Unbeaten in eight professional fights, rising middleweight star Chris (The All-American) Weidman faces a reality check Wednesday in the form of Mark (The Filipino Wrecking Machine) Munoz. Weidman, a former All-American wrestler at Hofstra, has already disposed of Alessio Sakara, Canadian Jesse Bongfeldt, Tom Lawlor and Demian Mia in the UFC. And the 28-year-old from Baldwin, N.Y., has shown his mettle in taking fights on short notice. Last time out, against Maia, he took the challenge on 10 days notice and had to cut 32 pounds. "Ridiculous," he says today. But Munoz (12-2) is a step up in class. A former NCAA champion wrestler at Oklahoma State, Munoz is 7-1 in the UFC as a middleweight. His lone loss at 185 pounds was a 2010 split decision to Yushin Okami and the 34-year-old Munoz has won four since. Weidman and Munoz face off in the main event of a televised card at San Joses HP Pavilion. In addition to top-notch wrestling skills, Munozs ground and pound is vicious. If he gets you on the ground in a dominant position, be prepared for some pain. "Tough guy," says Weidman. "Definitely its going to a challenge," he added. "I look forward to meeting that challenge and trying to make a statement in this fight. If I truly believe Im going to be a champion, this is the type of guy Im going to have to be able to beat. Im excited to see how I square up with him." As a former wrestler, Weidman is no stranger to cutting weight. But he has a new respect for the process after having to shed so many pounds for the Maia fight. "Not fun," he says. "Im not ever going to put myself in a position like that ever again," he added. "That was not good. And I did not feel like myself at all in the cage." After one 15-minute stint in the sauna, he actually gained a tenth of a pound. And he was so dried out that static electricity was flowing off him. He had to strip down for the weigh-in to make the 186-pound limit and when they tried to remove the modesty towel, it was "literally stuck to my body. They couldnt get it off me. It was really crazy." Weidman shakes his head at the experience. "I could have quit a million times. My team wanted me to quit but I didnt and I made the weight." And he won, defeating one of MMAs top jiu-jitsu practioners in the process. Weidman wrestled at 197 pounds in college — he has a B.A. in psychology and a masters in physical education — and can get as big as 220 between fights. Weidmans personal life has become busier in recent weeks. His wife gave birth to a son on June 7, adding to a family that already includes a two-year-old daughter. His wife has been looking after the little ones during training camp. "So my wifes definitely doing to get a nice shout-out after I win. If I can remember it," he said with a laugh. Weidman has relished having a proper training camp ahead of Munoz. "Its real nice, man. It almost feels like too much time. The only fight Ive really had a full camp for was against Tom Lawlor and that ended up being pretty good (a first-round submission) so Im hoping to follow through in the same type of fashion." Weidman has come a long way in a short time. His first pro fight was in February 2010. He won the Ring of Combat title in his third bout (meaning he was wearing a championship belt after a grand total of seven minutes 19 seconds) and made his UFC debut in March 2011. He comes from a quality camp with former UFC champion Matt Serra, striker coach Ray Longo and jiu-jitsu guru John Danaher in his corner. "Im definitely blessed. Its not like I had to move across the country to find them either. I graduated college and they were two minutes away, down the block," Weidman said of the Long Island-based Serra and Longo. Danaher is a 30-minute train ride away in Manhattan. Weidman is more than the product of good coaching, however. He made the transition from wrestling to jiu-jitsu with ease in the summer of 2008. At the end of the summer, he took part in a grappling tournament and submitted all 13 opponents. It earned him a US$1,000 cheque and a huge boost in confidence. And after an attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in wrestling was frustrated by a rib injury, he eventually committed to MMA. Growing up in New York state, Weidman was a huge hockey fan and once dreamed of playing in the NHL. A onetime sniper in roller hockey, he remains a devoted Islanders fan and lives 10 minutes away from their arena. He supports all the New York teams, from Jets to Giants and Yankees to Mets — "whoever is doing good, Im jumping on the wagon" — but he is a one-team NHL fan. "Ill never root for any other team but the Islanders when it comes to hockey." He is also a big booster of Vancouver, after fighting there at UFC 131 in June 2011. He ended up defeating Bongfeldt by standing guillotine in the first round, an early resolution that was welcome after his pre-fight activities on the West Coast "I literally went bike riding around the whole city the four days before the fight. My legs were so sore, my calves were sore from walking around, just seeing the whole city. I couldnt help myself. My coaches were going nuts on me." He won submission of the night, a $70,000 bonus that helped buy his current home. David Lee Jersey. Three wins in a row, a lead in the points race and a chance to be IndyCar champion. Hunter-Reays victory Sunday at the Honda Indy Toronto gives him that opportunity. Klay Thompson Jersey. Anthony Calvillo, Utah State (19th CFL/15th Montreal) Calvillos back after another outstanding year and a contract extension during the off-season. http://www.shopthewarriors.com/Chris-Mullin-Jersey/. The Tigers are carrying 11 pitchers and there was speculation Porcello could be left out since hes not part of the starting rotation for this series, but both he and Smyly can be options to pitch in long relief. Stephen Curry Gold Jersey. Still, theres no quarterback controversy with the New York Jets. McElroy became the first quarterback to lead the Jets into the end zone this preseason in a 28-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Curry Jersey. -- Flotilla rallied to win the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday, the third consecutive long shot to win a Breeders Cup race at Santa Anita.It appears that Ken-Yon Rambos time with the Calgary Stampeders has come to an end. The veteran wide receiver has an achilles injury and according to a source, an arrangement has been reached on his release from the Stampeders. The source says that papers will be signed on Saturday to officially end his time in Calgary. Rambo, 33, did not make the trip to Regina for Fridays pre-season game bbetween the Stampeders and Roughriders.ddddddddddddHe instead saw doctors in Calgary about his knee. Rambo appeared in 12 games last year for the Stampeders, where he had 51 catches for 695 yards and five touchdowns. He has spent all seven of his CFL seasons with Calgary, where he was a CFL all-star in 2008. He is in the top 10 of most of Calgarys all-time receiving records. ' ' '