hat we have, its definitely good to have right now.McCarthy agreed the teams earliest bye week since 2013 -- not long ago, of course -- when the Pa

The first thing you notice about Kevin Ferguson Jr. is the strong resemblance to his father. He hits hard like him, too, and has a look in his eye that displays the fire and emotion that made his father, legendary street fighter Kimbo Slice, so memorable.Slice died in June at the age of 42, and now his son is ready to make his own impact in the world of mixed martial arts.Ferguson, 23, nicknamed Baby Slice, will make his pro debut Saturday on the prelims of Bellator 165 (9 p.m. ET, Spike TV/ESPN Deportes/ESPN3) in San Jose, California, in a 165 pound bout against Aaron Hamilton (0-2). The platform marks a fitting beginning to the start of a pro MMA career for the son of Kimbo Slice -- aka Kevin Ferguson -- whose legacy was ultimately built upon his ability to draw eyeballs to everything he did.I am doing this for the fans that are watching and everything, but at the same time Im really not doing it for them -- Im doing it for me, Ferguson told ESPN.com. Im ready to go in and get that W.The younger Slice first wanted to become a fighter at age 16 after seeing his dad fight, along with watching videos of boxing greats Roy Jones Jr. and Mike Tyson. It wasnt until Fergusons first amateur bout in March, however, that he knew this was something he could do for a living.Ferguson trained jiu-jitsu for a full year before working on his stand-up skills. For the two weeks leading up to his amateur debut, he limited his workout to a Healthtrax gym with a personal trainer. Pushing a sled and doing situps, the focus was on cardio with no fight technique being drilled. It turns out he didnt need jiu-jitsu, or much cardio for that matter, as the fight ended in 83 seconds, with another quick knockout being added to the family ledger.Its definitely genetics; not everybody has knockout power,?Ferguson said. Some people hit hard, but they dont have that knockout power, so I definitely inherited that from my pops, for sure.Fergusons amateur debut, which took place at a Polynesian restaurant in Chicopee, Massachusetts, for a local promotion, soon hit the internet and became a sensation, garnering over 1.6 million views on YouTube to date. Shortly after, he received a phone call from his father?to discuss the young fighters next move.He was telling me that Bellator had interest,?Ferguson said. I had to think about it a little bit. I trained with ATT [American Top Team] for a month in Coconut Creek [Florida]. Then I made that decision -- we all made that decision together -- that yeah, this is what I wanted to do. It was my decision, but I made it with my dad -- we did it together.Three months later, the elder Slice died suddenly due to heart failure, just four months after his final bout with Bellator.Ferguson, whose debut will come on Fridays preliminary card, doesnt have any specific plans to honor his father; he says hes saving that for when he gets promoted to the main card.Im still dealing with [the loss] every day. It aint something you just get over, he said. I just know that Im continuing a legacy. I wouldnt mind fighting in his shadow. I wouldnt mind that at this point. Thats OK with me.This is the third time Fergusons pro debut has been scheduled since August. A freak injury during takedown defense training injured his MCL and caused him to pull out of Bellator 160. Going through his first serious camp, Ferguson describes the injury as a blessing in disguise because he was learning so much about pushing himself in camp.The second time around, at Bellator 162 in October, the fight was called off after Fergusons opponent, Rick Bing, missed weight by 17 pounds. The thought of his opponent missing weight crossed Fergusons mind ahead of the bout, but his entire focus was on the fight itself. According to Ferguson, Bing was given the opportunity to make the weight but never came back. Meanwhile, Ferguson tipped the scales at 164 pounds after an easy cut.For a 23-year-old, Baby Slice displays a lot of maturity in the way his speaks and in his approach to the fight game. After the second bout was scrapped, Baby Slice took a week off of training and spent time with his family. Despite having many personal and professional setbacks this year, Ferguson is pushing to see the silver lining in the delay of his professional debut.I saw the bigger picture and I knew that it was an opportunity just to get better and to push myself more in the gym, said Ferguson.Now armed with greater understanding of what it takes to compete as a pro, Ferguson has continued training with The Body Shop in California alongside fellow Bellator prospects A.J. McKee and Joey Davis, whom Ferguson credits for keeping his focus and dedication on the sport. Since returning to the gym after the debacle at Bellator 162, Ferguson says hes been able to push harder than ever before.They push me, A.J. and Joey, those guys push me to the limits, said Ferguson. Now Im pushing myself harder those last rounds. When I do my rounds, Im pushing myself, you know? Even when Im exhausted Im still going.He may look and punch like his father, but Ferguson is his own man with his own style in the cage. Fighting at welterweight, as opposed to heavyweight, he describes himself as a faster and more athletic fighter than his father, with a better ground game. With the expectations of a famous nickname and having many eyes on your early fights, one could easily expect nerves to be a bigger battle than the fight itself for Ferguson, but that doesnt appear to be the case.Theres really no emotions for me, he said. I zone out. I go into a whole other zone. I dont hear the crowd. All I see is my opponent, just getting a W, my hand raised at the end of the night. No matter if it comes by submission or knockout [or] TKO. As long as I get that W, Im happy. Wilt Chamberlain Lakers Jersey .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Elgin Baylor Lakers Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.lakersteamofficial.com/Kentavious-Caldwell-Pope-Lakers-Jersey/ .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Rajon Rondo Lakers Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As coach Mike McCarthy excused his players late Monday afternoon for the start of their bye week, sentiments about having the break so soon on their schedule were mixed.The passing game appears to be on better footing after a big first half by Aaron Rodgers and his receivers in the 34-27 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. So disrupting that momentum after two shaky outings to start the season wasnt desired.But Green Bays pass defense might need some work, so the long layoff after only three games could be in the Packers favor.Especially when injuries to several key players left the defense short-handed against the Lions.Initially, nobody really cares for an early bye, defensive tackle Mike Daniels said. But with all of the injuries that we have, its definitely good to have right now.McCarthy agreed the teams earliest bye week since 2013 -- not long ago, of course -- when the Packers also took a week off after just three games, comes at a good timeIts early, its different, but I think its obvious we need it, McCarthy said Monday.Players quickly entered and exited the locker room after McCarthy wrapped up a team meeting. He said the team wont be back together until next Monday, when Green Bay starts to prepare for a Sunday night matchup Oct. 9 against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field.They just need to travel safe and spend the time with their loved ones and take care of themselves and be smart, be safe, McCarthy said.And when the players return for what will be a long haul of playing 13 straight weeks until New Years Day to end the regular season, McCarthy is hopeful his team will be close to full strength again.The defense played without four injured starters Sunday.Linebacker Clay Matthews (ankle/hamstring) and safety Morgan Burnett (groin) were injured in the Week 2 loss at unbeaten NFC North leader Minnesota. Veteran nose tackle Letroy Guion went out with a knee injury early in that game and is sidelined indefinitely.Cornerback Sam Shields has been out since suffering a concussion in the season-opening win at Jacksonville.dddddddddddd.Versatile defensive end/linebacker Datone Jones also was out Sunday with a knee injury, though he felt he could have played.I just think, overall, it helps our team just get back healthy, Jones said about the bye week.The extensive injury list forced the Packers to play eight rookies on defense against the Lions, who stormed back from a 31-3 deficit to get within seven points in the final minutes.Kenny Clark, the teams first-round draft pick, started his first game as Guions replacement, and helped Green Bay maintain its No. 1 ranking in the NFL for run defense.The Packers held Detroit, which played without injured running back Ameer Abdullah, to 50 rushing yards. Green Bay has allowed an average of 42.7 yards on the ground after three games, far ahead of No. 2-ranked Philadelphias average of 71 yards.Thats an encouraging start for a run defense that Daniels, the fifth-year anchor of the line, remembers as being horrible and embarrassing the last few seasons.Were playing tough, and guys are flying around to the ball, and were just getting physical with the other team, Daniels said. Its just that freaking simple.The shaky play of the Packers pass defense is cause for concern going into the bye, however. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford exploited Green Bays depleted secondary for 385 passing yards, including a career-high 205 yards and two touchdowns by receiver Marvin Jones Jr.The Packers have allowed an average of 307.3 yards through the air, fifth worst in the league.The back end, theyll get it together, Daniels said. Those guys have a lot of pride, and Im looking forward to watching those young guys grow, too, because we have a lot of young guys out there.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '