Friday's PFL New York event has lost two fights.The event at UBS Arena in Belmont, N.Y., features two of the PFL's top stars, with a main card airing on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). In the main event, Usman Nurmagomedov defends his lightweight title against Archie Colgan, and in the co-feature, 125-pound star Dakota Ditcheva takes on Denise Kielholtz. While those two fights at the top of the card remain intact, a pair of fights on the undercard have fallen through during fight week.Simeon Powell was scheduled to take on Dovlet Yagshimuradov (26-8-1) in a light heavyweight bout on the main card, but that fight is now off. Powell (12-2) announced the news on social media, but did not reveal specific details about the reason for the cancellation."It's one of those ones that's out of my control," Powell said in an Instagram video. "It's annoying, but we've just got to keep moving."On the prelims, another 205-pound bout is off. Zach Nishimwe (4-0) is out of his scheduled fight against Moustapha Diakhate. RMC Sport Combat was first to report the news. The promotion told MMA Junkie a short-notice replacement is being sought out to keep Diakhate (5-0-1) on the card.With the changes, the current PFL New York lineup includes:Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan for lightweight titleDakota Ditcheva vs. Denise KielholtzAmru Magomedov vs. Angel AlvarezRaufeon Stots vs. Lazaro DayronJonathan Piersma vs. Omar El DafrawySean Gauci vs. Allan BegossoJamelle Jones vs. Khabib NabievMontana De La Rosa vs. Tatiana PostarnakovaChamy Delva vs. Levan KhabalaevThis article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL New York loses two bouts during fight week

Running back Alvin Kamara agreed to a reported $5.5 million pay cut to stay in New Orleans, because "this is where I wanted to be."But at 31, headed into his 10th season and no longer the lead back, Kamara has every reason to have a chip on his shoulder even if he insists he doesn't have one."Im motivated every year," Kamara said Wednesday, via Matthew Paras of nola.com. "A chip? No. Pissed? Maybe."Former teammate Terron Armstead had suggested "pissed off" was the best way to describe Kamara's emotions.Kamara played 11 games in 2025, with 131 carries for a career-low 471 yards and a career-low one touchdown. That prompted the Saints to sign Travis Etienne in the offseason.The Saints, though, know who Kamara is and what he can do, and the five-time Pro Bowler will have a role.Credit to Alvin, he always does a great job during the offseason of really training himself and putting himself to be in a position ready to go, coach Kellen Moore said. You certainly see that when hes out there on the field. We feel great about the situation.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) As much as Lamar Jackson might try to stay away from divisive social media topics, at least one broke through this offseason.The 69 thing, Jackson said. The ratings, whatever it is. I've seen that. People were tagging me.It certainly caused a stir when Jackson was ranked No. 69 in the NFL Top 100 list. The two-time MVP had a down season last year, missing four games and looking shaky when he did play. He's bounced back from injuries in the past, but that ranking which is voted on by players suggests real skepticism about Jackson's ability to regain the elite status he held just one year ago.It is what it is," Jackson said. "I play football. I do not care about rankings.If there's a case against a rebound for Jackson it's that his incredible elusiveness wasn't really there last season. He rushed for a career-low 349 yards and was sacked 36 times up from 23 in 2024. It's unclear how much of that was because he wasn't fully healthy but at this point it's on Jackson to show he can consistently play at full strength.Still, he won't be 30 until January and is only a season removed from a spectacular 2024 in which he threw for 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions. An Associated Press survey this month had Jackson in the top four among quarterbacks.I feel like he might have gotten faster somehow, safety Kyle Hamilton said after Wednesday's practice. I dont want to age him, but he is turning a certain age next year, and it doesnt seem like that. Well keep that age between us, what age he is going to be, but I feel like he got faster.There were also some doubts about Jackson after he was injured at the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but he won MVP honors in 2023 and came close to a repeat in 2024. When he's been healthy, he's been extremely difficult to stop.There's an added bit of uncertainty this year, however. In 2023, Jackson had just signed a new long-term contract with Baltimore, so at least that issue had been taken care of. Now there are only two seasons left on his deal, and if 2026 goes like last year, there could be real chatter about his future with the Ravens.As usual, Jackson is not interested in discussing his contract negotiations publicly. He was more forthcoming about his adjustment to new coach Jesse Minter, who took over after John Harbaugh was fired. Declan Doyle is Jackson's new offensive coordinator, replacing Todd Monken.Dec is like a wizard. He is trying to get the best out of all of us. Not just the quarterbacks, but every aspect of the offense, Jackson said. Even with the huddle, and how the huddle is set up, he challenges us to get to the line of scrimmage fast, execute, break down the defense and process everything fast so that its a process of elimination when we get to the line of scrimmage.Jackson won his second MVP in his first season under Monken, so he has shown he can pick up a new system quickly. The question is whether he's still physically the same player he's been for most of his career. Jackson is confident his best football remains ahead of him.Each and every year you are getting older, your mind is getting sharper. Everything is slowing down even more, he said. "Youve seen anything and everything a defense can bring at you. The only thing different now is just the new offense. So, once I get that down pat, I feel like there is no room for error with us. Well keep stacking.NOTES: The Ravens and Baltimore County announced an agreement this week for $120 million in investment in the team's facility in Owings Mills. The agreement includes up to $70 million from the team, as well as $25 million from Baltimore County over 10 years, subject to approval by the county council. The team and the county have submitted a request for a $25 million investment by the Maryland Department of Commerce. The agreement includes a lease extension starting Aug. 1, 2028, with renewal options allowing the team to stay headquartered in Baltimore County for up to 40 additional years.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The trade deadline is around the corner, and with each passing day, the odds of a Tigers turnaround grow ever smaller. Detroit won Tuesday against Baltimore to move within 3.5 games of a wild-card spot but then blew a 7-0 lead to lose in extra innings Wednesday in what mightve been Skubals final outing with Detroit. Unless the Tigers can conjure a hot streak before Mondays trade deadline, the club might need to do the painful, necessary thing and trade back-to-back Cy Young and impending free agent Tarik Skubal.Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris doesnt have to pull the trigger on any deal until the last second and is likely to wait out the schedule to see if his team makes things interesting. But you better believe that he and his inner circle are already sketching out potential trade packages for the world-beating southpaw. We dont know exactly what Harris and Co. would want in a deal, but we can safely assume the Tigers wouldnt be seeking a return built around low-level minor leaguers. This team intends to be competitive in 2027. That means high-level prospects or controllable, young big leaguers, particularly young arms.With all that in mind, lets roll through the other 29 ballclubs and evaluate how likely each one is as a Skubal landing spot.Out of itMets, Giants, Rockies, Athletics, Angels, Royals, Reds, Blue JaysThis octet represents the bottom eight in terms of playoff odds, and all are mired in single digits. All should be selling or, at the very least, not buying. Its more likely that Skubal retires from baseball to pursue a career in quidditch than that he pitches for any of these clubs in 2026.Middle grounders who wontMarlins, Nationals, Twins, CardinalsAlthough Miami, Washington, Minnesota and St. Louis are all hovering close to playoff spots, the industry expects all four to adopt a thread-the-needle approach to this deadline. A little buying, a little selling, nothing Earth-shattering. That doesnt sound very Skubal-y.The team the Tigers probably wouldnt send him toGuardiansBesides the fact that swinging a blockbuster for the markets top player isnt exactly Clevelands M.O., its difficult to envision Detroit sending Skubal to such a significant in-division rival, even if for only a few months. Optics matter, at least a little.Contenders who dont need starting pitchingRed Sox, Yankees, Mariners, PiratesIts ridiculous to assert that a team couldnt use Skubal; thats blatantly untrue. The back-to-back Cy Young would probably start Game 1 of a playoff series for every single team in baseball. But these four teams have rotations replete with depth and frontline talent and would be better served focusing their attention and resources elsewhere.Boston already needs to replace its initial deadline addition, infielder Curtis Mead, after the former National went on the IL after one game due to a fractured wrist. The Sox are looking for bats. The same is true for the Judge-less Yankees, who are also currently without Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. Seattle seems primed to deal from its rotation surplus maybe Emerson Hancock, maybe Luis Castillo not add to it. The Pirates are desperate for anything resembling a viable late-inning reliever. Maybe they get Skubal to pitch the ninth?The team that shouldntWhite SoxYou never want to advocate passivity, but the White Sox should not mortgage their future for two months of Skubal. Nor will they. Because while this season has been a wonderful surprise for the Sox, their window probably doesnt open in earnest until 2027. Thats true even if they sneak into October this year. Chicago should and will be aggressive to add pitching before the deadline, but that likely comes in the form of a controllable arm such as the Mariners Hancock, Angels Reid Detmers, Mets Will Warren or Twins Joe Ryan.Buyers who will probably get outbidPhillies, Astros, Padres, Rangers, Orioles, DiamondbacksIts not that these teams, in a vacuum, couldnt craft a worthy package. Its that, when push comes to shove, theyll almost certainly be outbid by an organization with a deeper farm or more compelling controllable assets. Crucially, none of these clubs has the type of young, big-league-level starting pitcher the Tigers would likely want back as part of the haul.Could the Phillies use Skubal? Sure. Could they maybe build something alluring around Andrew Painter? Maybe. Is that the best assortment of players Scott Harris and Co. could acquire? Absolutely not. The win-now-or-die Astros and Padres also have little to offer; their farm systems are currently ranked 29th and 30th by FanGraphs.Texas could, in theory, do something around top-15 prospect Sebastian Walcott. But the promising Bahamian shortstop has hardly played this season after undergoing elbow surgery, which would make an evaluation particularly difficult. Besides, unless Detroit absolutely adores Kumar Rocker and/or Jack Leiter, the Rangers dont have that requisite young MLB arm.Arizona has a bevy of interesting young position players Tommy Troy, Ryan Waldschmidt, Tim Tawa but very little to offer in terms of arms. Thats also the case for Baltimore, with all due respect to rookie Brandon Young.The team that really, really should but might not be able toCubsNo team in baseball could use Skubal more than Chicago. The Cubs have a dangerous lineup, a pack of reliable, if unspectacular, starters and the best team defense in the sport. Pitching injuries have decimated the top of this rotation all season, with Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, Ben Brown and Justin Steele currently on the IL. Skubal would give this team the horse it needs to actually make some noise in October.But theres one crucial impediment to this lofty dream: Chicagos undermanned farm system skews toward bats. Their best pitching prospect, Jaxon Wiggins, missed the start of this season due to an elbow issue and has been horrific in five Triple-A starts since returning. The Cubs could probably cobble together enough intriguing position players to pique Detroits interest, but given what the following teams can offer, its difficult to see how Skubal ends up on the North Side.The teams that can and shouldBraves, Rays, BrewersIt would be a shock to see any of this trio miss out on the postseason. Their playoff odds currently sit at 97.6%, 98.1% and 99.7%, respectively. Reinforcing their rosters with a difference-maker such as Skubal makes oodles of sense.Of these three, Atlanta has both the biggest need and the weakest farm system. In that way, the Braves are a more realistic version of the aforementioned Cubs. Since May 1, they rank 18th in rotation ERA with an uninspiring 4.40 mark. Both Spencers, Schwellenbach and Strider, have been nonfactors due to injury. That has left an obvious void at the top of Atlantas staff behind Chris Sale.On Opening Day, it wouldve been tough to envision Atlanta putting together a good enough package to woo the Tigers, but this farm system has made impressive strides over the past few months. Canadian outfielder Eric Hartman has been one of the most out-of-nowhere breakout prospects in baseball, though he might be a bit too far away for Detroits liking. Still, the Braves might have just enough for a Skubal deal, thanks to their myriad promising hurlers: AJ Smith-Shawver, Cam Caminiti, Owen Murphy, JR Ritchie, Didier Fuentes.We can group Tampa Bay and Milwaukee together. These two small-market organizations are immensely respected around the industry for their ability to compete year after year after year despite small payrolls. That said, neither team has won anything significant in October this decade, save for Tampas Covid Cup AL pennant in 2020.If not now, when? Both the Rays and the Brewers hold comfortable division leads that should secure them postseason byes. Both, while skilled at run prevention, are probably a playoff starter or two short. And crucially, these might be the two best farm systems in the sport. These teams have the need and the prospect capital to get this done but do they have the gumption, the gall, the guts?Or will the Dodgers just blow them out of the water?The behemothsDodgersA scout recently told me: If Andrew [Friedman] wants Skubal, hell get Skubal.Such is life for the charmed Dodgers president of baseball operations. FanGraphs most recent update included eight of the clubs prospects on its top 100 list, including seven in the top 57. Thats an outrageous embarrassment of riches, one that could easily form the backbone of a Skubal deal. Detroit could practically treat Los Angeles farm system like a farmers market and pick out the exact type of players theyd prefer.And its not just that the Dodgers have a consensus top-three farm system and zero financial constraints. The club also boasts an array of young, controllable, relatively proven arms Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan, even Roki Sasaki that they could move if so compelled.Do they need Skubal? No, absolutely not. The Dodgers are already anticipating a rotation crunch come October. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are working their way back from injury, as is Shohei Ohtani the pitcher. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the ascendant Justin Wrobleski were both All-Stars. Sasaki recently appeared to turn a corner. Eric Lauer obviously wouldnt make a postseason rotation, but he has been much better than you think. Adding Skubal to this mix would be opulent overkill, a gold-plated steering wheel on a Lamborghini.Sounds like something the Dodgers would like.

CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 11: Deshaun Watson #4, Alex Wright #94 and Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Cleveland Browns walk off the field after a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesThe last time DE Jadeveon Clowney wore the orange and brown of the Cleveland Browns, he believed that the team was doing everything it could to make DE Myles Garrett look good and sacrificing winning in the process. Since then, Clowney has played for three different teams (Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys), each for one season. Clowneys one season with the Ravens overlapped with now-Browns HC Todd Monken, but the way Clowney departed made his visit to Berea a shocking one on Tuesday with GM Andrew Berry still in place from his first stint. With 23.5 sacks over the last three seasons, Clowney has seen a resurgence in his pass rush production but has remained on the NFL free agent market despite a solid year for the Cowboys in 2025. According to Jordan Schultz, Cleveland has at least one other competitor for Clowneys services:The #Browns hosted DE Jadeveon Clowney on a visit today, which was considered successful, and the two sides will remain in contact as they have for weeks. My understanding is theres also an NFC West team in the mix that is very interested in Clowney, per sources.Its unclear pic.twitter.com/rLj8IMJ0Dv Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 29, 2026Given his possible poor relationship with Garrett, the Los Angeles Rams can probably be crossed off the list. The Arizona Cardinals are in the midst of a full rebuild, making a dessert signing unlikely. The defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are always competing for the playoffs and always looking to add pass rush help; one is likely the team Schultz is referencing.Clowney spent the 2019 season in Seattle.Since departing the Browns, Clowneys contracts have not been significant. He made under $5 million with Baltimore and Dallas, while pulling in just under $10 million with the Panthers in 2024.Should the Browns make signing Clowney a high priority, including a decent salary, or only sign him if he comes for a relatively small salary?Which NFC West team do you think is the other competitor for his services?Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan remains the most respected offensive mind in football, according to the coaches paid to stop him.The Athletic's Ted Nguyen surveyed eight defensive playcallers and defensive assistants around the league, asking them to anonymously rank their top 10 offensive playcallers. Shanahan finished No. 1 overall, with rankings ranging from first to fourth the same spot he held in last year's survey.The praise comes after another banged-up 49ers season that still produced elite results. San Francisco finished sixth in points per drive and second in offensive Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), FTN's schedule-adjusted efficiency metric, despite quarterback Brock Purdy missing eight games. Shanahan got 100-yard performances out of receivers like Kendrick Bourne and Demarcus Robinson after neither had topped 100 yards in a game since 2022."He's the best in the business because he can adapt better than anybody. It doesn't matter who's lining up, whether you got Jauan Jennings like, he's a good player, but he shouldn't be your best wideout," an AFC defensive coach said. "Shanahan's finding ways to get guys open and win games with no [George] Kittle, no Jauan [Jennings], no Purdy. He does an incredible job."Coaches around the league also pointed to Shanahan's understanding of individual defensive techniques and tendencies, saying he consistently finds and exploits specific matchup weaknesses.The ranking continues a run of offensive success dating back to Shanahan's arrival in San Francisco in 2017. His 49ers offenses have ranked in the top 10 in points per drive in five of the last six seasons, including finishes of second in 2022 and first in 2023, en route to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl appearance.This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Kyle Shanahan still top offensive playcaller, per rival coaches

SportsLine simulated the new NFL season 10,000 times and revealed its 2026 Fantasy football QB, RB, WR picks and rankings

Skubal made history on Wednesday when he recorded his 1,000th career strikeout

Darren Till was as perplexed as the rest of the MMA world when Conor McGregor's big UFC 329 return bout against Max Holloway ended in anticlimactic fashion. Yet despite the Irishman's 69-second injury loss, Till isn't buying into the notion that McGregor was mentally checked out walking into his first fight since 2021.McGregor, 38, blew out his right ACL and meniscus at the very beginning of his return earlier this month, starting the bout with a bold jumping switch kick. It was instant disaster for the former two-division champion, as McGregor hobbled the best he could for the remainder of the fight until it was mercifully waved off a minute later.Till admitted Wednesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he was wildly confused by the fight as it played out. But in the aftermath, Till forcefully pushed back against the MMA community's claims that McGregor looked off during his walk to the Octagon."What does that [body language critique] even mean?" Till told Uncrowned. "That's like when people say you don't want to have any arguments with your girlfriend fight week [or] you don't want your girlfriend staying with you fight week. What does that mean? If you're having an argument with your girlfriend the night before a fight, everything goes out the window? All your training? You just forget to throw a jab and all that s***? Because you've had an argument, you go in that cage and everything's off?"If that is the case, you shouldn't fight. You're a f***ing muppet. Get out of the sport. That wouldn't stop me from throwing a jab or fighting the way I've fought. You spend 12 weeks in the gym getting ready for a fight. You've done all your sparring, all your conditioning, your weight training, your running and you have a little blip in camp, you have an argument, and, 'Ah, fight's off. Body language.' People who say that don't know fighting."Having been a high-level competitor for the better part of the past decade, Till views the take hyper-critiquing McGregors body language as one born from those with a lack of experience. He pointed to notable examples of legendary fighters showing what could be perceived as weaknesses before a fight, only to win like nothing was wrong."Jon Jones doesn't look at his opponents when he does faceoffs, so what does that mean?" Till asked. "Or if someone puts their head down, then wins? All this body language s*** is bulls***. It's just this new age of weak-a** people who just don't know what's going on."If you know how to fight, you know how to fight. That's the bottom f***ing line of it."Till, 33, has experienced plenty of ups and downs throughout his own career, though they're mostly limited to fight results rather than trouble outside of combat.Currently on a good stretch of four straight wins post-UFC, Till said he never turned to mental coaches, which has become a common theme among fighters over the years."I'm not trying to s*** on it, but at the same time, me and me coach speak about it if you really need someone to tell you that you're this and that, you're a bit of a muppet," Till said. "You're a f***ing muppet. Just go to the gym, get your hard rounds done, do your work. Train really hard. Do your conditioning. That is factual science around fighting."As for another McGregor comeback, which the Irish superstar has vowed to pursue once hes healed from his torn knee ligaments, Till has no interest in watching. "I wouldn't like to see him come back, because it probably tarnishes even more what he's done," Till said. "People forget, 2015 Conor, he was that guy. He was winning. "Would I say he's the best UFC fighter of all time? No. He just gained the fame with his mouth and stuff like that. But for him, is he just holding onto something? He's older now, been out the game five years. Obviously people say he's abused his body, but I don't know. People like to talk. ... There's never been any proof. You don't know if he's abused his body or not. He always looks like he's in shape. ... As long as he's fighting, that's my thing with him."He's got money. Just be a promoter and the guy you are."Till returns to action for a big-time matchup against Yoel Romero in his second BKFC appearance at BKFC 92 on Sept. 26.

27 July 2026, Bavaria, Tegernsee: Soccer, Men: Bundesliga, FC Bayern Munich training camp. Vincent Kompany (right), coach of Bayern Munich, and Vincent Manuba (Bayern Munich) are participating in training at Lake Tegernsee. The training camp lasts four days. Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa (Photo by Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images)The preseason is where so much of a teams work ethic and mindset are built. In addition, a teams killer instinct and standards for training are also established and that is exactly what Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany wants to instill. As such, Kompany wanted things a little more challenging and barked at both Kim Min-jae (Kill him!) and youngster Vincent Manuba (Are you scared?) to pick it up at training on Wednesday per Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia): There was a lot of intensity in todays training session, much to Vincent Kompanys liking. In the midst of it all, Kompany yelled at Kim Min-jae ahead of a challenge: Minjae, kill him! He was referring to youth player Vincent Manuba, who was then asked by Kompany: Are you scared?! The 11v11 training match ended 1-0, with the decisive goal scored by Arijon Ibrahimovi.As Kompany was in full-John Kreese mode, Kim might have taken things a little too seriously during the session as a challenge between the big South Korean and Joo Palhinha resulted in a knock for the midfielder per Bild (via @iMiaSanMia): Joo Palhinha sustained a knock to his left shin after a challenge by Kim Min-jae. The Portuguese midfielder went down in pain and received treatment, Kim immediately went over to him and apologized. Palhinha was able to play through, even though his shin was swollen. He then cycled back from training to the team hotel with a tape bandage.These things happen in training and it is not uncommon for a challenge to result in a player getting banged up. While the Palhinha knock is not a great outcome, maybe the training intensity got the necessary jolt it needed and the Bavarians will be one step closer to being ready for what should be a sensational season. Join the conversation!Sign up for a user accountand get:New, improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreatecommunity postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community posts