Soccer: English League Two
The Exeter City-Northampton Town winner will join Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra and Plymouth Argyle in moving to English League One, which is one down from the English League Championship and two down from the Premier League
Soccer: English FA Cup
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City join Manchester United in the semifinals
Semifinals July 18th and 19th: Manchester United v. Chelsea and Arsenal v. Manchester City
Premier League Soccer
Southampton def. Watford 3-1
*Southampton moves thirteen points clear of the relegation zone
English League Championship Soccer
Sheffield Wednesday def. Bristol City 2-1
*Sheffield Wednesday moves ten points clear of the relegation zone
Nottingham Forest def. Huddersfield Town 3-1
*Nottingham Forest moves from fifth to fourth on goal difference
Spanish La Liga Soccer
Levante def. Real Betis 4-2
Villareal def. Valencia 2-0
*Villareal are in fifth (Europa League qualifying), three points back of Sevilla for final Champions League spot
Eibar def. Granada 2-1
Real Madrid def. Espanyol 1-0
*Real Madrid lead second-place Barcelona by two points
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Who might get cut from the UFC?
"Might" being the operative word here.
Oskar Piechota?
Four straight losses, all by stoppage (technical submission, submission, KO, TKO)
Mark De La Rosa?
Four straight losses opposite Alex Perez, Kai Kara-France, Raulian Paiva and Jordan Espinosa
Marion Reneau?
Three straight losses
Hannah Cifers?
Three straight losses
Kevin Aguilar?
Three straight losses
Raphael Assuncao?
Three straight losses, two by stoppage
Gerald Meerschaert?
2-4 in his last six
Evan Dunham?
Three straight losses, all by stoppage
Ultimate Fighting Championship
August 22nd
Middleweight: Yoel Romero v. Uriah Hall
*Romero: Ten gold medals in international wrestling- five at the Pan Am Championships and three at the Wrestling World Cup; 13-5 in MMA with eleven wins by knockout, eight KOs; lost three straight opposite Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya
*Hall: 15-9 with 11 KO/TKO wins; has never been submitted in 24 pro bouts; has won two straight opposite Bevon Lewis and Antonio Carlos Junior
Dana White's Contender Series
August 25th
Middleweight: Colin Huckbody v. Kyron Bowen
September 1st
Men's Bantamweight: Jose Johnson v. Ronnie Lawrence
Light Heavyweight: William Knight v. Cody Brundage
College Football Transfers
WR Marquis McClain has transferred from Auburn to Southern-U
LSU linebacker Marcel Brooks has entered the transfer portal
COVID News
U-Washington will cut their 2020-21 athletics budget by 15% but will look to remain with 22 sports
Morehouse College will not compete in football or cross country this season
Premier League Soccer
Wolverhampton def. Aston Villa 1-0
*Wolverhampton move into the Europa League spot. They're three points ahead of Man-U but are back six goals on goal difference
Premier League Soccer tomorrow
Watford v. Southampton, 11:30 am Eastern
*Watford can move four points clear of the relegation zone while Southampton can move thirteen points clear
Soccer: English League Championship tomorrow
Bristol City v. Sheffield Wednesday, 7 am Eastern on ESPN+
*Bristol City can move two points back of the promotion playoff spots
*Sheffield Wednesday can move ten points clear of the relegation zone
Nottingham Forest v. Huddersfield Town, 9:15 am Eastern on ESPN+
*Nottingham Forest can leapfrog Fulham for fourth on goal difference
*Huddersfield Town can move out of the relegation zone
Soccer: English FA Cup Quarterfinals tomorrow
Sheffield United v. Arsenal, 8 am Eastern
Leicester City v. Chelsea, 11 am Eastern
Newcastle United v. Manchester City, 1:30 pm Eastern
Soccer: English League Championship
Charlton Athletic def. Queens Park Rangers 1-0
Cardiff City def. Preston North End 3-1
Luton Town def. Swansea City 1-0
Barnsley and Millwall tied 0-0
Derby County def. Reading 2-1 (Wayne Rooney scored a PK for Derby County)
Birmingham City and Hull City tied 3-3
Leeds United def. Fulham 3-0 (LU now has a three-point lead over second-place West Bromwich Albion)
Middlesbrough def. Stoke City 2-0
Wigan Athletic def. Blackpool 2-0
Soccer: NWSL Challenge Cup
North Carolina Courage def. Portland Thorns 2-1
German Bundesliga Soccer
Bayer Leverkusen def. Mainz 1-0
Hoffenheim def. Borussia Dortmund 4-0
Borussia Monchengladbach def. Hertha Berlin 2-1
Eintracht Frankfurt def. Paderborn 3-2
RB Leipzig def. Augsburg 2-1
Union Berlin def. Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-0
Freiburg def. Schalke 4-0
Bayern Munich def. Wolfsburg 4-0
Werder Bremen def. Cologne 6-1
Serie A Soccer
Brescia and Genoa tied 2-2
Cagliari def. Torino 4-2
Spanish La Liga Soccer
Athletic Bilbao def. Mallorca 3-1
Celta Vigo and Barcelona tied 2-2
Osasuna def. Leganes 2-1
Soccer: English FA Cup
Manchester United move into the semifinals after defeating Norwich City 2-1 in extra time. This is their second straight win after defeating Sheffield United in Premier League action on Wednesday
"Might" being the operative word here.
Oskar Piechota?
Four straight losses, all by stoppage (technical submission, submission, KO, TKO)
Mark De La Rosa?
Four straight losses opposite Alex Perez, Kai Kara-France, Raulian Paiva and Jordan Espinosa
Marion Reneau?
Three straight losses
Hannah Cifers?
Three straight losses
Kevin Aguilar?
Three straight losses
Raphael Assuncao?
Three straight losses, two by stoppage
Gerald Meerschaert?
2-4 in his last six
Evan Dunham?
Three straight losses, all by stoppage
Ultimate Fighting Championship
August 22nd
Middleweight: Yoel Romero v. Uriah Hall
*Romero: Ten gold medals in international wrestling- five at the Pan Am Championships and three at the Wrestling World Cup; 13-5 in MMA with eleven wins by knockout, eight KOs; lost three straight opposite Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya
*Hall: 15-9 with 11 KO/TKO wins; has never been submitted in 24 pro bouts; has won two straight opposite Bevon Lewis and Antonio Carlos Junior
Dana White's Contender Series
August 25th
Middleweight: Colin Huckbody v. Kyron Bowen
September 1st
Men's Bantamweight: Jose Johnson v. Ronnie Lawrence
Light Heavyweight: William Knight v. Cody Brundage
College Football Transfers
WR Marquis McClain has transferred from Auburn to Southern-U
LSU linebacker Marcel Brooks has entered the transfer portal
COVID News
U-Washington will cut their 2020-21 athletics budget by 15% but will look to remain with 22 sports
Morehouse College will not compete in football or cross country this season
Premier League Soccer
Wolverhampton def. Aston Villa 1-0
*Wolverhampton move into the Europa League spot. They're three points ahead of Man-U but are back six goals on goal difference
Premier League Soccer tomorrow
Watford v. Southampton, 11:30 am Eastern
*Watford can move four points clear of the relegation zone while Southampton can move thirteen points clear
Soccer: English League Championship tomorrow
Bristol City v. Sheffield Wednesday, 7 am Eastern on ESPN+
*Bristol City can move two points back of the promotion playoff spots
*Sheffield Wednesday can move ten points clear of the relegation zone
Nottingham Forest v. Huddersfield Town, 9:15 am Eastern on ESPN+
*Nottingham Forest can leapfrog Fulham for fourth on goal difference
*Huddersfield Town can move out of the relegation zone
Soccer: English FA Cup Quarterfinals tomorrow
Sheffield United v. Arsenal, 8 am Eastern
Leicester City v. Chelsea, 11 am Eastern
Newcastle United v. Manchester City, 1:30 pm Eastern
Soccer: English League Championship
Charlton Athletic def. Queens Park Rangers 1-0
Cardiff City def. Preston North End 3-1
Luton Town def. Swansea City 1-0
Barnsley and Millwall tied 0-0
Derby County def. Reading 2-1 (Wayne Rooney scored a PK for Derby County)
Birmingham City and Hull City tied 3-3
Leeds United def. Fulham 3-0 (LU now has a three-point lead over second-place West Bromwich Albion)
Middlesbrough def. Stoke City 2-0
Wigan Athletic def. Blackpool 2-0
Soccer: NWSL Challenge Cup
North Carolina Courage def. Portland Thorns 2-1
German Bundesliga Soccer
Bayer Leverkusen def. Mainz 1-0
Hoffenheim def. Borussia Dortmund 4-0
Borussia Monchengladbach def. Hertha Berlin 2-1
Eintracht Frankfurt def. Paderborn 3-2
RB Leipzig def. Augsburg 2-1
Union Berlin def. Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-0
Freiburg def. Schalke 4-0
Bayern Munich def. Wolfsburg 4-0
Werder Bremen def. Cologne 6-1
Serie A Soccer
Brescia and Genoa tied 2-2
Cagliari def. Torino 4-2
Spanish La Liga Soccer
Athletic Bilbao def. Mallorca 3-1
Celta Vigo and Barcelona tied 2-2
Osasuna def. Leganes 2-1
Soccer: English FA Cup
Manchester United move into the semifinals after defeating Norwich City 2-1 in extra time. This is their second straight win after defeating Sheffield United in Premier League action on Wednesday
Friday, June 26, 2020
Heavyweight Boxing
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is a potential home for Fury-Wilder III
Dillian Whyte will take on the winner of Tyson Fury v. Deontay Wilder III- assuming he defeats Alexander Povetkin in August
Miscellaneous
The NCAA and SEC have announced that the state of Mississippi will not host postseason competition under their current flag
Marge Schott's name will be removed from the U-Cincinnati baseball stadium
Oregon-Oregon State removed the "Civil War" moniker to describe their athletic rivalry
NBA News
Vince Carter has retired after 22 seasons. He averaged 16.7 points and 30.1 minutes through 1500+ games and 982 starts in addition to a lifetime free-throw average above 75%. He also became the first NBA player to appear in four decades: the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s after he appeared in a game in January
MLB News
Team mascots will be allowed in the ballparks- but not on the fields- when the sixty-game season kicks off
NFL News
Buc Jason Pierre-Paul will be sidelined up to a month with knee surgery
Mixed Martial Arts
ONE Championship will return on July 31st with a fight card from Bangkok
Soccer: English FA Cup
The first quarterfinal will be tomorrow at 12:30 pm Eastern between Norwich City and Manchester United
Portuguese Liga Soccer
Sporting C.P. won their game today 3-1 with all four goals occurring in the first half
English League Championship Soccer
Brentford def. West Bromwich Albion 1-0
*Brentford moves from fourth to third in the standings, five points back of automatic Premier League promotion
Serie A Soccer
Juventus def. Lecce 4-0
*Juventus moves seven points clear of second-place Lazio
Spanish La Liga Soccer
Sevilla and Valladolid tied 1-1
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is a potential home for Fury-Wilder III
Dillian Whyte will take on the winner of Tyson Fury v. Deontay Wilder III- assuming he defeats Alexander Povetkin in August
Miscellaneous
The NCAA and SEC have announced that the state of Mississippi will not host postseason competition under their current flag
Marge Schott's name will be removed from the U-Cincinnati baseball stadium
Oregon-Oregon State removed the "Civil War" moniker to describe their athletic rivalry
NBA News
Vince Carter has retired after 22 seasons. He averaged 16.7 points and 30.1 minutes through 1500+ games and 982 starts in addition to a lifetime free-throw average above 75%. He also became the first NBA player to appear in four decades: the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s after he appeared in a game in January
MLB News
Team mascots will be allowed in the ballparks- but not on the fields- when the sixty-game season kicks off
NFL News
Buc Jason Pierre-Paul will be sidelined up to a month with knee surgery
Mixed Martial Arts
ONE Championship will return on July 31st with a fight card from Bangkok
Soccer: English FA Cup
The first quarterfinal will be tomorrow at 12:30 pm Eastern between Norwich City and Manchester United
Portuguese Liga Soccer
Sporting C.P. won their game today 3-1 with all four goals occurring in the first half
English League Championship Soccer
Brentford def. West Bromwich Albion 1-0
*Brentford moves from fourth to third in the standings, five points back of automatic Premier League promotion
Serie A Soccer
Juventus def. Lecce 4-0
*Juventus moves seven points clear of second-place Lazio
Spanish La Liga Soccer
Sevilla and Valladolid tied 1-1
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Premier League tomorrow
Manchester United v. Sheffield United
*Man U can move two points back of the final Champions League spot; Sheffield can move into the Europa League spot by one point with a win
Newcastle United v. Aston Villa
*Newcastle United can move fourteen points clear of the relegation zone; Aston Villa can move out of the relegation spots
Norwich City v. Everton
*Norwich City can make climbing out of the relegation spots easier with a win; Everton- like Newcastle United- can move fourteen points clear of the relegation zone with a win
Wolverhampton v. Bournemouth
*Wolverhampton can leapfrog Man U to move into the Europa League spot with a win; Bournemouth can climb out of the relegation zone with a win EVEN IF Aston Villa defeats Newcastle United
Liverpool v. Crystal Palace
*Liverpool can move a win closer to the title; Crystal Palace can move a step closer to the Europa League spot
La Liga tomorrow
Alaves v. Osasuna
*The winner will move twelve points clear of the relegation zone
Real Sociedad v. Celta Vigo
*Real Sociedad can move from seventh to fifth and three points back of the Champions League spots; Celta Vigo can move seven points clear of the relegation spots
Real Madrid v. Mallorca
*Real Madrid can make first and second a goal-difference margin; Mallorca will only be in the relegation spots by goal difference with a win
Serie A tomorrow
Inter Milan v. Sassuolo
*Inter Milan can extend their cushion on fourth-place Atalanta to nine points; Sassuolo can move ten points clear of the relegation zone
Roma v. Sampdoria
*Roma can extend their cushion on dropping out of the Europa League spots from six to nine; Sampdoria can move four points clear of the relegation spots
Atalanta v. Lazio
*Atalanta can extend their cushion on the final Champions League spot to nine points while Lazio can move a point back of first place
Manchester United v. Sheffield United
*Man U can move two points back of the final Champions League spot; Sheffield can move into the Europa League spot by one point with a win
Newcastle United v. Aston Villa
*Newcastle United can move fourteen points clear of the relegation zone; Aston Villa can move out of the relegation spots
Norwich City v. Everton
*Norwich City can make climbing out of the relegation spots easier with a win; Everton- like Newcastle United- can move fourteen points clear of the relegation zone with a win
Wolverhampton v. Bournemouth
*Wolverhampton can leapfrog Man U to move into the Europa League spot with a win; Bournemouth can climb out of the relegation zone with a win EVEN IF Aston Villa defeats Newcastle United
Liverpool v. Crystal Palace
*Liverpool can move a win closer to the title; Crystal Palace can move a step closer to the Europa League spot
La Liga tomorrow
Alaves v. Osasuna
*The winner will move twelve points clear of the relegation zone
Real Sociedad v. Celta Vigo
*Real Sociedad can move from seventh to fifth and three points back of the Champions League spots; Celta Vigo can move seven points clear of the relegation spots
Real Madrid v. Mallorca
*Real Madrid can make first and second a goal-difference margin; Mallorca will only be in the relegation spots by goal difference with a win
Serie A tomorrow
Inter Milan v. Sassuolo
*Inter Milan can extend their cushion on fourth-place Atalanta to nine points; Sassuolo can move ten points clear of the relegation zone
Roma v. Sampdoria
*Roma can extend their cushion on dropping out of the Europa League spots from six to nine; Sampdoria can move four points clear of the relegation spots
Atalanta v. Lazio
*Atalanta can extend their cushion on the final Champions League spot to nine points while Lazio can move a point back of first place
What are some names to keep an eye on at UFC 251?
Welterweight Kamaru Usman, who has won fifteen straight bouts and is 11-0 in the Octagon
Welterweight Muslim Salikhov, who has 185 wins as a kickboxer
Leonardo Santos, who will be fighting Roman Bogatov at lightweight. Santos has an 11-0-1 streak dating back to March 2010 and has won five straight
Is Mara Romero Borella fighting for her UFC job on Saturday?
I'd say yes: she's won two-of-six in the Octagon and has lost three straight against Lauren Murphy, Montana De La Rosa and Cortney Casey
UFC Fight Night: Poirier v. Hooker on Saturday
Welterweight Co-Main: Mike Perry v. Mickey Gall
Perry has lost two straight while Gall has won six-of-eight with five wins by submission
Middleweight: Brendan Allen v. Kyle Daukaus
Daukaus is 9-0 in his career while Allen is 2-0 in the UFC
Race for Champions and Europa League spots
La Liga
At the moment, the Champions League spots belong to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla; while the Europa League spots belong to Getafe, Villareal and Real Sociedad.
Bundesliga
At the moment, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach are in the Champions League spots; Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim are in the Europa League spots. However, just three points separate RB Leipzig (Champions League at the moment) from Bayer Leverkusen (Europa League at the moment)
Serie A Soccer
Cagliari def. SPAL 1-0
Napoli def. Verona 2-0
*Cagliari move ten points clear of the relegation zone while Napoli move into the Europa League spots
Soccer Promotions: English League Two -- English League One
Exeter City will take on Northampton Town to determine the fourth and final promotion spot alongside Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra and Plymouth Argyle
*English League One is the third tier of English soccer after the Premier League and the English League Championship
Welterweight Kamaru Usman, who has won fifteen straight bouts and is 11-0 in the Octagon
Welterweight Muslim Salikhov, who has 185 wins as a kickboxer
Leonardo Santos, who will be fighting Roman Bogatov at lightweight. Santos has an 11-0-1 streak dating back to March 2010 and has won five straight
Is Mara Romero Borella fighting for her UFC job on Saturday?
I'd say yes: she's won two-of-six in the Octagon and has lost three straight against Lauren Murphy, Montana De La Rosa and Cortney Casey
UFC Fight Night: Poirier v. Hooker on Saturday
Welterweight Co-Main: Mike Perry v. Mickey Gall
Perry has lost two straight while Gall has won six-of-eight with five wins by submission
Middleweight: Brendan Allen v. Kyle Daukaus
Daukaus is 9-0 in his career while Allen is 2-0 in the UFC
Race for Champions and Europa League spots
La Liga
At the moment, the Champions League spots belong to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla; while the Europa League spots belong to Getafe, Villareal and Real Sociedad.
Bundesliga
At the moment, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach are in the Champions League spots; Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim are in the Europa League spots. However, just three points separate RB Leipzig (Champions League at the moment) from Bayer Leverkusen (Europa League at the moment)
Serie A Soccer
Cagliari def. SPAL 1-0
Napoli def. Verona 2-0
*Cagliari move ten points clear of the relegation zone while Napoli move into the Europa League spots
Soccer Promotions: English League Two -- English League One
Exeter City will take on Northampton Town to determine the fourth and final promotion spot alongside Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra and Plymouth Argyle
*English League One is the third tier of English soccer after the Premier League and the English League Championship
Friday, June 19, 2020
Who's UFC roster spots might be in danger?
Tomorrow
Most likely: Middleweight Marc-Andre Barriault: three UFC bouts, three UFC losses
Most likely: Strawweight Tecia Torres: four straight losses with her last win in December 2017
Next Weekend ("not yet" category)
Welterweight Mike Perry will be looking for a win after two straight losses opposite Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal
Heavyweight Maurice Green will be looking for a win- his last two bouts were a TKO loss and a submission loss by armbar
Tomorrow
Most likely: Middleweight Marc-Andre Barriault: three UFC bouts, three UFC losses
Most likely: Strawweight Tecia Torres: four straight losses with her last win in December 2017
Next Weekend ("not yet" category)
Welterweight Mike Perry will be looking for a win after two straight losses opposite Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal
Heavyweight Maurice Green will be looking for a win- his last two bouts were a TKO loss and a submission loss by armbar
UFC Fight Night- Poirier v. Hooker next weekend
Mara Romero Borella v. Miranda Maverick at women's flyweight
*Romero Borella is 12-8 with seven wins by stoppage and four by submission but has lost three straight against Lauren Murphy, Montana De La Rosa and Cortney Casey
*Maverick is 7-2 with five wins by submission and both losses by decision. She's won three straight opposite Heather Walker-Leahy, DeAnna Bennett and Pearl Gonzalez, the most recent being at Invicta FC 39 back in February
Brendan Allen v. Kyle Daukaus at middleweight and Ramiz Brahimaj v. Takashi Sato at welterweight
Is Calvin Kattar-Dan Ige really a UFC fight to make at men's featherweight?
I'd say no, given that Kattar's ideal next opponent should've been Yair Rodriguez- Ige is several spots below Kattar in the rankings
Premier League Soccer
Southampton def. Norwich City 3-0. I believe they're now ten points clear of the relegation zone while Norwich remains the bottom team on the table
Mara Romero Borella v. Miranda Maverick at women's flyweight
*Romero Borella is 12-8 with seven wins by stoppage and four by submission but has lost three straight against Lauren Murphy, Montana De La Rosa and Cortney Casey
*Maverick is 7-2 with five wins by submission and both losses by decision. She's won three straight opposite Heather Walker-Leahy, DeAnna Bennett and Pearl Gonzalez, the most recent being at Invicta FC 39 back in February
Brendan Allen v. Kyle Daukaus at middleweight and Ramiz Brahimaj v. Takashi Sato at welterweight
Is Calvin Kattar-Dan Ige really a UFC fight to make at men's featherweight?
I'd say no, given that Kattar's ideal next opponent should've been Yair Rodriguez- Ige is several spots below Kattar in the rankings
Premier League Soccer
Southampton def. Norwich City 3-0. I believe they're now ten points clear of the relegation zone while Norwich remains the bottom team on the table
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Horse Racing
Post time for the Belmont Stakes: 5:45 pm Eastern on Saturday on NBC
English League Two: Semifinals
Colchester United leads Exeter City 1-0 after the first-leg game
Basketball
The Basketball Tournament will run from July 4th through the 14th
Invicta FC 40: Comeback Event
July 2nd at 7p Central (8p Eastern)
Six bouts on UFC Fight Pass (one atomweight, two strawweight, two flyweight and one featherweight)
NFL News
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan has signed a contract extension through 2025
Men's College Basketball
South Carolina's AJ Lawson has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return to school
Mixed Martial Arts
Titan FC 61 next Friday will be headlined by Danny Sabatello v. Raymond Ramos for the vacant bantamweight title
Soccer
The Champions League will see a twelve-day tournament (quarterfinals onward) from August 12th through the 23rd in Lisbon. No word yet on how the final Round of 16 matchups will be completed.
Dries Mertens has signed a two-year contract extension with Napoli with an option for a third year. He is Napoli's career-best goal scorer with 122 and counting for the club
Ultimate Fighting Championship
August 1st will see a women's bantamweight bout between Ketlen Vieira and Yana Kunitskaya
Frankie Edgar's bantamweight bout v. Pedro Munhoz is set for the co-main slot on July 15th
Brendan Allen will face 9-0 Kyle Daukaus- not Ian Heinisch- next weekend
A women's flyweight bout between Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo will take place on August 1st instead of next weekend
Matt Frevola is out of a lightweight bout opposite Frank Camacho on Saturday after a cornerman has tested positive for COVID. Camacho will face UFC newcomer Justin Jaynes
Bantamweight John Dodson has signed a new five-fight contract
The main event on July 18th will see Joseph Benavidez v. Deiveson Figueiredo in a flyweight rematch for the vacant title
Robert Whittaker will meet Darren Till in a middleweight main event on July 25th
College Football
WR Christian Leary has committed to Alabama
Kentucky K/P Grant McKinniss has entered the transfer portal
Post time for the Belmont Stakes: 5:45 pm Eastern on Saturday on NBC
English League Two: Semifinals
Colchester United leads Exeter City 1-0 after the first-leg game
Basketball
The Basketball Tournament will run from July 4th through the 14th
Invicta FC 40: Comeback Event
July 2nd at 7p Central (8p Eastern)
Six bouts on UFC Fight Pass (one atomweight, two strawweight, two flyweight and one featherweight)
NFL News
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan has signed a contract extension through 2025
Men's College Basketball
South Carolina's AJ Lawson has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return to school
Mixed Martial Arts
Titan FC 61 next Friday will be headlined by Danny Sabatello v. Raymond Ramos for the vacant bantamweight title
Soccer
The Champions League will see a twelve-day tournament (quarterfinals onward) from August 12th through the 23rd in Lisbon. No word yet on how the final Round of 16 matchups will be completed.
Dries Mertens has signed a two-year contract extension with Napoli with an option for a third year. He is Napoli's career-best goal scorer with 122 and counting for the club
Ultimate Fighting Championship
August 1st will see a women's bantamweight bout between Ketlen Vieira and Yana Kunitskaya
Frankie Edgar's bantamweight bout v. Pedro Munhoz is set for the co-main slot on July 15th
Brendan Allen will face 9-0 Kyle Daukaus- not Ian Heinisch- next weekend
A women's flyweight bout between Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo will take place on August 1st instead of next weekend
Matt Frevola is out of a lightweight bout opposite Frank Camacho on Saturday after a cornerman has tested positive for COVID. Camacho will face UFC newcomer Justin Jaynes
Bantamweight John Dodson has signed a new five-fight contract
The main event on July 18th will see Joseph Benavidez v. Deiveson Figueiredo in a flyweight rematch for the vacant title
Robert Whittaker will meet Darren Till in a middleweight main event on July 25th
College Football
WR Christian Leary has committed to Alabama
Kentucky K/P Grant McKinniss has entered the transfer portal
Soccer this Weekend
Friday (June 19th)
Spanish La Liga
Granada v. Villareal
Mallorca v. Leganes
Sevilla v. Barcelona
Premier League
Norwich City v. Southampton
Tottenham v. Manchester City
Saturday (June 20th)
English League Championship
Fulham v. Brentford
Middlesbrough v. Swansea City
Millwall v. Derby County
Blackpool v. Bristol City
Huddlesfield Town v. Wigan Athletic
Hull City v. Charlton Athletic
Luton Town v. Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers v. Barnsley
Reading v. Stoke City
Sheffield Wednesday v. Nottingham Forest
West Bromwich Albion v. Birmingham City
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich v. Freiburg
Cologne v. Eintracht Frankfurt
Fortuna Dusseldorf v. Augsburg
Hertha Berlin v. Bayer Leverkusen
Mainz v. Werder Bremen
RB Leipzig v. Borussia Dortmund
Paderborn v. Borussia Monchengladbach
Schalke v. Wolfsburg
Hoffenheim v. Union Berlin
Serie A
Torino v. Parma
Verona v. Cagliari
Spanish La Liga
Espanyol v. Levante
Athletic Bilbao v. Real Betis
Getafe v. Eibar
Atletico Madrid v. Valladolid
Premier League
Watford v. Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v. Arsenal
West Ham v. Wolverhampton
Bournemouth v. Crystal Palace
Friday (June 19th)
Spanish La Liga
Granada v. Villareal
Mallorca v. Leganes
Sevilla v. Barcelona
Premier League
Norwich City v. Southampton
Tottenham v. Manchester City
Saturday (June 20th)
English League Championship
Fulham v. Brentford
Middlesbrough v. Swansea City
Millwall v. Derby County
Blackpool v. Bristol City
Huddlesfield Town v. Wigan Athletic
Hull City v. Charlton Athletic
Luton Town v. Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers v. Barnsley
Reading v. Stoke City
Sheffield Wednesday v. Nottingham Forest
West Bromwich Albion v. Birmingham City
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich v. Freiburg
Cologne v. Eintracht Frankfurt
Fortuna Dusseldorf v. Augsburg
Hertha Berlin v. Bayer Leverkusen
Mainz v. Werder Bremen
RB Leipzig v. Borussia Dortmund
Paderborn v. Borussia Monchengladbach
Schalke v. Wolfsburg
Hoffenheim v. Union Berlin
Serie A
Torino v. Parma
Verona v. Cagliari
Spanish La Liga
Espanyol v. Levante
Athletic Bilbao v. Real Betis
Getafe v. Eibar
Atletico Madrid v. Valladolid
Premier League
Watford v. Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v. Arsenal
West Ham v. Wolverhampton
Bournemouth v. Crystal Palace
Wednesday, June 17th
Bundesliga
Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz and Hoffenheim all picked up wins
RB Leipzig and Fortuna Dusseldorf tied 2-2
La Liga
Eibar and Athletic Bilbao tied 2-2
Valladolid and Celta Vigo tied 0-0
Atletico Madrid def. Osasuna 5-0
Coppa Italia final
Napoli def. Juventus 4-2 on penalties
Napoli will meet the Serie A winner in the Supercoppa as part of the 2020-21 season kickoff and is also automatically in Europa League qualifying
Premier League
Aston Villa and Sheffield United tied 0-0
Manchester City def. Arsenal 3-0
Bundesliga
Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz and Hoffenheim all picked up wins
RB Leipzig and Fortuna Dusseldorf tied 2-2
La Liga
Eibar and Athletic Bilbao tied 2-2
Valladolid and Celta Vigo tied 0-0
Atletico Madrid def. Osasuna 5-0
Coppa Italia final
Napoli def. Juventus 4-2 on penalties
Napoli will meet the Serie A winner in the Supercoppa as part of the 2020-21 season kickoff and is also automatically in Europa League qualifying
Premier League
Aston Villa and Sheffield United tied 0-0
Manchester City def. Arsenal 3-0
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
What happened in January of this year?
Boxer Claressa Shields moved to 10-0 and became the fastest pro boxer to win a fourth title; the men's team handball field for the Tokyo games moved from four teams to six after Spain won the Europe tournament and Egypt won the Africa tournament; Darrion Caldwell advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator men's featherweight Grand Prix, handing Adam Borics his first pro loss; The men's and women's indoor volleyball fields were completely filled for the Tokyo games; Sergio Pettis won his Bellator debut by technical submission; Australia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea advanced to the Tokyo games in men's soccer after the Asian qualifier tournament; The Chiefs scored fifty-one of the final fifty-eight points to defeat the Texans in the NFL divisional round; Cris Cyborg captured the Bellator women's featherweight crown after previously winning titles in Strikeforce, Invicta FC and UFC; The Titans ended the Patriots NFL playoffs dynasty; Manchester United signed Bruno Fernandes from Portuguese side Sporting
Boxer Claressa Shields moved to 10-0 and became the fastest pro boxer to win a fourth title; the men's team handball field for the Tokyo games moved from four teams to six after Spain won the Europe tournament and Egypt won the Africa tournament; Darrion Caldwell advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator men's featherweight Grand Prix, handing Adam Borics his first pro loss; The men's and women's indoor volleyball fields were completely filled for the Tokyo games; Sergio Pettis won his Bellator debut by technical submission; Australia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea advanced to the Tokyo games in men's soccer after the Asian qualifier tournament; The Chiefs scored fifty-one of the final fifty-eight points to defeat the Texans in the NFL divisional round; Cris Cyborg captured the Bellator women's featherweight crown after previously winning titles in Strikeforce, Invicta FC and UFC; The Titans ended the Patriots NFL playoffs dynasty; Manchester United signed Bruno Fernandes from Portuguese side Sporting
Another potential trade: Max Holloway for AJ McKee
Bellator gets a native Hawaiian who could be a cash haul main event for Honolulu shows, while the UFC gets 16-0 McKee. The one downside: McKee has a Grand Prix semifinal bout lined up opposite Darrion Caldwell
Other than Nunes-Shevchenko 3, what cross-promotion fights could the UFC and Bellator make?
Easy.
Valentina Shevchenko opposite Bellator 11-0 flyweight champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Amanda Nunes opposite Julia Budd at women's featherweight
Is a potential Holloway-to-Bellator and Budd-to-UFC trade still viable?
Holloway to Bellator, maybe. It depends largely on if Volkanovski can beat Holloway a second time (if Holloway has a UFC belt it wouldn't make much sense to trade him) and when fans can see fight cards in-person (having a native Hawaiian headline a card in Honolulu only makes sense when people can buy tickets). With these circumstances it might work out.
The concern here is the Julia Budd part of the trade. She would leave Bellator for a division with less than ten people in it and who's only draw is the champion who might take the rest of 2020 off
What should the next fights be in the UFC women's flyweight division?
W-125 and W-135 in the UFC have the same problem. There's flyweight Valentina Shevchenko and bantamweight Amanda Nunes, and then... everyone else. I would guess a 2021 trilogy fight with Shevchenko and Nunes, which would give both divisions much-needed sorting-out time
If Holly Holm defeats Irene Aldana and Aspen Ladd defeats Sarah McMann, who should the winner of Holm-Ladd face next?
I would guess... de Randamie? See below answer.
If Raquel Pennington defeats Marion Reneau on Saturday, who should she face next?
Fourth-ranked Juliana Pena? The thing about the UFC women's bantamweight division is this- wait and see how the fights play out, and then play matchmaker
Do you like the Holm-Aldana and Ladd-McMann matchups at UFC women's bantamweight?
Here's the thing: If Holm and Ladd both win, I can see their next matchup against each other in a potential title eliminator. I don't know if either one provides a stiff-enough challenge for Nunes to want to come back at 135 (want being the operative word). There's also Germaine de Randamie, who I guess is the top contender (read: last title challenger) at 135, as well as fourth-ranked Juliana Pena.
UFC Heavyweight division: potential next steps after Miocic-Cormier 3
If Cormier retires
*Miocic v. Ngannou for the title
*Either Ngannou as #1 contender OR Ngannou v. Blaydes (if he gets past Volkov) in a title eliminator
If both Miocic AND Cormier retire (which could happen)
Ngannou v. Blaydes (if he gets past Volkov) for vacant title
If Curtis Blaydes defeats Alexander Volkov on Saturday, should he get a title shot?
If Blaydes wins, the next step could be a title eliminator v. Francis Ngannou. Behind champ Stipe Miocic and challenger Daniel Cormier, you have third-ranked Ngannou and fourth-ranked Blaydes.
Thoughts on the Premier League return tomorrow
Aston Villa v. Sheffield United
If Aston Villa wins, they move out of the relegation zone
If Sheffield United wins, they move into the Europa League spot
Manchester City v. Arsenal
If Manchester City wins, they move seven points clear of third-place Leicester City
If Arsenal wins, they move three points closer to a Europa League spot
Who's fighting for a UFC job on Saturday- Barriault or Piechota?
Both, to an extent, but more so with Barriault, who's had three bouts under the UFC banner and lost all of them
Is Tecia Torres fighting for her UFC roster spot on Saturday?
I'd say yes- she's lost four straight with her last win coming in December 2017
Bellator gets a native Hawaiian who could be a cash haul main event for Honolulu shows, while the UFC gets 16-0 McKee. The one downside: McKee has a Grand Prix semifinal bout lined up opposite Darrion Caldwell
Other than Nunes-Shevchenko 3, what cross-promotion fights could the UFC and Bellator make?
Easy.
Valentina Shevchenko opposite Bellator 11-0 flyweight champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Amanda Nunes opposite Julia Budd at women's featherweight
Is a potential Holloway-to-Bellator and Budd-to-UFC trade still viable?
Holloway to Bellator, maybe. It depends largely on if Volkanovski can beat Holloway a second time (if Holloway has a UFC belt it wouldn't make much sense to trade him) and when fans can see fight cards in-person (having a native Hawaiian headline a card in Honolulu only makes sense when people can buy tickets). With these circumstances it might work out.
The concern here is the Julia Budd part of the trade. She would leave Bellator for a division with less than ten people in it and who's only draw is the champion who might take the rest of 2020 off
What should the next fights be in the UFC women's flyweight division?
W-125 and W-135 in the UFC have the same problem. There's flyweight Valentina Shevchenko and bantamweight Amanda Nunes, and then... everyone else. I would guess a 2021 trilogy fight with Shevchenko and Nunes, which would give both divisions much-needed sorting-out time
If Holly Holm defeats Irene Aldana and Aspen Ladd defeats Sarah McMann, who should the winner of Holm-Ladd face next?
I would guess... de Randamie? See below answer.
If Raquel Pennington defeats Marion Reneau on Saturday, who should she face next?
Fourth-ranked Juliana Pena? The thing about the UFC women's bantamweight division is this- wait and see how the fights play out, and then play matchmaker
Do you like the Holm-Aldana and Ladd-McMann matchups at UFC women's bantamweight?
Here's the thing: If Holm and Ladd both win, I can see their next matchup against each other in a potential title eliminator. I don't know if either one provides a stiff-enough challenge for Nunes to want to come back at 135 (want being the operative word). There's also Germaine de Randamie, who I guess is the top contender (read: last title challenger) at 135, as well as fourth-ranked Juliana Pena.
UFC Heavyweight division: potential next steps after Miocic-Cormier 3
If Cormier retires
*Miocic v. Ngannou for the title
*Either Ngannou as #1 contender OR Ngannou v. Blaydes (if he gets past Volkov) in a title eliminator
If both Miocic AND Cormier retire (which could happen)
Ngannou v. Blaydes (if he gets past Volkov) for vacant title
If Curtis Blaydes defeats Alexander Volkov on Saturday, should he get a title shot?
If Blaydes wins, the next step could be a title eliminator v. Francis Ngannou. Behind champ Stipe Miocic and challenger Daniel Cormier, you have third-ranked Ngannou and fourth-ranked Blaydes.
Thoughts on the Premier League return tomorrow
Aston Villa v. Sheffield United
If Aston Villa wins, they move out of the relegation zone
If Sheffield United wins, they move into the Europa League spot
Manchester City v. Arsenal
If Manchester City wins, they move seven points clear of third-place Leicester City
If Arsenal wins, they move three points closer to a Europa League spot
Who's fighting for a UFC job on Saturday- Barriault or Piechota?
Both, to an extent, but more so with Barriault, who's had three bouts under the UFC banner and lost all of them
Is Tecia Torres fighting for her UFC roster spot on Saturday?
I'd say yes- she's lost four straight with her last win coming in December 2017
UFC Fight Night Prelims Preview: Blaydes v. Volkov
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard v. 5-0 Max Rohskopf
*Hubbard is 11-4 with six wins by stoppage, but is coming off a decision loss to Mark Madsen back in March
Women's Flyweight: Roxanne Modaferri v. Lauren Murphy
*Modaferri has a UFC Fight of the Night award; she is 24-16 with nine wins by stoppage, including five by submission; she is coming off a decision win over previously unbeaten Maycee Barber back in January
*Murphy is 12-4 with eight wins by stoppage and a UFC Fight of the Night bonus; she has won two straight opposite Mara Romero Borella and Andrea Lee
Lightweight: Frank Camacho v. Matt Frevola
*Camacho is 22-8 with nineteen wins by stoppage and three UFC Fight of the Night bonuses; he is coming off a submission loss to Beneil Dariush back in October
*Frevola is 8-1 with four wins by stoppage and is on a three-fight unbeaten streak: a draw opposite Lando Vannata followed by wins over Jalin Turner and Luis Pena
Women's Flyweight: Cortney Casey v. Gillian Robertson
*Casey has three UFC post-fight bonuses: two Fight of the Night and a Performance of the Night. She is 9-7 with seven stoppage victories and most recently defeated Mara Romero Borella last month via kneebar submission
*Robertson is 7-4 with six wins by stoppage; all four of her UFC wins have come by stoppage (three submissions and a TKO); five of seven wins by submission; most recent bout was a TKO loss opposite Maycee Barber back in October
Middleweight: Marc-Andre Barriault v. Oskar Piechota
*Barriault is 11-4 with eight stoppage wins but has lost three straight opposite Andrew Sanchez, Krzysztof Jotko and Jun Yong Park
*Piechota is 11-3-1 with ten stoppage wins. He's lost three straight against Gerald Meerschaert (technical submission), Rodolfo Vieira (submission) and Punahele Soriano (KO)
Strawweight: Tecia Torres v. Brianna Van Buren
*Torres is 10-5 but has lost four straight- all by decision- against Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang Weili and Marina Rodriguez. Her last win was in December 2017.
*Van Buren is 7-2 with four stoppage wins and has won four straight against Angela Samaro, Jamie Moyle, Kailin Curran and Livia Renata Souza- making the win streak all the more impressive is the fact that they were spread across URCC, Invicta FC, Invicta Phoenix Series and UFC.
Lightweight: Clay Guida v. Bobby Green
*Guida is a nine-time UFC post-fight bonus winner, with six Fight of the Night awards and three Submission of the Night awards. Of his 35 career wins, twenty are by stoppage with thirteen by submission.
*25-10 Green, a two-time UFC bonus winner, has seventeen stoppage wins with nine by submission but has lost two straight opposite Drakkar Klose and Francisco Trinaldo
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard v. 5-0 Max Rohskopf
*Hubbard is 11-4 with six wins by stoppage, but is coming off a decision loss to Mark Madsen back in March
Women's Flyweight: Roxanne Modaferri v. Lauren Murphy
*Modaferri has a UFC Fight of the Night award; she is 24-16 with nine wins by stoppage, including five by submission; she is coming off a decision win over previously unbeaten Maycee Barber back in January
*Murphy is 12-4 with eight wins by stoppage and a UFC Fight of the Night bonus; she has won two straight opposite Mara Romero Borella and Andrea Lee
Lightweight: Frank Camacho v. Matt Frevola
*Camacho is 22-8 with nineteen wins by stoppage and three UFC Fight of the Night bonuses; he is coming off a submission loss to Beneil Dariush back in October
*Frevola is 8-1 with four wins by stoppage and is on a three-fight unbeaten streak: a draw opposite Lando Vannata followed by wins over Jalin Turner and Luis Pena
Women's Flyweight: Cortney Casey v. Gillian Robertson
*Casey has three UFC post-fight bonuses: two Fight of the Night and a Performance of the Night. She is 9-7 with seven stoppage victories and most recently defeated Mara Romero Borella last month via kneebar submission
*Robertson is 7-4 with six wins by stoppage; all four of her UFC wins have come by stoppage (three submissions and a TKO); five of seven wins by submission; most recent bout was a TKO loss opposite Maycee Barber back in October
Middleweight: Marc-Andre Barriault v. Oskar Piechota
*Barriault is 11-4 with eight stoppage wins but has lost three straight opposite Andrew Sanchez, Krzysztof Jotko and Jun Yong Park
*Piechota is 11-3-1 with ten stoppage wins. He's lost three straight against Gerald Meerschaert (technical submission), Rodolfo Vieira (submission) and Punahele Soriano (KO)
Strawweight: Tecia Torres v. Brianna Van Buren
*Torres is 10-5 but has lost four straight- all by decision- against Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang Weili and Marina Rodriguez. Her last win was in December 2017.
*Van Buren is 7-2 with four stoppage wins and has won four straight against Angela Samaro, Jamie Moyle, Kailin Curran and Livia Renata Souza- making the win streak all the more impressive is the fact that they were spread across URCC, Invicta FC, Invicta Phoenix Series and UFC.
Lightweight: Clay Guida v. Bobby Green
*Guida is a nine-time UFC post-fight bonus winner, with six Fight of the Night awards and three Submission of the Night awards. Of his 35 career wins, twenty are by stoppage with thirteen by submission.
*25-10 Green, a two-time UFC bonus winner, has seventeen stoppage wins with nine by submission but has lost two straight opposite Drakkar Klose and Francisco Trinaldo
Friday, June 12, 2020
My opinion on the Name, Image, Likeness law signed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis
I'm not necessarily happy about it, but here's my question: how much will it blur the line between amateurs- collegiate athletes- and professionals?
Will McGregor's retirement stick?
For me at least, not until he withdraws his name from the USADA testing pool. He's certainly made enough money from his whiskey business, but this could still be a Nate Diaz-like situation (Diaz took three years off between 2016 and 2019)
Potential UFC P4P Grand Prix
Men's Tournament: Jones, Nurmagomedov, Miocic, Adesanya, Cormier, Usman, Volkanovski and McGregor OR Holloway
Women's Tournament: Nunes, Weili, Shevchenko, Andrade, Joanna, Namajunas, Suarez and Holm
Should the UFC have a strawweight tournament?
I'd say yes.
Title Eliminator, First Leg: Andrade-Joanna and Namajunas-Suarez
Title Eliminator, Second Leg: Andrade-Joanna winner v. Namajunas-Suarez winner
And please, book 12-0-2 Marina Rodriguez against either Gadelha or Esparza
If Andrade-Namajunas 2 gets booked, should there be a Grand Prix tournament?
Yes, with four combatants: Rodriguez, Suarez, Esparza and Gadelha
What welterweight bouts should the UFC book?
Neil Magny v. Robbie Lawler; Michael Chiesa v. Geoff Neal
Title Eliminator (since Burns won't be fighting Edwards): why not Masvidal-Covington?
What light heavyweight bout should the UFC book?
Johnny Walker v. Ryan Spann- Walker's lost two in a row while Spann's won eight straight. This makes sense rankings-wise, as Walker's ranked higher than Spann. Does Walker have another run at the title in him or can Spann extend his win streak?
What's the top middleweight fight for the UFC?
Easy: 19-0 Israel Adesanya v. 13-0 Paulo Costa for the title
Was Usman-Burns the best UFC welterweight title fight matchup?
No. It should've been Usman-Masvidal, with Edwards-Burns as the #1 contender bout
Italian Soccer
The Coppa Italia final will be in five days
UFC Fight Night tomorrow
Three bouts will be contested at catchweight, including the main and co-main events
Spanish Soccer
La Liga: Granada def. Getafe 2-1
*Granada now a point back of Europa League placing; Getafe miss an opportunity to move into the Champions League spots
Soccer on the Fourth of July
Germany: DFB Pokal Final: Bayer Leverkusen v. Bayern Munich
*Bayern Munich chasing twentieth title
The winning team will also host the DFL Supercup at the beginning of the 2020-21 season
I'm not necessarily happy about it, but here's my question: how much will it blur the line between amateurs- collegiate athletes- and professionals?
Will McGregor's retirement stick?
For me at least, not until he withdraws his name from the USADA testing pool. He's certainly made enough money from his whiskey business, but this could still be a Nate Diaz-like situation (Diaz took three years off between 2016 and 2019)
Potential UFC P4P Grand Prix
Men's Tournament: Jones, Nurmagomedov, Miocic, Adesanya, Cormier, Usman, Volkanovski and McGregor OR Holloway
Women's Tournament: Nunes, Weili, Shevchenko, Andrade, Joanna, Namajunas, Suarez and Holm
Should the UFC have a strawweight tournament?
I'd say yes.
Title Eliminator, First Leg: Andrade-Joanna and Namajunas-Suarez
Title Eliminator, Second Leg: Andrade-Joanna winner v. Namajunas-Suarez winner
And please, book 12-0-2 Marina Rodriguez against either Gadelha or Esparza
If Andrade-Namajunas 2 gets booked, should there be a Grand Prix tournament?
Yes, with four combatants: Rodriguez, Suarez, Esparza and Gadelha
What welterweight bouts should the UFC book?
Neil Magny v. Robbie Lawler; Michael Chiesa v. Geoff Neal
Title Eliminator (since Burns won't be fighting Edwards): why not Masvidal-Covington?
What light heavyweight bout should the UFC book?
Johnny Walker v. Ryan Spann- Walker's lost two in a row while Spann's won eight straight. This makes sense rankings-wise, as Walker's ranked higher than Spann. Does Walker have another run at the title in him or can Spann extend his win streak?
What's the top middleweight fight for the UFC?
Easy: 19-0 Israel Adesanya v. 13-0 Paulo Costa for the title
Was Usman-Burns the best UFC welterweight title fight matchup?
No. It should've been Usman-Masvidal, with Edwards-Burns as the #1 contender bout
Italian Soccer
The Coppa Italia final will be in five days
UFC Fight Night tomorrow
Three bouts will be contested at catchweight, including the main and co-main events
Spanish Soccer
La Liga: Granada def. Getafe 2-1
*Granada now a point back of Europa League placing; Getafe miss an opportunity to move into the Champions League spots
Soccer on the Fourth of July
Germany: DFB Pokal Final: Bayer Leverkusen v. Bayern Munich
*Bayern Munich chasing twentieth title
The winning team will also host the DFL Supercup at the beginning of the 2020-21 season
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
La Liga will return on Thursday with Champions League implications
Third-place Sevilla can extend their cushion on fourth place to four points if they can defeat Real Betis (top four at the end of the season move into the Champions League)
Bayern Munich can add another line to their "enticing transfers" resume
They can move a step closer to a 20th DFB Pokal title with a semifinal win
Soccer: Bayer Leverkusen moves into the DFB Pokal final
They will take on either Bayern Munich or Eintracht Frankfurt
The FA Cup in English soccer returns in eighteen days
According to Wikipedia, it's the first all-Premier League quarterfinal lineup since the 2005/6 edition
What cross-promotion, no-belts-on-the-line bouts should be put on?
Valentina Shevchenko v. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane- Women's Flyweight
The leap-years-ahead UFC champ against the 11-0 Bellator champ. This one could actually happen.
Max Holloway v. Patricio Freire- Men's Featherweight
One of the UFC featherweight GOATs against the Bellator featherweight AND lightweight kingpin. This could become a reality if Holloway was traded to Bellator.
"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung v. AJ McKee- Men's Featherweight
Chan's zombie-like ability to absorb damage against McKee's 16-0 record
Who on the UFC women's bantamweight roster should get a few fights in under the Bellator banner?
I have some ideas:
4-3 Nicco Montano
9-6 Jessica Rose-Clark
Sarah Moras, with twelve pro bouts but has won three-of-eight in the Octagon
Bea Malecki, 4-0 and 2-0 in the UFC
Liana Jojua and Duda Santana, twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth out of twenty-nine ranked fighters (Santana has just four pro bouts)
Who should Sabina Mazo fight next?
I'd like to see her in action against Molly McCann in her next fight. Mazo has won two straight opposite Shana Dobson and JJ Aldrich. McCann might not be a huge step up the rankings but Mazo has just nine pro bouts under her belt
What should happen with the UFC featherweight division?
Convince some UFC women's bantamweight fighters to move up. I'd pick Lina Lansberg, Macy Chiasson, Bethe Correia, Sijara Eubanks and Julia Avila.
Should the UFC trade Max Holloway to Bellator in exchange for Julia Budd?
I guess it depends on how Volkanovski-Holloway 2 goes. If Volkanovski wins it might be a good idea. Holloway would be able to fight regularly in Hawaii and the UFC would be able to get a viable challenge for Nunes at featherweight
Should the trade wait until fans can attend shows?
I'd say yes- Holloway would be a convincing selling point for Bellator shows in Honolulu but only if people can buy tickets.
Will Paddy Pimblett sign with the UFC, and if he does who should his lightweight debut be against?
Honestly, just the fact that the UFC's holding weekly events might be reason enough for the 15-3 Pimblett to make the jump. A matchup with either Clay Guida or Donald Cerrone might be enough just based on their name value within the UFC if Pimblett picks up a win
Who should Manel Kape's UFC debut be against?
If he wants to be thrown to the wolves early on, why not Raphael Assuncao? Assuncao has lost three straight but he's also won 27-of-35 in his career
Should TJ Dillashaw get a title shot when he returns to the Octagon early next year?
If we're looking at most deserving contenders, then probably not- I'd suggest tune-up fights (a third bout against Cody Garbrandt and a second bout at minimum, probably against 0-loss Sean O'Malley). But in all honesty, if the UFC can let Yoel Romero, Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo jump the line I wouldn't be surprised if Dillashaw got the same treatment
Should there be a title eliminator at UFC men's flyweight?
Absolutely- Alex Perez v. Brandon Moreno
Should the UFC still have Petr Yan v. Jose Aldo for the men's bantamweight title?
No, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost- Aldo was Cejudo's choice of challenger, while Yan has talked about how the champion only needs to fight the most deserving contenders. Yan v. Aljamain Sterling would be a phenomenal bout for the vacant title. In my opinion, the title should be contested by Yan (nine-fight win streak, 6-0 in the UFC) opposite Sterling (five-fight win streak) as opposed to Aldo (two-fight losing streak and 0-1 at bantamweight)
Is Kamaru Usman v. Gilbert Burns the optimal fight for the UFC welterweight title?
I'd go with no- have Burns v. Leon Edwards (six-fight win streak v. eight-fight win streak) and have the winner v. Usman. Kamaru did defend the belt in December. On the other hand, I'd appoint Edwards as the #1 contender to fight the winner
Third-place Sevilla can extend their cushion on fourth place to four points if they can defeat Real Betis (top four at the end of the season move into the Champions League)
Bayern Munich can add another line to their "enticing transfers" resume
They can move a step closer to a 20th DFB Pokal title with a semifinal win
Soccer: Bayer Leverkusen moves into the DFB Pokal final
They will take on either Bayern Munich or Eintracht Frankfurt
The FA Cup in English soccer returns in eighteen days
According to Wikipedia, it's the first all-Premier League quarterfinal lineup since the 2005/6 edition
What cross-promotion, no-belts-on-the-line bouts should be put on?
Valentina Shevchenko v. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane- Women's Flyweight
The leap-years-ahead UFC champ against the 11-0 Bellator champ. This one could actually happen.
Max Holloway v. Patricio Freire- Men's Featherweight
One of the UFC featherweight GOATs against the Bellator featherweight AND lightweight kingpin. This could become a reality if Holloway was traded to Bellator.
"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung v. AJ McKee- Men's Featherweight
Chan's zombie-like ability to absorb damage against McKee's 16-0 record
Who on the UFC women's bantamweight roster should get a few fights in under the Bellator banner?
I have some ideas:
4-3 Nicco Montano
9-6 Jessica Rose-Clark
Sarah Moras, with twelve pro bouts but has won three-of-eight in the Octagon
Bea Malecki, 4-0 and 2-0 in the UFC
Liana Jojua and Duda Santana, twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth out of twenty-nine ranked fighters (Santana has just four pro bouts)
Who should Sabina Mazo fight next?
I'd like to see her in action against Molly McCann in her next fight. Mazo has won two straight opposite Shana Dobson and JJ Aldrich. McCann might not be a huge step up the rankings but Mazo has just nine pro bouts under her belt
What should happen with the UFC featherweight division?
Convince some UFC women's bantamweight fighters to move up. I'd pick Lina Lansberg, Macy Chiasson, Bethe Correia, Sijara Eubanks and Julia Avila.
Should the UFC trade Max Holloway to Bellator in exchange for Julia Budd?
I guess it depends on how Volkanovski-Holloway 2 goes. If Volkanovski wins it might be a good idea. Holloway would be able to fight regularly in Hawaii and the UFC would be able to get a viable challenge for Nunes at featherweight
Should the trade wait until fans can attend shows?
I'd say yes- Holloway would be a convincing selling point for Bellator shows in Honolulu but only if people can buy tickets.
Will Paddy Pimblett sign with the UFC, and if he does who should his lightweight debut be against?
Honestly, just the fact that the UFC's holding weekly events might be reason enough for the 15-3 Pimblett to make the jump. A matchup with either Clay Guida or Donald Cerrone might be enough just based on their name value within the UFC if Pimblett picks up a win
Who should Manel Kape's UFC debut be against?
If he wants to be thrown to the wolves early on, why not Raphael Assuncao? Assuncao has lost three straight but he's also won 27-of-35 in his career
Should TJ Dillashaw get a title shot when he returns to the Octagon early next year?
If we're looking at most deserving contenders, then probably not- I'd suggest tune-up fights (a third bout against Cody Garbrandt and a second bout at minimum, probably against 0-loss Sean O'Malley). But in all honesty, if the UFC can let Yoel Romero, Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo jump the line I wouldn't be surprised if Dillashaw got the same treatment
Should there be a title eliminator at UFC men's flyweight?
Absolutely- Alex Perez v. Brandon Moreno
Should the UFC still have Petr Yan v. Jose Aldo for the men's bantamweight title?
No, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost- Aldo was Cejudo's choice of challenger, while Yan has talked about how the champion only needs to fight the most deserving contenders. Yan v. Aljamain Sterling would be a phenomenal bout for the vacant title. In my opinion, the title should be contested by Yan (nine-fight win streak, 6-0 in the UFC) opposite Sterling (five-fight win streak) as opposed to Aldo (two-fight losing streak and 0-1 at bantamweight)
Is Kamaru Usman v. Gilbert Burns the optimal fight for the UFC welterweight title?
I'd go with no- have Burns v. Leon Edwards (six-fight win streak v. eight-fight win streak) and have the winner v. Usman. Kamaru did defend the belt in December. On the other hand, I'd appoint Edwards as the #1 contender to fight the winner
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Who's the Greatest Mixed Martial Artist ever?
A Discussion- Part One
Candidate: Al Iaquinta
Upside: 14-0 as an amateur, eight of fourteen pro wins by stoppage
Downside: Half of his professional losses (three of six) by submission
Candidate: Dan Hooker
Upside: Seventeen of twenty pro wins by stoppage, including seven by submission; five of eight losses by decision
Downside: Two losses by submission
Candidate: Paul Felder
Upside: 17-5 as a pro; three of four decision losses were split decisions
Downside: Just one submission win
Candidate: Edson Barboza
Upside: Thirteen of twenty wins by stoppage (seven TKO, five KO, one submission)
Downside: Five of nine losses by stoppage
Candidate: Justin Gaethje
Upside: 22-2; stopped Tony Ferguson's twelve-fight win streak
Downside: Both of his losses by stoppage (TKO by punches, KO by knee)
A Discussion- Part One
Candidate: Al Iaquinta
Upside: 14-0 as an amateur, eight of fourteen pro wins by stoppage
Downside: Half of his professional losses (three of six) by submission
Candidate: Dan Hooker
Upside: Seventeen of twenty pro wins by stoppage, including seven by submission; five of eight losses by decision
Downside: Two losses by submission
Candidate: Paul Felder
Upside: 17-5 as a pro; three of four decision losses were split decisions
Downside: Just one submission win
Candidate: Edson Barboza
Upside: Thirteen of twenty wins by stoppage (seven TKO, five KO, one submission)
Downside: Five of nine losses by stoppage
Candidate: Justin Gaethje
Upside: 22-2; stopped Tony Ferguson's twelve-fight win streak
Downside: Both of his losses by stoppage (TKO by punches, KO by knee)
What happened in January of this year?
4th: NFL Wild Card, Day One- the Texans needed overtime to defeat the Bills and the Titans stunned the football world when they defeated the Patriots 20-13. Soccer action saw FA Cup third-round matches: Birmingham City, Burnley, Millwall, Hull City, Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday, Fulham, Oxford United, Norwich City, Southampton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Leicester City and Manchester City all advanced to the next round
5th: NFL Wild Card action concluded with the Vikings taking down the Saints in overtime and Seattle taking down Philadelphia. Third-round FA cup action continued, with Northampton Town, West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea, Barnsley, Derby County, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Liverpool and West Ham United joining Saturday's qualifiers
6th: FA Cup third-round action saw Arsenal joining the previous fourth-round qualifiers from Saturday and Sunday
7th: Carabao Cup action in soccer saw Manchester City defeat Manchester United in the first-leg game. English EFL Trophy action in soccer saw Newport County, Accrington Stanley, Salford City, Leicester City and Portsmouth advance to the next round
8th: The Asia Olympic qualifier tournament in men's soccer had the opening round-robin games. Carabao Cup action saw the first-leg game between Leicester City and Aston Villa finish up tied 1-1. The English EFL Trophy tournament saw Stevenage and Scunthorpe United advance to the next round
9th: The Italian Coppa Italia saw Torino advance 5-3 over Genoa despite drawing their final game 1-1. Kenya and Argentina won their respective continental round-robins and qualified for the Tokyo games in women's volleyball. The Europe Olympic qualifier tournament in men's volleyball saw France and Germany win their respective semifinal matches
10th: Claressa Shields defeated Ivana Habazin to move to 10-0 in her pro boxing career and becoming the fastest boxer EVER to win three different titles. France became the Olympic men's volleyball qualifier from Europe as they defeated Germany in the continental final 3-0
11th: The 49ers advanced to the NFC title game 27-10 over Minnesota and the Titans continued their giant-killer act, advancing to the AFC title game 28-12 over the Ravens- in Baltimore. The Europe Olympic qualifier tournament in women's volleyball saw Turkey and Germany win their respective semifinals. The Asia Olympic qualifying tournament in women's volleyball saw South Korea and Thailand win their respective semifinals. The Asia Olympic men's volleyball qualifier saw China and Iran win their respective semifinal matches
12th: The Chiefs had a HUGE comeback against the Texans to advance to the AFC title game against the Titans- they were down 24-0 before scoring 51 of the last 58 points. The Packers advanced to the NFC title game opposite the 49ers with a 28-23 win over Seattle. Turkey won the Europe women's volleyball spot for the Tokyo games as they defeated Germany 3-0 in the final. South Korea won the Asia women's volleyball qualifier tournament as they defeated Thailand in the final 3-0. Iran won the Asia nod to the Tokyo Olympic volleyball field as they defeated China 3-0
18th: UFC 246 took place in Las Vegas. Conor McGregor needed just forty seconds to defeat Donald Cerrone in his first bout since 2018, moving to 2-1 at welterweight; Holly Holm defeated Raquel Pennington by decision in the co-main event; Brian Kelleher submitted Ode Osbourne to snap a two-fight losing streak; Carlos Diego Ferreira submitted Anthony Pettis in Pettis' return bout at lightweight; Roxanne Modaferri rounded off the prelims with an upset win by decision over Maycee Barber, handing Barber her first pro loss
19th: The Chiefs move into the Super Bowl as AFC champions after beating the Titans 35-24 but needed another comeback to do it, going up 35-17 after being down 17-7 early. The 49ers move into the Super Bowl as NFC champs thanks to a 37-20 win over Green Bay- they led 27-0 at the half and 34-7 after three quarters
22nd: Saudi Arabia qualified for the Tokyo games in men's soccer after a 1-0 semifinal win against Uzbekistan and South Korea's men's soccer team also qualified as they beat Australia 2-0 in the semifinals of the Asia qualifiers
25th: LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant for third on the NBA all-time scoring list. The Octagon landed at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The card opened with two stoppage wins. Michael Chiesa defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision in the co-main then ended his post-fight interview early by calling out Colby Covington. Curtis Blaydes then defeated Junior dos Santos by second-round TKO in the main event. Bellator 238 hit The Forum in Inglewood, California. In the main event, Cris Cyborg defeated Julia Budd by fourth-round TKO to claim the Bellator featherweight title, which joins her former featherweight titles with Invicta, Strikeforce and the UFC. The co-main event saw Darrion Caldwell advance to the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix with a first-round submission of Adam Borics. The main card also saw Sergio Pettis win his second straight- and Bellator debut- by technical submission of Alfred Kashakyan. Russia qualified for the women's water polo tournament at the Tokyo games.
26th: Australia became the third men's soccer team to qualify for the Tokyo games in men's soccer from the Asia tournament as they defeated Uzbekistan in the third-place game. The number of teams that qualified for the Tokyo games in men's team handball went from four to six as Spain won the Europe tournament and Egypt won the Africa tournament. Hungary qualified for the Tokyo men's water polo field from the Europe tournament. The basketball world was left stunned at the news that Kobe Bryant and eight others- including his daughter Gianna- had passed away in a helicopter crash.
28th: The opening day of the North America Tokyo qualifiers in women's soccer
4th: NFL Wild Card, Day One- the Texans needed overtime to defeat the Bills and the Titans stunned the football world when they defeated the Patriots 20-13. Soccer action saw FA Cup third-round matches: Birmingham City, Burnley, Millwall, Hull City, Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday, Fulham, Oxford United, Norwich City, Southampton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Leicester City and Manchester City all advanced to the next round
5th: NFL Wild Card action concluded with the Vikings taking down the Saints in overtime and Seattle taking down Philadelphia. Third-round FA cup action continued, with Northampton Town, West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea, Barnsley, Derby County, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Liverpool and West Ham United joining Saturday's qualifiers
6th: FA Cup third-round action saw Arsenal joining the previous fourth-round qualifiers from Saturday and Sunday
7th: Carabao Cup action in soccer saw Manchester City defeat Manchester United in the first-leg game. English EFL Trophy action in soccer saw Newport County, Accrington Stanley, Salford City, Leicester City and Portsmouth advance to the next round
8th: The Asia Olympic qualifier tournament in men's soccer had the opening round-robin games. Carabao Cup action saw the first-leg game between Leicester City and Aston Villa finish up tied 1-1. The English EFL Trophy tournament saw Stevenage and Scunthorpe United advance to the next round
9th: The Italian Coppa Italia saw Torino advance 5-3 over Genoa despite drawing their final game 1-1. Kenya and Argentina won their respective continental round-robins and qualified for the Tokyo games in women's volleyball. The Europe Olympic qualifier tournament in men's volleyball saw France and Germany win their respective semifinal matches
10th: Claressa Shields defeated Ivana Habazin to move to 10-0 in her pro boxing career and becoming the fastest boxer EVER to win three different titles. France became the Olympic men's volleyball qualifier from Europe as they defeated Germany in the continental final 3-0
11th: The 49ers advanced to the NFC title game 27-10 over Minnesota and the Titans continued their giant-killer act, advancing to the AFC title game 28-12 over the Ravens- in Baltimore. The Europe Olympic qualifier tournament in women's volleyball saw Turkey and Germany win their respective semifinals. The Asia Olympic qualifying tournament in women's volleyball saw South Korea and Thailand win their respective semifinals. The Asia Olympic men's volleyball qualifier saw China and Iran win their respective semifinal matches
12th: The Chiefs had a HUGE comeback against the Texans to advance to the AFC title game against the Titans- they were down 24-0 before scoring 51 of the last 58 points. The Packers advanced to the NFC title game opposite the 49ers with a 28-23 win over Seattle. Turkey won the Europe women's volleyball spot for the Tokyo games as they defeated Germany 3-0 in the final. South Korea won the Asia women's volleyball qualifier tournament as they defeated Thailand in the final 3-0. Iran won the Asia nod to the Tokyo Olympic volleyball field as they defeated China 3-0
18th: UFC 246 took place in Las Vegas. Conor McGregor needed just forty seconds to defeat Donald Cerrone in his first bout since 2018, moving to 2-1 at welterweight; Holly Holm defeated Raquel Pennington by decision in the co-main event; Brian Kelleher submitted Ode Osbourne to snap a two-fight losing streak; Carlos Diego Ferreira submitted Anthony Pettis in Pettis' return bout at lightweight; Roxanne Modaferri rounded off the prelims with an upset win by decision over Maycee Barber, handing Barber her first pro loss
19th: The Chiefs move into the Super Bowl as AFC champions after beating the Titans 35-24 but needed another comeback to do it, going up 35-17 after being down 17-7 early. The 49ers move into the Super Bowl as NFC champs thanks to a 37-20 win over Green Bay- they led 27-0 at the half and 34-7 after three quarters
22nd: Saudi Arabia qualified for the Tokyo games in men's soccer after a 1-0 semifinal win against Uzbekistan and South Korea's men's soccer team also qualified as they beat Australia 2-0 in the semifinals of the Asia qualifiers
25th: LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant for third on the NBA all-time scoring list. The Octagon landed at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The card opened with two stoppage wins. Michael Chiesa defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision in the co-main then ended his post-fight interview early by calling out Colby Covington. Curtis Blaydes then defeated Junior dos Santos by second-round TKO in the main event. Bellator 238 hit The Forum in Inglewood, California. In the main event, Cris Cyborg defeated Julia Budd by fourth-round TKO to claim the Bellator featherweight title, which joins her former featherweight titles with Invicta, Strikeforce and the UFC. The co-main event saw Darrion Caldwell advance to the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix with a first-round submission of Adam Borics. The main card also saw Sergio Pettis win his second straight- and Bellator debut- by technical submission of Alfred Kashakyan. Russia qualified for the women's water polo tournament at the Tokyo games.
26th: Australia became the third men's soccer team to qualify for the Tokyo games in men's soccer from the Asia tournament as they defeated Uzbekistan in the third-place game. The number of teams that qualified for the Tokyo games in men's team handball went from four to six as Spain won the Europe tournament and Egypt won the Africa tournament. Hungary qualified for the Tokyo men's water polo field from the Europe tournament. The basketball world was left stunned at the news that Kobe Bryant and eight others- including his daughter Gianna- had passed away in a helicopter crash.
28th: The opening day of the North America Tokyo qualifiers in women's soccer
Friday, June 5, 2020
Men's Boxing
Week of July 13th: Eleider Alvarez v. Joe Smith Jr (theScore)
Winner could face Salamov/Vlasov winner for the WBO light heavyweight title (theScore)
College Football
WR Javan Howes has moved from Cincinnati to Arkansas State (NBC)
Alabama LB Markail Benton has entered the transfer portal (NBC)
Premier League Soccer
For the season restart on the 17th of this month, five subs can be used per match instead of the usual three (Wide World of Sports)
Fight Island
Likely starting June 27th
July 25th: Light Heavyweight: Mauricio Rua v. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 3 (MMA Mania)
*Rua is 26-11-1 and is on a 1-0-1 streak: a TKO win over Tyson Pedro followed by a split draw against Paul Craig
*Nogueira- the 2006 Super Heavyweight South American Games boxing gold medalist- is 23-9 with fourteen career wins by stoppage. He lost his last MMA bout against Ryan Spann
NFL News
Former LB Luke Kuechly has joined the Panthers front office in a "pro scout" capacity (theScore)
*Kuechly was named to seven career Pro Bowl teams and won the Butkus Award three times in his NFL career
*He recorded 1,092 tackles, deflected 67 passes, added eighteen picks, forced seven fumbles while recovering nine and added two defensive touchdowns
UFC on June 20th
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard v. Joe Solecki (MMA Junkie)
*Hubbard is 11-4 with six wins by stoppage but lost his last outing against Mark Madsen
UFC on August 15th
Strawweight: Livia Renata Souza v. Ashley Yoder (MMA Fighting)
*Souza is 13-2 with eight career submission wins, but she lost her last outing against Brianna Van Buren
*Yoder is 7-5 with four career submission wins, but she lost her last outing against Randa Markos
UFC 250
Ian Heinisch v. Gerald Meerschaert is back on at middleweight. It was scrapped some hours ago due to a positive COVID test (Yahoo Sports), but that was apparently a false positive test (MMA Junkie)
Week of July 13th: Eleider Alvarez v. Joe Smith Jr (theScore)
Winner could face Salamov/Vlasov winner for the WBO light heavyweight title (theScore)
College Football
WR Javan Howes has moved from Cincinnati to Arkansas State (NBC)
Alabama LB Markail Benton has entered the transfer portal (NBC)
Premier League Soccer
For the season restart on the 17th of this month, five subs can be used per match instead of the usual three (Wide World of Sports)
Fight Island
Likely starting June 27th
July 25th: Light Heavyweight: Mauricio Rua v. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 3 (MMA Mania)
*Rua is 26-11-1 and is on a 1-0-1 streak: a TKO win over Tyson Pedro followed by a split draw against Paul Craig
*Nogueira- the 2006 Super Heavyweight South American Games boxing gold medalist- is 23-9 with fourteen career wins by stoppage. He lost his last MMA bout against Ryan Spann
NFL News
Former LB Luke Kuechly has joined the Panthers front office in a "pro scout" capacity (theScore)
*Kuechly was named to seven career Pro Bowl teams and won the Butkus Award three times in his NFL career
*He recorded 1,092 tackles, deflected 67 passes, added eighteen picks, forced seven fumbles while recovering nine and added two defensive touchdowns
UFC on June 20th
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard v. Joe Solecki (MMA Junkie)
*Hubbard is 11-4 with six wins by stoppage but lost his last outing against Mark Madsen
UFC on August 15th
Strawweight: Livia Renata Souza v. Ashley Yoder (MMA Fighting)
*Souza is 13-2 with eight career submission wins, but she lost her last outing against Brianna Van Buren
*Yoder is 7-5 with four career submission wins, but she lost her last outing against Randa Markos
UFC 250
Ian Heinisch v. Gerald Meerschaert is back on at middleweight. It was scrapped some hours ago due to a positive COVID test (Yahoo Sports), but that was apparently a false positive test (MMA Junkie)
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Should the UFC trade for Bellator featherweight Julia Budd?
Probably? The case would get stronger if Nunes can defeat Felicia Spencer on Saturday, since then there's Megan Anderson and then... not much, unless something happens with the Contender Series.
Who should Bellator get?
My vote would be Max Holloway- he'd be a viable draw for a promotion that does shows frequently in Hawaii. There's also the fact that he doesn't have the UFC men's featherweight belt.
If Holloway is traded, what should the next fights be in the men's featherweight division?
Alexander Volkanovski should wait for the winner of Brian Ortega v. Chan Sung Jung.
Calvin Kattar v. Yair Rodriguez, then the winner v. Zabit Magomedsharipov in a two-prong title eliminator.
And if Holloway isn't traded?
Title Bout: Volkanovski v. Holloway 2
Top Contender: Brian Ortega v. Chan Sung Jung
Second Contender: Zabit Magomedsharipov v. Kattar/Rodriguez winner
And what about welterweight?
Title: Kamaru Usman v. Jorge Masvidal
Top Contender: Leon Edwards v. Gilbert Burns
Bounce-Back: Tyron Woodley v. Colby Covington
For the Fans: Conor McGregor v. Nate Diaz 3
Probably? The case would get stronger if Nunes can defeat Felicia Spencer on Saturday, since then there's Megan Anderson and then... not much, unless something happens with the Contender Series.
Who should Bellator get?
My vote would be Max Holloway- he'd be a viable draw for a promotion that does shows frequently in Hawaii. There's also the fact that he doesn't have the UFC men's featherweight belt.
If Holloway is traded, what should the next fights be in the men's featherweight division?
Alexander Volkanovski should wait for the winner of Brian Ortega v. Chan Sung Jung.
Calvin Kattar v. Yair Rodriguez, then the winner v. Zabit Magomedsharipov in a two-prong title eliminator.
And if Holloway isn't traded?
Title Bout: Volkanovski v. Holloway 2
Top Contender: Brian Ortega v. Chan Sung Jung
Second Contender: Zabit Magomedsharipov v. Kattar/Rodriguez winner
And what about welterweight?
Title: Kamaru Usman v. Jorge Masvidal
Top Contender: Leon Edwards v. Gilbert Burns
Bounce-Back: Tyron Woodley v. Colby Covington
For the Fans: Conor McGregor v. Nate Diaz 3
Monday, June 1, 2020
College Football
Texas State RB Jaylin Nelson has entered the transfer portal (NBC)
NBA News
Clemson F Aamir Simms has withdrawn from the draft and will return to school (theScore)
UFC 250: Fight-by-Fight Preview: Early Prelims (Wikipedia)
Light Heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield v. Devin Clark
Clark is 11-4 with four wins by stoppage. All four of his losses have been by stoppage as well. His most recent outing was a win over Dequan Townsend in February.
Men's Flyweight: Alex Perez v. Jussier Formiga
*Perez is 23-5 with seven career submission wins. It's also worth noting that three of his five losses have come by submission. He has won two straight against Mark De La Rosa (March of last year) and Jordan Espinosa back in January.
*Formiga is 23-7 with ten career submission wins. Four of his seven losses have hit the scorecards. He's lost his last two bouts against Joseph Benavidez and Brandon Moreno.
*Both Perez and Formiga have one Performance of the Night bonus each from the UFC
Texas State RB Jaylin Nelson has entered the transfer portal (NBC)
NBA News
Clemson F Aamir Simms has withdrawn from the draft and will return to school (theScore)
UFC 250: Fight-by-Fight Preview: Early Prelims (Wikipedia)
Light Heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield v. Devin Clark
Clark is 11-4 with four wins by stoppage. All four of his losses have been by stoppage as well. His most recent outing was a win over Dequan Townsend in February.
Men's Flyweight: Alex Perez v. Jussier Formiga
*Perez is 23-5 with seven career submission wins. It's also worth noting that three of his five losses have come by submission. He has won two straight against Mark De La Rosa (March of last year) and Jordan Espinosa back in January.
*Formiga is 23-7 with ten career submission wins. Four of his seven losses have hit the scorecards. He's lost his last two bouts against Joseph Benavidez and Brandon Moreno.
*Both Perez and Formiga have one Performance of the Night bonus each from the UFC
Bundesliga Soccer This Week
Wednesday
Werder Bremen v. Eintracht Frankfurt, 2:30 pm Eastern
*Werder Bremen can climb outside the relegation zone with a win
*Eintracht Frankfurt can move ten points clear of the relegation zone with a win
Friday
Freiburg v. Borussia Monchengladbach, 2:30 pm Eastern
*Freiburg can move a point back of Europa League spots with a win
*Monchengladbach can leapfrog RB Leipzig for third with a win
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v. Bayern Munich, 9:30 am Eastern
Eintracht Frankfurt v. Mainz, 9:30 am Eastern
Fortuna Dusseldorf v. Hoffenheim, 9:30 am Eastern
RB Leipzig v SC Paderborn, 9:30 am Eastern
Borussia Dortmund v. Hertha Berlin, 12:30 pm Eastern
Bundesliga Soccer Recap
RB Leipzig moves up to third in the standings- and back into the Champions League spots- with a 4-2 win against Cologne.
*Just goal differential separates fourth-place Borussia Monchengladbach (Champions League) from fifth-place Bayer Leverkusen (Europa League)
*It's also worth noting that just two points separates third from fifth in the standings
Wednesday
Werder Bremen v. Eintracht Frankfurt, 2:30 pm Eastern
*Werder Bremen can climb outside the relegation zone with a win
*Eintracht Frankfurt can move ten points clear of the relegation zone with a win
Friday
Freiburg v. Borussia Monchengladbach, 2:30 pm Eastern
*Freiburg can move a point back of Europa League spots with a win
*Monchengladbach can leapfrog RB Leipzig for third with a win
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v. Bayern Munich, 9:30 am Eastern
Eintracht Frankfurt v. Mainz, 9:30 am Eastern
Fortuna Dusseldorf v. Hoffenheim, 9:30 am Eastern
RB Leipzig v SC Paderborn, 9:30 am Eastern
Borussia Dortmund v. Hertha Berlin, 12:30 pm Eastern
Bundesliga Soccer Recap
RB Leipzig moves up to third in the standings- and back into the Champions League spots- with a 4-2 win against Cologne.
*Just goal differential separates fourth-place Borussia Monchengladbach (Champions League) from fifth-place Bayer Leverkusen (Europa League)
*It's also worth noting that just two points separates third from fifth in the standings
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