Sports

7:51 AM ET Nick Diaz was 20 years old and facing the biggest challenge of his young MMA career. At UFC 47, on a stormy April night in Las Vegas in 2004, Diaz took on power-punching Robbie Lawler in just his second appearance inside the Octagon. Lawler, who was 22, had already fought five times

5:31 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 Anthony Joshua has been concentrating on overcoming Oleksandr Usyk’s southpaw stance in preparation for Saturday’s world heavyweight title defence. The WBA, IBF and WBO

11:42 PM ET Associated Press BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Larson denied Kevin Harvick his first win of the season with a masterful pass at Bristol Motor Speedway that was overshadowed Saturday night by a post-race skirmish between Harvick and reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott. Tempers were so hot that Harvick, his losing streak now at

7:30 AM ET Mike Reiss Close ESPN Staff Writer Covered Patriots since 1997 Joined ESPN in 2009 Rich Cimini Close ESPN Staff Writer Longtime Jets beat writer for New York Daily News Syracuse University graduate FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New England Patriots–New York Jets rivalry enters a new phase Sunday. Let’s call it the

3:37 PM ET Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — LSU and Caesars Sportsbook announced Friday that they have entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement, making Louisiana’s flagship state university the first in the Southeastern Conference to enter a financial partnership with a gambling company. The value will be “multiple millions” of dollars, a person familiar with

8:15 AM ET LA Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer initially was content to play at Staples Center — in the same building as the Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings — when he bought the franchise for $2 billion in 2014. But within a year, Ballmer said he realized the Clippers needed to

10:07 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to an entry-level contract with defenseman Nolan Allan, their first-round pick in this year’s NHL draft. The team announced the deal on Thursday. The three-year contract runs through the 2023-24 season and carries an $870,000 salary-cap hit. Allan, 18, was selected by Chicago

6:22 PM ET ESPN will open its first season of a new NHL TV contract with an Oct. 12 doubleheader, including the first game for the Seattle Kraken. The season opens with the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Kraken at the Vegas

6:00 PM ET The NHL season returns on Oct. 12 with a doubleheader that will air on ESPN. The first game features the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 p.m. ET and the second game will the first game for new NHL franchise the Seattle Kraken as they play the Vegas Golden

5:00 PM ET CHICAGO — Since they entered the NHL in 2005, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals have battled each other for scoring titles, individual awards and postseason glory. But as the generational talents enter their 17th season together, Crosby said he’s rooting for his rival to make

8:15 AM ET Golf never really ends, it just takes a brief break. This year, it’s a grand total of one week. The actual number of days between PGA Tour events will be 11. Before the 2021-22 seasons begins on Thursday in Northern California, a look back at the 2020-21 “super season” that saw 50

12:27 PM ET ESPN News Services Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP and franchise home run king for the Milwaukee Brewers, announced his retirement Tuesday. The six-time All-Star selection has not played this season after becoming a free agent when the Brewers declined to exercise a $15 million mutual option in his contract last

4:00 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com NEW YORK — The 2021 US Open is officially in the books, and it ended with titles for Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev. Just as we all predicted, right? Needless to say, it was one of the most unexpected and surprising tournaments in memory and provided unforgettable introductions to the

11:44 PM ET Associated Press RICHMOND, Va, — Martin Truex Jr. assumed the lead when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding with about 50 laps to go and won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night. The victory was the third for Truex in the last five

6:15 PM ET Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — Noah Gragson held onto the lead after a restart with seven laps to go and held off Justin Haley on Saturday to win his second consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Gragson, driving in the race with JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., ended a 49-race winless streak

11:55 AM ET Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Manchester United beat Newcastle United 4-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday. United took the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first-half when Mason Greenwood‘s deflected shot was spilled by Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and Ronaldo reacted quickest to score from close range. – Stream

12:39 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The New York Racing Association has charged Bob Baffert with detrimental conduct and scheduled a hearing for the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer to respond to those allegations. NYRA announced the beginning of the hearing process Friday, adding the organization believes Baffert’s conduct warrants suspension or revocation of

2:37 AM BST Lock Brodie Retallick will captain New Zealand for the first time in the absence of Ardie Savea when the All Blacks take on Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Australia’s Gold Coast on Sunday. Loose forward Savea suffered a head knock in the 38-21 defeat of the Wallabies in Perth last weekend

9:06 PM ET Bellator has added a familiar name to its burgeoning bantamweight division. Kyoji Horiguchi, the former Bellator and current Rizin champion, has signed with Bellator, promotion president Scott Coker announced Thursday on Twitter. Horiguchi had been competing in Rizin in his native Japan since 2017. However, he lives in Florida, and travel to

8:00 AM ET The UFC is down to 13 live events remaining in 2021 (not including Dana White’s Contender Series). As of now, the schedule consists of one more trip to Fight Island for UFC 267, the promotion’s first visit to New York since 2019 and a consistent lineup of events in Las Vegas to