4:17 PM ET Bellator has penned a deal with a controversial former college wrestling standout. Earlier this week, Bellator signed Pat Downey III, a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, to a contract, the promotion confirmed with ESPN on Friday. Downey, 29, has yet to make his MMA debut. He will compete in Bellator’s middleweight
Month: January 2022
2:09 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a five-round main event between former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos and rising contender Rafael Fiziev for Feb. 19, multiple sources told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but both sides have agreed to the matchup. The 155-pound contest will headline the UFC Fight Night event in Las
1:13 PM ET The UFC is booking a heavyweight contest between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa for its pay-per-view event next month, officials confirmed to ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but the promotion is close to finalizing the matchup for UFC 271 on Feb. 12 in Houston. Lewis (26-8) is a former two-time title
4:39 PM ET Former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson, who started 10 games in 2021, is transferring to Nebraska. Thompson announced his decision Friday on Twitter after visiting Nebraska’s campus earlier in the week. He led the Longhorns with 2,113 pass yards and 24 touchdowns with nine interceptions, while completing 63.2% of his passes. The junior
4:39 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — As the College Football Playoff management committee prepares to continue its discussions on Saturday about expanding the current four-team format, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren told ESPN he remains steadfast in his belief that the Power 5 conference champions should automatically qualify for a spot in the future. Saturday’s meeting
1:20 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who led the team with 10 sacks this season prior to suffering a knee injury in Week 16, will be out again this week due to the injury and testing positive for COVID-19, coach Bruce Arians announced Friday. The team has not placed him
3:31 PM ET PITTSBURGH — Just one day after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson was activated off it Friday. Johnson, who leads the team with 1,100 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches on 100 receptions, is a key piece of the offense for the Steelers’ regular-season finale
2:34 PM ET Kansas State has promoted Collin Klein, a former Heisman Trophy finalist at the school, to offensive coordinator. Klein, who played quarterback at Kansas State from 2008 to 2012, has been the team’s quarterbacks coach since 2017. He served as Kansas State’s interim offensive coordinator for Tuesday’s TaxAct Texas Bowl, a 42-20 win
News Ireland captain opens up on dealing with the uncertainty of playing or not, and isolation in hotel rooms Captain Andy Balbirnie said the team’s morale is now “pretty good” compared to how it was in Florida, but opened up on the stressful time the squad went through as positive cases spread in the camp.
1:30 PM ET Former UFC champion Max Holloway will not be able to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title in March after aggravating a prior injury Thursday, sources told ESPN. The setback occurred just days after Holloway, 30, accepted a trilogy bout against Volkanovski that was slated to headline UFC 272 on March 5