Aug 9, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) hits a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are frustrating their fans with some tepid performances at the plate.
While the Yankees are in control of the American League’s first wild-card spot, the visiting Mariners are under .500 and 3 1/2 games out of a playoff position heading into the opener of a three-game series between the teams Tuesday night.
New York has played its past 14 games without Cody Bellinger (hamstring) and is 30-29 since losing Aaron Judge to a fractured rib. Giancarlo Stanton (calf) has been out since late April. While the Yankees expect all three to return before the end of the regular season, they head into the upcoming series with a .230 team batting average — third-worst in the major leagues — and are hitting .217 since Judge last played on May 31.
Despite the struggles at the plate, the Yankees are 16-10 since just before the All-Star break after taking two of three from the visiting Atlanta Braves over the weekend. New York earned a pair of one-run victories before Trent Grisham’s home run accounted for their lone run in Sunday’s 2-1, 10-inning loss.
“We’ve got to do more and put some runs on,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But unlike some of the other games where we’ve been shut down, I do feel like we were getting some good swings off them. We had better at-bats as a club, but we’ve still got to find a way to push (runs) across.”
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The Yankees’ offense has yet to get a boost from trade acquisitions Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos, who are a combined 6-for-36 since arriving in separate deals last week.
Ben Rice had the tying hit in the ninth inning Friday and hit a home run Saturday but is 6-for-46 in his past 13 games. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 6-for-38 in his last 11 games, while Grisham is 9-for-46 in his last 13 contests.
Seattle is the only AL team with a worse batting average (.229) than the Yankees and is a season-worst seven games under .500. The Mariners were outscored 20-4 in the final four games of a nine-game homestand and are 5-13 since an 8-0 win over Cincinnati on July 20 when they led the AL West by a half game.
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The Mariners went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position over the weekend when they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays and have been held to three runs or fewer in 12 of their last 18 games.
“It’s not for lack of work,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “These guys are putting in the work. They’re putting in the time that’s necessary, and they’re coming out prepared. We’re just not seeing it on the field.”
New York’s 3.30 ERA from the pitching staff is the best in baseball, and its starters own a 3.42 ERA. Left-hander Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.79 ERA) will look to carry that momentum as he opens the series on the mound.
Weathers is 2-0 with a 0.48 ERA in his past three starts and is coming off consecutive scoreless outings. Last Tuesday, he allowed four hits over six innings during a 2-0 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Weathers has a 2.16 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners. He made his season debut in Seattle on March 30 and allowed one run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision, striking out seven.
Right-hander Bryan Woo (8-8, 4.31) is starting for Seattle and will attempt to win consecutive starts for the first time since winning three straight from May 6-18. Woo halted a four-game winless skid when he allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings during Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Woo is 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five career starts against the Yankees.
Oleksandr Usyk suspects there is one fighter who, in a fantasy showdown, would have become the first and only man to defeat Floyd Mayweather in a professional ring.
Very few came close to trumping the all-time great and, even when they did, it was scarcely conceivable that they would emerge victorious on the judges’ scorecards.
Mayweather also won their respective rematches but, even so, the two South Americans are widely credited for giving the Hall of Famer two of his toughest fights.
It could therefore be argued that there was a blueprint to defeat the 50-0 icon, given the stylistic similarities between Castillo and Maidana.
From a different perspective, though, Usyk has suggested that Terence Crawford would have completed the mission that so few were even capable of attempting.
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Speaking with Daily Mail Boxing, the Ukrainian named ‘Bud’ as the man to not only defeat Mayweather but also the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Like Mayweather, Crawford retired as an unbeaten five-division world champion, shortly after dethroning Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super-middleweight crown last September.
But despite ending his career at 168lbs, Crawford was arguably most effective at welterweight, where he scored a ninth-round finish over Errol Spence Jr for the undisputed championship in 2023.
For the first time since his coaching career began in 1983, Brian Kelly won’t be patrolling the sidelines with a headset on. The former LSU and Notre Dame coach has joined CBS Sports as a college football analyst for the 2026 season, giving him a front-row seat to the programs he knows better than almost anyone.
Kelly spent four seasons at LSU before his tenure ended in 2025, with Lane Kiffin replacing him. Expectations are high in Baton Rouge, just as they always are. With the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, Kiffin has the talent to get the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff.
FanDuel Sportsbook has LSU’s regular-season win total set at 8.5, but that won’t satisfy the fans in Kiffin’s first season.
Before LSU, Kelly spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame, where he became the winningest coach in program history with 113 victories. Marcus Freeman is entering his sixth season in South Bend and has Notre Dame positioned among the teams best equipped to compete for a national championship in 2026.
FanDuel has set the Fighting Irish’s regular-season win total at a lofty 11.5, with the under carrying the juice. Still, Notre Dame’s schedule provides a manageable path to the College Football Playoff.
So, how does Kelly think his former teams will fare in 2026?
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Lane Kiffin era begins with a bang
It’s vital the Lane Kiffin era at LSU gets off to a good start in the opener against Clemson, especially with all the attention on the matchup that awaits at Ole Miss. Kelly mentioned new LSU starting quarterback Sam Leavitt could have some rust after missing all of spring practice, and his performance against Clemson could set the tone for the Tigers’ trip to Oxford.
“I think this really comes down to what quarterback plays better,” Kelly said. “If Trinidad Chambliss plays to the level that we all think he can, this could be a game that Ole Miss beats LSU.”
The Tigers then face a quick turnaround with Texas A&M the following Saturday. Kelly said LSU can overcome a split in those two games, and the Tigers should feel good about their outlook if they can come out of that stretch 1-1 before moving into an easier portion of the schedule.
From there, Kelly has LSU beating Alabama at home.
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“I think they’ll have great energy and momentum with just the one stumble at this point,” Kelly said. “I think they’ll beat Alabama at home.”
That sets up a mid-November showdown with Texas, marking the first meeting between the Tigers and Longhorns since 2019, when Texas was still in the Big 12.
“This is difficult,” Kelly said. “I think they probably get beat at the end here, and I expect that Texas will win this game.”
Kelly then has the Tigers close the regular season with wins over Tennessee and Arkansas, finishing 10-2. That would give LSU its first 10-win regular season since the 2019 national championship campaign.
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Kelly’s confidence in the Tigers comes down to the roster Kiffin has assembled and the offense’s potential.
“I think they’re better on defense. Lane’s done a great job in the portal. And then offensively, Lane and Charlie Weis (Jr.) will have that offense running quite well,” Kelly said. “They’re like every other team. They’ve got to keep their quarterback healthy. If their quarterback’s healthy, then they’re going to be minimally a 10-2 team.”
Can Notre Dame be perfect?
Kelly was fairly confident in picking the Fighting Irish to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2018, but there are a couple of tricky games that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Notre Dame should be heavily favored in every game through the first half of the schedule before it makes the trip out west to face BYU. Provo is always a tough test, especially if kickoff comes late, but Kelly didn’t seem particularly concerned about the matchup with the Cougars.
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“I think Notre Dame has done a great job against the marquee teams, and I think they’ll continue to do that at BYU,” Kelly said.
That doesn’t mean BYU should be dismissed. The Cougars could represent Notre Dame’s first legitimate test of the season as a potential top-15 opponent. Marcus Freeman is 16-7 (.696) against AP Top 25 opponents during his Notre Dame tenure, but that record drops to 4-4 (.500) in true road games.
If Notre Dame is going to lose a regular-season game in 2026, the most obvious candidate is a November visit from Miami, which beat the Fighting Irish in last year’s opener. That result ultimately kept Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff while the Hurricanes went on to reach the national championship game.
But Kelly doesn’t expect a repeat.
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“I think everybody has penciled this game as one that Notre Dame could lose,” Kelly said. “I don’t see it happening. I think Notre Dame will win that football game.”
Kelly has Notre Dame winning its final three games against ACC opponents to finish the regular season 12-0.
Stefon Diggs’ ex-girlfriend Cardi B was spotted sitting alongside Maduka Okoye at the Paris Fashion Week on July 8. Their front-seat appearance went viral within hours, boosting the social media followers of the Nigerian soccer player. Almost a month later, Okoye talked about his time at the fashion show with the rapper.
“Being at the Paris fashion week was really impressive. It was my first time really coming into contact with high fashion, and it was fascinating,” Okoye said via The Guardian. “It’s a true art form. I enjoyed it immensely, and since that moment I’ve become a much bigger fan of fashion than I was before.”
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Maduka Okoye has remained the talk of the town due to buzz around his rumored romance with Cardi B. On July 19, the two were spotted enjoying a dinner date at a restaurant inside The St. Regis Venice, Italy. Less than a week after their date, Okoye’s ex-girlfriend Jelicia Westhoff made allegations of violence and infidelity against him.
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“You was cheating on me with everything,” Westhoff shared via Instagram story. “When I had just given birth to our baby (Isaiah Amiel Okoye), I still chose to wipe your (expletive) because you had just undergone an operation, and none of your people looked out for you.”
“Let’s speak about December, MY son got hospitalized 4 times, ON the intensive of care with an ambulance!! his FATHER didn’t even came!” she wrote in another Instagram story.
Moving forward in the interview, Westhoff talked about maintaining boundaries between his personal and professional life:
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“What happens off the pitch is one thing, what happens on the pitch is another. You have to separate the two. I never let these two worlds collide.”
Cardi B exploded over constant media attention amid romance with Maduka Okoye
In her July 20 Instagram story, Cardi B went on to rant about being constantly under media attention and how her relationship receives more than usual focus. Expressing her anger, the rapper said:
“I’m really hip-hop’s Britney Spears… I know who’s [ ] who, and who was doing what … But guess what? Nobody reports about it because nobody gives a [ ],” she said. “When it comes to me… I can’t even (expletive) piss in a [ ] cup, bitch. Like, this [ ] is [ ] crazy.”
Cardi B and Stefon Diggs had a public relationship, and the two remained in the headlines for a long while despite their breakup. The rapper recently trashed her fans for unrealistic relationship advice, following her separation from Diggs.
Alex Eala has nothing but gratitude for the love Toronto fans showed her. —AFP
There are a couple of things that Alex Eala can find time for now, after watching her sensational run over the last couple of weeks finally came to an end.
“I need to get a haircut,” she told reporters during her post-game press conference on Monday (Manila time).
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“I haven’t gotten a haircut in a while. My nails are grown out. So, yeah, I’ll do a couple of things just to get my mind off tennis,” she said.
Judging by her subdued, yet visibly emotional, march out of the Sobeys Stadium’s center court in Toronto after bowing out of the National Bank Open, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Eala would willingly trade spare days, haircuts and nail trims for one more day in front of a crowd that gave her exit a standing ovation.
“I knew it was my last time, the last time that I was gonna be out on that court for a while,” the Filipino star said after dropping a 6-4, 6-0 decision to Swiss ace Belinda Bencic in their duel for a quarterfinal slot.
Bencic controlled the pace of the match with her first serve and rolled to the victory in just 73 minutes, as Eala dealt with the compounding physical and emotional toll of what had been a strong performance over the last fortnight or so.
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At the end of the match, Eala gazed at the crowd, waved, picked up her bags and walked toward the exit one last time. The fans gave her a roaring ovation and Eala turned to march backwards and waved a few more times before finally walking off center court.
“The atmosphere this whole week has been just incredible,” the world No. 20 said. “It’s hard to describe to other people kind of the feeling of being in that stadium full of fans and all the love.
“I’m super grateful for the experiences that I’ve had here in Toronto. It’s been an amazing debut, so yeah, I’ll carry these memories with me for a really long time.”
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And while the 21-year-old ace finds herself with spare time to forget tennis, the sport will be on the back of her mind as she prepares for two more important tournaments, another 1000 event in Cincinnati in the United States and the US Open, where she will be seeded anew for the hardcourt Grand Slam.
“I’m taking the lessons that I’ve had from these two weeks and hopefully implement them even more and in a better way in Cincinnati and New York,” she said.
While Eala has been credited for putting Filipino culture on the world stage with her brilliant tennis, the sport’s certified crowd-drawer sees herself as just a small part of the movement—crediting instead the community that came out to support her in every tournament.
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“I am kind of just like a drop in the ocean when it comes to Filipinos and their pride for their culture and where they come,” Eala explained. “I do a lot to kind of represent my country and I’m very proud of it, but you see, the stadium was full of people who do the same thing, right?
“So I guess that just shows you what kind of a community we are and what kind of people we are and how supportive we are of each other.”
Bencic scored her 10th straight victory over left-handers, a slice of tennis trivia that had the world No. 14 puzzled.
“I hate to play against lefties so I’m surprised by this statistic,” Bencic said. “Very tricky.”
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Bencic figured out Eala enough, however, to advance.
“Belinda put me in some really tough situations,” Eala said. “I wasn’t able to get myself out of a certain mood.
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“It’s always tough, of course, after a loss. But like I said, I’m looking back at these past maybe two weeks as a really big positive. I think I’ve played really well.” INQ
The Toronto Blue Jays made a flurry of moves as they get ready for a tough stretch against some AL East rivals.
Righty Simeon Woods Richardson and infielder Charles McAdoo were recalled from triple-A Buffalo, and in a corresponding move, righty Lazaro Estrada and utility man Davis Schneider were optioned down, the team announced Monday.
Woods Richardson, 25, was acquired from the Minnesota Twins earlier in the season but has only made three appearances with the Blue Jays, pitching 10 innings of relief without surrendering a run. He had four hits, seven walks and five strikeouts in that time.
In six appearances at triple-A in the Jays organization, he pitched 24.1 innings while posting a 4.07 ERA and 1.315 WHIP and 20 strikeouts.
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McAdoo, meanwhile, has enjoyed a productive week with Buffalo, going 13-for-28 with four homers to win the International League player of the week nod and a second call-up to the majors.
He last appeared for the Blue Jays in June, playing in eight games while notching one homer, four hits, three RBI and two runs while holding a .160 batting average through 25 at-bats.
With Buffalo, the 24-year-old is slashing .269/.366/.465 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI through 331 at-bats over 89 games.
Estrada, 27, last appeared in Sunday’s 7-6 extra-innings defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies and was credited with the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits. In seven relief appearances with Toronto this season, he has a 4.50 ERA and 1.250 WHIP.
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Schneider, 27, has struggled mightily at the plate this year, posting a .142 batting average and .569 OPS with three home runs in 61 games.
The Blue Jays return to action as they open up a four-game series against the surging Boston Red Sox. Catch the action on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
While widely regarded as an “all-time legend”, Manny Pacquiao has equally been accused of swerving a world title opportunity at 147lbs.
The Filipino was destined for the Hall of Fame long before his temporary retirement, having become an eight-division world champion by the time he lost to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
It was therefore not beyond the realms of possibility that the 47-year-old would enter another welterweight title fight, this time bidding to reclaim his old WBA belt.
Or at least, that was the hope for reigning champion Rolando Romero, who had explored a potential Pacquiao showdown earlier this year.
He was then upgraded to full welterweight champion after Jaron Ennis, the former unified king at 147lbs, announced that he was moving up to super-welterweight.
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‘Rolly’ therefore felt he had a chip with which to bargain for a Pacquiao fight, only to instead land a title defence against Teofimo Lopez for August 22.
Speaking with DAZN, Romero maintained his belief that Pacquiao “ducked” him while, at the same time, showing no shortage of respect for the pound-for-pound great.
“He ducked me. But [Pacquiao’s a] legend, all-time legend.”
Following the collapse of his rematch with Floyd Mayweather, which was supposed to take place later this year, Pacquiao seemingly remains in search of a new opponent.
NEW DELHI: India have added 19-year-old Manas Dhamne to their Davis Cup squad for the first time as they prepare to face South Korea in Seoul on September 18-19.The Qualifiers Round 2 tie is a major one, with the winner earning a place in the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna in November.World No. 362 Dhamne joins Sumit Nagal and Dhakshineswar Suresh in the singles group, while Yuki Bhambri and N Sriram Balaji continue as the doubles pair. Arnav Paparkar and Sidharth Rawat have been named reserves.Dhamne’s inclusion is the only major change after India’s memorable 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in Bengaluru in February. That win took India into the second qualifying round for the first time since the Davis Cup format changed in 2019.
Dhakshineswar Suresh has earned his place after an outstanding performance against the Netherlands. The 26-year-old won both his singles matches and also teamed up with Bhambri to win the doubles rubber.He sealed the tie by beating world No. 162 Guy Den Ouden 6-4, 7-6(4), after earlier defeating world No. 88 Jesper de Jong. South Korea also won a thrilling 3-2 tie against Argentina. India will need another strong performance in Seoul to reach the Final 8 and make their first appearance at the elite stage under the current format.
The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium will host the BWF World Championships from August 17 in New Delhi. (Image: TimesofIndia.com)
New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi has received a fresh coat of paint, new infrastructure, and swanky lights ahead of the BWF World Championships, which return to India after a 17-year gap. The objective is to host the best in world badminton, administrators from around the planet, thousands of fans and multiple VIPs starting August 17. The objective is also to ensure the pigeons and monkeys stay away, avoiding a repeat of the chaos at the India Open, earlier this year.In January, during the India Open, pigeons halted play in the match between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew. Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt strongly criticised the practice and warm-up facility’s hygiene. She complained about dirty areas and bird droppings near the training courts.While the Badminton Association of India (BAI) refuted the allegations, they and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), alongside the Sports Ministry, are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring something similar doesn’t happen again.Wooden doors have given way to a double-door entry system in order to keep the monkeys away from entering the four-court premises and the training facilities at the KD Jadhav Stadium. Vents have been sealed to keep the pigeons from entering. Additionally, six plug-and-play machines have been imported from the US and installed to emit noise made by predatory birds. Further, non-toxic gel has also been filled in the roof ducts.The wheels for the preparations began as early as February, with things picking up pace in May. Hundreds of workers and contractors from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) have been busy at work for the past few weeks to bring the tournament to fruition.
Machines from the US have been brought in to tackle pigeons during the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. (Image: TimesofIndia.com)
“The order for the pigeon gel went out in April, and it was imported only recently; it arrives in 10 days. It is a plug-and-play machine and can be imported from one stadium to another,” said a source tracking developments to TimesofIndia.com.“The only hiccup is that it can’t be used at one place for a long period. The pigeons get accustomed to it and understand that this is not natural. But in the last 15-20 days of tests, it has worked well,” he added.The gel in use is castor oil-based and has been installed on the surface of the root at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Every time a bird sits on the top of the arena, it’ll slip, ensuring they stay away.
Glass doors have been installed at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi as part of the infrastructural overhaul. (Image: TimesofIndia.com)
Another challenge for the organisers in the past has been monkeys. A full-grown rhesus macaque roamed the upper tier of the stands during the India Open. Now, as part of a Rs 20 crore revamp, 16 entrances have been fitted with glass doors and an automatic double-entry system.And if all else fails, a four-man team, led by Delhi-native Jabbar, is on hand to make noises similar to that of a langur to fend off monkeys. Born into a family of professional monkey whisperers, Jabbar, who earns Rs 25,000 a month, is confident that his and his team’s vocal cords will be enough to keep monkeys at bay.
Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Ask Kevin O’Connell and he’ll say that conducting a passer battle was the hope all along. After all, that’s what he told Dan Barreiro is a recent training camp chat.
The KFAN host lobbed a Cris Carter comment to Minnesota’s skipper, a claim that asserted J.J. McCarthy was a Kwesi Adofo-Mensah guy rather than an O’Connell guy. The implication, perhaps, is that O’Connell feels quite free to move on toward greener pastures: Kyler Murray.
O’Connell denied that claim, instead insisting that his desire back in 2024 was to see McCarthy battle with Sam Darnold. Welcoming Murray for a quarterback competition is therefore a restoration of the original vision rather than a refutation of the McCarthy decision.
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In theory, O’Connell’s answer sounds good, but it doesn’t fully add up.
Kevin O’Connell and The Desire for a QB Competition
What was so striking about last season’s quarterback competition was that there wasn’t a competition.
At various points, Coach O’Connell worked through a clunky avoidance of the issue. He wouldn’t firmly name Mr. McCarthy as the starter but would (for instance) say that Mr. McCarthy was taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. The odd game of cat-and-mouse eventually led to the sophomore quarterback getting named the starter. The competition was a long, awkward coronation.
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Why didn’t true QB competitor get added in 2025? Per O’Connell, that’s been part of his vision from the beginning.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) scrambles during first-half action against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 14, 2025. McCarthy moved outside the pocket to extend the play as Minnesota searched for rhythm on the road in the early stages of the matchup. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.
Maybe Minnesota felt as though they had competition in Sam Howell. That’s tough to believe, though, given how things unfolded. The former Seahawk got shown the door before the 2025 season began, suggesting that he did very little to impress the coaching staff.
Neither of the other options — Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer — were understood as competitors in the QB1 battle. They fought to be the QB3 rather than the QB1.
An obvious retort is that Minnesota made a solid effort to re-sign Daniel Jones. Doing so would have meant welcoming legitimate competition to the Twin Cities. That’s a vital detail that does carry weight and does need to be remembered.
What’s odd, though, is that Jones walked and then Minnesota did basically nothing until trading for Howell during the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Refusing to sign Aaron Rodgers likely cost the team a spot in the playoffs. But, to be sure, the amount of headaches in Minnesota decreased. Rodgers likely was never going to be open to a true battle. If there was a real desire to conduct a competition, then Rodgers is the wrong guy. He’s insufferable as the QB1; imagine him being the QB2.
Why not a turn toward free agency, a spot that always has at least decent options? One such option, Mr. Carson Wentz, only got added very late. Too late, in fact, to have played a part in the competition (to the detriment of the Vikings’ ability to compete in 2025).
Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) speaks with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The point, folks, is that the Kevin O’Connell answer about wanting competition doesn’t fully add up. Quite possibly, the skipper pushed for a competitor and then had the former GM fail to deliver. If so, then O’Connell would be wise to avoid throwing his former colleague under the bus.
But then there’s another part of the mix: all of the public praise from O’Connell toward McCarthy. He hasn’t been shy about articulating his belief in McCarthy being the quarterback.
At one point, O’Connell referred to the kid as Minnesota’s franchise passer. So, too, did he posit that teams fail young passers before young passers fail a team. He’s likely very correct about at least one of those statements (franchise failure) and may end up looking a bit foolish for the other (McCarthy the franchise passer).
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Looking back, the Vikings made a really poor decision when failing to introduce a true competitor into the mix last year. Doing so would have been much easier to manage in the media given that McCarthy was coming off a fully lost rookie season do the injury. Instead, the team worked through some weird, vague answers about McCarthy not being the QB1 before he really struggled as the QB1.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy delivers a downfield throw during first-quarter action on Nov. 16, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, operating within the scripted portion of the offense as Minnesota evaluated timing, protection, and decision-making against Chicago early in the divisional matchup. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
Hovering around all of this discussion is the possibility that Kevin O’Connell ends up rolling with the kid. McCarthy has proven to be scrappy, precisely the characteristic that makes him such a compelling option. Seeing him seize the starter’s job and never relinquish it would be the best outcome for the franchise.
The Vikings will see the pair of top arms get back into action tomorrow as the team gets back to work at practice.
For the first time since 2019, the UFC’s Octagon will take center stage in the “City of Brotherly Love” on Saturday when UFC 330 lands at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev (28-1) will headline the event as he sets to make his first welterweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry (17-1). In the co-feature, Mackenzie Dern will defend her women’s strawweight title against decorated submission ace Gillian Robertson (17-8).
Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC 330 for no additional fee — every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!
As we draw closer to fight night, let’s take a look at the biggest storylines entering UFC 330.
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1. Islam Makhachev takes his swing at UFC’s most vaunted record
With an incredible 28-1 career record and world titles in two different UFC weight divisions, Makhachev should already be under consideration for recognition among the top 10 fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon. But should he defeat Garry on Saturday in his first title defense at 170 pounds, Makhachev will pass Anderson Silva for sole possession of the UFC record for consecutive victories at 17. It’s a hallowed record that speaks to a fighter’s consistency, ability to win close fights and sustained greatness. And outside of a flash first-round knockout loss to Adriano Martins in his second UFC bout in 2015, Makhachev has been just about perfect. Silva completed his record of 16 straight UFC wins in 2012 with a first-round TKO win over Stephan Bonnar at light heavyweight. The closest anyone has come to breaking it since was former welterweight king Kamaru Usman who, after winning his first 15 UFC bouts, suffered a 2022 upset loss to Leon Edwards via fifth-round knockout (while up handily on the scorecards) in their UFC 278 rematch. Makhachev, a protege of retired and undefeated former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is a machine and, at 34, still has time to put the record out of reach.
2. Ian Machado Garry might be Makhachev’s toughest title test to date
For as polarizing as the 28-year-old Garry, a native of Ireland, can be to the MMA fanbase for his opinions and lifestyle, it’s hard to deny the physical and technical challenges he brings to the table in this matchup. It’s an opinion shared by many MMA pundits and members of Makhachev’s extended team. Garry, whose lone career defeat came in a competitive 2024 loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov, immediately bounced back with consecutive decision wins over feared knockout artist Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad. Even though Makhachev has already beaten more prominent names from a historical standpoint during his run at lightweight — including Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski (twice) and Dustin Poirier — Garry is much bigger, longer and more defensively sound than most of Makhachev’s foes. Garry will wield advantages of five inches in height and four inches in reach against the champion. And not only is Garry hard to hit clean and difficult to take down and control, he has supreme self confidence and a strong fight IQ. While few are outright picking an upset win for the nearly 3-to-1 underdog in Garry, most expect the fight to be competitive and difficult for the champion and a true test of his welterweight capabilities.
3. Women’s MMA gets a much-needed shot in the arm with UFC strawweight title bout
A rampant run of injuries to open 2026 has made for an uneventful first half of the year for the trio of UFC women’s divisions. Outside of former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso’s thrilling (and violent) first-round knockout win over Maycee Barber in March and the recent rise of strawweight contender Fatima Kline, there hasn’t been a whole lot to talk about on the women’s side. A bantamweight title superfight between champion Kayla Harrison and women’s G.O.A.T. Amanda Nunes, which was originally set for Jan. 24 at UFC 324, was postponed due to Harrison needing neck surgery and still hasn’t been rescheduled. And lingering injuries to two-time flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko has kept her out of action since November of last year. The good news for this weekend is that Dern-Robertson is expected to be a competitive fight between submission experts in a division that feels wide open at the moment.
4. The true prime of Mackenzie Dern’s career (and star potential) begins now
Even before making her 2018 UFC debut, Dern was forced to shoulder the pressure of being the next big thing in women’s MMA and a possible successor to former champion Ronda Rousey from the standpoint of submission skills and marketability. It took a little time to get there, of course, including a stretch between 2021 and 2024, where Dern lost four of six fights. But at 33, the American-born daughter of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Wellington “Megaton” Dias finally fulfilled her potential by capturing the UFC’s vacant 115-pound title last October in a five-round decision win over Virna Jandiroba. Now, the question becomes whether Dern can capitalize upon her opportunity by building a title reign and becoming a true star. A longtime fan favorite, Dern benefitted from the timing of not having to go through Rose Namajunas, Joanna Jędrzejczyk or Zhang Weili to win the title. And now is her time to prove she belongs as champion when she puts her three-fight win streak and 11-5 record inside the Octagon on the line against Robertson. With the division going through some real turnover at the top (and Zhang’s future uncertain after she moved up to flyweight and lost a title bout against Shevchenko last November), Dern has a real shot at making strawweight her own.
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5. Title challenger Gillian Robertson’s story is one of perseverance
Robertson, a 31-year-old native of Canada, made her UFC debut in 2017 after an appearance on season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” But just five years into her UFC run, Robertson held a record of just 7-5 in the Octagon and was looked at as anything but a title threat. Somewhere along the way, her skills leveled up and both her focus and confidence increased with experience. And ever since a 2022 decision loss to JJ Aldrich, Robertson has gone 7-1 with four wins by stoppage and she brings a five-fight win streak into Saturday’s co-main event. In 2023, Robertson also set a UFC record for the most submission wins by a female fighter with seven. A victory against Dern would also make her the third Canadian-born champion in UFC history after Carlos Newton and Georges St-Pierre.
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