Nonconference games can make or break a team’s season.

Preseason victories can propel a team into Playoff consideration, or hold it back.

The table below shows the nonconference win percentages and win-loss records for the region’s top programs over the last 20 seasons.

Tilak Varma (L) and Naman Dhir© X (formerly Twitter)

Sean Strickland of the United States exits the ring after his victory via split decision over Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates ,not pictured, in a middleweight title bout during UFC 328 at the Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. Ishika Samant/Getty Images/AFP

NEWARK, New Jersey — Sean Strickland won UFC’s 185-pound championship for the second time in his career on Saturday night, defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision in a bout that never rose to the level of vitriol and threats of violence outside the cage both fighters engaged in ahead of the main event of UFC 328.

Strickland won two scorecards 48-47 while Chimaev took the other scorecard at 48-47 in front of a crowd of 17,783 fans at the Prudential Center.

Strickland, the second former middleweight to regain the title, mimed putting the belt around his waist after the fifth round ended to wrap a fight where neither fighter ever seemed in serious danger. He had help with his shiny new fashion accessory when Chimaev did the honors for him inside the cage.

READ: UFC 297: Du Plessis edges Sean Strickland, wins undisputed belt

The moment @SStricklandMMA regained the UFC middleweight title at #UFC328! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/flst5hrnU6

— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2026

“I should be a better (expletive) example when I try to sell these fights for you fans,” Strickland said.

UFC beefed up security at hotels, public events and around the cage for this one following one of the more loathsome displays — specifically, Strickland — of trash talk in recent fight history. Strickland threatened to shoot Chimaev and labeled him a terrorist because of his ties to Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.

Chimaev, who lost for the first time in 16 pro fights, is of Chechen ethnicity and fights under the United Arab Emirates banner, had countered by saying he would “take off” Strickland’s head.

UFC CEO Dana White — who expressed confidence Conor McGregor would return to fight this summer — said Chimaev told him after the fight he wanted to move up in weight class.

The fighters tapped gloves to start the fight to prove they were professionals and the prefight hostilities never spilled over into the cage.

READ: Adesanya stunned by Sean Strickland for middleweight title at UFC 293

The 35-year-old Strickland, who won the 185-pound belt in September 2023 and lost it in his first title defense, apologized after the fight to fans of all ethnicities and acknowledged he “went too (damn) hard” in weaponizing stereotypes to sell the fight.

“I respect all you guys,” Strickland said, rattling off Christians, Muslims, and also races.

Van retains flyweight title in co-main event

Joshua Van mauled Tatsuro Taira into a bloody mess in the co-main and successfully defended his 125-pound championship in the first title fight in company history contested between two Asian fighters.

Van dominated with elite boxing and won via stoppage at 1:32 of round five and had the crowd roaring in his first title defense since he beat Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323.

Van (17-2) seized control in the second round with a violent right hand to the jaw for the knockdown and he repeatedly bashed Taira (18-2) in the face. Van failed to finish the round but continued to rip shots the rest of the rounds to the face and body that left Taira’s face and chest smeared with blood.

Van and Taira marked the first time UFC has a title fight with both competitors born in the 2000s.

The 24-year-old Van, of Myanmar, has won seven straight fights and 10 of 11 since he signed with UFC — and few bigger than in the co-main event of UFC’s 11th stop in Newark.

Taira failed in his try to become the first Japanese fighter to become UFC champion.

UFC held its last major card before its June 14 show at the White House to fete President Donald Trump, a proud proponent of cage match politics. The show — what White dubbed a “1 of 1 event” — is timed for Trump’s 80th birthday and as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Trump, who frequently attends major UFC events, did not attend Saturday night at the Prudential Center.

In other fights of note on the main card, Sean Brady defeated Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision; King Green chocked out Jeremy Stephens; and Alexander Volkov defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision.

White said the company was aware of abnormal betting patterns ahead of the Brady fight but found nothing wrong.

“It’s not surprising when a card is this good, and a fight like that, the line will move,” White said.

Miller win first fight since teenage son beats childhood cancer
On the undercard, 42-year-old Jim Miller used a submission victory to boost his record totals for UFC fights and career victories in his first return to the cage since his teenage son beat a rare form of childhood cancer.

A New Jersey native, Miller defeated Jared Gordon in a lightweight bout at UFC 328 with a rear naked choke at 3:29 of the first round and his family cheering him on from the Prudential Center. Miller extended his record with 28 career wins in 47 fights under the UFC banner.

Miller, who signed a new five-fight deal Saturday, also earned his 20th finish, second most in UFC history.

Wyatt Miller, 14, was diagnosed last year with rhadbomyosacroma, a rare type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in soft tissue and is more common in childhood. Wyatt underwent two courses of chemotherapy and five weeks of proton radiation at Rutgers University Cancer Institute and was eventually given a clean bill of health.

“My son went through some really difficult times the last couple of months,” Miller said inside the octagon. “He ended up kicking the (heck) out of cancer. He’s all good today. He’s cancer free. One of the things I told him when he first got diagnosed was, Millers have been called a lot of names over the years, but fragile’s never been one of them. He fought his way through it.”

His son’s cancer scare kept Miller out of the cage for 13 months, an eternity for a fighter who made a habit of competing multiple times a year. Miller lost to Chase Hooper in his last fight at UFC 314 in April 2025.

FC Barcelona host arch-rivals Real Madrid CF at Camp Nou on Sunday in a potentially title-deciding El Clasico clash. Barcelona need just one point from the encounter to officially seal the 2025-26 La Liga crown after building an 11-point lead at the top of the table over second-placed Real Madrid.

The Catalan giants have been the dominant force in Spanish football this season, winning 29 of their 34 league matches and arriving into the contest on the back of 10 consecutive La Liga victories. Hansi Flick’s side also defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final earlier this year, although Los Blancos had won the reverse league fixture 2-1 at the Bernabeu in October.

In contrast, Real Madrid head into the game surrounded by uncertainty both on and off the pitch. The reported training-ground altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni has added to tensions within the squad, while questions continue to surround the dressing-room atmosphere and the club’s future direction.

La Liga: Barcelona vs Real Madrid live telecast and streaming details

When will the La Liga 25/26 match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF be played?

The La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be played on May 11 (according to IST).

What time will the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid begin on May 11?

The La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will start at 12:30 am IST (May 11).

What will be the venue for the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid?

Camp Nou will host the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Where will the live telecast of the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid be available in India?

The live telecast of the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will not be available in India.

Where will the live streaming of the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid be available in India?

The live streaming of the La Liga 25/26 match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be available on the FanCode app and website.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 against the Timberwolves on Sunday for elbowing Naz Reid. The incident happened early in the second quarter after Wembanyama reached over the top of Reid for a rebound. 

As Reid aggressively boxed Wembanyama out, the Spurs center got tangled up with Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels. Wembanyama then threw a clear elbow that connected squarely with Reid’s chin. After review, the referees assessed Wembanyama a Flagrant 2 foul, and he was ejected from the game. Take a look:

This was the first ejection of Wembanyama’s career, and it cost the Spurs dearly as Minnesota wound up winning the game, 114-109, to even the series 2-2 ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday in San Antonio. 

Will Wembanyama be a part of that game? We’ll see. The league could suspend him. It was a pretty vicious elbow on Reid. It’s hard to imagine the league making a ruling like that for such a marquee player in such a pivotal playoff game, but on the action alone, it wouldn’t be unwarranted. 

The ejection already was, in fact, the earliest an All-Star player has been ejected from a playoff game since at least 1997.

The elbow that Wembanyama threw didn’t occur in a vacuum. He’s been clearly frustrated by the level of physicality that has been applied to him in these playoffs and the lack of calls he has gotten as a result. Through the first two games of the series, he only went to the free-throw line a combined five times, but it should be noted that over 50% of his attempts in those games were from beyond the 3-point line. 

Once Wembanyama started attacking inside in Game 3, he went to the line 12 times. That’s not to say he hasn’t been getting a tough whistle. Big guys almost always get hit more than they get rewarded for by the refs. 

Spurs coach calls out how Wemby is officiated

Listening to Spurs coach Mitch Johnson following Game 4, it sounds like Wembanyama’s reaction on Sunday was, at least in part, one of frustration over the way Minnesota has gotten away with getting physical with him and the Spurs as a whole in this series. 

“In general, I do think it’s getting to the point that if the people that are in charge of controlling the game, and protecting the physicality of the game, don’t do that, then at some point [Wembanyama] is going to have to protect himself. We’ve been asking him to do that for a while.

“So, that call with Naz Reid was OK, and it sounded like the call was warranted,” Johnson continued, “but in terms of the game plan of every single team we’ve faced since [Wembanyama] has been in the league and the physicality that people try to impose on him, and the lack of protection, is really disappointing. At some level, it’s starting to get actually disgusting. 

“… I’m glad he took matters into his own hands,” Johnson concluded. “Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid. I want to be very clear about that. I didn’t want him to elbow [Reid]. But he’s going to have to protect himself if [the officials are not going to]. And I think it’s disgusting.”

So here we go with the all-too-familiar “coach thinks his star player gets a terrible whistle” rant. JJ Redick said after the Lakers’ Game 2 loss to the Thunder that LeBron James gets “the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen.” Go talk to Warriors fans about the way Stephen Curry gets mauled off the ball without getting very many calls, or Nuggets fans about Nikola Jokić’s whistle. Jaylen Brown believes he’s under a personal attack by the refs. 

In other words, nothing new here. Wemby is going to face physical defense for the rest of his career because the only chance opponents have to even marginally disrupt a human skyscraper. He’ll probably never get the benefit of the type of whistle he or his coaches and teammates believe he should. 

But right now, Johnson is just hoping to have some influence over the way Wemby is officiated for the rest of this series, and if you’re a Spurs fan, hopefully beyond. Frankly, he’s most concerned with making this sound as justifiable as possible to avoid Wemby getting suspended for Game 5. 

“There was no intent,” Johnson said when asked about the possibility of a suspension. “… I think it would be ridiculous.” 

But the fact is, even if Wemby plays in Game 5 and beyond, this series is an official dogfight. The Wolves are way tougher than most anyone gave them credit for entering these playoffs. Even the loss of Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t altered their high-pressure, defensive, no-back-down identity. They won Game 1 of this series even though Anthony Edwards didn’t start and was on a minutes restriction and Ayo Dosunmu didn’t play. 

The Spurs, who managed to beat Portland in Game 3 of their first-round series while Wemby was out with a concussion, were in a solid position to steal Game 4 even after Wembanyama went out. They led by eight in the fourth quarter, but the Wolves outscored them 28-15 over the final 8:51. They may end up regretting not closing this one out. 

The race for European qualification and the battle to avoid relegation are very tight. In Spain, Barca won El Clasico and their 29th league title. Olympique Lyonnais won their 11th Coupe de France. In the Giro d’Italia, Paul Magnier won Stage 3, his second victory in three days. Stade Rochelais remain in contention for the Top 14 play-offs.

With a New South Wales country feature race already notched up this autumn, Churchill’s Choice and her renowned strong finish line her up for potential back-to-back successes this Friday in Scone.

Trained by Nathan Doyle, the mare looks to build on her Group 3 Hawkesbury Cup conquest by capturing the $200,000 Listed Scone Cup (1600m), starring on the first day of the carnival spanning two days.

The four-year-old’s slim-margin but striking victory at Hawkesbury on May 2 ended a dry spell since her benchmark 72 win at Randwick in December 2024, delighting her trainer.

Doyle from Newcastle wishes for a longer gap before the Scone Cup compared to Hawkesbury, but the race this coming week offered too strong an appeal in her present form.

“I don’t think she’s a horse that actually lacked too much confidence, it’s just that she was probably too relaxed in the middle stages of her races,” Doyle said.

“When they started to increase the tempo in the race, she just wanted to go through the motions a little bit, but she’s bounced through the run good and I can’t fault her.

“We think she’s quite a fresh horse, so whether the two-week turnaround is a bit quick and she may need a little bit longer time will tell, but we haven’t done much with her in between.”

That Hawkesbury success brought Churchill’s Choice to four career triumphs, the first addition since her opening trio of wins.

By Churchill, the mare ran second in last year’s Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) coinciding with the Hawkesbury weekend, and was also runner-up in the Group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m) on her campaign opener.

Regan Bayliss partnered Churchill’s Choice for the debut time in the Hawkesbury Cup, with Doyle hoping for a reunion this weekend.

“I got Regan to have a sit on her at the trials before he rode her in the Hawkesbury Cup and he felt that flat spot she can hit and he got her through that period in Hawkesbury Cup,” he said.

“He got on his bike quite early and I think that was the difference between winning the race or running a nice fourth or fifth, which is what she’d been normally doing.”

The Scone Cup attracted 37 nominations including recent winners Tavi Time and Sky Lab, Cristal Clear from the Group 2 Ajax Stakes, last season’s Queensland Guineas victor Depth Of Character, and Formal Display pursuing four in a row.

Discover competitive racing betting markets ahead of the Scone Cup.

Arsenal face a nervous finale as injury concerns mount for the Gunners’ final games of the season despite their win over West Ham

Arsenal edged past West Ham United to strengthen their pursuit of the Premier League title, though they could not avoid picking up two more injury concerns ahead of their final fixtures.

Leandro Trossard netted the decisive goal for the Gunners, who struggled throughout the encounter at the London Stadium. It was far from a polished display by the league leaders, who survived several anxious moments, including a late West Ham effort being disallowed by VAR.

Yet Mikel Arteta’s team battled through to claim another victory and establish a five-point advantage, albeit having played one match more than rivals Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side face a tough ask to overcome their rivals.

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Arteta will not be without his own anxieties with one particular position ravaged by injuries. With that in mind, we look at the latest Arsenal injury news as their battle with City continues.

Ben White

Ben White departed the London Stadium with his right knee in a brace following a first-half substitution during the clash with West Ham. The England international appeared visibly distressed as he left the pitch with support from Arsenal medical personnel.

The problem seemingly casts doubt over the remainder of his campaign with just three matches left for the Gunners.

“We don’t know but it does not look good at all,” Arteta said in his press conference following the match.

Potential return date: End of season.

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Riccardo Calafiori

Riccardo Calafiori was also forced off early during the clash with West Ham. The Italian failed to reappear for the second half, with Cristhian Mosquera taking his place after he sustained an injury.

Potential return date: Unknown

Jurrien Timber

The Dutchman has been sidelined through injury and may not feature again before the campaign concludes. The full-back was present at the London Stadium on Sunday and took to the pitch in Arsenal training gear during the warm-up.

Timber remains unavailable for selection, though. Speaking before the encounter with the Irons, Arteta acknowledged that his rehabilitation would need to accelerate considerably if he’s to feature at all.

Potential return date: End of season.

Mikel Merino

Mikel Merino has been absent long-term following surgery and is battling to be fit before the season’s conclusion. The Spaniard had hoped for an accelerated comeback but now looks unlikely to make an appearance.

“There’s still a fair bit to do, so everything has to be smooth and quick if they want to have a chance to play any minutes,” said Arteta ahead of West Ham.

Potential return date: End of season.