Tony Johnson spent Labor Day weekend burying his younger brother, who killed himself a week ago.The heavyweight mixed martial artist will spend next weekend fighting in the main event of Bellator 161, believing William Johnson wouldnt want him to miss an opportunity that both fighting brothers craved.I had to go through my grieving really fast, Johnson said in a phone interview from Cincinnati, his parents home. I have beautiful daughters Ive got to take care of. I cant just sit there and wallow in my sorrow. I have to get over it. Theres no other way. Ive always been the backbone of my family. Im very strong. My family leans on me a lot for support. Ive always grieved in private to be strong in public for my family.Johnson takes on French MMA veteran Cheick Kongo on Sept. 16 just outside Austin, Texas. A victory would change Johnsons career, which has been following a winding path from college football to big-money fights.The winner seems almost certain to get a shot at Bellators heavyweight title, which Johnson has been seeking for two years. At 30 years old, he is still relatively young by the wizened standards of MMA heavyweights, but this is his first headlining bout for the promotion.Just days after his father phoned him to inform him of Williams death, Tony immediately told Bellator he would fight anyway.Bellator said, `We understand if you dont want to take this fight, Tony Johnson said. `There will be no repercussions. Were going to back you 100 percent. Thats all I wanted. Ive got their support, but I told these guys Im going to be there. I dont know if Im going to have another opportunity to fight Cheick Kongo. Im ready now. Im ready to go.Tony Johnson said William Johnson, who lived in Cleveland, was a 27-year-old aspiring fighter with two young children. Although he knew William had a tumultuous relationship with his fiancee, he didnt realize the depth of his younger brothers depression.Every time we would talk, everything was fine, Tony Johnson said. I was trying to give him direction. I was trying to be a big brother to him, trying to lead him toward the right path. Hed listen, but of course hes young. He would fall off course, and I would have to put him back on course, but that was our relationship.Johnson attended last weekends viewing for his brother, but he will skip a memorial service at their high school this weekend.My parents want me to stay focused on the fight and winning the fight for my brother, he said.Johnson acknowledges his pain and confusion are still fresh and raw, but he is focusing on family and fighting.I guess he had been going through a lot, Johnson said. I never thought there was an issue. I never saw it. We still dont know. Theres still no closure to figure everything out.Although they lived hundreds of miles apart, the brothers spoke regularly by phone and occasionally trained together. They even fought on the same card in November 2014, both earning victories in a regional Tennessee promotion before Tony returned to Bellator.But William was still an MMA prospect, while Tony has long been considered a rising heavyweight with world title potential. He scored a touchdown for Iowa State in 2004 as a 300-pound freshman fullback before moving from wrestling into MMA.After three years in smaller promotions, he made his Bellator debut in June 2011 with a decision over Derrick Lewis, now a serious contender for the UFC heavyweight title. But problems with his contract led him to take a two-year break from the cage before competing in Asias ONE Fighting Championship and in Nashville, his adopted hometown.Johnson returned to Bellator last year, and he has beaten Alexander Volkov and Raphael Butler to earn a shot at the 41-year-old Kongo, the longtime UFC veteran who moved to Bellator three years ago.Ive gone through adversity before, Johnson said. Ive lost in MMA, and that helps you be strong in life. Things dont go your way, and it hits you. I believe that Rocky Balboa quote: `Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. Authentic NHL Jerseys Cheap . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Fake Adidas NHL Jerseys . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. 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WACO, Texas -- An outside investigation of the Baylor University sexual violence scandal found 17 women who had reported sexual or domestic assaults involving 19 Baylor University athletes since 2011, university regents have told The Wall Street Journal.Those included four reports of gang rapes, the Journal reported in a story posted to its website Friday.The investigation by the Pepper Hamilton law firm in Philadelphia found some players were alleged to have participated in what one regent called a horrifying and painful series of assaults over several years. The regents said then-Baylor football coach Art Briles knew of at least one reported incident but didnt inform police or school officials.Baylor previously had said the review found that the football program operated as if it were above the rules. However, the university had released few details from the Pepper Hamilton report. That led to increasing public demand, especially among alumni and Baylor critics, for transparency.There was a cultural issue there that was putting winning football games above everything else, including our values, said J. Cary Gray, a lawyer and regent of the Southern Baptist university. More generally, we did not have a caring community when it came to these women who reported they were assaulted, and that is not OK, Gray told the Journal.Briles and Baylors athletic director were fired earlier this year. President Ken Starr was removed from his post by regents and he later resigned as chancellor.Two days before his firing, Briles was called before the regents to discuss the scandal, Gray said. Art said, `I delegated down, and I know I shouldnt have. And I had a system where I was the last to know (of the assault allegations), and I should have been the first to know, Gray told the newspaper.Briles attorney, Ernest Cannon of Stephenville, Texass, said his client never discouraged any victims from filing complaints against players.dddddddddddd He also said Baylors regents appeared to be violating a non-disparagement clause that was part of the settlement agreement his client signed with the university.Cannon also accused the regents of scapegoating Briles for Baylors overall failure to maintain a strict Title IX program to guard against sexual discrimination. Numerous lawsuits alleging violations of the federal Title IX laws allege such an overall failure.They are pulling their own house down to justify the mistakes they made. Hes the football coach with no responsibility to enforce Title IX requirements, Cannon said.Thats their job, he added, referring to university administrators.Earlier this month, Patty Crawford, Baylors former Title IX coordinator, resigned and said top campus leaders undermined her efforts to investigate sexual assault claims and were more concerned with protecting the Baylor brand than the students.She also noted the sexual violence problem was a campus-wide issue not limited to football. The university has said football players were involved in just over 10 percent of all alleged Title IX violations in the four years ending with the 2014-15 school year.In response, Gray said, Football is a fraction, but it is a bad fraction.The regents statements failed to impress Crawfords attorney, Rogge Dunn of Dallas, who argued they continue to try to shape the narrative surrounding the scandal and protect the Baylor image. He told The Associated Press that the full story will not come until those concerned are placed under oath.Baylors never going to get past this until it has full transparency, Dunn told the AP Friday night. ' ' '