8:00 AM ET Some fighters burst onto the scene, establishing themselves with out-of-nowhere achievements and confidence beyond their years. Others build slowly and steadily from a young age. ESPN’s third annual ranking of the top 25 MMA fighters under the age of 25 features prospects who could define the sport’s future as well as some
Month: December 2021
5:33 AM ET The International Olympic Committee has held a second video call with former doubles world number one Peng Shuai amid concerns about the Chinese tennis player’s wellbeing, the IOC said in a statement on Thursday. The IOC said it held the call just before the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced an immediate suspension
New Zealand pacer Tim Southee has backed the Kiwis’ middle-order to come good in the second Test against India despite a poor show in the opening game. Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, and Tom Blundell all failed to leave a mark before Rachin Ravindra‘s gutsy innings helped New Zealand earn a draw in the first Test on
12:05 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” IRVING, Texas — Major League Baseball locked out its players early Thursday morning, certifying the game’s first work stoppage in more than a quarter-century after months of talks yielded little progress toward
1:26 AM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — As Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo charged toward the basket during the closing seconds of a tie game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, he knew he was going to have to get creative to score. So, Antetokounmpo flipped the ball off the bottom of the glass with
9:20 PM ET Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, with mounting support from players and recruits, has emerged as the leading candidate to become the Fighting Irish’s head football coach, sources told ESPN. No deal has been finalized, and several steps remain before Freeman can be formally announced as head coach, sources said. Freeman, 35,
11:22 PM ET The San Diego Padres and right-hander Nick Martinez have agreed on a four-year, $20 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Martinez’s deal includes opt-outs after his first and second year. Martinez, 31, spent the past four seasons in Japan and starred for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks this year, posting a 1.62
11:36 PM ET UFC president Dana White tested positive for COVID-19 this week and is currently in isolation in his Las Vegas home, he said on “The Jim Rome Podcast” on Wednesday. White, 52, said he and his immediate family tested positive after spending the Thanksgiving holiday together in Maine. White resides in Las Vegas,
6:53 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — It was brutal in the end, on the pitch and off it in the 239th Merseyside derby, as Liverpool’s incredible goal-scoring machine broke another record with a ruthless display of finishing in a 4-1 victory at Everton — their biggest win at Goodison Park since 1986. Two Mohamed Salah
4:17 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — After having to play in an empty arena in the group stage, Novak Djokovic relished being in front of Davis Cup fans again. Djokovic fed off the energetic crowd from the start on Wednesday, leading Serbia into the semifinals with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Kazakhstan at the
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, who was retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction in IPL 2022, said it was “heart-breaking” not to be able to hold on to their entire core group of cricketers. MI retained four cricketers – the maximum allowed to each franchise ahead of the mega auction including Rohit.
6:01 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” IRVING, Texas — A lockout of Major League Baseball players appeared imminent after discussions between the league and union cut off negotiations early Wednesday afternoon, less than 12 hours before the expiration
7:21 PM ET Associated Press NOVI, Mich. — No criminal charges will be filed in the fireworks-related death of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks at a Detroit-area home during a July 4 celebration, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday. The death has officially been ruled accidental, and the case is now closed, the
4:23 PM ET Prepare for fireworks. That’s the message from UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski when he assesses the showdown between his two former Tiger Muai Thai mentors, Brad Riddell and Rafael Fiziev, in Las Vegas this weekend. There is perhaps no one better to run the rule over the lightweight showdown than Volkanovski, given
5:11 PM ET METAIRIE, La. — Taysom Hill will make his first start at quarterback this season for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, a source told ESPN, after he practiced fully all week with a partially torn plantar fascia that has limited him since Week 10. However, the Saints offense might not be
7:00 AM ET Twelve weeks into the 2021 NFL season and we are squarely in the body-of-work zone for the league’s first-year players. Some of the rookies have flashed one week and felt every bump on the learning curve in others, while some have been derailed for a moment by injuries. But in the third
2:41 PM ET Associated Press The head of the women’s professional tennis tour announced Wednesday that all WTA tournaments would be suspended in China because of concerns about the safety of Peng Shuai, a Grand Slam doubles champion who accused a former high-ranking government official in that country of sexual assault. Peng dropped out of
6:15 PM ET Liam Wheeler Chelsea stayed top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Vicarage Road, but they were taken all the way by a stubborn Watford side on a challenging night for Thomas Tuchel’s team. The much-changed Blues looked disjointed in the opening exchanges, before play was temporarily suspended due