LAS VEGAS – It was a rough day at the UFC Fight Night 247 weigh-ins.

Two fighters missed their marks on the scale. But even though he hit his mark, Ricky Turcios (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was pulled from his bantamweight co-main event against Bernardo Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), it was announced after the official weigh-ins, for medical reasons.

That fight only had been elevated to the co-main event when an original matchup between former champion Cody Garbrandt and Miles Johns was scrapped when Garbrandt pulled out earlier in the week. Now the middleweight bout between UFC newcomer and former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Gerald Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) presumably will get the esteemed second-billed spot, though the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement of the changes.

It is not yet known which fight from the prelims will move up to the planned five-fight main card, though all the fights stream on ESPN+, regardless. UFC Fight Night 247 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The new UFC Fight Night 247 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

• Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
• Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

• Denise Gomes vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
• Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious
• Zach Scroggin vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
• Charlie Radtke vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Stamann
• Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli
• Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Sygula

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.

FOX Sports’ NFL pregame show will originate from Naval Base San Diego on Sunday, continuing the network’s tradition of going on the road to honor the military on Veterans Day.

This is the second time in five seasons “FOX NFL Sunday” is headed to a military base in San Diego. It was at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in 2020.

The show originated from the U.S. Air Force Academy last year, completing in a run where it visited the nation’s three military academies in a five-year period.

“Fox NFL Sunday” was also aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean Sea in 2000 and visited Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in 2009.

The two-hour program, which will start at 11 a.m. ET, will feature Rob Gronkowski jumping from an MH-60s helicopter into the Pacific Ocean and the entire cast training with Navy SEALs.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Borthwick has made changes in the hope his finishers can match up to the job description.

All-brawn Luke Cowan-Dickie comes into the squad in place of all-court Theo Dan. The six-two split on the bench between forwards and backs has been abandoned in favour of a more conventional five-three split, meaning the pack won’t be shuffled as dramatically in the closing stages.

The only change to the starting XV is a positional switch in midfield, with Ollie Lawrence swapping to outside centre and Henry Slade coming inside to 12.

The theory is that it should enable Lawrence – restricted to two carries against New Zealand – to get the ball in more space.

However, the revival of a dual playmaker shape that worked fitfully under Eddie Jones has potential weaknesses.

Slade will have to lead the backline defence from a different perspective, clocking dangers both inside and outside. Just back from shoulder surgery, he is also placed in the high-traffic lane where Lawrence made 27 tackles against the All Blacks. Len Ikitau – Australia’s hard-running inside centre – is sure to test Slade early.

On the other side of the ball, England certainly need something to spark their attack.

Against New Zealand, they were heavy on perspiration, but light on inspiration.

England’s solitary try came from a smart Marcus Smith intercept of a ponderous pass, but they rarely looked as if they could pick a way though the defence via their own wit.

Among the world’s top 10 nations, only Wales have been less efficient in turning entries into the 22 into points this year.

England have some fine attacking talents. But, whether it is the system or individuals within it, potential has not been cashed in as points.

If it had, their last four defeats – all by a converted score or less – could have been very different.

England’s repeated failure to get over the horizon and out of sight will give 5-1 outsiders Australia hope.

The instant installation of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the backline will add to it, even if the weight of expectation will surely sit heavy on the 21-year-old.

Jon Jones has a response for everyone claiming he’s avoiding a fight with Tom Aspinall.

In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Jones said that the one fight he’s interested in after his heavyweight title clash with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 would be a champion vs. champion bout with light heavyweight king Alex Pereira. “Bones” was the most successful champion at 205 pounds in the promotion’s history and a bout with Pereira, currently one of the most popular fighters in all of MMA, would undoubtedly draw massive interest.

However, Jones has long been the target of interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall—ranked No. 1 in the division by MMA Fighting—who has already defended his title once while Jones hasn’t even fought since winning his share of the crown in March 2023 (a considerable portion of Jones’ time on the shelf has been spent recovering from a pectoral injury that caused his fight with Miocic to be pushed back an entire year).

A segment of fans and media have been highly critical of Jones not defending against the rightful challenger and Jones took the time to fire back at his critics in a since-deleted tweet.

“I’m going to hide in my mansion and not come outside, people are calling me a duck come on ho my world is over”

“what is this high school? lol”

Shortly after Jones erased that comment from his timeline, he followed up with a longer, more thoughtful response.

“As at this point in my career, every decision is rooted in purpose,” Jones wrote. “My journey isn’t dictated by hype or outside opinions—it’s about crafting a legacy that speaks for itself, one step at a time. I’m here to do what’s right for my career and my legacy, with a vision that’s clear and unshakable. Focused, driven, and in complete control of myself. The story continues, and it’s unfolding exactly as I’ve envisioned.”

Jones is already widely hailed as one of the greatest fighters of all time based on his light heavyweight run, which saw him defend his UFC championship 11 times, only losing titles due to outside-of-the-cage issues including a 2015 hit-and-run conviction and a failed drug test in 2016. He added the heavyweight title to his collection with a dominant win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

Franco Colapinto‘s strong arrival in Formula 1 has created a small earthquake that threatens to shake up the 2025 grid amid rumours linking him to Red Bull’s teams.

The 21-year-old has impressed since replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams, having scored points in two of his six outings with the Grove-based team.

Although Colapinto doesn’t have a full-time seat for 2025, Williams boss James Vowles admitted the team was actively working with rival squads to find a spot for him on the grid next year.

Speculation during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend went as far as linking him with a Red Bull drive alongside Max Verstappen, taking over the seat of the struggling Sergio Perez.

The interest in the Argentine by Red Bull was confirmed by the team’s executives themselves during the Interlagos weekend.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner visited the Williams hospitality to meet Vowles – a meeting that was not missed by those present in the paddock.

Christian Horner, Team Principal Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

While Colapinto is attracting interest from Red Bull, the question remains as to where he would be placed should he end up joining the energy drinks company’s roster.

According to rumours picked up over the Interlagos weekend, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko sees Liam Lawson, who has made a strong return to F1 since the United States GP, as Verstappen’s team-mate in 2025.

In this scenario, an RB seat would be available for Colapinto alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

However, speculation suggests Horner’s plan would be different, as he would prefer to promote Colapinto directly to Red Bull alongside Verstappen, in which case Lawson would be heading for his first full season in F1 at RB.

Horner would be interested in this scenario in order to maximise the financial potential of Colapinto, whose popularity has exploded in Argentina and throughout Central and South America.

The move would not be without risk, however, given Colapinto’s limited experience.

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Horner’s vision also would not support the work of the Red Bull Junior Team, a programme that was once flourishing but has stalled in recent years.

For Marko, the possibility of promoting Lawson represents a return to the process that until a decade ago ensured the team was able to draw successfully from its own pool of young drivers.

Placing Colapinto alongside Verstappen after four seasons in which the role was held by Perez would be a blow to the junior programme, and Red Bull would find itself in the situation of locking its youngsters into RB for the fifth consecutive season.

In the past this has also been influenced by the calibre of the drivers, but Lawson appears to be doing everything he needs to do to be a candidate for a role in the main team.

At the moment, however, Colapinto is still a Williams driver. Vowles has raised the bar quite high for those interested in him, with rumours claiming a demand of $20 million.

Jack Doohan, Reserve Driver, Alpine F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

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On top of that, a wild rumour has also emerged this week linking Colapinto with Alpine, despite the team having officially confirmed Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan for 2025.

But not all the choices have been made by the current management.

Also endorsing this hypothesis was a test run by Alpine last Tuesday in Qatar with the 2022 car, a test that was intended for junior driver Victor Martins and Doohan, but Gasly surprisingly also took to the track.

Gasly’s presence is considered by some as a desire from the team to have feedback about Doohan’s performance.