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PEDRO ACOSTA DUCKS 2027 CONTRACT QUESTIONS AT KTM 2026 LIVERY LAUNCH

Pedro Acosta fuels Ducati 2027 rumours by dodging contract questions at KTM's 2026 launch. Is the Shark leaving the Austrian camp?

Pedro Acosta ducks 2027 contract questions at KTM 2026 livery launch
Ducati sees Acosta as the ultimate heir to Bagnaia

KTM’s Pedro Acosta side-stepped questions about his MotoGP future at the brand’s 2026 launch, right in the middle of swirling rumours linking him to Ducati.

Acosta’s contract with KTM is almost up, and at just 21, plenty of people see him as a key player in the 2027 rider market.

He’s spent his whole grand prix career with KTM, picking up world titles in Moto2 and Moto3 along the way. Still, it looks like his time with the Austrian team is winding down.

2025 didn’t go as planned. Acosta couldn’t grab that first MotoGP win, and KTM just couldn’t develop the bike fast enough to match their rivals. He didn’t start fighting for podiums consistently until the second half of the year.

The Ducati talk just won’t go away. All winter, reports kept popping up that Acosta’s headed to the factory Ducati team for 2027, possibly lining up next to Marc Marquez. Those rumours got even louder after word got out that Ducati re-signed Márquez for another two years.

At KTM’s 2026 livery launch, when Crash.net pressed Acosta about his contract and when he wants his 2027 plans locked in, he dodged the question. He didn’t shoot down the rumours, but he didn’t hint at any talks with KTM either.

He kept it light. “Right now, I’ve got enough to worry about with Malaysia and pre-season testing,” he said. “We're in 2026. I just want good results, like we managed at the end of 2025. And honestly, today’s not the day for that. This is KTM’s presentation, so let’s focus on 2026. We’ll see about 2027 when we get there.”

Meanwhile, with all the talk about Acosta possibly leaving, Spanish outlets are saying KTM has its eye on Maverick Vinales, maybe bringing him over from Tech3 to the factory team in 2027.

Last year, Acosta finished as KTM’s top rider, climbing to fourth in the world standings thanks to a stronger second half. KTM itself took third in the manufacturers’ championship, behind Aprilia and runaway champs Ducati.

UNLIKELY PRAISE: LUKA DONCIC SHOCKS FANS BY NAMING DILLON BROOKS HIS FAVORITE OPPONENT

Luka Doncic calls Dillon Brooks the NBA's best trash-talker as the Lakers prepare for the Spurs without their big three.

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Luka Doncic is complementing LeBron James’ biggest enemy

Lakers star Luka Dončić isn’t shy about who he likes competing against. When asked who talks the most trash in the NBA, he didn’t hesitate: “Dillon Brooks.” Not only that, but he said he actually enjoys playing against the Suns guard. “He’s been playing well this year,” Doncic added. That’s a bit of a twist, considering Brooks and LeBron James have been at each other’s throats all season.

Right now, the Lakers could use any bit of good news. Injuries have hit hard. Doncic, LeBron, and Austin Reaves are all out for their game against the Spurs. They’re still sitting fifth in the West, but this season hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.

Drama follows the Lakers like a shadow, and most of it seems to swirl around LeBron. Brooks has made a habit of going after James every time the Lakers face the Suns, jawing at him from the opening tip. LeBron’s not a fan, and his teammates have always backed him up well, until Doncic decided to give Brooks a little credit. It’s not a shot at LeBron, but in L.A., even a compliment can turn into a headline.

As for Doncic, he’s doing pretty much everything for the Lakers this year. He leads the league in scoring, 32.8 points a night, while handing out 8.6 assists and grabbing nearly eight rebounds. He’s shooting better, too, up to 47.3% from the field. With him running the show, LeBron has had to adjust. The 41-year-old is still putting up solid numbers, but he’s not the main guy anymore. That’s new territory for him.

The Lakers just want to get healthy and make a push after the All-Star break. They’ll regroup, try to climb the standings, and hope the drama stays on the sidelines for once. But when the season wraps up, everyone’s going to be talking about LeBron’s future in L.A. For now, though, Doncic is just enjoying the battles, even if it means giving a little love to the league’s loudest trash-talker.

THE INSTAGRAM MOVE: WHAT JAKE PAUL ACTUALLY SAID IN JUTTA LEERDAM’S FIRST DM

"I can't stop crying!" Jake Paul reacts to Jutta Leerdam's historic gold medal in Milan. Discover how their romance first started.

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Jake Paul’s Emotional Support Proves He’s Leerdam’s Secret Weapon on the Ice

After Jake Paul celebrated his fiancée Jutta Leerdam's Olympic gold on Monday, the story of how they first connected has come out.

Paul, who fought Anthony Joshua in a Netflix event in December, was at the Games in Milan-Cortina to watch Leerdam compete in speed skating.

Leerdam, representing the Netherlands, had won silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. But after a fall during qualifying for the 1000m event, it seemed like she might miss the 2026 Games.

Paul said his heart is broken after seeing the accident, which put her Olympic hopes in doubt.

Even so, the 27-year-old was chosen to compete. On Monday, she won a gold medal in the 1000m race with an amazing performance.

Leerdam finished in 1:12:31, setting an Olympic record and beating her fellow Dutch skater, Femke Kok. She was emotional as she finished, and so was Paul, who was seen crying as he celebrated with his family.

He posted on X, formerly Twitter: Juttttttttttaaaaaaaa. I can’t stop crying. You did it, my love. Olympic Gold. God is great, and so are you.

Paul and Leerdam made their relationship public in April 2023. But they started talking on Instagram before that.

Leerdman said that Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, messaged her first. He asked her to be on his podcast. She had been dating Dutch speed skater Koen Verweij for five years before.

“Jake sent me a DM on Instagram and asked if I wanted to be on his podcast,” Leerdman said in the 'Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson' documentary.

“And I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it. Can be good, can be nice.’”

She said she didn't expect a romance to happen, but she found him to be the complete opposite of what people think.

Leerdman said, 'I never expected to date him, like, never.' Of course, I didn’t know a lot about him. I could only scroll on his Instagram and form an opinionase the whole world does. But he is the complete opposite.”

They announced their engagement in March 2025 and have been there for each other's important events, from big boxing matches to the Olympics.

In the documentary, he called her the most amazing woman there is, “a superwoman and the sweetest soul in the world.

Leerdman won the 1000 m world title twice, in 2020 and 2023. She was the first person from the Netherlands to win gold at this year's event.

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