UFC 309 fight week is upon us and while most of the attention has been on the fights atop the bill, circumstances have required the promotion to tinker with the undercard.

Thursday, the promotion made two changes to Saturday’s card at Madison Square Garden in New York official. With Lucas Almeida out of his preliminary card bout vs. David Onama, in steps promotional newcomer Roberto Romero.

Romero (8-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) went 6-1-1 in Combate Global in the eight fights prior to his UFC signing. He most recently competed in July and won by first-round rear-naked choke. The win bounced him back from a loss in December.

Onama (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has proven himself a must-watch fighter over the span of his six-fight UFC tenure to date. Whether it’s his brutal knockout of Gabriel Santos or his back-and-forth wars against Nate Landwehr and Mason Jones, Onama has proven himself a tough test for all opposition.

Additionally, the main card opener between Mauricio Ruffy (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and James Llontop (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has been changed from lightweight (155 pounds) to super lightweight (165 pounds). No reason was given for this change.

With the changes, the UFC 309 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Champ Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
• Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
• Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
• Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
• James Llontop vs. Mauricio Ruffy

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/FX/Hulu, 8 p.m. ET)

• Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
• Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
• Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller
• David Onama vs. Roberto Romero

PRELIMINARY CARD (Hulu/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

• Jhonata Diniz vs. Marcin Tybura
• Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
• Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott
• Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Patrick Everson

FOX Sports Betting Analyst

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Last season, the Colorado Buffaloes were a public darling the first few weeks. But after a 3-0 start, the Buffs fell apart, winning just once more in a 4-8 campaign.

Fast-forward to the latter stages of this season, and Coach Prime & Co. have a legitimate shot at a College Football Playoff berth. Colorado is a sizable favorite vs. Utah on the college football Week 12 oddsboard. 

And the public betting masses are back.

“We’ve certainly seen an uptick in Colorado action, week after week,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said.

Bookmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on Utah vs. Colorado odds and more, in this week’s college football betting nuggets.

College Football Rocks On FOX

Last week, in the Big Noon Kickoff on FOX matchup, Colorado erased a 13-point first-quarter deficit at Texas Tech and rolled to a 41-27 victory as 4.5-point favorites. That put the Buffs at 7-2 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS).

This week, Colorado is again in the Big Noon Kickoff, hosting Utah at noon ET on Saturday. The Buffaloes have been bet up to 11.5-point favorites at Caesars, after opening at -10.

Deion Sanders’ squad is 6-1 SU and a perfect 7-0 ATS in its last seven games.

“This is a team with a lot of talent,” Feazel said, alluding to Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders, among others. “The Buffaloes were kind of over-hyped last year, but they’re now proving themselves.”

On the flip side, Utah was a preseason favorite to win the Big 12, but is a disappointing 4-5 SU/3-6 ATS. The Utes got out to a 4-0 SU start, but lost their next five. Quarterback Cameron Rising missed three of the first six games and was ruled out for the rest of the year after a leg injury vs. Arizona State.

So it’s no surprise to see the point spread jump 1.5 points in favor of host Colorado.

“The action is telling the same story. We’re seeing more Colorado action here,” Feazel said.

Utah vs. Colorado: Who will win this Big 12 showdown?

Another SEC Showdown

Every week, it seems as if there’s a massive SEC game. In Week 11 college football odds, it’s Tennessee vs. Georgia. Neither team can afford a loss.

Georgia (7-2 SU/2-7 ATS) just fell at Ole Miss 28-10. A third loss would likely end any hopes of the Bulldogs making the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee is 8-1 SU/5-4 ATS, but probably can’t absorb a second loss and still make the CFP. Making things more difficult for the Vols this week: Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is in concussion protocol. So, as of late Wednesday night, Iamaleava is questionable to play in this 7:30 p.m. ET clash on Saturday.

Caesars opened Georgia as a 9-point home favorite and made stops at -9.5/-10 on the way to -10.5 by Wednesday afternoon.

“The line is suggesting that Iamaleava’s not gonna play. But I think he probably goes,” Feazel said. “This is a huge game for Georgia, probably an elimination game. Right now, it’s pretty good two-way action, leaning a little bit more toward Georgia.”

Georgia vs. Tennessee best bets, predictions & odds in CFB Week 12

On-Campus Sharp Side

College football betting expert Paul Stone isn’t interested in Utah vs. Colorado. But he is involved with another key Big 12 game: Arizona State vs. Kansas State, with both teams looking to stay alive in the conference title chase.

Both teams are 7-2 SU overall and 4-2 SU in the Big 12. ASU is much better vs. the spread, though, at 7-2 ATS, while K-State is 3-6 ATS.

Stone noted that the winner of Saturday’s 7 p.m. ET kickoff will need some help, but will remain alive for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Kansas State is coming off a bye week, after losing 24-19 at Houston as a 12.5-point favorite. Dating back to late in the 2021 season, the Wildcats have covered nine straight games off a straight-up loss.

Stone likes Kansas State to bounce back and also pointed out the Wildcats have thrived as home favorites in recent seasons. K-State is an 8-point favorite vs. ASU.

“Handicappers shouldn’t rely solely on point-spread trends. But they certainly can complement the other pieces of your handicapping process,” Stone said. “Kansas State is off both a bye and a loss — plus the Wildcats are 13-4 ATS as a home favorite since the start of the 2022 season. I view all those elements as positives from the Kansas State perspective.

“Additionally, Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson is off a two-interception showing against Houston and will be out to make amends for that performance. I look for Kansas State to put its best foot forward and win by double-digits over Arizona State.”

Colorado vs. Utah: CFB Week 12 Super Six

I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie

By late Wednesday night, only a few big bets were reported on college football Week 12 odds. The most interesting one involved wagering quite a bit to win not nearly as much on the biggest game of the week.

At Caesars Sports, a customer put $20,000 on Georgia moneyline -355 vs. Tennessee. To win the bet, the customer just needs Georgia to win. The point spread doesn’t matter.

If the Bulldogs win, then the bettor profits $5,633.80, for a total payout of $25,633.80. That might not seem like much, relative to the size of the bet. But if you just look at its return on investment, 28.1% is not too bad.

Other notable early bets at Caesars:

• $55,000 Georgia State -2 vs. Arkansas State. If the Panthers win and cover, then the bettor profits $50,000 (total payout $105,000).
• $10,000 Hawaii -2.5 at Utah State. If the Rainbow Warriors win and cover, then the bettor profits $9,090.91 (total payout $19,090.91).

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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HISTORIC rugby club Wasps have confirmed plans to build a new 28,000-seater stadium.

The six-time Premiership winners have bought land at a site in Swanley in Sevenoaks – two years after going into administration.

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They were relegated from the top flight in 2022 and thrown out of the league.

But they have applied for entry to the Tier 2 division – which is replacing the Championship from next year.

And now Wasps have revealed they have an option on the 10-year site which they hope will play host to their new ground.

They announced the news with a picture of a glistening state-of-the-art stadium.

Wasps previously held home games at a number of different football stadiums including those owned by QPR, Wycombe and Coventry.

Wasps owner Christopher Holland told Sky Sports: “It’s very rewarding that we have managed to achieve this milestone with the support of key stakeholders.

“It brings our aspiration of a new home in the region closer and hopefully demonstrates our determination to recover Wasps sustainably.”

Wasps confirmed during the development process they will be “exploring temporary facilities”.

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The rugby team have already agreed a deal to train and play matches at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways ground.

In 2014 they purchased Coventry City’s football stadium, where they played home matches.

But following Wasps’ bankruptcy, that ground is now owned by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.

It has been reported that Wasps could temporarily move back to London and share The Valley with League One side Charlton.

That would mean three teams playing at the same venue, as Charlton’s women’s team have also held home games there since the start of the season.

Tom Aspinall obliged a unique autograph request ahead of UFC 309.

The interim heavyweight champion is in New York for fight week as he prepares to weigh in as the backup for Saturday’s main event featuring Jon Jones defending his share of the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. In the lead-up to the fight, much has been made of Aspinall’s attempts to secure a future unification bout with Jones or Miocic, with neither committing to competing again after this weekend much less guaranteeing they will fight Aspinall.

During his visit to “The Big Apple,” Aspinall had a humorous interaction with a fan sympathetic to the cause. Aspinall posted a video to his Instagram Stories showing the fan asking him to sign a rubber duck that just so happened to have Jones’ name on it, a reference to Jones “ducking” the British star.

Watch the scene below (h/t Championship Rounds).

“Wild place New York,” Aspinall wrote on the video.

Though Jones and Aspinall are not scheduled to fight, tensions between the two have been at an all-time high. Jones—the greatest fighter in the history of the light heavyweight division and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time—won a vacant heavyweight title with a dominant submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, but was unable to defend his title in a scheduled bout against Miocic at UFC 295 after suffering a pectoral injury.

In Jones’ absence, Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to claim an interim title and has already successfully defended it once, while Jones and Miocic have remained focused on their duel that was re-booked for Nov. 16.

Jones has given a number of reasons for not acknowledging Aspinall’s suggestion of a unification bout, most recently saying Aspinall is “such an assh*le that I don’t want to do business with him.”

Red Bull was concerned about being portrayed as the “villain” in the new Formula 1 film, co-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has revealed.

The upcoming F1 movie has seen heavy involvement from the real-world paddock, with filming continuing to take place on grand prix weekends, including at the recent Mexico City Grand Prix where star Brad Pitt was pictured waving to fans.

The cars used for the fictional APXGP feature F1 bodywork bolted to F2 machinery, with Mercedes having created the unique vehicles.

Due to this involvement, the black-and-gold cars feature Mercedes and AMG logos, something that led to rival teams, including Red Bull, fearing how they would be portrayed in the production.

In conversation with outgoing Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei at the 2024 Investor Day event in New York, Bruckheimer said: “The interesting part is that, since we teamed up with Mercedes, the other teams said ‘wait a second, this movie is going to be about Mercedes and we’re going to look bad’.

“Red Bull said ‘we’re going to be the villains’. It took us three years to convince them that they weren’t going to be the villains and we finally got to a place where all the teams are really leaning into us to really help us.”

When the title of the film was revealed in July, it was met with a mixed reaction, with it branded as either alienating or a good piece of marketing by our writers.

Brad Pitt

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

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Asked why this simplistic titling was important, Bruckheimer said: “Because the greatest racing movies were Le Mans and Grand Prix, and now there’s going to be F1.”

F1 has a release date of 25 June 2025 in the UK but details on where the global premiere will take place remain unconfirmed with Bruckheimer joking, “That’s up for discussion.”

When Maffei said, “I thought we had an idea. I thought I knew, but OK,” Bruckheimer added:

“I think we’re going to show it to the drivers and to the F1 teams in Monaco and then we’ll have premieres in New York, London and a bunch of other cities.

“Brad is really invested in this movie. He doesn’t like to do press but I think we’ll take him on a world tour where he’ll be glad to show his efforts in driving and acting in this movie.”

Both Van Poortvliet and Steward, known to Borthwick from his time at Leicester Tigers, were regular starters last year.

However, scrum-half Van Poortvliet suffered a tournament-ending injury before a ball was kicked at the World Cup, while Furbank took over the number 15 jersey from Steward during this year’s Six Nations.

“Jack is a player that was playing a lot of games for England prior to the World Cup in 2023 and then had that nasty injury,” Borthwick told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He has worked exceptionally hard to come back from that.

“He had a couple of niggles last season and probably wasn’t quite at 100% but from what I have seen in training the last couple of weeks, the speed of ball Jack brings to the attacking game is exceptional and he is right up to his very best.”

England have shown signs of progress in their attacking intent and have led late on in each of their past four defeats.

Borthwick’s plan of kicking for both the posts and territory in a controlled performance nearly paid dividends against the Boks at the World Cup before a late Handre Pollard penalty denied them a spot in back-to-back finals.

The inclusion of Steward – a reassuring presence in the backfield and under the high ball – suggests England could be planning to kick for the skies to stifle their visitors and play for territory.

Borthwick added: “It is the right time to bring Freddie in for this game. He has trained really well and played really well for his club so far this season. George is available and I’m pleased with what he has done in the last couple of weeks but I felt it was a physical game for him last week.

“South Africa kick more contestable kicks than anybody else in the world. It means you have to be very good under the high ball and have to be good in chasing the high ball.”

Van Poortvliet, meanwhile, is a strong box-kicker and will try to manoeuvre England into better areas on the field as well as spotting opportunities to throw the ball wide for Marcus Smith to threaten the gainline.

The home crowd has yearned for more attacking rugby in recent weeks and, although England have gone some way towards delivering that, perhaps the best opportunity to get over the line against the world champions is to revert to type and play a controlled game.