WASHINGTON – To Daniel Cormier, there’s nothing like a Conor McGregor fight week.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns from a five-year-long layoff to rematch Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+).

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Cormier will commentate Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 (Paramount+) event at the White House in Washington, which is expected to draw historic viewership numbers for the promotion. However, McGregor making his highly-anticipated comeback is a different kind of feeling, said Cormier.

“It’s going to be a tremendous fight,” Cormier said during Wednesday’s UFC Freedom 250 media day. “I think that we now get to see two guys that are adults. The first time they fought, they were children. Max was a kid, Conor was a kid.

“These guys are going to be grown men fighting in what will be… it’s hard to think that an event will get bigger after this, but every time Conor McGregor is here, it’s bigger and it’s better. The sport’s better with this man in the fight game. So, I’m excited for that as I am excited about the fights this weekend.”

UFC CEO Dana White said he expects McGregor’s return to break the promotion’s gate record, which UFC 306 at the Sphere currently holds at almost $22 million.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier: UFC better with Conor McGregor in fight game

Maybe there could be a Za’Darius Smith reunion after all.

The former Vikings pass rusher had been playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. His issue? Just that he decided to hang up his cleats by retiring from the NFL. Pro Football Talk reports that the Eagles have moved on: “Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith abruptly retired from the Eagles last October, but he’s now free to play for any team if he wants to return to the NFL.”

Former Vikings Pass Rusher Now a FA

Once upon a time, Za’Darius Smith was making a case for Defensive Player of the Year while working in Minnesota.

Ed Donatell had taken over as the DC and was doing terribly. Someone who wasn’t doing terribly was the former Packer. Smith was overshadowing Danielle Hunter — no small feat — while stacking up 8.5 sacks and 13 TFLs in his opening seven games. Continuing on that pace would have involved an elite season.

Unfortunately for Smith, things did slow down. His singular season in purple finished off at 44 tackles, 10 sacks, 24 QB hits, 15 TFLs, 5 PDs, and 1 FF. Not too shabby.

After the season, Smith wanted more money. He eventually requested a trade, leading to a shipment to Ohio to play for the Cleveland Browns (the land where respectable football goes to die).

Check out his full career stops:

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• Baltimore Ravens
• Green Bay Packers
• Minnesota Vikings
• Cleveland Browns
• Detroit Lions
• Philadelphia Eagles

Some further background from PFT: “The NFL’s daily transaction report for Wednesday shows that the Eagles have released Smith from the reserve/retired list. He will now become a free agent, although there’s no word on whether he plans to resume his career.”

More from them: “Smith announced his retirement after recording 1.5 sacks in his five games for Philadelphia.”

As things stand, the Vikings could likely stand to add a veteran for the edge rusher spot. Ty Ingram-Dawkins has been flexed outward and the coaching staff appears to like Bo Richter, but he’s mostly a special teams contributor.

In other words, there’s a ton of uncertainty after Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. Off-ball linebacker Eric Wilson is the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option who will get snaps there. Jake Golday is an active, versatile, and athletic player but is a rookie. Can he handle edge snaps as early as 2026?

Za’Darius Smith is 33 and comes in at an imposing 6’4″ and 270 pounds. A reunion isn’t likely, but having a different GM and DC does make it a bit more likely.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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England international Beth Mead has completed a significant move to Women’s Super League champions Manchester City, signing a deal that will keep her at the club until the summer of 2029.

The highly-regarded forward arrives from WSL rivals Arsenal, where she spent nine successful years.

The 31-year-old departs north London having amassed an impressive trophy cabinet, including a WSL title in the 2018-19 season, a Champions League triumph in May last year, and three League Cups.

Before her impactful tenure at Arsenal, which began in January 2017, Mead launched her career at Sunderland, where she became the youngest player to win the WSL Golden Boot at just 20 years old.

On the international stage, Mead boasts 81 caps for England and was a pivotal member of the Lionesses’ European Championship-winning squads in both 2022 and 2025.

Her standout performance in the 2022 tournament, hosted on home soil, saw her named player of the tournament, finishing as the top goalscorer with six goals and also leading the assist charts with five.

Expressing her enthusiasm for the move, Mead told the City website: “I’m very proud to be here. Obviously, City had an amazing season last year and I am excited to start a new chapter here. I think the way City plays suits me really well and I feel like it can get something extra out of my game.

“Speaking to the manager, I think it was a place where I think I can really fit into, help and bring a different dynamic to the team, so it was a no-brainer for me.”

Manchester City enjoyed a stellar previous season, clinching their first WSL title since 2016 by finishing four points clear of Arsenal. They further cemented their dominance by securing a domestic double, triumphing 4-0 over Brighton in the Women’s FA Cup final at the end of May.

Director of football Therese Sjogran underscored the importance of the acquisition, stating: “Beth’s achievements in the game speak for themselves, so we’re delighted to bring her to the club.

“Winning the double last season was a special chapter in our history, but it’s one we want to build on in the coming seasons. Signing a player of Beth’s quality and calibre can only help that happen.

“She’s shown what it takes to consistently perform on the kind of big stages we want to regularly be competing at, so she’ll be a brilliant addition to our already-impressive squad of players.”

PROVIDENCE – This year will be Ghana’s fifth World Cup appearance, but its first in the United States, as the team arrived in Providence on Wednesday and was greeted by fans at the Graduate by Hilton Providence hotel during a welcome ceremony.

Fans were lined up across the street hours before the team arrived on June 11, greeting one another as more and more arrived and chanting to show their support. Occasionally, cars passing by would honk their horns to show support.

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Players, coaches and top Ghana Soccer Federation officials arrived at the hotel around 7 p.m., where FIFA officials shook their hands as they entered, while Ghanaian music and dancers were in the background.

Ghana Soccer Federation President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku was the first representative to come to the podium to speak. He first led the fans in the team’s official chants to continue to keep spirits high, then talked about what it meant to see the fans show up for the team.

“I’m extremely excited,” Simeon-Okraku said. “And extremely proud to see all of you here to support your own Black Stars.”

Simeon-Okraku also made sure to thank and praise Rhode Island for welcoming them and making them feel at home.

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“I was promised that this would be our home, and it is,” Simeon-Okraku said. “What I’ve seen already confirms the promise that was made, that this would be our permanent home.”

Simeon-Okraku wrapped up his speech, outlining the team’s goal for the World Cup, albeit lofty for a team that hasn’t advanced past the group stage since 2010.

“Ghana is here,” Simeon-Okraku said. “And Ghana is here to stay. And Ghana will lift the cup.”

Director of Art, Culture and Tourism for the City of Providence Joe Wilson Jr. was the city’s representative to speak at the event. Wilson Jr. highlighted the time and effort it took the city to prepare for Ghana and its fans’ arrival this summer, while also agreeing with Simeon-Okraku that the city wants to see the team bring back the World Cup trophy with them.

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According to Wilson Jr., the city will raise Ghana’s flag at City Hall at 4 p.m. on Friday, and an hour later, the city will hold a “cultural experience and concert” at Biltmore Park. Wilson Jr. ended his speech with the event’s unofficial message of making Providence, Ghana’s second hometown.

The Black Stars will be practicing at Bryant University during the World Cup. Bryant President Ross Gittell talked about the amazing opportunity and excitement throughout the Bryant community to host a national team’s practice at their facilities.

Bryant will host the Black Stars’ first practice session on Saturday, though it is an invite-only event. Bryant also plans to host a youth clinic that will be open to the public, but Gittell didn’t provide any details on when the event will be held.

Augustine Boadi is a former Bryant University soccer player from Ghana who graduated this year. Gittell credited Boadi for helping connect the Black Stars and the university to make sure everything is in order and goes according to plan. Boadi even referred to himself as a bridge between the two.

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“It’s amazing,” Boadi said. “I don’t know how to describe it. To be able to have the Black Stars come to a school that has helped me grow so much and change my life. So, having these two parts of my life come together in an epic tournament like this, I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island will host Ghana national team for World Cup soccer tourney

Brendan Sorsby’s injunction to play this year has rocked the college football world.

Could there be any good news that comes from this across the country?

On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin is joined by ‘Locked On Buffs’ host Kevin Borba.

Is there an odd similarity between the Sorsby situation and Deion Sanders’ first year in Boulder?

Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham is among the most charismatic coaches in all of college football.

His legend is continuing to grow by the day in Tempe.

00:00 Controversy in college sports conferences
03:27 Discussing college football eligibility issues
08:36 Underage gambling consequences
13:12 Rising tensions in college football
17:06 Texas Tech sports fan culture
20:38 Texas Tech quarterback controversy
23:33 Kenny Dillingham retweet moment
29:05 Discussing Arizona State fandom

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

VV: Ultimatum features Senbonzakura as the strongest Shikai Ability for Shinigami players. This Shikai Ability has some of the most powerful moves in the game, including area-of-effect attacks, targeted moves, and a sub-mode. These can be used to pressure the opponent and deal a lot of damage at the same time, especially with the right build.

Here’s everything you need to know about Senbonzakura in VV: Ultimatum.

Breaking down Senbonzakura in VV: Ultimatum

How to get

After attaining your Shikai Ability, you can use Ability Rerolls for a 1% chance to receive Senbonzakura. Classified as a Legendary Shikai Ability, Senbonzakura is among the rarest options available, rivaling the likes of The Superstar for Quincy and Los Lobos for Hollows.

You can get Ability Rerolls through code redemptions, quest completion, Daily Rewards, as random mob drops, and more.

This guide covers how to meditate in VV: Ultimatum.

Moveset and upgrades

Senbonzakura has regular attacks that cover a large crescent area in front of you. Even with regular attacks, it can create some excellent pressure in neutral. Its critical is equally as potent, offering great damage potential.

It has three Shikai moves, which are detailed below:

• Petal Dance: Stab your blade forth to send flowers that circle the target and hit caught within the circle.
• Thousand Blossoms: Bladescatter: Petal Dance variant that causes the flowers to cover two areas instead that damage the opponents.
• Thousand Blossoms: Encircle: Petal Dance variant that covers a large single area.
• Wave of Blossoms: Sends a wave of petals that deal damage to anyone caught within.

For every time you deal damage, Senbonzakura builds up a Blossoming meter, which leads into the Scatter, Senbonzakura mode. This mode, activated by holding E on the keyboard, adds a bleeding effect to all of your attacks while making great improvements to the effectiveness of your regular attacks and critical hits. In this state, you can perform another skill called Thousand Blossoms: Final Act, the details of which are listed below:

• Thousand Blossoms: Final Act: Advancing rush move that swings twice for massive damage and bleed effect.

Senbonzakura’s effectiveness can also be increased by raising your Ability Level. This can be done by using its moveset in general combat, meaning it will get stronger the more you use it. You can check the different Upgrades unlocked at the various Ability Levels, which are categorized into Damage, Reiatsu Efficiency, and Rate sections.

Damage

• Level 4: When your Blossoming meter is 50% or more, your petal-related abilities trigger a petal aftercut.
• Level 6: With a maxed-out Blossoming meter, enemies at low HP will be instantly defeated by petal aftercuts.

Reiatsu Efficiency

• Level 9: All neutral parries become perfect parries when in Blossoming mode.
• Level 10: Manual perfect parries extend the duration of Blossoming mode by a small amount.

Rate

• Level 5: Send petals after an opponent upon knocking them back with a blade catch.
• Level 6: Wave of Blossoms now causes a downslam on hit and builds up more Blossoming meter when the meter is above 30%.

Also read: Unique Roblox username ideas for new players

FAQs on VV: Ultimatum

How do I get Senbonzakura in VV: Ultimatum?

Shinigami players can get Senbonzakura through Ability Rerolls.

What rarity does Senbonzakura belong to in VV: Ultimatum?

Senbonzakura belongs to the Legendary rarity.

How do I trigger the Blossoming mode with Senbonzakura?

The Blossoming mode can be activated using E on the keyboard, L2 + D-Pad Right on the PlayStation controller, and LT + D-Pad Right on the Xbox controller.