It’s time to put some respect on Melquizael Costa’s name in the UFC featherweight division.
Costa (26-7) recorded his sixth straight victory on Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Houston and did so in spectacular fashion inside the Toyota Center by becoming the first fighter to finish veteran Dan Ige (19-11).
The 29-year-old from Brazil scored the sixth spinning back kick knockout in UFC history when he caught Ige ducking down to avoid a potential punch that put him directly in line for the kick. Referee Dan Miragliotta leaped in to stop the fight at 4:56 of Round 1 as Costa likely secured a top-15 ranking at 145 pounds.
“I told everybody this week, I just fought a legend,” Costa said. “No one has been able to finish him and I said that I was going to do that. I was able to do it.”
After Ige scored an early takedown, Costa quickly scrambled back to his feet and began to wear Ige down in the clinch with knees to the body. From there, Costa showcased his full offensive bag by stunning Ige with a front kick to the face and going to the body with a variety of strikes that led up to the finish.
Costa extended his win streak that began following a second-round knockout loss to Steve Garcia in 2023. Of his six wins on his current run, four have come by stoppage.
After the fight, Costa called out a former two-time featherweight title challenger who was sitting Octagonside.
“There is a guy here that you all love and I love, too,” Costa said. “Diego Lopes, let’s go at it.”
Ige, a 34-year-old native of Hawaii, suffered his fifth loss in his last seven fights.
Police are investigating whether Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential trade information with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when the then-Prince Andrew was a U.K. trade envoy. The arrest is unrelated to allegations related to Epstein’s sex trafficking.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein but has not commented on the most recent allegations, which stem from the release of millions of pages of Epstein files by the U.S. Justice Department.
For King Charles III, his younger brother’s travails have overshadowed almost everything during his reign, now in its fourth year.
The king, who is also contending with an unspecified form of cancer, has to ensure that it is business as usual. The institution requires nothing less.
But the continuing investigations into Mountbatten-Windsor, the image of him slouched in the back of his chauffeur-driven car, seemingly shocked and confused, will not be easy to dislodge.
The king is doing his best to insulate the monarchy from any further scandals relating to Andrew and his connections with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Where that course leads, nobody knows. For the British monarchy, it’s potentially a crisis as grave as any it has experienced since its current iteration — the House of Windsor — was born more than a century ago.
The House of Windsor was born out of conflict.
The royal families of Europe are intertwined, and Britain’s is heavily German, especially after Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, with whom she had nine children.
When Britain and Germany went to war in 1914, some members of the wider British royal family found themselves on opposing sides.
Britain’s King George V changed the family name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor in 1917, and initiated legislation to strike out the titles of princes and lords who had backed the Germans.
One target was Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, who was a U.K. royal and also a prince of Hanover. His title was removed for being an enemy of Britain under the 1917 act, which was enacted in 1919, once the war was over.
According to the House of Commons Library, “this was the first and only time such a title has been removed in this way.”
Mountbatten-Windsor is no longer a prince or Duke of York, but remains eighth in line to the throne. The current British government said Friday it is considering introducing legislation to remove Andrew from the line of succession to the crown.
The relationship between Edward, Prince of Wales, and U.S. socialite Wallis Simpson was a headache that turned into a constitutional crisis. Simpson was twice divorced, and Edward, the heir to the throne, was destined to be ceremonial head of the Church of England, which did not allow divorced people to remarry in church.
The prince became King Edward VIII when his father King George V died in early 1936. He continued to say he wanted to marry Simpson, despite the opposition of the British government.
Forced to choose between duty and passion, he gave up the throne in December 1936, announcing in a radio broadcast that “I have found it impossible … to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”
The news was a surprise to many in Britain, though not beyond it. British newspapers had not reported on the relationship, and American magazines had offending articles cut out before going on sale.
The abdication set the monarchy on a new course. Edward’s younger brother took the throne as King George VI. He was succeeded by his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, and after her 70-year reign by her son, King Charles III. All doubled down on the idea that the monarch’s primary attribute should be a sense of duty — something Edward, in the popular imagination, lacked.
Edward and Wallis, thereafter the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and suspected by some of Nazi sympathies, were sent to the Bahamas, where he served as governor. After the war they mostly stayed away from Britain, living a life of nomadic luxury.
The death of Princess Diana — the ex-wife of Charles — in a car crash in Paris in 1997, at the age of 36, shocked the world and left her family, including sons William and Harry, then 15 and 12, in mourning.
The strength of public feeling caught the royal family by surprise. Mounds of floral tributes piled up outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and Diana’s home at Kensington Palace to mourn a princess who had been ostracized by the royal family after her divorce from Charles in 1992.
The queen was at Balmoral in Scotland on her summer holiday with her husband Prince Philip, Charles, William and Harry. The family kept their grief private and stuck to routine — taking the ashen-faced boys to church on Sunday morning — and the queen did not issue a statement for several days.
She was advised to make a public display of grief by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who perfectly caught the public mood with his own tribute calling Diana “the people’s princess.”
After newspaper headlines urging “Speak to us Ma’am,” and “Show us you care,” the queen made a live televised address to the nation on the eve of Diana’s funeral.
“What I say to you now, as your queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart,” the queen said, acknowledging the country’s grief, praising Diana and promising to cherish her memory.
Not long ago, Andrew had been trying to regain favor with the family, benefiting indirectly from the trouble with Prince Harry.
Harry became estranged from his father and older brother, Prince William, heir to the throne, when he and his wife, Meghan, stepped down from their working roles and moved to California in 2020. The couple famously aired their grievances with the royal family in a tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey and a revealing Netflix series. Harry then fueled the tensions by revealing personal conversations in his memoir, “Spare.”
Harry also broke from royal protocol in turning to the courts to sort out his legal problems. He became the first senior royal to testify in court in more than a century in his successful phone hacking lawsuit against the Daily Mirror.
A failed legal effort to restore his police protection detail that was stripped from him when he left royal work, though, was seen as an attack on his father’s government.
When the courts finally rejected the lawsuit, it provided a chance for a reunion between father and son. The two shared a cup of tea at Charles’ London abode, Clarence House, in September 2024. It was their first meeting in over a year.
It lasted less than an hour.
____
Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Brian Melley contributed to this report.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a chaotic scene at an Albuquerque senior center when a man yelled threats and then flashed a gun. New video shows what the staff says led up to that moment and the suspect’s lengthy criminal history. What started as a threat quickly turned into a crime for an Albuquerque man. […]
Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.
Multiple Authors
Feb 21, 2026, 12:25 PM ET
It has all come down to one game for ultimate glory in the 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament.
The top-seeded team from Canada will take on the No. 2 seed United States of America (8:10 a.m. ET) — and the winner gets Olympic bragging rights for the next four years.
Each team is full of NHL superstars, and both nations have won all of their games so far — Canada won a 3-2 thriller against Finland in its semifinal, while the U.S. rolled over Slovakia, 6-2.
With such tight margins, we’ve assembled ESPN hockey reporters and analysts Ryan S. Clark, Emily Kaplan, Arda Öcal, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski to break it all down and give their final score predictions.
Which player will be most important for Canada?
Ryan S. Clark, ESPN reporter:Jordan Binnington has faced so many questions over the past year. Then again, so has the state of Canadian goaltending. Binnington’s performances have been consistent, and he has played well enough to help keep Canada in the games in which the offense has had slow starts. Now it is a matter of seeing if he can parlay what he’s done so far — along with what he did in the 4 Nations Face-Off against the U.S. — in the gold medal game.
Emily Kaplan, ESPN reporter:Connor McDavid. He wore the “C” when Sidney Crosby missed the semifinal against Finland. “Just keeping the seat warm for Sid,” McDavid said. The Oilers superstar has always been deferential to Crosby as the leader of this group for all that he has accomplished. But McDavid, 29, in his athletic prime, is now the best player in the world. He has the ability to play at a speed and level that no other player on the ice can match.
After losing in the Stanley Cup Final back-to-back years, McDavid is as determined as ever. Ahead of the Olympics, he wrote a manifesto in the Players Tribune titled “Dear Canada” detailing his intense, singular drive to win a gold medal for his country. This is a legacy-defining moment.
Arda Öcal, ESPN broadcaster:Macklin Celebrini has had a standout tournament. Remember that conversation about him making the team and not Connor Bedard? Distant memory. Celebrini, 19, has earned his stripes and contributed greatly (including being second in scoring in the tournament with 10 points behind McDavid). You can see him being a leader on Team Canada in the near future, and an early pick to take over the C when McDavid hangs them up (in 10-15 years). You couldn’t have asked for a better first Olympics from the youngest player in the tournament. A strong game in the final will further cement his status as Canada’s next superstar.
Kristen Shilton, ESPN reporter:Jordan Binnington will have to be perfect for Canada in the crease — especially if Connor Hellebuyck is at his most dominant on the other side. The Canadian goaltender has answered the bell repeatedly in this tournament, but he’s also allowed a couple of questionable goals, too. Binnington’s reputation as a goalie who turns up the heat when it matters most is well told, and that’s why Jon Cooper continuously goes back to him despite the critics. This is a massive opportunity for Binnington to be a game changer for Canada and shut the door on a U.S. team that was at its offensive best in a rout of Slovakia in the semis.
Greg Wyshynski, ESPN reporter:Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t have the point totals of McDavid or Celebrini, but these are the situations in which Nate Dogg barks the loudest. Think back to 2022, when he scored the first goal and set up the game winner for the Colorado Avalanche in their Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 win over Tampa Bay. Last year, MacKinnon scored the opening goal of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.
Heck, Canada might not even be in this gold medal match were it not for Nate drawing a high-sticking penalty and then converting on the ensuing power play against Finland in the semifinals. An unstoppable power skater with a nose for the back of the net, there are few things in hockey more intimidating than MacKinnon with his eyes on the prize.
Which player will be most important for the United States?
Clark: Quinn Hughes. He has logged the most minutes of any player on the U.S. roster. His ability to control possession and facilitate in the offensive zone is just as important as his ability to play those long shifts while taking away passing lanes in the defensive zone. It’s what makes him even more valuable playing against what’s been the most prolific team in the men’s tournament.
Kaplan: Connor Hellebuyck was the best goalie in the NHL last season. He won the Vezina and Hart Trophy. And then he put up an absolute clunker in the playoffs, getting pulled three times in the first round against the St. Louis Blues. The USA management team felt Hellebuyck deserved the opportunity to start these Olympics because of his résumé, and the 32-year-old has proved them right so far. Hellebuyck looks poised tracking pucks. He’s clearly recovered from the knee procedure he underwent earlier this season. When I asked him how close to 100% peak form he was feeling last week, he said: “Is there a number greater than 100%?”
Hellebuyck allowed just five goals in 90 shots faced for the best save percentage (.945) in this tournament. Here is his chance to prove he can show up in the biggest moments.
Öcal: I’m going to take a different approach: The Tkachuk brothers are the lifeblood of this team. On the ice, Matthew has six assists and Brady has three goals and five points. But they are the vocal leaders who bleed red, white and blue, and want nothing more than to finally vanquish Canada and bring the U.S. their first gold medal since 1980.
Herb Brooks had a legendary speech during that tournament — Mike Eruzione told us that the Kurt Russell movie version was actually an amalgamation of things Brooks would say throughout the tournament. I would fairly assume that the 2026 version of this “make us run through a wall” address would come from Brady and Matthew, and we’ll hear about it after the game and see it in a future documentary.
Shilton: It’s time for USA captain Auston Matthews to enter the chat in a big way. The Americans have shown they’ve got scoring depth, and seeing Jack Hughes and Brady Tkachuk really make their mark on the tournament in the semis only serves to highlight the fact Matthews has not. It’s not for lack of trying — he’s been involved in the action and victim to a few posts — but this game is for all the marbles, and it needs to have Matthews’ fingerprints on it.
He has faced enough criticism for failing to show up in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Maple Leafs, and he dodged scrutiny about his captaincy at all in these Games. If Matthews wants to show why he was the right person for the role — and mirror former teammate Mitch Marner with a tournament-shifting goal in Milan — this is his last opportunity to make some magic.
Wyshynski:Auston Matthews needs to have his golden moment. The Americans enter the gold medal game with two torrid scoring lines, with the Tkachuks flanking Jack Eichel, and Jack Hughes creating an offensive juggernaut with Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson. To match the unprecedented forward depth of the Canadians, they need the Matthews line to activate. The Maple Leafs star had one secondary assist against Sweden and no points in their rout against Slovakia.
Critics claimed he was unworthy of the Team USA captaincy because he doesn’t score when it counts the most; he set up two goals in the 4 Nations final, but all that fans remember were his blown scoring chance and a defensive lapse in overtime. Well, it counts the most now. And Matthews has a chance to forever stifle his haters with a big contribution to an American gold medal win.
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1:15
Brady Tkachuk on facing Canada: ‘There’s hatred there’
Emily Kaplan joins “SportsCenter” to break down what Sunday’s gold medal match against Canada means to the U.S. men’s hockey team.
What is the biggest X factor?
Clark: How each team can find control and take advantage of those sequences. Canada has used control to mount comebacks in ways that feel unrelenting. The U.S. has used control to wear down opponents in a way that can be draining. Neither of them have really faced an opponent who can use control against them until now.
Kaplan: The United States’ penalty kill. It has been short-handed for 26:57 minutes these Olympics, and has been a perfect 15-for-15 killing off the man disadvantage. The U.S. left some dynamic scoring at home because it wasn’t looking for the best players or an All-Star team; it wanted the right players for any situation. And many of those glue guys show up here on the PK.
Facing Canada’s star-studded group, however, is a different challenge than Team USA has faced before. Germany was the biggest collection of high-end talent the U.S. had faced (Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, JJ Peterka and Moritz Seider). On Canada, it’s a relentless group of star after star after star. The Canadian power play is 7-for-16 in this tournament.
“Obviously their power play is very high power,” said Vincent Trocheck, a key U.S. penalty killer. “We’ll watch the film and hopefully do the same thing we’ve been doing.”
Öcal: Early starts. Team Canada has led for just six minutes and change during the elimination rounds. That is playing with fire, and could be disastrous against the States. Team USA has won three games by four or more goals. If the U.S. scores in the first 10 minutes, that has all the makings of a “they scored early and never looked back” kind of game. The first half of the first period will be critical. We use “set the tone” a lot in the hockey world, but in this case, it definitely applies.
Shilton: Can the Canadians actually play with a lead? Despite the stacked roster, it has felt like Canada has been behind the eight ball for far too much of this tournament. The comeback efforts have been impressive, sure, but what will Canada do differently to actually protect a lead it gets (for longer than, say, 35.2 seconds)?
The U.S. has shown it can pile on against top teams, and Canada hasn’t exactly done the same. It is slick, and talented, and oh so dynamic up front, but that has to translate to not only earning the advantage, but protecting it and adding further. Have we seen enough of that from Canada yet? Are the “Cardiac Canadians” done clawing their way back — and ready now to be the hunted ones?
Wyshynski: Has Team USA has learned from mistakes? This isn’t 1980 against the Russians or 2010 and 2014 against the Canadians. This is the Olympics that USA Hockey has been building toward for decades, one in which its talent pool is finally deep enough to rival that of their archrivals.
The United States enters this game as Canada’s equal. So play like an equal. Flex that scoring depth. Allow the best group of defensemen in the tournament to own all three zones.
The Americans tried to sit on a lead against Sweden in the quarterfinals, and it failed just as much as it did for Finland when it went into a shell against Canada in the semifinals. Timidity has no home here. The U.S. no longer has to genuflect to Canada as a superior hockey power. To quote a movie about the last American gold medal in men’s hockey: “This is your time. Their time is done. It’s over. … Now go out there and take it.”
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0:49
Brady Tkachuk: Gold medal shot ‘everything we’ve dreamed of’
Emily Kaplan speaks with Brady Tkachuk and Vincent Trocheck ahead of the U.S men’s hockey gold medal game vs. Canada.
Who wins, and by what score?
Clark: Canada wins 3-2 in overtime.
Kaplan: United States wins 3-2 in overtime. Jack Eichel scores the golden goal.
Öcal: My heart says 4-2 Canada with a Brad Marchand empty-netter. But I have been saying this for months, and I will repeat it here. If this were being scripted as a movie trilogy, we are at the “The Empire Strikes Back” phase. There would be no better outcome for long-term interest hockey in North America than Team USA winning this game. Hockey would explode, similar to how it did after the Miracle team won in 1980.
Interest will not diminish in Canada — in fact Canadians would be extra salty, and they would stew over holding the L until the next Olympics, with the 2028 World Cup of Hockey being a possible consolation. Imagine how massive a Canada vs. Team USA gold medal game would be in 2030 if Team USA wins Sunday? That would be absolute cinema.
With that said, 4-2 Canada with a Brad Marchand empty-netter.
Shilton: 4-3 Canada in overtime. Macklin Celebrini with the game winner — and the torch is officially passed to the next generation.
Wyshynski: 4-2 for Team USA. Jack Hughes finishes off the tournament of his life with the game winner, on an assist from brother Quinn. Tkachuks who?
The Department of Homeland Security is suspending frequent flier and quick-processing programs for travelers at airports and U.S. border crossings starting Sunday, a DHS official confirmed.
The programs include the Transportation Security Administration’s TSA PreCheck, which allows vetted passengers to forgo customary security check-in lines for quicker passage, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry, which offers similarly rapid check-ins for Americans at U.S. ports of entry.
The suspension, first reported by The Washington Post, will start at 6 a.m. ET Sunday, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem blamed congressional Democrats and said the lack of funding endangers Americans and puts personnel in a financial bind.
“Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security,” Noem said in a statement. “The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.”
The DHS funding shutdown started Feb. 14 as the White House and Senate Democrats negotiate changes to DHS and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency after two people were killed by federal law enforcement personnel in Minneapolis amid a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Personnel at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard aren’t being paid, though most will continue coming to work because their jobs are considered critical.
ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel are continuing their paid work under $75 billion in funding approved last year under President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending law.
Noem said CBP and the TSA will prioritize “the general traveling population,” while FEMA will halt non-disaster responses amid the funding lapse.
“This is particularly important given this weekend another significant winter storm is forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States,” she said in her statement Saturday.
Homeland Security suspends TSA PreCheck and Global Entry airport security programs
MARSHALL AIRPORT, WHERE OUR KATE AMARA IS REPORTING THE LATEST DETAILS. ACCORDING TO FEDERAL OFFICIALS, 61,000 TSA OFFICERS, 56,000 COAST GUARD EMPLOYEES, AND THOUSANDS MORE FEMA, SECRET SERVICE AND CSO WORKERS ARE CURRENTLY ON THE JOB AND ON THE CLOCK WITHOUT GETTING PAID FOR IT. THERE’S NO ONE HERE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE PRECHECK IS 1 TO 3 MINUTES, SO I THINK IT’S OKAY. AT BWI MONDAY AFTERNOON, ALL THREE SECURITY CHECKPOINTS WERE OPEN AND LINE FREE. BUSINESS AS USUAL. ACCORDING TO TICKETED PASSENGERS WE TALKED TO. LET’S SEE WHAT HAPPENED. WE’RE HOPING FOR THE BEST. MANY AWARE THAT THEY WERE FLYING DURING A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND THAT TSA OFFICERS AT U.S. AIRPORTS WERE WORKING WITHOUT GETTING PAID. I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT WORKED WORKED FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. HE KEPT COMPLAINING LIKE, WHAT? THESE DAYS? WHY ARE WE GOING THROUGH THIS? WE WORK SO HARD. WE’VE BEEN IN THIS SYSTEM FOR SO LONG, SO WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS? BALTIMORE’S TSA OFFICERS AMONG 61,000 NATIONWIDE REQUIRED TO WORK WITHOUT PAY DURING THE SHUTDOWN. THE ACTING ADMINISTRATOR TOLD MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AT A HEARING LAST WEEK. AND SHE SAID MANY ARE STILL PLAYING CATCH UP FINANCIALLY FROM THE LAST SHUTDOWN LAST FALL. THAT LASTED 43 DAYS. WE HEARD REPORTS OF OFFICERS SLEEPING IN THEIR CARS AT AIRPORTS TO SAVE MONEY ON GAS, SELLING THEIR BLOOD AND PLASMA, AND TAKING ON SECOND JOBS TO MAKE ENDS MEET. LAWMAKERS ALSO HEARD FROM THE HEADS OF FEMA, CISA, THE SECRET SERVICE AND THE COAST GUARD. THE UNCERTAINTY OF MISSING PAYCHECKS NEGATIVELY IMPACTS READINESS AND CREATES A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL HARDSHIP FOR SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. LABOR LEADERS ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THE STEEP PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CONSEQUENCES FOR MEMBERS DURING THE SECOND SHUTDOWN. IN THE SPAN OF FIVE MONTHS. FOR ME, EVENTUALLY IT’S GOING TO COME DOWN TO DO. I PUT GAS IN THE CAR TO GO TO WORK FOR FREE, OR DO I PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE WITH THAT MONEY FOR MY KIDS? LAWMAKERS LEFT WASHINGTON LAST WEEK FOR A PLANNED RECESS THIS WEEK, WITH NO PLANS TO RETURN. COMPOUNDING CONCERNS FOR MANY ON THE GROUND HERE AND ELSEWHERE ABOUT JUST HOW LONG THIS PARTIAL
Homeland Security suspends TSA PreCheck and Global Entry airport security programs
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is suspending the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry airport security programs as a partial government shutdown continues.The programs are designed to help speed registered travelers through security lines. Suspending them could cause headaches for fliers.Video above: TSA officers working without pay amid partial government shutdownHomeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that “shutdowns have serious real world consequences.” She also said that “TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.”The partial government shutdown began Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.
WASHINGTON —
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is suspending the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry airport security programs as a partial government shutdown continues.
The programs are designed to help speed registered travelers through security lines. Suspending them could cause headaches for fliers.
Video above: TSA officers working without pay amid partial government shutdown
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that “shutdowns have serious real world consequences.” She also said that “TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.”
The partial government shutdown began Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.
Never one to need help from the judges, hard-hitting welterweight Uros Medic recorded the biggest knockout of his career on Saturday in the co-main event UFC Fight Night in Houston.
Medic (13-3), who has yet to have a fight go to the scorecards as a professional, landed a grazing left hook to the temple of veteran Geoff Neal and knocked him out cold at 1:19 of Round 1. The victory was his third straight, all by knockout, as the 32-year-old native of Serbia brought the Toyota Center crowd to its feet.
“Houston, we have a problem and it’s me! I am the problem,” Medic said. “This division is in trouble. They need some of this, they need it, and I’m here to deliver. I’m going to knock everybody out and bulldoze through this division.”
Neal (16-8), a 35-year-old native of Texas, countered an early body kick to land a short left cross. Medic answered with some slick boxing of his own before the two heavy punchers landed right hands simultaneously in the center of the Octagon.
Medic began to quickly open up and walk Neal down. He missed a pair of short hooks while switching stances before connecting on a perfect left hand to end the fight as Neal’s head hit hard on the canvas forcing referee Kerry Hatley to instantly waive off the fight.
“I knock everybody out, everyone,” Medic said. “Sure, I lose sometimes but I’m just a human being. I may lose again but you bet your ass I’m going to come back and f—ing knock people out again.
“I knew [Neal] was going to want to box with me. Not a lot of guys want to box with me. I am an MMA fighter but boxing is something I love to do. I’m sorry this had to happen in front of his home crowd but this is the sport we are in. It’s hard to watch. I have been on the wrong end of that but you get up and you keep f—ing going because life can hit 100 times harder than any man can.”
Neal lost for the fourth time in five fights and suffered his second straight knockout defeat.
After the fight, Medic called out former welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
“Let’s get this work in,” Medic said. “I’ll be knocking everyone out.”
Team USA on Saturday soared to its eleventh gold medal when Connor Curran and Chris Lillis won the mixed team aerials title. In the process, the U.S. set a record for its most gold medals at a Winter Olympics with 11. On the final day of the Games, Sunday, the U.S. can add to its count when the men’s hockey team faces off against Canada in the much-anticipated gold medal game. Seth Doan has the latest on all the action.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s a showdown of the Bullys at Expo New Mexico this weekend. A bunch of sweet, stocky, and muscular dogs flaunted in front of judges who scored them on their pose and cuteness. Even though adults were in on today’s fun, the host of New Mexico’s True Bully Showdown says the event […]
