Theres nothing quite as humbling in combat sports as losing. Its the only weapon that can slice through the shield of bravado that a fighter needs just to step foot inside a cage -- transforming irrational confidence into an infestation of doubt.And what if said loss means the end of a world title reign and universal claim as one of the sports pound-for-pound best? And what if its followed up by two more defeats?If former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has one word to describe his journey over the past 18 months, it would be dark.I was depressed. I was like, This is what I do. This is what I pride myself on -- [being] the champ of the world. Now Ive lost three in a row, Pettis told ESPN.com, during a Reebok FightHub event at UFC 205 in New York. Its a weird place to be at. You find out a lot about yourself when you lose. You find out how good you really are.Pettis, 29, responded to the losing streak in August by moving down in weight, and he looked spectacular in his featherweight debut by choking out Charles Oliveira. Four months later, a flurry of events conspired to transform his return on Saturday at UFC 206 in Toronto into a very big deal.Originally the co-main event, Pettis featherweight bout against red-hot Max Holloway (16-3) was pushed into a headlining role after an injury forced light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier to withdraw from his rematch against Anthony Johnson. Soon after, Conor McGregor vacated his featherweight title -- by choice or by force, depending upon your perspective -- and suddenly, the Pettis-Holloway fight had the interim featherweight title on the line (with Jose Aldo elevated to undisputed champion).While Pettis admits the victory over Oliveira definitely bought some confidence, the recent emotional toll of highs and lows has been heavy.Pettis (19-5), among the UFCs most dynamic and creative strikers, opened 2015 on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box. A little more than one year later, however, a trio of defeats to Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza left many doubting whether he would ever be the same.Among those doubters was Pettis himself.You still have that thought in the back of your head -- that feeling of losing, Pettis said. It haunts you. Its one of the things I hate feeling and I felt it three times in a row. For a whole year I lost. It was a sh---y feeling, but I feel like for now, I have the first win under my belt for a new weight class and a new light. Im having fun training again and Im injury free.Pettis saving grace throughout his losing streak was that all three defeats came by decision. To that end, he was able to pinpoint a couple of small mistakes that cost him in each fight.At this level of the game, its a game of inches and centimeters, Pettis said. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day. If you have an off night, there goes the fight.I just feel like every time I went out there, there were a couple of small mistakes that cost me the fight. I didnt get knocked out, I didnt get submitted. It was just decisions and output, I think. So we just focused on the output, focused on not letting these guys hold me on the cage [like Alvarez did.]Pettis admitted he still questions himself constantly, and says that anyone who claims to be 100 percent confident when entering the Octagon is lying.If youre not nervous, youre not ready, he said.Entering Saturdays fight, Pettis is the betting underdog -- and thats been another positive motivating factor working in his favor. When you are the underdog, you have nothing to lose, Pettis said. People expect you to lose. If I go out there with a dominant performance, everyone is going to remember why I was the champ at one point.The other x-factor for Pettis is knowing he will be the bigger and stronger man after moving down in weight -- and that confidence could be just what he needs to balance out the uncertainty that lingers after his losing streak.Im way stronger. Oliveira is probably the biggest guy in the division [and] when he hit me, I didnt feel it. I wasnt hurt, said Pettis. Wrestling wise, he couldnt take me down. McGregor dominated [Holloway] from the southpaw stance, and as long as Max cant come forward, he doesnt build that confidence. Ive got to be the bigger guy out there and push him around. Jose Ruiz White Sox Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Alexei Ramirez White Sox Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Lucas Giolito White Sox Jersey . 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We want to continue that relationship and be back for more.Goodell says the NFLs plans will not be impacted by President-elect Donald Trumps previous comments on Mexicans.I dont see that changing our perspective at all, Goodell said. For us, this is about the future and continuing to grow and to reach more fans.dddddddddddd ... This isnt about politics.For us, this is about uniting people. I think youll see fans in Mexico enjoying Americas favorite sport, football, and thats a great thing for us to all come together behind.Goodell viewed Mondays game as another attempt to grow the sport both in the U.S. and internationally.We know that we have tremendous fans around the globe and we know the Hispanic fan base is particularly interested in our game. Thats why we were so focused on getting back here, Goodell said. We feel its a great way to build the support we want within the Hispanic community. ...This is really a big moment for us. And if were successful -- and were confident we will be -- we want to do more. ' ' '