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Brendan Allen: Sean Strickland’s style tough for Nassourdine Imavov

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Brendan Allen believes UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is a bad matchup for Nassourdine Imavov.

Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) said he’s 100 percent confident that he’s next in line for a title shot against Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC). Imavov hasn’t lost a bout since dropping a five-round decision to Strickland in January 2023 – a fight which Strickland took on short notice at light heavyweight.

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Allen (27-7 MMA, 15-4 UFC), who also has a loss to Strickland, explained the difference between their short-notice fights.

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“It was up at 205. I think Sean took it on Tuesday, but from what I understood from that one is Sean was out, he was chilling, that’s why it was at 205,” Allen told Submission Radio. “When I fought Sean, he had just fought two weeks before. So, he was still in really good shape. I was the one who didn’t want to make ’85 back to back. I didn’t know how my body would recover, so that’s why we fought at ’95, but he was still in really good shape. But with Imavov, I heard he’d been out. He was recovering, not really training super a lot.”

Despite the different circumstances that a rematch would take place in, Allen still sees Strickland getting the best of Imavov.

“It’s one of those things. Styles make fights,” Allen said. “I think Imavov is overall a better fighter, but maybe that style just gives him a little bit of a problem with how he leans and how he moves and things like that, and the pressure he’s going to try to put. I like Imavov. He’s a good guy. I have a lot of respect for him, but I just think that style is going to be hard. But if I’m pulling for someone, I’m going to pull for Imavov.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brendan Allen: Sean Strickland’s style tough for Nassourdine Imavov

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2026 Big Ten Media Days schedule, where to watch: When coaches, teams take stage

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The Big Ten arrives in Chicago for media days this month carrying college football’s heavyweight belt.

Three consecutive national championships from three different programs — Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana — have flipped college football’s power structure and given the league unmatched bragging rights entering the 2026 season. That championship streak will frame every conversation inside the Hilton Chicago, where expectations are soaring across an 18-team conference loaded with legitimate playoff threats.

Curt Cignetti sits atop the summit after completing Indiana’s improbable rise, while Ryan Day, Dan Lanning and Lincoln Riley remain among the sport’s most scrutinized power brokers. Add proven program-builders such as Matt Campbell, Kyle Whittingham, Jedd Fisch and Kirk Ferentz, and there’s not a deeper collection of accomplished coaches anywhere in the country.

Big Ten Media Days are no longer simply a Midwest football gathering. This is a three-day summit for the conference currently dictating the national conversation. Quarterback battles, championship expectations and the pressure attached to several high-profile jobs will dominate the week, but the league’s central message is already obvious: The road to another national championship still runs through the Big Ten and everyone else is trying to catch up.

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Here’s a look at where to watch 2026 Big Ten Media Days, along with a breakdown of the full appearance schedule ahead of the anticipated event. 

Where to watch 2026 Big Ten Media Days 

Dates: July 28-30
Location: Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue | Chicago, Illinois
TV: Big Ten Network

2026 Big Ten Media Days schedule 

All times Eastern

Thursday, July 30

Indiana (12:30 p.m.) — Curt Cignetti | Isaiah Jones, LB; Carter Smith, OL; Tyrique Tucker, DL

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Maryland (12:45 p.m.) — Mike Locksley | Malik Washington, QB; Daniel Wingate, LB; Michael Hershey, OL

Michigan (1 p.m.) — Kyle Whittingham | Jordan Marshall, RB; Trey Pierce, DT; Bryce Underwood, QB

Nebraska (1:15 p.m.) — Matt Rhule | Luke Lindenmeyer, TE; Justin Evans, C;  Andrew Marshall, CB

Northwestern (1:30 p.m.) — David Braun | Robert Fitzgerald, DB; Caleb Komolafe, RB; Griffin Wilde, WR

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Washington (1:45 p.m.) — Jedd Fisch | Landen Hatchett, C; Jacob Manu, ILB; Demond Williams Jr., QB

More from Big Ten Media Days 

Three national titles and counting: The biggest questions facing each Big Ten team at 2026 media days
Ohio State’s uniform patches: Nothing is sacred in college football anymore 
Day 1 takeaways: Penn State ready to contend, Tony Petitti downplays contention with SEC
Lincoln Riley could never solve Gary Patterson: Now he needs him to help save USC
Day 2 takeaways: It looks like title or bust for Ohio State, Oregon
Fact or Fiction? Is Ohio State’s running game good enough to win a national title?
College sports legislation on the brink: Big Ten, SEC await critical bill language as Senate clock winds down

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Cote Atlantique primed for 2026 Aurie’s Star Handicap as trainer plots spring campaign

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Close-up of a man wearing a gray cap and jacket, speaking outdoors.

Trainer Henry Dwyer is counting on Cote Atlantique’s retained fitness to ensure a strong first-up performance in Saturday’s Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington.

The Irish-bred import is returning after a series of races in Victoria, New Zealand, and Brisbane, with Dwyer believing the gelding has progressed optimally through his winter preparation.

Dwyer observed Cote Atlantique’s final workout at Ballarat on Tuesday prior to his own departure for the United Kingdom, where his stable’s prominent runner, Asfoora, is slated to compete in the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood on Friday night (Melbourne time).

Cote Atlantique delivered several commendable performances during his initial Victorian season, finishing second to the future Group 1 winner Sepals at Caulfield. He followed this with a fourth-place finish behind Evaporate and Transatlantic at Sandown, a duo that subsequently claimed the quinella in the Toorak Handicap.

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He also secured a notable victory in the Seymour Cup, defeating the highly-rated Saint George.

Dwyer felt the gelding experienced some ill fortune during his Brisbane campaign but noted that the primary advantage was escaping the harsh Ballarat winter climate.

“He’s fully acclimatised now and he’s had the winter up in Brisbane just to get him out of the cold at Ballarat,” Dwyer remarked. “He was a bit unlucky in a couple of runs up there and he probably should have won a couple with even luck. He’s a good, genuine, honest sort of horse. I think about Listed, Group 3 class. He had those runs up there, he’s had a really light four weeks between runs. He had a gallop on Tuesday, which was pretty much his only gallop in four weeks, but he has good residual fitness.”

“We thought we’d give him a run down the straight and then there’s a nice 1400-metre Listed race, the Leon Macdonald Stakes, in Adelaide three weeks later. It’s a weight-for-age race, he’s rated 100, so it’s a bit hard to place him, but he seems in good order.”

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Dwyer stated that the stable intends to carefully select races for Cote Atlantique throughout the spring, aiming for events that best suit the consistent galloper.

“It’s a long spring ahead and there’s plenty of options for him,” Dwyer said. “We’ll find the weakest races we can. He’s been very consistent without winning a lot of races in his time here. I think he’s best at 1400 metres with the blinkers on, so I don’t know if we’ll stretch him out to the mile again. He just gets the mile, but he wants soft tracks too.”

In other news, Dwyer has joined Asfoora in England after the mare arrived in Newmarket on Wednesday, preparing for her Group 2 assignment at Goodwood. This marked the trainer’s initial opportunity to see the mare since her last-place finish in a Group 3 race at Sandown on July 4.

“She seems good,” Dwyer confirmed. “She had 10 days in the paddock after Sandown and is 10 days back in work. She looks terrific. She’s sound, there’s nothing wrong with her. She can run on Friday and hopefully run well and then most likely go to stud.”

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Check out the latest racing odds for the Aurie’s Star Handicap.

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Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue makes massive claim while showing off speed at training camp

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Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue is preparing for his second season with the franchise. Blue, who had a limited role in his rookie season, grabbed headlines on the first day of training camp this week.

During the first day of the Cowboys’ training camp on Wednesday, Blue made one of the best plays after he showed off his speed with an explosive 45-yard touchdown run.

Following his dynamic play, Blue made a bold claim in a conversation with Jon Machota of The Athletic. The second-year running back claimed that players don’t “stand a chance” against him in one-on-one situations.

“My speed is what I’m best at,” Blue said. “Once I get in the open field and it’s one-on-one, I don’t think anyone in this league can stand a chance.”

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Blue was limited to just five games in his rookie year and played more than 15 snaps only once, in the regular-season finale. He rushed for his first NFL touchdown in the Week 18 clash against the New York Giants.

Also Read: “Jerry Jones is incapable of running the team”: NFL fans rip Cowboys owner for “ruining franchise’s future for a wild gamble” amid Vita Vea trade buzz

Also Read: “I would give up future”: Jerry Jones reveals exploring blockbuster trade to put Cowboys in win-now mode for 2026 season

Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue expected to be key offensive weapon in 2026

Jaydon Blue posted 128 rushing yards with one touchdown in his rookie season. However, his dynamic plays is expected to add another dimension to the Cowboys’ offense this season.

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Cowboys’ Pro Bowl wide receiver KaVontae Turpin is another dynamic threat in the Cowboys’ offense. His offensive partnership with Blue could help the Cowboys’ playoff push in 2026.