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In two days, over 15,000 contenders will gather to compete in the worlds largest fighting game tournament: the Evolution Championship Series (Evo). This year, the events set of nine titles includes Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mortal Kombat X, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, Pokkén Tournament, Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator, and Tekken 7: Fated Retribution.This time around, multiple competitors will look to defend their titles from last year. While some have remained on top of their games, many others have faltered, and others have risen as favorites. But it all comes down to this weekend as hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money is on the line across all of the games.Looking ahead to the weekend, we ranked 10 competitors who are considered favorites going into the tournament, judging them based on recent performances or their legacies as champions of their game.1. Infiltration - Street Fighter VWhen Street Fighter V was released and the Capcom Pro Tour began, Team Razers Lee Infiltration Seon-woo quickly separated himself from the rest of the pack to claim the rank of the worlds best player. In a dominating start akin to his Year of Infiltration run in 2012, he took down the first two Premier Tournaments (Final Round and NorCal Regionals) with relative ease.His weapon of choice, Nash, was not one of the most popular picks among the community, but Infiltration played him in a style that could only be considered his own. Essentially, Infiltration is frenetic and active with his button and movement choices. Hes the only player to maneuver Nash, a heavy zoning and space-control character, into an unpredictable moving wall. Hes also the only player in the top 15 of the Capcom Pro Tour standings to play Nash.The second coming of the Year of Infiltration just may continue with an Evo title, as this world-class warrior possesses few weaknesses.2. SonicFox - Mortal Kombat XFor the past year, Mortal Kombat was dominated by one name: Critical Reactions Dominique SonicFox McLean. Hes the three-time ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League champion, a two-time Evo winner (one for Injustice: Gods Among Us and for Mortal Kombat X), and the favorite in every NetherRealm Studio game tournament he enters. But, the most daunting fact about SonicFox is his character versatility. He wont just beat you with his signature Erron Black; hell crush you with a pocket list of characters that span from Alien or Mileena, and all the way to Jason.If that werent enough, no one in competitive Mortal Kombat can remotely figure out how to shut down SonicFoxs incredible gameplay. Hes a bully and a fearless risk-taker. Hes the most dangerous in the neutral space, as he harasses opponents with the best normal moves at razor-sharp precision. He refuses to be conditioned and marches to his own stubborn beat. To beat SonicFox would mean the greatest outplay of your career. Hes the Mortal Kombat juggernaut and an easy favorite for another Evo title.3. Mang0 - Super Smash Bros. MeleeAlready a two-time winner of Evo in Super Smash Brothers Melee, Joseph Mang0 Marquez wants nothing more than a third Evo trophy to add to his collection. He comes into this years Evo with all of the momentum of winning WTFox 2 earlier this month.In recent months, he has added Marth to his arsenal of characters to handle some of his weaker matchups. He is known for his relentless pressure to force his opponents into making bad plays, and now has developed a slower patient gear to throw off his opponents. His ability to play without fear in high pressure situations makes him a strong threat to win this years Evo.4. Anakin - Tekken 7: Fated RetributionCEO 2016 champion in June? Check. First place at Combo Breaker in May? Check. Circas Hoa Anakin Luu has earned his way into the Tekken Tour on more than one occasion, and despite being sent to the losers bracket at both of those events, he still walked out on top.That said, Evo is an international event, and with Saint, Take, Yuu, Kuro, JDCR, Knee and countless other international players coming to Vegas, this will be a bigger challenge than anything so far this year. Anakin is two years removed from his last Evo top eight; lets see if Fated Retribution and this years bracket is kinder than last year.5. ZeRo - Super Smash Bros. for Wii UThe Evo 2015 Super Smash Bros. for Wii U champion will return this year to defend his title. Last year, Gonzalo ZeRo Barrios dominated the competition throughout the entire year, taking first at Apex 2015 and CEO 2015 before Evo. At Evo, he continued to reign supreme, ending with a victory over Dutch player Ramin Mr. R Delshad in the grand finals.This year, however, has been a lot more difficult for ZeRo. In January, he took 2016s first super major, Genesis 3, and then took a break from the game roughly a month later. After returning from the break, he lost to Elliot Ally Bastien Carroza-Oyarce and Larry Larry Lurr Holland in a row. Last month, he took ninth at CEO. Despite the slump, dont count ZeRo out--because theres a good chance he could repeat and retain the title.6. KaneBlueRiver - Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3Marvel is in an odd place right now. Many of the top players of old have shifted focus to Street Fighter V, but you never know if Justin Wong, Chris G or Filipino Champ will have have a run. You do know the kind of day that Nicolas KaneBlueRiver Gonzalez will have, however, and it involves a lot of smashing, a lot of drones, and the mayor lariating anything and everything.His focus has been firmly on Marvel, and despite all of the criticism hes received, hes won many of the larger events this year. Weve all heard about Zero, Doom, Morrigan, Vergil dominating the cast, but, somehow, big bodies are looking to get two years straight as Evo champion, thanks to KaneBlueRiver.7. Armada - Super Smash Bros. MeleeAs the reigning Evo champion, Adam Armada Lindgren embodies what it means to be consistent. His record against players outside of the top six has been flawless for the past six years.In every possible way, Armada is the ultimate competitor. He practices on his own for hours to perfect his movement and his combos. He evolves his game to stay ahead of his competitors by implementing new techniques and characters into his toolbox. His mental fortitude is top notch, rarely crumbling in close situations. If you want to defeat Armada, you have to earn every stock and every hit.8. Ogawazato - Guilty Gear Xrd: RevelatorAnime went mainstream last year, thanks to Guilty Gear Xrd and Woshige not keeping track of the game count in winners semis. This year, the newest version of Xrd returns, and last years champion is in the conversation still.Ogawa was the man that took Woshige and the field out last year, and fans of the series shouldnt be surprised by that, as the man is synonymous with Zato-1. Hes nearly won team tournaments single-handedly against some of the best in the world, but nothing is guaranteed. Hes been in a slump so far this year, and with Omito, Machabo, Dogura and others filling out a stacked field with a strong cast of characters, anything goes. Lets see if familiarity with the Evo stage can help him get back to his winning ways.9. Tokido - Street Fighter VThere hasnt been a more consistent player in Street Fighter V than Hajime Tokido Taniguchi. The man whos also known as the Murder Face will enter Evo as a odds-on favorite to take down the championship. His resume for the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour is nothing short of amazing: one first place finish at Community Effort Orlando, two second place finishes at Final Round and NorCal Regionals, and two third place finishes at StunFest and DreamHack Summer for just his Premier Tournament accomplishments. To say that Tokido will enter Evo in fine form is an understatement.Hes been the standard-bearer for Ryu players. Whether it was his abusing of Ryus jumping light kick or his beautiful use of critical art whenever available, he set most of the trends for the character. Hell come into Evo as the worlds number two player and a legitimate threat to take down the crown in Las Vegas.10. Dabuz - Super Smash Bros. for Wii USamuel Dabuz Buzby has never won a super major during his time in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, despite coming extremely close at Apex 2015, CEO 2015, The Big House 5, and CEO 2016. But despite a string of second and third places, Dabuz is something no other Smash for Wii U competitor is currently: consistent. The remainder of the competitors, including ZeRo, have placed highly or won at one tournament, only to falter weeks later. Dabuzs stability at the top makes him a threat at every tournament he attends.Evo might be his time to take it all, with Rosalina & Luma, his character of choice -- one only he has mastered at that level of competition -- by his side. To get to the finals on Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, hell need to weed his way through over 2600 competitors, including some of the best, like ZeRo, Nairoby Nairo Quezada, Jason ANTi Bates, and more. Wholesale Custom Basketball Jerseys Store .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Custom T-shirts . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. http://www.basketballcustomjerseys.com/ . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Discount Custom Basketball Jerseys . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdues Darrell Hazell doesnt look or sound like a man on the hot seat.Walk into his office and youre greeted by a 52-year-old coach eager for a fresh start Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. His desk is tidy and behind it, on a shelf, is an Indiana license plate with a succinct message for anyone who stops by: Beat IU.The truth is, the Boilermakers havent beaten many teams over the past three seasons -- including the Hoosiers -- and Hazell thinks things are about to change.Its not even close, Hazell told The Associated Press when asked if this was the best team hes had at Purdue. The best in a lot of different ways, too, not only talent but how they approach the game and theyre so serious about being good. Because theyre serious about it, they do the extra things that you want them to do. They study more film, they ask more questions. They coach each other.Hazell believes the new culture will lead to more wins. But around campus and around town, others are clamoring for a change.Since taking the job after the 2012 season, Hazell has gone 6-30 and has the worst winning percentage (.167) of any Purdue football coach who lasted more than one season. Half of his wins came against Championship Subdivision schools -- twice over Indiana State and once over Southern Illinois. Hazell is 0-3 against the Hoosiers and on the verge of matching the schools longest losing skid in the series.Purdues attendance numbers have tumbled. Among Big Ten schools, only Northwestern averaged smaller home crowds than the 37,508 who showed up on average at Ross-Ade Stadium last season. The Boilermakers filled a league-low 65.5 percent of stadium capacity in 2015.Take those numbers and add a new athletic director to the mix, and its easy to see why Hazell will be in trouble if he cant turn things around.While Purdues players take Hazells side, they also understand what rumors and speculation can do to a locker room.A lot of times it can tear a team apart or bring it together, former Purdue receiver Danny Anthrop said Monday, before he was cut the Indianapolis Colts. Its a tough situation when you havent had tthe type of success you wanted to have.dddddddddddd.Hazell insists nobody inside the program is paying attention to the chit-chat outside because theyre too busy searching for solutions.During the offseason, Hazell changed both coordinators, simplified the playbook for the offense and defense and revamped his staff.Hes already announced David Blough will remain the starting quarterback. If Blough becomes the first opening-day starter of Hazells tenure to keep his job for the entire season, the Boilermakers may finally have some stability at the most important position.What would really change attitudes in West Lafayette, though, are some early wins. After Saturdays home game, the Boilermakers host Cincinnati and Nevada before opening conference play at Maryland on Oct. 1.Hazell knows a fast start could lead to even bigger things down the road, and players have embraced the challenge.Were starving, starving for some wins, defensive tackle Jake Replogle said. Were ready to go.So is Hazell. He has a veteran quarterback, more options on offense, a defense playing fast and more depth than hes had in those first three seasons at Purdue.Its enough to make the usually low-key Hazell exude confidence.I like our chances, he said. People will read that and say `This guy must be crazy, this guys a nut based on what has happened over the last three years. But heres what people dont understand is in sports no two years are the same.If Hazell is right, the doubters will quickly vanish.If not, it could be another turbulent offseason in West Lafayette, even if Hazell isnt willing to acknowledge that.My focus is solely on getting our program better to win, Hazell said. Thats all I can think about, so all the naysayers, whatever they are out there, the talkers, the talking heads that are making these conversations, one, I dont hear it most of the time. But if I do hear it, I dont pay any attention to it. Theres nothing arrogant about that, its just that I dont have time to focus on those things. ' ' '