Sports
Chimaev’s takedowns the biggest obstacle for Strickland at UFC 328
While most of the discourse ahead of the highly anticipated UFC 328 main event has revolved around the animosity between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, it ultimately shouldn’t be much of a factor once the cage door locks on Saturday night in New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
Unless Chimaev completely abandons his typical wrestling-first game plan, the undefeated middleweight champion’s path to success against Strickland is a clear one.
Chimaev, who’s also currently the No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound talent on the UFC roster, is regarded as the most dominant grappler in mixed martial arts. His first title defence may simply come down to whether he can put Strickland in unfamiliar territory.
Strickland, the former champion and brash 35-year-old from California, is usually able to prevent his opponents from deciding where the fight will take place.
His above-average 76 per cent takedown defence has been tested against many of the division’s best fighters, but Chimaev is an entirely different beast when it comes to the grappling aspects of the sport.
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Chimaev landed his first of 12 total takedowns on Dricus Du Plessis within 10 seconds of the first round starting last summer at UFC 319 en route to winning the UFC middleweight title. He controlled Du Plessis for 21:40 out of 25 total minutes and landed more than 500 total strikes — albeit nearly all were pitter-patter shots and only 37 were registered as significant strikes.
Strickland has not shied away from being critical of Chimaev’s character and controversial political connections, so perhaps Chimaev will put more force behind any potential ground-and-pound strikes he throws at Strickland.
In the past 10 years, only two fighters have been able to land more than one takedown on Strickland. One was former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman when he won a three-round decision over Strickland in 2017, and the other was when Strickland lost the title to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in early 2024.
Strickland was taken to the mat six times by Du Plessis in that fight, but was only controlled on the ground for 2:08 out of 25 minutes. He was consistently able to get back to his feet but those takedowns were ultimately the difference in a close split decision and he lost the title.
The consensus opinion is that it’s inevitable Chimaev will take Strickland down and it’s just a matter of if he can find a submission, finish with ground strikes, or do to Strickland what he did to Du Plessis.
If Strickland can manage to work back up from underneath Chimaev, it’ll be a massive accomplishment and his primary key to victory.
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Watch UFC 328 on Sportsnet+
Khamzat Chimaev puts his middleweight title on the line against former champion Sean Strickland. Watch UFC 328 on Saturday, May 9 with prelim coverage beginning 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Strickland told reporters earlier this week during a media scrum that he brought out former Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen to help him prepare for Chimaev’s wrestling-based style.
“My growth as a fighter comes from a love of the sport,” Strickland said of his improvements over the years.
If he can stay on his feet long enough to find a home for his accurate and bothersome jab, maybe then he’ll be able to generate some momentum. Strickland’s cardio is proven, which could be an advantage, since Chimaev has slowed down in a couple of his fights that made it out of the first round.
Chimaev is 15-0 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC coming off consecutive wins over past champions Usman, Du Plessis and a jaw-crushing submission of Robert Whittaker.
The 32-year-old was born and raised in Chechnya, Russia, began his MMA career while living in Sweden, and now competes under the flag of the United Arab Emirates. He has fans from all around the world, including in the New Jersey area, so even though Strickland is an American fighting in the United States, the fans in attendance might be somewhat split come fight night.
Strickland is coming off a terrific performance against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez less than 80 days ago. Hernandez is also a relentless wrestler and Strickland was able to pass that test. In fairness, though, Hernandez does not have the same level of physical strength as Chimaev and Hernandez only attempted one takedown against Strickland before abandoning that game plan.
Strickland would be wise to assume Chimaev will be far more aggressive pursuing takedowns and submissions than Hernandez.
The high-volume, defensively sound striker has landed more than 100 significant strikes in 10 of his 14 appearances since 2020.
Chimaev, on the other hand, is notoriously difficult to hit, though, since most of his fights consist of him controlling and dominating his opponents. Chimaev has only absorbed 1.04 significant strikes per 15 minutes during middleweight competition in the UFC, which is the lowest average of all active 185-pounders. He also ranks first in the division in both control time percentage and top position percentage.
Oddsmakers have Chimaev listed as roughly a six-to-one betting favourite over Strickland ahead of UFC 328. Strickland hasn’t been this wide an underdog since he upset Israel Adesanya to initially win the title in 2023.
UFC 328 also features a men’s flyweight title fight in the co-main event when Joshua Van attempts to defend his title against Tatsuro Taira.
Liam Cameron has been working with a sports psychologist, hoping to strengthen his already robust mindset ahead of his light-heavyweight encounter with Brad Rea.
Anyone familiar with the Yorkshireman’s story will know it has taken no small amount of grit and tenacity for him to reach this stage in his life, let alone his fighting career.
And, because of this, Cameron knows how vitally important it is to maintain a strong mindset, especially in a sport like boxing.
By employing a sports psychologist, the 35-year-old has been able to gain a fresh perspective on the fear factor that comes with his chosen profession.
And this, he tells Boxing News, has only enabled him to better understand his reasoning for being involved in the hardest of sports.
“As humans, we complicate things. Our mind gets carried away; we overthink everything.
“As boxers, we need to have the mindset of a surfer: We can’t predict what waves are coming, but we’ve got to ride the wave when it’s there. We can’t think, ‘Oh, this wave’s too big’.
“[The sports psychologist] sent me a video of [actor] Will Smith jumping out of a plane. No one’s forcing Will Smith to get into that plane – just like, in boxing, no one’s forcing us to fight.
“But all this fear builds up in our head and then, once we’ve jumped, the fear goes.
“So, [working with a mindset coach has] made me understand that I’m only boxing because I absolutely love it.”
While being reminded of his passion for the sport, Cameron is still riding the wave of his points victory over Troy Jones in November.
It was a somewhat debatable result, and perhaps not his greatest performance, but Cameron takes confidence from getting the job done with an injury.
“I took the fight on four weeks’ notice and had a really bad injury. Being the person I am, I thought, ‘There’s levels to this game. I can still beat this guy’.
“So I got in the ring while not being able to throw any power shots, or move my head, and I made it hard work for myself. But if I can do that while being properly injured, what am I going to be like now?
“It was a trapped nerve in my shoulder joint, but it was pulling on my neck. Not many people would’ve gone through a fight feeling like that.”
Indeed, Cameron is more capable than most when it comes to pushing through the pain barrier, even if it means producing a more workmanlike performance.
Having fully recovered from his injury, though, the former Commonwealth champion is now determined to showcase his technical prowess against Rea.
The pair will square off on May 9, featuring on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, where Cameron expects to take full advantage of Rea’s supposed defensive flaws.
“In this camp, we’ve been doing a lot of southpaw sparring, because we know Brad likes to switch [stances].
“But I grew up in Sheffield, where fighters are often southpaws, so I actually prefer [fighting] southpaws.
“I think Brad’s got the heart of a lion when he boxes, but I think that makes him not as good as he should be. He just ends up swinging, because he wants to win so bad.”
Believing he is a level above, Cameron expects to come through Rea, a former European champion, in convincing fashion, but is nonetheless prepared for waves of all shapes and sizes.
Press briefings for a lot of Vancouver Canucks senior managers over the years have been must-see theatre.
Imposing and authoritative, Pat Quinn once flicked his stick to knock a microphone out of a reporter’s hand, sending it skittering metallically across a concrete floor amid stunned silence. You didn’t dare miss a Mike Keenan press conference lest, as in NASCAR, you miss a fiery pileup.
The Brian Burke Show was endlessly quotable and often funny, and Rick Tocchet was always refreshingly direct and honest, even if he sometimes lapsed into a Rocky Balboa-like delivery that a former player described as “Tocky.”
But for sheer volume of news bombs dropped by simply telling us what he thought, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford should be on the reporters’ Wall of Honour — if we had one. (We’d settle for a working press room at Rogers Arena).
His casual declaration at the end of Tuesday’s post-draft-lottery press conference that he’d be retreating to an advisory role after the entry draft in June — and after he hires a new general manager — was an explosion instantly heard around the National Hockey League.
“It’s time,” Rutherford told us Wednesday before resuming the final phase of his GM search. “I have taken some time with this (decision), probably at least a year, not knowing exactly when I was going to make it. But you know, once you start thinking about it, then it’s time.”
In an interview with Sportsnet, Rutherford said he knew this would be his final season involved in key hockey operations decisions. He has a grown daughter in Raleigh, N.C., which has long been Rutherford’s home, and a son going into his senior year of high school at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Academy in Minnesota.
Rutherford wants to be nearer to them, which is why he will be based in North Carolina while he counsels Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and the soon-to-be-named general manager. He will also be involved with the NHL as the Canucks’ alternate governor
“It has nothing to do with my age because, quite frankly, I feel better, now that I’ve lost a lot of weight, than I did 20 or 25 years ago,” the 77-year-old said. “I still have a lot of gas in the tank if I want to work. But it’s time.
“It was time for me before the season even started; I was trending in that direction. But I think we can put something together here in our hockey department that I can feel good about when I step down.”
Rutherford declined to reveal anything about the final stage of his GM search, which he said Tuesday was down to five candidates, or whether there will be one new hire or two — another president to oversee the new manager.
Known GM candidates include Canucks assistant manager Ryan Johnson, and his counterparts Evan Gold (Boston Bruins) and Ryan Bowness (New York Islanders), as well as former Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion.
But given the volcanic reaction in the fan base Tuesday to news of Dorion’s candidacy — apart from the meltdown on social media, the Canucks were flooded with complaints — it’s impossible to see Aquilini hiring him.
There is, of course, an obvious question about why Rutherford is even involved in a hiring critical to a rebuild if he is soon leaving.
“Well, ownership wanted me to stay, and I’m still part of the organization,” he said. “I think if I was totally leaving the organization, that would be a fair point. But I’m an advisor to ownership and to hockey ops. I think when it all plays out, people will understand.”
Despite the Canucks’ last-place finish and worst season this century, there doesn’t seem to be the same level of vitriol in the fan base towards Rutherford that there was towards Jim Benning and even Mike Gillis at the end of those preceding managerial regimes in Vancouver.
Still, Rutherford is stepping down from a 32nd-place team after inheriting one in December, 2021 that included a young core of centres J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat, defenceman Quinn Hughes and goalie Thatcher Demko.
His greatest failing was probably underestimating and mishandling the Canucks’ internal dysfunction, friction between Miller and Pettersson and others, which became worse after Horvat was traded and the other two were re-signed. The dressing-room culture turned out to be toxic.
“As I’ve said before, personally, I wish I’d have done a better job,” Rutherford said. “But with that being said, we were trending in the right direction two years ago and then we had to deal with these circumstances that we weren’t expecting.
“Once J.T. was moved, we knew the team was going to take a step back. And I had known for quite some time that Quinn probably wasn’t coming back, so that was the next thing to deal with (when he was traded in December). And then once those two guys were gone, it was an easy decision to go to a rebuild.
“You always have challenges, but these challenges have been extra tough to deal with. I mean, in a four-year period, I’ve never seen the kind of challenges in my career like I’ve had here in Vancouver.”
“You know, hindsight is a great thing,” he said. “It’s very easy (to second-guess). But J.T. Miller was the driving force for this team as the forward, Quinn was on defence and we had Thatcher Demko in goal. I would make the same decisions that were made at the time.
“It didn’t work out, although we were a game away from going to the conference finals (two years ago). If the glue had stayed on here and it all didn’t fall apart that following year… that team could have even been better. And so, like I said, it’s easy in hindsight.”
As he said at the end of the season, and again on Tuesday, Rutherford is optimistic about the Canucks’ future because of the team’s young players (and others who will be added at the draft) and a dressing-room culture he believes has been fixed.
“I know a lot of people will think that this sounds stupid,” he said, “and I know it doesn’t feel this way coming off such a disappointing season, but from the time I got here to where we are today, I think this is the best position the team could be in to build a winner. Because now it can be built with the foundation of these young guys. We have good veterans now that have accepted the young guys and the rebuild. They can mentor and play the game. But we have a very good group of young players and this draft can be a game-changer for the Canucks.
“There’s going to be some bumpy roads here for the next year, maybe two. But I do think that the team hit rock bottom this year, and it will be a team that will be more competitive (next season) and people can be excited about watching the young players grow. It will be fun to watch.”
But Rutherford will be doing that from home in Raleigh rather than the management suite at Rogers Arena.
“I made a commitment to the Canucks team here, and I will continue that commitment,” he said. “And even if there’s not a lot of calls from hockey ops, having somebody like me as an advisor to the owner makes sense. I still have things to offer, and if people want to use that, that’s fine. And if they don’t want to use it, that’s fine, too.
“I know things didn’t go as well on the ice as we all would have hoped, but our hockey operations group was aligned, worked hard and (former GM) Patrik Allvin did a lot of good things. I’m thankful to all those people for the working relationship. I’m thankful to the players that we have. And I’m really thankful to the fan base. Despite the fact it didn’t go as well as I would have liked, I’m glad that I’ve experienced this… being in a great Canadian market with such a passionate fan base.
“I hope the rebuild moves along quicker than some might think. You can’t put a timeline on it. But it’s got a good foundation and is going in the right direction.”
Skyhook affirmed his elite quality and lodged a serious claim for the Stradbroke Handicap by dictating terms for a stylish win in the Group 3 $250,000 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) held at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
Premier rider Josh Parr adhered meticulously to the blueprint from trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, guiding the bold chestnut to victory unchallenged in the Guineas.
“When Sterling and I were doing the form on the race on Thursday, we noticed there wasn’t a lot of early speed,” Ryan said.
“So, we decided to lead and take bad luck out of the equation. He won the Pago Pago Stakes last season when he led so we told Josh to ride him like the best horse in the race.
“Josh, who first rode for me 20 years ago, did everything right on Skyhook, it was a very good ride.
“It’s funny because a number of other jockeys knocked back the ride on Skyhook but when I saw Josh on a winner at Randwick last Saturday, I asked him to ride the colt – and I’m glad I did!”
At $3.40, Skyhook mastered his 58kg weight to triumph by 1.5 lengths ahead of Burma Star ($18), from Wootton Lass ($41) who was a half-length behind in third.
Despite firming to $2.70, Regal Award lacked the necessary punch and ended up fifth.
Ryan and Alexiou now harbour high hopes for the brilliant three-year-old’s assault on Brisbane’s autumn-winter carnival following Skyhook’s resurgence.
Skyhook could be aimed at the Group 1 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 13, according to Ryan.
“Skyhook is a well-bred colt so you have to look at Group 1 options like the Doomben 10,000 (May 16),” Ryan said.
“But I believe this horse likes his races spaced and we might look at something like the (Group 3 $300,000) Fred Best Classic (1400m, Eagle Farm, May 30). If he wins that race, then he gets into the Stradbroke field.”
Skyhook advanced to $15 in Stradbroke betting markets, fourth favourite behind Angel Capital at $6.
For the best betting sites covering Skyhook in the Stradbroke Handicap, visit trusted Australian betting sites.
David Benavidez’s has shared his thoughts on Canelo Alvarez’s decision to not watch him as he knocked out Gilberto Ramirez on this past weekend’s big Cinco De Mayo card.
Benavidez dismantled ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez inside six rounds to capture the unified WBO and WBA cruiserweight world titles and become a three-division world champion.
In attendance was fierce rival Canelo, who has headlined on Cinco De Mayo for the past five years, but the 35-year-old opted to exit the arena before Benavidez’s performance of the year candidate.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Benavidez said it was a ‘shame’ Canelo did not stick around, believing that he may have ‘scared him away’.
“It was a shame that Canelo wasn’t able to watch that fight there because I think I might have scared him away. I am a bad dude, man. I’m a bad mother****a.”
Alvarez has maintained that he has no interest in fighting Benavidez, and instead, he was sat ringside watching former opponent Jaime Munguia, who recently signed with Team Canelo and Eddy Reynoso and claimed the WBA super-middleweight world title in the co-main event.
Continuing, Benavidez admitted that he has lost faith in his clash with Canelo ever taking place, despite calling his foe out in the post-fight interview.
“I don’t think that fight is ever going to happen, to be honest with you.”
Canelo is expected to return from injury in September and take on WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli, with plans to reclaim the spot as the Cinco De Mayo headliner in 2027 and to do so as a reigning world champion.
Picture from SRH vs PBKS IPL 2026 game.© BCCI
Heinrich Klaasen (69) and Ishan Kishan (55) made Punjab Kings pay dearly for their sloppy fielding, powering Sunrisers Hyderabad to a handsome 41-run win to jump to the top of the table in the IPL 2026 in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The duo helped in setting a challenging total of 235 for 4 after Punjab Kings opted to bowl. In reply, Punjab Kings were restricted to 202 for seven to succumb to their third loss on the trot and slipped to second spot.
Cooper Connolly waged a lone battle for PBKS with a brilliant 107 not out from 59 balls (7×4, 8×6) but lacked support from the other end.
For SRH, Pat Cummins (2/34) and Shivang Kumar (2/45) were the main wicket takers.
Earlier, dropped on nine, Klaasen capitalised to smash three fours and four sixes in his 43-ball knock.
Kishan, who survived two reprieves — a dropped catch and a missed stumping — struck a brisk 32-ball 55, including two fours and four sixes.
For Punjab Kings, Yuzvendra Chahal was the most economical, returning 1/32, but endured a frustrating outing as all the dropped chances and the missed stumping came off his bowling.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Former India U-19 and Punjab medium pacer Amanpreet Singh Gill died at the age of 36 in Chandigarh on Wednesday, leaving the cricket fraternity in mourning. The cause of death is not yet known. Gill, who was Virat Kohli‘s U-19 teammate, featured in six first-class matches for Punjab, picking up 11 wickets. He was also part of the Punjab franchise (Kings XI Punjab) in the inaugural Indian Premier League season and later served as a member of Punjab’s senior selection committee.
“Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and member, Senior Selection Committee, Punjab,” the Punjab Cricket Association announced on X.
“Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the family in this difficult time.”
Two-time World Cup-winning India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also paid tribute to Gill.
“Deeply saddened to hear about Amanpreet Singh Gill’s passing. I shared the dressing room with him in our early days; he was a quiet, hardworking cricketer who loved the game. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest in peace. Om Shanti,” Singh posted on X.
Gill played five Youth ODIs and one Youth Test for India in 2007.
Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and Member, Senior Selection Committee Punjab.
He served Punjab cricket with dedication and passion, representing teams including India Under-19s, Kings XI Punjab and Punjab.… pic.twitter.com/tpr0EwEprk
— Punjab Cricket Association (@pcacricket) May 6, 2026
In the longer format, he claimed the wicket of former Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera.
However, he did not make the Virat Kohli-led India U-19 side that went on to win the 2008 World Cup.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Amanpreet Singh Shergill, who proudly represented Punjab and was a part of the Punjab Kings family. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire cricketing fraternity,” Punjab Kings posted on their official Instagram account.
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Arsenal’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid sparked ‘record surge in broadband traffic’
Peak downstream traffic on the network surged by 17 per cent compared to an average Tuesday evening, marking an unprecedented event in Virgin Media’s broadband history.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 21:03
HT Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
Bayern Munich have had the most possession with 58% compared to PSG’s 42%.
The hosts have also had nine shots but only one of those has been on target.
PSG in comparison have had six shots and half of those have been hitting the goal.
It’s all going PSG’s way so far.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:59
HT Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
Ousmane Dembele has the only goal of the game tonight. Is there a way back for Bayern?
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:55
Half-time! Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
45+2 mins: Just the two minutes of added time played at the end of this first half and Bayern can’t cut the deficit.
The teams head into the break with PSG in full control of the tie.
They’re two goals to the good and don’t look like conceding… yet.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:50
Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
A backheel flick from Olise gives the ball to Musiala who drives to the box.
Kane drags the central defenders away allowing Musiala to shoot bu Safonov drops low and pushes the ball away from the target!
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:46
Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
Olise slips a pass down the right side and finds Musiala’s diagonal run.
Musiala takes the ball to the byline and pulls it back into the middle for Kaneonly for Safonov to slap the ball away from the striker.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:44
Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
39 mins: It feels as though Bayern need a goal before half-time just to get themselves into the game.
The early goal is still hurting them and Vincent Kompany is issuing more instructions from the sidelines.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:42
Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
36 mins: Dembele stands over the corner kick and plays it short. The ball comes out to Vitinha whose shot from range is deflected out for another corner by Olise.
The second attempt is also played wide of the box and it’s Nuno Mendes who shoots this time but the ball loops intothe air and Neuer claims it.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:37
Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
A long free kick is sent into the far side of the Bayern box and Joao Neves is there.
He nods the ball down into the pitch but Neuer leaps to the left and pushes the ball behind for a corner.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:36
Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
32 mins: Another appeal for handball!
The referee waves this one away too. It’s inside the penalty area and Vitinha’s clearance smokes Joao Neves on the left hand.
His hand is away from his body but the ball was smashed at him. There’s a VAR check but Bayern are left disappointed.
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Gerard Pique has been given a six-match ban and suspended from official football activity for two months by the Spanish football federation after an argument with a referee.
The former Spain and Barcelona star, who retired from playing in 2022, is now co-owner of FC Andorra and the dispute took place during his side’s 1-0 defeat by Albacete last week.
Referee Alonso de Ena Wolf quoted Pique in his post-match report, saying that he told him to “leave with an escort so nobody attacks you” and “in another country they would beat you up, but here in Andorra we are a civilised country”.
A disciplinary committee said that Pique’s two-month ban is “for notorious and public acts that undermine sporting dignity and decorum, based on the facts recorded in the referee’s report”.
The 39-year-old was also given a separate six-match ban “for acts involving minor violence toward the referees”.
Other members of Andorra’s staff were also involved in the confrontation.
Club president Ferran Vilaseca was issued a four-month suspension, while the sporting director Jaume Nogues was banned.
Andorra are currently 10th in the second division table.
Pique won nine La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies with Barcelona, and was part of Spain’s World Cup and European Championship wins in 2010 and 2012.
Drew Stoltz, the co-host of GOLF’s popular Subpar podcast, is back with a second season of Emergency 9, presented by Cobra. Readers of this space may remember that last year, Stoltz’s Emergency 9 series covered a number of topics, from gear explainers to tips on how to get an edge on your buddies in your next match.
For this season of Emergency 9, Stoltz is kicking things off with a review of Cobra’s OPTM family of drivers.
There are four OPTM driver models to choose from: LS, X, Max-K and Max-D. As a fast player who wants to minimize spin, Stoltz was fit into the OPTM LS.
Cobra OPTM LS Custom Driver
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Shop Cobra’s entire OPTM family of clubs here.
Last year, Stoltz was impressed Cobra’s FutureFit33 technology, which was introduced in Cobra’s DS-APAPT products. FutureFit33, which allows you to adjust the loft and lie of your metals by plus or minus 2 degrees in every direction — enabling 33 total setting options — is also available in the OPTM line. But there’s more! With the OPTM family, Cobra prioritized POI — Product Of Inertia — modeling to re-engineer mass placement and weight positions on the driver heads to reduce the 3D twisting on off-center hits, resulting in tighter dispersion and better accuracy.
“I loved the last line honestly and wasn’t sure I was going to put this in the bag just because I had no complaints about the last one,” Stoltz said. “But I think I get everything I had out of that last driver plus some with this, a little more face stability.”
The OPTM’s game-changing Hot Face technology enabled Stoltz to hit bomb after bomb.
;)
“The forged face insert creates space flex when you hit it, which basically means you get the most pop out of your drive, the most speed that you can possibly get,” Stoltz explained. “Next up, we’ve got an advanced weighting system here. There’s three different places where you can place weight.
“The one on the toe is where I put my heaviest weight,” he continued. “I like everything to go left to right to encourage a fade, so I put the most weight up in the toe. This also helps me get the shot shape that I like.
“No matter what kind of golfer you are, what kind of shot shape you like to hit, there’s a fitting here on the FutureFit33 that will help your game.”
Stoltz worked with Cobra’s Ben Schomin to dial in his specs.
“We went through a number of different settings, a number of different lies, lofts, all the things, till we finally came up with this combination here,” Stoltz said. “The 10.5-degree head moved down almost 1.5 to around 9, and then we’ve also flattened it 1 degree too. So I have a little left-to-right missile-hitter right here.
“I do have to issue a warning before you hit the OPTM driver,” he said. “This does come with highly addictive accuracy and dangerous levels of stability.”
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