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Vying to become the 10th UFC fighter to win titles in two divisions, undefeated former featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria will face former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in UFC 317's main event June 28 in Las Vegas.
Topuria (16-0), ranked as the men's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, has wins over Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski and Bryce Mitchell on his resume and aims to add another against Oliveira (35-10, one no-contest), who looks to become UFC's first two-time lightweight champ.
In another title bout, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will defend his crown against No. 4 contender Kai Kara-France in a matchup of former "The Ultimate Fighter" season 24 castmates.
Pantoja (29-5), the No. 10 pound-for-pound fighter who excels at submissions, seeks his fourth consecutive title defense. Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC), meanwhile, eyes his first UFC title following a knockout of Steve Erceg last year.
Among the other bouts on the card will be a matchup of No. 9 lightweight contender Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) clashing with No. 10 Renato Moicano (20-6-1), No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Royval (17-7) tangling with No. 6 Manel Kape (21-7) and No. 12 middleweight contender Paulo Costa (14-4) battling No. 14 Roman Kopylov (14-3).
In a middleweight matchup, Jack Hermansson (24-8) is set to go toe-to-toe with Gregory Rodrigues (16-6), while heavyweights Jhonata Diniz (9-1) and Justin Tafa (7-5, 1 NC) will also take to the ring. On the women's side, Viviane Araujo (13-6), the No. 8 flyweight contender, will face No. 10 Tracy Cortez (11-2).
More must-reads:
- Texas' Arch Manning has concern on OL after season-ending injury
- Browns' Shedeur Sanders addresses missing practice with arm soreness
- The 'NBA playoff point-per-game leaders' quiz
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Seattle Mariners Send Right-Handed Reliever Outright to Triple-A Tacoma
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners added to their minor league bullpen depth by sending a familiar face to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Sunday. Mariners right-handed reliever Collin Snider was designated for assignment on July 30 following the club's trade acquisition of left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson. Snider cleared waivers and he was sent to Tacoma outright. Snider hasn't made an appearance for Seattle in the majors in nearly two months. He was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain June 4. He began a rehab assignment with Tacoma on July 5 and made nine appearances with the club. Snider was activated off the injured list the same day he was designated for assignment. Snider posted a 5.47 ERA with the Mariners with 24 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched across 24 appearances this year. While with the Rainiers, he had a 5.06 ERA with nine strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched. Seattle claimed Snider off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Feb. 6, 2024, and had a career resurgence with the M's in 2024. Snider had a 1.94 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched across 42 outings with the Mariners last season. Snider will provide Seattle with crucial reliever depth in the minors for the final two months of the season. The Mariners lost right-handed reliever Trent Thornton with a torn left Achilles tendon Thursday. Snider's will join many other Tacoma relievers who have made major league appearances for Seattle this season, including Troy Taylor, Tayler Saucedo, Casey Lawrence, Jesse Hahn, Jhonathan Diaz and others.
Cowboys former first-round pick forced to leave practice due to injury
Injuries have been a prevailing theme for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. They’re still without Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel Jr., and Josh Butler, which has thinned out the secondary. On offense, they’ve had better luck but still lost starting left tackle Tyler Guyton for several weeks. Now another projected starter had to leave practice on Monday. 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith had to visit the medical tent, then headed to the locker room following the examination from the team’s medical staff. Smith is entering his third season in the league, and can ill-afford to miss time. He’s been struggling to hold down a starting spot and enters the preseason in danger of losing his job. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 337 pounds, Smith was brought in to be a run-stuffing nose tackle. Through two years, he’s been unable to find his footing, recording 54 tackles and two sacks. It’s not fair to place all of the blame on Smith, however. He’s been asked to perform different roles under three different defensive coordinators. Dan Quinn had him playing as an attacking 3-tech in 2023 while Mike Zimmer placed him in a more traditional 1-tech role. Smith performed better under Zimmer, but is asked to do more attacking under new coordinator Matt Eberflus, which has put his struggles front and center once again. Should he miss extensive time with this injury, it could be devastating to his chances of keeping the starting job.
Michael Hage’s Dominance Clear at World Juniors Showcase
The World Junior Showcase showed the dominance of multiple Montreal Canadiens prospects this past week. After discussing Koivu’s play in the mini tournament earlier today, it is now time for a discussion on the 21st overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Michael Hage. Much like his Finnish counterpart, the Canadian forward Hage stood out from his teammates throughout the showcase. Hage, who is arguably a top 3 prospect within the Montreal Canadiens pipeline, put on a show that should help him secure a role within Canada’s 2026 World Juniors team. The fact that he proved to be one of the best players for Canada this past week shows that not even getting an invite to the team’s final selection camp, despite a very strong freshman season at the University of Michigan, seemed silly, as even last year, he likely should have had a shot at making the team. Now that he managed to score a goal in all 4 games that he played for Canada at the World Juniors Showcase, there is almost no way that Canada can leave him off the roster. One of the most memorable moments throughout the whole tournament for Hage was definitely when he was in a scrum, mixing it up with his former Canadiens Development camp roommate, Aatos Koivu, as previously mentioned in my article from earlier today. Another amazing moment in that game was Hage’s goal, where he completely deked around the Finland goalie to put the puck in the net. It will be interesting to see where in the Canada lineup Hage will land, as a lot of notable names such as Michael Misa, Beckett Sennecke, and Tij Iginla did not play at the showcase. The good news is that the first two names may end up playing in the NHL, allowing a spot higher in the lineup for Hage. Another thing that will work well in Hage’s favour is that he is very versatile and can play on the wing or at centre for Canada. His coach even praised his “hard skills” for Canada during those four games he played. After watching Hage’s play over the last year, one thing is clear: he could be a play driver on whatever line he plays on for Canada. His game also seems like it will translate well at the pro level. Many may say that Hage must play a top 6 role for Canada, but the fact that he can play an aggressive style and has a strong defensive game could mean that he is also able to play in a bottom-six role if need be. The truth is it would be unlikely he would have to be on the bottom 6, but if the guys mentioned above aren’t in the NHL and are instead on the team, there is a chance that it could happen. This upcoming season with the Michigan Wolverines should be a big one where Hage could find his way in the Hobey Baker conversation if he improves on his 13 goals and 34 points in 33 games. The first half of the season will be telling for his place with Hockey Canada, whereas the 2nd half could also help him earn some time at the pro level. The way Hage has played since being drafted, it feels more like it’s more about when he’ll play for the Canadiens in a regular-season game, rather than if he will. Will Hage prove that he’s ready to play at the pro level this year at Michigan?
Knee operation: Kirby Dach not yet back on his feet
Two years ago to the day, Canadiens fans were optimistic about Kirby Dach’s future in Montreal: the 6’4 forward had just collected 38 points in 58 games – in his first campaign in Quebec – and many wondered whether Dach had a better chance of establishing himself as a first NHL center than captain Nick Suzuki. The past 730 days have proven otherwise, but that’s not the point this morning. Since joining the Canadiens, Dach has earned a reputation as a fragile player. Virus, shoulder, upper body (concussion?), lower body, knee(ACL and MCL), knee again… Let’s just say that injuries haven’t spared Dach since he arrived in Montreal. In fact, injuries haven’t spared Dach since he started playing hockey. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and has only broken the 60-game barrier three times in nine junior or pro seasons. Last February, Dach underwent a second operation on his right knee in the space of 18 months. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes may tell us that Kirby Dach is fine,but we still have our doubts. Especially whenyou consider that, with the Canadiens’ recent additions and departures, Kirby Dach is still the team’s second center on the organizational chart. content-ads]Last week, I wondered where Kirby was ? We’ve seen plenty of Habs players skating at the CN Complex this summer, but not Kirby Dach. And I had to work like a monk to catch a glimpse of him in a video filmed at Nick Suzuki’s wedding! Yesterday, I was told that Kirby Dach was spending the summer in Edmonton with Kaiden Guhle – Dach is from Saskatchewan and Guhle is from Alberta – and that Dach was still in rehab. I repeat: five months after his most recent knee operation and some 40 days before the start of practice camp, Kirby Dach is still not recovered and ready to play. Good informants spotted him in an Edmonton gym doing squats with loads that look like the ones I used to take when I went to Econofitness, not the ones an NHL player uses [content-ads]This explains it: when he came to Montreal for his captain’s wedding, Kirby Dach couldn’t – or wouldn’t – skate with his teammates in Brossard. It’s worth noting that Dach is also very quiet on social networks – his last post was in November 2024 – probably in an effort to be forgotten… to go unnoticed. Spending the summer in Alberta, rather than in Montreal (with his chums at Osheaga), makes sense, when you think about it…Let’s just say that the chances of Dach starting his season at the same time as everyone else in two months’ time are pretty slim, which is cause for concern for those hoping to see the Canadiens in the playoffs in 2026. Yes, the Kirby Dach problem would be solved if a guy like Mason MacTavish-good offensively, defensively, physically and in the face-off circle-came to Montreal, but let’s just say that the odds of that happening this summer are very low. And you can’t make plans with very improbable things![spacer title=’Prolongation’]Matthew Tkachuk, who was injured last winter while throwing down the gloves at the 4 Nations tournament, underwent surgery last month (hernia and adductor). According to the latest information from Elliotte Friedman, Tkachuk could return to action just before the Olympic Games. Let’s hope Kirby Dach doesn’t have to wait as long as Tkachuk.
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