Alabama13-0
Ohio St.7-1
Clemson10-2
Texas A&M9-1
Notre Dame10-2
Oklahoma9-2
Georgia8-2
Cincinnati9-1
Iowa St.9-3
Northwestern7-2
Ruben Neves pulls Wolves level from the spot after Ryan Bertrand handles the ball in the Southampton box attempting to block a shot.
| Odds | Money Line | Point Spread | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton and Hove Albion | +180 | +1 | O 1.5 |
| Southampton | +170 | -1 | U 1.5 |
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.
Adesanya showed his peers how it is done, even in a losing effort.
Petr Yan lost the UFC bantamweight championship on Saturday night after illegally kneeing Aljamain Sterling while he was down on one knee. The knee was not only deemed illegal, it was ruled intentional, which meant that Yan was disqualified. Sterling became the new bantamweight titleholder, but not at all in the way that he wanted. Shortly after UFC 259 concluded, Yan issued a statement of apology on Twitter and also took to the UFC 259 post-fight press conference to reflect on the fight. "I apologize and wish speedy recovery to (Sterling). I didn’t mean to throw an illegal strike, I just made a big mistake and paid for it," he wrote. https://twitter.com/PetrYanUFC/status/1368436400220073986 Though Sterling was transported to the hospital to get checked out, he issued his own statement on the fight. "Not the way I ever want to win a fight. It was close, competitive and filled with action. I felt the knee was intentional, especially after the ref announced I was a downed opponent, so I didn’t expect to be hit. Yan is a bad dude! WE WILL DO IT AGAIN!" https://twitter.com/funkmasterMMA/status/1368434976329330690 https://twitter.com/funkmasterMMA/status/1368447331855519745 With both men on board to run the fight back, UFC president Dana White was also agreeable, saying that he absolutely intends to book the rematch as soon as possible. TRENDING > UFC 259 results: Blachowicz denies Adesanya; Nunes rolls; Yan loses belt to DQ Petr Yan reflects on illegal knee, hopes for quick rematch (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
No one wants to win a belt this way.
Philadelphia 76ers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday after being flagged by coronavirus contact tracing, prompting some players to question again why the exhibition was being played during a pandemic. The 76ers and the NBA learned of the situation with Embiid and Simmons — which stemmed from getting haircuts — on Saturday night and made the decision Sunday morning that neither could play about nine hours before the scheduled tipoff. The game in Atlanta went forward as scheduled.
The New York Knicks might get Derrick Rose back for their final game before the All-Star break after all. The Knicks were without the veteran point guard on Tuesday due to the NBA's health and safety protocols as they took a 119-93 road loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Rose was forced to sit out because of an inconclusive COVID-19 test prior to the game.
LeBron James is getting a game off after starting the first 36 for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. James is out for Wednesday night's game against the Sacramento Kings. James did not travel with the team after a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday and is getting a few days away from the team before heading to Atlanta for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game festivities.
Nunes, widely considered the greatest female fighter of all-time in mixed martial arts, dominated from the start.
Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis beat Nikola Vucevic to win the Skills Challenge, and Stephen Curry ran away with the 3-Point Contest.
Two of UFC's longest-tenured heavyweights are on the way out.
Novak Djokovic will realize one of his long-cherished goals on Monday when he eclipses Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as the men's world number one, holding the top ranking for the 311th week. "This is one of my two biggest professional goals," Djokovic said last year. "To reach the record of, (and) surpass Roger's record for longest No. 1 and win as many (Grand) Slams as possible."
The two are away from the team after a night away that broke safety regulations.
LaMelo leads NBA rookies in points, assists, rebounds and steals. Not a bad start.
Italian challengers Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli will this week attempt to wrest the America's Cup from holders Emirates Team New Zealand after a 21-year wait for a second shot at the oldest trophy in international sport. The last time the Italian team reached the final was also in the waters off Auckland, when they were comprehensively beaten by the New Zealanders. Defeat did not deter Luna Rossa's billionaire backer Patrizio Bertelli, chief executive of Italian luxury goods group Prada, who has since bankrolled a series of campaigns costing hundreds of millions of dollars in his quest to lift the Cup.
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.
Mark Pavelich had been committed to a mental health treatment center after assaulting a friend in 2019.
Michael Brockers wants J.J. Watt to know Aaron Donald is better.
"I can only control what I can control."
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said he had reached an agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo in the week leading up to his side's 3-1 win over Lazio on Saturday that the Portuguese would be rested. Serie A's top goalscorer started on the bench as Juve came from behind to beat Lazio in the Juventus Stadium. Trailing 2-1 in their Champions League last 16 clash with Porto ahead of Tuesday's second leg in Turin, Pirlo decided to give the 36-year-old Ronaldo a break.
The two All-Stars on the team with the NBA's best record got taken last.
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