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Sean Strickland stuns Khamzat Chimaev to win middleweight gold at UFC 328

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NEWARK, N.J. — Improbably, again, Sean Strickland is a champion. Less than three years after stunning the world to snatch UFC middleweight gold from one of MMA’s biggest stars, he did it again Saturday against an arguably more fearsome, more complete opponent.

Against Khamzat Chimaev, who earned his reputation as one of the most dominant current fighters with a 15-0 opening to his career, Strickland narrowly solved the puzzle that had vexed so many others. He stuffed takedowns, reversed grapples, put Chimaev on his back and wore down the champion on the feet with missile jabs, setting up the announcer Bruce Buffer to cap the night with a dramatic reading of the scorecards to crown him the undisputed “and new” champion.

The judges gave Strickland the edge with a split decision, 48-47, 47-48, 48-47.

The jab and the teep kick have become Strickland’s trademark, but it’s been his defense that has fueled his late-career surge to two title reigns. Against Chimaev, Strickland showed that his defense wasn’t just reserved for strikes, but was also a strength on the mat.

Chimaev opened the fight in typical fashion, blitzing forward with an opening-minute takedown and smothering Strickland for the first five minutes with submission attempts. It appeared Strickland was on his way to being yet another Chimaev victim, like Dricus Du Plessis, Robert Whittaker and Kamaru Usman before him.

But if you’ve ever listened to more than 10 seconds of a Strickland news conference, you know he is unlike any man who has come before him. The sport’s crudest man on the mic capped a bitter, trash-talk-filled week with one of the greatest championship-fight upsets — Chimaev entered the night a minus-500 favorite.

When Strickland upset Israel Adesanya to win his first middleweight title in September 2023, Adesanya closed as a minus-650 favorite.

After all the vitriol was settled in the cage, Chimaev wrapped the belt around the new champion, and Strickland began his reign with an apology for his previous behavior.

“I respect all you guys,” he said. “I should be a better champion when I try to sell these fights.”

The main event was preceded by a lightweight title-fight thriller between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. Van successfully defended his title with a late knockout, with the judge calling the bout finished with both fighters still on their feet.

After the win, Van didn’t shy away from a rematch with former champion Alexandre Pantoja, who held the division’s belt for years before suffering a freak elbow dislocation in his December loss to Van.

“Pantoja, you better get your s— right,” Van said. “We can run it back if you want.”

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How to watch Rockies vs. Cardinals: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

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The Colorado Rockies will look to stop a four-game losing streak when visiting the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday. Matthew Liberatore (5-8, 4.97 ERA) will start for the Cardinals, who are 58-58 this season and third in the NL Central. Kyle Freeland (3-10, 6.81 ERA) is expected to start for the Rockies, who are 45-71 and fifth in the NL West.

How to watch Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Rockies vs. Cardinals odds

  • Favorite Moneyline: Cardinals -175
  • Underdog Moneyline: Rockies +145
  • Total: 8.5
  • Total Over Odds: -120
  • Total Under Odds: +100

Injury reports

Cardinals

Ramón Urías: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Max Rajcic: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Rockies

Jeff Criswell: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Jaden Hill: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Blas Castano: 15 Day IL (Pectoral), Sean Sullivan: 15 Day IL (Undisclosed), Chase Dollander: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kris Bryant: 60 Day IL (Back), José Quintana: 60 Day IL (Elbow), McCade Brown: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), RJ Petit: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Welinton Herrera: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Pierson Ohl: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Stats to know

  • Alec Burleson is hitting for a .285 BA, .350 OBP and .477 SLG with a 15.8% strikeout rate and an 8.4% walk rate. His OPS is .827 and he has scored 60 runs. In 486 plate appearances, he has hit 18 home runs and driven in 77 runs (7th in MLB).
  • In 479 plate appearances, Jordan Walker has slashed .284/.342/.489 this season. He has hit 22 long balls and driven in 81 runs (4th in MLB) with a strikeout rate of 24.8% and a walk rate of 7.7%. He has 14 stolen bases on 19 attempts. He has come around to score 68 times.
  • TJ Rumfield has hit 13 home runs this season. He has also tallied 58 RBIs and has scored 50 runs. In 455 plate appearances, he has recorded a .296 BA, .374 OBP and .463 SLG with a 9.7% walk rate and a 14.5% strikeout rate.
  • In 389 plate appearances, Jake McCarthy has slashed .298/.335/.496 this season. He has hit 11 long balls and driven in 64 runs with a strikeout rate of 17.5% and a walk rate of 4.6%. He has stolen 17 bases on 20 attempts and has scored 51 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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How to watch Orioles vs. Rangers: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

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The Texas Rangers take a three-game winning streak into a home matchup versus the Baltimore Orioles at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday. Jacob deGrom (7-7, 3.96 ERA) will start for the Rangers, who are 58-58 this season and second in the AL West. Kyle Bradish (7-10, 3.79 ERA) is expected to start for the Orioles, who are 56-60 and fourth in the AL East.

How to watch Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers

Orioles vs. Rangers odds

  • Favorite Moneyline: Rangers -154
  • Underdog Moneyline: Orioles +125
  • Total: 7.5
  • Total Over Odds: +100
  • Total Under Odds: -120

Injury reports

Rangers

Kyle Higashioka: 10 Day IL (Flexor tendon), Josh Jung: 10 Day IL (Calf), Jose Corniell: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Jack Leiter: 15 Day IL (Ankle), Jakob Junis: 15 Day IL (Groin), Danny Jansen: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Robert Garcia: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jalen Beeks: 60 Day IL (Back), Michael Helman: 60 Day IL (Hand), Carter Baumler: 60 Day IL (Ribs)

Orioles

Samuel Basallo: 10 Day IL (Shoulder), Blaze Alexander: 10 Day IL (Hand), Zach Eflin: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Felix Bautista: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Keegan Akin: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Chris Bassitt: 60 Day IL (Back), Ryan Helsley: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ryan Mountcastle: 60 Day IL (Foot), Jordan Westburg: 60 Day IL (Ucl), Colin Selby: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Stats to know

  • Ezequiel Duran is hitting for a .274 BA, .328 OBP and .457 SLG with a 23.4% strikeout rate and a 7.1% walk rate. His OPS is .785 and he has scored 51 runs. In 406 plate appearances, he has hit 13 home runs and driven in 63 runs. Duran has been crafty on the base paths, recording nine steals on 11 attempts.
  • In 465 plate appearances, Brandon Nimmo has hit 12 long balls, tallied 43 RBIs and scored 48 runs. He is batting .274/.342/.444 and has posted a 21.3% strikeout rate and an 8.2% walk rate. Nimmo has recorded six steals on seven attempts.
  • Pete Alonso has hit 23 home runs this season. He has also tallied 71 RBIs (14th in MLB) and has scored 68 runs. In 502 plate appearances, he has recorded a .247 BA, .341 OBP and .454 SLG with an 11.4% walk rate and a 24.9% strikeout rate.
  • In 522 plate appearances, Gunnar Henderson has hit 18 long balls, tallied 47 RBIs and scored 65 runs. He is batting .217/.297/.391 and has posted a 22.8% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. Henderson has recorded eight steals on 12 attempts.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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How to watch Storm vs. Fire: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

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Dominique Malonga leads the Seattle Storm (6-27) into a matchup against the Portland Fire (12-19) after putting up 31 points in a 92-86 loss to the Liberty. The game is on Saturday, August 8, 2026, tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV, FOX12+, CW Seattle, KOMO 4, and Amazon Prime Video.

How to watch Seattle Storm vs. Portland Fire

Seattle vs. Portland odds

  • Spread: Seattle -1.5 (-115), Portland +1.5 (-105)
  • Favorite Moneyline: Seattle -120
  • Underdog Moneyline: Portland +100
  • Total: 179.5
  • Total Over Odds: -110
  • Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Storm

Katie Lou Samuelson: Questionable (Knee)

Fire

Sania Feagin: Out For Season (Knee),

Bridget Carleton: Probable (Foot),

Sarah Ashlee Barker: Out For Season (Knee),

Teja Oblak: Probable (Knee)

Stats to know

  • The 82.7 points per game the Storm record are 9.1 fewer points than the Fire give up (91.8).
  • Portland’s 86.5 points per game are just 1.8 fewer points than the 88.3 Seattle allows.
  • Flau’jae Johnson averages 13.9 points, 4.9 boards and 2.9 assists per contest, while shooting 39.2% from the field and 26.8% from downtown with 1.2 made treys per game.
  • Bridget Carleton puts up 14.3 points, 2.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Julio Aguilar, Ethan Miller, Steph Chambers / Getty Images

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