Month: July 2020

Dana White says Conor McGregor’s ‘I accept’ tweet about Khamzat Chimaev, but not so fast

It turns out Dana White may not actually know what that tweet was about.

According to UFC president Dana White, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s cryptic “I accept” tweet was meant for [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who’s made waves as the UFC’s hot new prospect by splashing into the organization with two wins in 10 days, recently has taken aim at former two-division champ McGregor. The undefeated fighter told a story about attempting to travel to Ireland to find “The Notorious” back in 2018, then proceeded to call for a fight with him on social media.

On Thursday, McGregor posted his tweet about accepting something but offered no details about the who, what, when, or where. White said Friday what he thought it meant.

“That was (for) Khamzat,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after UFC on ESPN+ 31 weigh-ins. “Khamzat posted, ‘I want Nate Diaz, Masvidal then McGregor.’ And McGregor said, ‘I accept.’ That’s what that was.”

Not so fast.

McGregor told ESPN afterward that his tweet was not about Chimaev but declined to elaborate.

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When pressed on whether he would actually be interested in making a fight between McGregor and Chimaev, White quickly brushed off the notion. He said McGregor’s retirement from MMA is serious after he declared as much on June 7. And even if he wasn’t, White said there are many more relevant fights for him.

“No (interest in actually making the Chimaev fight),” White said. “Listen, Conor’s retired, and Conor’s move right now is sit back, wait, and see how this year plays out and see what’s next for him. You know he wants the Khabib (Nurmagomedov) fight. That happens Oct. 24 (against Justin Gaethje). So, we’ll see.”

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Rickie Fowler relishes being back in contention in Memphis

Fowler chipped in for birdie for the second time in as many days and shot 67 on Friday to trail by 2 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The best club in Rickie Fowler’s bag is usually his putter, but he’s not complaining that he hasn’t had to use it as much this week. Fowler chipped in for birdie at the last for his second hole out from off the green in as many days en route to shooting 3-under 67 in the second round of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

Fowler, 31, overcame a double bogey at the par-3 11th to improve to 9-under 131 for 36 holes and trails leader Brendon Todd by two strokes at TPC Southwind.

It doesn’t hurt that the putter has been doing its job so far, too, for Fowler. He holed a 35-foot birdie putt at the eighth hole, his third birdie in a row.

“I was pulling a lot of putts, I was kind of tense with it, so it’s nice to see things kind of pay off,” he said. “The putter’s definitely in a better spot.”

FedEx St. Jude Invitational: Leaderboard | Best photos | Tee times

But just when it looked like he may chase down Todd and perhaps claim the 36-hole lead, Fowler rinsed his ball in the water at the 151-yard 11th hole and made double bogey.

“Little 8-iron. I think we had 145 to the hole. We were kind of judging that it was playing about 150 to the hole. So, I made a little bit too soft of a swing, I needed to be hitting maybe a 155 shot to try to fly it a few yards past the hole,” he said. “Probably hit it a little soft, which would have still flown hole high, but on top of that, a couple gusts came up. Bad timing.”

That was the only blemish on Fowler’s card and he finished with birdies on the final two holes, including the chip-in at 18 from 40 feet.

Fowler, a five-time winner on Tour, has been searching for answers after missing back-to-back cuts at the Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Heritage for the first time since 2016. He’s seeking his first top-10 finish since a T-10 at the American Express Championship in January, a span of 10 events. The last time he played 10 or more consecutive events without a top-10 finish was five tournaments at the end of the 2011 season and the first five of the 2012 season. Fowler, who was ranked No. 9 in the world heading into the 2019 Masters, has fallen to No. 32 in the world during his mini-slump, his lowest ranking since 2013.

“This year hasn’t been my greatest. Been working on a lot of stuff,” said Fowler, who has made swing changes with instructor John Tillery. “I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I think that’s been my main goal is go through some changes for the better. Sometimes you’ve got to take that step back to take two steps forward. I feel like we already made the step back, I feel like we’ve made a step forward. I’m looking for that next step.”

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3 free agent candidates to replace Bears NT Eddie Goldman

The loss of NT Eddie Goldman is huge for the Bears as depth gets thinner. Here are some free-agent options that can fill the void.

On Tuesday, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to the health concerns over COVID-19.

The 26-year old is coming off a year where he started in 15 games and registered one sack and 29 tackles. This offseason the Bears brought back veteran John Jenkins to backup Goldman, but now could be starting on the Bears defensive line.

Jenkins, who is placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list, appeared in 16 games with the Miami Dolphins and recorded 34 tackles and one sack. Backing up Jenkins would be undrafted free agent Lee Autry out of Mississippi State.

The loss of Goldman is huge for the Bears as they lose a key starter and the depth gets thinner. Here are some players that can fill the void.

Damon “Snacks” Harrison

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 All-Pro is one of the best available free agents left on the market. The 31-year old is coming off a down season with the Detroit Lions, where he totaled 49 tackles and two sacks. Before last season, Damon Harrison has had productive seasons mostly with the New York Giants.

Harrison has fielded a “competitive contract offer” according to Ross Uglam of Packers Report, but that was earlier in the offseason and nothing else has been said. The Bears could still a player from the Packers while upgrading their current defensive tackle situation.

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Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Los Angeles Angels (2-5) face the Houston Astros (3-3) Friday at 9:10 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. We analyze the Astros-Angels betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets.

Astros at Angels: Projected starting pitchers

RHP Lance McCullers Jr. at RHP Matt Andriese 

McCullers won his 2020 debut in a quality start (six innings pitched with two earned runs allowed) against the Seattle Mariners on July 25. The Astros won 7-2.

Andriese has appeared in one game in 2020, going 5 2/3 innings in a 6-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics on July 26. This start is Andriese’s first since 2018 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Get some action on this game or any other matchup with an MLB bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Astros at Angels: Key injuries

Visit sportsdata.usatoday.com to track all MLB injuries leading up to game time.

Astros

  • OF Yordan Alvarez (knee) out
  • OF George Springer (knee) questionable
  • SP Justin Verlander (forearm) out
  • RP Brad Peacock (shoulder) out

Angels

  • RP Justin Anderson (elbow) out
  • SS Andrelton Simmons (ankle) out
  • CF Mike Trout (personal) out

Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball

Astros at Angels: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:45 p.m. ET

Prediction

Astros 12, Angels 4

Moneyline (ML)

It could be a long evening for the Angels (+155). The Astros (-176) are such big favorites because they are a World Series contender that has owned Los Angeles over recent seasons. Houston is 27-11 over the last two seasons against the Angels.

Though stakes are higher in this COVID-19-altered 60-game regular season, I still don’t like laying (-176) to bet a favorite in the regular season. Houston is 3-3 and needs to beat up on bad teams, which, until further notice, the Angels are still bad.

I am going to PASS on the MONEYLINE in favor of a run line play.

Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

This might be a little nitty, however, I am only PLAYING ASTROS (-1.5, -115) on the run line. I took a hard gander at the Astros’ alternate run lines of (-2.5, +125) and (-3.5, +180). I passed on those because I think the payouts should be higher than those BetMGM prices.

New to sports betting? A $115 bet on the Astros (-1.5, -115) earns a $100 profit if Houston wins by two or more runs.

Over/Under (O/U)

Let’s not overthink this and play the single-digit OVER 9.5 (-110). There’s a chance this game is so lopsided the only help we’ll get for the Over could be the Astros offense.

The Over is 6-2 in the last eight Astros-Angels games. Also, it’s early but their combined Over/Under record in AL West games is 8-2-1 in 2020. Another interesting trend I found was the Over is 4-0-1 in McCullers’ last five starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5.

BET OVER 9.5 (-110).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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