Sports

9:00 AM ET The UFC spotlight will fall on its heavyweights over the next two weeks, as four fighters from the division will headline the promotion’s next two events. On Saturday, England’s Tom Aspinall (11-2) will take on Alexander Volkov (34-9) in the main event of UFC Fight Night in London (1 p.m. ET on

8:22 PM ET PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Shortly after noon ET on Saturday, the first victims of the 17th hole of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass arrived. Scottie Scheffler, who had won in two of his past three starts on the PGA Tour, drew the short straw as the Players resumed and was

1:20 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson walked down the hall from the court to the Golden State Warriors‘ locker room to the sound of fans shouting “Good game, Klay” and clapping their hands. “That one felt good,” Thompson said, as he high-fived a few of the people along the way. As

7:33 PM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Leigh Wood produced a stunning comeback win to halt Michael Conlan with a brutal knockout in the 12th round and retain his WBA “regular”

7:00 AM ET Mike TannenbaumESPN It’s an exciting time of year for all 32 NFL teams, as they have a chance to get better and bring in impact players across their rosters. An offseason plan is truly a continuum, and it all starts next week with free agency. While there are always headliners in the

7:00 AM ET Pete ThamelESPN INDIANAPOLIS — The ballrooms that flank the hotel lobbies here at the NFL Scouting Combine have long marked the intersection of college football and the NFL, a collision of ambition and entrepreneurialism that comes at players’ professional crossroads. Last week, a trading card company had nightclub smoke and oversized televisions

3:26 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association reached a tentative agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement Thursday, ending the league’s 99-day lockout of the players and salvaging a 162-game season, sources

8:45 AM ET It’s the moment that every NHL player fears. When they’ve played with the same team for years, to the point where home ice feel like a second home, and then something from “the business side of the game” evicts them. They’re wearing a different uniform, on a different team, with different teammates.

Mar 8, 2022 On Saturday Feb. 26, after PSG’s brilliant 3-1 win against Saint-Etienne in Paris in which he shone and twice set up Kylian Mbappe for goals, Lionel Messi travelled to Barcelona on his private jet. Before you jump to any conclusions, though: it was for his wife’s birthday. Antonela turned 34 that weekend,

Mar 8, 2022 Thibaut Courtois isn’t simply the world’s No. 1 goalkeeper. In fact, his imperious form is such that he’s easily among the top three or four footballers — any position, any club. Were the Ballon d’Or Award moved to this week instead of December, Courtois would be mighty close to becoming the first

9:18 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The potential for a Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev semifinal showdown. A blockbuster Naomi Osaka–Sloane Stephens first-round matchup. A full-capacity crowd. And a relaxed desert vibe to go with it all. It’s been three years (!) since the BNP Paribas Open has been played during its normally scheduled slot on

4:18 AM GMT All Blacks greats Jeff Wilson and John Kirwan have taken aim at Australian rugby, suggesting the country again must cut back to four Super Rugby franchises if it can’t find a way to keep more of its top-level talent on home soil. While the New Zealand and Australia teams are still weeks

7:53 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Kamaru Usman stood on stage Friday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena, his daughter Samirah next to him. The UFC welterweight champion and ESPN’s pound-for-pound MMA king was participating in a question-and-answer session with UFC interviewer Megan Olivi ahead of the UFC 272 ceremonial weigh-ins. Usman was asked if the winner

8:23 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Alex Bowman beat NASCAR champion Kyle Larson in a door-to-door overtime battle at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that sent Hendrick Motorsports to victory lane for the second consecutive week. The win Sunday was the first of the year for Bowman and seventh of his career. It was

8:13 AM ET The PGA Tour heads to Arnie’s place, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau pulled out this week, citing an ongoing hand injury. Play begins Thursday. But a strong field will be at Bay Hill, a week before the Players Championship and a

2:48 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez proved on Saturday that he’s still one of the best fighters in the world, but more so, that age isn’t slowing him down. His masterclass performance en route to a unanimous-decision victory over Julio Cesar Martinez was just the latest impressive outing in a Hall of Fame

11:17 PM ET ESPN News Services Ukrainian wildcard Dayana Yastremska, who was forced to flee her home after Russia’s invasion last week, reached the WTA Lyon Open final after defeating No. 2 seed Sorana Cirstea 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday. She will face No. 8 seed Zhang Shuai in the final on Sunday. Yastremska, 21,

2:49 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has returned to the city after spending nearly two months in Portland rehabbing his injured foot away from the team, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Williamson, who fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the summer, is set to rejoin the team

10:51 AM ET The Dallas Cowboys are “likely” to release wide receiver Amari Cooper by the start of the new league year, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday. Cooper is due $20 million in fully guaranteed money on the fifth day of the new league year, March 20. The Cowboys designed Cooper’s $100 million

1:46 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky racing officials have denied trainer Bob Baffert’s request to stay his suspension for a failed postrace drug test by Medina Spirit that led to his disqualification as Kentucky Derby winner. Kentucky Horse Racing Commission board members on Friday voted 10-0 with three abstentions against the stay