It took Bart (Bartimus) Palaszewski 49 fights to make it to the UFC. Cheap Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys . And the tattooed bantamweight, who faces Hatsu Hioki at UFC 144 in Japan this weekend in his second UFC outing, doesnt mind having taken the long road to get there. "I paid my dues and I like it. I went heavy on the way," Palaszewski said. "Ive seen it all pretty much. "Ive dealt with the scummiest of the scum, as far as promotions go. Ive dealt with the nicest people and the best promotions in the world as well." "I dont have a sprint of career, I guess you could say," he added. "But I want to keep moving up." The 28-year-old Palaszewski (36-14) celebrated his UFC debut last time out with a knockout of the night performance in his first-round win over Tyson Griffin at UFC 137 in October. He was rewarded with a spot on the UFCs return to Japan card in Tokyo. "Its a historic event in a way for the UFC -- first time under the Zuffa (ownership) banner. A stacked card. Huge arena. Its definitely an honour to be on the card." The main event at Saitama Super Arena features Frankie (The Answer) Edgar defending his lightweight title against former WEC title-holder Ben Henderson. In the co-main event, former light-heavyweight champion Quinton (Rampage) Jackson takes in Ryan (Darth) Bader. Palaszewski has paid his dues, recalling he once had to get a note from his parents to skip high school so he could attend the weigh-in for an amateur fight. "When I started fighting, I just did it for fun. I loved it," he said. "A lot of the fights I didnt even get paid. A lot of fights, we lost money because I had to drive down or pay for my own hotel and things. "But Im still here. I still love it. Its my job and a hobby, killing two birds with one stone. Its pretty cool." Palaszewski has fought in Japan before, knocking out Masayuki Okude in 2004. He was actually cornering friend and training partner Jeff (Big Frog)Curran that night but the promoters said they wouldnt fly him out unless he fought too. So he did. Palaszewski asked to fight this time. Thinking he matched up well with Hioki (25-4-2), Palaszewski asked to meet the Japanese veteran. For a while it seemed a be careful what you wish for scenario as he pondered the 14-hour trip from Chicago to Japan. But he felt better when he learned he can keep his body clock on U.S. time -- "because jet lag is definitely a ***** to deal with," he explained. In order to air the pay-per-view card live Saturday night in North America, the UFC is scheduling the fights early Sunday Japan time. The first bout is slated for 9:30 a.m. local time, with the pay-per-view card kicking off at noon local. Curran, who lost to Hioki at a 2006 Pride event, usually corners Palaszewski but he wont be able to return the favour in Japan this time because of a scheduling conflict. Hard to miss with his spiky dyed hair and body ink, Palaszewski turned heads with his fists at UFC 137 in his debut at 145 pounds after fighting as a lightweight. After hurting Griffin, he put him away with a flurry of punches at the fence. In his post-fight interview in the cage, an emotional Palaszewski noted he had broken his hand in the win. "Its worth it," he added. He escaped the knife, relying on rest instead. "Definitely surgery in the future though. It wasnt bad enough where I needed surgery at the time but it was bad enough where its not going to be the same ever again and Im going to need surgery," he said with a laugh. He blames the injury on over-exuberance in trying to finish Griffin. Some of the punches were poorly constructed. Palaszewski, who made his pro debut in January 2002, worked his way through regional promotions, the IFL and WEC before getting his UFC shot. And he had to wait some more after being summoned. He was slated to debut at UFC 130 last May, but had to pull out through injury. Suffering from dizziness and nausea, he thought he had a concussion. It turned out to be a virus in his inner ear. "It sucked. I was dizzy for six months," he said. He was left with some damaged nerves and lost part of the hearing in one of his ears. "But its not a big deal," he said dryly. "I dont need good hearing for my job." Palaszewskis performance against Griffin as all the more impressive considering his rough weight cut (he made the 146-pound limit but Griffin failed to make weight). Palaszewski had spent years trying to become a big lightweight. Now he found himself starting camp at 188 pounds, so he had to lose 42 pounds in 10 weeks. This time, he started out much lighter and says its been a lot easier. Fans will notice some more ink when Palaszewski steps into the cage this weekend. He had some 15 hours work done after the Griffin win. His favourite design is dedicated to four-year-old daughter Natalia -- a cherub angel sitting behind a heart with her name -- on his forearm. "Shes my little princess," he said. Cheap New York Yankees Jerseys . -- Tiago Splitter tipped in a rebound with 2. Cheap Orlando Magic Jerseys . Westcott, from Maine, is recovering in Utah after surgery April 23 to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He was injured in Alaska. http://www.cheapnfljerseyscanada.us.com/soccer-club_ajax-jersey/ . -- American Chip Lutz carded a final round 4-under 68 on Friday to capture the 2012 Canadian mens senior championship at Golf Griffon des Sources. TOKYO -- Fourth-seeded Mardy Fish of the United States defeated fellow American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in their first-round match at the Japan Open on Monday. Fish relied on his serve and volley game to outlast his compatriot in a battle that took two hours 44 minutes at Ariake Colosseum. Harrison put up a valiant fight, displaying a blistering forehand throughout the match, but leading 5-4 in the final set he saw Fish win his service game to level, then was broken in the next game. Fish closed out the match on serve with a forehand winner after Harrison had staved off two match points. Fish prevailed despite committing a high number of unforced errors in the contest. "It was a close match," Fish said. "It could have gone either way. He played well." Fish was impressed by his 19-year-old opponent, who had to qualify for the main draw. "Hes a strong player andd I think he will be a top player in the future," he said. Cheap Oakland Raiders Jerseys. Earlier, seventh-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic beat Somdev Devvarman of India 6-4, 6-3 in their first-round match. Stepanek and Devvarman exchanged breaks in the first set before Stepanek broke the Indian again in the 10th game to take the set. Devvarman broke Stepanek in the opening game of the second set and moved out to a 3-1 lead, but Stepanek then reeled off five straight games to take the match in 1 hour, 32 minutes. Qualifier Matthew Ebden of Australia downed Pablo Andujar of Spain 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 in the days other first-round match. Top seed Rafael Nadal, the defending champion in the $1.2 million event, will take on wild card Go Soeda of Japan in his first-round match on Tuesday. Second seed Andy Murray of Great Britain will meet Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus also on Tuesday. ' ' '