“I don’t think it’s past,” Welch told Submission Radio. “I mean, you never know what’s going to happen in the UFC. It’s not impossible that Volkanovski goes out there and beats Ilia Topuria. I mean, that’s possible. So, you never know, and I do think stylistically, Sean could give Ilia problems. He really could, but Ilia Topuria is a very, very scary fight.
“That’s not a fight you go in there and be like, ‘Oh yeah, man, we’re going to go out,’ – it’s like, you make one mistake with Ilia Topuria, and you’re going to be lights out, looking up at the ceiling or whatever. But that’s a scary, scary fight. But I do believe that Sean, with his range and with his speed and with just his overall skill set, he could give Ilia problems. I do believe that.”
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After losing his title to Dvalishvili, O’Malley underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip – an injury he came into the fight with. Dvalishvili appears willing to grant O’Malley an immediate rematch, and if the pair do run things back, Welch is confident that “The Suga Show” would get the finish.
“A healthy Sean, I do believe we go out there and end up KO’ing Merab in between some sort of scramble or something,” Welch said. “On the in-betweens, I think Sean will be able to catch his chin and put him down.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
St Mirren footballer Kevin van Veen has appeared in court charged with domestic abuse.
The 33-year-old entered no plea at Hamilton Sheriff Court to the charge of engaging in a course of behaviour which was abusive of his partner or ex-partner.
The case was continued until 28 November.
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The Dutch striker joined the Paisley club in the summer on loan from FC Groningen and previously played for Kilmarnock and Motherwell.
He did not appear in his club’s match on Wednesday against St Johnstone due to injury.
Earlier this month another St Mirren player, Shaun Rooney, left the club by mutual consent after being charged with assault following an incident in a Glasgow takeaway.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Mike Malott was surprised by the end of his most recent fight as well as the immediate aftermath, but he hopes he’s better from it.
On the wrong side of a Comeback of the Year candidate, Malott (10-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) lost by third-round TKO to Neil Magny in January. Nine-and-a-half months later, Malott hopes to show off the lessons he’s learned Saturday when he takes on Trevin Giles (16-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place.
“You’ve just got to reassess and see what went wrong,” Malott told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I feel like you do the same thing after a win, right? See what you can improve on? But it’s how much do you want to dive into that. You can write it off to being like, ‘Well, I won 14 minutes of that fight and just made a couple of bad decisions at the end and a couple things went wrong, so if I just don’t do those, then I’ll be fine next time and I beat that guy nine times out of 10. Or we can do what we did.
“It’s like, look, it’s probably the symptom of a much larger problem that we didn’t recognize as much. How do we dive into that and figure out where we can get the most growth? That’s what we did. So the last nine (or) 10 months, I’ve been focused on improvement and growth and getting back in here to be the most confident version of myself, the most prepared for the fight that I can possibly be.”
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The loss was one thing. The blowback afterward was another entirely.
Given Malott was a hot prospect pedestaled as the next torch bearer for Canadian MMA, opportunists emerged out of the digital woodwork to kick him while he was down.
“I’ll be honest. It was surprising at first,” Malott said. “I assumed there would be some negative criticism. But man, I was blown away by how many people were waiting for me to fall. But also on the opposite side, too, we can focus on that all day. There’s a ton of negativity you can focus on, but there’s also a ton of positivity. A ton of people messaged me and were like, ‘Look, man. You obviously showed some great stuff in that fight. You were winning the majority of that fight.’ It’s not like I got steamrolled for 15 minutes and have to rethink my entire game.
“Again, I think I win that fight most times. If we run that fight back however many times, I think I win the vast majority of those fights. I think I showed some solid skills in that fight, but I also showed some things that need to be improved. We just focused on what needs to be improved the last eight or nine months or whatever. Again at first, it was a little bit surprising. It got to me for the first week or two. I was really down on myself about it a little bit. But once I was able to get back in the gym and actually make or take steps toward making improvements and resolving issues, that kind of took care of itself.”
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Now Malott has a shot at redemption. The circumstances are similar in some ways, as he has the opportunity to prove himself in his home country against a veteran fighter.
“It would’ve been nice to fight in July (in Denver as was scheduled), the fight that I prepared for,” Malott said, referring to his canceled bout vs. Gilbert Urbina. “But I’d much rather pull out of a fight in Denver than a fight in Edmonton. I’m excited to get back in front of those Canadian fans.”
Rose Namajunas hopes to get into title contention with a win over Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton on Saturday, but she could have arguably been closer already if her previous fight happened as scheduled.
Back in July, Namajunas was set to face Maycee Barber in a fight that potentially was to determine the No. 1 contender in the division. Unfortunately, Barber fell ill in the days leading up to the fight and she still hasn’t return to action as she continues to deal with her medical issues.
Namajunas moved on and defeated Tracy Cortez in dominant fashion instead and was happy to then book the fight against Blanchfield on Saturday rather than revisit the matchup with Barber.
“I always had my eye on Erin whenever she started her momentum and stuff in the UFC,” Namajunas said during UFC Edmonton media day. “I was in strawweight and thought she was a great competitor and somebody that if I ever got the chance to face her, I’d be really excited about.
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“It’s unfortunate with Maycee there’s a lot of ambiguity, a lot of questions what’s going on. I still wish her health and wellness and hopefully she can get back to things but it really sucks when you train specifically for a fight and then it just gets all the way down to it and then it doesn’t [happen]. I’m good at adapting and changing scenarios and things like that. I would just be a little hesitant to book that fight right away because there’s a lot of questions with what’s going on with her.”
While Barber just recently posted an update that she’s continued to work with multiple doctors searching for answers so she could begin working towards her comeback, Namajunas wasn’t going to wait on that possible fight. Instead, she gets a higher ranked opponent in Blanchfield (currently No. 4 at 125 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings), who looks to rebound after suffering her first loss in the UFC in a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot.
By all accounts, Fiorot, who also holds a win over Namajunas, is expected to get the next flyweight title shot against reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko sometime in 2025. Nothing has been signed, sealed or delivered by the UFC when it comes to that matchup, however, so Namajunas wouldn’t complain if she got the chance to jump the line with an impressive win over Blanchfield on Saturday.
“I guess anything’s possible and that’s my intention to put on a really good performance enough to where there’s no doubt I could be next,” Namajunas said. “But I just feel as if Manon deserves it next anyways regardless of what I do. She technically has a [win] over me. I do feel like if that was a five-round fight, I think I could have found a way to win. I was finding it towards the end. But it is what it is.”
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Namajunas wouldn’t complain if she was granted a title shot, but again she’s not going to be too upset to potentially face Fiorot in a rematch or get the chance to go up against Shevchenko, one of her idols in the sport.
“If [Manon Fiorot] wins the belt, that would be great to fight her again or even have that dream matchup with Valentina one day,” Namajunas said. “So I’d be excited to see them fight but if the UFC wanted to put me ahead of that with a very spectacular performance, I’d be open to that as well.”
Namajunas has often talked about her adoration for Shevchenko after they trained together in the past. It might be bittersweet to face her in a title fight, but Namajunas couldn’t imagine a better person to fight than somebody she admires so much.
“She’s definitely always been my favorite female fighter,” Namajunas said about Shevchenko. “She’s somebody that I admire a lot and trained with a lot. It would be hard for me to not just be fanning out while I’m fighting her at the same time, it would be kind of weird.
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“At the same time, just as a martial artist, it would be the ultimate dream to test myself against I’d say one of the truest martial artists in the game right now.”
For Climent, this means going up a weight class and challenging UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who’s considered by many as the pound-for-pound best.
“The fight that I think would put Ilia at the very top without any discussion that he’s the best fighter in the world would be against Islam Makhachev,” Climent told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “The fight is against Islam because at this moment he’s a defending champion. I know Ilia has only defended his belt once and that can make it difficult to get the opportunity, unless you’re a Conor (McGregor). So I do think they’re going to give it to (Alexander) Volkanovski (next).”
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Climent sees Volkanovski as the next likely option for his pupil. But given the result of their first meeting back in February, he doesn’t see the former champ as the biggest challenge for Topuria.
Climent undoubtedly sees Makhachev as thee toughest test, but still with a clear path to victory.
“It’s our toughest fight,” Climent said. “However, after seeing how much success Volkanovski had against him the first fight, of course (we) see an opportunity. This is the toughest fight, without a doubt, but I like it.”
Many notable fighters called out Topuria following his historic title defense against Holloway, an indication to Climent that Topuria is quickly becoming one of the most important names in the sport.
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“Paddy ‘The P*ssy’ made some comments. Dustin Poirier called him out. That means Ilia is doing big things because that only happens when you’re truly doing big things,” Climent said. “Everyone that wants a spotlight is calling him out, Conor and others. I still think the best fight is against (Makhachev) and the biggest money fight is against Conor, which I see a bit unlikely.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Check out the Hablemos MMA YouTube channel for Spanish-language videos and interviews with MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
There are no automatics when it comes to betting on the NFL.
Oddsmakers are dialed in on the point spread. And if your NFL wagers are somehow hitting above .500 over an extended period of time, then count yourself fortunate.
That said, if you just blindly bet the Detroit Lions against the spread (ATS) every week since the middle of the 2022 season, then you’d have a 29-8 ATS record and quite a bit more money.
Does that trend hold up in NFL Week 9 odds, when the Lions travel to face the Green Bay Packers?
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Early bettors seem to think so.
“To nobody’s surprise, they’re playing the team everybody loves to bet, which is the Lions,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “The Lions are amazing, and they’re really fun to watch.”
Oddsmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on Lions vs. Packers and a handful of other games, as we dive into NFL Week 9 betting nuggets.
NFL Rocks On FOX
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The known facts about Lions-Packers: This matchup is easily the Game of the Week, and it’s on FOX at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday. Also known as the weekend approaches, Detroit is a 3-point road favorite at Caesars Sports, down from a -4.5 opener on Sunday.
But the unknown is the issue: Will Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love play? Love suffered a groin injury in the second half of the Packers’ 30-27 win at Jacksonville in Week 8.
Love didn’t practice Wednesday and remains questionable for Sunday’s NFC North showdown.
“This is a tougher game to book, because we’re really not getting the full picture on whether Jordan Love is gonna play,” Feazel said. “If he’s out, this line goes to Lions -4.5. If he’s playing, I think maybe we see this going to Lions -1.5/-1.”
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But again, early bettors like the favorite.
“They don’t think Love is gonna play,” Feazel said.
Detroit is 6-1 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) this season, while Green Bay is 6-2 SU/4-4 ATS.
NFL Sharp Side
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Professional bettor Randy McKay went 1-1 on point-spread bets last week, cashing on Los Angeles Rams +3 vs. Minnesota Vikings and falling just short on New York Giants +7 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.
McKay has three NFL plays this week, starting with the Denver Broncos vs. Baltimore Ravens. He likes underdog Denver at +9.5 or +10.
“Baltimore is coming off the loss to Cleveland, and faces a Denver team with a strong defense that should match up with the Ravens’ running game,” McKay said. “Baltimore’s defense is still banged up, so I see this game closer and lower scoring.”
On Tuesday, Minnesota acquired left tackle Cam Robinson in a trade with Jacksonville.
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Despite losing with the Giants last week, McKay is going with Big Blue again this week. He likes New York +3.5/+4 vs. the Washington Commanders.
“The Giants are coming off a tough loss, where they looked like the right side against the spread,” McKay said of New York’s 26-18 setback at Pittsburgh. “This is a rematch from Week 2, where the Giants should’ve won the game, but the kicker got injured. I see another close one here.”
New York place-kicker Graham Gano was hurt early in that Week 2 game. The Giants lost 21-18 as 1.5-point road underdogs.
Commanding Attention
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The public betting masses often tend to remember what they saw last. In Week 8, that was mostly a miraculous Commanders prayer answered in an 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Meanwhile, on Monday night, the visiting Giants lost to the Steelers 26-18.
“People are gonna remember Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary and Daniel Jones not playing well on Monday night,” Feazel said while speaking about this Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX between the Commanders and Giants. “We’re seeing one-way action on the Commanders.
“The Commanders are really becoming a public team. Daniels is making some noise in Washington.”
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Nick wants Bears-Commanders bet back, Jayden Daniels not ranked over Caleb Williams
NFL Quick Hits
Feazel touched on two other notable games in NFL Week 9 odds:
Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills: Caesars opened Buffalo as a 6-point home favorite, spent a couple days at -6.5, then went to -6 on Tuesday afternoon. “We’re taking a lot of Bills money here. It’s one-way action so far.” Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: In the Monday night game, Kansas City is pinned to -9 at Caesars. “So far, not a lot of action. It’s a pretty high number at 9, so some of the sharper customers are playing the Bucs. The Chiefs aren’t really winning because of Patrick Mahomes. They’re winning because of their defense. Kansas City has looked vulnerable at times. But I do expect to see more Chiefs action, because the Bucs are so banged up.”
I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie
There are no reported six-figure plays yet in NFL Week 9 odds. But trust me, they’re coming. They always do. Three notable wagers at Caesars Sports:
$22,000 Panthers +7.5 vs. Saints: Carolina is a league-worst 1-7 SU and ATS. The Panthers have lost five consecutive games on the scoreboard and on the point spread. The Caesars customer is just hoping Carolina can stay within seven at home vs. New Orleans. If that happens, then the customer profits $20,000 (total payout $42,000).
$11,000 Raiders +7.5 vs. Bengals: If underdog Las Vegas covers, then the bettor profits $10,000 (total payout $21,000)
$11,000 Packers +4.5 vs. Lions: This bet will look a lot better if Love plays and the line drops to +1 or so by kickoff. If the ticket hits, then the bettor profits $10,000 (total payout $21,000).
And just a reminder: We like little bets that win a lot, too.
If the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer would move one step closer to turning five bucks into a whopping $823,705.
Provided the Dodgers finish off the New York Yankees, all that remains is a Detroit Lions Super Bowl to complete this eight-leg parlay of championship winners.
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It’s hard not to root for that!
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas
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On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel gives their first reactions to the news, discuss the latest information, and what the UFC can do to save the card.
Host Mike Heck is joined by MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew to answer your questions all show long.
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