Alexander Volkanovski has some minor injuries to heal up after his title defense at UFC 290. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be ready for a potential rematch against Islam Makhachev later this year.
Just after dispatching Yair Rodriguez on Saturday night, Volkanovski mentioned plans for an arm surgery. But he certainly won’t allow that to deter his opportunity to become a two-division UFC champion. With Charles Oliveira saying recently he won’t be able to compete in October, Volkanovski appears more than ready to take his place if Makhachev headlines UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
“We all know I want that lightweight belt,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 290 post-fight press conference. “We all know I want that rematch. I want that Islam fight. I think not only for me to get that belt, to get that win back but I think it is a massive fight for the UFC as well.
“I think it’s a fight everyone wants to see. It was literally that type of fight. It was that close. It was a cracking fight. Everyone enjoyed it. I was very, very high level. It was [No. 1 and No. 2 pound-for-pound] going at it. We showed out, it really was that., He lived up to the hype. I lived up to the hype and that fight lived up to the hype. We just need to see [rounds] 5 to 10.”
Volkanovski lost a razor-close decision to Makhachev back in February as the featherweight and lightweight champions clashed. While Makhachev hasn’t booked another fight since then, Volkanovski wasted no time returning to 145 pounds for his win over Rodriguez at UFC 290.
Meanwhile, Oliveira defeated Beneil Dariush in May. But he’s now calling for a fight in November or December, which could open the door for Volkanovski to slide into an immediate rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s progeny.
“It makes it a lot better opportunity for me to step in there [against Islam Makhachev],” Volkanovski said when addressing Oliveira. “I’m not ruling that out. It’s funny. These people want extra time off and here I am telling you I’m going to get surgery and I’ll probably going to turn out there in October. That’s what I’m showing you.
“Find me a champion, there’s not many of them anyway. I know you maybe got your [Israel Adesanya] and myself that are doing this. We’re going out there, we’re staying active, we’re fighting the fights that a lot of people wouldn’t. I think people need to respect that a lot. People talk about BMF’s and all that type of stuff. They’re real BMF’s. Guys that turn up when there’s a lot on the line.”
Outside of the lone loss he’s suffered in his UFC career, Makhachev has largely dominated all of his past competition outside of the five-round war with Volkanovski, which makes the featherweight champion that much more excited about a rematch.
That said, Volkanovski won’t disrespect Makhachev by predicting a one-sided fight when they meet again, because he knows nothing will come easy. The only difference is Volkanovski is promising he will leave with two titles.
“I’d be lying if I say I’m just going to walk through him and do this and do that,” Volkanovski said. “It’s going to be another highly contested battle, but I guarantee I get my hand raised. I think I’m going to capitalize on a lot more things but again, it really is two top guys going at it. They’ve done five rounds and there’s a good chance you might see another five rounds of it. I’d like to get a finish, but we’re both that good. It might be that type of fight.
“It’s a challenge that excites me so that’s obviously why I want it. You talk about I don’t need to be motivated but it’s exciting when I can have guys like that in front of me. That camp that I had, I did like 14 weeks. It’s so good to have someone like that in front of you. You ask how do you get better? It’s things like that, that get you better. Certain opponents in front of you that get you better. I told myself where you’re at now is not good enough. In that fight, he got his hand raised. Do I believe I won? Yeah I do, but he got his hand raised so I need to work on these things. I’m going to evolve again, and these lightweights and featherweights aren’t going to stand a chance.”
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
