The UFC had promised the greatest card in its history, with US president Donald Trump (who will turn 80 on the day of ‘UFC: Freedom 250’) predicting “eight to nine” fights – all of them for world titles.
Left to right: Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler (Getty Images)
Instead, fans will get seven, six of which will feature US stars and two of which will be title bouts. Is the card good enough? Let’s grade the fights themselves, then the event on the whole.
Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje
A title-unification fight in one of the UFC’s most-stacked divisions?! That sell makes it feel like a strong grade is incoming… but Gaethje is a heavy underdog here, with many fans expecting him to be knocked out by the unforgiving fists of Topuria. Of course, anything is possible in MMA, and in piecing up Paddy Pimblett for five rounds to collect the interim lightweight belt, Gaethje showed what he can do as an underdog. But Topuria is not Pimblett; he is a generational talent. Plus, Gaethje’s tendency to take huge risks and immense damage mean he’s tailor made for “El Matador” to add another highlight-reel KO to his unbeaten record.
Advertisement
Furthermore, Gaethje isn’t even the second-best lightweight in the world; that’s Arman Tsarukyan, who even has a claim to being the UFC’s best 155lb-er. Then there’s Islam Makhachev, who left the division to win welterweight gold, but whom many fans wished to see paired with Topuria in a battle of the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Given those options were out there, it’s hard to grade this main event too highly. Grade: C+
Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight belt in June (Getty Images)
What works in this bout’s favour is that it’s interesting stylistically – Gane, a fleet-footed big man, against Pereira, a powerhouse moving up in weight – and marks Pereira’s long-awaited heavyweight debut. Furthermore, he could become the UFC’s first-ever three-weight champ (albeit with an interim belt), so there’s history on the line. Grade: B
Alex Pereira has given up the light-heavyweight title to chase heavyweight glory (Getty Images)
Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi
As with Topuria and Pereira, US star O’Malley is one of the biggest names in the UFC and definitely should be fighting at this event. But against Zahabi? The Canadian is a more-than-competent opponent for ex-champ “Suga’ Sean” in this bantamweight clash, but O’Malley vs Cory Sandhagen was the obvious play here. That bout would’ve been an all-American contest between two sharpshooters, with real ramifications in the title picture. Or, you could have put O’Malley in a rematch with reigning champion Petr Yan, although Merab Dvalishvili claimed that Russian fighters were always unlikely to feature at the White House. Grade: C
Advertisement
Fan favourite ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley meets an unexpected foe (Getty Images)
Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler
Chandler is a big American name who always delivers excitement, and after he was teased with the prospect of a Conor McGregor fight for three years, God knows he deserves a spot at the White House. But here, he should have been given that bout with McGregor, who was pining for a place at this event, and who said he’d gladly face Chandler – two years after a broken toe ruled the Irishman out of their planned match-up. Instead, Chandler will take on flashy Brazilian striker Ruffy.
The bout is sure to deliver fireworks, so we’ll give the UFC credit there, but the expectation is that “Iron Mike” will fall victim to the rising star. It just feels a bit unfair… That said, we do understand that the UFC is operating at a loss on this event, and hypothetically saving McGregor for International Fight Week in July makes more financial sense. Grade: B-
Michael Chandler was long linked to Conor McGregor (Getty Images)
Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus
This is perhaps the flattest match-up on the card. Yes, it’s an all-American bout; and yes, it sees two exciting middleweight prospects square off. But fans have soured somewhat on wrestler-turned-power-puncher Nickal, while they respect but don’t care too much about Daukaus. The winner will edge towards the title picture at 185lb, but this is hardly the kind of big-stakes fight that we were promised for 14 June. Grade: C
Rising middleweight contender Bo Nickal (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Derrick Lewis vs Josh Hokit
A late addition in April, and a personal request by Trump, who watched from cageside as Hokit won an instant classic with Curtis Blaydes in Miami. Hokit has emerged as a controversial, rising star courtesy of his WWE-style promos, and he will take on one of Trump’s favourite fighters in Lewis. This could go either way: it could be a slugfest to match Hokit’s last outing, or it could be a cumbersome encounter; it is unlikely to be anything in between. In any case, it did get two extra American fighters on the card. Grade: C+
Advertisement
Divisive American heavyweight Josh Hokit (Getty)
Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia
Here are the positives: Lopes always excites, and the match-up makes divisional sense at 145lb. Lopes is aiming to bounce back from two title-fight losses in his last three fights, and the Brazilian’s opponent here is a rising contender who represents the US. Tick, tick, tick. But while our counter-point isn’t especially dynamic, it holds true: this one just doesn’t get the juices flowing enough for the White House fight card. Lopes vs Garcia? Come on, now… This was meant to be the greatest card in UFC history. Grade: C+
Diego Lopes is 0-2 in featherweight-title fights (Getty Images)
Overall event grade: C+. We can see what the UFC was trying to do. Seven fights is a smarter move than doing too many, especially given title bouts are scheduled for 25 minutes. And of the seven fights, six feature US stars, including big homegrown names in Gaethje, O’Malley and Chandler. What’s more, Topuria and Pereira are two of the UFC’s biggest stars regardless of nationality. But while we’ve praised the UFC for the good elements it’s bringing to the White House, it’s so difficult not to focus on what is lacking.
Above are clear examples of better match-ups, and that’s without even disregarding some of these fights altogether to mention totally different athletes. By usual standards, this would be an A grade card for the UFC – maybe an A+ at a push. But not for an event of this magnitude.
India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has added another milestone to his rapidly rising career after being appointed vice-captain of the East Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy 2026. Fresh from winning the Player of the Series award during India’s tour of Zimbabwe, Sooryavanshi will serve as deputy to Ishan Kishan, who has been named captain of the East Zone side for the prestigious red-ball tournament beginning on August 23 in Bengaluru.
The vice-captaincy marks another major achievement for the youngster, who made his international debut during India’s tour of England earlier this month. Following a string of impressive performances for India and in domestic cricket, Sooryavanshi has now been entrusted with a leadership role in one of India’s premier domestic tournaments.
He is expected to open the batting alongside experienced Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who returns as the most seasoned player in the squad with more than 100 first-class appearances.
Ishan Kishan to lead experienced East Zone squad
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will captain an East Zone side that blends experienced international cricketers with emerging talent. Veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami returns to the domestic circuit after missing international action since the 2025 Champions Trophy final. The 35-year-old featured for Bengal in the 2025-26 domestic season and also played 13 matches for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026.
Advertisement
The squad also includes India fast bowler Mukesh Kumar, all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, Jharkhand batter Virat Singh, wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra, and spin all-rounder Anukul Roy, who impressed during India A’s successful tri-series campaign in Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Advertisement
Riyan Parag, Akash Deep miss out
East Zone will be without two prominent names, Riyan Parag and Akash Deep, both of whom continue their rehabilitation after undergoing surgeries. Parag is recovering from right shoulder surgery, while Akash Deep remains sidelined following back surgery. Neither player was considered for selection as they continue their recovery programmes.
East Zone Squad for Duleep Trophy 2026
Full Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vice-captain), Virat Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Subranshu Senapati, Abhijit Sarkar, Anukul Roy and Denish Das.
Advertisement
Standbyes: Ayush Loharuka, Sridam Paul, Sambit S Baral, Sharandeep Singh and Swastik Samal.
The Duleep Trophy, one of India’s premier first-class competitions, gets underway in Bengaluru on August 23.
The Philadelphia 76ers figure to be at or near the top of the Eastern Conference after a busy offseason that brought in Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and a slew of others to join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe on a talented roster. The Sixers now have one of the best rosters in the league and should be contending for a title in the upcoming season.
With that being said, the Sixers should still be at the top of the East. However, when asking former champion Jason Williams, he isn’t buying the Sixers:
Advertisement
The Knicks are going to be better. Miami is going to be better. Orlando Magic will finish higher than the Sixers…Atlanta will finish higher.
Please be advised that the clip below contains language that some might consider offensive.
One has to wonder if Williams is just trolling, but he does have a point about a team like the Knicks, for example. That’s a team that has been together through all of the playoff wars and just won a championship. The Sixers will have to eventually match up with them in terms of chemistry and such.
However, the Magic is a big stretch. Orlando has a ton of talent led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and have a new coach in Sean Sweeney, but that duo has yet to really figure it out. They probably have more chemistry, but the Sixers are the supremely talented team. It’s hard to really envision the Magic finishing ahead of the Sixers in the 2026-27 season.
We’re now on Episode 3 of The Lab with PGA Tour Putting Performance Advisor Stephen Sweeney, and I’ve not been shy about how this experience changed my game. In Episode 1 we talked all about setup, and Sweeney basically changed every single part of how my body sets up to the ball. In Episode 2 he walked me through the idea of capture speed, and how staying consistent with your intended speed can help make more putts, and now for Episode 3 we’re tackling green reading. I wasn’t shy about green reading being the worst part of my putting performance, but one simple sentence ended up turning it all around.
As we know from previous episodes there’s basically three reasons a player will miss a putt. There are technical reasons, which include a small portion of the actual equipment in your hands, there’s speed control, and there’s the read you decided on in the first place. As Sweeney explains in the video, the majority of the time the problem starts with the read the player thought they had in their head.
“Any putt within 1º of the intended start line is not a technical reason for missing a putt,” Sweeney says.
To get started working on my green reading skills he had me mark a point on the Platform Golf putting green in his Jupiter, Florida studio. This point was meant to be where I thought the putt was going to break. I accidentally failed to follow directions and I ended up signaling the spot where I was trying to start my putt.
Advertisement
Sweeny fired up his Quintic Overhead technology and marked that spot on the green so we could keep track of where I thought the line was, as well as the several putts I would end up hitting before we figured it out. (Spoiler: I was very, very far off.) I just couldn’t seem to match the speed and line that was needed for this seemingly simple indoor putt. By the fourth try I was hitting the ball way too hard for my own comfort level, so clearly something was wrong in the intention for the line that I created.
While I continued to miss putts, Sweeney expressed his frustration with how frequently amateurs under-read their putts.
“I go out and play and I’ll hear caddies from this distance say something is a ball right or a ball left. It’s never a ball outside left. Not from this distance.”
After several missed putts, Sweeney dropped a stat on me that completely changed the way I think about reading a green:
Advertisement
When you miss a putt on the high side, the miss will only be affected by about 50% of the read. If you read a putt one foot out to the right of a hole and you miss on the high side, the miss is only going to be about 6″ assuming you got the speed even remotely correct. When you miss on the low side though, the miss is multiplied by a factor of three. If you read a putt one foot out to the right and you end up missing low, you could end up three feet gone on the low side.
Read that again! That statement changed everything for me.
Essentially when you miss on the high side, you’re able to be more aggressive with the putt itself. Mostly because you’re hitting the putt uphill for a longer duration of time, the effect of gravity towards the end of the putt is decreased. If you miss on the low side, you’re letting gravity impact the ball much sooner in the duration of the putt and it will only continue to pull on the ball worse.
Sweeney finished off with a funny story mentioning that he does teach Aim Point but he knows it’s not for everyone.
Advertisement
“When it comes to the amateur game one of the best tips I got was actually from an 8-handicap dentist. He said that whatever he thinks the read is, he just plays double. Now it’s probably the easiest piece of advice I can give to an amateur golfer.”
FIFA said Tuesday it plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a semi-private subsidiary. The decision marks a dramatic attempt to reshape the commercial landscape of global football, while opening a new front in a long-running battle with Europe for control over the massive wealth generated by the sport.
Sir Garfield Sobers was called the “greatest all-round cricketer the world has ever known” by former team-mate Sir Clive Lloyd at the legendary West Indies player’s state funeral in Barbados.
Lloyd described all-rounder Sobers, who died aged 89 on 17 July, as “a man who lived in the hearts and minds of Caribbean people and who became a source of inspiration to millions throughout the world”.
An entertaining left-handed batter and bowler of seam and spin, Sobers played 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs and taking 235 wickets.
The funeral was staged at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, the principle ground in Barbados and home to a pavilion named after Sobers.
Advertisement
Lloyd and fellow West Indies legends Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes were among those who spoke at the state service of thanksgiving, which was also attended by Barbados president Jeffrey Bostic, prime minister Mia Mottley and Barbadian music superstar Rihanna.
West Indies Test captain Roston Chase, who comes from Barbados, vice-captain Jomel Warrican and the current side’s Barbadian players were also in attendance, having completed a Test victory over Pakistan on Monday, winning by 90 runs inside four days in Trinidad.
“Sir Garfield Sobers was not merely the outstanding cricketer of his generation,” Lloyd added. “He brought to the beautiful game a rare combination of brilliance, imagination, courage and joy.”
Sobers’ coffin was draped in the flag of Barbados and set off from the Parliament Buildings in Bridgetown on a gun carriage for a formal procession through the nation’s capital.
Advertisement
On arrival at the stadium, the carriage passed through a guard of honour of raised cricket bats.
“This is not a sad moment,” Lara said of his mentor. “This is a moment for us to celebrate and I hope you feel the same. Today we celebrate the remarkable life of the greatest all-round cricketer.
“We celebrate a man who gave so much to his family, to Barbados, to the West Indies and all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Sobers scored 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958 – an effort which stood as the record Test score for 36 years.
Advertisement
He was also named one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century.
During his stint at Nottinghamshire in 1968, Sobers became the first player to hit a six off all six balls in an over in a first-class match.
Mottley described Sobers as “a man who if he had not achieved any of those great feats on the cricket field would have been immortalised by his community as a good man and a great man”.
Reverend Canon Guy Hewitt read out a message from King Charles during the service.
Advertisement
“History is distinguished with sporting champions whose records have rightly commanded respect across generations,” the message read. “There have been far fewer however whose name along brings a smile to people’s faces across Barbados, the Caribbean and the Commonwealth.
“Sir Garfield Sobers belongs very firmly in the latter category. I send my deepest sympathies to Sir Garry’s family as they come to terms with this great loss.”
Sobers’ body lay in state at the Barbados parliament on Monday and at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday, with national dignitaries and members of the public able to pay their respects.
He will be laid to rest at Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens in the south of Barbados.
Malaysian-American flyweight Muay Thai standout Johan Ghazali is not looking for a technical chess match at The Inner Circle 24 on Friday, July 31. “Jojo” is looking for exactly the kind of fight Ramadan Ondash brings, and he has been here before.
Ghazali carries eight ONE Championship victories into Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok this Friday.
He has since navigated the pressures and setbacks that come with competing at the global level, including a unanimous decision loss to Shimon Yoshinari at ONE SAMURAI 1 in April.
He sees in Ondash a reflection of his own trajectory at an earlier stage, and that perspective shapes exactly how confident he is about the outcome.
Advertisement
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The Rentap Muay Thai and Superbon Training Camp athlete told ONE Championship:
Advertisement
“He knows this fight will be the biggest one yet for him. He has to get past me. I’m ready for a fighter of his style and his caliber. I love this type of brawl-style fight. This is always my bread and butter.”
He continued:
“I see Ramadan as a version of myself from two to three years ago in terms of an experience standpoint. I have the experience now, and I’m a little more mature than him heading into this fight.”
Johan Ghazali plans to keep Ramadan Ondash guessing
Johan Ghazali’s game plan extends beyond simply outlasting Ondash in a physical exchange.
The Malaysian-American is aware that a one-dimensional approach against a versatile, aggressive opponent gives away the element of surprise.
He intends to use every tool in his arsenal to stay unpredictable throughout.
Advertisement
“I’m gonna do it in my favor in the ways that I’ve learned through experience from fighting good fighters. I’ll use all of my advantages to keep him guessing, and I don’t want to be reliant on just one thing,” “Jojo” told the promotion.
Fans can watch the flyweight clash live by purchasing The Inner Circle at live.onefc.com.
Bournemouth’s plans for the new season have been dealt a blow after forward Junior Kroupi was ruled out for around three months with a foot injury.
Kroupi, who has been chased by a number of clubs this summer, sustained the problem during the Cherries’ ongoing pre-season tour of Austria and underwent successful surgery on Wednesday after he returned to England.
The highly-rated French prospect is expected to be sidelined for three to four months, which will rule him out of the start of the club’s maiden Europa League campaign.
Bournemouth finished sixth last season to secure continental football for the first time after Kroupi struck 13 goals during an outstanding individual campaign.
A host of clubs around the world, including the Cherries’ Premier League rivals Tottenham and Arsenal, had placed the 20-year-old attacker high on their wish list, The Independentunderstands.
Advertisement
However, Bournemouth’s stance had always been that Kroupi was not for sale this summer along with midfielder Alex Scott and Brazilian winger Rayan.
Even with this unexpected injury problem, the south-coast club remain determined to keep hold of Kroupi to boost new boss Marco Rose in his first campaign at Vitality Stadium.
David Benavidez put in one of the performances of the year when he dethroned unified cruiserweight world champion Gilberto Ramirez in May, and now ‘The Mexican Monster’ is set to face another world champion, with a November fight date being targeted.
Benavidez halted Ramirez in a dominant display upon his cruiserweight debut just two months ago, but despite prior intentions to return to light heavyweight during the aftermath, it has since become clear that Benavidez’s future is at 200lbs.
Still, an in-demand fight with Dmitry Bivol continues to be mentioned, but so does a potential cruiserweight match-up against Jai Opetaia, who has recently filed a lawsuit against the IBF after believing that the sanctioning body’s decision to strip him as champion was unfair.
Advertisement
Avoiding those complications, Benavidez is instead targeting an alternate world title, with a November showdown against WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian now nearing a deal, as per BoxingScene.
The report states that the 29-year-old’s promoter says the fight is a done deal on their end, and they know away Mikaelian’s signature. It will likely end up in Las Vegas, though other locations have not been ruled out.
Mikaelian is a two-time WBC champion, first winning the belt with a third round stoppage win over Ilunga Makabu in November 2023. He controversially lost his title to Badou Jack in May 2025, before regaining it in their rematch seven months later.
Pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford retired from the sport last December, but that has not stopped ‘Bud’ from getting involved in back-and-forth’s with active fighters.
Now, the Omaha-born sensation has warned one of his newfound rivals that he may be on the verge of being knocked out.
Crawford announced his decision to hang up the gloves last year, but the 38-year-old has continued to be linked to a number of lucrative opportunities, including a rematch with Canelo Alvarez and a showdown with newly-crowned two-division unified world champion, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
In response, Crawford took to social media to remind Garcia that he should keep his mind on the fight, advising him to stick to training or risked getting knocked out by the British challenger.
“Ryan Garcia, you might get knocked out – you better be training and taking this fight serious.”
Garcia-Benn takes place on Saturday, September 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As for Crawford, there’s been no indication he’ll come out of retirement anytime soon.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login