Josh Hokit has a serious problem with Alex Pereira campaigning for a Ciryl Gane rematch.
Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) was finished by Gane in their interim heavyweight ***** le fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Gane dropped Pereira with a jab then swarmed him for the second-round TKO. "Poatan" complained that several shots from Gane landed to the back of his head in the fight-ending sequence, and he's eager to run things back.
Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who scored two big wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis in the span of two months, believes Pereira has no business rematching Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) – or even asking for it.
"As a fan, that fight makes no f*cking sense," Hokit wrote on X. "I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable match up like Sergei who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one f*cking win in this weight class before you are gifted another ***** le shot."
As a fan, that fight makes no ***** sense. I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable match up like Sergei who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one ***** win in this weight class before you are gifted another ***** le shot. https://t.co/47rOmZ5Oqj

#gane #pereira #title

Surging heavyweight Josh Hokit went on tirade on social media after former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira posted a video campaigning for a rematch with Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt.
In a series of X posts targeting Pereira and making his case for the next shot at Gane, Hokit criticized the idea that Pereira and Ilia Topuria could challenge for belts next after both got finished by Gane and Justin Gaethje this past June at UFC White House, respectively.
"As a fan, that fight makes no ***** sense," wrote Hokit, who finished Derrick Lewis on that same card. "I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable match up like Sergei [Pavlovitch] who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one ***** win in this weight class before you are gifted another ***** le shot."
"Growing up, I loved the UFC & all of its fighters," he continued on a separate post. "So it gives me great pleasure to use my platform today to speak the truth: neither Ilia Topuria nor Alex Pereira deserve a ***** ***** le shot in their next fight. They both got handily destroyed. Make them earn it and fight their way back like everyone else."
Hokit argued that Tom Aspinall's manager Eddie Hearn is "obviously" stalling to "buy time in contract negotiations" instead of working on a deal for a ***** le unification bout with Gane. Hokit suggests, then, booking him versus Gane on the upcoming Madison Square Garden show November in New York, while Pereira battles Pavlovich on the same card.

#fucking #ciryl

It has been nearly three months since Alex Pereira's bid to become a UFC champion in a third weight class came to a brutal halt at UFC Freedom 250. Ciryl Gane delivered a statement-making performance to score a second-round knockout in the historic White House co-main event.
The win was a huge moment for Gane, who became just the second fighter in UFC history to win two interim ***** les in the same division. More importantly, it put the French heavyweight in line for a highly anticipated rematch with undisputed champion Tom Aspinall.
However, much of the post-fight discussion wasn't about Gane's performance. Instead, the spotlight quickly turned to the 11 finishing shots he landed on Pereira, with seven appearing to connect to the back of the head and being deemed illegal.
ALSO READ: Ilia Topuria Breaks Down First Career Loss to Justin Gaethje in Deeply Personal 9-Part Essay
Pereira has since repeatedly called out referee Herb Dean and even demanded that he be removed from officiating his future fights. So far, though, nothing has changed on that front, and it appears Pereira is ready to put the controversy behind him and focus on what comes next.

#since #champion #performance #freedom

Victor Wembanyama gets a big shout-out from French UFC fighter Ciryl Gane originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Over the past decade, it has become clear that basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world. The rise of international players is a testament to this because there has not been an American regular-season MVP since James Harden's MVP in 2018.
Players like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been dominant as non-American players. However, it seems San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is ready to carry the torch moving forward as the best player to come out of France, a country that's well-known for producing some elite athletes.
As the current UFC interim heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane knows what it's like to succeed. He is, in fact, a two-time holder of that **** le, so he is quite successful in his mixed martial arts career. The orthodox heavyweight striker stands out in the UFC with his natural talent and light feet despite being a 6'4" fighter.
Just like Gane, Wembanyama shares some traits with his fellow Frenchman. Being a giant who can move light on their feet is certainly a good trait to have, but it matters the most in a sport like basketball.

#ciryl #fighter

The summer transfer market has been shaken by Álvaro Morata's surprising move to CD Leganés, while the latest sports headlines are dominated by Julián Álvarez's absence from Atlético de Madrid's trip to Seville and FC Barcelona's tactical adjustments in attack.
The Madrid-born striker is behind the summer's biggest move after joining CD Leganés on loan from Como. The deal shakes up the second tier and makes the Spain international Leganés' main ***** et in their bid to return to the top flight.
For his part, Diego Simeone heads into the visit to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán without a recognized centre-forward after Julián Álvarez was confirmed unavailable. The Argentine's absence, prompted by his refusal to train during the final stretch of the transfer window, puts even more focus on the tactical setup the rojiblancos will use in Seville.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Hansi Flick is drawing up attacking alternatives. Faced with the complicated scenario of signing Julián Álvarez, the coaching staff are considering redeploying Raphinha as an out-and-out No. 9, trusting in his movement and finishing to lead the blaugrana attack.
On the international stage, the European draws have handed demanding matchups to Celta de Vigo and Real Sociedad in the Europa League, while Getafe will face more manageable fixtures in the Conference League.

#legan #seville #transfer #international

Today's sports front pages, August 29, are packed with major talking points: Kylian Mbappé is in the Madrid spotlight after his brilliant start, Barça are looking for tactical solutions after the "Flick Spirit," and Julián Álvarez's situation continues to make headlines ahead of the big Sevilla-Atlético clash.
The newspaper AS devotes its front page to Kylian Mbappé under the headline "MBAPPÉ EYES THE BALLON D'OR", highlighting the French forward's ambitions to win the individual award after his hat-trick against Real Sociedad and his performances for Real Madrid.
The big surprise of the transfer market comes from MARCA with its headline "THE SUMMER'S BLOCKBUSTER", announcing the presentation of Álvaro Morata by CD Leganés.
In the Catalan press, MUNDO DEPORTIVO praises the "FLICK SPIRIT", hailing the dynamism and collective pressing of the Blaugrana side despite not having an out-and-out No. 9.
For its part, SPORT goes a step further and states that "RAPHINHA WILL BE THE '9'" as the main alternative in the German coach's system.

#madrid

Three LPGA golfers have won consecutive tournaments in 2026. Might there be a fourth this week?
Miyu Yamashita of ******* an, who won last week's CPKC Women's Open in a rout by nine shots, shot 2-under 70 on Friday. She had it to 10 under and the solo lead at one point but a late bogey dropped her into a three-way tie for the lead at the FM Championship.
Yamashita has two wins this season and a third this week would put her alongside three golfers who have won back-to-back starts in 2026: Hyo Joo Kim (Fortinet and Ford in March), Nelly Korda (Chevron and Riviera Maya in April) and Haeran Ryu (KPMG Women's PGA and Amundi Evian) in late June/early July.
Yamashita started on the back nine and birdie Nos. 16 and 17. A bogey on No. 1 was followed by birdies at Nos. 2 and 6 before one more bogey at the eighth hole. A somewhat ho-hum round but she's co-leading alongside Kim, and Allisen Corpuz, who has yet to win in 2026. Two golfers tied for fourth, Morgane Metraux and Ruoning Yin, posted 7-under 65s. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, tied for ninth, also shot 65, the best score of the day Friday.
Defending champ Lottie Woad is tied for 27th after a 73 on Friday.

#yamashita #bogey #back

LG Energy Solution has started production at its new battery manufacturing facility in Lansing, Michigan, as the South Korean company expands its North American supply base for both energy storage systems and electric vehicles.
The 226-acre plant is designed to reach more than 35 gigawatt-hours of annual battery production capacity at full scale. LG Energy Solution said it has invested more than $2 billion in the facility since 2022 and expects employment to increase from about 900 workers currently to 1,700 at full production.
The Lansing plant will manufacture lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, cells for energy storage applications as well as higher-energy-density nickel-manganese-cobalt, or NMC, cells for electric vehicles.
The LFP cells will be integrated into utility-scale and commercial storage systems by LG Energy Solution Vertech, the company's U.S. energy storage business. Michigan utility DTE Energy will be among the customers using Lansing-produced batteries for future energy storage projects.
The expansion comes as U.S. electricity demand is rising, driven in part by data centers, manufacturing and broader electrification, increasing demand for grid-scale storage that can help utilities balance electricity supply and consumption.

#storage #scale #michigan #Manufacturing

Real Madrid already have a very talented squad at their disposal, filled with superstars, but they are constantly on the lookout for market opportunities.
Los Blancos want to make the kind of signings where they are ahead of the curve and sign a player before his potential explodes.
Madrid well and truly have seen how a player's price can skyrocket after just one good season, as has been the case with Yan Diomande this summer.
The Ivory Coast winger was in La Liga at Leganes less than a season and a half ago, and had Madrid signed him then, they might have saved a lot of money.
Thus, it comes as no surprise to see them interested in a player like Sergio Martinez, who is playing for newly promoted Racing Santander.

#blancos #diomande #liga

Tommy John, the major league pitcher who achieved 288 victories over a 26-year career and became the first player to successfully return after revolutionary elbow surgery later named in his honor, has died at age 83.
He passed away Saturday night at his home in Bradenton, Florida, according to his agent Mike Maguire on Sunday. He was under hospice care.
On Aug. 8, the New York Yankees shared a social media post written by John to bid farewell to friends and supporters from his career, writing, "I will never forget you."
Tommy John praises his late friend, Dr. Frank Jobe during a memorial service at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, April 7, 2014 (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
A four-time All-Star, the left-hander compiled a 288-231 record with a 3.34 ERA between 1963 and 1989. His career included stints with Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the California Angels and the Oakland Athletics.

#angeles #saturday #Florida

Tenerife beat Leganés 4-3 on penalties (after a 0-0 draw in regular time) on Saturday (8) and won the Pepino D'or.
That information would probably have gone unnoticed in the world news... if it weren't for the VERY unusual shape of the trophy.
Leganés is a Spanish club from the city of Leganés, near Madrid.
The region is known for growing cucumbers. In fact, that is also the club's mascot.
Leganés, this year's runner-up, is the most successful club in Pepino D'or history.

#legan #spanish

Real Madrid have agreed a €135 million ($156 million) deal with RB Leipzig for teenage Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomande, the Press ***** ociation understands.
Diomande's rapid rise for Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season led to a host of Europe's top clubs queuing up to buy him and Real appear to have won the race for his signature after tabling a fee of €135 million.
Diomande will become the most expensive African footballer ever should the deal be completed.
Paris St Germain pulled out of the race to sign him last month, leaving the way clear for Madrid to close in on the 19-year-old, who scored 13 goals and made 10 ***** ists for Leipzig during the 2025-26 campaign.
Diomande's extraordinary progress is a classic rags-to-riches story. He had trials with Chelsea, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Rangers before being offered a contract with Spanish side Leganes in March 2025.

#million #madrid #diomande

Yan Diomande has joined RB Leipzig's pre-season training camp in Austria amid ongoing speculation about a move to Real Madrid.
Ivory Coast winger Diomande, 19, missed the start of the camp due to illness and club officials had insisted on his presence in Saalfelden once he was healthy again.
Sources told dpa that talks with Real are continuing, but without a breakthrough yet.
Real reportedly had a first offer of €105 million ($121 million) rejected by Leipzig, who are said to want a guaranteed sum of €120 million. Another alleged issue is a dispute between Diomande's past and present agent companies.
Diomande came to Leipzig a year ago for €20 million from Spain's Leganes. He impressed with 12 goals and nine **** ists and also caught the eye playing for Ivory Coast at the recent World Cup.

#real #saalfelden

"I ***** love Foucault. I ***** with Foucault hard," enthused Supriya Ganesh, star of The Pitt, in a recent interview with New York magazine. Ganesh, who uses she/they ***** ouns, never felt comfortable with rigid gender and ***** uality labels, and Foucault's The History of ***** uality, Volume I showed her how these categories have in fact varied across cultures and through history: "I think this idea of defining ***** uality is very new—or at least that's the argument he's making … it really illuminated a lot of that for me."
Ganesh was unwittingly providing fresh evidence for the central argument of The Frenchmen: Or, My Life in Theory, which proposes that a small group of dead twentieth-century intellectuals are "crucial for understanding the world we inhabit today." Written by Emily Eakin, a senior editor at The New York Times Book Review, The Frenchmen focuses on eight French or French-speaking theorists (Louis Althusser, Roland Barthes, Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Félix Guattari, Jacques Lacan, and Paul de Man) who, she argues, "permanently alter[ed] how we think not only about bedrock philosophical ideas but about the role of language in shaping those beliefs and everything else."
Eakin's Frenchmen are an eclectic group, differing in interests, politics, and methods. Two were practicing psychoanalysts. Most were academics, working in fields including philosophy, linguistics, semiotics, anthropology, history, and comparative literature. They wrote on topics as varied as schizophrenia, prison architecture, photography, Edgar Allan Poe, and (in Barthes's case) their mom. What unites them, according to Eakin, is their emphasis on systems, as opposed to individuals, and their attention to the complex and contradictory ways that language operates. Instead of taking for granted (as the existentialists did) that people are autonomous free agents defined by their choices, they wrote about the ways people and texts are created and constrained by powerful yet unstable structures of knowledge and language—an idea that resonates in our era of inescapable algorithms and artificial intelligence. ("Chatbots frighten us," Eakin writes, "to the degree that they make literal theory's suggestion that thought does not require a human thinker.")
"Deconstruction," an ***** ytical method developed by Derrida, came to define French theory and is at the heart of Eakin's book. She defines it as "a style of reading" that "took apart" a text and left it in pieces, showing how it was undone by its own internal contradictions. A common deconstructive move is to show how the binary terms that a text's argument depends on—for example, speech versus writing—are not actually opposed after all. In classic Derridean fashion, Eakin structures her book around an oft-repeated binary between "theory" and "real life" that she sees as ripe for deconstructing, contrasting the Frenchmen's "stringent antihumanism" with their all-too-human lives; academic t

Swansea City ended their pre-season preparations with a 1-0 home victory over Leganes courtesy of a long-range strike from new recruit Joseph Opoku.
Ghana international Opoku, making just his second appearance since joining from Zulte Waregem, finished coolly from 35 yards after Leganes keeper Raul Fernandez had come out of his area.
Opoku's precise effort gave Swansea a deserved win as they dominated possession for long spells against their Spanish second-tier opponents.
When the home side did lose the ball, Vitor Matos' desire to play a pressing game was in evidence as his players hunted to win it back.
Even so it was Leganes who had the first chance of the day, with Alvaro Tejero a little wasteful as he shot over Lawrence Vigouroux's bar.

#opoku #second #city #zulte

Real Madrid will play their third pre-season friendly match tomorrow when they take on Serie A side Fiorentina in Austria.
Having faced Spanish sides Alcorcon and Leganes in training matches at the club's training facilities so far, Saturday's fixture comes as a bigger test for Jose Mourinho's new-look Real Madrid outfit.
With the squad list now announced, Real Madrid have confirmed that two of their five new signings – Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espi – will be travelling to Austria.
Carlos Espi is in the squad. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
Dumfries, signed from Inter Milan by activating his €20 million release clause, joined the pre-season training earlier this week and has had a number of sessions under his belt already.

#madrid #austria #carlos

JonJones remains highly confident in his ability.

In a recent interview, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and lightheavyweight **** leholder weighed in on how he believes a fightagainst fellow former two-division king AlexPereira and a wrestling match against longtime rival DanielCormier would unfold, backing himself in both scenarios.
Jones and Pereira were seemingly on a collision course when thelatter announced his move up to heavyweight for UFC Freedom 250. However, with Jones' ongoing stalemate withthe UFC regarding his future, a fight against "Poatan" has fallenthrough.

Nevertheless, Jones cites size as a key factor at heavyweight,claiming his former opponents StipeMiocic and Ciryl Ganeare bigger than Pereira, who previously competed at 185 pounds.

"I watched Pereira train," Jones said in an interview with AFLGlobal. "I see his level of wrestling and it's way behind. I feelas if Stipe Miocic is a true heavyweight. He's a big, big boy.Ciryl Gane, when you see him in person, he's a big, big boy. AlexPereira is not a big, big boy. He's a lean guy. I think right nowhe weighs maybe 250."

Jones believes his size and grappling would have overwhelmedPereira, predicting a submission win had they collided inside theOctagon.

"I feel as if my physical strength would have been too much forhim," Jones said. "I felt as if the moment I would have gotten himto the ground, my submissions would have come pretty quickly. Imean, everyone knows that. I think that's the clearest path tovictory for me against Alex Pereira. But we're not fighting. I am afan of him. I support him, and I want to see him do well."

"Bones" also discussed his approach towards a potential wrestlingmatch with Cormier, who he's already shared the cage withtwice.

"I think I would have beat D.C. in a wrestling match," Jones said."It wouldn't be easy, but I think I would beat him in wrestling. Ihear that he has problems with his back, so my strategy would be tojust try to wear on him. Not shoot, not go for the takedown, butjust hand fight, hand fight, hand fight and see if I could wear onthat back."

#pereira #hand

Getting rid of the football before it becomes a sack is one of the least appreciated skills a quarterback can have. Fortunately for the Los Angeles Rams, Matthew Stafford has shown to be one of the best in the NFL at doing just that — and landed among one of the best quarterbacks all-time.
NFL **** yst Ryan Paganetti plotted projected 2026 starting quarterbacks' early-down sack rate against early-down throwaway rate, using data from 2022-2025 (regular season and playoffs). He added Tom Brady's final 10 seasons as the historical measuring stick.
Brady, unsurprisingly, sits at the bottom of the sack-rate scale — lower than every other quarterback on the board, a testament to the pocket awareness and quick decision-making that defined the back half of his career. But Stafford isn't far behind. He landed next to Bills quarterback Josh Allen within shouting distance of Brady's territory, both comfortably inside the green zone that denotes a better-than-average sack rate.
For a Rams team that just spent the offseason loading up on defensive talent around him, Stafford's ability to protect himself and keep the offense on schedule matters as much as ever.
At 38 and coming off an MVP-caliber, league-leading season in yards and touchdowns, Stafford pairing that vertical aggression with Brady-like pocket discipline is a big part of what's kept Los Angeles' offense humming. And, according to these numbers, it's a skill that hasn't gotten nearly enough attention.

#stafford #angeles #Rams #landed

We have just reached half-time in Real Madrid's second pre-season match against Leganés. Real Madrid took to the field with the following line-up: Lunin, Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, Asencio, Carreras, Camavinga, Valverde, Güler, Mastantuono, Ciria (Castilla), García. Attendance at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano was restricted to journalists and staff, with new signing Denzel Dumfries amongst the few spectators.
After a slow start to proceedings, with Madrid maintaining possession at almost walking-speed – we ended up seeing a good amount of action. Arda Güler linked up with Fede Valverde for the first chance of the game, but the Uruguayan could not get his toe to the delicate pass. The same combination would later open the scoring, this time with a combination along the floor allowing Fede to poke the ball home. Madrid would make it two straight after a drinks break, when a trademark Trent Alexander-Arnold pass found Gonzalo García who **** ed the ball over the keeper to score. Trent was deployed very high up the pitch, and was a standout alongside Arda.
Leganés did pull a goal back with an unstoppable effort that left Andriy Lunin and his defence mesmerised. A great first-half test against a strong second division side – with the score currently reading 2-1 to the hosts ahead of the second period. Changes are expected at the break. Check out our socials for coverage for the remainder of the game.

#second #alexander #arda

Several reports confirmed Yan Diomande is open to joining Real Madrid after positive talks on contract terms. RB Leipzig rejected Real Madrid's initial €100m offer for the Ivorian attacker, but the record Champions League winners are expected to return with a new bid.
PSG were the frontrunners in the mega transfer for weeks, but there is still no club-to-club agreement with RB Leipzig so far. Meanwhile, Real Madrid's new coach Jose Mourinho reportedly indicated to his board to add "even more speed and fresh legs upfront", according to Fabrizio Romano.
There are also fresh reports linking Premier League giants Manchester City and **** nal with the club, but the player wasn't interested after their calls over the last 10 days. RB Leipzig rejected both bids they received for the player from PSG and Real Madrid.
Diomande scored 13 goals in his debut Bundesliga season after joining from CD Leganés for only €20 million. He also had an impressive World Cup campaign with Côte d'Ivoire as he helped his country reach the knockout stages for the first time.

#diomande #fresh

Magomed Ankalaev returns to the cage on Saturday, July 25th to headline a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi against Bogdan Guskov. We haven’t seen or heard much from Ankalaev since he lost his light heavyweight ****** le to Alex Pereira, dropping his record to 1-1 against his bitter rival.
It’s unclear how much of that rivalry is actually generated by Ankalaev and how much is just”Big Ank,” the disrespectful personality on X (formerly Twitter) that many believe is actually the work of Ankalaev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. During this week’s media day, Ankalaev explained why he was a man of few words in real life.
“How are people going to know what I am or what I have inside?” Ankalaev said. “I’m a professional fighter, I like to keep my emotions inside. And if there’s no crossing of a specific line, then I come out here and I come out as a professional. But if somebody crosses that line or kind of toes the line, then I’m sure I can show my character as well. Other than that, I like to keep my emotions in, my head cool, and go and do my job.”
Ankalaev recently said he’d be willing to chase Pereira up to heavyweight for a third fight, a comment that “Poatan” seemed to dismiss by commenting “Are you even still alive over there?”
“Alex Pereira must have been sleeping for a long time because I believe he was put to sleep pretty hard,” Ankalaev said, referring to Pereira’s recent knockout loss at the hands of Ciryl Gane. “If you can pass him a message, tell him I’m alive and well, and I’m waiting to see what he can show.”

#pereira #line #heavyweight

Real Madrid's pre-season preparations are gathering pace, with Jose Mourinho set to get a significant opportunity to **** s his squad before the club begins its schedule of summer friendlies.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez, Madrid will face Leganes in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Valdebebas on Tuesday, July 28.
The match will not be open to the general public or the media, but it will form an important part of Mourinho's preparations ahead of the new campaign.
The fixture comes just over two weeks after Real Madrid began pre-season training on July 13, with players returning in phases following their involvement at the FIFA World Cup.
The match in question will be a meeting with Leganes, which is expected to provide Mourinho with valuable minutes for players still building match fitness after staggered returns to training.

Manchester United have been given renewed hope of striking a blockbuster deal for Yan Diomande, despite Paris Saint-Germain being frontrunners for the RB Leipzig sensation, according to the latest report from Germany.
Having only turned 19 in November, Diomande has emerged as one of the hottest prospects on the market this summer after a brilliant debut campaign in the Bundesliga. RB Leipzig signed the winger from Spanish minnows Leganés by triggering his €20 million (£17m) release clause last year.
The deal was a testament to the German club's belief in the youngster's potential, given he had only 542 minutes of senior football under his belt at the time. Their scouts were adamant he was a risk worth taking, however.
This faith has been handsomely rewarded, with Diomande becoming the centrepiece of Leipzig's side. Thirteen goals and ten **** ists in all competitions would be an excellent return for any winger, let alone one completing his first full season as a starter. But it is his all-round play which has been as impressive, showing maturity in decision-making and a level of athleticism that has put every top club in Europe – including Manchester United – on red alert.
This form has translated to the World Cup, where the Abidjan native flourished for the Ivory Coast. Despite only returning one **** ist, he was electric for Les Éléphants, striking fear into opposition defences with his potent pairing of speed and skill. **** nal's **** le-winning left-back Piero Hincapie, in particular, was given a torrid time by Diomande during Ivory Coast's 1-0 win over Ecuador, courtesy of a last-minute winner by Amad.

Ultimate Fighting Championship great Alex Pereira is the type of guy to give someone else a present on his birthday.

Two weeks before her ******* le defense at Karate Combat 62—scheduled for July 24 in Miami against Juliana Velasquez—Aline Pereira was surprised by her brother, “Poatan,” with one of the biggest gifts she has ever received. On his birthday of July 7, per sources close to the situation, the current UFC heavyweight gave his younger sister a house in Connecticut, near their training camp of Teixeira MMA & Fitness.
On a since-deleted Instagram Stories post, the Karate Combat champ wrote, “There are gifts that change a life. Today, you gave me one of them. Thank you, little brother, for so much love and generosity. May God repay you twofold for everything you do for me. Happy birthday! I love you.”

The 35-year-old flyweight has bounced back and forth between kickboxing, Karate Combat and MMA since debuting in the LFA in 2022. Her most recent appearance in any combat sport came in May when she took home a decision over Jade Masson-Wong at the inaugural MVP MMA event. That put her on the first win streak of her career, although all of her professional outings in MMA have heard the final bell.

As a Karate Combat participant, she first appeared in 2024 to knock fellow MMA expat Dee Begley out in the opening frame. She went on to stop Amanda Torres early the next year, and in July 2025, captured its first ******* le by earning a decision over Fani Peloumpi. This bout on July 24 at Karate Combat 62 is to be the first defense of her 125-pound throne, and she will be facing another ex-MMA fighter in Velasquez.

“Poatan” lost in his last UFC outing, appearing at the UFC White House event in June and succumbing to strikes from Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt. The former middleweight and light heavyweight ******* list attempted to become the first three-division champion in company history, and since his defeat, has suggested he plans on remaining at the highest weight category for at least one more match.

Yes, AJ Cole is a sublime punting talent and he's fun to watch.
But we need to see him play less this season. The average number of punts in an NFL game is down acr0ss the league. But not in Las Vegas.
A recent post on X by NFL ******* yst (and former Raiders' employee) Ryan Paganetti shows that the average number of punts per team is way down. The league average in 2025 was 3.58 punts per game.
The Raiders among the league leaders with a 4.29 per game punting average. One of the reasons why Klint Kubiak was hired as the Raiders' head coach was his Seattle Seahawks were a powerhouse. He was the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl-winning team. Seattle averaged well below the league average at just 3.0 punts a game.
Of course, aggression on fourth down will play a role as well. Let's see how Kubiak handles that as well.

When it comes to third-and-short or goal-line situations, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan often goes for the simplest move in the playbook.
Shanahan ranks third in the NFL with a 30.1% quarterback sneak rate in one-yard situations among offensiveplay-callers since 2022, according to NFL **** yst Ryan Paganetti. Over a span of 76 games that includes the playoffs, the 49ers faced 193 of these specific one-yard opportunities, calling a quarterback sneak 58 times. Shanahan trails only Joe Brady of the Buffalo Bills (51.9%) and Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints (31.0%) in utilizing the play.
The data presented by Paganetti strongly justifies Shanahan's mathematical aggression. When a team opts for a quarterback sneak in these scenarios, the play yields an 81.8% success rate and a massive +0.45 Expected Points Added (EPA) per play, according to Paganetti. By comparison, all other play designs in those same situations result in a far lower 63.8% success rate and a minuscule +0.03 EPA per play.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who has started for Shanahan since 2022, has rushed the ball 160 times for 627 yards and 11 touchdowns in his 49 career games. He turned 69 of those runs directly into first downs. He isn't a scrambling quarterback, but Shanahan knows when to use him on plays that matter.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers rely on this play call at high rate under Kyle Shanahan

In the modern NFL, play-callers are constantly walking a tightrope between traditional football wisdom and modern data-driven ****** ytics. And, according to NFL ****** yst Ryan Paganetti, one of the most common overcorrections coaches make occurs on second down when they opt to run the football on 2nd-and-10 immediately after an incomplete pass on first down.
However, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has consistently refused to fall into that trap. Charting from Paganetti using Fantasy Points Data and nflfastR reveals that the Rams have been one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league when facing 2nd-and-10 after a first-down incompletion.
Paganetti’s data, which tracks regular-season and playoff performance for 2026 play callers from 2022 through 2025, shows McVay ranking fourth in the NFL with a 72.9% pass rate in these exact situations. Across 73 games, McVay faced this scenario 192 times, dialing up 140 pass calls compared to just 52 runs.
The ****** ytics heavily back up McVay’s stubbornness. Paganetti notes that league-wide, since 2022, choosing to throw the ball in this specific spot has yielded a +16.6 percentage point advantage in success rate versus running the ball. It also generated an additional +0.23 Expected Points Added (EPA) per play and a resulting +6.5 percentage point increase in the eventual series success rate.
This unwavering aerial aggression has been a core philosophy for McVay ever since he took over the Rams in 2017. While many coaches get conservative to avoid a potential third-and-long, McVay treats 2nd-and-10 as another opportunity to generate an explosive chunk play. It is a formula that helped the Rams field the NFL's most productive overall offense during the 2025 season.

Barcelona have completed the signing of one of Spain’s most sought-after young midfielders, securing the arrival of 15-year-old Víctor Barbany from Leganes.
Although the agreement had been in place for several months, the midfielder officially signed his contract this week in the presence of his family and representatives.
The youngster confirmed the signing with a post on social media.
Born on March 7, 2011, Barbany is a Spain Under-15 international who has quickly established himself as one of the country’s standout prospects.
Before joining Leganes, he spent time in Atletico Madrid’s academy, where he began attracting attention for his technical quality and maturity in midfield.

Your club-by-club guide to the summer 2026 transfers in Scotland's top tier.
Who has your Premiership club brought in & let go? - January 2026
In: Tony Yogane, forward (Brentford, undisclosed); Ayoub Mouloua, forward (Rabat); Connor Ronan, midfielder (Colorado Rapids); Alexander Briedl, midfielder (Blau-Weiss Linz); Brad Lyons, midfielder (Kilmarnock); Lewis Mayo, defender (Kilmarnock); Dan Happe, defender (Leyton Orient); Toyosi Olusanya, forward (Houston Dynamo, loan to permanent).
Out: Graeme Shinnie, midfielder (Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Per Kristian Bratveit, goalkeeper; Ryan Duncan, midfielder; Vicente Besuijen, forward; Tom McIntyre, defender; Elvis Bwomono, defender; Conner Douglas, goalkeeper; Oliver Green, defender; Tristan Stephen, forward.
Loan ended: Dennis Geiger, midfielder (Hoffenheim); Lyall Cameron, midfielder (Rangers); Liam Morrison, defender (Queens Park Rangers).

Jon Jones claims he meant no disrespect to Alex Pereira with his GOAT necklace video.

Pereira (13-4) looked to create history by winning a third Ultimate Fighting Championship ******* le when he fought Ciryl Gane for interim heavyweight gold at UFC Freedom 250 last month. However, Gane stopped Pereira in the second round.

In the immediate aftermath of Pereira’s loss, Jones (28-1) shared a video of himself sporting a GOAT necklace, drawing backlash for kicking Pereira while he was down. Even “Poatan” was surprised by Jones’ post, considering they have only shared mutual respect in the past.
Jones recently clarified that the video wasn’t aimed at Pereira. “Bones” recalls the Brazilian paying tribute to his late brother, Arthur Jones, after his death last October, and claims he has nothing but respect for Pereira.

He explained that his post was directed at those who claimed Pereira would be the MMA GOAT if he defeated Gane to win a championship in a third weight class. Jones, who is widely considered among the greatest fighters of all time, says that his video was a message to his haters.

He told Red Corner MMA: “I wish Alex all the best though. After my brother died, Pereira came out and had a moment of silence for my brother. And I respect that very, very dearly. And after the fight I made a video that went viral. It was a video of me with a GOAT necklace on. It felt like an attack to Alex. And I wanna say it here that I meant no disrespect to Alex. A lot of people, before the fight, were saying that if Alex wins he is the greatest of all time. And my little video after Alex’s loss was a message to all my haters. It wasn’t directed towards Alex. So I wanna make that very clear. I have nothing but respect for Alex.”

While he didn’t name names, Dana White had claimed that Pereira would be considered the GOAT with a victory over Gane. Jones is amidst a fallout with the UFC after failing to secure a spot on the White House card.