ABU DHABI – Alex Pereira might have his next title challenger.
At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev added another victory to a resume viewed by many to already be title shot-worthy when he defeated Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The light heavyweight bout took place on the main card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
As he referenced in the lead up to the bout, Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) didn’t feel he needed a finish in order to earn a championship crack. During Saturday’s fight he utilized all 15 minutes to find victory.
It was a classic Ankalaev performance full of technical striking, kicks, and clinch work. The gap between him and Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) wasn’t large, but it was evident and consistent.
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After the fight, Ankalaev pointed to Rakic for the lack of action in the bout and voiced his opinion that Rakic was the one evading exchanges.
“I think I’ve done everything to earn the title shot,” Anakalaev said. “I’d like to talk to Alex. I’d like to tell him stop running away from me. We should fight. That’s what everybody wants to see.”
Ankalaev has not lost in 13 fights since his UFC debut in March 2018. Many fans and media members predicted Ankalaev would be Pereira’s most recent title challenge, but the promotion elected to go with Khalil Rountree instead.
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers stormed ahead to a 2-0 World Series lead after winning the first two games at home. The Yankees‘ offense was all but shut down by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, which also featured an injury scare for Shohei Ohtani after he was caught stealing second base in the seventh inning.
Here are our top four takeaways from the Dodgers’ 4-2 win Saturday.
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1. Aaron Judge’s disappearing act
It’s extremely difficult to believe the Yankees will force this World Series to go the distance, much less win, without the MVP version of Judge. For the second straight day, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher completely neutralized Judge’s bat. Game 1 starter Jack Flaherty and Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto combined to strike out Judge five times in six at-bats and didn’t allow him to reach base. Yamamoto especially looked confident facing the player who recorded the highest OPS (1.159) in baseball in the regular season.
Judge is now 1 for 9 with six strikeouts in the Fall Classic. He’s 6-for-40 in this postseason with 19 strikeouts to accompany just two home runs and six RBIs. Within a span of a few weeks, he’s gone from being the best hitter in the universe to waving at offspeed pitches like he’s an automatic out.
The Yankees have had a hard time publicly admitting that Judge is missing pitches in the postseason that he would normally get to. Whether it’s the long layoff before the playoffs began or the break between the ALCS and the World Series, it seems entirely plausible that the lack of everyday at-bats and games have messed up Judge’s timing. That could be why he finally broke out in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Guardians with a game-tying two-run home run off top closer Emmanuel Clase. If he just needs time to warm up, then he could have a huge week ahead of him when the Series goes to the Bronx on Monday. With a championship on the line, the Yankees can only hope that’s the case. — Deesha Thosar
Turns out Edman’s MVP performance in the Dodgers’ NLCS against the Mets wasn’t a fluke. Los Angeles’ Swiss-army knife has picked up right where he left off, going 4-for-8 with two runs scored and an RBI in the World Series so far. His latest trick was a solo shot to left field off Carlos Rodón in the second inning to put the Dodgers on the board.
Edman hadn’t even played this season when Andrew Friedman traded for him this summer. The Dodgers needed an infielder at the time, knowing that they didn’t want to play Mookie Betts at shortstop anymore, while factoring in that Gavin Lux and Kiké Hernandez are not everyday players. There was real risk in making him the lone position-player addition at the deadline. Nobody really knew how Edman would play after his offseason wrist surgery, which included a setback in spring training. While his performance in August and September was serviceable, Edman has been huge for the Dodgers in October.
Not only is he showing up at the plate, but the former Gold Glover has seamlessly shifted between shortstop and center field from game to game. While his name won’t often come up on a team full of superstars, he’s been a huge coup for the Dodgers — and he could be an enormous factor in them winning the whole thing. — Thosar
3. Carlos Rodón gets rocked
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After the southpaw’s turbulence this postseason, the Yankees had to know there was a fat chance that Rodón would unravel the way he did on Saturday. Aaron Boone and the Yankees’ decision-makers are just as responsible for this poor outing as the left-hander himself is. Rodón took the mound for Game 2 having surrendered seven earned runs in his previous three playoff starts (14.1 innings) this October. He spiraled against the Royals in the ALDS, then course-corrected in his first outing of the ALCS, only to struggle again in the clincher versus Cleveland. On Saturday, he surrendered home runs to Edman, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández by the third inning and was pulled in the fourth.
The up-and-down nature of Rodón’s postseason spelled trouble the moment New York lost Game 1 to Los Angeles. More than anything, the Yankees needed a reliable starter who would give them the best chance to return to the Bronx with a series split. That made right-hander Clarke Schmidt the superior option for Game 2, not only because he has been more consistent on the road than Rodón, who pitches better at home, but also because the Dodgers hit lefties so well. Why take that chance when the Yankees had to get even?
Beyond the team’s culpability, Rodón being unable to deliver on the sport’s biggest stage is a huge blow to the Yankees. Nights like Saturday were precisely why they signed him to a six-year, $162 million deal before the 2023 season. That he stayed healthy all year, ate up innings and delivered quality starts in half of his 32 outings when ace Gerrit Cole missed the first two-plus months of the season with an elbow injury was invaluable. His instability since then made him a questionable choice to start Saturday in the first place, and it now has the Yankees in a potentially insurmountable 0-2 hole. — Thosar
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4. A potentially costly loss in victory
A commanding 2-0 lead in the series did not come without a potentially significant cost, as an already injury-ravaged Dodgers roster might have taken its biggest hit.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani suffered a subluxation of his left shoulder when he was caught stealing in the seventh inning. Roberts was encouraged by the initial strength and range of motion tests and said he’s “expecting him to be in the lineup,” but he won’t know more until scans are completed.
“Obviously when you get any one of your players that goes down, it’s concerning,” Roberts said. “But after kind of the range of motion, the strength test, I feel much better about it.”
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Dodgers players after the game did not seem to know the severity of the injury. Ohtani left the stadium immediately after the game and was not available to provide an update. Based on initial testing, though, Roberts believes Ohtani will be available to play as the series moves to New York.
“I’m expecting him to be there,” Roberts said.
Ohtani had been caught stealing just four times while recording 59 stolen bases during the regular season, but he has been caught stealing on both of his attempts this postseason. — Rowan Kavner
Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
LISBON, PORTUGAL – NOVEMBER 08: Paige VanZant, UFC, on Centre Stage during day three of Web…
LISBON, PORTUGAL – NOVEMBER 08: Paige VanZant, UFC, on Centre Stage during day three of Web Summit 2018 at the Altice Arena on November 8, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. In 2018, more than 70,000 attendees from over 170 countries will fly to Lisbon for Web Summit, including over 1,500 startups, 1,200 speakers and 2,600 international journalists. (Photo by Sam Barnes /Web Summit via Getty Images)
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Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic, UFC 308 Scorecard
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Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former champion Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) to secure a face crank submission at the 3:34 mark of Round 1. The middleweight bout was the UFC 308 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
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Less than 20 seconds into the fight, Chimaev stormed in with a takedown. He was able to get one hook in as he worked for the rear-naked choke. Whittaker defended well, as Chimaev continously tried to drag him down. Chimaev finally took his back, but Whittaker exploded out. However, Chimaev was able to jump on his back again. His pressure proved to be too much as he was finally able to get across Whittaker’s face, forcing him to tap quickly.
IT’S OVER! Khamzat Chimaev chokes out Robert Whittaker in ROUND ONE 😱
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