Author: Associated Press
Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the UFC featherweight title early Sunday morning at UFC 314 in Miami, defeating Diego Lopes by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 in the main event. Title fights are nothing new to Volkanovski. His featherweight bout was his 10th championship fight in a row, but he had been in a slump in which he had lost three of his past four matches. “It’s good to be back,” Volkanovski said. “I promised my girls I would bring the belt back to them. It doesn’t matter about bringing the belt back. The message was a lot…
Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the UFC featherweight title early Sunday morning at UFC 314 in Miami, defeating Diego Lopes by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 in the main event. Title fights are nothing new to Volkanovski. His featherweight bout was his 10th championship fight in a row, but he had been in a slump in which he had lost three of his past four matches. “It’s good to be back,” Volkanovski said. “I promised my girls I would bring the belt back to them. It doesn’t matter about bringing the belt back. The message was a lot…
Barcelona scraped a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Leganes on Saturday, thanks to an own goal that helped preserve its lead in La Liga. In the 48th minute, Leganes’ central defender Jorge Saenz attempted to intercept a pass from Raphinha intended for Robert Lewandowski, only to accidentally deflect it into his own net, delivering the game’s lone goal. The blunder overshadowed a strong showing from the hosts, who created more scoring opportunities than the league leaders. With the hard-fought win, Barcelona now holds a seven-point advantage over Real Madrid, which faces Alaves on Sunday. Seven rounds remain in the season, including…
Barcelona scraped a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Leganes on Saturday, thanks to an own goal that helped preserve its lead in La Liga. In the 48th minute, Leganes’ central defender Jorge Saenz attempted to intercept a pass from Raphinha intended for Robert Lewandowski, only to accidentally deflect it into his own net, delivering the game’s lone goal. The blunder overshadowed a strong showing from the hosts, who created more scoring opportunities than the league leaders. With the hard-fought win, Barcelona now holds a seven-point advantage over Real Madrid, which faces Alaves on Sunday. Seven rounds remain in the season, including…
Barcelona scraped a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Leganes on Saturday, thanks to an own goal that helped preserve its lead in La Liga. In the 48th minute, Leganes’ central defender Jorge Saenz attempted to intercept a pass from Raphinha intended for Robert Lewandowski, only to accidentally deflect it into his own net, delivering the game’s lone goal. The blunder overshadowed a strong showing from the hosts, who created more scoring opportunities than the league leaders. With the hard-fought win, Barcelona now holds a seven-point advantage over Real Madrid, which faces Alaves on Sunday. Seven rounds remain in the season, including…
Inter Miami pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback, with Lionel Messi leading the charge to a 3-1 victory over LAFC and a 3-2 aggregate win in their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night. It was a thrilling rally that saw Messi score two goals, including the decisive penalty in the 84th minute, securing the team’s first-ever spot in the semifinals. Down 2-0 on aggregate and needing three goals to advance, Inter Miami faced an uphill battle. But Messi, ever the magician, made the impossible possible. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s performance mirrored the kind of clutch moments he delivered in…
Basketball legend LeBron James has made history as the first male professional athlete to have his likeness immortalized in a Ken doll. Mattel Inc. unveiled the LeBron Ken doll on Wednesday, marking the launch of the toy maker’s “Kenbassador” series. This follows last year’s debut of nine female athlete Barbies, including tennis icon Venus Williams. “As a young kid, I was fortunate to have role models who not only inspired me but also showed me what’s possible through hard work and dedication,” James said. “Now, as an adult, I understand how vital it is for young people to have positive…
For the first time in Olympic history, female athletes will outnumber their male counterparts at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, thanks to a landmark victory for women’s football. In a historic move, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the women’s football tournament will feature 16 teams, surpassing the men’s tournament, which will have 12 teams. This shift reverses the gender imbalance seen at the Paris Olympics, where men’s football had 16 teams and women’s had 12. The IOC executive board’s decision brings the athlete quota for LA 2028 to 50.7% women and 49.3% men, with 5,333 female athletes…
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was met with a chorus of boos, as anticipated, when he stepped onto the pitch for his side’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. As the Argentina goalkeeper began his pre-match warm-up, the Auteuil section of Parc des Princes erupted with jeers, whistles and a flurry of insults directed his way. Martinez did not respond and calmly began stretching. Martinez was the goalkeeper for Argentina when they defeated France in a penalty shootout in the 2022 World Cup final. He stood out for his shot-stopping ability but garnered even more attention…
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s stunning wonder goal overshadowed a brilliant curling shot from teammate Desire Doue as Paris Saint-Germain triumphed 3-1 over Aston Villa in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. After Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead in the 35th minute, Doue quickly leveled the score just four minutes later with his 12th goal of the season. Kvaratskhelia put PSG ahead just after the break, and Nuno Mendes sealed the win in stoppage time with a clinical finish, leaving Villa fans, including Britain’s Prince William, dejected at the Parc des Princes. “I think the result reflects the…