WHY ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI IS STILL THE FEATHERWEIGHT GOAT AFTER UFC SYDNEY MASTERCLASS
Alexander Volkanovski remains the featherweight king after a dominant decision win over Diego Lopes at a packed Qudos Bank Arena.
Alexander Volkanovski hasn’t lost a step, even in his late 30s.
The Aussie star outclassed Diego Lopes from start to finish, picking up a unanimous decision win and hanging onto his UFC featherweight belt in front of a wild Sydney crowd at Qudos Bank Arena. Volkanovski (28-4, 15-3 UFC) made it look routine, sweeping the scorecards with 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45. That’s two straight over Lopes for him.
Lopes (27-8, 6-3 UFC) had a tough time landing anything meaningful. He did drop Volkanovski for a split second in round three with a sharp counter right, but that was about it. Volkanovski circled, kept him at bay with his jab, snapped off leg kicks whenever he felt like it, and countered with his own right hook. Just steady, classic Volkanovski—always a step ahead. In the fifth, he sealed the deal with a pair of takedowns and shut down Lopes’ last-ditch kimura-to-armbar attempt.
On the co-main stage, Benoit St. Denis—a former French Special Forces guy—shook off a rough start and finished Dan Hooker with elbows and punches in round two. St. Denis (17-3, 9-3 UFC) ended it at 4:45, putting together his fourth straight win.
Hooker (24-14, 14-10 UFC) had early success, peppering St. Denis with front kicks to the body, but couldn’t keep it up. St. Denis fired back with takedowns and nasty elbows on the ground—just relentless. In round two, he broke out of a guillotine, got on top, slid into mount, and started dropping bombs with his elbows. He teased a kimura, switched between pounding away and locking up arm triangles, and finally poured it on with punches until the ref stepped in.
All 17 of St. Denis’ pro wins have come by finish—knockout, TKO, or submission. The guy just doesn’t do boring.
Further down the card, former Centurion champ Mauricio Ruffy stopped Rafael Fiziev with punches in round two of their lightweight fight. Ruffy (13-2, 4-1 UFC) wrapped it up at 4:30, making it eight wins in his last nine.
Fiziev (13-5, 7-5 UFC) attacked Ruffy’s lead leg with some nasty kicks, trying to chop him down. Ruffy stayed patient, worked his jab, and waited for his moment. Late in the second, he cracked Fiziev with a clean one-two, chased him down with more shots, and sent him crashing to the mat. Fiziev tried to get back up, but Ruffy just shoved him down and kept swinging until referee Daniel Movahedi waved it off.
That’s Fiziev’s first real stoppage loss in almost seven years.
Also, Tallison Teixeira from Team Lucas Mineiro bounced back from a July knockout loss to Derrick Lewis by outpointing Tai Tuivasa over three rounds. All three judges had it 29-28 for Teixeira (9-1, 2-1 UFC).
Tuivasa stepped into the cage for the first time since August 2024, but he just couldn’t keep himself upright in those opening rounds. Teixeira took him down almost at will, moved to mount a few times, and dropped some ground-and-pound, but never really poured it on enough to get a finish. By the last round, both guys looked absolutely spent. Their movements slowed to a crawl, and you could see the exhaustion all over them. Tuivasa had his window—he landed some wild shots on the towering 6-foot-7 Brazilian—but just didn’t have enough left in the tank to swing the fight his way. Teixeira managed to hang in there, pushed through the fatigue, and ran out the clock.
Tuivasa, now 32, has dropped six straight.
Earlier, Quillan Salkilld—who once held the Eternal MMA belt—finished Jamie Mullarkey with a neck crank in the first round of their lightweight scrap. Mullarkey tapped at 3:02, taking the first submission loss of his 27-fight career.
Salkilld wasted no time, scored a quick takedown, forced Mullarkey to scramble back up, and tagged him with an elbow as they separated. Mullarkey, stepping in for Zhu Rong on short notice, fired back with some short punches, but Salkilld dragged him into a clinch, then threw him hard to the mat. Once they hit the ground, Salkilld quickly took the back and locked in the neck crank. Mullarkey tried to tough it out, but the pain got to him, and he tapped.
Salkild, just 26, now has 11 wins in a row.
CORY UNDLIN AND MIKE RUTENBERG NAMED FINALISTS FOR BROWNS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOB
Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator search: Cory Undlin, Mike Rutenberg, and Jason Tarver fight for the 2026 DC role
Cory Undlin, who used to run the Detroit Lions’ defence, is now in the mix for the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator job.
So, here we are. The Browns have been hunting for Jim Schwartz’s replacement for about ten days now, and they’ve narrowed it down to three names. A decision’s coming soon.
Mary Kay Cabot from Cleveland.com reports the finalists: Cory Undlin, who’s currently the Texans’ passing game coordinator; Mike Rutenberg, who handles the same job for the Falcons; and the last in-house option, linebackers coach Jason Tarver.
The Browns need a new coordinator because Schwartz is out; he was frustrated after the team passed him over for the head coach job when they fired Kevin Stefanski. Schwartz had the defence humming, too. His first year, they finished No. 6 in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, then No. 8, and last year, they jumped to No. 2.
Only one candidate left from inside the building: Tarver. There’s been a lot of talk about keeping Schwartz’s “wide nine” approach, even if someone else takes over. That definitely helps Tarver’s cause since he’s been on staff under Schwartz for three seasons.
Tarver’s been a defensive coordinator before, but it didn’t go great. With the Raiders from 2012 to 2014, his defences ranked 28th, 29th, and 32nd in points allowed. Not exactly a glowing record.
Still, keeping Tarver would probably go over well with the players and coaches, especially those who weren’t thrilled with how the Schwartz situation played out. But there’s also a case for new head coach Todd Monken bringing in someone he knows and trusts. That’s where Undlin comes in; he and Monken go way back to their Jaguars days nearly twenty years ago.
Undlin also spent time with Schwartz on the Eagles’ staff from 2016 to 2019.
Then there’s Rutenberg, who’s kind of the wild card. He doesn’t have any clear ties to Monken or the Browns. He’s only been with the Falcons for a year, and before that, he coached linebackers for the Jets from 2021 to 2024.
Monken told reporters at his first press conference that he hoped Schwartz would stay, but he also said the Browns could run Schwartz’s system without him. He made a point that it’s the players, not the coordinator, who make the defence work.
That’s only part of the story. Under Schwartz, plenty of guys who hadn’t really stood out before started playing at a new level, like Maliek Collins, Alex Wright, and Devin Bush. Even Myles Garrett, one of the league’s best pass rushers, gave Schwartz a tonne of credit.
“I don’t think I get two DPOYs without Jim,” Garrett said last week. “He helped mould my potential as a player and put me in a scheme that fit me. He let me do what I do best: rush the passer and attack up front. See the ball? Go get it.
“So, can we keep that going? It’s about the guys we have in the locker room. We all need to be on the same page, focused on the mission, and attack it with urgency.”
THE SIXTH RING? WHY MICHAEL JORDAN CLAIMS DAYTONA 500 GLORY FEELS LIKE NBA TITLES
Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing wins the 2026 Daytona 500! See MJ’s emotional reaction to Tyler Reddick’s win and his NBC Sports move.
Jamal Crawford didn’t hold back; he called Michael Jordan’s move to NBC Sports a game-changer, and you could tell he felt proud to join him as a teammate.
But the real headline came earlier, at the 2026 Daytona 500. When 23XI Racing took the checkered flag, Michael Jordan just stood there in victory lane, clearly overwhelmed. He watched Tyler Reddick soak in the biggest win of his NASCAR career, confetti raining down, and then pulled his driver into a hug. It was one of those moments that felt straight out of Jordan’s own basketball glory days.
This win was huge for a team Jordan and Denny Hamlin only started back in 2020. What began as a brand-new Cup Series entry has turned into a serious contender. On Sunday, all that hard work paid off on NASCAR’s biggest stage. Sure, Reddick’s gutsy move on the last lap clinched it, but Jordan’s reaction to how much this meant to him and the whole team really told the story.
Jordan compared the Daytona win to winning an NBA title. Standing in victory lane, he tried to put it into words: “This is what it feels like to win a championship. We’ve built this from the ground up, and to see it pay off like this… It’s indescribable.”
A little earlier, talking to FOX, he admitted the whole thing felt surreal: “I can’t even believe it. It’s so gratifying. We had four guys really fighting and helping each other out. You never know how these races will end. You try to survive.”
He kept coming back to one thing: teamwork. Jordan made a point to call out Riley Herbst for his push in those final laps: “I thought Riley did an unbelievable job pushing at the end. That’s what teamwork is all about. He doesn’t get enough credit and probably won’t, but we feel the love, and we know exactly what he did.”
For Jordan, that win was about more than just a last-lap move. “We just hung in there all day. The team had a great strategy and gave us a chance at the end. Look, I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say. It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won’t even know.”
He knows how much work goes into superspeedway racing: the preparation, the timing, and the drafting partners. It’s a group effort, start to finish.
For 23XI Racing, this wasn’t just another win. It’s the biggest moment in their short history. Since 2020, they’ve grown from a single-car team to a regular threat in the Cup Series. Now, they’ve got a Daytona 500 win under their belt.
Jordan’s been front and centre for all of it, pushing the team, raising its profile, and living out that relentless drive for excellence. After the race, cameras caught him celebrating with fist pumps, big hugs with Reddick, and the whole team pouring into victory lane.
Later, Jordan reflected on the journey. He’s always chased greatness, and now he sees that same fire in his NASCAR crew. For a guy with six NBA championships, winning the Daytona 500 just proved he still has that competitive edge. This time, instead of the hardwood, the celebration happened right there at Daytona International Speedway: his team, their win, and one of NASCAR’s biggest moments.