Uphill Rush Race
Game Information
Drive in 1 of the 12 vehicles and perform spectacular stunts in the air!
Instructions
· Movements = Use Arrow Keys
· Jump = Use Space Bar
· Jump = Use Space Bar
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: It is 60 years since Belgium last defeated Sweden in a Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie, but they will fancy their chances of ending that sorry run at the Royal Primerose Club in Brussels this weekend.
Without Robin Soderling, the Swedish threat is severely blunted and they risk playing outside of the World Group for the first time since 2000.
Sweden's hopes of holding on to their proud record appear slim. Even without former world No. 4 Soderling, who has been sidelined for more than a year with illness, Sweden were considered outsiders for this tie.
They must now also face Belgium minus their leading doubles player Robert Lindstedt.
Enqvist said: "We did a last test this morning. He's been having a real hectic schedule and his body is just saying 'no'.
"He was eager to play this tie. He has a big heart for Davis Cup but this time, unfortunately, we had to pull him out of the team."
Belgium's bid to bounce straight back to the World Group will begin with Steve Darcis facing Michael Ryderstedt, to be followed by David Goffin against Lindstedt's replacement, Andreas Vinciguerra. Vinciguerra, who recently became a father for the first time, has not played a match since last December.
Belgium's No. 2, Darcis, is finishing the year strongly. Notable recent scalps include Tomas Berdych at the Olympic Games, as well as Andy Roddick at last month's ATP event in Winston-Salem.
Goffin, meanwhile, has enjoyed an incredible year. He came to international prominence during Roland Garros, when he reached the round of 16 as a lucky loser and proceeded to take the first set off Roger Federer, before losing in four.
The 21-year-old made his Davis Cup debut in April, defeating Josh Goodall of Great Britain in what proved the decisive fourth rubber. He now enters only his second-ever tie as Belgium's No. 1.
Goffin said: "Steve starts on Friday and I hope it will be one-love for us to make it more comfortable for me."
Enqvist has placed much on the shoulders of Ryderstedt, who is due to play singles and doubles.
The world ranked No. 457 said: "They are big favourites in every match but we've just got to go out there and believe - that's the only way."
Belgium's previous Davis Cup victory over Sweden came at the Royal Leopold Club in Brussels, in June 1952. Since then, the two nations have met just four times, with Sweden successful on each occasion.
Not since February 1996 have the paths of Belgium and Sweden crossed in Davis Cup. Sweden won that tie 4-1, with Belgium's solitary success coming from current team captain, Johan van Herck. Indeed, he overcame his opposite number 16 years on, Thomas Enqvist, in straight sets.
Van Herck said: "It was 3-zero already but it was nice because he was a top 10 player.
"But this is a total different story. They have some players who are not here. We are in a stronger position and will try to change the score around."
A great orator he is not, but Ray Sefo, newly minted president of the upstart World Series of Fighting promotion, has only the most noble of intentions.
“We look to put the fans and fighters first and to promote the best events,” Sefo said during a press conference last week.
Make that “event,” in the singular form, at least for now. Sefo’s first gaffe as head of the fledgling organization was to announce that the WSOF had signed a one-year contract with NBC Sports, with plans to hold eight to 10 events over the duration of that deal. Not so fast, replied the network.
A day after the press conference, an NBC representative told MMAFighting.com that its current agreement with the promotion is for one night only. After the Nov. 3 debut, everything will be evaluated and examined to determine how to best move forward. In theory, if NBC Sports is not happy with the product, WSOF could be a one-hit wonder. As it turns out, Sefo’s declaration was rooted more in cautious optimism than plain fact. However, the former K-1 standout stands by his announcement that WSOF has a one-year deal with NBC Sports.
Despite the mix-up, Sefo has reason to feel good. Even if it is just on a trial basis, it is a big deal for a brand new MMA promotion to be linked with such an established network. Although NBC Sports is not new to the fight game -- it previously broadcast World Extreme Cagefighting events when it was known as Versus -- the NBC name tends to resonate more with the masses.
File Photo
Torres is one of the WSOF centerpieces.
In hopes of making a splash with its initial event, WSOF has put together a solid lineup of recognizable names: Miguel Torres, Gerald Harris, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante, Josh Burkman, Ronys Torres and Bobby Lashley, to name a few. This by itself is not unique.
Organizations such as One Fighting Championship, ProElite, Shark Fights and Super Fight League have assembled their own collections of notables for various events. None of the aforementioned promotions had or have anything resembling a major television contract, however, which is why the stakes will be so high for WSOF in November.
Rumor has it that the promotion has been quite generous with its contracts, and it had to be in order to acquire the type of name value necessary to please the network suits. Following the Bellator Fighting Championships model of building relatively unknown prospects through tournaments would have been ideal -- and probably cheaper -- but the presence of NBC is a game changer.
“For me, it’s a new future, it’s a bright future. Being on NBC Sports is a huge thing for me and a big deal for all of us,” Torres said. “It was the best decision for me to come here. I’m happy with the way things worked out.”
It has to feel like a new lease on life for Torres, who was knocked out by the fast-rising Michael McDonald in his last UFC appearance. Torres is a few years removed from a 17-fight winning streak that brought him the WEC bantamweight title and inserted him into discussions regarding the world’s best pound-for-pound talents. He has declined since then, posting a 3-4 record and attracting more attention for his Twitter feed than his feats in the cage.
Still, the WSOF is counting on Torres to carry his weight as a headliner. It is counting on the likes of Harris, Burkman and Cavalcante to reach greater heights than they did with their previous, more well-known employers. It is counting on Lashley to be more than just an imposing physical specimen with a sports entertainment background.
To keep those guys coming back and to attract more talent for future shows, Sefo hopes to maintain a good relationship with his athletes. If offers start to pour in from other promotions or other contractual issues arise, he will allow his fighters to explore their options. Sefo, a longtime professional kickboxer with some MMA experience, is well aware of the hardships one must endure to survive in this profession, so it is not surprising that being fair to the fighters is among his foremost goals. How realistic that is remains to be seen.
“I understand the goal for every fighter out there is to get to the UFC. And so they should, as it’s the beast of the MMA world right now,” Sefo said. “But we’re not focusing on that. We’re focusing on what we bring to the table, which is creating more opportunities for fighters.”
For those opportunities to remain plentiful, Sefo and the WSOF must impress NBC Sports and a legion of fickle MMA fans on Nov. 3. It will not be easy, especially considering that it will be going up against a Strikeforce card featuring the likes of Daniel Cormier, Frank Mir and Luke Rockhold. Sefo is confident that enough fans will choose his product. It is on free TV, after all. Where the WSOF goes from there is anybody’s guess.
A TV deal with a big-time network, a recognizable cast of fighters and a passionate president is not a bad start. Mistakes are inevitable in a new organization, as Sefo himself has already demonstrated. Let us just hope the WSOF does not crash and burn before it truly gets off the ground. It is only fair to the fighters and fans that it gets a chance to succeed.
A great orator he is not, but Ray Sefo, newly minted president of the upstart World Series of Fighting promotion, has only the most noble of intentions.
“We look to put the fans and fighters first and to promote the best events,” Sefo said during a press conference last week.
Make that “event,” in the singular form, at least for now. Sefo’s first gaffe as head of the fledgling organization was to announce that the WSOF had signed a one-year contract with NBC Sports, with plans to hold eight to 10 events over the duration of that deal. Not so fast, replied the network.
A day after the press conference, an NBC representative told MMAFighting.com that its current agreement with the promotion is for one night only. After the Nov. 3 debut, everything will be evaluated and examined to determine how to best move forward. In theory, if NBC Sports is not happy with the product, WSOF could be a one-hit wonder. As it turns out, Sefo’s declaration was rooted more in cautious optimism than plain fact. However, the former K-1 standout stands by his announcement that WSOF has a one-year deal with NBC Sports.
Despite the mix-up, Sefo has reason to feel good. Even if it is just on a trial basis, it is a big deal for a brand new MMA promotion to be linked with such an established network. Although NBC Sports is not new to the fight game -- it previously broadcast World Extreme Cagefighting events when it was known as Versus -- the NBC name tends to resonate more with the masses.
File Photo
Torres is one of the WSOF centerpieces.
In hopes of making a splash with its initial event, WSOF has put together a solid lineup of recognizable names: Miguel Torres, Gerald Harris, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante, Josh Burkman, Ronys Torres and Bobby Lashley, to name a few. This by itself is not unique.
Organizations such as One Fighting Championship, ProElite, Shark Fights and Super Fight League have assembled their own collections of notables for various events. None of the aforementioned promotions had or have anything resembling a major television contract, however, which is why the stakes will be so high for WSOF in November.
Rumor has it that the promotion has been quite generous with its contracts, and it had to be in order to acquire the type of name value necessary to please the network suits. Following the Bellator Fighting Championships model of building relatively unknown prospects through tournaments would have been ideal -- and probably cheaper -- but the presence of NBC is a game changer.
“For me, it’s a new future, it’s a bright future. Being on NBC Sports is a huge thing for me and a big deal for all of us,” Torres said. “It was the best decision for me to come here. I’m happy with the way things worked out.”
It has to feel like a new lease on life for Torres, who was knocked out by the fast-rising Michael McDonald in his last UFC appearance. Torres is a few years removed from a 17-fight winning streak that brought him the WEC bantamweight title and inserted him into discussions regarding the world’s best pound-for-pound talents. He has declined since then, posting a 3-4 record and attracting more attention for his Twitter feed than his feats in the cage.
Still, the WSOF is counting on Torres to carry his weight as a headliner. It is counting on the likes of Harris, Burkman and Cavalcante to reach greater heights than they did with their previous, more well-known employers. It is counting on Lashley to be more than just an imposing physical specimen with a sports entertainment background.
To keep those guys coming back and to attract more talent for future shows, Sefo hopes to maintain a good relationship with his athletes. If offers start to pour in from other promotions or other contractual issues arise, he will allow his fighters to explore their options. Sefo, a longtime professional kickboxer with some MMA experience, is well aware of the hardships one must endure to survive in this profession, so it is not surprising that being fair to the fighters is among his foremost goals. How realistic that is remains to be seen.
“I understand the goal for every fighter out there is to get to the UFC. And so they should, as it’s the beast of the MMA world right now,” Sefo said. “But we’re not focusing on that. We’re focusing on what we bring to the table, which is creating more opportunities for fighters.”
For those opportunities to remain plentiful, Sefo and the WSOF must impress NBC Sports and a legion of fickle MMA fans on Nov. 3. It will not be easy, especially considering that it will be going up against a Strikeforce card featuring the likes of Daniel Cormier, Frank Mir and Luke Rockhold. Sefo is confident that enough fans will choose his product. It is on free TV, after all. Where the WSOF goes from there is anybody’s guess.
A TV deal with a big-time network, a recognizable cast of fighters and a passionate president is not a bad start. Mistakes are inevitable in a new organization, as Sefo himself has already demonstrated. Let us just hope the WSOF does not crash and burn before it truly gets off the ground. It is only fair to the fighters and fans that it gets a chance to succeed.
.