Month: June 2021

Late in the evening of March 19, 2019, there was a defining moment for two fighters who were both well-established in their careers. It happened at a UFC event in London, but the two men didn’t fight each other. At least not officially.

Leon Edwards had his scheduled bouts in the co-main event and showed what made him one of the top welterweight contenders by winning his seventh straight fight. Edwards’ split-decision win over Gunnar Nelson wasn’t particularly artful, but it kept the Jamaica-born Englishman on his toes.

Two title fights between well-known opponents are titled UFC 263. Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against Marvin Vettori, whom he defeated by split decision in April 2018. Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno will fight for the flyweight championship for the second time after a draw in December.

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UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vectors 2
• Saturday, Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
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Then came the headline fight, which was an opportunity for another British 170 pounder to get back into the race. Darren Till, who had weathered an unsuccessful title challenge months earlier, faced a fighter who hadn’t won in over two years. But this would be Jorge Masvidal’s night. He cut Till off in the second round with a long overhand left for a knockout, which left the spectators in the O2 Arena in stunned silence.

Minutes later, Masvidal was being interviewed backstage when Edwards passed by. They exchanged words, something unkind about a possible meeting on the street and what would happen if they met from head to toe. And then suddenly they were head to head. Masvidal had moved away from his interviewer and approached Edwards. Before anyone could intervene, there was a deluge of blows.

“So I’ll give him the threesome with a soda,” Masvidal said afterwards, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, “and then just slide out of there.”

It is possible that Leon Edwards can turn a win over Nate Diaz into a title shot and the kind of star he has missed despite a hugely successful career. Brandon Magnus / Zuffa LLC / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

These may sound like battle words, but in reality they were star-forming words. In a single night, after nearly 50 fights and 16 years of rising and falling pro, Masvidal had a stunning knockout and then penned a meme that was to have an even bigger impact.

Masvidal had a new sparkling aura that shone even brighter four months later when his well-placed flying knee flattened previously undefeated Ben Askren in five seconds, the fastest knockout in UFC history. Less than two months later, Masvidal was wearing a “BMF” belt specially designed by the UFC for his battle with one of the company’s biggest stars, Nate Diaz. From there, Masvidal went straight to a challenge from Kamaru Usman, and after losing that title shot he was rewarded with another just six weeks ago. Masvidal is a star and is treated like one.

And Edwards? What did he get out of the “three” combination? Well, he got a wound on his cheek. That’s it. OK, he also got an appointment in July 2019 at the Octagon with a former UFC champion, but Rafael dos Anjos found himself in the midst of an unsafe slide, four losses in five fights. When Edwards defeated RDA, it created no momentum at all. And Edwards has fought only once since, despite turning down an offer to challenge Usman on short notice last July over pandemic-related logistics problems in England.

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Edwards is the forgotten half of the Masvidal confrontation, just as he was a forgotten man among world terweights. At this point, his undefeated streak has reached nine fights. But it has become Exhibition A, which illustrates the martial arts truth that winning is not the most important thing. To be a star in the fighting game, you need something more. A range of stunning finishes. A way with words. Something that moves the needle.

Or, you need to find yourself in a cage with someone who has the star power to increase your visibility and help you get where you think you deserve.

This is the opportunity Edwards will have on Saturday when he meets Diaz at UFC 263 in Glendale, Arizona. Diaz hasn’t fought in the year and a half since his TKO loss to Masvidal, which was only his second fight since 2016. He was almost retired, but that didn’t extinguish the gleaming spotlight that followed him. There are two title fights at the top of the bill on Saturday, but the battle for Diaz has caught a lot of the attention. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that it is the first non-main event scheduled for five rounds in UFC history without a title at stake.

Sometimes the fighting game doesn’t follow a logical sequence. Edwards already has wins over dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone (faded before the “Cowboy”) and the 170-pounder Vicente Luque. Each of those wins should be a bigger thing than beating Diaz – Edwards is almost a 5-to-1 favorite – but that’s not the case and it’s nowhere near that. If Edwards wins this weekend, the sky’s the limit. He’d be well on his way to meet Usman, and that title fight could come soon if the UFC can’t come to terms with alleged next challenger Colby Covington.

Edwards’ victory over Rafael dos Anjos in 2019 did nothing to increase his star power. Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

A date with Diaz can change a person’s entire career history.

If anyone knows how groundbreaking Diaz is, it should be Edwards. Their paths crossed in 2015 on the night Edwards suffered his last loss – to Usman. That fight didn’t take place in the limelight that the matchup would be under today. It was an early run-up to a card that seemed out of the mill at the time, but was the best in retrospect. No fewer than six UFC champions competed that evening.

Dos Anjos defended his light belt in the main event. Junior dos Santos, a former heavyweight champion, was in the co-main. Also on the bill were four future champions: Usman, Charles Oliveira, and Valentina Shevchenko and Francis Ngannou, who made their Octagon debut.

So Edwards’ foreplay slot was buried under a lot of talent. It has been largely overlooked.

But on the battle map was the name of another non-champion that no one overlooked. Nate Diaz was on the map – the main map – and he made sure everyone remembered him.

His win over Michael Johnson was a boxing clinic with all the extras required – pointing, laughing, hands down, chin sticking out – that make Diaz fights a must. In this case, however, the fight wasn’t as memorable as the post-fight.

Nate Diaz is a must see on TV # UFC263 pic.twitter.com/Ros98vdGth

– ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 6, 2021

When asked about his victory in the cage, Diaz took the conversation in a completely different direction. “You’re taking whatever I work for, Motherf-” Diaz yelled in a Conor McGregor callout out of left field. “And I’ll fight your fucking ass.”

Immediately, the sport had another attention-grabbing and star-making meme. After a battle card with half a dozen champions, all one wanted to talk about was Diaz. And the callout worked when Diaz and McGregor topped two of the greatest cards in the past decade.

This is the rocket fuel Leon Edwards will have available this weekend.

Back in June 2014, the Nuggets landed a little-known big man out of Serbia with the No. 41 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The selection was not seen on ESPN because the network was airing a . . . Taco Bell commercial.

Nearly seven years later, Nikola Jokic was front and center on national television to accept the 2020-21 NBA Most Valuable Player award, making him the lowest drafted player to ever be named MVP. (Three-time MVP Moses Malone was selected in the 1974 ABA Draft out of high school, then jumped to the NBA as part of the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft.)

NBA AWARDS: List of winners for MVP, ROY and more

In a season that featured major injuries to some of the league’s biggest stars and long absences because of health and safety protocols, Jokic was a model of consistency, becoming the first MVP to play in every regular-season game since Kobe Bryant in 2008. He carried Denver to a 47-25 record and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference despite the fact that he didn’t have Jamal Murray for an 18-game stretch to end the season after he tore his ACL in April.

“He is tasked with a tremendous responsibility of being the focal point of our offense, being the anchor of our defense,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Jokic. “And he never complains. He goes out there and does his job to the best of his ability every single night.”

But Jokic’s campaign should not be reduced to his durability. His MVP case was always about more than his minutes advantage over Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and other candidates.

In 72 games, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players to hit the 25-10-8 thresholds for a full season. He finished in the top five in total points, rebounds and assists. He shot 56.6 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and 86.8 percent from the free throw line. When Jokic played, the Nuggets posted an offensive rating of 120.2. When he sat, that number dropped to 103.4. That’s the difference between being the top offense in the league and being slightly better than the Thunder.

To put it simply, Jokic turned into an offensive cheat code. At 6-11 and 284 pounds, he dominated weaker defenders in the post. His improved shooting made him a perimeter threat. His elite passing allowed him to serve as a point-center in transition and half-court sets. He had all of the answers before the test even started.

While he will never be confused for an Embiid-like defensive force, Jokic has shown improvement on that end. He knows how to put himself in the right positions defensively, and he often anticipates the play before it happens. That’s why he finished sixth in the NBA in total deflections and 11th in total steals.

“Is he an athletic shot blocker? Is he going to be blocking shots out of the air? No, he’s not,” Malone said. “That’s not his game. But he has a high IQ. He’s the anchor of our defense. He communicates our defense. And he does a lot of things that may not show up on stat sheets.”

There was a strange pushback throughout the season to Jokic being the MVP frontrunner. Maybe it was because he doesn’t fit the mold of a monster wing like Kevin Durant or LeBron James, or a game-breaking guard like Stephen Curry. Maybe it was because of concerns that Jokic’s MVP year would look odd historically. Maybe it was because there was some sense another candidate would have eventually surpassed Jokic in the rankings given better health.

But in the end, those arguments didn’t hold much weight, and voters recognized the unassailable truth. Jokic collected 91 of 101 possible first-place votes, shutting down any possible controversy.

That goofy Serbian guy, the same one who got drafted while a voice actor waxed poetic about the quesarito, is now part of one of the NBA’s most exclusive groups. He absolutely earned his spot.

PARIS – On the third day of this year’s French Open, Gael Monfils stood with arms raised, soaking up the applause of the crowd on the Suzanne Lenglen Court.

Eight months after Roland Garros took place on site with just 1,000 fans a day, here was one of France’s favorite sons, enjoying the admiration of a larger crowd on a warm, sunny day.

If it wasn’t quite like the old days, it was close.

“It was amazing, amazing,” said Monfils. “Though it wasn’t like a full crowd, it was enough to make a decent mind, you know.

“I could feel their energy. It definitely made me so happy. I can’t be happier. I missed the crowd.”

Although Roland Garros is still well below capacity in 2021 – a total of 5,388 fans were let into the gates each day, spread across six sectors of the website – the tournament feels rather normal. And with an emerging increase in capacity, things are looking up.

Fans and the media are still required to wear masks and there are strict protocols for players staying in designated hotels. But the newly built Roland Garros store, a huge underground space near the famous old # 1 courtyard, simmers while the amenities around the site are open.

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Guy Forget, the tournament director, attributes the return to the traditional season after last year’s changeover to October due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think it’s because it’s spring in Paris and people are a little fed up with all of the pandemic restrictions and curfews and everything that’s closed,” Forget told ESPN.

“And even though we only have a very limited number of people in the stadium, you can see the smiles on their faces when people walk in and through the gates. They are just so happy to be there. You’re wearing a mask, but at the same time you feel such a relief, it seems like a normal life is starting all over again. “

Rafael Nadal pays tribute to the crowd after his fourth round win. TPN / Getty Images

The surge in fans seems to have made a huge difference among players.

“It was really fun to play against Philippe Chatrier again,” said Ash Barty, who was eliminated in her second round match due to injury.

“I think with the fans, even if it was just a splash at times, it was still very nice to share that with them and to be able to somehow enjoy being back in this beautiful place.”

Although players were largely limited to moving between their hotels and the grounds or practice facilities, they were also allowed to spend an hour a day outside to exercise and relax.

Paula Badosa, the Spaniard who reached her first Grand Slam quarter-finals before falling, said it was an added advantage.

“I think that helps because in a Grand Slam [especially], You have a lot of pressure and are super focused when you are on site. I think that having this hour to switch off is pretty good and I think the players need it, “she said.” It helps you relax a little and no longer think about tennis 24 hours a day.

Iga Swiatek, the women’s defending champion, agreed.

“It’s different this year,” she says. “We kind of got used to the COVID restrictions. So right now, you know, we feel more free, because right now that’s the reality. “

Paris also imposed a 9 p.m. curfew for the first 11 days of the tournament, which meant the first nine official night sessions – new for 2021 – were held behind closed doors.

The games on the outside courts were also interrupted, and the strange sight of fans being led out of the arenas before the curfew allowed players, including Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, to continue playing in front of empty stands.

“That was awful,” said Forget. “And it’s terrible, not just for the tournament [and the players], it’s awful for the fans. Because they boo and in a way fight against the law and the government, you can feel it, it’s real anger. You still do, but there is so much frustration. You are probably thinking how long will it be?

“In some cases the players had to sit down for five or ten minutes before everyone was gone. When you are in a game and you have that momentum, you really focus on your game and your sensation and have to sit in a chair for 10 minutes, you get a little bit nervous. It’s really hard, I think, for everyone. “

On Wednesday, government rules will be relaxed and the maximum number of fans allowed on site increased to 13,146. Only people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, who have had a PCR or antigen test in the last 48 hours, or who had COVID-19 more than two weeks but less than six months ago will be admitted.

While only 5,388 fans have been admitted to the French Open every day, 13,146 fans will be admitted as of Wednesday. AP Photo / Thibault Camus

The Paris curfew has also been postponed to 11 p.m., with up to 5,000 fans admitted to the Philippe Chatrier main course for the final official night session between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini.

Forget said he hopes Roland Garros will fully return to normal in 2022.

“When we had the tournament in October I never thought it would be a problem again,” he said. “I thought we’d be at full capacity for the next edition, people everywhere. We’re going to have a night session, it’s going to be wonderful, and here we are.

“It’s very difficult to predict. I would like to be optimistic. And I think we should because I believe it is vaccination and hygiene.” [measures] and everything that has been set up … the numbers are going down a lot in France and I think across Europe.

“Hopefully next year, 12 months later, we should be in a better place. We keep our fingers crossed.”