Month: July 2024

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for new champ Belal Muhammad after UFC 304 title win?

The Belal Muhammad era has arrived after a dominant title win at UFC 304, but his first defense could be the biggest threat to his reign.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] became the first new UFC champion of 2024 Saturday when he dethroned Leon Edwards of the welterweight title at UFC 304.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) delivered a near-perfect performance over five rounds to earn a unanimous decision over Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, extending his unbeaten streak to 11 fights and starting a new chapter in the weight class.

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The 170-pound division always has been one of the deepest in the UFC, and there will be no shortage of significant challengers coming for Muhammad’s belt. In fact, the next man up might be his stiffest test of all in the form of undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

Will Rakhmonov be the one to get the shot, though, or is someone else in play? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Muhammad’s future after his UFC 304 title win over Edwards.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

5-star SG locks in official visit to MSU in September

Michigan State will be hosting one of the top shooting guards in the 2025 class in September

Michigan State will be hosting one of the top shooting guards in the 2025 class in September.

Five-star shooting guard Darius Adams will reportedly visit Michigan State on September 20, according to X account HS Top Recruiting. He will also be visiting UConn, NC State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Alabama in September.

Adams also plans to make a college decision in October following his set of visits.

Adams ranks as the No. 4 shooting guard in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2025 class. He’s also listed as the No. 17 overall prospect in the class and No. 2 player from Indiana in the class.

According to 247Sports, Adams is not leaning toward any of his suitors at this time. But that of course will change here soon as visits begin in September.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

Former Ohio State fencer wins Olympic medal in Paris

Another former Buckeye wins a medal in Paris. #GoBucks

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are now in full swing, and we’ll continue to stay on top of any of the notable news with former Ohio State athleters. In fact, on Saturday, former Buckeye swimmer Hunter Armstrong took home a gold medal as a part of the United States’ 4×100-meter freestyle relaty team, and now we have another former Buckeye that is taking home a medal.

Eleanor Harvey, a member of Canada’s fencing team, took home the bronze medal in the women’s foil on Sunday, marking the Canadians’ first ever medal in the event.

Harvey competed for Ohio State from 2013-2017 and beat Italy’s Alice Volpi, 15-12, in the bronze medal match. She finished in third behind the American duo of Lee Kiefer (gold) and Lauren Scruggs (silver).

If you’re keeping count by the way, that’s two medals in two days for former OSU athletes. We’re not saying that former Buckeyes are set to win 16 medals, we’re just telling you that it’s been a fantastic start.

We’ll stay on top of former Buckeye athletes and how their doing in Paris, so stay with us.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Bleacher Report says the Saints should trade for Texans WR Noah Brown

Bleacher Report argues the New Orleans Saints should trade for Texans wide receiver Noah Brown, adding more firepower to an offense that could use it:

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine recently shared a hypothetical trade for every NFL team now that training camp has gotten underway around the league. And Ballentine chose Houston Texans wide receiver Noah Brown as a prime target for the New Orleans Saints.

In the scenario, the Saints would trade a 2025 sixth-round pick for Brown.  Here is why Ballentine argues the 28-year-old makes sense for the black and gold:

The New Orleans Saints have a young star in the making in Chris Olave. They have another promising up-and-comer in Rashid Shaheed. Then it gets dicey.

Fifth-round pick Bub Means, second-year player A.T. Perry and veteran Cedrick Wilson Jr. are all going to compete for that third wide receiver spot. It wouldn’t hurt to add another experienced option into that mix.

Noah Brown is coming off an underrated season in Houston. While he was overshadowed by Tank Dell and Nico Collins, he did contribute 33 receptions for 567 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown excels with the ball in his hands and had the fourth-highest YAC score from ESPN Analytics’ receiver tracking stats. He was also one of the more efficient receivers in the league, averaging 10.3 yards per target and was fourth in yards per reception.

Unfortunately for him, the Texans are going to have a hard time utilizing him. Stefon Diggs arrival, combined with a healthy Dell and Collins returning on a new contract will minimize his role.

He could be a much bigger part of the Saints offense.

Ballentine makes some excellent points. The Saints have younger talent in Perry and Means. However, they’re still young, and with a coach likely on the hot seat, the Saints need to win ball games.

As mentioned by Ballentine the team brought in veteran Cedrick Wilson Jr. to compete for the job. However, if he disappoints or the coaching staff doesn’t see a future for him, Brown could be a good option. The element of competition Ballentine speaks about is also enticing.

Brown has been a steady option wherever he has been these past two years, eclipsing the 500-yard receiving mark with both the Cowboys and Texans. He’s caught more passes (195 in 76 games) than anyone the Saints currently have on the roster, ahead of Olave (159 in 31 games), Wilson (101 in 68 games), and every other wide receiver combined.

With the team only giving up a sixth-round pick, I believe this scenario presented by Ballentine is low-risk with decent upside. It’s worth noting that trading Brown would only cost about $2 million against the cap in guaranteed salary, with another $1 million up for grabs in per-game roster bonuses.

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Highlights: Top moments from first week of Chargers training camp

There was plenty of action during the first week of Chargers training camp, including a few highlight grabs.

Four days have passed, and the Chargers are in the thick of their training camp at The Bolt in El Segundo, CA.

There was plenty of action, including a few players who stood out.

Before we move on to the second week of camp, which also marks the first time pads being worn, here are all of the top moments from Week 1, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter.

 

 

 

 

‘Real’ football begins as the Saints start padded practices on Monday

The Saints begin padded training camp practices on Monday. The return of ‘real’ football will lead to clearer evaluations in the trenches:

After a ramp up period, the New Orleans Saints will put on pads for the first time this offseason on Monday. Dennis Allen and Khalen Saunders both called this “real” football when speaking with the media after Saturday’s practice session.

Training camp battles such as Pete Werner-vs.-Willie Gay Jr. and the evaluations of young blockers like Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning will now come into a clearer view.

This is a sentiment Allen has spoken about with greater detail before training camp began. When asked about the figuring who will start along the offensive line, Allen told reporters when the pads come on “is where the true evaluation comes in.” He finds value in “being able to evaluate guys in pads, playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

That value extends beyond offensive line. The Werner-Gay battle mentioned earlier is a great example. It’s impossible to get a true evaluation of anyone in the trenches without the physicality that comes with pads coming on.

Everything that has transpired thus far has laid a good foundation, but now, we get all of our questions answered. Real football is here.

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Former MSU WR Jalen Nailor ‘puts on show’ at Vikings training camp

Former speedster Michigan State wide receiver Jalen Nailor is having a strong start to training camp

Former speedster Michigan State wide receiver Jalen Nailor is having a strong start to training camp.

Nailor “put on a show” during the Vikings’ training camp practice on Saturday. Nailor is entering his third season with the Minnesota Vikings and looking to increase his role with the team this year.

Check out the video of Nailor making a touchdown catch in the redzone below:

Click on the post below to read more from the Vikings’ Senior Editor Craig Peters on Nailor’s big day:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

O-line reps shuffled a bit as Jon Gaines gets work with starters

The Cardinals had some changes in their practice rotations on the offensive line, which included a different left guard for part of the day.

The Arizona Cardinals returned to practice at State Farm Stadium on Sunday after a day off in training camp and had some rotational changes on the offensive line. Most notably, second-year lineman Jon Gaines, coming back from a torn ACL he suffered in the preseason finale last year, got reps with the first-team offensive line.

Gaines was seen with the first-team line at left guard instead of Evan Brown, who has been practicing with the starters there since the spring. He also had second-team reps at left guard.

While this is something that often happens with teams trying to manage reps when there are player injuries, the Cardinals are healthy.

Gaines’ first-team reps were just in one portion of practice. With Gaines getting those reps with the starters, Brown took second-team reps at center. Brown, of course, started at center last season for the Seattle Seahawks and for the Detroit Lions in 2022.

The change shows two things. One reason for it could simply be to make sure that Brown gets some reps at center. But it also does show where Gaines fits on the depth chart at the moment.

There were a couple of other notable changes on the offensive line.

Elijah Wilkinson, who started nine games at left guard last season and has played both guard spots and right tackle in his career, was at left tackle with the second-team line.

Jackson Barton, who has been a tackle, was at right guard with the third unit.

Kelvin Beachum got work at right tackle with the second unit.

Rookie Isaiah Adams, one of the Cardinals’ third-round picks, got reps at both right and left guard.

Here is how the offensive line units looked from left to right:

  • Starters: Paris Johnson, Evan Brown (some reps to Jon Gaines), Hjalte Froholdt, Will Hernandez, Jonah Williams
  • Second team: Elijah Wilkinson, Jon Gaines/Isaiah Adams/Marquis Hayes, Trystan Colon/Evan Brown, Dennis Daley/Isaiah Adams, Kelvin Beachum
  • Third team: Austen Pleasants, Marquis Hayes, Keith Ismael, Jackson Barton, Christian Jones

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Winner’s Bag: Jhonattan Vegas, 2024 3M Open

A complete list of the golf equipment Jhonattan Vegas used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 3M Open.

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A complete list of the golf equipment Jhonattan Vegas used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 3M Open:

DRIVER: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees), with Fujikura Speeder NX 70 TX shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade M6 (14 degrees), with Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black 9 TX shaft

IRONS: Titleist T200 (3), with Project X 125 6.5 shaft, Mizuno MP4 (4-PW), Project X 130 7.0 shafts

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WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50, 54 degrees bent to 55) TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (60 degrees) with Project X 6.5 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Jhonattan Vegas’ wedges” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/rQ6GQQ”]

PUTTER: L.A.B. Golf Link.1

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BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

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GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord