Month: March 2020

UFC on ESPN+ 27 weight miss doesn’t bother Deiveson Figueiredo: ‘The belt is mine’

For now, Deiveson Figueiredo considers himself the UFC flyweight champion – gold belt or not.

NORFOLK, Va. – [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] fought in a UFC flyweight title fight Saturday night and although he won, he is not the champion.

Figueiredo (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) was disallowed the opportunity to win the title after he missed weight at Friday’s official weigh-in. The Brazilian flyweight missed the championship limit by two-and-a-half pounds, coming in at 127.5. As a result, the title was only Joseph Benavidez was eligible to win the belt at UFC on ESPN+ 27.

After a closely contested Round 1, Figueiredo ended the fight in Round 2. As the round approached the two-minute mark, Figueiredo landed a vicious right hand that dropped the longtime UFC veteran, just seconds after an accidental clash of heads, and that was all she wrote.

Unfazed by the sequence of events which leads to him returning home without the title, Figueiredo doesn’t think his victory was less sweet. According to the Brazilian, the nature of the finish made up for weight debacle.

“I’m not sad at all,” Figueiredo told MMA Junkie post-fight. “I’m very happy. I told you before in the pre-fight interview I was going to knock him out in the second round – and I did. I owe this for the people watching TV. I owe this for the people coming to the arena. Because I didn’t make the weight, I had to compromise and give a big statement for the people.”

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A contributing factor to Figueiredo’s nonchalant attitude may lie in his claim the weight-cut issue was, and will remain, an isolated incident. Cramps aren’t something Figueiredo has encountered before, and this was the first time he ever missed weight.

“I was cutting the weight really smooth,” Figueiredo said. “Everything was fine. In the day of the weigh-in, I feel a cramp. I felt bad in my stomach. My team called my doctor and nutritionist. She told my team, ‘If you really feel that, it’s better to stop.'”

Figueiredo will only make once change going forward. He’s going to bring his nutritionist with him for his next fight. In his eyes, Friday was a hiccup – but no different than anything other great fighters have encountered and overcome.

“This happened for the first time,” Figueiredo said. “I’m not going to do anything different – just one thing. I’m going to bring my nutritionist next time. Besides that, nothing. I always got the weight I was supposed to get. This was the first time. It was really a cramp in my stomach. I really felt bad.

“You guys have to remember many great fighters have had this happen before. Khabib one time did not get the weight. Now, (Yoel) Romero is going to fight for the belt. How many times did he not make the weight? It was the first time (for me).”

For now, Figueiredo considers himself the UFC champion – gold belt or not.

“It doesn’t matter,” Figueiredo said. “Whoever the UFC puts me to fight, I’m going to fight. I just won my belt. The belt is mine. I just don’t hold it. I proved that.”

UFC on ESPN+ 27 took place Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. It streamed on ESPN+.

Check out Deiveson Figueiredo’s full UFC on ESPN+ 27 post-fight scrum in the video above.

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Nevada Basketball: Wolf Pack Fall To #5 San Diego State 83-76

Nevada Basketball: Wolf Pack Fall To #5 San Diego State 83-76 On Senior Night in Reno, the Wolf Pack’s hot start faded away as Malachi Flynn and the Aztecs use a strong second half performance to defeat Nevada 83-76. Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & …

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Nevada Basketball: Wolf Pack Fall To #5 San Diego State 83-76

On Senior Night in Reno, the Wolf Pack’s hot start faded away as Malachi Flynn and the Aztecs use a strong second half performance to defeat Nevada 83-76.

Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire

Wolf Pack Fall To #5 San Diego State 83-76 In Regular Season Finale

Despite a hard fought effort, the Nevada Wolf Pack lost their regular season finale to the San Diego State Aztecs 83-76 on Saturday night. The loss to the Aztecs snaps Nevada’s six game winning streak and their 20 game home winning streak against Mountain West teams. With the loss to San Diego State, the Wolf Pack end their regular season with a 19-11 overall record and a 12-6 conference record.

The Wolf Pack did play well against the Aztecs for most of the game and led by double digits at one point. But in the second half, SDSU’s Malachi Flynn was dominant as his play propelled the Aztecs to the win in Reno. Flynn scored 36 points and tallied five rebounds and five assists in the win over the Wolf Pack.

The Wolf Pack started the game shooting the ball well against San Diego State’s stout defense. Nevada shot 57 percent from the field and went 5 for 10 from the three point line in the first half. Nevada’s good shooting was the reason why they had a 45-36 lead on San Diego State at the half. The Wolf Pack eventually stretched their lead on the Aztecs to 15 as Nevada was up 54-39 with 16 minutes left in the second half. 

Led by Malachi Flynn, the Aztecs went on a 31-12 scoring run over a ten minute time period to take the lead away from the Wolf Pack. Flynn had some help in leading the Aztec comeback as guard KJ Feagin scored 14 points and made four threes despite an ankle injury during the game. 

The Wolf Pack offense, which was fantastic in the first half, cooled down in the second half. Nevada went on a seven minute scoring drought late in the game as the Aztec defense put the clamps on the Wolf Pack offense. Nevada made one last push in the final minutes of the game  to tie the game but that effort came up short as the Aztecs pulled away for the win.

For Nevada, Jalen Harris led the team in scoring as he dropped 24 points and five assists in the loss to the Aztecs. Along with Harris, Jazz Johnson and Lindsey Drew both scored 13 points apiece in the loss to San Diego State. 

The Wolf Pack will head to Las Vegas for 2020 the Mountain West Tournament as the no.3 seed as they will face the winner of the #6 vs #11 contest between Colorado State and Wyoming.

That contest between Nevada and the Colorado State/Wyoming winner will be on Thursday. 

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Westbrook scores 41 as Rockets extend streak to six in Boston

Russell Westbrook scored 41 points and Robert Covington added a career-high 16 rebounds as Houston extended its winning streak in Boston.

Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 41 points, and Robert Covington grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds as the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to six games with a thrilling 111-110 overtime victory (box score) on Saturday night in Boston.

James Harden struggled from the field with 21 points on 7-of-24 shooting (29.2%), and he had a crucial turnover late in regulation.

But the 2020 All-Star and former MVP came up clutch late in overtime with a steal and two free throws in the final 30 seconds, which were ultimately the difference in an intense and frantic finish.

The Rockets (39-20) have now won nine of their last 11 games, while the Celtics (41-18) lost for just the third time in their last 14 outings. In potential NBA Finals previews, two of those losses were to Houston.

Westbrook’s 41 points came on a 16-of-27 night (59.3%) from the field, extending his career-long streak of consecutive games with over 52% shooting accuracy to seven. He’s scored over 30 points in six of them.

Prior to these last seven games, the longest such streak by the former MVP over his first 12 NBA seasons was three games.

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Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 32 points and 13 rebounds, though the defense of Covington and P.J. Tucker helped limit him to an inefficient 9-of-27 night (33.3%) from the field.

Covington and Tucker combined for six blocked shots and 29 rebounds on Houston’s front line, with six of Tucker’s 13 boards coming on offense.

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Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown added 26 and 22 points, respectively, and each had a 3-pointer for the Celtics in the final 15 seconds of regulation to force an improbable overtime. Houston had led by six with less than 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter before Boston’s rally.

In a sign of the significance of Saturday’s nationally televised showdown of contenders, Houston’s All-Star backcourt of Westbrook and Harden immediately embraced each other once the game went final.

The Rockets will look to run their winning streak to seven games when they visit the New York Knicks (18-42) on Monday night. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is set for 6:00 p.m. Central.

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Roman Gonzalez stops Kal Yafai in 9th round

Roman Gonzalez is back on top of the junior bantamweight division after he beat up Kal Yafai, stopping him in the ninth round…

He’s back.

Roman Gonzalez, perhaps the most accomplished fighter of the lower weight classes of the past decade, is a junior bantamweight titleholder once again after he stopped undefeated Khalid Yafai in the ninth round Saturday night at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco Texas on the Mikey Garcia-Jesse Vargas card. 

“God gave me my title back,” Gonzalez, now a two-time 115-pound titlist, said postfight.

It was more like a mugging.

The Nicaraguan, who has earned titles in four weight classes, sliced and diced Yafai on the inside all fight long, strafing the Birmingham native with a deluge of short punches. By Round 9, Gonzalez had softened up Yafai like a marshmallow. With one well-placed right hand, he sent Yafai crashing to the canvas. The defending titleholder tried to get up, but stumbled, prompting referee Luis Pabon to wave off the bout 29 seconds into the round.

The win marks a remarkable turnaround for a fighter who is already a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame someday. After suffering two back-to-back losses Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, including a hellacious drubbing in the rematch, in 2017, Gonazalez has had to overcome several other setbacks, notably surgery to his knee and the death of his longtime trainer. There was some concern that Gonzalez would never be the same, given the wear and tear of nearly 50 fights at 32 years of age.

But as far removed as he may be from his prime, against Yafai, Gonzalez was clearly in top form.

“When I lost (to Sor Rungvisai), yes (it was tough), but I had a good team around me and they brought me back,” Gonzalez said. “I thank first and foremost (promoter) Mr. (Akihiko) Honda and Eddie Hearn for giving me the opportunity to become a world champion once again.”

It didn’t take long for flashes of the vintage Gonzalez (48-2, 40 KOs) to appear in the ring. Rifling one fluid combination after another on the inside in Round 2, Gonzalez briefly troubled Yafai (26-1, 15 KOs) with an uppercut the Birmingham native. Gonzalez said he was surprised that Yafai, known for his preference for fighting on the outside, was willing to trade punches in the trenches. 

Gonzalez began to take over beginning in Round 5. He administered a serious beating of Yafai in Round 7, courtesy of a series of unanswered right hands and followed up with more of the same in the next round. By this point, Yafai was simply on borrowed time.

The victory could set up some intriguing rematch possibilities for Gonzalez, chief of which is a unification bout with fellow titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada. Gonzalez defeated Estrada back in 2012. It would be a relatively easy fight to make, considering both fighters are aligned with broadcaster DAZN and promoter Hearn.

Another one is a rematch against Sor Rungvisai, who is also aligned with DAZN/Hearn.

Gonzalez welcomed both options.

“I want to try to unify some titles, that’s my dream,” he said.

Eric Paschall leads Warriors to 18 point road comeback vs. Suns to snap losing streak, 115-99

Eric Paschall’s 25 points carried the injury-hampered Warriors to an 18-point comeback victory against the Phoenix Suns.

The Golden State Warriors’ day did not start as planned. The Warriors announced Stephen Curry’s return would be moved back from his original target date of March 1. The news around Curry’s injury followed Golden State ruling out a trio of players against the Phoenix Suns.

Yet, the shorthanded Warriors pulled off one of their best wins of the season in Phoenix with a 115-99 comeback victory.

Without Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman, the Warriors only had eight healthy players and no true point guard against the Suns. Golden State started the game in Phoenix falling down 18 points in the first half. However, the second half was a different story.

The Warriors roared back to outscore the Suns 31-16 in the third quarter. Golden State completely erased the 18 point deficit to take the lead going into the final period.

Rookie Eric Paschall carried Golden State’s comeback, scoring 25 points in 33 minutes off the bench. The Villanova product was Steve Kerr’s primary scoring option on offense, with Damion Lee finding him as the lead ball-handler. Lee dished out a career-high eight assists while scoring 20 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Seven of Golden State’s eight-man rotation scored in double figures to snap the Warriors eight-game losing streak.

The Turnover Battle

Although the Warriors had a limited rotation, the point-guardless team protected the rock. Golden State only turned the ball over 10 times, while their opponent nearly doubled that number with 19 turnovers.

Phoenix All-Star Devin Booker scored 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting, but turned the ball over six times. The Suns’ backcourt of Ricky Rubio and Booker combined to turn the ball over more than the entire Warriors team with 11.

Every starter for the Warriors recorded a steal against the Suns, with Marquese Chriss and Andrew Wiggins each swiping three steals.

Mychal Mulder

Paschall and Lee will make headlines, but 10-day contract player Mychal Mulder was a crucial factor in Golden State’s comeback victory. Mulder scored his first NBA points in 14 points on 3-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The Kentucky product’s long-range shooting came at a much needed time for Warriors who have been struggling from 3-point land.

Mulder racked up 34 minutes in the second game of his 10-day contract. His play against the Suns should earn him more time on the court through the remainder of his time in Golden State.

Kevon Looney

Kevon Looney‘s 2019-20 season has been defined by injury, yet against the Suns, the Golden State center looked like his old self. Looney scored in double-figures for the second time this season with 10 points while grabbing six rebounds.

Before the game, Steve Kerr said the former high school point guard, could get some time point guard for the Warriors. Looney dished out three assists against the Suns, tied for his season-high.

2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Bracket, TV Schedule

The Mountain West basketball tournament bracket and schedule is out.

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2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Bracket, TV Schecdule

Mountain West’s tournament is set.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

March Madness is here

The 2020 Mountain West basketball tournament is set now that the regular season is over and the bracket is ready to go with the Mountain West tournament starting on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas.

March 4

Game 1: No. 8 Fresno State vs. No. 9 Air Force, 3 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network
Game 2: No. 7 New Mexico vs. No. 10 San Jose State, 5 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network
Game 3: No. 6 Colorado State vs. No. 11 Wyoming, 8 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network

March 5

Quarterfinal 1: No. 1 San Diego State vs. Game 1 winner, 2:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Quarterfinal 2: No. 4 UNLV vs. No. 5 Boise State, 5 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Quarterfinal 3: No. 2 Utah State vs. Game 2 winner, 9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Quarterfinal 4: No. 3 Nevada vs. Game 3 winner, 11:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network

March 6

Semifinal 1: QF1 winner vs. QF2 winner, 9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network
Semifinal 2: QF3 winner vs. QF4 winner, 11:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network

March 7

Championship: SF1 winner vs. SF2 winner, 5:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS

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New Mexico Football Schedule 2020 Prediction, Breakdown, Analysis

New Mexico football schedule 2020 prediction, breakdown, analysis, ranking every game.

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New Mexico football schedule 2020 prediction, breakdown, analysis, ranking every game.

New Mexico Football Schedule 2020

Aug. 29 Idaho State

Sept. 5 at Mississippi State

Sept. 12 at USC

Sept. 19 at New Mexico State

Sept. 26 OPEN DATE

Oct. 3 UMass

Oct. 10 at Colorado State

Oct. 17 Nevada

Oct. 24 at Utah State

Oct. 31 San Jose State

Nov. 7 at Hawaii

Nov. 14 Boise State

Nov. 21 at Air Force

Nov. 28 Wyoming

Mountain West, West Teams Missed: Fresno State, San Diego State, UNLV

New Mexico Football Schedule 2020 Prediction, Best Case Scenario

7-6: New head coach Danny Gonzalez gets off to a 3-2 start, helped by a rivalry win over New Mexico State on the road. The Lobos split the road games at Colorado State and Utah State, and also split the tough dates at Hawaii and Air Force. With a win over San Jose State, they have a shot at bowl eligibility, and they get it with a home win over Wyoming.

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New Mexico Football Schedule 2020 Prediction, Worst Case Scenario

2-11: There’s no fun after the season-opening win over Idaho State. The Lobos loses the next three games on the road, including to NMSU. They beat UMass, but that’s about it, including a loss at home to San Jose State. Making things even worse, the 13-game regular season prolongs the misery.

Get New Mexico Tickets for the 2020 season with TicketCity

New Mexico Football Schedule 2020 Ranking Hardest To Easiest

2020 preseason ranking of the New Mexico football schedule from the hardest-looking games to the easiest.

1. Sept. 12 at USC

2 .Sept. 5 at Mississippi State

3. Nov. 14 Boise State

4. Nov. 21 at Air Force

5. Nov. 7 at Hawaii

6. Oct. 24 at Utah State

7. Oct. 17 Nevada

8. Nov. 28 Wyoming

9. Oct. 10 at Colorado State

10. Oct. 31 San Jose State

11. Sept. 19 at New Mexico State

12. Oct. 3 UMass

13. Aug. 29 Idaho State

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