Khamzat Chimaev will make the first defence of his UFC middleweight championship against former titleholder Sean Strickland in a bitter grudge match at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, on 9 May.
The undefeated Russian claimed the 185lb crown by dethroning Dricus du Plessis with a dominant wrestling performance.
He will now face a familiar foe in the shape of his former training partner at the Prudential Center.
Bad blood spills into the Octagon
The highly anticipated bout is steeped in animosity following months of verbal sparring between the two fighters.
Chimaev recently claimed he submitted the outspoken American during a past training session.
That allegation drew a furious response from the 35-year-old challenger, who vehemently denied the tap-out and accused the champion of cowardice in the gym.
Every time Chimaev would walk in the gym, he would pick the smallest, lowest-level pro.
Chimaev’s a f***ing bully.
Strickland seeks middleweight redemption
The controversial challenger is aiming to reclaim the championship he famously won in a monumental upset against Israel Adesanya in September 2023.
His reign was short-lived, suffering a points defeat to Du Plessis in his first defence before falling short in a subsequent rematch last February.
By contrast, the 31-year-old champion remains unbeaten as a professional mixed martial artist.
The Chechen-born superstar has looked almost invincible inside the cage, with severe health scares and visa issues previously acting as his most formidable hurdles.
A test of championship mettle
Strickland believes the titleholder lacks heart, pointing to a grueling 2022 welterweight clash with Gilbert Burns as proof of vulnerability.
During that bout, the Brazilian dropped the rising star before ultimately losing a narrow decision in what remains the most competitive fight of the champion’s career.
Fans will now discover if the abrasive challenger can push the undefeated kingpin into similarly deep waters this May.
Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson is facing severe scrutiny following the financial collapse of his Grand Slam Track league amid fresh allegations regarding unpaid creditors.
The ambitious athletics venture aimed to revolutionise the sport but has quickly unravelled following its spring 2025 launch.
Reports claim the 57-year-old paid himself half a million dollars before settling debts with remaining creditors.
Grand Slam Track strongly denies these allegations, but the saga threatens to permanently damage the legacy of the track icon.
High-profile athletes reject venture
The league severely struggled to attract elite competitors despite offering a lucrative $100,000 prize for race winners.
World 100m champion Noah Lyles publicly questioned the business model and quickly rejected an offer to participate.
The American sprint star argued the financial compensation did not appropriately match his commercial value within the sport.
“Have you heard of Grand Slam Track? That proves my point!”
Other prominent athletes, including Femke Bol and Keely Hodgkinson, also declined invitations due to major concerns over scheduling and injury risks.
Format flaws and field event snub
The doomed competition faced heavy criticism for its convoluted format and the controversial decision to exclude field events entirely.
The former 400m world-record holder claimed he was focusing solely on track events in a desperate bid to save the sport.
However, alienating jumpers and throwers meant the fledgling league immediately missed out on several major box-office draws.
This exclusion notably sidelined Swedish-American pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis, who captivated global audiences during the Paris Olympics.
Financial missteps seal fate
The abrupt collapse ultimately highlights the immense difficulty of establishing a new sports league in an already crowded marketplace.
Flawed financial planning and an inability to deliver on grand promises proved instantly fatal for the upstart organisation.
The rapid downfall leaves the legendary sprinter fighting to protect his personal integrity and long-standing reputation within international athletics.
British heavyweight Moses Itauma is poised to challenge for a world title in 2026 if he can defeat American contender Jermaine Franklin in Manchester this March.
The 21-year-old has surged through the professional ranks and is heavily backed by promoter Frank Warren for championship glory this year.
Despite having only 13 professional bouts to his name, the explosive prospect is already ranked number one by both the WBA and WBO.
Tough test awaits in Manchester
Before looking ahead to world honours, the rising star must negotiate a scheduled clash with Franklin at the Co-op Live Arena on 28 March.
The seasoned American represents a significant step up in durability, having never been stopped in his professional career.
Franklin heads into the contest carrying momentum following a victory over Olympic bronze medallist Ivan Dychko last September.
“It’s a tough fight,” Warren said.
“[Franklin’s] only lost two fights, a debatable, according to some people, loss to Dillian Whyte and that was four years ago.”
Rapid rise up the heavyweight rankings
The undefeated Briton has built a formidable reputation for his devastating power and rapid finishes.
His two appearances in 2025 lasted a combined total of less than three rounds.
That devastating run included dismantling former world title challenger Dillian Whyte in under two minutes last August.
“It’s very important to see how he comes through, what he looks like,” added his promoter.
Championship aspirations within reach
A dominant display against a durable opponent like Franklin would make a mandatory title challenge almost inevitable.
The heavy-handed southpaw is also ranked number three by the WBC, placing him in prime position across all major governing bodies.
“Me, if he comes through this fight and he comes through how I hope he’ll come through then I think he’ll be there ready to go,” Warren concluded.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record for the 15th time by clearing 6.31 metres at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala on Thursday.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist achieved the historic feat at the IFU Arena during an indoor event specifically named in his honour.
The 26-year-old has remarkably increased the global benchmark by the minimum one-centimetre margin on every single occasion he has rewritten the history books.
Rewriting the athletics history books
Before the Swedish superstar began his unprecedented run of form, the ultimate mark stood at 6.16 metres.
That previous standard was set by France’s Renaud Lavillenie, who held the record from 2014 until the phenomenal Scandinavian first surpassed it.
This latest remarkable clearance further cements his status as the undisputed greatest athlete in the history of the discipline.
Scotland must conquer a devastating 11-game losing streak to defeat Ireland in Saturday’s crucial Six Nations finale in Dublin.
Gregor Townsend’s side have not tasted victory over the men in green since 2017.
Across their past 11 encounters, the dark blues have remarkably held the lead for a total of just 65 out of 880 minutes of Test match rugby.
Overcoming a historic physical mismatch
The Irish pack’s sheer power has consistently overwhelmed their Celtic rivals during recent championship campaigns.
Townsend’s charges have successfully navigated high-profile tests against France, England, and Wales during his lengthy managerial tenure.
However, defeating the world’s second-ranked team remains an elusive achievement for this current generation of Scottish stars.
Eradicating disastrous early deficits
A persistent flaw in recent Scottish performances against this opposition has been capitulating alarmingly early in pivotal matches.
The visitors found themselves trailing 36-0 before the hour mark during their 2023 World Cup clash, and fell 17-0 behind inside 30 minutes last season.
To mount a serious challenge this weekend, the away side must be physically competitive from the opening whistle rather than playing a futile game of catch-up.
Replicating flawless Parisian execution
The recent spectacular triumph against France provided a perfect blueprint for clinical execution at the elite level.
During that landmark victory, the Scottish squad conceded a mere four penalties and maintained an astonishing 100% ruck efficiency.
Replicating such staggering ruthlessness in the Irish capital is essential to finally turning the statistical tide.
With a prize on the line for both nations, this historic rivalry will unfold under unprecedented pressure.
Veteran 11-year-old Home By The Lee has finally secured the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on his fifth attempt in a 33-1 shock victory.
Ridden by JJ Slevin, the resilient gelding held off a late challenge to score by a length and a quarter from Ballyburn.
Last year’s champion Bob Olinger stayed on strongly up the famous hill to claim third position.
Dan Skelton’s contender Kabral Du Mathan had travelled powerfully into contention before his stamina faded in the closing stages.
Trainer O’Brien praises equine superstar
The triumph marks a special milestone for the winningmost horse in Joseph O’Brien’s esteemed training career.
The County Kilkenny handler expressed his delight for breeders Sean O’Driscoll and family following the memorable success.
“We were just hoping for a good run,” O’Brien said.
“It was a fantastic ride by JJ and I’m so delighted for Sean O’Driscoll and his family as they bred him and he’s an 11-year-old and they’ve been with him all the way.”
A remarkable test of stamina
The trainer revealed his team opted to race the experienced hurdler more frequently this campaign rather than keeping him fresh.
“He trains every day with enthusiasm and when he’s off he gets bored,” added the Irish handler.
“He loves his work, loves his job, loves his racing and has never had a lame step in his life.”
O’Brien concluded by simply labelling his long-serving stable star a superstar.
Heart Wood and Wodhooh secure festival victories
Elsewhere on Thursday’s card, Heart Wood eased to a convincing 10-length victory in the Ryanair Chase.
Henry de Bromhead’s eight-year-old capitalised on the withdrawal of Fact To File to comfortably defeat the 2-1 favourite Jonbon.
Gordon Elliott also ended his frustrating wait for a winner this week when Wodhooh claimed the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.
Guided by Jack Kennedy, the 5-6 favourite successfully held off last year’s runner-up Jade de Grugy to strike at the highest level.
Tiger Woods will miss this week’s Players Championship after failing to meet the strict qualification criteria for the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
The 15-time major winner is currently recovering from a seventh back operation but was not permitted to enter the field at TPC Sawgrass regardless of his fitness.
Unlike golf’s four traditional majors, the prestigious Florida tournament does not grant automatic lifetime exemptions to its past champions.
Strict qualification criteria
Participants must have secured at least one PGA Tour victory since the previous championship or won a major within the last five years.
Golfers can also qualify if they sit inside the top 10 of the FedEx Cup points standings prior to the opening round.
The American icon’s last triumph came in 2019, the same year he completed a stunning career comeback to claim his fifth green jacket at The Masters.
Furthermore, the event remains the only signature competition on the PGA Tour that strictly forbids sponsor invitations.
Fellow professionals express surprise
The forced absence of the two-time tournament winner prompted astonishment from several high-profile names in the field.
European Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood admitted he was completely unaware of the stringent entry regulations.
“Is Tiger not eligible for this event? That’s unbelievable.”
When asked if he would welcome the former world number one into the competition, the Englishman was emphatic.
“I would love Tiger Woods to play. I can’t believe he’s not eligible,” Tommy Fleetwood said.
“I wasn’t really sure what criteria goes into this tournament, but if Tiger Woods wants to play anywhere in the world, I think Tiger Woods should be able to play.”
Two-time major champion Justin Thomas echoed those sentiments, arguing that the veteran’s presence benefits the entire sport.
“I think for the betterment of golf and the tournament, I don’t think there’s anybody that would be against it,” Justin Thomas noted.
Masters return remains possible
Despite missing the event widely dubbed the ‘fifth major’, an impending return to competitive action remains a realistic prospect for the golfing legend.
During an appearance at the Genesis Invitational in February, he refused to rule out competing at Augusta National next month.
When asked directly if The Masters was completely off the table, his immediate response was a defiant ‘no’.
Collin Morikawa has withdrawn from The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass after just one hole of his opening round due to a back injury.
The FedExCup leader was among the pre-tournament favourites for the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
He began his Thursday round on the 10th hole alongside Ludvig Åberg and Si Woo Kim, opening with a routine two-putt par.
However, the two-time major champion experienced severe discomfort ahead of his second hole of the day.
Treatment on the tee
After making a practice swing on the par-five 11th tee, the American immediately clutched his lower back.
Medical personnel provided treatment next to the tee box before he was transported off the course in a buggy.
This marks only the second mid-round withdrawal of his professional career, following an early exit from The Memorial in 2023.
The Californian had been in scintillating form, securing victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month before adding two consecutive top-seven finishes.
“He would have had such high hopes this week, with the form he had coming in,” said broadcaster Nick Dougherty.
McIlroy faces nervous wait
Åberg and Kim were left to complete the remainder of their opening round as a two-ball.
The 27-year-old was not the only morning casualty, with New Zealand’s Ryan Fox pulling out through illness before striking a ball.
Meanwhile, defending champion Rory McIlroy remains a significant injury doubt heading into his title defence.
The world number two is nursing a back issue of his own and faces a late fitness test to determine if he can compete.
McIlroy only arrived at the Florida venue on Wednesday afternoon for a limited practice session, leaving him without a full preparation round.