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Iran president: ‘US must stop bullying the world’

Iran president: ‘US must stop bullying the world’

As Daniel Cormier’s career ticks down to a self-mandated retirement next year at age 40, he finds himself in an interesting historical place.

There will be those who will never let him forget about his two losses to Jon Jones, as though two losses to the man who would arguably be the best fighter of all time if he were able to get his act together outside the Octagon somehow diminish a career as sterling as Cormier’s.

And then there are those who will look at the breadth of Cormier’s ledger and his time in the sport and recognize, correctly, that his accomplishments make him a strong contender to be the greatest fighter in MMA history.

Did Cormier’s win Saturday night over Derrick Lewis add a significant new dimension to his case for the oft-overused GOAT mantle? Maybe not in the way some of his other, more notable victories did. It wasn’t in the same league as Cormier’s quick dismissal of Stipe Miocic, for example, or a litany of his other wins. It was simple, workmanlike and easy.

Lewis is nowhere near the complete martial artist that Cormier is. But then, few in history have been. The 33-year-old challenger went into the Octagon at UFC 230 in New York City with essentially the same overpowering, singular tool he always takes into the cage with him, which is to say: the ability to land a single punch to the face that can end a fight instantly—no matter how badly the bout was going for him.

A puncher’s chance. It’s a cliche, but that’s what Lewis had when you boil it down to the basics. And it wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot. Cormier took Lewis to the canvas at will, exposing a chasm in wrestling skill that Lewis, were he to dedicate the next 10 years exclusively to wrestling training, would still not be able to cross. Cormier used basic drags, trips and even an ankle pick to keep Lewis on his back before the champion secured a second-round rear-naked choke and submission to win.

“I think a lot of people have to understand that I’ve been doing this for nine years, and I’ve fought at a championship level for eight of them,” Cormier told Joe Rogan on the pay-per-view broadcast after the fight. “So there’s no surprises with me. I come in here and try to do my thing. If you have a puncher’s chance, like I’ve said, that’s not enough. You have to be one of the best in the world to even compete. And Derrick is good, but not at that level yet.”

There will be Cormier skeptics—those heartless ones who delighted in seeing his tears drop after the second loss to Jones in July 2017 seem likely to fall into this category—who will use Cormier’s win over Lewis on Saturday night as a blemish of sorts. They’ll scoff and claim Lewis was a pushover and that beating him isn’t that impressive a feat, as though the 21-6 challenger is a journeyman who’s never won in the UFC.

This is false, of course. Lewis is not the most well-rounded fighter, but he has skills that translate to the confines of the cage. He is a good fighter. A dangerous fighter.

And consider that Cormier went into the Octagon on short notice, just like Lewis. He also has a broken hand. I met Cormier at his hotel room in September during UFC 228’s fight week in Dallas, and he told me there was no way he’d be available to fight until January. We sat on his couch, watching iPhone videos of his son playing football, and we talked about how much he’s looking forward to being able to just do that. To be a dad, all the time. In the meantime, though, he wanted to let his hand heal and then get ready for the expected 2019 fight against Brock Lesnar.

But then the UFC called with a big cash enticement, and Cormier couldn’t turn it down. Who could? So he went into the cage against a power puncher without the ability to grip or make a fist with one of his hands. He still took the fight, and he still handily beat a man who has obliterated his share of heavyweights.

As for what’s next? No date has been set, but Cormier will likely close out his career with a big-money fight against Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion who holds WWE’s top Raw singles championship. Cormier, a notoriously thrifty athlete, will earn enough money in that one night to support generations of his family, and he will walk away from the sport. Whether he joins WWE’s commentary team or sticks with the UFC as it moves to ESPN next year, he’ll still be in the public eye, even if he’s no longer in the cage.

And beyond that? The UFC Hall of Fame is likely next—a richly deserved honor for a man who was already the greatest fighter in the history of the sport before he even stepped into the cage in the world’s most famous arena.

For the first time since March 2014, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers with a 114-110 victory on Saturday. 

The Trail Blazers had won 16 straight games between the two Western Conference teams. That streak included a 128-119 win in the season opener on Oct. 18. 

LeBron James and Rajon Rondo set the pace for Los Angeles. James scored a team-high 28 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds.

Rondo was excellent off the bench with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He picked up the slack for Lonzo Ball, who had just three points on six shot attempts and recorded a minus-16 plus-minus. 

Luke Walton Silences Critics For Now

The big story in La La Land this weekend involved how hot the seat was getting for head coach Luke Walton. 

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin, Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson admonished Walton after they lost consecutive games against the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Even James had a telling quote about where the team was at following its 124-120 loss to the Timberwolves:

The Lakers have responded by winning their last two games, including Saturday’s victory over a good Trail Blazers team. 

All things considered, this was Los Angeles’ best performance of the season. The offense shot 52.3 percent and had 20 assists on 45 field goals, while the defense tied a season low with 110 points allowed.

LeBron Must Fix 3-Point Shooting Woes For Lakers to Succeed

Even though James has never been the most prolific three-point shooter, the early returns this season have been particularly alarming. 

After going 1-of-5 against Portland, James is hitting a career-low 26.5 percent from behind the arc. By comparison, the four-time NBA MVP connected on 36.5 percent of three-point attempts over the previous two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

It wasn’t until the third quarter that James made his first (and only) three, though he certainly made it one to remember:

One reason the Lakers have gotten off to a slow start is their lack of shooting. It was a problem for them last season when they ranked 29th in the NBA with a 34.5 three-point percentage. 

Their ranking in that category has gone up this season—they entered Saturday ranked 19th, but their success rate was essentially the same at 34.9 percent. 

It’s hard to find things in James’ game to criticize—especially on a night when the Lakers played well overall—but he must be at his best to lead this team deep into the playoffs.  

Trail Blazers Not Among West’s Best Teams

Despite ending the 2017-18 campaign as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and getting off to a 6-3 start this season, the Trail Blazers showed why they have work to do to be considered a top-tier team. 

While Portland has had a good week overall—it has wins over the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans—laying an egg against a Lakers team that hasn’t slowed down anyone is a warning sign. 

Even Thursday’s win over the Pelicans came on a night when Anthony Davis didn’t play due to an elbow injury. 

There was a sense of Portland being disrespected coming into the year when oddsmakers set its over/under win total at 42, a drop of seven games from last season even though the biggest loss on the roster was backup center Ed Davis. 

Everyone not named Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum went 2-of-18 from three-point range. This game was eerily similar to what caused the Blazers to get swept out of the playoffs last season. 

“If the Pelicans force Lillard off the ball, the Blazers will need to knock down shots off the service he provides; in the playoffs, Lillard averaged 13 potential assists per game against New Orleans, but his teammates converted only 4.8 of those passes,” per The Ringer’s Dan Devine.

Having two legitimate stars like Lillard and McCollum all but ensures the Blazers will be a factor in the playoff race. That duo combined for 60 points and made 23 of the team’s 44 field goals. But on a night when they needed someone else to step up, no one did. 

What’s Next?

The Lakers have a quick turnaround when they go back to Los Angeles to host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Trail Blazers are also in action on Sunday, though they get to stay home against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9 p.m. ET. 

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide jumped the biggest remaining hurdle in their effort to complete a perfect regular season with a 29-0 road win Saturday over the No. 3 LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Heisman Trophy favorite Tua Tagovailoa continued to build his resume with three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing). He also helped Bama (9-0, 6-0) clinch the SEC West division title and an appearance in the 2018 SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, LSU (7-2, 4-2) likely had its College Football Playoff chances fall by the wayside in Week 10.

Tua Tagovailoa Pulling Away in Heisman Trophy Race

Tagovailoa was already leading the Heisman chase entering Saturday’s marquee clash (-275 favorite, per OddsShark), and his performance against the Tigers further solidified that status.

The sophomore quarterback completed 25 of his 42 attempts for 295 yards and two scores through the air. He added 49 rushing yards on three carries, including a 44-yard touchdown run. The only downside was that he threw his first interception of the season.

He put up those numbers while facing the nation’s seventh-ranked scoring defense on the road. It’s reached a point where it’s getting easy to take his outstanding season for granted.

His resume is so strong that he could even afford one poor outing down the stretch of the regular season and likely still hold on to win college football’s top individual honor. That’s the gap he’s created between himself, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray and the rest of the field.

Tagovailoa has been nearly flawless throughout the campaign, so there’s no reason to believe he’ll have a clunker over the final three games. It would be a shock if he’s not the one accepting the Heisman Trophy in New York City next month.

Alabama Defense Will Remain Backbone of Championship Push

Tagovailoa receives most of the Tide hype, and that’s no surprise given his stats, but Saturday showed the Bama defense is still the foundation of its quest for an undefeated season.

The Alabama offense didn’t come roaring out of the gates like it usually does—the score was 6-0 at the midway point of the second quarter—and it was the defensive side of the ball stepping up to make sure the No. 1 team in the country maintained the lead.

LSU finished the contest with 196 total yards—including just 67 in the first—and 13 first downs.

Alabama’s defense hasn’t ranked quite as high statistically this season. It entered Saturday’s game 16th in yards allowed per game after finishing first or second in that category each of the last three years. A lot of that has do to with the success of the offense, which is creating more possessions with quick scores.

The unit’s performance against the Tigers showed there’s nothing to worry about defensively.

Joe Burrow Continues to Limit LSU’s Upside

Beating Alabama is an uphill challenge from the opening whistle. Trying to do it without great play from your quarterback is virtually impossible.

LSU, which is no stranger to that conundrum, once again learned the lesson the hard way Saturday, as Burrow failed to find any consistent success against the Tide secondary.

The junior signal-caller connected on just 18 of his 35 throws for 184 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

It was evident Alabama didn’t fear the Tigers’ passing game, either. The reigning national champions stacked the box to stop the run, which was a successful strategy. LSU had negative rushing yards through three quarters and finished with 12 for the game. 

Burrow couldn’t come up with the necessary big plays to keep the game close, and the Tide slowly but surely pulled away for another lopsided victory.

Burrow limited the Tigers’ offensive potential in their biggest game of the regular season, and that will likely remain the case until the 2018 campaign comes to a close.

What’s Next?

Alabama will return home to Bryant-Denny Stadium for its final three games of the regular season, starting next Saturday against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

LSU is also back on the field next Saturday when it visits the Arkansas Razorbacks.

1. Kirk Bohls @kbohls

2. Gary Jennings with a 33-yard touchdown catch from Will Grier vs. Texas Longhorns

3. Gary Jennings with a 33-yard touchdown catch from Will Grier vs. Texas Longhorns

4. Will Grier, WVU for the Win

   SB Nation @SBNation

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5. Devin Duvernay with a 48-yard touchdown catch from Sam Ehlinger vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

6. Shehan Jeyarajah @ShehanJeyarajah

7. Jake Trotter @Jake_Trotter

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9. Ehlinger in the Clutch >

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10. Martell Pettaway rushes for a 13-yard touchdown vs. Texas Longhorns

11. Lil’Jordan Humphrey with a spectacular catch for a 29-yard gain vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

12. Pete Thamel @PeteThamel

13. Chuck Carlton @ChuckCarltonDMN

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15. So Close

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16. Tre Watson with a 32-yard touchdown catch from Sam Ehlinger vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

17. Tre Watson catches for a 32-yard touchdown vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

18. Albert Breer @AlbertBreer

19. Kevin McGuire @KevinOnCFB

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21. Martell Pettaway rushes for a 55-yard touchdown vs. Texas Longhorns

22. Tre Watson rushes for a 5-yard touchdown vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

23. David Sills with a 18-yard touchdown catch from Will Grier vs. Texas Longhorns

24. Andy Staples @Andy_Staples

25. Jason Kersey @jasonkersey

26. Joe Rexrode @joerexrode

27. David Sills catches for a 18-yard touchdown vs. Texas Longhorns

28. Lil’Jordan Humphrey catches for a 21-yard touchdown vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

29. Sills with the Horns Down Celebration

30. WVU Football @WVUfootball

31. RedditCFB @RedditCFB

32. David Sills with a 60-yard touchdown catch from Will Grier vs. Texas Longhorns

33. David Sills with a 60-yard touchdown catch from Will Grier vs. Texas Longhorns

34. Bryan Fischer @BryanDFischer

35. Jake Trotter @Jake_Trotter

36. Texas QB Dancin’ on WVU

37. Sam Ehlinger rushes for a 1-yard touchdown vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

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41. Texas DT Chris Nelson Cleared to Play Despite Ankle Injury

    

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