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Michael Chandler faces Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 this weekend, as MMA insiders gave their predictions.
Chandler has plenty to prove following his last performance against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. He suffered a unanimous decision defeat, losing the rematch just like he had done in their first fight. Chandler received a lot of criticism after appearing to punch Oliveira at the back of the head. Pimblett addressed that by choosing to blame the referee for not intervening, while Chandler is not fazed by the backlash.
“I mean, the narrative is tough, man. People don’t really know me. Unless you’re in my inner circle, you don’t know who I truly am outside of [being] in front of the camera. People have their sneaky suspicions that I play nice in front of the camera, and I’m a bad guy behind the camera.
“You’re always going to have those accusations, right? “But I know who I am, and I know who I am at my core; I’m a guy who tries to do things right, tries to treat people right, do things with honor and respect. So the cheating narrative is a little tough for me, but also, it’s all part of the court of public opinion, man,” Chandler said
Pimblett’s confidence is high following his last performance against King Green at UFC 304. That was the first time he had beaten a ranked opponent, as his performance got him noticed by UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. The winner will take a step closer to a future title shot.
Chandler Vs. Pimblett
“This is an interesting one. I’m probably going to go with Michael Chandler, even though he’s a bit older than Paddy. Still, I’ll pick Chandler for this one,” Cory SandHagen
“This might sound crazy, but I think I’m going with Paddy. Just because of the jiu-jitsu — I think he can take Chandler down, hold him there, or maybe even submit him,” Youssef Zalal
“Paddy was an old foe of mine — he’s a completely different fighter now. It’s really going to come down to wrestling vs. grappling. Paddy’s got the better grappling, while Chandler’s got the better wrestling. If Chandler keeps it standing, I think he gets a knockout. If Paddy gets it to the ground and takes the back, he might get a submission. So it’s either Paddy by submission or Chandler by knockout. I’m leaning toward Chandler by knockout,” Julian Erosa
“I’m going with Chandler. Paddy’s got great grappling, but I think Chandler will nullify that. His power and striking might just be too much,” Austin Vanderford
“Everyone always says Michael Chandler, but Paddy Pimblett is a big dude — huge for the division. He’s got really solid grappling, and he fights long. Everyone thought Bobby Green would piece him up, but Paddy made it look easy. He’s young and hungry. I think Paddy gets it done,” Cody Brundage
“I didn’t give Paddy much credit before, but after the Bobby Green fight, I was impressed. That said, I don’t rate Chandler’s overall skill that highly,” Jose Delgado
More must-reads:
- Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski continues to set radar gun on fire at unprecedented rate
- WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
- The 'NBA all-time 50-point game leaders' quiz
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Maple Leafs get unfortunate news about acquiring Flames veteran
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to explore ways to upgrade the roster following Mitch Marner's departure in free agency. The Leafs front office has been trying to fill in the gaps along the roster, and they have been searching on the trade front. One name that has been heavily connected to the Maple Leafs in recent weeks is Calgary Flames star Nazem Kadri. Kadri could replace Marner very well in the lineup, but it seems that a deal could be complicated to complete. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto has tried to land Kadri multiple times this summer, only to be rebuffed each time. Kypreos believes that a deal involving Kadri returning to the Maple Leafs could be unlikely at this point in the summer. Last season, Kadri posted 35 goals and 32 assists for the Flames. His presence has been steady on the ice for years, and Calgary could probably get a lot on the trade market for him. The Maple Leafs will likely continue to explore ways to pry Kadri from the Flames. But Calgary likely won't trade him unless it receives an offer that it deems too good to be true. But Kadri is the leader of this team, and he was the best player for them last season. Toronto doesn't have a lot of tradable assets to work with, which could be what is holding things up between the two sides. The veteran could give Toronto a nice boost, but unless the Maple Leafs up the offer, he isn't returning to town.
Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers
WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.
Dallas Cowboys civil war intensifies as second player bites back at Jerry Jones’ comments
It’s not been a drama-free start to training camp for the Dallas Cowboys, and the majority of the reason lies with the comments of their owner, Jerry Jones. Already mired in a dispute with Micah Parsons, Jones chose to use the team’s training camp press conference as his bully pulpit earlier this week, making comments on a number of the team’s players, particularly the ones he’s signed to lucrative extensions. Among those were defensive back Trevon Diggs, who drew criticism from Jones over his lack of participation in offseason workouts, forfeiting part of his contract in the process. “He didn’t earn it; he didn’t come. That’s in his contract that he doesn’t get that unless he’s going to be here,” Jones said. Parsons has chosen relatively lukewarm responses so far, but Diggs may have escalated the situation with a simple post on Tuesday. Trevon Diggs responds to Jerry Jones, says ‘they knew where I was’ On his X account, Diggs made a quick and strong response to Jones’ comments, pointing out the facts and leaving no doubt where he is going into the season. Diggs signed a lucrative five-year, $97m extension in 2023 after impressing following joining the Cowboys in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The former Alabama prospect earned that deal following two Pro Bowl nods in 2021 and 2022, with an All-Pro berth in the former. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2021 to boot, with eleven. However, having only played 13 games since his big extension, he’s part of the increasing scrutiny Jones seems to be placing on long-term deals with his team’s young talent, a possible reason for the ongoing impasse with star linebacker Micah Parsons. Jones continues to be a detriment to his team At this point, Jerry Jones is an active deterrent to the Cowboys succeeding in 2025. While people can rightly disagree over an owner’s intentions or philosophy when it comes to roster building, being in open warfare with your players, particularly ones you’ve already paid, is nothing but hurtful to team chemistry. It’s not even that he was wrong to call out Diggs, who has largely been underwhelming since signing his deal, but it’s just not something an owner should be doing publicly about one of his players, particularly one who he still needs to provide value to the team over the coming years. Jones’ recent outbreak of foot-in-mouth syndrome only increases the pressure on first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who already faces an uphill task dragging a middling roster to reach Jones’ outsize expectations. With disgruntled players and the possibility still existing of a holdout by Micah Parsons, things could continue to get worse. It’s a mess of the Cowboys’ own making, and it’s a pity no one has the power in Dallas to tell Jerry to spend less time at the microphone and more time at the negotiating table resolving these disputes.
Kelsey Plum takes shot at Caitlin Clark after WNBA All-Star Game
On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
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