Gasol confirms Barca return 20 years on

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Spanish basketball great Pau Gasol announces his return to boyhood club Barcelona after nearly two decades in the NBA.

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  • ESPN releases footage of Petr Yan’s corner after controversial illegal knee

    Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling were fighting a close battle for Yan's bantamweight belt at UFC 259 on Saturday. The fight finish, which saw Sterling laid out on the canvas, resulted in Yan losing his belt. The result came after Yan drove an illegal knee into Sterling's head while he was a downed opponent. Yan's disqualification came after the referee determined the blow was intentional because it occurred after the referee had said Sterling was down prior to the blow. Yan was slightly ahead on the scorecard when the bout was stopped. He was up 29-28 according to two judges, while the third judge had it 29-28 in favor of Sterling. Just before Yan delivered the illegal knee, one of his cornerman was yelling for him to only punch. After he threw the knee, another of his cornermen was cheering, seemingly believing he had won the fight. The confusion seems to stem from a Russian cornerman allegedly yelling to Yan, in Russian, to deliver a kick. This comes from UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov telling commentator Daniel Cormier what he heard the Russian speaking cornerman say. ESPN, which broadcasted the fight, released video of the exchange to its Instagram channel on Sunday. Petr Yan's corner allegedly telling him to kick Aljamain Sterling View this post on Instagram A post shared by ESPN MMA (@espnmma) TRENDING > UFC 259 recap & highlights: Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling Both Yan and Sterling were calling for an immediate rematch after the fight. Yan, of course, didn't want to lose his belt that way, and Sterling was just as adamant that he didn't want to win it in such a fashion. UFC president Dana White said that he hopes to book the rematch as soon as possible after both men are medically cleared to fight. Dana White weighs in on controversial illegal knee (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)

  • What’s next for Israel Adesanya?

    Amanda Nunes continued her domination of the women's side of mixed martial arts at UFC 259, making quick work of Megan Anderson in their co-main event bout. Israel Adesanya had hoped to join Nunes as the UFC's latest champ-champ, but failed in his bid to take the light heavyweight title from Jan Blachowicz. He remains the UFC middleweight champion with the loss to Blachowicz being the first of his professional mixed martial arts career. Following UFC 259, company president Dana White addressed what's next for Adesanya. (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube) TRENDING > Dana White rips 10-8 rounds for Blachowicz vs. Adesanya | UFC 259 Post-Fight

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  • Knees and kicks to a downed MMA fighter rule reinterpreted by athletic commissions

    This article on knees and kicks to a downed opponent was originally published in September of 2013, but is rather relevant to current times as Petr Yan lost his bantamweight championship at UFC 259 after illegally and intentionally kneeing Aljamain Sterling. How athletic commissions interpret the rule about knees and kicks to a downed fighter and how referees enforce the rule has changed. UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission Marc Ratner appeared on a recent edition of UFC Tonight on Wednesday and explained the new interpretation of what is a foul and what isn’t in regards to kneeing and kicking a “downed” fighter. The Unified Rules of mixed martial arts describes a “downed” fighter as a fighter who has more than just the soles of their feet on the ground. The Association of Boxing Commissions website defines a downed fighter as, “A grounded opponent is any fighter who has more than just the soles of their feet on the ground. (i.e. could have one shin or one finger down to be considered a downed fighter) If the referee determines that a fighter would be a grounded fighter, but is not solely because the ring ropes or cage fence has held fighter from the ground, the referee can instruct the combatants that he is treating the fighter held up solely by the cage or ropes as a grounded fighter.” The wording of the rule and the rule’s intent has not changed, but the way the rule is interpreted and enforced has. “The rule is really the same,” said Ratner. “The interpretation that we’ve come up with, with the Association of Boxing Commissions, which should be called the Association of Combat Commissions – they should change that – but the spirit of the rule has been violated by a lot of fighters. “Obviously if you’re downed and you have a hand on the deck, and you have three points there and you get kicked or kneed, that’s a foul,” he said. “But we have fighters now who are putting their hand down, bringing it up, putting it back down again. “I call it, if you’re talking basketball, trying to draw the foul. They’re hoping that the referee will see it and call a foul and maybe disqualify the other guy,” added Ratner. “So we’re telling the referees before the fights, go into the dressing rooms and say, ‘look, if you do this you’re doing it at your own peril and in my judgment as a referee, if you’re doing it, I’m going to call it legal.’” It is now up to the referee’s discretion whether or not a kick or knee to a “downed” fighter is illegal. “It’s a judgment call,” said Ratner. Be sure to Like MMAWeekly.com on Facebook and Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter.

  • A humble Israel Adesanya reveals his true character after failed pursuit of glory

    Adesanya showed his peers how it is done, even in a losing effort.

  • 2021 All-Star Game, the future of the dunk contest, Blake to Brooklyn

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  • 2021 NFL free agency: Top 7 QBs available in free agency (and 5 others who could be traded)

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  • UFC world in disbelief after Petr Yan's blatantly illegal knee gives title to Aljamain Sterling via DQ

    No one wants to win a belt this way.

  • NBA MVP watch: It's Joel Embiid’s award to lose at the All-Star break

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  • Bryson DeChambeau takes strength from Tiger Woods text as he pips Lee Westwood at Arnold Palmer Invitational

    It was a heroic effort by Lee Westwood, as he tried to become oldest ever UK winner on the PGA Tour. But ultimately the evergreen 47-year-old was left to rue a short missed putt on the 16th to lose the Arnold Palmer Invitational to Bryson DeChambeau. Motivated by a text message from a Tiger Woods, the 27-year-old, came through. The reigning US Open champion was forced to hole a six-footer on the last at Bay Hill to prevail by one from the brave Englishman. It was a difficult afternoon in Orlando, with winds gusting and the greens crisping up. DeChambeau, that revolutionary character, was again showing he has the guile as well as the length. “I spoke to Tiger yesterday and we talked about just keep fighting no matter what happens and play boldly like Mr Palmer,” he said.

  • March 8, 1971: Fight of the Century in photos

    On the 50th anniversary of The Fight of the Century, look back at the spectacular matchup between undefeated heavyweights Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. After being stripped of the heavyweight title for refusing the 1967 Vietnam draft, Ali sought to reclaim his belt from new champion Frazier. The match lasted a full 15 rounds. Although Ali dominated the first few, Frazier landed a series of blows that dropped Ali on the canvas. Frazier won by unanimous decision, but this was just the beginning of the heavyweight saga.

  • Are the Cowboys really about to franchise tag Dak Prescott again — and perhaps seal his exit?

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  • Federer feels his story is unfinished, eyes full fitness by Wimbledon

    Roger Federer never contemplated retirement as he spent 13 months on the sidelines due to double knee surgery last year and the 39-year-old says he is now pain-free and ready to play again with a feeling that his story is not over yet. Federer, tied with Rafa Nadal on a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, has not played a competitive match since losing to world number one Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals in 2020. The Swiss maestro will make his highly-anticipated return at this week's Qatar Open, where he is seeded behind U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.

  • UFC 259: Amanda Nunes quickly submits overmatched Megan Anderson

    Nunes, widely considered the greatest female fighter of all-time in mixed martial arts, dominated from the start.

  • Blake Griffin signs with Nets after clearing waivers

    The Nets announced the six-time All-Star's signing after his buyout from the Pistons.

  • Rare Kobe Bryant rookie card sells for $1.795 million

    The Topps trading card is one of just two in the world considered to be in "black label pristine condition," the auction house said, and is the most expensive Kobe Bryant card ever sold. The National Basketball Association (NBA) champion died a little over a year ago in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven others at the age of 41, shocking the world of sport and sending fans of the Los Angeles Lakers star into mourning. "The fact that it sold for the final auction price of $1.795 million, the all-time record for any Kobe Bryant card, speaks to just how beloved he was around the world," said Goldin Auctions founder Ken Goldin.

  • UFC 259 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya comes in light for chance to be champ-champ

    Saturday's championship heavy fight card is set now that the UFC 259 weigh-in results are official. All three title fights got the green light on Friday with all six athletes in the championship bouts stepping on the scale within the first 25 minutes of the two-hour weigh-in window. While UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz weighed in at 205 pounds on the nose, the top end of the limit, his opponent took a remarkedly different approach. When most fighters get as big as possible and then have a drastic weight cut during fight week, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya didn't follow the norm. He stepped on the scale at 200.5 pounds, pizza box in hand, in his quest to become a two-division champion. The UFC 259 co-main event features double-champ Amanda Nunes putting her featherweight title on the line against Megan Anderson. Nunes was first to the scale on Friday, weighing 145 pounds. Anderson was the last title fight athlete to the scale, weighing 144.5 pounds for the title tilt. The third championship bout on the UFC 259 fight card features bantamweight titleholder Petr Yan making the first defense of his belt. He'll square off against No. 1 contender Aljamain Sterling after both easily made weight. Yan tipped the scale at 135 pounds; Sterling at 134.5 pounds. Askar Askarov misses weight for UFC 259 All but two fighters weighed in during the first 30 minutes of the two-hour window. Askar Askarov and Kennedy Nzechukwu had yet to weigh in with one hour and 30 minutes left. Askarov took to the scale with about an hour left during the weigh-in window. He missed weight by one pound, weighing 127 pounds for his flyweight fight with Joseph Benavidez. If Benavidez's team agrees to the bout, Askarov would likely forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to Benavidez to keep the bout intact. Nzechukwu was the final fighter scheduled on the card to the scale, making weight for his bout with just under an hour left during the weigh-in window. Glover Teixeira makes weight as UFC 259 main event back-up Light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira stepped on the scale after Nzechukwu, weighing 204.5 pounds. He will serve as an emergency back-up if anything happens to either of the UFC 259 main event fighters. It's not often that a fighter pulls out after weigh-ins, although it has become a bigger concern during the pandemic, as COVID-19 protocols have forced several fighters out on the day of the event. TRENDING > Dana White says UFC will be first to open up to Texas crowds UFC 259 weigh-in results UFC 259 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya (200.5 pounds) UFC 259 Main Card (10p ET on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View) Main Event - Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Jan Blachowicz (205) vs Israel Adesanya (200.5)Co-Main Event - Women’s Featherweight Title Bout: Amanda Nunes (145) vs Megan Anderson (144.5)Bantamweight Title Bout: Petr Yan (135) vs Aljamain Sterling (134.5)Lightweight Bout: Islam Makhachev (156) vs Drew Dober (156)Light Heavyweight Bout: Thiago Santos (206) vs Aleksandar Rakic (206) UFC 259 Prelims (8p ET on ESPN and ESPN+) Bantamweight Bout: Dominick Cruz (136) vs Casey Kenney (136)Bantamweight Bout: Song Yadong (135.5) vs Kyler Phillips (136)Flyweight Bout: Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs Askar Askarov (127)Flyweight Bout: Rogerio Bontorin (126) vs Kai Kara-France (125.5) UFC 259 Early Prelims (5:30p ET on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass) Flyweight Bout: Tim Elliott (125.5) vs Jordan Espinosa (126)Light Heavyweight Bout: Kennedy Nzechukwu (205.5) vs Carlos Ulberg (205)Welterweight Bout: Sean Brady (170.5) vs Jake Matthews (169.5)Women’s Strawweight Bout: Livinha Souza (116) vs Amanda Lemos (116)Lightweight Bout: Uros Medic (156) vs Aalon Cruz (155)Bantamweight Bout: Mario Bautista (135.5) vs Trevin Jones (134.5) UFC 259 weigh-in video: Israel Adesanya comes in light for shot at Jan Blachowicz (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube) UFC 259 weigh-in video: Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube) UFC 259 weigh-in video: Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)

  • Jan Blachowicz overpowers Israel Adesanya to retain light heavyweight title at UFC 259

    Blachowicz cemented the fight by taking Adesanya down in each of the final two rounds and basically holding him on his back for more than half the round.

  • Adesanya aims to join UFC's exclusive "champ champ" club

    Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya could join an elite group at UFC 259 in Las Vegas on Saturday by holding two belts simultaneously in different weight classes, but to do so he will have to overcome the power and size of light-heavyweight incumbent Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya will make a considerable step-up in weight from 185 to 205 pounds to take on Poland's Blachowicz in the main event on Saturday. In the co-main event, Amanda Nunes puts her featherweight title on the line against Megan Anderson while bantamweight champion Petr Yan defends his belt against Aljamain Sterling.

  • UFC 259 full results: Blachowicz decisions Adesanya; Nunes dominates Anderson; Yan DQ'd vs. Sterling

    Only one belt changed hands Saturday at UFC 259.