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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Lewis Hamilton warmed up for his bid to wrestle the Formula One title from Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg with the fastest time in the first two practice sessions Friday at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.The defending champion, who is seeking a third straight title and fourth overall, overcame a minor scare when he lost control of the rear of his car in the first session then dealt with some balance issues on his wheels in the second.He was .079 seconds quicker than Rosberg in the second practice after beating him by.374 seconds in the first.It will be a welcome boost for Hamilton, who trails Rosberg by 12 points heading into Sundays race.Were in a good position for tomorrow. Pole (position) is the goal for tomorrow, Hamilton said. I havent managed it at this track for a long time but I know Im quick here, the car feels great and theres still some time in it.But even if Hamilton wins the race, Rosberg needs only to finish third to be crowned champion for the first time.Both have won nice races in a topsy-turvy season that started with Rosberg taking complete control after winning the first four races while Hamilton struggled with engine troubles. The title race then went in Hamiltons favor only for Rosberg to seize the initiative back.We underestimate the pressure these guys are under, Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff said. Sometimes you have to allow the drivers to express their feelings and emotions. You dont want to streamline them too much.Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel was third best in the evening session -- encouragingly only .269 behind Hamilton -- but he had to go back to the Ferrari garage, saying over race radio that he suspected gearbox failure.However, because the engine was being used for practice he will not incur a penalty for a gearbox change.Ferraris performance in the evening gave Vettel encouragement that the car can push Mercedes in Saturdays qualifying.Overall the car felt good and I think we should have good pace, Vettel said. Hopefully tomorrow well have a similar feeling in qualifying and put the car where it belongs.Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was third in the first practice and fourth in the second, where the Red Bull driver was troubled by some tire issues.We had a few issues with the car today which meant aborting the last run was the sensible thing to do, the 19-year-old Verstappen said. Nothing is broken and there is nothing to worry about, just safe to stop early. The grip is always a bit difficult here.The 2010 title, won dramatically by Vettel, and the 2014 title, won by Hamilton, also both went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.Its down to the last race. Its all coming up: the frustrations and the happy moments, said Wolff, praising the mental strength of his drivers. I find it very remarkable how theyve managed their relationship for the benefit of the team.The race begins at 5 p.m. local time and ends with night falling on the desert track and temperatures still warm, but dropping with a late breeze.Adapting to that and knowing what to expect can be a challenge, Rosberg said. But our car was working well in both conditions. Texas Rangers Gear . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. 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In a year that already has proved to be massive for the UFC, with one major card after another, UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York looks to be the biggest and most important of them all.Headlined by UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarezs first title defense against 145-pound champion Conor McGregor, the card marks the UFCs first visit to New York City and comes just eight months after the state passed a bill lifting a ban on mixed martial arts that dated back to 1997.In honor of such a marquee event, ESPN.com is providing dedicated previews to all 13 bouts on the card, breaking down whats at stake and projecting who will win, along with quotes and statistics for each fighter.To help get you ready for every fight, well be putting out cheat sheets often until fight night:Jim Miller versus Thiago AlvesRafael Natal versus Tim BoetschLiz Carmouche versus Katlyn ChookagainVicente Luque versus Belal MuhammadKhabib Nurmagomedov versus Michael Johnson Frankie Edgar versus Jeremy Stephens?Miesha Tate versus Raquel Pennington?Kelvin Gastelum versus Donald Cerrone? (Note: Gastelum missed weight, fight removed from card)Chris Weidman versus Yoel RomeroJoanna Jedrzejczyk versus Karolina KowalkiewiczTyron Woodley versus Stephen ThompsonConor McGregor versus Eddie Alvarez ' ' '