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MMA Preview: UFC Fight Night 221 – Petr Yan (16-4) vs Merab Dvalishvili (15-4)

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Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili headlines UFC Fight Night 221, an event taking place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Vegas on Saturday, March 11, 2023

Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili Odds
Moneyline Odds
Petr Yan -260
Merab Dvalishvili +196
*Odds taken from Sports Odds Direct Thursday, March 9, 2023.

When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Paradise, Nevada
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
Time: ~10:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN+

Petr Yan (16-4) is expected to win after two contentious split-decision losses. The oddsmakers have the Russian fighter winning UFC Fight Night 221’s main event at -200.

Nicknamed The Machine, Merab Dvalishvili (15-4) is renowned as somebody who won’t ever stopped. Perhaps he can outlast the main event on Saturday and take the fight by decision?

Petr Yan is a former UFC Bantamweight champion who lost his title to Aljamain Sterling by knockout in March 2021. His road to title begins on Saturday. He was disqualified for doing an illegal knee kick that many people thought was easy.

Seven months later, he intended to exact his vengeance, but Aljo withdrew from the fight just five days before the event. Yan fought Cory Sandhagen in his place and won by unanimous decision.

After that, Yan got a second chance to fight Sterling in his first fight of 2022. He lost on a split decision, which was unfortunate for him. Although it wasn’t as controversial as Yan’s most recent fight, it was a controversial decision nonetheless.

Yan fought Sean O’Malley in October. Yan eventually took control of the fight after a sluggish start. Even though 25 of the 26 representatives of the media thought he would win, two of the three judges gave O’Malley the win.

Yan has consequently fallen to No. 2nd place (below O’Malley) in the UFC Bantamweight Rankings. However, he is close to returning to the title conversation. His next fight will almost certainly be against O’Malley or Sterling if he defeats Dvalishvili on Saturday.

Merab Dvalishvili Searching for His ninth Consecutive UFC Win
The Georgian warrior is 15-5 by and large with nine straight wins in the UFC. The fact that eleven of his victories were decided by him is interesting. This is surprising because Dvalishvili has a background in Combat Sambo and is an excellent wrestler and grappler.

In his fight against Marlon Moraes, which he won by technical knockout, he demonstrated that he is also an excellent striker.

However, Dvalishvili’s athleticism is his greatest competitive advantage. He’s not nicknamed The Machine by some coincidence. This guy has a real drive that will allow him to keep hitting opponents and getting hit until the very end.

However, the fact that his fight with Yan on Saturday will be his first in a five-round format has to worry him.

MMA Preview: Bellator 292 – Valentin Moldavsky (11-2-1) vs Linton Vassell (31-8-1)

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Valentin Moldavsky vs Linton Vassell is one of the most interesting matchups of Bellator 292, an MMA event taking place this Friday at Sap Center in San Jose, California

Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs Henderson is stacked with amazing fights. The main event, though, seems a bit mismatched as Usman Nurmagomedov is priced at -2000.

Valentin Moldavsky vs Linton Vassell Odds
Moneyline Odds
Valentin Moldavsky -300
Linton Vassell +220

When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: SAP Center in San Jose, California
Date: Friday, March 10, 2023
Time: ~10:00 PM ET
How to Watch: Showtime

Moldavsky is 11-2-1 in his professional career, and one of those 11 victories came against Linton Vassell, who is Moldavsky’s next opponent. We witnessed Moldavsky defeat him by unanimous decision in March 2019.

The Russian fighter certainly possesses what it takes to be regarded as the betting favorite, but there is one thing that should concern him. Since almost two years ago, he has not won a single game. In June 2021, Moldavsky defeated Timothy Johnson by unanimous decision to win the interim Bellator Heavyweight title. This was his last victory in a fight.

He then lost to Ryan Bader by consistent choice, subsequently losing the Bellator Heavyweight Big showdown to the American. The fight with Steve Mowry, which was supposed to be a title eliminator, came next. However, after just 54 seconds, Moldavsky accidentally poked his opponent in the eye, so the fight was declared a draw.

Fedor Emelianenko’s protégé gets an opportunity to return to his triumphant ways this approaching Friday while he’s taking on Linton Vassell. Could he at any point pull it off?

Moldavsky is an excellent striker and a former Combat Sambo world champion. He also has a lot of stamina, as evidenced by the fact that two of his fights, two of which lasted five rounds, went all the way to the finish.

Linton Vassell Plotting Retribution
Linton Vassell is 31-8-1 generally speaking with four straight wins, three of which occurred by technical knockout. He lost his last fight to Moldavsky, Vassell’s first heavyweight bout in nearly a decade. He has grown in size since then, but he is still quick and agile.

Within the ring, Vassell has excellent movement and a propensity to land numerous blows in every fight. He also excels on the floor, as evidenced by his portfolio of eight submission victories. The big question is whether he can harm Moldavsky similarly.

Boxing: Diego Pacheco’s (17-0-0, 14 KO’s) vs Jack Cullen (21-3-1, 9 KO’s)

Callum Smith was unable to compete in his Light-Heavyweight matchup with Pawel Stepien on March 11 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool due to an injury.

The fight for Diego Pacheco’s WBO International Super-Middleweight Title against Jack Cullen and Robbie Davies Jr.’s Super-Lightweight fight against Darragh Foley will now co-headline the event, which will continue to be broadcast live on DAZN worldwide (with the exception of Australia and New Zealand).

WHAT TIME IS THE PACHECO VS. CULLEN FIGHT?
Date: Saturday, March 11
Time: 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET
Main event ringwalks (approx): 10:20 p.m. GMT / 5:20 p.m. ET
The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe
The main card is set to get underway at 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10 p.m. GMT / 5 p.m. ET.

One of the hottest American boxing prospects, Pacheco (17-0, 14 knockouts) takes on Little Lever’s Cullen (21-3-1, 9 knockouts) in a fight that promises to be all-action. Pacheco is making his debut in the UK and is hoping to impress.

Originally scheduled to fight Australia’s Liam Paro, Davies Jr. (23-3, 15 KOs) will now face Foley (21-4-1, 9 KOs) over ten rounds. The Irishman from Australia arrives in Liverpool brimming with confidence after four straight victories.

Johnny Fisher, a Romford Heavyweight sensation (7-0, 6 KOs), brings “The Romford Bull” Army to Liverpool for the first time. He will fight Italy’s Alfonso Damiani (6-2, 2 KOs) over eight rounds, and Peter McGrail, a decorated amateur star who has turned into a Super-Bantamweight prospect, will make his much-anticipated Matchroom debut.

Oldham’s Aqib Fiaz (10-0) faces Yeovil’s Dean Dodge (9-2-1, 3 KOs) over eight rounds at Super-Featherweight, while Hyde’s Campbell Hatton (9-0, 3 KOs), Chester Middleweight Paddy Lacey (7-0, 1 KO), and Billericay Middleweight George Liddard (1-0, 1 KO) compete for the Commonwealth Title against Wombourne’s Vicky Wilkinson (5-0)

DIEGO PACHECO VS. JACK CULLEN FIGHT CARD
ALL TIMES ARE LOCAL
16:00 DOORS OPEN
16:30 LIVE ON BEFORE THE BELL

4 x 3 mins International Middleweight contest
GEORGE LIDDARD 162.1 lbs v DANIEL PRZEWIESLIK 161.1 lbs
(Billericay, England) (Ruda Slaska, Poand)

followed by
6 x 3 mins International Super-Lightweight contest
CAMPBELL HATTON 140.5 lbs v MICHAEL GONXHE 136.14 lbs
(Hyde, England) (Frankfurt, Germany)

followed by
6 x 3 mins Middleweight contest
PADDY LACEY 162.14 lbs v JAMES MCCARTHY 160.15 lbs
(Liverpool, England) (Liverpool, England)

followed by
8 x 3 mins Super-Featherweight contest
AQIB FIAZ 134.7 lbs v DEAN DODGE 132.15 lbs
(Oldham, England) (Yeovil, England)

followed by
19:00 LIVE ON DAZN
10 x 2 mins vacant Commonwealth Lightweight Title
RHIANNON DIXON 134.12 lbs v VICKY WILKINSON 132.1 lbs
(Warrington, England) (Wombourne, England)

followed by
10 x 3 mins International Super-Bantamweight contest
PETER MCGRAIL 123.8 lbs v NICOLAS NAHUEL BOTELLI 123.12 lbs
(Liverpool, England) (Salta, Argentina)

followed by
8 x 3 mins International Heavyweight contest
JOHNNY FISHER 240.12 lbs v ALFONSO DAMIANI 233.13 lbs
(Romford, England) (Subiaco, Italy)

followed by
10 x 3 mins International Super-Lightweight contest
ROBBIE DAVIES JR 139.12 lbs v DARRAGH FOLEY 139.6 lbs
(Liverpool, England) (Bondi, Australia)

followed by
10 x 3 mins WBO International Super-Middleweight Title DIEOGO PACHECO 166.10 lbs v JACK CULLEN 167.8 lbs (Los Angeles, USA) (Little Lever, England)

Boxing: World Ranked Super Bantamweight Oleh Dovhun Defends the NABA Super Bantamweight Title against Juan Centeno on Friday, March 17th

Pittsburgh, PA – World-ranked super bantamweight Oleh Dovhun will defend his NABA Title against Juan Centeno on Friday, March 17 at Priory Grand Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The exciting co-feature also features undefeated Joey Turk.

Integrity Fighter Management and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing are behind the promotion of the championship boxing night.

Due to victories over Roger Blankenship (1-0) and, Dovhun of Pittsburgh, Ukraine, is ranked number 10 by the WBA. Williams, Daron (7-0). On November 13, 2021, Dovhun defeated Glenn Dezurn (14-2-1) in a 10-round unanimous decision to win the NABA Super Bantamweight title. In his last session, Dovhun safeguarded his title with a 10-round split choice over Geram Eloyan on Walk 18, 2022 in Huntingtom, New York.

Integrity Fighter Management manages the 28-year-old Dovhun, who is managed by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.

With one knockout, Miami, Florida’s Centeno is 8-6-3. The 27-year-old is originally from Managua, Nicaragua, but grew up in Miami. Abel Aparicio (8-0), Luis Rivera (7-0), and Fernando Bahena (4-0-1) are three undefeated fighters alongside Centeno, who has a win over Keithlan Franklin (4-1-1). Centeno’s most recent accomplishments include victories over Rivera and Bahena, the latter of which took place on January 21 in Commerce, California.

Kiante Irving, a rising super middleweight who has never lost a fight, will take on Devaun Lee in a six-round contest to lead an outstanding undercard.

Irving of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, is 11-0-1, with 11 knockout victories. On October 29, 2022, in Washington, PA, the 29-year-old Irving stopped Brent Oren in the third round.

Lee, of Jamaica, Queens, New York, has five knockout victories, going 10-8-1. Lee, 35, won victories over Ian Green (8-0), Chris Galeano (10-0), Robelle Rogers (4-1), Giovanni Lorenzo (37-7) and Carlos Rafael Cruz (17-1) while competing on The Contender. On September 24, 2021, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Lee lost a 10-round decision to undefeated Timur Kerefov.

Round-Robin Bouts:

Joseph Turk, a well-known heavyweight from Pittsburgh (2-0-1, 1 KO), takes on Isaiah Margheim, a 1-2 opponent from Sandusky, Ohio.

In a junior middleweight fight, Uniontown, Pennsylvania’s Eric Palmer (16-16-5, 2 KOs) takes on Springdale, Pennsylvania’s Jordan Zlacki (2-5, 1 KO).

Devon Siegfried of Baden, Pennsylvania, won the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves in the past. makes his expert presentation against Matteo Gardner of Greensburg, Dad in a cruiserweight fight.

On www.starboxing.tv, the card will be streamed live.

Boxing: Split-T Management Fighters Devin Young and Oshae Jones Look for Keystone State Victories This Weekend

New York – With fights in Pennsylvania, two Split-T Management fighters will attempt to maintain their undefeated records.

Unbeaten heavyweight Devon Young faces Lemir Riley on Friday night at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.

Youthful, 24 years of age of Aiken, South Carolina is 3-0 with two knockouts .. He is falling off a first-round stoppage over Jurreal Simmons on February eleventh in Columbia, South Carolina.

Young competed as an amateur fighter and qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials. He also won the Western qualifier in 2017 and 2018 and was the Youth Open Champion in 2015. Additionally, he won the Junior Olympic gold in 2014.

Young holds the distinction of being the last fighter to defeat Richard Torrez Riley, a New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, native and current United States Olympic Super Heavyweight. Young is 2-0 with one knockout.

He weighed 217.2 pounds. Riley weighed 217.4 pounds.

King’s Promotions promotes Young.

At 7 p.m. Eastern Time, you can watch the fight live on BXNGTV.com.

Oshae Jones, a 2021 Olympian from the United States, makes her second professional start against former world champion and 54-fight veteran Dahianna Santana on Saturday night at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Jones of Cleveland, Ohio is 1-0 which was a consistent choice over Sonya Dreiling on June 10, 2023 in Verona, New York.

Ohio started boxing when she was 12 years old, which led to a fantastic amateur career in which she competed all over the world and had a record of 60-9.

When Oshae returned home with her Olympic Bronze Medal, she was presented with the key to her hometown and celebrated with a parade.

She won a lot of prestigious tournaments, including the 2020 Stramdja, the 2020 Boxam International, the 2017 Eastern Elite Qualifier, the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Elite Nationals, the 2016 Youth Open, and the 2014 National PAL. She also dominated and won those tournaments.

Oshae won the Pan Am Games Gold Medal in 2019 and the United States Olympic Trials First Place in 2020, two of her most significant victories.

She is the principal female welterweight to address the US in the Olympics.

Brian Cohen is in charge of Jones’ management at Split-T Management.

Santana, who came to New York via The Dominican Republic, has a record of 40-14 and 16 knockouts. The 38 year-old battled for the world title on two events prior to bringing home the IBF Featherweight championship with a 10-round consistent over Stacy Reile on November 20, 2011. Santana defended her title four times before winning the WBA Interim Featherweight title by unanimous decision after 10 rounds on June 28, 2014. She then fought for two more world titles.

MLS Preview: Seattle Sounders FC (2-0-0) at FC Cincinnati (1-0-1)

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FC Cincinnati will face the Sounders for the first time, with the two previous encounters taking place in Seattle (a 4-1 Seattle victory and a 1-1 draw). Cincinnati hasn’t lost a home game in four years against teams from the Western Conference (W2 D2), but it had lost five straight against the West before this run.

The longest active streak of any MLS team (including playoffs) is FC Cincinnati’s streak of seven consecutive home games in which it has scored multiple goals. The club scored 19 goals in those games, the most in team history in seven home games.

After beating Colorado 4-0 in the season opener, Seattle defeated Real Salt Lake 2-0. The Sounders are the first group in Quite a while history to score in excess of five objectives while not permitting any objectives over the initial two rounds of a season.

In Cincinnati’s 0-0 draw with Orlando, Luciano Acosta had three shots on goal, more than any other player on either team combined (two). Acosta also recorded a career-high three shots on goal; he has done so four times with D. C. United and three times with Cincinnati.

Heber and Freddy Montero (2009) are the only Sounder players to score in both of their first two MLS games together. Heber has scored in both of Seattle’s matches this season. Through Seattle’s first two MLS games, Heber and Raul Ruidiaz (2021) have combined for seven shots on goal.

MLS Preview: FC Dallas (1-1-0) at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0-2-0)

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After going 24 games without a win, the Whitecaps have won their last three games against Dallas, including both of those games in 2022. Last season, Vancouver was the only team to beat Dallas twice in the regular season.

Despite leading at halftime in both of their MLS debuts this season, the Whitecaps have failed to win. The Whitecaps are the first MLS team since D. C. United in November 2020 to lose consecutive games after leading at halftime. This is the first time in the club’s history.

Last season, FC Dallas only lost six regular season road games (W4 D7), the fewest in a full season since only losing three away from home in 2010. In each of its previous two full MLS seasons, Dallas has lost at least 10 road games (11 in 2019 and 10 in 2021).

For the third time in club history, the Whitecaps have lost their first two games of the season (also in 2016 and 2019), and 2019 is the only year that Vancouver has not won its first three games.

In FC Dallas’ 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, Jesus Ferreira scored twice, equaling Jeff Cunningham’s record for most multi-goal games with Dallas. Only Jason Kreis has scored multiple goals for Dallas in more MLS games than Ferreira has.

NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors (32-35) at Los Angeles Lakers (32-34)

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Anthony Davis will continue to lead the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff push during Friday’s home game against the Toronto Raptors, despite his injuries.

Davis has found the middle value of 33.0 focuses with 13.8 bounce back and 2.8 blocks over his last five games as the Lakers keep on climbing the Western Gathering standings with an end goal to secure down a spot in the play-in competition.

Davis had 30 points and a season-high 22 rebounds in the Lakers’ 112-103 home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, propelling them to ninth place. The useful night came as he took a blow from Memphis’ David Roddy that left him draining from inside and beyond his nose, costing time to get clinical consideration.

Davis will have to play through the discomfort because of the schedule. Los Angeles has just 16 games remaining and is playing without their star player, LeBron James, who has a tendon injury in his right foot and may miss three more weeks.

Since returning from a stress injury to his foot, Davis has played in 16 of the last 18 games and is averaging 26.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game this season.

On Tuesday, the Lakers were led by Dennis Schroder, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves, who combined for 17 points. Mo Bamba and D’Angelo Russell, both of whom have ankle injuries, were also out for Los Angeles.

Bamba will be out for at least four weeks, but Russell will be back on Friday after missing six games with a sprained right ankle. He has been listed as likely.

On Thursday, Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ coach, told reporters that Russell is “pretty much a full go.”

On Wednesday, the Raptors suffered a 108-100 defeat to the Clippers to kick off their extended stay in Los Angeles. Against a team that had averaged 131.7 points in its previous six games, Toronto shot 38.5% from the field.

The Raptors were outscored 59-51 in the second half, led by 20 points from Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam. Despite taking 96 field goal attempts to 71 for Los Angeles and forcing the Clippers into 17 turnovers, Toronto ultimately lost. While the Clippers had 31 free throw attempts, the Raptors only converted 14 of them.

On a five-game road trip that ends on Friday, Toronto is just 1-3.

NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (46-20) at San Antonio Spurs (16-49)

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When the Denver Nuggets travel to San Antonio to play the struggling Spurs on Friday, they hope to get back on track and consolidate their hold on first place in the Western Conference.

After losing 117-96 to Chicago on Wednesday at home, the Nuggets (46-20) return to the Alamo City after a four-game winning streak. In the loss, Denver’s Nikola Jokic had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. However, he only made 7 of 16 shots, snapping a 51-game streak in which he made at least half of his shots.

Michael Porter Jr. had 12 points, Jamal Murray had 11, and Aaron Gordon had 17 points. Denver’s second-lowest total of the season was 96 points.

Before Chicago took control early in the third quarter, Denver held a one-point halftime advantage. The Nuggets came back to within five in the third quarter, but they never really threatened the rest of the game.

Denver had won eight of its previous ten games, and as of Thursday, it was seven games ahead of Sacramento and Memphis in the West standings. The Nuggets cannot afford to lose to San Antonio because they are two and a half games behind Milwaukee in the race for the best record in the league.

The Nuggets defeated San Antonio in the first two games of the season series, both at the beginning of November.

After a rare four-day break, the Spurs resume play on the heels of consecutive losses to Houston, the most recent of which came on Sunday, when they lost on the road by a score of 142-110. Charles Bassey and Devonte’ Graham each scored 14 points, while Keita Bates-Diop led San Antonio with 17 points.

The Spikes were without harmed starters Zach Collins (left lower leg), Tre Jones (left foot) and Jeremy Sochan (right knee).

Sunday’s defeat for San Antonio came down to poor defense, as Houston shot 61.2% from the floor. In their 18th loss in their last 20 games, the Spurs allowed 74 points in the paint and 34 points in transition.

Even though San Antonio suffered a historic defeat, it is still one game ahead of Houston, which is in last place in the Western Conference standings, heading into the final month of the regular season. The Spurs’ need to rebuild and a slew of injuries have virtually ensured that they will receive one of the top three picks in the NBA Draft in June, as was anticipated prior to the season.

NBA Preview: Brooklyn Nets (37-29) at Minnesota Timberwolves (34-33)

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The Brooklyn Nets overcame a significant deficit for the second time in less than a week to win a close game against an elite opponent in the Eastern Conference.

However, the Nets chose to play the rest card in Milwaukee on Thursday night, resulting in a 118-113 defeat, in contrast to their victory over Boston the week before.

However, when the Nets host the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are themselves locked in a dogfight to remain in the top six of the Western Conference, the players who either sat out or played limited minutes against the Bucks are expected to be available.

Beginning with the Nets’ 115-105 victory over the Celtics on Friday, when they overcame a 28-point deficit, Brooklyn has now won three consecutive games, all by double digits. The Nets chose to rest Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson, and Royce O’Neale after their impressive victories over the Charlotte Hornets and Houston Rockets. They also limited Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith to no more than 12 minutes in their 118-113 loss at Milwaukee.

O’Neale missed time with a sore left knee, Johnson missed time with a sore right knee, and Claxton missed time with a sprained right thumb. After spending at least 35 minutes in four of his previous six games, Spencer Dinwiddie was merely rested.

A strong performance from their reserves on Thursday nearly restored the Nets’ 22-point lead. Brooklyn’s second unit scored 98 points, led by 23 points from Patty Mills and 21 points from Cam Thomas, both of whom came off the bench.

Golden State and Minnesota are tied for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot going into Friday’s game. After shooting a season-low 39.5 percent in a 117-94 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, the Timberwolves have also had two days off to make up for their mistakes. The Wolves were held under 100 points for the fourth time this season and allowed 49.4% shooting after winning the final three games of their road trip.

In the game against the 76ers, Edwards went 12-of-24 for 32 points, but Minnesota’s other four starters went 7-of-25. Rudy Gobert, who had scored 51 points during Minnesota’s three-game winning streak, was one of those players who was held to six points.