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Each week, ESPN.com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts. This week, Okamoto squares off with former UFC and current Bellator heavyweight Matt Mitrione?to debate the latest news and trends. Mitrione (11-5), 38, is unbeaten in two fights since making his Bellator MMA debut in June.?1.?Will Georges St-Pierre?ever fight again? If so, will it take place in the UFC?Mitrione:?My belief is yes. I believe he really wants to fight again. Ive actually spoken to him about it. I feel theres a chance hell fight for another organization, but the thing is, St-Pierre is a competitor, and he wants to fight against the best competition in the world. So I think if another organization can get somebody who is worth his time, who is not locked up by the UFC, St-Pierre would be interested. I dont think St-Pierre is going to wait another year to fight. If he does fight, I think its going to be soon. I think his recent comments are a lot of posturing, which is intelligent. He just put a lot of pressure on the UFC, publicly, and I think thats something [UFC president] Dana White has done to try and humiliate and embarrass fighters for a long time. So good for GSP for taking a page out of Danas book. The new UFC is only interested in putting on fights that bring in heavy dough. GSP is the key to Canada. I think by GSP doing that, letting the world know he wants to fight but theyre not giving him what he wants, then he put a lot of pressure on them.Okamoto:?Yes, I think St-Pierre will fight again. I think his desire to fight has been pretty obvious for a while now. And I do think that fight takes place in the UFC. Whether hes legally a free agent at this exact moment or not, I believe the overall outcome of this situation is the same, and that is he will fight in the Octagon again. Ive said it before and Ill say it again: 2016 was the year in which UFC fighter negotiations went public. Athletes have more leverage in this sport than theyve ever had and theyre more willing to use it. Not every single athlete can say that, but the ones who have found themselves in a position of strength have been generally willing to use it to their advantage. This could turn into one of the most interesting legal battles in the history of this sport. As of right now, I define it more as ongoing negotiations and, as Mitrione put it, posturing. At the end of the day, it would still be easier on everyone involved to come to an agreement, rather than hash this out in court.2.?With St-Pierre ruled out of UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, will that pay-per-view event get lost in the shuffle of a busy end of the year?Mitrione:?I cant even think of whos on UFC 206, so to me its already lost. Oh, AJ [Anthony Johnson]. Thats in Toronto? Anthony versus Daniel Cormier. It could get lost, man. AJ is an animal. DCs an animal. But I think GSP is kind of a needed commodity for that market right now. Especially with the business trading hands and now the bad business of the UFC not having him on that card, I do think UFC 206 could get lost, yes.Okamoto:?I agree. It absolutely could. From a pay-per-view standpoint, sandwiching it in between New Yorks UFC 205 and Ronda Rouseys UFC 207, it already was in a perilous spot. Its similar to UFC 201, which was sandwiched between the landmark UFC 200 and the Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz rematch at UFC 202. The return of St-Pierre would have been enough to combat that. Without him, I dont know that a rematch between Cormier and Johnson is enough to support PPV numbers. Cormier himself has expressed concern on this, as his payday is directly linked to PPV. The Toronto market has produced big crowds at Air Canada Centre in the past, and it has been three years since the UFC has been in that building. So Canadian fans might still show up at the gate, but as far as a PPV draw, it certainly could suffer.3.?Ronda Rousey returns at UFC 207 on Dec. 30 against bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Was this the right fight for her to return to?Mitrione:?I think Ronda got exposed and is going to have a really difficult time fighting anybody, because a lot of people are going to have a different game plan for her now. Is it the right fight for her, though? Yeah. I think Julianna Pena would be highly aggressive and a difficult fight for Ronda. I think everyone knows what would happen if Ronda fought Cyborg [Cris Justino]. I think she wanted nothing to do with a rematch against Holly Holm. So it was either Miesha Tate or Amanda Nunes. She got what she needed. The UFC knows what Ronda needs to be successful, and they need her to be successful. I just feel the blueprint is there for Nunes, but Ronda will be able to close distance, and her ability in close proximity is still the best in that division, especially when it goes to the ground. If you get a striker she cant close on, shes going to have a difficult time, but I think she can close on Nunes.Okamoto:?Its not the worst fight for her to return to. Oddsmakers still see Rousey as the favorite. Asking her to come back to a superfight against Justino or a rematch against Holm, whom youd think would have a psychological advantage, would have been tough. Ill admit it though: If I were the UFC, I would have booked her to the most tuneup-type fight possible. And I wouldnt have felt ashamed about it one bit. Haters would hate and accuse the UFC of pampering Rousey. OK, fine. If Im the UFC, I want Rousey to return, for UFC 207 and beyond, and I want her to be confident. Its not like weve never seen this before. Tuneup fights have been around as long as combat sports. Let your star get her legs under her in a matchup that favors her -- heavily. Nunes hits hard. Shes a finisher. I would have found a pillow-fisted bantamweight with poor takedown defense. That, to me, would have been the right fight for Rousey, but, I guess, credit her and the UFC for jumping straight back into the fire.4.?After being fined $150,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Conor McGregor says hell never fight in Las Vegas again. Do you believe him?Mitrione:?I think Conor is a very astute young man and that he understands the power he has with his name and marketability. If youre going to get fined like that and that makes you never want to fight in Vegas again, he knows he has the power to do so. Itll hurt Vegas and their pockets, which is obviously his intent if he doesnt fight there again. I think Conor does a lot of posturing, but this is something hes probably pretty legit about. Yes or no, does Conor ever fight in Las Vegas again? Id guess no.Okamoto:?Not really. Mitriones right, McGregor has never been one to misunderstand the value in his name. Saying hell never fight in Las Vegas again, he knows what impact that has on the individuals who fined him. Las Vegas wont go bankrupt if it never hosts another McGregor fight, but the man has been in the headliner of four of the top five mixed martial arts gates in Nevada history. Not to mention, hes responsible for bringing a very large amount of Irish money into the city during the last two years. His words on never fighting in Nevada again carry plenty of weight, but I personally dont expect him to hold that grudge forever. The UFC likes to host its big events in Las Vegas. No income tax in Nevada equals a happy face on McGregors record-setting paychecks. Well see what the future holds, but my guess is McGregor will be back in Vegas before his career is over.5.?Who wins the Bellator MMA light heavyweight fight on Jan. 21: Chael Sonnen or Tito Ortiz?Mitrione:?Chael, all day long. I just feel that Chael has youth on his side. I feel Chael is quick, slick, works on his hands. Tito is kind of past his prime a wee bit. He knows hes the draw that he is. Hes more of a businessman at this point where I think Chael is still a grinder.Okamoto:?Yeah, Ive got to lean Sonnen as well. I do think, however, a lot of people will completely write Ortiz off in this matchup, which I think might be a mistake. The general perception seems to be Ortiz is finished, which I wouldnt even completely argue with. However, he will be the bigger man in this contest, and although he has forfeited plenty of athleticism to age and injury, he still has size and enough power to make this fight interesting. But ultimately, Sonnen is younger, comes in shape and is the best wrestler Ortiz has fought in years. The early pick is Sonnen. 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Cheap Rays Jerseys . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. SUNRISE, Fla. -- Its Opening Night and virtually everyones optimistic at this point.But is there truly reason for optimism for the New Jersey Devils and/or the Florida Panthers, who will meet Thursday at the BB&T Center?For the Devils, the reason for hope revolves around left winger Taylor Hall, acquired June 29 in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The Devils gave up defenseman Adam Larsson to get Hall, who produced 26 goals and 39 assists last year.Hall, who turns 25 next month, has scored more than 20 goals in four of his six seasons in the NHL. He had more than a point a game in 2013-2014, when he posted 80 points in 75 games, and thats the kind of production the Devils are looking for from their speedy new forward.The Devils also made another move to add offense, picking up forward P.A. Parenteau on Tuesday after the New York Islanders released him. Parenteau, who had 20 goals and 21 assists with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, is expected to play against the Panthers on Thursday.Hes a seasoned, veteran player, Devils coach John Hynes told the media. Hes played games -- it just hasnt been with us.Those additions -- especially acquiring Hall -- should help New Jersey, but its important to note that the Devils were 30th in the NHL in goals last season, and that went a long way toward sealing their fate of having just 84 points, 12th best in the Eastern Conference, and a fourth straight season without making the NHL playoffs.The picture is legitimately brighter for the Panthers -- at least if they can stay healthy.Florida won the Atlantic Division last year with 103 points before losing to the Islanders in six games in the first round of the playoffs.The Panthers hoped to build on that momentum by signing high-scoring defenseman Keith Yandle from the New York Rangers, empowering him as the point man on their power play and pairing him with rising star Aaron Ekblad.Florida also added Jason Demers and Mark Pysyk to their revamped defense.However, all the Panthers well-intentioned offseason moves have been stunted to some degree by two injuries.Right winger Jonathan Huberdeau (left foot) is out, possibly for as long as four months, after getting cut by a skate blade on Sunday. And earlier in the exhibition seasonn, the Panthers lost center Nick Bjugstad (broken hand) for about a month.ddddddddddddThe Huberdeau injury breaks up the teams top trio, leaving Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr in search of chemistry with a new linemate.Bjugstads absence disrupts the teams second line.Florida is hoping that Jonathan Marchessault, a speedy forward acquired after he scored seven goals in 45 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, can make up for some of the slack.Despite the injuries, Panthers coach Gerard Gallant is taking the high road.I like the players weve brought in, Gallant said. Weve moved forward the past two years. The hope is that we will move forward again this year.Thursdays game should feature two standout goalies. Floridas Roberto Luongo has made a quick recovery from offseason hip surgery and is expected to start for the Panthers. Cory Schneider is expected to start for New Jersey. Both goalies are considered solid candidates for the Vezina Trophy.Other players to watch include:-- Panthers defenseman Michael Matheson, a smooth-skating 22-year-old, could be a Rookie of the Year candidate if he plays up to his prospect rankings.-- New Jerseys Ben Lovejoy is the biggest addition to the defense. He signed a three-year deal after helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup last season.-- Panthers center Derek MacKenzie, 35, will be making his debut as a team captain.-- Devils center Pavel Zacha, who was the No. 6 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, is only 19 years old but appears primed for a stellar rookie season.One of the biggest things to watch for Thursday -- and indeed all season for the Devils and Panthers -- is the toughness factor on defense.The Panthers added an offensive defenseman in Yandle, who has frequently been derelict in his defensive duties throughout his career. The Panthers also got rid of solid defensemen such as Brian Campbell, Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson in the offseason.Similarly, the Devils traded away Larsson, who led the team in hits and ranked second in blocked shots.Which defense plays toughest could go a long way toward deciding Thursdays winner. ' ' '