Yair Rodriguez left no question who was the better fight Saturday at UFC 314.
Over the course of three rounds, Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) proved to be an unsolvable puzzle for debuting Bellator legend Patricio Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) who he defeated by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Both fighters were patient in Round 1, but the fight took place at Rodriguez’s ideal distance. “Pitbull” did not open up much, though he seemed relatively comfortable – slapping the areas of his body Rodriguez hit after each strike.
Author: Michael
Yair Rodriguez delivered on his promise to play spoiler for Patricio Freire’s octagon debut when he came out of the UFC 314 main card opener with his hand raised.
After losing his past two fights, Rodriguez (19-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) showed on Saturday that he shouldn’t be discarded as a title threat in the featherweight division. The former interim champ earned a unanimous decision victory over former two-division titleholder “Pitbull” Freire (36-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at Kaseya Center in Miami.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Jaron Ennis crowned himself the best fighter in the 147-pound division when he stopped Eimantas Stanionis after six rounds and claimed three shares of the welterweight division crown with a decisive win Saturday night in boxing’s return to Atlantic City.
Ennis ran his record to 34-0 after the fight was waved off once Stanionis was unable to continue after the sixth round. Ennis sent Stanionis to the ropes and down to one knee with a series of left-handed uppercuts and body shots.
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Jaron Ennis lands a left hand on Eimantas Stanionis during their welterweight title unification fight on Saturday in Atlantic City.Photograph: Mark Robinson/Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Jaron Ennis needed that special moment. On Saturday night in Atlantic City, he seized it with both fists.
The 27-year-old welterweight from Philadelphia, nicknamed Boots, systematically broke down Eimantas Stanionis with precision and force en route to a sixth-round TKO that unified the IBF and WBA titles and jolted the welterweight division back to life.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Surridge scored on a penalty kick in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to rally Nashville SC to a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.
Surridge scored for the second time this season after Nashville (4-3-1) was awarded a PK when Hany Mukhtar drew a foul on Real Salt Lake midfielder Nelson Palacio. Surridge has scored 16 career goals in 45 career appearances with the club.
Real Salt Lake (3-5-0) jumped in front early when Dominik Marczuk took a pass from Diogo Gonçalves in the 12th minute and scored for the first time this season.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jackson Jobe pitched six shutout innings to earn his first major league win on Saturday as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0.
Spencer Torkelson homered and drove in three runs for the Tigers, who have won seven of their last eight.
Jobe (1-0), the third pick of the 2021 amateur draft and the overall No. 3 prospect per Baseball America, cruised through the Twins’ lineup after earning no-decisions in his previous two starts. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed just three baserunners — two singles and a walk — while striking out two batters.