Tony Kanaan has a single race to draw from as the new team principal at Arrow McLaren. Granted, the IndyCar champion and Indy 500 has a lifetime of experience to use from his days as an elite driver, but he’s still in heavy learning mode when it …
Tony Kanaan has a single race to draw from as the new team principal at Arrow McLaren. Granted, the IndyCar champion and Indy 500 has a lifetime of experience to use from his days as an elite driver, but he’s still in heavy learning mode when it comes to running the three-car IndyCar Series team owned by McLaren.
Even so, there’s one area of expertise Kanaan brings to the squad that doesn’t need time to develop, and that’s fostering a stronger feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood across the papaya-colored crew and drivers. From his time at Andretti Autosport as teammate to Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta, and the late Dan Wheldon, Kanaan is well versed in building bonds, creating unity, and using those interpersonal connections to push and elevate those in his orbit.
As often as Kanaan’s seen smiling and being a cheerleader, there’s a layer of brutal honesty that gets delivered to the people who need to hear some harsher truths. It’s in that duality — the best friend or the father figure holding folks accountable — where Arrow McLaren has grown and become better, even in the early phase of Kanaan’s influence, which made a front-row lockout in qualifying for The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix possible.
Kanaan inherited an excellent team from former team principal Gavin Ward, and as Pato O’Ward posed for pole winner photos with his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy crew on Saturday, the Brazilian reflected on the achievement – the team’s first pole since 2023.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1408]
“The are the days you don’t take for granted,” Kanaan told RACER. “I know by tomorrow morning, this is all gone, but I will enjoy today. I’m so proud of everybody, and we’ve been working so hard to get better. I care so much about this team and making our people believe that we’re good enough.”
Being a motivator is important for Kanaan, but the success is found when his teammates return the same positive energy. That wasn’t the case with everyone at Arrow McLaren when he took over during the offseason, and while it was a tough decision, the call was made to part ways with those who weren’t aligned with Kanaan’s vision.
“It’s a fine line of putting enough people together, and they’re gonna take it in a positive way and make themselves better,” he said. “Making them believe that they’re capable, that we don’t need any outside help if we put our heads together and then execute, even though every session when we’re being judged.
“We had a bad day yesterday. And what happened. Everybody went back, worked to improve what they can control, and transformed that in a positive way, and we’re able to execute, and today was much better, obviously. We’re not replacing anyone. We’re not. We need to believe we are the best, and as long as we understand what we need to do to extract the best, we will keep growing.”
Kanaan’s time at Andretti alongside Franchitti, Herta, and Wheldon continues to inform his approach to running Arrow McLaren, and it’s unlikely to change. O’Ward, in particular, has received his message about handling the pressure of expectations to lead the team, win all the big races, and fend off Lundgaard, the fastest teammate he’s had since joining the outfit in 2020.
“I think about my career, and it never came easy for me. I think the team knows that, so I can speak easier about what we need to do and how we need to come together. I was the least successful guy at Andretti, and when it wasn’t my turn to win, I made my teammates better, and we all won,” said Kanaan, who did happen to win the 2004 IndyCar title with the team.
“Some people won more, some people won less, but I made them understand that pressure is good. Because even as a human being, we only improve if somebody is pressuring us. That’s the world, right? So I think Pato has matured quite a bit, and he definitely understands now.
“Before, the old Pato would be mad and thinking, ‘Why did you bring this Lundgaard guy here? I want to go to somewhere else.’ Now, he’s like, ‘Well, gotta raise my game.’ I believe Pato’s one of the best talents in IndyCar. Now we need to define that to become a champion, an Indy 500 winner, otherwise he’ll be known as one of the best that never really won everything. So hopefully I can help him with that. The keys are believing you can do it and then executing and actually doing it, and that’s what we’re all working on together.”
Analyzing Sunday’s Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The Denver Nuggets (44-27) take on the Houston Rockets (46-25) Sunday. Tip-off from Toyota Center is set for 7 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Nuggets vs. Rocketsodds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Houston leads 1-0 with 128-108 win in Denver Jan. 15
Denver was dominated 128-109 by the Portland Trail Blazers Friday, failing to cover as a 2-point favorite as the Over (227.5) hit. The Nuggets turned the ball over an astounding 21 times. The Nuggets have lost by double-digits in back-to-back games while also allowing at least 120 points in 3 straight losses.
Houston escaped with a 102-98 win over the Miami Heat Friday as a 4.5-point favorite with the Under (212.5) cashing. G Fred VanVleet scored 37 points and the Rockets held the Heat to just 18 fourth-quarter points. The Rockets have won 9 straight games.
The Rockets are 2 games ahead of the Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
The Rockets are the hotter team, and with Jokic out for Denver, they will have no problem covering here as -300 favorites. However, Houston is not worth the risk of betting on as such a heavy favorite, so pass and bet on the spread and/or total instead.
Houston has covered the spread in 4 of its last 6 home games while Denver has dropped back-to-back games ATS on the road and is just 2-8 ATS in its last 10 overall. The Rockets are also 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 matchups against the Nuggets.
Houston has also been the better team ATS this season, sitting at 38-31-2 ATS while the Nuggets are 33-37-1 ATS.
The Over has hit in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games and is 36-34-1 for the Rockets this season. For Denver, the Over is 4-1 in its last 5 games and is a dominant 41-29-1 on the year. The Over has also hit in 2 of the last 3 matchups between these squads.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]
Want to play some games of your own? Play for free at the best social casinos and enjoy lots of slots, blackjack, video poker, roulette and more. You can even earn real prizes!
Analyzing Sunday’s Boston Celtics at Portland Trail Blazers odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The Boston Celtics(51-19) and Portland Trail Blazers (32-39) meet Sunday at the Moda Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Celtics vs. Trail Blazers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Celtics lead 1-0, winning 128-118 in Boston on March 5
The Celtics extended their win streak to 4 games on Friday night, cruising past the Utah Jazz 121-99. They covered as a 15-point road favorite as the Under (228) hit. C Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal while F Jayson Tatum added 26 points.
Portland picked up its 4th straight win on Friday night, rolling past the Denver Nuggets 128-109. The Trail Blazers covered as a 2-point home underdog with the Over (227.5) cashing. They dominated inside, outscoring the Nuggets 64-42 in the paint. F Deni Avdija scored a season-high 36 points while adding 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block.
Portland is making a strong push during its 7-game homestand, winning and covering in 4 of the last 5 games. The Trail Blazers have been tough at home, holding a winning record on their court (20-16). Meanwhile, Boston has won 5 of its last 6 games, but covered the spread in just 2 of those games.
This game means a lot more for Portland, which sits 2 games out of the play-in tournament, while Boston is already locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Trail Blazers’ defense has been solid, and Avdija has been a huge factor, averaging 23.7 points per game (PPG) in March.
The Celtics have won the last 4 meetings against Portland and should come away with the win again, but given the circumstances the Trail Blazers have a good shot at keeping it close and covering the spread.
Boston and Portland have both leaned toward the Under lately, with the Celtics staying Under in 5 of their last 7 games and the Trail Blazers in 7 of their last 10 contests. Defense has been the key for both teams during their recent win streaks. Boston has held opponents to 99.7 PPG over its last 4 wins, while Portland has allowed just 101.7 PPG during its 4-game streak. I see this game landing around 210 total.
Yoel Romero had a tall task on his hands Saturday … literally.
Yoel Romero had a tall task on his hands Saturday … literally.
Romero stopped Ras Hylton, all 6-foot-6-inches of him, with a TKO with 34 seconds left in the third round in the headliner of the first official Dirty Boxing Championship event, which took place in South Florida. The custom-rules boxing/MMA hybrid promotion was started by Mike Perry and now counts Jon Jones as a co-owner.
Romero was patient in the first two three-minute rounds trying to figure out his much taller opponent – who rocks a reported size 23 shoe. But in the third, the 47-year-old Cuban touched Hylton up and put him away.
Check out Romero’s finish below.
47-year-old Yoel Romero gets the TKO win at #DXB1 with less than 40 seconds remaining in the fight. pic.twitter.com/U78cTLpQvZ
After he exited the UFC in 2020 off a title loss to Israel Adesanya, Romero signed with Bellator and went 3-2. He fought for DBX this past November in the promotion’s “pilot” event and scored a first-round finish of Duane Crespo.
46-year-old Andrei Arlovski won his debut with the Mike Perry and Jon Jones owned Dirty Boxing Championship.
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] started the final chapter of his combat sports career after exiting the UFC in 2024 when he competed Saturday at Dirty Boxing Championship.
The promotion, which is headed by UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Mike Perry, features mixed rules of standup techniques and ground strikes. Former UFC heavyweight champion Arlovski was part of the card in Miami, and he got the victory over by doctor’s stoppage TKO over Terrance Hodges.
Arlovski picked his shots over the opening round, then in the second landed an elbow that sliced Hodges on the forehead. The action was halted, and after the fighter was examined, it was stopped.
Analyzing Sunday’s Baylor vs. Duke odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The No. 9 seed Baylor Bears (20-14) and the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (32-3) meet Sunday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh for an NCAA Tournament East Region second-round game. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Baylor vs. Duke odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Bears ousted No. 8 seed Mississippi State 75-72 in a Friday first-round tilt, winning as 1-point underdogs with the Under (148) cashing. Baylor hit 43.5% (27-for-62) from the field, including 25.0% (6-for-24) from behind the 3-point line. Freshman G Robert Wright III scored a game-high 19 points, while fellow frosh G VJ Edgecombe added 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while grabbing 5 boards.
Baylor is on a 3-0 against-the-spread (ATS) run, which included covers in their 2 Big 12 Tournament games. It’s a stark contrast from how the Bears finished the regular season as they went 3-5 straight up (SU) and 0-6-2 ATS in their final 8 games.
The Blue Devils had very little trouble with 16th-seeded Mount St. Mary’s out of the MAAC Friday. Duke won 93-49, covering as a 32-point favorite with the Over (140.5) slightly coming through. The Blue Devils hit 50.0% (35-for-70) from the field, and 37.8% (14-for-37) from the 3-point line. G Tyrese Proctor was good for 19 points, including 6-of-8 from behind the arc.
Duke, No. 1 in theUSA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, has won 12 in a row since a 77-71 loss at Clemson Feb. 8, and it is 9-2 ATS in the past 11 contests with the Over going 8-3. Duke has also won 5 in a row on neutral floors — with a 3-2 ATS showing.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
Backing Duke (-900), risking 9 times the potential return, is not a recommended betting strategy. A $100 wager returns just $11.11 of profit. That’s not worth playing straight up or part of a multi-leg wager.
BAYLOR +12.5 (-115) is a solid play catching all of these points.
The Bears have the dynamic duo of Edgecombe and Wright, tremendous young building blocks. Are they ready to etch their names into Baylor lore with an upset of the No. 1 seed? It’s unlikely. But, Baylor certainly has the depth to make Duke work hard to advance to the Sweet 16. The Blue Devils are 1-1 SU/ATS against Big 12 teams this season.
UNDER 143.5 (-105) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Over cashed in the Blue Devils’ game against Mount St. Mary’s, but the Under is 2-1 in their past 3 games, and 3-2 in the previous 5 outings.
The Bears will try to slow the tempo to a crawl. The Under is 6-1 in their past 7. They limited the opposition to 72 or fewer points in 6 of those 7 outings.
Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and their faceoffs from the ONE 172 ceremonial weigh-ins in Japan.
Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and their faceoffs from the ONE 172 ceremonial weigh-ins in Japan. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)
Analyzing Sunday’s UConn vs. Florida odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The No. 8 seed UConn Huskies (24-10) and the top-seeded Florida Gators (31-4) meet Sunday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh for an NCAA Tournament West Region second-round game. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET (CBS). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UConn vs. Florida odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Huskies threw a blanket on ninth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round Friday, limiting the Sooners to 32.1% shooting (17-for-53) in a 67-59 win and cover as 6-point favorites with the Under (147) cashing. The 2-time defending champs held Oklahoma to just 17.6% (3-for-17) from behind the 3-point line, too.
UConn G Solo Ball scored a team-high 14 points, while F Alex Karaban was good for 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 38 minutes. The Huskies weren’t terribly efficient from the field, hitting 42.9% (24-for-56) and just 24.0% (6-for-25) from downtown. That’s going to have to pick up dramatically against the top-seeded Gators Sunday.
Connecticut has won and covered 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament games. In addition, it is 6-1 straight up (SU) in the past 7 games, and 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past 6 outings. The Under is 6-0 in the past 6 games, too.
Florida barely broke a sweat vs. No. 16 seed Norfolk State Friday, winning 95-69. However, the Gators were unable to cover as 28.5-point favorites as the Over (153.5) hit. G Walter Clayton Jr. led the way with 23 points, including 4-for-9 from downtown, while G Alijah Martin had 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
The Gators have won 7 in a row, going 6-1 ATS in the span. Plus, the Over is on an 8-0 run. Florida has won 13 of the past 14 with a 12-2 ATS record, while the Over is 11-3.
UCONN (+375) is worth a look for the opportunity to nearly quadruple up on your initial wager.
It won’t be easy to show top-seeded Florida (-500) the door, but if anyone can, it’s 2-time defending champ UConn. The Huskies have won 13 straight NCAA Tournament games, and they won’t go easily.
UCONN +9.5 (-110) is worth a play if you’re a little more conservative, and not willing to roll the dice on a bit of a long-shot.
The Huskies know how to heat up at the right time, proven by their consecutive NCAA Tournament game win streak.
Florida is a tremendous team, but it showed some vulnerability in losses at Georgia (by 5 points Feb. 25) and at Tennessee (by 20 points Feb. 1). The Gators can be very good, but sometimes they can also completely disappear. They turned it over plenty against Norfolk State, committing 12 miscues. That won’t do against the 2-time defending champs. Florida needs to bring its ‘A’ game.
Just don’t wager more than 1½ units between the 2 plays — the UConn ML and the UConn spread.
UNDER 151.5 (-115) is the play, but we’re going against the trends for the Gators. They’ve cashed Overs in their last 8 outings.
For UConn, though, the Under has cashed in 7 in a row with the Huskies limiting their opponent to 66 or fewer points in 5 of their last 6. Plus, in last season’s NCAA Tournament, UConn cashed Under in all 6 games.
Take a look at the 2025 betting upsets in the UFC.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Take a look at the 2025 betting upsets in the UFC.
For an underdog to be included on this list, the favorite had to be a consensus minimum of -150 across major sportsbooks. That will keep the list from being populated with truly minor upsets from betting lines that easily could have swung the opposite way.
Fighters are listed alphabetically, followed by an event-by-event upset tracker.
Nassourdine Imavov celebrates after defeating Israel Adesanya in their men’s middleweight fight during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night 250 in Riyadh on February 1, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)
Feb 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Ricky Simon (red gloves) fights Javid Basharat (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Feb 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Ion Cutelaba (red gloves) celebrates defeating Ibo Aslan (blue gloves) in the light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
“That’s how you beat Leon. The blueprint was kind of written in a lot of his fights, and I just did a lot better than I think anyone else has been able to do it,” Brady told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the post-fight news conference.
“Even when he shot on me – Leon’s a very technical fighter, but when you make it a real hard fight, he tends to break. I could see he was breaking, and I knew he broke once he shot on me because that’s the last place he would want to be is on the ground with me. So once I knew he wanted to grapple with me, I knew it was going to be over soon.”
After the fight, Muhammad posted on X that Brady copied his homework. Brady reminded Muhammad that he was able to do something to Edwards that he couldn’t.
“I think I did a lot better than Belal did,” Brady said. “I think Belal lost a couple of rounds. He had his back taken for an entire round. I think it was 3-2 when they fought? I dominated Leon every round. No one’s ever did it like me. And then I submitted him and made him quit in front of his hometown. If we were in Philly, you ain’t making me quit in front of my hometown, I’ll tell you that. I’m going to sleep, son. So just remember that.”
Brady is open to weighing in as a backup for Muhammad’s first title defense against Jack Della Maddalena May 10 at UFC 315. Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) sees Shavkat Rakhmonov as most worthy of a title shot since their UFC 310 title fight fell through, but Brady thinks his resume may just be better.
“If you look at the people I’ve been beating vs. Shavkat, I think I have a pretty good – Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards, my last two vs. his last two, (Stephen) ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson) and Ian Garry – I’ve got a nice little record going,” Brady said. “But I just want to keep adding names to my resume and we’ll see what happens.”
