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Khabib Nurmagomedov could have retired in 2014 before he became the UFC Lightweight Champion due to injury issues.
Khabib retired in 2020 after beating Justin Gaethje to remain undefeated with a 29-0 record. He capped off his career with major wins against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. His legacy has made him one of the best UFC fighters ever. He has now transitioned into a trainer, helping Islam Makhachev retain his UFC Lightweight Title at UFC 302 against Poirier by being in his corner.
While there were suggestions that Khabib retired too early since he was still at his peak, his father’s passing meant he promised his mother he would not fight again. But looking back, Khabib could have left the sport earlier, only for his father to change his mind. The Russian recalled beating Rafael dos Anjos only to then break his leg, which kept him out from 2014-16. Khabib admitted that was one of the most challenging aspects of his career.
Khabib On Retirement
“It was hardest time in my career, like professional career, because I remember when I dominated Rafael dos Anjos (and) after that I broke my leg. I had ACL surgery. After that, dos Anjos became champion, and I tried to come back. I tore one more time ACL and one more surgery. I tried to come back.
“[And] I broke my ribs. After that I tried to comeback. I had surgery on my back. It was a very hard time, and I remember I was talking with my father, ‘Maybe this is a signal from God you have to stop.’ He told me, ‘You cannot give up. When you have some test you have to show your toughness if you’re tough. If you’re not tough you just can give up, and that’s it,” Khabib said
The decision to carry on was based on his father’s words that Khabib had to leave himself since his mission was to have a UFC champion regardless. The hard work ultimately paid off, with Khabib being regarded as up there with the likes of Jon Jones. His cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, is now considered one of the leading bantamweights out there.
Khabib’s Influence
He is 6-0, having beaten Cory Sandhagen in his last fight. He is now expected to get his title shot against the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley defends his bantamweight belt for the second time at UFC 306 from The Sphere, which will host the first-ever combat sports event. While the family name lives on, things could have been so different.
“I remember he told me, ‘If you want to go, you have to go. If not, anyways, I’m going to have a UFC champion. With you or without you, I’m going to make someone a UFC champion.’ This gave me like crazy energy. Like if my father wants, who has to do this if I’m not? And this gave me crazy energy. I just keep going, keep going. I just come back and after that, what happened? This is all history,” Nurmagomedov added
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Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
MLB sends message by suspending Victor Robles for bat-throwing incident
Major League Baseball announced that Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from the league. The suspension will begin as soon as Robles is reinstated from the injured list, though Robles has filed an appeal and the suspension is being held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported these details prior to the official announcement. Divish notes that the M’s would have to play a man short during the suspension. Robles has been on the injured list for most of the year. Back in early April, he made a sensational catch in San Francisco but crashed into the sideline netting and dislocated his left shoulder, causing a small fracture in the humeral head of said shoulder. A week ago, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. During that week, he was hit by pitches multiple times, as shown in this video breakdown from Jomboy Media. Although he was hit five times, only three of them were technically counted as hit-by-pitches, with the other two counting as swings. Regardless, the final incident saw Robles hit by Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. Of the five times Robles was hit, three of them were out of the hand of Estes, though the final two were counted as swinging strikes. Regardless of how it was scored, Robles was clearly upset and threw his bat toward the pitcher’s mound. It doesn’t appear as though it hit Estes or anyone else, but MLB is understandably taking a firm stance against a player using his bat in this dangerous manner and sending Robles a message. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media, including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, noting that the club tentatively planned to reinstate Robles from the IL next week but those plans may change with the suspension. Divish suggests that perhaps the best plan is to reinstate Robles on Sept. 1, so that the M’s can at least play with a 27-man roster, though that would push his reinstatement into the middle of September. Reinstating him earlier would mean playing with a 25-man roster for a while, though that would also mean Robles would be able to be reinstated for more games. It’s also unclear how long the appeals process will take. Sometimes, players appealing a suspension will hang in limbo until their team goes to New York, where the MLB head offices are located. The M’s don’t play in New York again this year, so it’s not clear when the appeal would be scheduled for. Robles being in the minors could also complicate factors. The M’s would surely love for the appeal to drag out into the winter and for Robles to serve his suspension next year, since they are currently in a playoff race, though MLB presumably wouldn’t let it play out like that.
Changing of the guard: Power ranking 2025's NFL Week 1 QB changes
The Indianapolis Colts announced Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback on Tuesday, making them the 12th team to have a different starting QB from Week 1 last season. Who's better off, and who will regret making a switch? Below, we rank the 12 quarterbacks from worst to best, plus reveal whether each team upgraded or downgraded this offseason. 12. New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough 2024 Week 1 starter: Derek Carr The Saints are the league's only team without a named Week 1 starter. Both candidates have experienced some highs and lows in August, with little separating the two before an informative preseason Week 3 game on Saturday against the Denver Broncos. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 11. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones 2024 Week 1 starter: Anthony Richardson Sr. Richardson's benching signals a massive failure on the part of the Colts front office, led by general manager Chris Ballard, and head coach Shane Steichen, who was tasked with developing the raw prospect into an NFL starter. Over Jones' last 16 starts with the New York Giants from 2023-24, he averaged 186.2 passing yards per game and threw 10 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 10. Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco 2024 Week 1 starter: Deshaun Watson After a successful five-game stint with the Browns in 2023, Flacco, 40, is back for another run. While undoubtedly an improvement over Watson, the 18-year veteran has an alarming 15 interceptions in 13 games (11 starts) over the past two seasons. Verdict: UPGRADE 9. Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward 2024 Week 1 starter: Will Levis The Titans should expect the natural rookie up-and-downs from Ward, 2025's No. 1 overall pick. Over his first two preseason starts, Ward is 7-of-15 for 109 yards. Still, he's a vast improvement over Levis, who provided more comedic gold than wins last season. Verdict: UPGRADE 8. New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson 2024 Week 1 starter: Daniel Jones Wilson is in the twilight of his career, but the 10-time Pro Bowler, who has 42 touchdowns and 13 interceptions since 2023, has a much higher floor than Jones. Verdict: UPGRADE 7. New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields 2024 Week 1 starter: Aaron Rodgers Fields is a dynamic runner and showed improvement as a passer in six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. But after signing a short two-year deal in free agency, it's clear there remains doubt over whether he can be a long-term starter in the league. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 6. Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy 2024 Week 1 starter: Sam Darnold McCarthy could be better in the long run than Darnold, but we'd expect the 2024 first-rounder, who missed all of last season with a torn meniscus, to offer fewer rewards than his predecessor early in his career. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 5. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold 2024 Week 1 starter: Geno Smith Darnold was one of the best stories in 2024, ending the year with 4,315 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season. However, his disappointing end to the season and struggles against pressure make it harder to see him as any better than the quarterback he replaces. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 4. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 2024 Week 1 starter: Kirk Cousins Penix was promising in a three-game sample size at the end of 2024, quickly forming a connection with wideout Drake London, who had 22 receptions on 39 targets, 352 yards and two touchdowns during the span. Verdict: UPGRADE 3. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 2024 Week 1 starter: Jacoby Brissett The plan was always for Brissett to keep the seat warm for Maye, who looked like a potential star in 12 starts last season, ending the year with 2,276 passing yards and 421 rushing yards. Verdict: UPGRADE 2. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers 2024 Week 1 starter: Justin Fields While far from his peak, Rodgers can still sling the football. Per NFL Pro data, he finished last season No. 5 in expected points added per dropback on deep pass attempts (balls that travel at least 20 air yards). Verdict: UPGRADE 1. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith 2024 Week 1 starter: Gardner Minshew Smith completed 70.4 percent of his pass attempts in 2024, two seasons after leading the NFL in completion percentage (69.8 percent). He's proved himself time and time again over the past three seasons and will likely do it again in 2025. Verdict: UPGRADE
Green Bay Packers: Keisean Nixon Gets 100% Real on Rookie Wide Receiver Matthew Golden, 'Acts Like He’s a Vet'
The Green Bay Packers have some serious concerns at the wide receiver position as the 2025 NFL regular draws closer and closer. Christian Watson, of course, will miss the start of the year as he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 18 last season against the Chicago Bears. Romeo Doubs missed Green Bay’s second preseason game with a back injury, but returned to practice this week. However, both Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, who were the Packers’ most targeted pass catchers in 2024, have also been out with ailments of their own. What is more, head coach Matt LaFleur is not certain that either will be able to play come Week One. And if that were not enough, rookie wide receiver Savion Williams is dealing with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, it appears that Green Bay’s best wide receiver is going to be first round pick Matthew Golden, and he has stayed healthy throughout training camp. Green Bay Packers Cornerback Keisean Nixon Has High Praise for Rookie Wide Receiver Matthew Golden Golden, of course, was the first wide receiver Green Bay took in the first round of any NFL Draft since 2002 when they selected Javon Walker. Given how long it was in between first round wide receivers, fans have been highly anticipating seeing Golden play meaningful football for the Packers. And while he played in their first preseason game, Golden did not play against the Indianapolis Colts in the second game. He was not injured, but LaFleur wanted to make sure he stayed healthy given how many wide receivers are already hurt. Even though fans have yet to see him in an actual regular season game, beat writers and current Packers players have been singing Golden’s praises since the start of camp, and Keisean Nixon had some great words for the young rookie, whom he has been matched up against frequently during practice. According to Mike Spofford of packers.com, Nixon said of Golden, “He sometimes acts like he’s a vet but I try to remind him that he’s a rookie. Other than that, M.G., helluva player. You can tell why he went first round. Strong at the catch point, strong hands, strong upper body. I think he’ll have a really good year.” Just two years ago, Reed set Green Bay’s franchise record for receptions by a rookie when he had 64. It will be interesting to see if Golden comes close to that record in 2025. If he is able to play regular season games like he does in practice, one would think he will make a run at the record.
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