Artur Beterbiev beat Dmitry Bivol by majority decision to become the undisputed light-heavyweight world champion as one of boxing’s most-anticipated fights lived up to the hype in Saudi Arabia.
In a contest that could have gone either way, Bivol, 33, won the earlier rounds with his superior movement and combinations.
Fellow undefeated Russian Beterbiev, 39, was undeterred and forced his way back into the fight with relentless pressure and power punching.
With scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112, Beterbiev becomes the division’s first undisputed champion since 2002, and the first ever in the four-belt era.
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“I feel not bad. I did not good today. I wanted to box with more quality,” said a modest Beterbiev – who is now WBC, WBA (Super), IBF and WBO champion.
Bivol was defeated for the first time in 24 bouts.
“I am a warrior. I don’t know, I did my job but I felt like I could do better but it was just the opinion of some judges,” he said.
In the chief support, Fabio Wardley retained the British heavyweight title with a spectacular first-round stoppage win over Frazer Clarke in a rematch of March’s fight-of-the-year contender.
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Wardley, 29, landed a heavy, looping right hand to hurt the challenger and floored him with another ferocious right.
A dazed Clarke admirably rose to his feet but was in no position to continue as the referee halted the contest.
Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) displayed his grappling prowess when he got the back of Pearce (14-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) from a standing position early in their featherweight bout at the UFC Apex. He methodically worked away at a rear-naked choke until he finally got the arm under the neck and forced. his opponent to tap at the 4:06 mark of Round 1.
With the win, Sabatini rebounds from a 90-second knockout defeat to Diego Lopes in November. Pearce, meanwhile, is suddenly on a three-fight losing skid after he was named MMA Junkie’s “Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year” in 2022.
“I think I have an edge over everybody in this division on the ground,” Sabatini said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “(I want to fight again) sooner rather than later.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 244 results include:
Ulster: Ethan McIlroy; Werner Kok, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite, Jacob Stockdale; Aidan Morgan, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, John Andrew, Tom O’Toole; Iain Henderson (capt), Kieran Treadwell; David McCann, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: James McCormick, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Alan O’Connor, Marcus Rea, Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Mike Lowry.
Connacht: Santiago Cordero; Mack Hansen, Piers O’Conor, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Joe Joyce, Josh Murphy; Cian Prendergast (capt) Sean O’Brien, Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Peter Dooley, Temi Lasisi, Oisin Dowling, David O’Connor, Caolin Blade, Cathal Forde, Conor Oliver.
Royval and Taira were justly given the Fight of the Night award following a five-round performance that wowed their fellow fighters and fans. It was Royval who emerged victorious via a close split decision, but both men are likely to be mentioned for Fight of the Year when 2024 comes to a close.
Performance of the Night bonuses went to Temirov and Carpenter.
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Temirov made the most of his UFC debut, needing less than three minutes to show off his precision striking and finish off CJ Vergara. It was the 10th straight win for Temirov, who immediately positions himself as a player in the flyweight division.
Carpenter also kept a streak going as he improved his pro record to 8-0 with a two-round drubbing of Lucas Rocha. The 28-year-old defused Rocha’s offense with powerful wrestling before finishing him with a rear-naked choke. This is Carpenter’s first Performance of the Night bonus.
No matter where you live in the US, there’s a high likelihood F1 Arcade is eyeing available properties in your area. The immersive racing experience, which opened its second American location in Washington, DC this week, is poised for rapid expansion with plans to launch 30 venues across the country over the next five years.
Much like how Topgolf revolutionized the way Americans interact with the sport of golf, F1 Arcade is aiming to translate the high-octane world of Formula 1 into an accessible, social experience for everyone — not just for die-hard motorsport fans or hobby sim racers.
“We market to a wide audience,” says Jon Gardner, US president of F1 Arcade, who oversaw the opening of the first location in Boston earlier this year (there are also venues in London and in Birmingham, UK).
“Our customers are split 50/50 male and female. We do see gamers come in but it’s not just for them. We’re seeing that Americans aren’t just here for the racing simulators, they want a full night-out with food, drinks, and entertainment. All signs point to people wanting this kind of social, immersive experience … it really is for everyone.”
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F1 Arcade is not only targeting die-hard fans, but other markets, too
Photo by: Farrah Skeiky
F1 Arcade founder and CEO Adam Breeden, who co-founded Puttshack — an upscale version of mini-golf — with Topgolf creators Steven and Dave Jolliffe, is no stranger to the world of sports entertainment. Gardner, who also worked at Puttshack before joining F1 Arcade, says they’ve brought learnings from these golf-centric concepts into Formula 1. “We’re asking, how do you take the magic of F1 — an experience that only 20 people in the world get to have — and bring it to the masses?”
At the core of the approach is curating an experience that’s equally enjoyable for F1 fanatics and those who have never heard of the name Max Verstappen. Only 1% of F1 viewers will ever attend a race in-person, and unlike sports like football or baseball, racing isn’t something fans can easily do in their spare time.
F1 Arcade bridges that gap between the sport and its fans, offering some of the world’s most realistic racing simulators paired with premium food and beverage options, reminiscent of F1’s ultra-exclusive Paddock Club. The result is an ideal space for fans looking to connect with one another, whether on a casual night out or during an early morning race watch party.
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Along with state-of-the-art simulators, customers can enjoy premium food and beverage options
Photo by: Farrah Skeiky
Community-building is central to the business’s strategy, with Gardner pointing to the number of return customers attending the Boston location’s successful watch parties. “They’re a true party,” he says of the DJ-hosted events. “People come in at 6 or 7 a.m. to watch the races – before we’re even allowed to serve alcohol. That’s how passionate they are.” He also stresses the importance of integrating into the fabric within each market they’re entering: “We want to make sure that wherever we’re going, we’re a part of the community.”
The decision to open in Washington DC — a secondary market compared to F1 hubs like Miami, Austin or Las Vegas — was strategic. “DC is such an international city, with ambassadors from all over the world, a thriving sports culture, and a sophisticated food and drink scene,” Gardner says. “There’s also a lot of F1 fans here: Union Market [where the new venue is located] has been showing races for years, and it’s always packed.”
The Boston location has already seen success by hosting race watch parties for locals
Photo by: Farrah Skeiky
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It’s a formula the business plans to replicate in 28 other American cities while on its pursuit to become a household name in the sports entertainment landscape. “There’s so much runway ahead of us,” Gardner says, noting new locations are slated to open in Philadelphia and Vegas in 2025. The timing is ideal, as the sport continues gaining mainstream popularity, thanks in part to next summer’s ‘F1’ movie starring Brad Pitt and growing celebrity endorsements (even presidential nominee Kamala Harris declared her love for the sport earlier this week).
And Gardner is confident the hype won’t be dying down anytime soon. “I don’t think this moment is going anywhere,” he says confidently.
LEE CARSLEY believes England can win the 2026 World Cup — but only if the Three Lions embrace change.
Interim boss Carsley saw his gamble to play without a recognised No 9 backfire in the shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday.
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England interim boss Lee Carsley claims the national team can win the 2026 World CupCredit: Getty
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England can only end their trophy drought if they embrace change, claims CarsleyCredit: Alamy
England’s men have not won a major tournament since 1966. But after two Euro final defeats, Carsley is on a mission to find the magic formula that will see Harry Kane and Co finally end 60 years of hurt.
Carsley said: “I’m really wary of the fact that the last time we won something was 1966, so we have to have that ability to try something different. We’re not that far away. We have been close twice.
“It was important that I put my own stamp on the team and the squad and tried something different because the understanding is that, unless it changes, it won’t change.”
Predecessor Gareth Southgate took England to the last two Euros finals, losing to Italy on penalties in 2021 and 2-1 against Spain in the summer.
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He also oversaw World Cup campaigns that ended at the semi-final stage in 2018 and last eight two years ago.
But Southgate was often criticised for being too cautious tactically.
Now Carsley, who takes charge for the fourth time as caretaker on Sunday’s Nations League clash with Finland, added: “Your human instinct is to be safe, to go with things that you’re comfortable with.
“But I felt it was important to be out of my comfort zone.
“I have to try something because we’ve got to put ourselves in a position where we can win.
“To think that we can just do the same again and expect something different is naive.
Lee Carsley appears to admit staggeringly short amount of time England practised bold new tactic before Greece shocker
“I don’t want to sit back in a month’s time with regrets that I was safe. This is a great opportunity, not only for myself but for the rest of the staff and players to try something different.
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“We’re also looking bigger picture in terms of World Cup qualification and then hopefully the World Cup — that we’ve got a good understanding of the player capabilities.”
Some reports claim Carsley has doubts over taking the job long-term but he refuses to rule himself out completely.
He said: “I don’t see this as an audition. I don’t see it as the biggest chance I have ever had.
“I see it as a privilege. I see it as an unbelievable responsibility.
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“I have got three more games left and I want to try to make sure that the squad are in a really good position.
The youth paves the way
“That we have seen players play in different positions and we are in a healthy position.”
Carsley, 50, wants to adopt a more attacking brand of football, having triumphed at last year’s Under-21 Euros playing that way.
It was the latest in a number of youth competitions won by England in the last decade.
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And Carsley believes it will pave the way to senior success — just like it has for Germany and Spain in recent decades.
Asked if he really felt England can win the next World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico, the former Everton midfielder replied: “Yeah.
“The past is a good indicator of the future and we’ve got quite a few players now that have won a lot with England. They’ve felt that before.
England stars ‘used to winning’
“They come to St George’s, they come on England camps, and they’re used to winning.
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“They’re used to being in the latter stages of competitions and being successful. That can only be a good thing for us.
“If you think back to that Germany team, and the Spain team, that were really successful at the younger age groups that came through.
“I think potentially we could be coming into a period of that ilk.
“We’ve been so close in the past and with a bit more luck, or belief, on our side it could have been different.
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“But as we stand at the minute it’s not, so I believe that we could be coming into a phase of that kind of success.”
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card, but a lightweight who promised a title run, Grant Dawson, was left out of the mix.
Despite a brutal TKO finish on the main card and a bootylicious moment when he thanked his wife for her support – and “a dump truck you could bounce a quarter off of” – Dawson got no extra check for the mic-drop moment with his wife covering her face cageside.
After UFC Fight Night 244, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.
Performance of the Night: Clayton Carpenter
Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha, UFC Fight Night 244
Clayton Carpenter (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was fighting about 20 months after his UFC debut win, but it was evident his game plan was to take the fight to the canvas to outwork Lucas Rocha (17-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the canvas. After he cut him open in the first round and controlled him on the mat, he took him down again in the second and deftly locked in a rear-naked choke that put the Brazilian to sleep without a tap.
Performance of the Night: Ramazonbek Temirov
Ramazonbek Temirov def. CJ Vergara, UFC Fight Night 244
The UFC’s flyweights might have a new problem on their hands in Uzbekistan’s Ramazonbek Temirov (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC). He stormed out in a hurry against CJ Vergara (12-6-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and stayed on him for as long as the fight lasted, which was just past the halfway mark when he put him away, mercifully.
Fight of the Night: Brandon Royval def. Tatsuro Taira
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Brandon Royval punches Tatsuro Taira of Japan in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
In a flyweight instant classic, Brandon Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Tatsuro Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) truly went back and forth for 25 minutes with regular momentum shifts. But a late takedown for Royval in the fifth and several close submission attempts down the stretch may have sealed the deal for the recent title challenger to hand Taira the first loss of his career. Royval said afterward Taira is a future flyweight champion and he wants to help him get there. He wants another title shot next.
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