In a year that already has proved to be massive for the UFC, with one major card after another, UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York looks to be the biggest and most important of them all. In honor of such a marquee event, ESPN.com is providing dedicated previews to all 13 bouts on the card, breaking down whats at stake and projecting who will win, along with quotes and statistics for each fighter.Middleweights: Rafael Natal (21-7-1) vs. Tim Boetsch?(19-10)Odds as of Nov. 2:?Natal -160; Boetsch +140Dana Whites thoughtsYou know, two tough veterans, battling to stick around here. Thats how sports go. All sports, not just this one. Make a few errors in a key game, youre on the line. NFL -- Jonas Gray was a running back for the Patriots, stud, every time they put him on the field hed get 100 yards rushing, was late to practice and you never saw the guy again. Done. So, thats just the truth of every sport.Whats at stake?One step back to take a few forward for NatalManhattans Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy sits less than two blocks away from Madison Square Garden.Natal, 33, has been shaping his skills at W. 30th Street since moving to New York eight years ago and believes none of those years has been as critical to his development as 2016.Natal was recently shaping up to be the Cinderella of the division, having strung together four consecutive wins. That streak ended in April, when he came up short in a three-round fight against Australias Robert Whittaker.Following the loss, Natal requested time off to fill certain holes in his game, and he is eager to show that off against a battle-tested opponent in Boetsch.Renzos academy is one street behind Madison Square Garden. I see it every day, Natal said. In my last fight, I couldnt take him down -- first time in 30 fights. I take people down all the time. He avoided it, and that was a little frustrating. But I believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the best thing is to take one step back to take a few steps forward.I asked the UFC to give me a few months off to improve. Had I beat Whittaker, I would have asked for a top-five [opponent]. I wasnt ready for that, but now Ive fixed these things.Boetsch: I never feel secure until I get my hand raisedJust about every fighter on the UFCs roster would have given anything to receive an offer to fight in New York.When that offer came for Boetsch, the first emotion he felt was something close to dread.I was expecting to fight at the beginning of next year, Boetsch said. When I got a call from [matchmaker] Joe Silva out of the blue, I was concerned.Boetsch, 35, is coming off an upset win over Josh Samman in July, but before that, The Barbarian had lost three consecutive bouts. He has never forgotten what it felt like to exit the UFC; the promotion let him walk in 2009 before re-signing him the following year.I had three losses in a row before my last fight, Boetsch said. I was anticipating the call to say, We appreciate your time but no longer need your services. I was prepared for that call, and it never came. Instead, they called to offer me a fight on the biggest card in UFC history.I take pride in giving people exactly what they expect when I fight, but if were being honest, I never feel secure until I get my hand raised. Ive been cut by the UFC before. I understand the nature of this business. You better put on an exciting performance, but at the same time, you better win every fight. I go in with that mindset. I probably shouldnt put that pressure on myself, but its always on my mind.Boetsch believes others fighters might have scrambled their game after dropping three in a row, but says he was able to take a sensible approach. In June 2015, he got caught by a Dan Henderson right hand. In January of this year, it was an Ed Herman knee. Disappointing losses for sure, but Boetsch said he believes he has always had the recipe for success and that it hasnt changed.Those are two weapons no one wants to run into, and they found their way through on me, Boetsch said. Thats just fighting. I know the formula to win is there though. I just need to execute.Statistical comparisonNatal: 21-7-1 record (9-5-1 UFC); four-fight winning streak snapped in last fight Natal: 36 takedowns in UFC competition, most all-time in middleweight divisionBoetsch: 19-10 record (10-9 UFC); 14 of 19 wins by stoppage Boetsch: Lands 53 percent of significant strikes in UFC middleweight fights, sixth-highest among active UFC middleweightsBreakdownNatal isnt kidding when he says he couldnt get Whittaker down. He struggled to get anything going in that last fight, and his decision to take time off and evolve speaks to that.Boetsch doesnt have the same steady kickboxing approach that gave Natal so much trouble. His output is way lower, but he has a good deal of one-punch knockout power. Natal performs better when hes not on his back foot the whole time, which shouldnt be the case against the heavy-handed but at times lumbering style of Boetsch.A lot hinges on Natals ability, or lack thereof, to avoid the big shot. Hes durable and will probably have an advantage with judges simply because he does more, but Boetsch is a bigger threat for a KO.PREDICTION:?Natal via decision. Jake McGee Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. DJ LeMahieu Jersey . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. http://www.rockiesgearproshop.com/Rockies-Adam-Ottavino-Kids-Jersey/ . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Wade Davis Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Colorado Rockies Jerseys . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. ASHBURN, Va. -- Sua Cravens figured out a few practices into his NFL career what life in the trenches was like.I was about 217 pounds playing (middle) linebacker with no pads on going against guys like (tackles Ty Nsekhe and Trent Williams), Cravens recalled, and I didnt know Trent was as fast as me so I got thrown out the club about three or four times in the first couple OTA practices before I was like, `OK let me just make a decision and live with it.The second-round pick out of USC who coach Jay Gruden wanted to list as a hybrid on the roster got his crash course and is now delivering hits. Despite being small for the position at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Cravens is working at linebacker and drawing attention from opponents for his versatility and how his role has rapidly expanded.You can just see the way they are using him, said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, whose team will face Cravens and the Redskins on Sunday night. Hes the pressure player in key moments of the game, so I think it tells you what the defensive staff thinks of him and just the confidence they have in him.Gruden and defensive coordinator Joe Barry want to keep Cravens on the field as much as possible, and the 21-year-old played a season-high 55 percent of snaps last week against Minnesota. The coaching staff is challenging Cravens more and more, and he oozes the confidence to be able to handle the tasks and assignments thrown at him.Cravens knew coaches trusted him when they left him in the game to defend a crucial Vikings drive late in the fourth quarter. He wasnt surprised to be out there, though.I know what kind of player I am, Cravens said. Im all about being humble, but Im not a slouch. If a team wants to try me or a team wants to attack me in those late moments where the coaches do trust me and put me in the game, then so be it.Cravens likely wouldve been an even bigger part of the Redskins improving defense had he not missed two games because of a concussion. Barry conceded that stunted the plans for him, but Cravens said the different blitz packages and formations that were being worked on in Weeks 3 and 4 are now being implemented and will be built on.Sua is a playmaker, and I think if we can be creative with putting him in different positions, whether its standard just linebackker positions or other positions around the formation to be able to make plays, Barry said.ddddddddddddHes getting into a nice flow, a nice rhythm.What makes Cravens valuable is his ability to pick up different positions with ease, something Gruden credits to instincts and football IQ. In a roundabout way, it helped having five different coaches in three seasons in college.It prepared me to play D-end, rush end, outside linebacker, corner, nickel, whatever -- just athlete, Cravens said. Being versatile isnt a bad thing these days.Versatility isnt just about playing multiple positions. Cravens has the speed to play in the secondary, the willingness to engage in physicality to stop the run and go up against offensive linemen and the mindset to rush the passer.All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman is super impressed with how Cravens has adjusted to doing all that in the NFL.He has that instinct in him, Norman said. You sparkplug that, and you see what you see out there. I enjoy playing with him. Hes one of the little dogs we can let off the leash here and there and let him go out there and crash-dummy some people. Its fun to see. Its fun for everybody to see. It gets everybody fired up. It electrifies people.Cravens electrifying personality shows through on the field and even on film. As impressed as McCarthy is in Cravens from video, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is also well aware of him.Hes moving around a lot, Rodgers said. Hes a very good blitzer, hes a good tackler, plays in space well. Hes obviously the kind of guy who might not fit into one specific role for a team, but hes just so talented you have to find a way to get him out there.Game notes WR DeSean Jackson (shoulder) was limited in practice Thursday, but Gruden said he did more than Wednesday, including participating in some team reps. Jackson wouldnt comment on his status for Sunday night. ... Long snapper Nick Sundberg tweaked his back in the weight room and sat out practice. OL Vinston Painter missed practice for personal reasons.---AP Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich contributed---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '