Sports
UFC Fight Night 253: Kape-Almabayev a 'title eliminator?'
Dec 14, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; Manel Kape (red gloves) reacts after defeating Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images UFC Fight Night 253 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night features a main event between flyweights Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev.
Kape (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) enters the fight sixth in the division rankings, and will face Almabayev (21-2, 4-0) after Brandon Royval, the No. 1 contender, was forced to withdraw due to injury. It presents a big opportunity for the eighth-ranked Almabayev.
Kape said this week that he didn’t pull out of the bout because he will fight any challenger UFC lines up for him, and that he views this as a “title eliminator.”
“The deeper message is that I trust myself, I trust my skills, and I trust my game,” he told UFC.com this week. “And I’m gonna win, whoever they put in front of me.”
Kape is coming off a third-round stoppage win over Bruno Silva in Tampa, Fla., in December that put him back in the title picture. He compared the shorter Almabayev to Silva this week.
“I believe his face is going to be full of blood, because he’s going to be right there, and I have a longer reach,” Kape said.
Almabayev has strung together four consecutive wins to begin his UFC career, and has now won 17 consecutive fights overall. The 31-year-old is coming off a decision victory over Matheus Nicolau.
Almabayev opened as the +220 underdog at BetMGM, but those odds have flipped to -275 as he has been backed by 80 percent of the fight bets and 62 percent of the money. Meanwhile, Kape’s odds have shifted from -275 to -210.
The co-main event is a fight between middleweights Cody Brundage (10-6, 4-5) and Julian Marquez (9-5, 3-4).
Brundage, 30, is coming off a winless 2024, while the 34-year-old Marquez is looking to snap a three-fight losing streak of his own — all by knockout and one coming in each of the past three years.
Marquez is the -120 favorite but in a fight between friends and former training partners, Brundage has drawn 79 percent of the bets and 70 percent of the money at +100.
“This is the business we’re in. It has nothing to do with the friendship that we have, has nothing to do there,” Marquez said. “We both have to fight for our job.”
The main card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
OTHER MAIN CARD FIGHTS:
NASRAT HAQPARAST (17-5, 9-4) vs. ESTEBAN RIBOVICS (14-1, 3-1)
Haqparast, 29, enters on a four-fight winning streak in the lightweight division, although just one of those came in 2024. Ribovics, 28, won both of his fights last year to run his own streak to three, but enters with less experience in the Octagon than his opponent.
It’s a key fight for both as they attempt to climb toward the top-15.
“He has a lot more fights than me. He has a lot more experience in the UFC,” Ribovics said. “But I want the glory. I’m going for the glory. And besides the experience, I want it more than him.”
Ribovics is the -250 favorite, while Haqparast (+200) has been backed by 73 percent of the fight bets and 54 percent of the money.
HYDER AMIL (10-0, 2-0) vs. WILLIAM GOMIS (14-2, 4-0)
Amil, 34, is undefeated as a professional, with nine of those fights ending early. It’s an interesting featherweight matchup against Gomis, 27, who has won all four of his UFC fights and 12 straight overall.
Gomis opened at -175, with those odds moving to -200 despite drawing only 22 percent of the bets. Amil (+165) has also been backed by 57 percent of the money.
AUSTEN LANE (13-5, 1-2) vs. MARIO PINTO (9-0, 0-0)
A heavyweight fight between a pair of Dana White Contender Series alums sees Pinto make his promotional debut. The 37-year-old Lane, a former defensive lineman in the NFL, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Robelis Despaigne.
Pinto is the biggest favorite on the main card at -600, which has led the public to back Lane with 70 percent of the money as his longshot odds have soared to +425.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez a reliever 'for now' to work on delivery flaw
Mar 28, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (40) throws against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez is moving to the bullpen “for now” to work out a mechanical flaw in his delivery, Atlanta manager Walt Weiss told reporters Sunday.
Lopez began the season as Atlanta’s No. 2 starter after making just one start in 2025 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He had a 2.18 ERA through four starts this season before he gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in one inning of last Tuesday’s 11-4 loss at Washington.
“We see him as a starter,” Weiss said. “He’s working through some things, delivery wise, that type of thing, and he’s getting right there. And when he’s right, he’s one of our best starters. He was our No. 2 coming out of camp, even with some of the issues at the end of spring training.
“So we see him as a starter long term, but right now, trying to iron some things out. He’s going to help us out of the pen in the short term.”
Lopez has extensive experience both as a starter and reliever at the major league level. He’s posted a 48-55 career record and 3.93 ERA over 273 appearances (128 starts) over 11 seasons.
He earned his first All-Star nod and finished 11th in National League Cy Young Award voting during his first season with the Braves in 2024 when he finished with a 1.99 ERA, 148 strikeouts and 42 walks over 135 2/3 innings.
Atlanta kept 22-year-old right-hander JR Ritchie on its major league roster after he allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven over seven innings in his major league debut Thursday vs. Washington. He’s set to make his first home start Wednesday against Detroit.
The Braves are also expecting right-hander Spencer Strider to make his season debut as soon as this weekend at Colorado after he started the season on the injured list with a strained oblique.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alex Fitzpatrick officially accepts PGA Tour membership
Apr 26, 2026; Avondale, Louisiana, USA; Alex Fitzpatrick walks on the green on hole 18 during the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Alex Fitzpatrick officially accepted PGA Tour membership following his emotional victory alongside his brother, Matt, in last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
His decision hardly is a surprise, given he said as much following the win, which their parents were on hand to witness.
“I am, indeed, yeah, yeah. I signed as quick as I could. I’m still shaking, and yeah, it was crazy,” the 27-year-old Englishman said during a media interaction at TPC Louisiana on Sunday.
The win was the first on the PGA Tour in his 11th career start for Fitzpatrick, who is now exempt through the 2028 season and is eligible to compete in this week’s Cadillac Championship, the fifth of eight Signature Events this season. The DP World Tour player also qualified for the remaining three — the Truist Championship, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship — as well as the 2026 PGA Championship and the 2027 The Players Championship.
Fitzpatrick turned professional in 2022 after his collegiate career at Wake Forest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Steelers place rare contract tender on Aaron Rodgers
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws during the first half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images If Aaron Rodgers plays another season, the Steelers want to make sure it’s with Pittsburgh.
The franchise placed the rare right-of-first-refusal tender on unrestricted free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, ESPN reported on Tuesday morning.
The move means Rodgers can accept a 10-percent raise from last year’s salary ($13.65 million), pushing the four-time NFL MVP to approximately $15 million in base pay. The Steelers guarantee the raise and in return are granted the right to match any offer sheet Rodgers can sign with another team as a free agent.
The Steelers can gain exclusive negotiating rights with Rodgers if he does not sign by July 22 or the first day of NFL training camp.
If Rodgers signs with a new team before that date, he would be a potential compensatory free agent lost by the Steelers and a potential CFA gained by the new team, provided all other requirements are met under the Compensatory Draft System’s rules.
Pittsburgh hired a familiar face in Mike McCarthy as head coach following Mike Tomlin’s resignation in January. Rodgers played under McCarthy during his time with the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers, 42, posted his 15th season with at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdown passes with Pittsburgh in 2025.
He ranks fourth in NFL history in passing touchdowns (527) and fifth in passing yards (66,274). His career passer rating of 102.2 ranks No. 1 all-time as does his 1.4% interception percentage.
The 10-time Pro Bowl selection won Super Bowl XLV with Green Bay after the 2010 season. He owns a 163-93-1 record as a starter in the regular season with the Packers (2005-22), New York Jets (2023-24) and Steelers.
–Field Level Media
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez a reliever 'for now' to work on delivery flaw
Alex Fitzpatrick officially accepts PGA Tour membership
