Canadian fighter Mitch Gagnon was just drifting off to sleep on Boxing Day when he was startled by a late-night phone call. Brandon Marshall Blue Jersey . His manager was on the line with some great news. After paying his dues over the last few years on lower-level mixed martial arts cards, Gagnon would soon get a turn in the UFC spotlight. The Canadian bantamweight will fill in for the injured Eddy Wineland in a bout against Johnny (Brutal) Bedford in Chicago on Jan. 28. "I cant really describe the feeling," Gagnon said in a recent interview. "For four years, I dedicated my life to the sport and its finally paying off. Im just really grateful for this opportunity and I plan on making the best of it." Rashad (Suga) Evans will take on Phil (Mr. Wonderful) Davis in the main event at the United Center. Its the second show for the UFC under its seven-year television contract with Fox. Gagnon, a 27-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., has won six straight fights in upping his record to 8-1. Hes coming off an October submission win over David Harris at Ringside MMA 12. Bedford (18-10-1), meanwhile, was one of the 135-pounders featured on Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter." At five foot 10, Bedford will have four inches on Gagnon. Looking up at his opponent is nothing new for the Canadian, who used to fight as a featherweight. "If you look at my previous five fights, I think the shortest guy was five foot nine," Gagnon said. "So Im used to this disadvantage ... hes tall and for some reason I match up well with tall opponents." Gagnon, who works as a trainer at a local MMA training facility he co-owns, spent his early years in wrestling and judo before focusing on mixed martial arts. "Ive been training pretty much all my life," he said. "It was always a goal of mine. I didnt know if I was going to actually do it professionally or not, but I knew that I wanted to be involved in it." With support from the local community and sponsors, Gagnon has been able to get away from work to focus on training. "Ive been able to train with other camps and just get a feel of these high-quality training partners that are in the UFC and just get a feeling for what they do," he said. "The preparation is pretty much the same. Im still training for a professional fight and I take it very seriously." Bedford, a 29-year-old native of Oregon, Ohio, also has a wrestling background. He admits he doesnt know much about his Canadian opponent. "I know this is his UFC debut and I am looking forward to showing him the difference between UFC fighters and the guys he is used to fighting," Bedford said on the UFC website. All of Gagnons victories have come via submission and all but one came in the first round. He plans to pounce early and often against Bedford. "I think my wrestling, my tenacity, my aggression will dictate the fight," he said. "I think thats where Ill be able to capitalize on his mistakes. "He makes mistakes when hes being pressured. Thats where Im going to expose him." As for the brighter spotlight of a UFC event, Gagnon said his only focus is performing well in the octagon. "I feel great -- I feel the same way I do with my other fights," he said. "Those are questions Ill have to answer after the fight, to see how I felt there at the venue, at the weigh-ins, at the hotel, just preparing leading up to the fight in the week out. "Right now Im doing the same thing I always do. I specialize my training on what kind of opponent I have and go from there." He added hell be ready if the fight goes the distance. "I just go for it," Gagnon said. "I try my hardest, I push the pace and fortunately I was able to get quick victories during my short career so far." Gagnon will walk around at 150 pounds before cutting about 15 pounds in the week before the fight. "I feel good, my head is right," he said. "Im focused and training hard. Im loving the process." Notes: The Score Fighting Series will return to Hamilton on March 16. A bout between John Alessio (33-14) and (Diamond) Ryan Healy (19-9-1) has been confirmed for the card at the Hamilton Place Theatre. Series veterans Rich Clementi, Josh Hill, Alex Ricci, Shane Campbell and Lyndon Whitlock are also expected to appear. Chris Conte Blue Jersey . Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent a letter Friday to the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce citing the derogatory nature of the word "redskins" and suggesting the committee use its influence to persuade team owner Dan Snyder and the NFL to change the name. Mike Ditka Orange Jersey . And he thinks its "irresponsible" for the Buffalo Sabres to suggest otherwise. The NHLs new sheriff reacted strongly to complaints from the Sabres on Monday after he elected not to suspend Bruins forward Milan Lucic for his collision with Buffalos Ryan Miller.TORONTO - For 12 minutes we got a glimpse of what the Raptors could become without Rudy Gay at the forefront of the offence. In the subsequent 36 minutes, reality hit hard. The Raptors saw both sides of the post-Gay coin in 48 minutes of basketball. "Theres no excuses in this league but Im going to chalk this one [up] to travel. We ran out of gas," Dwane Casey said following a 116-103 loss to the Spurs, his teams second game without Gay and first since the seven-player deal with Sacramento was finalized. "I thought we competed in the first quarter and we ran out of gas as the game went on." Offensively, the Raptors were brilliant in the opening period on Tuesday. Jonas Valanciunas - who figures to become more of a focal point after the trade - was exceptional, the ball was moving and all five players on the floor were moving without it. Guys were passing up good shots to get even better ones for their teammates. It was a sight to behold. Then, almost immediately, the narrative did a complete 180. The Raptors scored 36 points in the opening frame, shooting 63 per cent from the field. They would go on to score 38 points combined over the second and third quarters, shooting 39 per cent the rest of the way. With only 10 players in uniform after Mondays trade - a couple of them, Austin Daye and Dwight Buycks, hadnt played in nearly two weeks - the depleted Raptors were exposed by the Spurs, a well-oiled machine aided by one of the best second units in the association. Torontos newcomers - Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes - were not available and Tyler Hansbrough missed his second straight game with a left shoulder sprain. Through three quarters - before Torontos reserves padded the score in garbage time - San Antonios bench held a 40-8 advantage over the Raptors subs. Despite a strong start for the first unit, which included Terrence Ross making his first start of the season, the Raptors were cooked. And for all the well-deserved criticism of Gays early-season struggles, his absence meant one less scorer capable of getting hot and bailing them out when things went south in a hurry. "I was really happy and proud how our guys executed in the first quarter, kind of a carry-over from the LA game," said Casey, his team coming off an impressive wire-to-wire victory over the Lakers, using only eight players on Sunday. "I thought all of our starters were heavy legged because they played big minutes [tonight], they played big minutes in LA." That seemed to be the case for Valanciunas, who scored 10 points going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the first quarter before hitting just one of his three attempts and scoring four points over the remainder of the game. "It is what it is. Its a business," said Kyle Lowry, a popular phrase in the Raptors locker room Tuesday. "We were down a couple guys and we have a couple guys coming in. You can make all the excuses but I dont want to make any excuses. We just lost tonight."t; For the second straight contest, sans Gay, there was a more cohesive flow to the teams offence. Jon Bostic Orange Jersey. . With 23 on the night - nine coming in the first quarter - the Raptors reached the 20-assist benchmark for the first time in seven games and only the fourth time in 20 games to begin the season. "I did like the ball movement," Casey said. "Im really going on the first quarter when we were fresh, humming and in sync more, so to speak." As per usual, the drop-off was most significant when Lowry went to the bench. Julyan Stone had a quiet night as the primary backup playing less than four minutes before exiting with a foot injury and Dwight Buycks took over in the second half. The addition of Vasquez, a clear upgrade as the backup point guard, will assure the team gets 48 minutes of above average play from the position. "He fits in really well," Casey said of Vasquez, indicating the Venezuelan guard could even be paired with Lowry in the backcourt on occasion. "I think he fits. Hes a pick-and-roll player. I envision him being a plus for us going forward, not only this year but in the future." Reinforcements on the way Salmons, Patterson and Hayes arrived in Toronto Tuesday evening and are scheduled for mandatory physicals Wednesday morning. The team hopes all three will have passed their medical exams in time to participate in practice later in the day. Vasquez is in New York getting his visa sorted out and wont be available to practice in Toronto until Thursday, at the earliest. All four are expected to be in uniform and play for their new team on Friday when the Raptors host the 76ers. Hansbrough is still considered day-to-day nursing his shoulder injury but his absence isnt expected to be a lengthy one. "I think once the pain goes does Ill get my flexibility back a little bit," he said Sunday in LA. "Flexibility isnt there because of the pain but once I get that back I should be fine." Starting Ross After Landry Fields shot 0-of-6 stepping into Gays vacant starting small forward slot against the Lakers Sunday, Casey gave Ross his first start of the season and third of his career on Tuesday. The sophomore guard got off to a strong start, knocking down a couple early three-pointers but seemed to drift in and out later in the game. On the night, Ross scored 14 points hitting four - all threes - of 13 shots and committing five turnovers. "Hes a young kid but thats the only way hes going to learn," Casey said of the 22-year-old. "I thought he did some good things, made some big shots when the ball swung around in rotation but again, youve got to be consistent and sustain it." Casey would not commit to Ross as the teams permanent starter at the position moving forward. "Well see," he cautioned. "I talked to him before the game and let him know this is an opportunity, not [a] given. Youve got to continue to produce and cut down on the mistakes to earn it, to keep it. Well just see where that goes, Im not sure yet." ' ' '