UFC's Anderson Silva: Coming back feels like the first time

In a great interview with Fox Sports, long-time UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (above) talks about his emotional reaction to fans welcoming him back. "The Spider" says that "it's the same [as] my first time when I walking to [the] Octagon. I'm very happy."

He sure looks it. Silva goes on to talk about his Black House middleweight teammates like "Jacare" Souza who he says have first dibs on any new title shots, a possible super fight with Georges St. Pierre, should the welterweight return, and how Brazilian fighters need to work to evolve their games, and much more.

Check it out above, and let us know if you're looking forward to Silva returning to the cage next year against Nick Diaz!

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Bruce Pearl dressed up as Gus Malzahn for Halloween (Photo)

When your team is playing well, even other coaches want to dress up as you.

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl dressed up as coach Gus Malzahn Thursday night at an event for Auburn's basketball team.

. @coachbrucepearl dressed up as @CoachGusMalzahn for Pearl Jam event on Halloween Eve. (Photo: @wwader) http://ift.tt/1wkesne

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) October 31, 2014

"Pearl Jam" wasn't the band. Rather it was an open scrimmage and event for Auburn's basketball team and its first-year coach. Pearl, after serving time as an ESPN analyst while he was under show-cause penalty from the NCAA, was hired by Auburn after last season.

We hope Pearl read this piece by The War Eagle Reader for authenticity. The site asked Malzahn's wife and daughter on how to create the perfect Gus costume.

For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Georgia's appeal of Todd Gurley suspension denied; Gurley still eligible Nov. 15

Georgia's appeal to have RB Todd Gurley eligible sooner than November 15 has been denied.

The NCAA said in a statement this week that Gurley would be reinstated for the Bulldogs' game against Auburn on November 15 after serving a four-game suspension for accepting over $3,000 for autographing items over multiple years.

Georgia immediately appealed the decision in the hopes that Gurley could play as soon as Saturday against Florida. The suspension was upheld. It was for 30 percent of the season because of the amount of money Gurley accepted.

"We are very disappointed in tonight's decision by the Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee regarding our appeal on Todd Gurley's eligibility reinstatement," a Georgia statement read. "We believe our case to the NCAA for Todd's immediate reinstatement was strong and compelling. However, we now have exhausted all available options and look forward to Todd's return to competition on November 15. The full attention of the Bulldog Nation now needs to be focused on our team and Saturday's important game against Florida."

Per the NCAA's statement, the sanctioning body considered other penalties but because of Georgia's self-reporting and cooperation on the issue, it was left at four games. Gurley will miss games against Missouri, Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky.

No Gurley against Florida on Saturday means that freshman RB Nick Chubb will start again. He has 99 carries for 569 yards this season.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Twitter fines are becoming a tidy revenue stream for the FA

The FA has made about £350,000 from fining players for social media related offenses since 2011, according to the Guardian. This has to be one of the easiest new revenue streams for the organization and one of the dumbest ways to lose money for the footballers paying the fines.

The most recent contributor was QPR defender Rio Ferdinand, who has fined £25,000 and banned for three matches for a tweet that included the word "sket," which is Caribbean slang for "whore." Ferdinand is the 12th player to be suspended for a social media offense. This is also his second Twitter fine. The first came in 2012 when he retweeted a message from another user that called Ashley Cole a "choc ice."

Speaking of Ashley Cole, he holds the record for the single largest Twitter fine of £90,000 for insulting the FA itself that same year. And to think this all started in 2011 when Ryan Babel, then with Liverpool, was fined £10,000 for tweeting a photoshopped picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt.

By the Guardian's count, the FA has investigated 121 social media cases in the last three years and 60 of those investigations have led to charges.

Though Rio Ferdinand is nearing the end of his career, with a bit of luck he might be able to pull off the Twitter fine hat trick before he retires to cement his place as football's king of social media idiocy. Which would be fitting for a man who titled his latest autobiography, which was printed on actual paper, "#2sides."

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Brooks Peck is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter! Follow @BrooksDT

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Russell Westbrook leaves an Oklahoma City Thunder game with a right hand injury (Video)

It’s not so much that the Oklahoma City Thunder is already without Kevin Durant. It’s that Durant’s sweet-shooting reserve, Anthony Morrow, is also injured. It’s that his potential perimeter complement, hybrid guard Reggie Jackson, is nursing an ankle injury. It’s that James Harden’s hoped-for replacement, Jeremy Lamb, is out with a bad back.

Now, another dagger. We’re not yet aware of the severity of the injury, MRIs and x-rays have yet to be administered, but All-Star point man Russell Westbrook had to leave Thursday night’s Thunder/Los Angeles Clipper game with an injured right hand.

Here’s how it happened:

It’s unclear if Westbrook hurt the hand while bashing it into Kendrick Perkins’ thigh, or if the hand was caught in Perkins’ uniform. He may have injured himself while driving on Clippers reserve guard Jordan Farmar, as well. Whatever the spark, Westbrook had to leave the game after just 8:43 of frustrating play – he dished four assists, but turned the ball over three times, picked up two fouls, and missed two of three shots from the field.

Anything is worth guessing at this point. RW could have a dislocated finger, common amongst injuries that see players get their hands caught in someone’s uniform. It could be as simple as a contusion, or as severe as a break. What we do know is that Westbrook spent the rest of his team’s second game of the season with a massive wrap and ice pack surrounding his aching shooting hand, as the severely undermanned Thunder attempted to keep up with a buoyant Los Angeles Clippers squad. Seven players on the active roster were inactive on Thursday, following Westbrook's injury.

Nearly as annoying was Westbrook’s exit – we’re not sure of the details, but he took offense to either a thrown object or an uncalled-for heckle while leaving the Staples Center court. TNT’s David Aldridge later reported that the fan, thankfully, was denied a chance to see the second half of the contest.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops

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Florida State rallies from 21 down to beat Louisville, stay undefeated

Florida State seems to be at its best when its back is against the wall.

Trailing by as many as 21, the Seminoles put together a nearly flawless second half to escape Louisville with a 42-31 victory.

But the final score didn’t paint an accurate picture of how the game played out.

In the first half, the Seminoles were on upset alert.

Louisville jumped out a 21-0 lead and Florida State looked shell-shocked. Winston threw two interceptions in the first half — and would add a career-high third in the second half — and Louisville defense was playing about as well as it has all season.

But in the second half, that all changed.

Winston threw his third pick on his first pass of the second half but then managed to force a fumble and get the Seminoles the ball back.

That played seemed to spark something in Florida State as it proceeded to dominate Louisville in the second half. The Seminoles outgained Louisville 380-170 in the second half and was 5-of-8 on third down. Louisville never converted a third down.

Florida State wore down the Louisville defense and with the help of some strange and lucky bounces was able to take the lead and eventually pull away.

While Winston threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns, this was not his Heisman moment. He made several bad mistakes in the first half and early in the second and he also got away with a couple passes that also should have been intercepted. More importantly, he injured his ankle midway through the second half. While he played through the injury, it was clear he was hurting as he limped his way around the pocket.

Many picked this game to break the Seminoles winning streak, which is now extended to 24 games, but the ‘Noles pulled it out like they have in a few contests, including the national title game, during that streak.

There aren’t many more opponents that could give the Seminoles trouble as they come down the home stretch of the regular season. They host a decent Virginia defense next week and an improving Miami team the week after. After that, they host a Boston College team that beat USC, but hasn’t been that great since, and a Florida team that’s pretty miserable on offense.

Then, the ‘Noles might be looking at an ACC championship game rematch against Duke.

Following Thursday’s triumph against Louisville, Florida State’s path to the College Football Playoff just got a lot clearer.

For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.

For more Louisville news, visit CardinalSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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NFC South isn't pretty, but the New Orleans Saints are in control of it

Someone has to win the NFC South. It's in the rules.

One big road win from the New Orleans Saints, who were on a seven-game road regular season losing streak, might be enough to bend the balance of power in the NFC South their way.

New Orleans had a methodical 28-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. They frustrated a shorthanded and talent-poor Panthers offense, and an 80-yard fourth-quarter drive that chewed up 7:27 and finished with Mark Ingram's second rushing touchdown sealed the victory.

The win improves the Saints' record to 4-4, which isn't impressive anywhere but the NFC South. They're in first place, ahead of the 3-5-1 Panthers. The moribund Falcons and Buccaneers aren't even worth mentioning as contenders anymore. Considering how dominant the Saints are at home – they were 3-0 at home this season and 0-4 on the road before Thursday night – it'll be a tough battle for the Panthers to defend as NFC South champions. There has never been a repeat champion in the NFC South.

The Saints were very good on defense. The Panthers are really beat up on the offensive line and it showed. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wasn't at his best either. He was off on many passes, and has been erratic for three games in a row.

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The Saints had a tough start to the season, but they're looking like they're figuring some things out. The defense played maybe its best game of the season. Ingram, who missed some time with an injury, is making a huge difference for the offense. The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2011 first-round pick has become a legitimate workhorse after three disappointing NFL seasons. He rushed 30 times for 100 yards against Carolina, and was the Saints' preferred option in the red zone. He'll be a free agent after this season.

The Saints cashed in on a Newton fumble deep in Panthers territory for their first touchdown, and took a 14-0 lead into halftime on Jimmy Graham's 1-yard touchdown with three seconds left in the first half. The Panthers tried to rally in the second half, but were held to a field goal on a promising drive early in the fourth quarter. With the lead cut to 21-10, the Saints' long drive and Ingram's second score iced the game.

The Saints haven't won the division just because they climbed back to .500. But nobody else in the division is playing well. If the Saints can play like this on the road a few more times, they'll guarantee themselves one home playoff game in January.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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