Sports
Joe Pyfer stops former champ Israel Adesanya in 2nd round of UFC Seattle
Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Israel Adesanya (red gloves) fights Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Joe Pyfer (16-3 MMA) sent former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-6 MMA) back to the drawing board in Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night headliner in Seattle, stopping Adesanya at 4:18 of the second round to cap the night.
Before the TKO finish, both fighters exchanged their best punches in a stand-up battle until a Pyfer takedown signaled the beginning of the end.
“I just have this mentality where I don’t care, I’m going to search and destroy,” Pyfer said following the stoppage, securing the finish in top control.
Adesanya, fighting out of New Zealand, hasn’t won a bout since regaining middleweight gold in April 2023 at UFC 287, and confirmed he has no plans to retire.
“I’m just going to keep going and going and going,” Adesanya said.
A rematch five years in the making commenced at flyweight as former champion Alexa Grasso made short work of Maycee Barber with a TKO stoppage at 2:42 of the opening round. The Mexican used a left hook to down Barber before jumping on top of her immediately as the referee stepped in.
The two first met in Feb. 2021, with Grasso earning a decision. Grasso (17-5-1 MMA) snapped a two-fight losing skid, whereas Barber (15-3 MMA) had not lost since the first meeting with Grasso, having won her previous seven fights.
In his final MMA fight, welterweight Michael Chiesa (20-7 MMA) had a hometown send-off as he submitted Niko Price (16-11 MMA) with a first-round rear-naked choke. Chiesa needed just 63 seconds to put a bow on his UFC career, one that spanned a decade-plus and included winning the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter in June 2012.
Chiesa ended his UFC career at 15-7, while Price, who has been in the promotion for over a decade himself, now sits at 8-11, with two no contests in the Octagon and has dropped four straight fights.
The finishes were a theme on the night, as featherweight Lerryan Douglas (14-5 MMA) of Brazil needed 3:33 of the opening round to deliver a devastating TKO against Julian Erosa (31-13 MMA). Douglas has now won his last six in a row while Erosa continues to struggle at 9-9 in the UFC.
At middleweight, Yousri Belgaroui of the Netherlands scored a third-round TKO stoppage against Mansur Abdul-Malik by landing a perfectly timed knee to end the fight in a back-and-forth battle. Belgaroui (10-3 MMA) has won five straight and remains undefeated in the UFC. Conversely, it was Abdul-Malik’s (9-1-1 MMA) first professional loss, as he had won seven of his 11 outings by KO/TKO.
The main card got underway in emphatic fashion in the opener, with lightweight Terrance McKinney needing just 24 seconds to dispatch Canadian Kyle Nelson with a series of punches following a head kick. McKinney (18-8 MMA) has won three of his last four, while Nelson (17-7-1 MMA) has lost two of his last three.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Down 6, Astros ride 8-run 6th to victory over Angels
Mar 28, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) slides at home safely against Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe (14) in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Yainer Diaz and Jake Meyers had two RBIs each in an eight-run sixth inning for the Houston Astros, who rallied from a six-run hole to beat the visiting Los Angeles Angels 11-9 on Saturday in the finale of their three-game series.
The Astros scored all eight runs with two outs.
Isaac Paredes and Carlos Correa also had two RBIs apiece for the Astros, who avoided an 0-3 start for the second time in three seasons.
Meyers, Correa, Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker each had two hits for Houston.
Houston starter Cristian Javier went 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and four hits, striking out one and walking four.
Kai-Wei Teng (1-0) threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory.
Oswald Peraza homered and singled twice, Jorge Soler and Nolan Schanuel also homered and Mike Trout singled, walked twice and scored two runs for the Angels, who were trying to start 3-0 for the first time since winning their first five games in 2006.
Angels starter Reid Detmers brought a 6-0 lead into the fifth, but the left-hander was finished after throwing 95 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs and six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in his return to a starting role after serving as a reliever all of last season.
Rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (0-1) relieved Detmers after a two-run double by Paredes cut it to 6-2 with two outs in the fifth. Urena quickly surrendered an RBI single to Correa that cut it to 6-3.
Urena was close to escaping the sixth before a wild pitch brought home the first run. Correa later came up with the bases loaded and and hit a slow roller in front of the plate that catcher Logan O’Hoppe threw away for a two-run error, tying the score.
Walker then lined a single up the middle of Peraza’s glove to give Houston its first lead of the series at 7-6, chasing Urena.
Diaz hit a slow roller into right field off Joey Lucchesi that scored two more, and Meyers followed with a two-run double over the head of leaping right fielder Jo Adell to stretch Houston’s lead to 11-6.
Schanuel blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth off Houston closer Bryan Abreu to cut it to 11-9.
Peraza homered with two outs in the third to give the Angels a 1-0 lead, and Soler blasted a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 3-0.
The Angels scored three more runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Trout, a run-scoring double play and a wild pitch.
–Field Level Media
Sports
White Sox acquire C Boston Smith, ship INF Curtis Mead to Nats
Feb 26, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Curtis Mead against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The White Sox and Nationals completed a trade Saturday, with Chicago acquiring former second-team All-American catcher Boston Smith and sending infielder Curtis Mead to Washington.
Smith, 23, was a sixth-round pick of the Nationals in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, but has not yet played in the minor leagues. At Wright State, he was a consensus second-team All-American in 2025 after batting .330 with 26 home runs, 70 RBIs and 70 runs in 59 games. He tied for the Division I lead in homers and ranked seventh in slugging percentage (.770).
Mead, 25, was designated for assignment on Wednesday by Chicago. With the White Sox last season, he hit .240 with no home runs and 11 RBIs in 41 games. Chicago acquired the Australian last July 31 from the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-player deal that sent right-hander Adrian Houser to Tampa Bay.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Grizzlies snap 5-game skid, edge Bulls on late FTs
Mar 28, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (23) drives to the basket as Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) defends during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Cedric Coward scored 24 points, including two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining, to lead the host Memphis Grizzlies to a 125-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
Coward’s game-winning free throws nearly were erased when his inbounds pass with 4.0 seconds left following two Josh Giddey free throws was stolen by Tre Jones, who fed Collin Sexton for a layup. The shot by Sexton came after the final buzzer.
Tyler Burton added 18 points for the Grizzlies (25-49) and Jahmai Mashack scored 17. Rayan Rupert and DeJon Jarreau finished with 14 points each.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls (29-45) with 29 points and 10 rebounds followed by 26 points from Sexton. Giddey posted his 13th triple-double (18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists) this season and Jones contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Giddey’s performance followed a dismal showing Wednesday versus Oklahoma City where he was 1-of-11 shooting, including 0-for-8 from long range.
The Bulls lost their third straight game and have dropped five of their last six.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who scored a career-high 31 points for Memphis in Friday’s loss to the Rockets, was held to 12 points.
The Bulls won the first matchup, 132-106, two weeks ago in Chicago, but Saturday’s game was close throughout.
The game was tied seven times in the fourth quarter, the last coming at 120-all following a layup by Jones with 32.8 seconds to go.
Walter Clayton Jr. gave the Grizzlies a 123-120 advantage with 15.8 seconds left on a 3-pointer, then Giddey answered with a driving dunk with 7.9 seconds to go to trim the margin to one.
Memphis trailed by four early in the third quarter, but recovered behind Rupert. He scored 12 points in the quarter and his 3-pointer with 5:45 to go in the third put the Grizzlies ahead 81-71. Memphis led 98-88 entering the fourth as Coward connected on a floater in the lane at the buzzer.
–Field Level Media
Down 6, Astros ride 8-run 6th to victory over Angels
White Sox acquire C Boston Smith, ship INF Curtis Mead to Nats
