Now that it has been a week, the Draft dust has started to settle a little bit. It will still be the primary talking point for a few weeks, as we enter the void that is May and June. The initial reaction wasn’t pretty for interim GM Rob Brzezinski and HC Kevin O’Connell, as many fans and analysts had Caleb Banks much lower on their board, mostly due to injury concerns. A very good Day 2 improved the initial analysis, which, coupled with some interesting Day 3 selections, bumped the Vikings’ grade.

Several Vikings Rookies Could Push for Real Roles Quickly

With more time to look at the players and the overall Draft class, I can comfortably say that the Vikings improved a lot, and the big picture is clearer as well. If we look at the past 5 Super Bowl champions and the teams in the Championship games in 2025, they all had a disruptor in the middle. Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, Jalen Carter, and Byron Murphy all helped lead their franchises to victories.

And, even though Jalen Redmond had a spectacular 2025 season, Caleb Banks has the potential to be one of these elite defensive tackles. Assuming the medical staff gave the green light, there’s a real possibility that we look back at this pick as a slam dunk.

Jake Golday was my favorite pick in this class. I’ve seen a lot of fans on social media comparing him to Andrew Van Ginkel, but to me, they are similar but opposites. While Gink is an edge rusher who also excels dropping into coverage, Golday is an off-ball linebacker who can excel as a blitzer.

With the possibility to learn from Cashman, Ginkel, and Wilson while being coached by Brian Flores, Golday can be a key player for the Vikings’ defense. And, if Golday impresses with his versatility, Dominique Orange does it with his ability as a role-defined player. He probably won’t see the field in passing situations, but he won’t leave it when teams are trying to run the ball, and Big Citrus dares teams to run over the middle.

Caleb Tiernan is arguably the only pick that no one wants to see on the field as a rookie. A safety pick, he will add much-needed depth in the offensive tackle position. There’s also a possibility that the Vikings give him snaps at either guard spot, as their super-sub, Blake Brandel, is likely to be the starting center. Tiernan can also be a future starter, considering that Brian O’Neill is scheduled to be a free agent in 2027.

Jakobe Thomas was the other pick that deviated from the Consensus Board, but he should fit this defense like a glove. He was highly productive in his lone season with the Miami Hurricanes, recording 5 picks and 3.5 sacks. A very versatile safety, he should make an early push to be a starter.

Max Bredeson was a weird pick to many, but it shows O’Connell’s commitment to improving the running game. Frank Smith, whom he brought from Miami to be the assistant head coach, used a fullback in 25% of the snaps, second only to the 49ers. As fullbacks don’t get used anymore, finding a true FB is very hard, and Bredeson was the best one in this Draft. If the Vikings plan to use heavier personnel, he’s a great option to fill C.J. Ham’s shoes.

Even though he’s a fifth-round pick, Charles Demmings has a clear path to an important role. He would be picked way higher if he played in the FBS, as he has the physical tools to be a starting cornerback in the NFL. His level of competition is the main problem, but holding his own during training camp can make him the primary backup in 2026 and maybe a starter as soon as 2027.

If you think Caleb Banks is a boom-or-bust player, meet Demond Claiborne. Over his final two seasons, he had 407 total carries, with 1956 yards and almost 5.0 per carry. He has that home-run threat that the Vikings’ running game has been lacking since prime Dalvin Cook, which is why the team selected him. But he also fumbled the ball 10 times, an absurd amount. If Claiborne can improve his ball security, his explosiveness can change this offense.

With their last pick, the team finally addressed the center position. I admit that I didn’t know Gavin Gerhardt before the Draft, but he’s a very experienced player with over 50 starts and 3000 snaps in college. He impressed the coaches during his Top30 visit, completing a full install with the coaching staff. With what should be an open competition at center, Gerhardt’s experience will give him a chance to challenge Blake Brandel.

The big picture that emerged after the Draft is a franchise tired of losing in the trenches. 2024’s defense was great against the run, but Phillips and Bullard’s ineffectiveness in pressuring the QB proved to be exploitable. Allen and Hargrave didn’t make the impact that the team envisioned, and the front got weaker against the run.

Big Citrus can help with the last problem, while Banks, if healthy, can form a strong, balanced duo with Jalen Redmond. Golday offers versatility and physicality in the front seven, while Thomas does the same in the backend. Offensively, the idea is that a better QB play will drastically improve what this team can do with the ball.

It may not have looked like it at the beginning, but the Minnesota Vikings are a better team now than they were a week ago.

Cavaliers vs. Raptors Game 6 live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs first-round series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cleveland Cavaliers try to steal the opening-round series on the road over the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 on Friday night. This is the perfect oppotunity to make a statement in the East and not turn this into a do-or-die Game 7 situation.

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Don’t expect the Raptors to lay down and let the Cavs pass in this one. On the other hand, the Cavaliers defeated the Raptors 125-120 in the last matchup on Wednesday. James Harden led the Cavaliers with 23 points, and RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25.

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracket

Cavaliers vs. Raptors live updates, highlights from Game 6 of NBA playoffs

1st Qtr-3:56: Scottie Barnes makes a pull up 11-foot jumper.

A plane was traveling over Texas on Thursday, carrying a pickleball team to a tournament, before tragically crashing, killing all five people on board.

Names of the victims were not immediately released by authorities, though the Amarillo Pickleball Club in Amarillo, Texas, said they were members who were flying to a tournament. The plane crashed in Wimberley, a city 40 miles southwest of Austin, at 11 p.m. Thursday.

“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,” local police sergeant Billy Ray told reporters.

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Ray said federal authorities were leading the investigation.

Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he’d played many games with four of the five people who died.

“I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,” Dyer said. “Every weekend there are dozens of tournaments. Some people get the bug; others don’t. But once they do, they’ll travel for a tournament.”

SMALL PLANE CRASHES NEAR HICKS AIRFIELD IN TEXAS, REPORTEDLY CAUSING MULTIPLE SEMI-TRUCK FIRES

Dyer said a second plane was traveling to the event from Amarillo at the same time. Authorities said it landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of San Antonio.

“I haven’t heard anything from him,” the pilot of the second plane said, according to air traffic control audio.

A controller responded: “He started to move erratically and now his track is disappeared from the scope. So we want to make sure everything’s all right with him.”

At least one pilot in the area confirmed the troubled plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal. The controller called 911.

It was mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash and there was a thunderstorm two hours later, the National Weather Service said.

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Wimberley, with a population of about 3,000, and New Braunfels, with a population of about 116,000, are tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

John Daly, a few years back, was asked why he was popular. Though it’s now been over 30 years since he won the second of his two major championships, he remains a draw. 

But Daly wasn’t sure of the answer. 

“No idea. I got no idea. I don’t know,” Daly said. “I think Chad does a great job with our T-shirt companies with the sayings on it; young kids like it. I don’t know, maybe because of the beard they think I’m really Santa Claus, but Justin Thomas told me I’m Bad Santa, so that’s out the window. I have no idea.”

The reporter tried again, asking Daly to explain the connection he has with fans. 

“I think because there’s really no skeletons in my closet,” Daly said. “If I screwed up, I’ll honestly say I screwed up, and I think fans like that. I think I’m not — I’m not looking over my shoulder; are they going to know about this or that? Everybody knows everything about me on this tour — my life, my ex-wives, everything — and it’s out there so there’s not really anything to hide. 

“I think, hopefully, it’s the honesty.”

Was he happy he approached his life that way?

“Yeah,” Daly said. “My mom would have come out of her grave if I didn’t.”

That’s one answer behind his popularity. 

Below is maybe another. 

This week, Daly is playing the Regions Tradition, the second major of the year for the 50-and-over gang. Through two rounds at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Alabama, Daly is three-over par. But a moment during his practice round on Wednesday is what you should see, though you might have already — as of Friday afternoon, a video of what happened had collected 1.6 million views on X. 

It was shared by @alabamabart, who wrote: “John Daly hit it close on 17 and picked a little fella out of the crowd. He calmly walked up and dropped the putt. May be the best thing you see today.” A good summary. In the 21-second video, Daly and a boy walked to Daly’s ball, which looks to be just over 5 feet away. The boy circled around the ball, looked at the hole, paused briefly, then putted with Daly’s putter. He looked up. 

He made it, which you can watch below. 

Gervonta Davis’ comeback could soon become clear as “real talks” with an opponent are set to be occurring “very soon”.

The 31-year-old has not fought since March 2025, when he retained his WBA world lightweight title with a controversial draw against Lamont Roach.

Since then, ‘Tank’ has been made ‘champion in recess’ by the WBA, largely because of his inactivity but also due to allegations of domestic violence.

Such accusations, which were made by his ex-partner, Courtney Rossel, resulted in Davis being removed from his cancelled exhibition match with Jake Paul last November.

More recently, though, the Baltimore man has teased a ring return, naming Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz – who he unanimously outpointed in 2021 – as a possible opponent at 140lbs.

If, however, he wishes to reclaim his old WBA title, then Davis will likely be ordered to face the sanctioning body’s No.1 contender at 135lbs, Floyd Schofield.

In pursuit of the ‘Tank’ fight, the father and trainer of ‘Kid Austin’, Schofield Sr, has claimed there are ongoing talks for the pair to collide in July.

Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya has confirmed those talks in media huddle with Fight Hub TV, but also debated whether the 23-year-old, who he promotes, is ready for such a formidable challenge.

“There will be real talks happening very soon. If ‘Kid Austin’ wants to go after ‘Tank’ then, me as a promoter, [that’s] what I have to get him.

“As a promoter, I still feel that I would give him one more fight and then go after ‘Tank’. But, if he wants it right away – let’s go.

“It wouldn’t be the right decision in my eyes, but if the father and the kid want it, then that’s what I’ll have to push for.

“I’m not sure exactly what ‘Tank’ Davis is doing, but I did hear he does want to fight in the third quarter of this year.”

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Schofield has not fought since last June, when a career-best victory thus far came via a first-round demolition of former world champion Tevin Farmer.

The biggest week in horse racing rolls on Friday at Churchill Downs. Races have been unfolding throughout, the day, and the day’s action is highlighted by the 2026 Kentucky Oaks, which has a lineup of 14 horses going to post at 8:40 p.m. ET. Zany is the 4-1 favorite in the 2026 Kentucky Oaks odds. Bet the Kentucky Oaks with the latest TwinSpires offer code CBSSPORTS to receive up to $400 in bonus bets here, double what’s available to the general public:

Other Kentucky Oaks contenders include Meaning at 5-1 and Explora and Percy’s Bar are both at 6-1. Counting Stars and Prom Queen come back at 8-1 with Always a Runner at 10-1. Before making any 2026 Kentucky Oaks picks, be sure to see the 2026 Kentucky Oaks predictions and best bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double 12 times in the last 17 years. He also predicted the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order, helping him cash a $1,682 superfecta, and called the exacta in last year’s Preakness. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up. 

Now, with the 2026 Kentucky Oaks approaching and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2026 Kentucky Oaks betting picks and 2026 Kentucky Oaks predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.

Top 2026 Kentucky Oaks predictions

One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Oaks picks: He’s not very high on Percy’s Bar, who runs out of the No. 11 gate for trainer Ben Colebrook. In six career races, Percy’s Bar has never finished out of the money, with three first-place finishes, a pair of runner-up spots and one third. He has four Grade 1 races under his belt, which is more than most Kentucky Derby contenders.

But he’s also raced just one time in 2026. Percy’s Bar won the G1 Ashland race at Keeneland on April 3, but Demling has reservations after the racer posted a speed rating of 97. That is among the lowest of all the Kentucky Oaks horses. Demling has found other horses we will be backing at Churchill Downs Friday. See who to back at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Demling likes Prom Queen at 8-1. The Brad H. Cox-trained horse has raced three times in her career and has finished no lower than second place. In her first event, the 1-mile GP MSW at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, she finished second behind She Be Smooth and just ahead of Paseo. She followed that up with a first-place finish at the 1 1/16-mile dirt-fast MSW at Gulfstream Park, with a winning time of 1:45.77. 

In her last race, the 2026 Gulfstream Park Oaks, she took first in 1:44.4. Cox, 46, has compiled more than 2,500 career victories, including three Kentucky Oaks wins, the last coming last year with Good Cheer. He also has one Kentucky Derby title (2021). See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can sign up for FanDuel Racing for the Kentucky Derby here and get $25 in bonus bets with a $5 wager:

How to make 2026 Kentucky Oaks picks, bets

Demling is also high on a double-digit longshot whose trainer “is super confident.” Anyone who backs this sleeper pick could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Oaks 2026, and which stunning longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Kentucky Oaks odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Oaks, all from the expert who has nailed 12 Derby-Oaks doubles.

2026 Kentucky Oaks odds

A wonderful exhibition of batting gifts by KL Rahul (75) and Pathum Nissanka (62) overshadowed Riyan Parag’s redemptive 90, powering Delhi Capitals to a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match in Jaipur on Friday. Parag washed away a lot of criticism with a 50-ball blitz to lead the Royals to a competitive 225 for six. However, Delhi Capitals replied with excellent knocks by Rahul and Nissanka to reach 226 for three. Parag stayed off the field for a good part of the second innings with a hamstring niggle. Yashasvi Jaiswal did the captain’s duty for the Royals.

The Capitals made the best possible start to the chase as Rahul and Nissanka added 102 runs for the opening wicket in just 9.3 overs.

Rahul was a bit slow to begin with, but once he found his groove, the 34-year-old was sublime to watch.

He played shots all around the ground — a cover drive off Nandre Burger, a pull off Jofra Archer and two imperious back-to-back sixes in the ‘V’ off Ravi Bishnoi.

Nissanka displayed his prowess in the pull shot, which yielded all his three maximums on the night — one off Archer and two off Burger.

Rahul brought up his fifty in 27 balls, four balls more than Nissanka, but the latter fell to Jadeja after failing to connect a reverse sweep.

The Bengaluru batter added a further 61 runs with Nitish Rana (33) as the Capitals maintained their momentum.

Both Rana and Rahul, who lofted Archer straight to Donnovan Ferreira at long on, fell in the space of six balls and the Capitals needed 49 runs from that point off 26 balls.

But Ashutosh Sharma and Tristan Stubbs managed that job very well, as DC pulled off their biggest chase in the IPL.

DC now moved up to sixth with eight points while the Royals stayed at fourth with 12 points.

Earlier, Parag vaporised multiple concerns surrounding him with a quality 90 as Rajasthan Royals posted a competitive 225 for six.

The Royals skipper was struggling for runs so far this season and if his on-field troubles were not enough, Parag copped a 25 per cent fine handed by BCCI after getting caught on camera vaping inside the dugout.

So, he had a lot to prove, and the right-hander did it in some style, notching up his first score above fifty in IPL 2026.

In fact, Parag was under serious pressure after the early departure of openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was yorked by Kyle Jamieson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who offered a return catch to Mitchell Starc (3/40), who made his maiden appearance in this IPL.

After all, 12 for two is not exactly the position an out of form batter wants to be in, and the nerves were evident in his loose wafts against Starc.

But the confidence returned to him once he took apart Jamieson in the sixth over through a sequence of 6, 4, 6 — a pull over mid-wicket and a slice over slips.

Once self-belief returned, it reflected in Parag’s batting too, those fast hands and audacity resurfaced.

Those elements were on ample display in a tennis-like forehand six over covers off left-arm pacer T Natarajan.

Parag brought up his fifty in 32 balls and added 102 runs for the third wicket with a composed Dhruv Jurel (42).

The dismissal of Jurel barely deterred Parag as he, in the company of middle-order batters like Ravindra Jadeja (20), marched on.

There was a brief period of lull after Jurel’s dismissal but Parag broke the lean phase with a hat-trick of boundaries off Jamieson.

Parag and Jadeja milked 53 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter succumbed to Starc.

The Australian quick also snapped Parag’s stay, his attempt to loft him over covers ended in the hands of Axar Patel.

RR still needed the cushion of a few more runs and Donovan Ferreira (47, 14 balls) gave them that with a little Tsunami.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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“Who would be a football manager, eh?

It has been quite the season for Declan Caddell as Crusaders manager, who has successfully secured the north Belfast side’s Premiership status for next season after a penalty shootout victory over Annagh United.

The Crues had a one goal lead after the first leg, but Philip Donnelly’s penalty levelled the aggregate score after just five minutes before Lee Upton edged Annagh ahead.

In the 71st minute Stewart Nixon equalised in the play-off and sent the game to extra time, but neither side were able to find a goal.

During the penalty shootout, Musa Dibaga saved two penalties as the Crues sealed their survival and avoided what would have been just their second relegation in the club’s history.

“Credit to Annagh, they put it up to us,” Caddell told BBC Sport NI.

“For me, that game summarised our whole season in terms of a wee bit of bad luck, not playing for a full 90 minutes, injuries, everything relying on a last gasp, last minute, and credit to Dibaga as well for stepping in and making a difference.

“I’m just relieved to get over the line because it’s been a difficult year. Who would be a football manager, eh?”

Whoever lifts the World Snooker Championship trophy aloft on Monday evening as the confetti streams down around them will have reached the pinnacle of their sport. If it’s John Higgins, it would be for the fifth time, for Shaun Murphy the second and for Mark Allen or Wu Yize, the very first occasion.

It will be a remarkable achievement, the highlight of a career and the fulfilment of a dream that began in childhood. But whoever emerges triumphant will inevitably, sadly, only achieve a fraction of the headlines that frame 14 of the second semi-final did.

After all, pure sporting accomplishment can never match abject farce when it comes to capturing public interest.

And make no mistake, what occurred at the Crucible Theatre on Friday afternoon was the most abject of farces. Allen and Wu played out the longest frame in Crucible history – an epic that lasted more than 100 minutes and ended with Wu snatching his only frame of the afternoon to escape the session locked at 7-7 in their best-of-33 encounter. Yet that barely begins to tell the story.

For 55 minutes, neither player potted a ball as – with Allen leading by 39 points to 13 – the black blocked the right corner pocket and all remaining eight reds gathered around it, creating a logjam that showed no signs of ending as both men sent the cue ball up and down the table, flicking off the cluster.

A state of delirium came over the Crucible as spectators vociferously cheered every shot, chants of ‘wooooooaaaaah’ and ‘Wuuuuuu’ echoed round the arena and harried referee Marcel Eckardt resorted to increasingly hopeless pleas for quiet and decorum to return.

Eckardt had the ability to end the stalemate at any time but instead let it continue until Rob Spencer – who will referee the final and is part of World Snooker Tour’s (WST) tournament director team – entered the arena and had a word with Eckardt, ostensibly informing him that should a re-rack (when a frame is restarted due to stalemate) be called, the frame wouldn’t actually restart there and then, due to the need to play the other semi-final between Higgins and Murphy in the evening session.

“Come on ref, you’ve got to do something here,” fumed 1991 world champion John Parrott on commentary for the BBC. “You’ve got to step in. This is just silly.”

Belatedly, Eckardt did act, warning the players that if the situation hadn’t been progressed by the time they completed three more shots each, he would order a re-rack, rendering the previous hour or so void. That decision was much to the chagrin of Allen, nursing his 26-point lead, and he was eventually forced to commit a foul by potting the black that – after half an hour of more drama – led to Wu winning the longest frame in Crucible history.

“In a nutshell that frame is an embarrassment to snooker, and the referees’ and the players’ association need to try to work out a way so that never happens again,” said six-time world champion Steve Davis, working as a pundit for the BBC.

Ways to stop such a unique situation from occurring appear tough to legislate for, with ideas such as a hard limit on the number of shots allowed without an attempt at a pot being fraught with difficulty. Truthfully, Eckardt had the power to end the farce at any time and should have intervened sooner to stop a scene that, while quite entertaining for its novelty value, was not a great look for the sport as a whole.

WST quickly ruled out making any sort of rule change around re-racks and defended its man, saying it felt that “the rule was applied correctly” by the referee.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry disagreed, saying at one point during the impasse: “The referee needs to call this, I’m afraid. In my opinion he should have called it a while ago… This is the dark side of snooker.”

While the description of some reds stuck around the corner pocket as “the dark side of snooker” is rank hyperbole, given the sport is still recovering from a match-fixing scandal, which saw 10 Chinese players banned from the game, it was certainly a ludicrous situation that was badly handled.

And it capped an arduous session of a semi-final that had begun with great promise on Thursday evening, when 22-year-old Wu – the only semi-finalist under the age of 40 but with the snooker world at the tip of his cue – produced a scintillating spell to build a 6-2 lead in the race to 17.

Friday afternoon’s encore was largely a slog as, in addition to the 100-minute epic, another frame took an hour before Allen got the snooker he needed and pinched it on the black. The Northern Irishman did make a majestic break of 145 in frame 11 and another century in frame 13 as he won each of the first five to turn a 6-2 deficit into a 7-6 lead but the fact there was only time for six of the scheduled eight frames to be played tells its own story.

Luckily, the two sides of the snooker coin were out in full force, with Murphy and Higgins engaged in a humdinger in the other last-four clash. As if to prove a point, they completed their first four frames of the evening, the mid-session interval and the early stages of a fifth frame in the amount of time it took Wu and Allen to play out their record-breaking marathon.

The snooker heavyweights had traded blows in the morning, entering the day at 4-4 before Higgins – chasing a fifth world title and trying to become the oldest world champion in history – notched breaks of 72, 67, 57 and 86 to open up a two-frame advantage, only for 2005 champion Murphy to hit back and level at 8-8.

The evening delivered more captivating snooker as Murphy produced runs of 60, 82 and 105 but was never able to keep his nose in front and his 50-year-old foe made three half-century breaks before a mesmerising 101 in the final frame to inch into a 13-11 lead. Saturday afternoon’s conclusion, with Higgins needing four frames for victory and Murphy requiring six, could make for an all-time classic.

While Wu and Allen’s semi-final may not have been quite as entertaining so far, the fact there is nothing between them means that their final two sessions might also deliver something special.

Who knows, perhaps tomorrow’s headlines will even be about greatness on the table rather than fiasco.

Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates are about to throw down in the Land Down Under. Della Maddalena and Prates, two of the welterweight division’s elite strikers, headline UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

Della Maddalena (18-3) fights for the first time since losing the UFC welterweight title to Islam Makhachev. It was a one-sided thrashing that hurt his stock, but Della Maddalena is ready to fix things. The adjustment from facing a dominant grappler to a pure striker is a stark one. With a world-class team behind him, Della Maddalena is well-prepared for welterweight’s resident knockout artist.

“He can put you down in a bad way,” Della Maddalena told CBS Sports. “I need to be switched on and focused. Being defensively minded is important, but I can’t shell up. I can’t shy away from bringing offense to the table, which will ultimately win the fight.”

Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates for no additional fee — every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

Finding a balance between offense and defense is paramount. Della Maddalena believes he was too complacent against Makhachev. He learned a tough lesson in his last fight that informs his approach moving forward.

“I think getting stuck and not having the footwork. There were opportunities on the back — when I was on the ground — where I was thinking too defensively, trying not to get subbed,” Della Maddalena said. “I should have been attacking and trying to create opportunities to scramble and get back to the feed. So it was a small decision-making and just being stuck too much in a real defensive mindset.”

Prates (23-7) isn’t buying the idea that Della Maddalena is spoiled goods. He’s keenly aware that Della Maddalena made tactical errors against a generational talent. 

“Makhachev is one of the best fighters. He is a two-division champ,” Prates told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “I think [Della Maddalena] did maybe a wrong strategy, but it is what it is. Makhachev is good. That’s why I’m expecting the best version of JDM right now. Probably, he’s going to come angry and hungry. He just lost his belt and wants a run back to the title.”

Prates is already a prolific finisher, less than two years into his UFC run. He’s in the top 10 all-time for welterweight knockouts and could tie the No. 5 spot if he lays out Della Maddalena. A big win puts him within striking distance of a title shot. 

“I heard about Makhachev and Ian Garry on Aug. 15, I think, two days before my birthday,” Prates said. “I hope to be there watching that fight and challenging the champ after the fight. Definitely, after I beat JDM, the second champ I’m going to beat in a row, I’m going to be next.”

In the co-main event, Quillan Salkilld aims to break into the lightweight elite. Salkilld is quickly becoming one of Oceania’s bigger names after notching CBS Sports’ 2025 KO of the Year. He’ll be ranked next week if he can put away perennial contender Beneil Dariush. That’s easier said than done. 

Dariush might be on a decline, but lightweight veterans are tough customers. Justin Gaethje, King Green and Renato Moicano, the latter of whom Dariush recently beat, have spoiled the rise of younger lightweights in the Paramount era. Dariush plans to do the same.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: May 2 | Start time: 7 a.m. (Main Card) | 4 a.m. (Preliminary Card)
Location: RAC Arena — Perth, Australia
Stream: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)

Prediction

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates: Two sensational strikers duking it out at the top of a division? Good luck finding a better Fight Night main event. Della Maddalena is the superior boxer. Prates switches between two styles: a Muay Thai stance and traditional kickboxing. Prates, a southpaw fighter, often gives up outside lead foot position in favor of proximity. He relies on head and trunk movement for protection to set up close-range kill shots. That’s a high-risk approach against Della Maddalena, the superior close-range fighter. We’ve seen athletes successfully blitz Prates at boxing range, putting his heavy back foot off balance. Della Maddalena has the skills to exploit that. Against the fence, Prates often shells up with a high guard. That works in kickboxing, but MMA’s four-ounce gloves make it hard to block punches that way. If Della Maddalena backs him up, he can shred him apart. 

Prates is most effective at covering range. He masterfully hides his punches behind kicks, using his legs to protect himself and mask the incoming punch. Weaponizing his five-inch reach and two-inch height advantage is key against Della Maddalena. Prates’ power is an instant tide turner. Less than two years into his UFC run, Prates is already tied for No. 7 all-time for most welterweight KOs. That always makes rooting against him difficult. However, Della Maddalena has more tools to win this fight standing. If they fought 10 times, Prates would score a few KOs. But, on average, Della Maddalena seems to have more at his disposal. Pick: Della Maddalena via unanimous decision

Who wins Della Maddalena vs. Prates and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 19, 2018, and find out.