SYDNEY: South African Dricus du Plessis defended his UFC middleweight belt on Sunday with a unanimous win over bitter rival Sean Strickland, destroying his opponent’s nose in a bloody title fight in Sydney.
The 31-year-old won 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 to boost his win-loss record to 23-2 and cement his status as mixed martial arts’ top 185-pound fighter.
Du Plessis first claimed the belt when he beat Strickland via a close split decision in Toronto in January last year, a bout the polarizing American repeatedly insisted he won.
The South African launched a successful defense against Nigeria-born Israel Adesanya in August, while Strickland rebounded with a tepid defeat of Brazil’s Paulo Costa to set up the re-match.
“To come in here and try to knock this man out it is next to impossible,” said Du Plessis, the first South African to win a UFC championship. “I’d love another round, but that’s not the game.
“I wanted a submission, a knockout or an absolute domination of a five rounder,” he added. “That’s what I gave. I gave it my all.”
The Toronto clash was decided by the smallest of margins, but this time it was all Du Plessis.
In a measured start he utilized his favored head kicks, landing four in round one as Strickland responded with tentative jabs.
The volume of strikes increased in round two with Du Plessis delivering combinations to the face that drew blood as he picked up the pace.
Strickland lacked urgency and Du Plessis rammed home the advantage in a dominant round four.
A huge right hook saw blood come pouring from the American’s nose, and another rocked him onto the cage.
Strickland’s nose was clearly bothering him as Du Plessis went in for the kill in the fifth and last round, targeting it whenever possible without being able to deliver a decisive knockout blow.
In a profanity-laden courtside interview afterwards, the American said his nose was broken.
“I popped it back in place and kept fighting for you,” he said. “He kicked my ass fair and square, props to him.”
Also on the maincard, Chinese strawweight queen Zhang Weili successfully defended her title for a third straight time, dominating previously unbeaten American challenger Tatiana Suarez.
The ferocious Zhang, seen as the best pound-for-pound women’s fighter in the sport, scored a unanimous win in the five-round fight that left Suarez with some nasty cuts.
“I was well prepared for this fight. Tatiana is very strong, but I just focused on myself,” said Zhang, who stretched her record to 26-3.
In the heavyweight non-title bout, Brazil’s Tallison Teixeira scored a knockout win over Justin Tafa after just 35 seconds, with a huge elbow to the nose sending the Australian down.
It stretched Teixeira’s record to 8-0.
Du Plessis batters Strickland to retain UFC middleweight crown
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Du Plessis batters Strickland to retain UFC middleweight crown
- South African Dricus du Plessis defended his UFC middleweight belt on Sunday with a unanimous win over bitter rival Sean Strickland, destroying his opponent’s nose in a bloody title fight in Sydney
Saudi national team continue preparations for crucial World Cup qualifier against Japan
- Saudi Arabia will be looking to secure a positive result to keep their World Cup hopes alive
SAITAMA, Japan: The Saudi Arabian national football team continued their preparations on Sunday evening ahead of their highly anticipated clash against Japan in the eighth round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.
Under the guidance of head coach Herve Renard, the Green Falcons trained at Saitama Stadium 2002, where they focused on tactical drills following a warm-up session.
The training concluded with a full-pitch game between two groups before wrapping up with stretching exercises.
The team will hold its final training session on Monday at 7:00 PM (Japan time). The first 15 minutes of the session will be open to the media, offering a glimpse into the squad’s final preparations.
Meanwhile, Renard is set to address the media in a pre-match press conference at 6:00 PM (Japan time) in the stadium’s press conference hall. He is expected to discuss the team’s strategy and readiness for the encounter.
Saudi Arabia will be looking to secure a positive result against Japan as they continue their quest for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Algeria’s Nabil Anane defeats Muay Thai icon Superlek at ONE 172 in Japan
- 20-year-old dominates Thai veteran across 3 rounds at Saitama Super Arena
JAPAN: Algeria’s Nabil Anane picked up the biggest win of his career against Superlek Kiatmoo9 on Sunday in Japan at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.
Anane showed improved striking skills and growing confidence en route to an impressive victory inside the Saitama Super Arena against the martial arts icon who is largely considered the world’s best Muay Thai athlete.
The thrilling matchup was contested across three rounds despite being initially scheduled as a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title unification bout, with Superlek entering as the division’s titleholder and Anane as interim world champion. The rules changed after Superlek failed his pre-match hydration test and was stripped of his belt.
Even without the chance to unify the world title, Anane had a point to prove against the only man to beat him in the ONE Championship, back in 2023 via first-round-knockout on his promotional debut.
The Algerian put in a much-improved performance, dominating the Thai veteran across three rounds of quick-paced action. Anane’s slick movements made it impossible for Superlek to land big shots, while the 20-year-old utilized his height and reach advantage to unleash powerful punches, kicks, and knees.
In the course of the matchup, Anane also became the first man to ever score a knockdown with a high right kick that saw Superlek bounce off the ropes and land on the canvas.
Anane also became only the second athlete to beat Superlek in the ONE Championship, following Morocco’s kickboxing star Ilias Ennahachi.
The emphatic win raised Anane’s overall professional record to 40-5 and continued his stunning run in form after defeating Scotland's Nico Carrillo, former world title challenger Felipe Lobo, and Lethwei legend Soe Lin Oo.
Anane, who is the youngest-ever WBC Muay Thai world champion, later expressed his delight at beating the Muay Thai and kickboxing icon.
“I’m very happy now. My first dream just came true. I’m so happy; I’ve never been this happy in my life before,” Anane said as he thanked his friends, family, and coaching team led by Mehdi Zatout.
The event, which witnessed four world-title bouts, was headlined by the long-awaited five-round flyweight kickboxing contest in which Thailand’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon claimed a historic knockout win in the first round over Takeru Segawa.
Earlier in the event, Morocco’s Zakaria El-Jamari, who represented Arab nations on the fight card alongside Anane, suffered a disappointing first-round-knockout loss at the hands of Japan’s Hyu Iwata.
Patience pays off for Mansell with breakthrough Singapore win
- Richard Mansell sank a crucial birdie putt at the final hole to win a first DP World Tour title at the weather-hit Porsche Singapore Classic by a single shot on Sunday
SINGAPORE: Richard Mansell sank a crucial birdie putt at the final hole to win a first DP World Tour title at the weather-hit Porsche Singapore Classic by a single shot on Sunday.
Needing to avoid a playoff with Japan’s Keita Nakajima at Laguna National Golf Resort Club, the Englishman reached the green in two at the par-five 18th.
He then rolled his eagle attempt to within six feet of the pin before holding his nerve to drain his winning putt to clinch his maiden DP World Tour title with a final-round six-under-par 66.
“I wish this win had come earlier. I played so well today to get into that position and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said the 29-year-old.
“So many people have supported and believed in me when I stopped doing it myself.”
Victory was particularly special as Mansell had come close to winning on multiple occasions on the tour, only to fall short and struggle with self-belief.
“I had quite a few close calls and didn’t get it done. Looking back, I probably should have kept doing what I was doing and it (a win) probably would have happened a lot sooner,” he said.
“I tried to change and became quite good at pointing the finger at other people. I was just not enjoying this much and I got a little lost.
“It took a lot of work this past six months.”
Nakajima carded seven birdies for a bogey-free 65 to finish alone in second place.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin and France’s Adrien Saddier ended the week tied for third.
A three-day monsoon surge in Singapore forced the cancelation of the first round on Thursday, leading the tournament to be decided over 54 holes.
Leading scores:
200 — Richard Mansell (ENG) 68-66-66
201 — Keita Nakajima (JPN) 67-69-65
202 — Adrien Saddier (FRA) 66-68-68, Tom McKibbin (NIR) 69-65-68
203 — Marcus Armitage (ENG) 65-70-68
204 — Matthew Jordan (ENG) 65-69-70, Dan Erickson (USA) 69-64-71, Yuto Katsuragawa (JPN) 72-65-67
205 — Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 69-65-71, Manuel Elvira (ESP) 66-69-70, Kazuma Kobori (NZL) 70-71-64, Robert Macintire (SCO) 73-64-68, Li Haotong (CHN) 66-72-67
Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix from pole in McLaren one-two
- Oscar Piastri led from pole to win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday as McLaren used a one-stop strategy to complete a dominant one-two with Lando Norris second
SHANGHAI:Oscar Piastri led from pole to win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday as McLaren used a one-stop strategy to complete a dominant one-two with Lando Norris second.
George Russell was third in a Mercedes with Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen snatching fourth place after a thrilling late pass on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton came home sixth behind his teammate after his first Ferrari victory in Saturday's sprint race in Shanghai, when Piastri had been second.
"It's been an incredible weekend, the car has been pretty mega," said the Australian Piastri, who had been running second a week ago in Melbourne' season-opener before a late spin.
"Very, very happy. The hard was a much better tyre than everyone expected, so to go all the way to the end was a bit of a surprise, but a happy surprise."
Norris had to cope with a late brake issue which forced him to settle for second rather than challenge his teammate.
The Briton continues to lead the championship after two race weekends on 44 points from Verstappen on 36.
Russell started from second and knew it was imperative to try to grab the lead off the line.
Instead he was squeezed by Piastri on the long first bend complex, which allowed Norris to surge past into second.
Both Ferraris got past Verstappen on the same bend, relegating the world champion from fourth to sixth.
Leclerc lost part of his front wing when it brushed Hamilton's rear right wheel but it did not affect his pace.
Hamilton was the first of the front-runners to dive in for new rubber on lap 14.
All the others followed for hard tyres with Russell getting past Norris in the melee.
But the McLaren showed superior pace and surged back past at the end of the pit straight with the help of DRS.
Hamilton began to struggle on the hard compound and allowed his teammate past on lap 21 freeing Leclerc to go after Russell.
On lap 38 Hamilton had to pit again for new tyres, dropping him behind Verstappen.
The front five all stayed out as it became clear they were going to attempt to make the hard tyres last till the end of the 56 laps.
Verstappen had nursed his tyres throughout the race which enabled him to have a late charge on Leclerc and pass the Ferrari at the start of lap 54.
Haas finished with two cars in the points as Esteban Ocon was seventh and rookie Ollie Bearman 10th.
The other points scorers were Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli in eighth with Alex Albon ninth in his Williams on his 29th birthday.
Hovland grabs share of Valspar lead in bid to end PGA title drought
- Hovland could see “a lot of good” after posting three birdies and a bogey to join Colombian Nico Echavarria and American Jacob Bridgeman atop the leaderboard on seven-under 206
- Bridgeman, seeking his first win in his second full season on the tour, started the day with a one-shot lead and kept himself atop the board with a 1-under 70
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Viktor Hovland carded a 2-under par 69 on Saturday to grab a share of the 54-hole lead at the Valspar Championship, where the Norwegian is gunning for his first US PGA Tour title since 2023.
Hovland, who arrived at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida this week off three straight missed cuts, says he’s still battling the inconsistency that has seen him make five coaching changes as he slumped from fourth in the world to 19th.
But he could see “a lot of good” after posting three birdies and a bogey to join Colombian Nico Echavarria and American Jacob Bridgeman atop the leaderboard on seven-under 206.
“It’s fun to be in contention, but it is a little bit more stressful when you don’t feel super comfortable over the ball,” Hovland said. “But, man, it’s fun to see some putts go in and still see the ball end up close to the hole and put some good scores up there.
“Still feels like saving a lot of shots, but they’re going fairly straight so it’s OK,” added Hovland, who is chasing his first title since he won the Tour Championship in 2023 — when he claimed three of his six PGA victories and captured the FedEx Cup crown.
Echavarria, chasing a third PGA title, rebounded from a 1-over par 72 on Friday with a bogey-free 5-under par 66, making five of his six birdies n the back nine.
“I gave myself a lot of looks,” Echavarria said. “I was leaving a couple birdie putts short on the front nine. I got the speed right on the back nine, made a lot of good putts coming in.”
Bridgeman, seeking his first win in his second full season on the tour, started the day with a one-shot lead and kept himself atop the board with a 1-under 70 that featured four bogeys and five birdies.
“I had fun today,” the 25-year-old said. “I was navigating a lot of the course. I seemed to find some spots that I had never see before, so that was fun. I scrambled well.”
Bridgeman said swirling winds in the afternoon made for uncertainty on many shots while the wind-dried greens “were getting a little bit crusty.”
The leading trio were one stroke in front of American Ricky Castillo, who carded a 68, while a big group on 208 included major winners Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry.
Ireland’s Lowry had a frustrating day on the greens on the way to a 1-under 70 but said he was right in the hunt.
“I can’t remember the last time I hit so many good putts that burned the edge,” he said. “I did hit it probably a little bit too far away from the hole today ... but I just feel like I didn’t get rewarded at all.
“(But) I know if I can go out and shoot in the mid 60s (Sunday) that something could happen.”
