List of All Articles with Tag 'pg'

Jared Cannonier broke a UFC record in his win over Marvin Vettori on Saturday, landing the most significant strikes ever recorded in a middleweight fight in the promotion. Cannonier was a unanimous-decision winner against Vettori at the UFC Apex institute in Las Vegas, beating the Italian with scorecards of 49-45, 49-45 and 48-46. And as much credit as the American received for his performance, Vettori was also praised by his colleagues for his resilience, which saw him absorb – and survive – more significant strikes in a single fight than any middleweight in UFC history. Cannonier landed 249 significant strikes against Vettori across five rounds, with the record previously standing at 186. Cannonier, 39, and Vettori, 29, are both former title challengers in the UFC, with both having been outpointed by incumbent champion Israel Adesanya during the Nigerian-New Zealander’s first title reign. Adesanya, who lost the belt to Alex Pereira last year but won it back from the Brazilian in April, is rumoured to be defending the gold in Australia in September, and Cannonier has said he would happily serve as the back-up fighter for such a bout. “Yeah, man, we get paid for those moments,” Cannonier told media after his win against Vettori. “I’m more than happy to step in for that opportunity and get paid even if I don’t fight. “You still get paid a little bit, so I’m happy with that, and I wouldn’t mind a trip to Sydney. I’ve never been to Australia before, I’ve always wanted to go.” At UFC 293 in Sydney, Adesanya is expected to fight the winner of July’s clash between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya first won the UFC middleweight title with a TKO of Robert Whittaker in 2019, and he retained the belt against the former champion with a points win in their rematch last February. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Topuria vs Emmett live stream: How to watch UFC Fight Night online and on TV this weekend Conor McGregor denies allegation he sexually assaulted a woman at NBA Finals How to watch The Ultimate Fighter 31 in the UK

The heavyweight division is a bad pantomime now with Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, a chorus of fighters, a few promoters and some hefty backers all trying to work out what part of the dancing horse they are. Moving away from the ugly sisters, there is every chance that the gap between the last championship fight and the next will be the longest in over 50 years. This break is not common, ignore people telling you that. Fury defended his WBC title last December against his old, old friend, Dereck Chisora, and Usyk beat Anthony Joshua for the second time last August in Saudi Arabia to retain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles. Fury has no date, just social media plans, and Usyk is due to defend in Poland in late August against Daniel Dubois. It is hard to find a solitary reason for the break and even more difficult to put the blame on just one single person. There are a lot of people on the stage, and they all have a role to play. And to be honest, during the last six months they have all said too much. Sure, greed, rivalries, stupidity, lies and ego are at the very core of the problem, but boxing at the highest level has always had the same flaws, the same fluid obstacles. The standard excuses are there to overcome - that is how boxing works. Fury and Usyk for all the tarnished marbles was meant to have been signed and sealed last September. It was scheduled for April and is now a plan for December. Both boxers have insulted the other, and the theme of their mutual abuse is simple: greed. Obviously, both deny they are the greedy, money-grabbing party in the sad affair. Actually, the righteous outrage from both sides is comedy gold at times. Fury’s father, the unstoppable “Gypsy John” Fury, has demanded that Usyk apologise for his criticism. He has warned that if there is no apology, there might be a straightener in a field somewhere, man-to-man. There is honour at stake. It is endless mirth, it really is. c. Some of boxing’s wisest, richest and smartest brains have been involved in this ongoing lunacy. The men and women in the Fury camp blame Usyk, and the men and women in the Usyk camp blame Fury. The two main players in the Fury business, Bob Arum and Frank Warren, have a combined total of 98 years of promotion; they are both battling this madness. There is, according to some insiders, a one-off offer on the table from the government of Saudi Arabia for Fury and Usyk to fight there at the end of the year. Usyk has signed his deal. This offer is non-negotiable, and we know this because the media flown out to Saudi by the Saudi government have reported it as fact. As a guide to the way boxing works, there are seldom any facts involved when deals are being made, broken and made again. The real insiders are furious that Usyk and Fury, the biggest fight in boxing, is not yet across the line. The sanctioning bodies, who get paid a fee for fights, have promised to get tough with their heavyweight champions, but have not said a word or done a thing; everyone is holding out for a slice of the Saudi cash pie. ‘Hey, it’s a business,’ they will say, but that little claim is wearing very thin. Fury, meanwhile, has mentioned 10 possible opponents in his social media rants in the last few weeks, including a plan to fight two UFC icons in one night. Usyk and Dubois went to purse bids, which is one of boxing’s ancient rituals, and Usyk’s team won. The fight is scheduled for August. Looking in from the side of the crowded stage is Joshua. His fight with Fury was announced by Fury on 10 June, 2020; it would have been a fight for the ages, for all the belts and all the bragging rights. It never happened and it has come close a couple of times since then. Joshua, meanwhile, will fight in August and it might be Dillian Whyte. There is a rumour that Whyte wants too much for the fight; the flip side of that rumour is that Whyte was offered too little. In America, Deontay Wilder, twice beaten in classics by Fury, has not fought since last October. There is a plan, under the Saudi deal, for Wilder to fight Joshua in Saudi Arabia on the same night as Usyk and Fury fight. There is, so the paid publicists insist, a total purse of $400million on the table for the four boxers to split. It must be a strong table. There are bold plans right now for the deadlock to be broken soon and some concrete dates and fights to finally be announced. The traffic, as they say in the world of espionage, is heavy. Let’s hope for some fights – the old game needs the best heavyweights back in action and out of the back end of that horse suit. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones Why has Saudi Arabia become big player in world sport and what does future hold? Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Tyson Fury promises ‘imminent’ announcement of ‘big fight’ Joe Joyce on knockouts, oil painting, and teaching 60-year-olds to swim

The US Open has wrapped up and now we're three quarters of they way through the 2023 major championships.The final one is scheduled for next month. It's the Open Championship, formally known as the British Open, and it's set to be hosted at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.Ironically...

Croatia are aiming for its first tournament trophy as it plays Spain in the final of the Nations League in Rotterdam. Croatia finished third in the World Cup last year and runners-up in 2018, and winning the Nations League would cap 37-year-old Luka Modric’s international career in what would be the Real Madrid midfielder’s 166th game for his country. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente can win a trophy in only his fourth game since taking over in December following Spain’s World Cup round-of-16 exit to Morocco under Luis Enrique. Spain’s last tournament win came at the 2012 European Championship. Earlier, host nation the Netherlands played Italy in the third-place game in Enschede. Here is everything you need to know. When is the final? Croatia vs Spain kicks off at 7.45pm BST in Rotterdam, Netherlands. TV channel and live stream The Nations League final will be broadcast live in the UK on Channel 4. Viewers can also stream the match live via the Channel 4 website and app. Who finished third? Italy claimed the consolation bronze medals at the Nations League finals, and added to a disappointing week for hosts the Netherlands, as they edged the Dutch 3-2 in Sunday’s third place playoff tie at the Twente Stadium. Federico Dimarco thrashed the ball home at the far post in the sixth minute and Davide Frattesi doubled the score from in front of goal in the 20th minute to give Italy a comfortable halftime lead. But the Dutch launched a concerted second half comeback, making three attacking changes at the break, laying siege to Italy’s goal and seeing Steven Bergwijn pull a goal back in the 68th minute. Federico Chiesa restored the two goal advantage at the end of a 73rd minute counterattack but there was an exciting conclusion as Georginio Wijnaldum got a second for the Dutch in the 89th. But even though nine minutes of stoppage time was added on, Italy held out under home pressure for victory. Read More Italy finish third in Nations League after beating the Netherlands Joselu fires Spain to Nations League final with late winner against Italy Gareth Southgate facing ‘complicated’ decision on Man City stars for Malta game Gareth Southgate undecided on whether to select Man City stars against Malta Focus on Republic of Ireland’s opponents Greece and the threat they may pose Home support can be Malta’s 12th man against England – ex-player David Carabott

Two people were killed and several others were wounded in a mass shooting at the campgrounds near Washington's Gorge Amphitheatre during an electronic dance music festival Saturday night, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

It'd been a wild first few days of the 2023 U.S. Open, and now it's time to strap in as we get ready for the final round to tee off at Los Angeles Country Club.Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark are tied atop the leaderboard at 10-under par. Rory McIlroy sits third at 9-under and Scottie ...

Breaking down the US Open payout by finishing position from the record-setting purse and prize money for the 2023 event at Los Angeles Country Club.The 2023 US Open at historic Los Angeles Country Club, a first-time host for a major championship, got off to a fittingly historic start. Rickie Fow...

Tyson Fury has claimed that the UFC has offered him a ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones. WBC heavyweight boxing champion Fury has been linked with Jones, who holds the UFC heavyweight title, in recent weeks, since claiming that he would win a fight with the American. Fury, 34, has also long been linked with Francis Ngannou – Jones’s predecessor as UFC heavyweight champion – and the Briton has now addressed the chances of either bout materialising. “I’ve been in talks with Francis Ngannou for a hybrid fight,” Fury said on a Twitter Spaces stream on Friday (16 June). “There’s talks of me and Jon Jones doing a hybrid fight, as we talk right now. I received an offer from the UFC yesterday. “So, you never know what’s going to happen. The future’s bright for sure, and there’s a lot of options out there. “It seems, at the moment, I’m struggling to get an actual boxing opponent. Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC (World Boxing Council), did an interview on a podcast recently, and he said: ‘Tyson’s a victim of his own success. He’s that good, people don’t want to fight him. They’d rather fight someone else.’ “That’s what I’m experiencing right now. I think I’ve called out everybody in the top 15 in the heavyweight division in the last six months, and I’m still without an opponent, as we speak today.” Fury last fought in December, retaining the WBC heavyweight title with a TKO win against Derek Chisora, whom he had already beaten twice in the past. The “Gypsy King” was then in talks to fight unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but negotiations fell apart in March. Meanwhile, Jones last fought in March, returning to the UFC after a three-year absence to move up a weight class and fight for the vacant heavyweight belt. The 35-year-old submitted Ciryl Gane in the first round to claim the gold. Jones is a former multiple-time light-heavyweight champion in the UFC, and he is seen by many fans and pundits as the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones Conor McGregor denies allegation he sexually assaulted a woman at NBA Finals Nate Diaz ‘looked like he was dying’ in training for Jake Paul fight, sparring partner says UFC fan favourite Max Holloway to return with ‘Korean Zombie’ fight in Singapore

Max Holloway will fight the “Korean Zombie”, Chan Sung Jung, in the main event of UFC Singapore in August. Holloway, a former featherweight champion, has long desired a bout with Sung Jung, most recently calling for the fight after beating Arnold Allen in April. Holloway, 31, outpointed Allen in a Fight Night main event in Kansas City to bounce back from his third loss to Alexander Volkanovski, who took the featherweight title from the Hawaiian in 2019 and has retained the belt against him twice. Sung Jung was also beaten by the reigning champion in his most recent fight, suffering a fourth-round TKO loss to Volkanovski last April. Holloway and Sung Jung are now set to meet in a Fight Night main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday 26 August. Holloway and “Zombie” are both fan favourites, with each having taken on a ‘who’s-who’ of featherweights in the UFC. While Sung Jung, 36, has a somewhat patchy record in the promotion, Holloway has been largely dominant over the last decade – although Volkanovski has been a thorn in his side. The Australian and Dustin Poirier – who beat Holloway with the interim lightweight title on the line in 2019 – are the only fighters to defeat the Hawaiian since 2013. Holloway won the UFC featherweight title by stopping Jose Aldo in June 2017 and retained the gold against the icon six months later – with another TKO. “Blessed” also holds victories over Allen, reigning interim champion Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, Calvin Kattar, Cub Swanson, and former UFC champions Charles Oliveira, Frankie Edgar and Anthony Pettis. The news that Holloway vs Sung Jung would headline in Singapore was accompanied by two further announcements by the UFC. The promotion revealed that Cody Sandhagen would face Umar Nurmagomedov in a Fight Night main event in Nashville on 5 August, and that Ciryl Gane vs Sergey Spivak would be the headline bout at UFC Paris on 2 September. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor denies allegation he sexually assaulted a woman at NBA Finals Conor McGregor announces fiancee Dee Devlin is pregnant with couple’s fourth child Vettori vs Cannonier live stream: How to watch UFC Fight Night online and on TV this weekend

“I live in the middle of nowhere, literally in the woods. It’s like freakin’ Hogwarts out here,” Modestas Bukauskas says, sounding distinctly more like a Londoner than a Lithuanian. “There’s a bit near my house with no signal, and right before I was about to drive in there, my manager gives me a video call. It was late at night, I freakin’ swerve to the side of the road, completely disregarding that there were about two cars behind me. My manager goes: ‘Bro, you’re fighting in Australia in two weeks – in the UFC.’ I literally broke down into tears.” It was as if the Lithuanian-born Briton had entered a mirrored reality; one year earlier, Bukauskas had been shedding tears over a call from his manager, but the news was altogether less positive. In late 2021, the development was that Bukauskas had been cut by the UFC. Sitting at home recovering from a serious knee injury, and reflecting on a third successive defeat, Bukauskas had in fact seen the news on Twitter before his manager could even confirm it. In the year that ensued, Bukauskas was out of the Octagon, but he was still in a cage. “The amount of pain and struggle, drinking in bed...” The 29-year-old cuts himself off. “I just so many hard f***ing memories, having to go through the deepest and darkest times. I don’t remember a time when I was acting myself. It just seemed like I was in a picture with no colour. Everything was black and white. Mentally, I was broken. I had a lot of things to fix before I could even move forward.” First to be fixed was the knee. Then, somehow, Bukauskus was indeed able to move forward. At first, it might have seemed like moving backwards. In 2019, before joining the UFC, Bukauskas had won and retained the Cage Warriors light-heavyweight title; after leaving the UFC, he turned down other offers and opted to return to the London-based promotion. Perhaps, unknowingly, Bukauskas was shining the glass of that mirrored reality. Within two months, and two fights, he had once again secured Cage Warriors’ light-heavyweight crown. And then came the call – on the side of the road, at the opening of the forest, in the middle of nowhere. “I was absolutely elated,” Bukauskas tells The Independent. “After I got off the phone with my manager, I was playing some, like, war music in the car – a remix of the Witcher video-game music – full blast for the last five minutes back to my house. I was screaming with just... fierceness. I got home and felt kind of dizzy, it was weird. I didn’t feel like I was there. “I went upstairs to tell my step-mum, and she was kind of worried, because I was almost out of breath. Then my dad was chilling in bed after a hard day, and he was like (Bukauskas taps into a Lithuanian accent): ‘What the hell do you need to get me out of bed for?’ I brought them downstairs and told them, ‘We’re back in the UFC,’ just hugged them and broke down in tears again. Over the last couple of years, that’s probably one of the happiest moments I’ve had, just me with my family, hugging each other in our sitting room.” Bukauskas’ father, in particular, understands the struggles that the sport entails. In the 1980s, before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Gintas Bukauskas learned to fight on the streets of occupied Lithuania, before going on to work as a mixed martial arts coach. Gintas brought his family to Britain when Modestas was three years old and first introduced his son to combat sports two years later. “I just remember vividly that he would show me some kicks, some moves,” Modestas recalls. “At that age, you’re just like, ‘That looks cool! Look at that kick!’ Literally about a week into showing me some stuff, he goes (Bukauskas dips into that Lithuanian accent again): ‘Okay, now you must train hard.’ My childhood was thrown into strict regime and training. There was kickboxing, sambo. I kind of branched into different sports later – county-level tennis, I went to high school in the US for a couple of years and played basketball and American football – and I took a break from full-on martial arts from 12 to 18. But as a teenager I still became a four-time British kickboxing champion.” Bukauskas’ father was there through it all, and he was in his son’s corner when the 29-year-old’s journey brought him back to the UFC this February, as Bukauskas took on Tyson Pedro on the Australian’s own turf. Fighting in Perth on two weeks’ notice, Bukauskas emerged as a decision winner against Pedro over three rounds, greeting the revelation of the judges’ scorecards with a roar of relief in the RAC Arena. “This is where everything can start to make a solid story,” Bukauskas says. “It’s by no means finished, we’ve got many more things to do, but I’m starting to build a proper comeback story.” That story continues on Saturday, when Bukauskas takes on Zac Pauga at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Bukauskas might live off the map, but he is now firmly back on the UFC’s. Read More UFC 2023 schedule: Every major fight happening this year UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list Former Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler opponent makes prediction for UFC clash MMA fighter skips press conference due to fear of heights Conor McGregor announces fiancee is pregnant with couple’s fourth child Conor McGregor offers update on Miami Heat mascot after punching incident

Looking at the 2023 US Open cut line prediction and projection to see where the number will end up and if Justin Thomas ans more will make the weekend.Golf fans were promised a grueling test at Los Angeles Country Club for the 2023 US Open. For Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele in the first ro...

Rickie Fowler went onto an extremely difficult Los Angeles Country Club and dominated with a US Open record for a single round, firing an 8-under 62.It has been a stark turnaround in performance for Rickie Fowler over the past year as the uber-popular golfer who had seemingly lost any semblance ...