Kevin Vallejos needed two-and-a-half minutes to get the job done Tuesday.
If Cam Teague wasn’t so tough, it would’ve been even less time clocked for Vallejos (14-1) who won with a standing TKO barrage at 2:33 of Round 1 during their featherweight bout at Dana White’s Contender Series 73 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Vallejos, a second-time competitor on the series, showed off his punching power. Teague (7-1) walked through many shots early, but when a big body punch stung him badly, he was unable to protect himself consistently enough and the floodgate of attack by Vallejos opened.
Teague became ultra-protective of his body, leaving his head open for a bomb from Vallejos that stunned him. Vallejos upped the pressure and backed Teague against the fence. Vallejos punched away as Teague covered up and eventually toppled over. That was all referee Kevin MacDonald needed to see.
Argentina’s Vallejos, 22, competed on DWCS in 2023 and lost a unanimous decision to Jean Silva, a fighter who has slowly emerged as a potential future contender in the UFC. He won back-to-back fights to punch his ticket back.
Alabama’s Teague loses for the first time as a professional. After a build for smaller local shows, Teague took a step up when he fought and defeated former UFC fighter Austin Lingo for Fury FC in August.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 73.
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Lamine Yamal will miss Spain’s Nations League game with Serbia on Tuesday to prevent any further injury after suffering a muscle strain.
Barcelona’s Yamal hobbled off in injury time during Spain’s 1-0 win over Denmark on Saturday.
The 17-year-old had an MRI scan on Sunday and will return to his club after withdrawing from Spain’s camp.
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“The tests did not reveal any structural injury, and the medical staff of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed it is a case of muscle strain,” said Spain in a statement on Sunday.
“Prioritising the player’s health and to avoid any risk of injury ahead of the upcoming match against Serbia, it has been decided to withdraw him from the squad.”
Yamal was on the receiving end of several tough tackles in the victory over Denmark and, following the game, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the teenager cannot expect a “bed of roses” playing at the highest level.
“The referee has to protect these talented players, but Lamine has to get used to it,” said De la Fuente.
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“Lamine displayed an exceptional attitude and generated a lot for us from the right flank. He has a special talent. I had a teammate who used to say: ‘What do you want, kisses [from the opponents]?’
“Teams will use the weapons they can within the rules.”
Yamal has been replaced in the squad by Atletico Madrid’s Rodrigo Riquelme.
When asked by FOX NFL Sunday studio analyst Howie Long after the game if the Lions are the best among the eight teams he has seen in person this season, Brady did not hesitate.
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“Absolutely,” Brady said. “I just think their ability to play on offense — there’s so many styles to play. They’ve got this two-headed monster [David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs] at [running] back, creative play-calling. Everybody’s involved. They got [wide receiver Kalif] Raymond involved.
“Gibbs played, he played pretty well today, but at the same time, it wasn’t this electric performance that we’ve seen from him. They got [Amon-Ra] St Brown, [Sam] LaPorta. They just have weapons, and obviously it all starts with that offensive line. The way they dominate the line of scrimmage, you can get any pass rush, Goff is back there surveying the field. They just seem like they got everything rolling. And on defense, they’re up there challenging people. They’re playing man coverage, challenging every single play. And it’s frustrating when you’re a quarterback and there’s no easy throws out there.
“They’re going to be tough to stop. I think they’ve got a lot of humility in that locker room. They got a lot of guys that are playing for one another. … Man, the Lions are a tough team to beat.”
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Brady also holds a special affinity for Goff. The two have much in common beyond just their shared history at quarterback, as they both grew up in Northern California and spent impactful parts of their careers in Michigan — Brady in college with the Wolverines and Goff currently with the Lions after an up-and-down stint with the Los Angeles Rams to start his career.
Tom Brady says Lions are the best team he’s seen this year after dominant win vs. Cowboys
“I went through a very similar experience — I was a California kid, I went to the Midwest, to Michigan,” Brady told Kevin Burkhardt during the game broadcast. “And that fan base, in Michigan, they love football. And they’re supporting Goff in the same way that I felt supported when I was at Michigan. It toughened me up, made me a better player. And when I see Goff out there, I love the chip on his shoulder. I hope he never loses that because that resilience, determination, is so critical to long-term success.”
Things are very different for football fans in Dallas, however. Brady has been on the call for all three of the Cowboys’ home games, and in each one, Dallas has fallen behind by more than 20 points and ultimately failed to come away with the victory. Two of those losses, including on Sunday, have come in blowout fashion.
“I think that the number one issue is their ability to run the football,” Brady said. “And I said early in the [broadcast] that maybe the best way to do it is throw the ball early and then open the run game up, because you’ve done a good job spreading the field, and now they’ve got to play pass defense.
“And I think they’ve tried to start these games trying to be balanced, but the problem is, when they’re not producing in the run game, a quarter-and-a-half into the game, they’re down 14. They’re down 17. Now they are one-dimensional, and the other team has made them one-dimensional. I would like to see them start the game a little more pass-happy, a little more pass-oriented, try to get a lead. They actually had a decent drive here to start the game, settled for a field goal, then they turn the ball over on their next red-area possession. But that was more of the right idea.”
Lee Carsley clarifies quotes he made in a television interview by saying he is “definitely not” ruling himself out of the running to become permanent England manager.
The England interim manager had earlier told ITV: “This job deserves a world-class coach that has won trophies and I am still on the path to that.”
Hutchinson’s leg appeared to snap above the ankle when it collided with the left leg of teammate Alim McNeill as Hutchinson was pulling Prescott down in the third quarter Sunday.
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The Lions were leading 34-6 at the time of the injury to Hutchinson, who entered the game as the NFL leader in sacks with 6.5.
“Obviously, he’s going to be down for a little while,” Campbell said. “That’s tough. It’s hard when you lose somebody like him. But we’ll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best.”
Hutchinson underwent surgery on his leg soon after he arrived at the hospital, according to ESPN.
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There was a delay of about 10 minutes as medical personnel tended to Hutchinson while players from both teams made a large circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft.
Topuria is the UFC featherweight champion while Muhammad holds the welterweight title, and given there’s an entire weight class between the two champions, you might not expect the two to have problems with one another. You would be wrong.
Though Topuria is just weeks away from his first featherweight title defense, “El Matador” recently did an Instagram Live where he had some harsh words for Muhammad and his recently announced title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov for UFC 310.
“Belal vs. Shavkat? Shavkat,” Topuria said. “Belal, he’s a fake champ. He’s a fake. I think right now in the welterweight division, the one who will come back and take the belt again is Kamaru Usman, in my opinion. Easy work for Usman.”
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Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards for the welterweight title back at UFC 304, after Edwards took the belt from Usman and successfully defended against him in their rematch in 2023.
Of course, Muhammad wasn’t fond of Topuria’s trash talk and responded in kind on Twitter on Sunday, mocking Topuria in a similar fashion to how Max Holloway did earlier this week.
Didn’t this dork just buy a fake bmf belt to pose with.. he’s starting to become the Georgian version of Coby Covington
“Now you’re just copying stuff word for word off memes. [Laughing emoji]”
In other circumstances, the beef between these two could all be laying the groundwork for an eventual champ vs. champ fight, but given the weight disparity that seems unlikely. Instead it appears we’ve got some good, old-fashioned beef just for the sake of it.
But neither man has much time to dwell on this feud as they both have pressing business to attend to. Topuria defends his featherweight title against Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, while Muhammad puts his belt on the line against Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.
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