12:45 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Oscar Valdez dealt with a storm of controversy after the banned substance phentermine was found in his system. He was called a cheater by his fellow fighters. He drew the ire of fans who were angered that he was allowed to proceed with Friday night’s fight despite the Voluntary Anti-Doping
12:29 AM ET Alana McLaughlin, the first openly transgender athlete to compete in mixed martial arts in the United States since 2014, won her MMA debut Friday night, beating Celine Provost via submission on the Combate Global prelims in Miami. McLaughlin used a rear-naked choke to get the finish at 3 minutes, 32 seconds of
5:18 PM ET NFL NationESPN Rejoice, football fans! The first Sunday of the NFL regular season is here! The 2021 season got off to a great start thanks to the thrilling game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The other 30 teams are making the final adjustments to their roster before Week 1,
5:35 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — If Novak Djokovic does complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam for a man since 1969 — and he is headed to the US Open final, just one victory away — he, and everyone else, will remember one particularly pivotal, and epic, game along the way. It
5:34 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN WBC junior lightweight world titlist Oscar Valdez defends his belt against Robson Conceicao on Friday (ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET, with undercard fights starting at 6:10 p.m. ET) in Tucson, Arizona. Valdez tested positive for the banned substance phentermine in August, but the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Athletic Commission allowed Valdez to
File photo: Laura Wolvaardt struck an unbeaten 71 to guide South Africa home © Getty Images South Africa 121 for 1 (Wolvaardt 71*) beat West Indies 120 all out (Knight 22, Kapp 3-24, van Niekerk 2-14) by nine wickets South Africa bowlers’ combined efforts to restrict West Indies 120 followed by Laura Wolvaardt‘s unbeaten 71
9:37 PM ET Brianna Williams Trae Young was back in Madison Square Garden, but New York Knicks fans everywhere can take a breath because he wasn’t there to take a bow on the court. The Atlanta Hawks star showed up to the Garden as a special guest for Friday’s WWE “Smackdown” episode. His strained relationship
7:16 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Paul Goydos, Doug Barron and Marco Dawson each shot 5-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ inaugural Ascension Charity Classic. Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Wes Short Jr., Steve Flesch and Cliff Kresge were a stroke back on Norwood Hills’ West
Sep 9, 2021 RB Leipzig are familiar with Bayern Munich, their opponents on Saturday (12:20 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+), and not just in the sense of competing in the same league. Defender Dayot Upamecano and playmaker Marcel Sabitzer both left Leipzig for Bayern in the offseason, as did their former manager, Julian Nagelsmann.
7:49 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox activated All-Star right-hander Lance Lynn from the 10-day injured list on Friday. Lynn had been sidelined by right knee inflammation. The 34-year-old Lynn is slated to start Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. Right-hander Jimmy Lambert was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Lambert got his
7:53 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Tampa Bay Rays rookie Wander Franco extended his on-base streak to 39 games, then exited in the first inning with an apparent leg injury against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. With one out in the first, Franco lined a single. Nelson Cruz followed with a double, but
7:03 PM ET The UFC has signed the only man to ever knock out one of its biggest stars. Kickboxing standout Alex Pereira has penned a contract with the UFC and will make his debut at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, promotion officials confirmed with ESPN on Friday. His
6:23 PM ET Ohio State linebacker Palaie Gaoteote had his petition for immediate eligibility approved Friday, the team and the NCAA confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Gaoteote, a transfer from USC, joined Ohio State in June as a non-scholarship player as he awaited a resolution on his petition. Ohio State coach Ryan Day on Thursday
6:04 PM ET The American Athletic Conference will be willing to negotiate a higher exit fee to accommodate earlier departures of UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12 Conference, AAC commissioner Mike Aresco told ESPN on Friday. AAC bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave and pay a $10 million
7:19 PM ET Restricted free agent forward Jarred Vanderbilt has agreed to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a new three-year, $13.8 million contract, his agent Kevin Bradbury of Rep1 Sports tells ESPN. Vanderbilt, 22, played his first injury-free season since his junior year of high school for Minnesota last season. After playing only 28
2:11 PM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh chalked up his team’s latest season-ending injuries to bad luck. In Thursday’s practice, running back Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters tore their ACLs without making contact with teammates, continuing Baltimore’s awful run on injuries. Both have been placed on injured reserve. Edwards,
5:16 PM ET ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Football Team receiver Curtis Samuel will miss three weeks after being placed on injured reserve as he recovers from a lingering groin injury that he first suffered in the spring. Samuel reinjured his groin while going through warm-up drills Wednesday and did not practice Thursday, though he did
4:17 PM ET PITTSBURGH — After months of contentious negotiating and a fast-approaching deadline to get a deal done with the Steelers, T.J. Watt on Friday expressed joy that the saga was over. The 26-year-old star edge rusher officially signed a five-year deal with the team Friday to become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. The