12:18 AM ET Lance Palmer, a two-time PFL tournament champion and $1 million prizewinner, is officially requesting a release from the promotion. Palmer, 33, told ESPN on Friday he has asked PFL executives to release him from his exclusive contract, which he signed in December. The two-time featherweight tournament winner said the strained relationship reached
1:05 AM ET Steve KimESPN Vergil Ortiz Jr. put together a dominating performance and stopped Samuel Vargas in the seventh round in the main event of a DAZN card Friday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. With the victory, Ortiz (16-0, 16 KO), 22, took another step toward becoming a welterweight
1:08 AM ET The younger brother of a former UFC champion has begun carving out his own name in Bellator MMA. In Bellator’s return for the first time in five months, Sergio Pettis defeated Ricky Bandejas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in the bantamweight main event of Bellator 242 on Friday night. Bellator, the
12:14 AM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Austin Hill made all the right moves getting to the front in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway on Friday night. That included strategically hitting the brakes. Hill was coming out of the pits in third after the final stop but wanted to have
10:49 PM ET Associated Press DEL MAR, Calif. — Del Mar’s jockey colony returned for the resumption of racing after the track was forced to cancel last weekend when 15 jockeys tested positive for the coronavirus. Riders were cleared Friday after passing screenings by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club medical staff. Track president Josh Rubenstein
11:26 PM ET ESPN News Services CLEVELAND — From All-Star MVP to ace, and Shane Bieber‘s only getting better. Bieber struck out 14 over six scoreless innings in a historic outing as the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0 in their delayed home opener on Friday night. The 25-year-old passed Bob Gibson and Lon
10:49 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Emily Cave will have special gifts waiting for players when the Edmonton Oilers wrap up training camp. She will be in attendance Saturday when Edmonton concludes camp with an intrasquad scrimmage, paying tribute to her late husband, Oilers forward Colby Cave. He died in April after suffering
9:02 PM ET Associated Press BLAINE, Minn. — Michael Thompson and Richy Werenski topped the 3M Open leaderboard going onto the weekend, Tony Finau and Talor Gooch climbed within a stroke and stars Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood struggled again Friday. In warmer and windier conditions on the quiet, spectator-free TPC Twin Cities course, the
12:33 PM ET Steve KimESPN Noted trainer Naazim Richardson has died after a long illness. “The boxing community mourns the death of the great Nazim Richardson. RIP Brother Nazim, a class man, a great trainer, a tremendous father’,” the Boxing Writers Association of America tweeted out on Friday morning. Richardson was a respected figure in
8:05 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson returned to the NBA campus on Friday night, the team said in a statement. Williamson, who initially left the bubble in Orlando, Florida, on July 16 to tend to a family medical emergency, now enters the NBA quarantine period before he can rejoin
9:00 AM ET It has been 116 days since Jeff Pash, the NFL’s executive vice president and general counsel, announced an unexpectedly bold plan for the 2020 season amid a coronavirus pandemic that was only starting. “All of our discussions,” Pash said, “all of our focus, has been on a normal, traditional season, starting on
6:38 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown said Thursday that Ben Simmons has had a “paradigm shift” in his thinking when it came to taking 3-pointers. Simmons didn’t waste any time proving his coach was right. Playing at a new position — power forward — as part of Philadelphia’s new-look starting lineup
6:26 PM ET The NCAA Board of Governors on Friday avoided making any major decisions about fall sports championships, stating it will continue discussions in August — a decision that is likely to appease the FBS conference commissioners and athletic directors who voiced strong opposition to cancelling championships at this point in the coronavirus pandemic.
3:46 PM ET Michigan State‘s entire football team will quarantine or self-isolate for 14 days after a second staff member and one athlete tested positive for COVID-19, the school announced Friday. “As part of the athletic department’s return to campus policy, student-athletes quarantine when coming into close contact with an individual who tests positive for
7:54 PM ET The UFC is close to finalizing a welterweight bout between Geoff Neal and Neil Magny in late August, sources told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but both sides have agreed to meet at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 29, sources said. The event is expected to take place at the UFC’s
4:56 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook won’t play for the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL playoffs, saying he isn’t feeling comfortable enough on the ice after three surgeries. The 35-year-old underwent two hip surgeries and right shoulder surgery in a five-week span earlier this year. He was originally scheduled to
5:44 PM ET Italy’s Renato Paratore extended his bogey-free run to 56 holes to retain a one-shot advantage after the third round of the British Masters at Close House in Northumberland on Friday. A closing birdie meant Paratore, who is seeking his first win since his maiden triumph at the 2017 Nordea Masters, carded an
9:33 AM ET The group stage for the MLS is Back tournament has concluded and it was every bit as insane as one would expect considering the league was coming back from a four-month hiatus. There were crazy finishes, head-shaking gaffes and some upsets as well. There’s always a risk of taking too much away