everyone gets out of. I am just trying to affect the world in a positive way." Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said Sherman is clearly a great cornerback, who has gotten noticed because of his comments last week. He admits he likes players with personalities and has nothing bad to say about him. He also understands that people who did not know Sherman are basing their opinion on one glimpse. "When a lot of people dont know you and thats what you show them, and they havent heard you name all day, which is typical for a corner who doesnt get a lot of balls, thats the way it is," Bailey said. "Thats how it is. People make their judgments on what they see and hear and if they dont know you they are going to draw their own conclusion. You have to live with it. If you are going to talk, you have to live with it." In the past week, Sherman said he has reached out to Ronnie Lott and Deion Sanders for advise on how to preparing for a Super Bowl. He also downplayed the Seahawks lack of experience playing in the Super Bowl. Only one player, receiver Ricardo Lockette, has Super Bowl experience, playing with the 49ers last year. "Ive never seen experience play in games," Sherman said, noting the Seahawks had very little experience heading into last weeks conference championship game. ' ' '