Urijah Faber is once again making headlines, this time not in the MMA arena but in combat Jiu-Jitsu. Despite being away from the octagon for five years, the retired UFC fighter’s ground game remains as sharp as ever, showcasing his enduring skill and adaptability in different types of combat sports.
Recently, Urijah Faber went viral on the internet for successfully choking out Jiu-Jitsu black belt holder and submission wrestler, Jeff Glover. As expected, it gained a lot of attention from hardcore MMA fans who have seen Faber in his prime in UFC.
Urijah Faber just submitted Jeff Glover.
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 26, 2024
You read that right.#A1Combat21 pic.twitter.com/TLV9NLuMjR
Known for his thrilling fighting style and captivating personality, Urijah Faber had a distinguished career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was an active contender who made several title challenges while competing in the UFC bantamweight and featherweight divisions.
Faber has successfully developed a sizable fan base and had a long-lasting effect on the sport over his career. After quitting in 2016, Faber fought a few more times in 2019 before retiring once more in 2020. Since then the fighter veteran has frequently participated in discussions regarding the promotion through his professional remarks for other fighters. However, it seems like fans are going to see the veteran even more in the future.
Urijah Faber started his promotion A1 Combat a few years back in collaboration with UFC Fight Pass as their streaming partner. Since then, Faber has worked hard to make it work and it seems like it is finally getting recognition.
After his incredible win against Jeff Glover, Faber went on to reveal that he has plans to organize more combat Jiu-Jitsu events. According to the UFC Hall of Famer, many people are excited for these fights and it will also serve his purpose.
I wanna start doing combat Jiu-Jitsu matches….There's a real demand for this…my objective is for combat Jiu-Jitsu to really prep people for mixed martial arts. Urijah Faber via UFC Fight Pass X
Urijah Faber + Eddie Bravo = Badass stuff happening.#A1Combat21 pic.twitter.com/rQTJGZ8Na0
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 26, 2024
The announcement has since attracted a lot of attention from combat sports fans. Many popular fighters in the UFC are also known for participating in wrestling and jiu-jitsu tournaments like this. It won’t be surprising to see these two superstars collaborate with Faber in the future.
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Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss most of training camp due to a leg injury, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Johnson was placed on the non-football injury list when veterans reported to Chicago for camp. He suffered the injury during offseason training, according to Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Johnson is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl and is headed into the second year of a four-year, $76M deal. He has dealt with a number of injuries over his career, playing no more than 15 games in a season over the first four years of his career. In 2024, he played a full season for the first time, starting all 17 games with a career-high 1,032 snaps. An extended absence into the regular season would force Chicago to find another starting cornerback among their veteran depth, but Poles said that the team is not “overly concerned” about a long-term injury. “We’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back,” said Poles on Tuesday. 2023 fifth-rounder Terell Smith will likely step into a first-team role in Johnson’s absence. Chicago largely relied on a cornerback trio of Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon last year; Smith is the only remaining defensive back on the roster who played at least 150 snaps on the boundary for the Bears in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Offseason signings Nick McCloud and Tre Flowers may also see a bump in reps over the coming weeks as Johnson rehabs his leg with his eyes on returning for the Bears’ Week 1 opener against the Vikings.
The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran Starting Pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the New York Yankees on Monday. New York received cash in the transaction. The veteran starting pitcher, 38, was not at the top of his game in The Bronx. He was 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA. Carrasco pitched better in AAA with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Will he regain his form as a member of the Atlanta Braves? How Will Carrasco Fit With the Atlanta Braves? This season has not gone according to plan for the Atlanta Braves. They are in fourth place in the National League East. Atlanta entered the year with playoff aspirations and has fallen short. Carrasco will help shore up an injury-riddled pitching staff. Starting Pitchers Grant Holmes, Chris Sale, and Spencer Schwellenbach are all currently on the IL. The injuries on the mound have hurt the team’s statistics. They are 20th in team ERA, 12th in opposing batting average, and 16th in WHIP. If the Braves do not get their pitchers back, a terrible season will only get worse. Final Thoughts It is unclear what role Carrasco will have with the Atlanta Braves. Whenever he gets called up, he will look to pitch well. If he does not, his MLB career could be nearing its expiration date.
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
The Boston Red Sox, who haven't made the playoffs since 2021, recently got a taste of how the last four years could have gone. During Boston's nine-game stretch after the All-Star break against top National League contenders, one slugger stood out above the rest. Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber pumped long home runs against Red Sox pitching on back-to-back nights, helping take two of three from his former team. Schwarber was phenomenal for the Red Sox for the two months he was there, posting a .957 OPS in 41 games and hitting some memorable playoff home runs as well. But there was no significant push from Boston's end to bring him back in free agency, so he signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies. That's been great for the Phillies and Schwarber, but the Red Sox have gotten far less production out of their designated hitter slot in that time span. And now that Schwarber is headed back to the open market, one Red Sox insider thinks Boston has an opportunity to right what once went wrong. On Sunday, Sean McAdam of MassLive encouraged the Red Sox to make more of an effort to bring Schwarber back to Boston in free agency the second time around. "We’re getting ahead of ourselves, of course, but there would be worse moves the Red Sox could make this winter than to sign free agent DH Kyle Schwarber," wrote McAdam. "To be sure, it would be an expensive investment, especially when you consider that they would have to eat most if not all of Masataka Yoshida’s remaining salary to make it work roster-wise." Yoshida is owed over $37 million over the next two seasons, but he and Schwarber are virtually the same age, and there's no question who the Red Sox would rather have DHing. Schwarber's 36 home runs this year are more than Yoshida has had in his entire big-league career, and as a matter of fact, only New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has hit more home runs than the Phillies' slugger in the last four seasons. Manager Alex Cora also dropped a hint last week about the potential for a Schwarber reunion. If there's any way for Boston to make it happen financially, they should.
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