UFC analysts Michael Chiesa and Alan Jouban previewed Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Welterweight champion Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) makes his first title defense against undefeated Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the UFC 310 main event on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Chiesa, who faces Max Griffin on the same night, thinks Muhammad’s resume cannot be discounted. While he’s not necessarily picking him to win, he wouldn’t be surprised if Muhammad bounced Rakhmonov out of the ranks of the unbeaten.

“It would be easy for people to discredit and dismiss Belal because when you look at Shavkat Rakhmonov, 18-0 with 10 submissions and 8 KOs, (he’s) the boogeyman of the division right now,” Chiesa told ESPN. “But you look at Belal’s strength of schedule in his last six fights: Demian Maia, who was ranked when he fought him; (Stephen) ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson), who was ranked above the top 10; Vicente Luque, who was ranked (No.) 5 when he fought him.

“Sean Brady TKO’d him, took his 0; fought Gilbert Burns on short notice in a five-round fight, beat him; and then dethrones Leon Edwards in his own backyard. Before people want to dismiss Belal Muhammad because of who he is fighting, you just look at that strength of schedule and you’ve got to remind yourself: This guy is the champion for a reason, and I would not be surprised if he took Shavkat’s 0.”

Jouban, who spoiled Muhammad’s UFC debut in a Fight of the Night battle in 2016, thinks the champion has the skills to beat well-rounded Rakhmonov.

“Belal has proven time and time again why he deserved the championship fight, he got the championship fight, and he deserves to be the champion now,” Jouban said. “He looked phenomenal against Leon Edwards. Leon Edwards is one of the better grapplers in the division. He has outgrappled guys like Gunnar Nelson and so on.

“And Belal Muhammad goes in there, dumps him on his head numerous times, outwrestled him, manhandled him. Shavkat Rakhmonov though, this guy does everything well, and so this is going to be, I think, Belal’s toughest date. But I do think that Belal does have the grappling to get it done.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

In the PFL’s efforts to ensure this Saturday’s super fights pay-per-view event delivers action as promised, the promotion is turning to a Pro Football Hall of Famer for a bit of an assist.

PFL CEO Peter Murray recently told MMA Junkie Radio that Super Bowl-winning linebacker Ray Lewis, who played for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 2012, will attend PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prior to the event headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira, Lewis will address the fighters backstage in hopes of preparing them for the moment.

“We do have something special in store for this fight, an athlete who knows a lot about pressure and a lot about locker room and getting prepared, the moment – and that’s Ray Lewis,” Murray said. “NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion, Ray’s part of our athlete advisory board, so Ray’s gonna go behind the scenes and give the fighters, alongside Ray Sefo and Mike (Kogan), a bit of a pep talk from the heart.

“This is not an interview. They’ve got to go out and do their jobs. They’ve earned that right. It’s a global stage, everyone’s watching, and these are the fights that make champions and legacy. It’s all on the line, and Ray Lewis will bring it from the heart.”

Lewis, 49, has been head of the PFL’s athlete advisory board since 2021.

In addition to Ngannou’s highly anticipated return to MMA against Ferreira, PFL: Battle of the Giants will also feature a showdown between Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and reigning PFL champ Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event. A Bellator middleweight title-fight rematch between champ Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards is also featured on the main card.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

The Buffalo Bills will be without running back James Cook on Monday night due to a toe injury. 

Cook will miss his first NFL game in three seasons, sitting out the Monday Night Football showdown against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Ty Johnson and Ray Davis will likely handle the bulk of carries in Cook’s absence, but the Bills also promoted Frank Gore Jr. — son of the NFL’s third-leading career rusher who had one-year stints with each team at the end of his career that ended after the 2020 season. Frank Gore Sr. was a five-time Pro Bowler who spent 16 seasons in the NFL, most of them with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gore Jr. had been on the practice squad and will make his NFL debut after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi in May.

The 22-year-old finished his college career as the No. 3 rusher in Southern Miss history with 4,022 yards, catching 75 passes for 692 receiving yards. 

Cook leads the Bills this season with 309 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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LAS VEGAS – Junior Tafa beat Sean Sharaf with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Tafa, who struggled in the first, but came on in the second to spoil Sharaf’s short-notice UFC debut.

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf

Junior Tafa

Result: Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:15
Updated records: Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Sharaf (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Tafa stuffed seven of Sharaf’s eight takedown attempts.

Tafa on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (R-L) Junior Tafa of Australia punches Sean Sharaf in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I was really quite excited to have someone who’s going to trade off standing up – we can entertain the fans and get a better chance of winning that bonus, so it was quite freaking annoying when he started shooting on me.”

Tafa on two late changes

“I only got called up for this fight as a replacement fighter. I was actually on vacation with my family and my kids when I got told about this fight, and I ended up having like a week’s worth of training to coming in here. We had a game plan for Chris Barnett, and then they switched up fight week for a new opponent – which then, the game plan switches again. It just became fight whatever is in front of you. The game plan switched that quick. ”

Tafa on what he wants next

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf, UFC Fight Night 244

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“My name is ‘Mr. Anytime.’ Give me a call and I’m there. This is my second late-notice fight this year. I took a fight in Anaheim (Calif.) in March on less than 24 hours’ notice. I’m here less than a week’s notice (opponent), so it’s like you can call me ‘Mr. Anytime’ now … ‘Mr. Anytime, Anywhere.’”

To hear more from Tafa, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Wales manager Craig Bellamy was full of praise for Harry Wilson, whose penalty gave Wales a 1-0 win over Montenegro in the Nations League.

It was the third game in a row in which Wilson scored for Wales.

Read more: Nations League can boost World Cup hopes – Bellamy