It may be time to start calling him “Mr. Consistent,” because all Ray Cooper III does is win fights and bulldoze his way into PFL championship bouts.
Cooper (23-7-1) utterly had his way with former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald (22-8-1) en route to a surprisingly one-sided decision win in Friday’s PFL playoffs main event, which took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. With his victory, Cooper punched a ticket to his third consecutive PFL season final — and ensured himself a shot to defend the title he won in season two’s PFL welterweight tourney.
“I’m not surprised one bit,” said Cooper. “I knew the whole thing, the whole part of his gameplan. But nothing but respect for Rory. I watched him when I was young, he’s an awesome fighter. And yeah, I told you guys. You guys gotta start listening.”
Cooper’s wrestling was the story of the fight from pillar to post. The 28-year-old Hawaiian scored takedowns in every round and smothered any hint of offense from MacDonald. Aside from two questionable standups by referee Gary Copeland, MacDonald was totally unable to get back to his feet. Cooper’s best moment came in the opening seconds of the final round when he landed a heavy combination that forced a desperation takedown attempt from MacDonald, which Cooper ultimately reversed to retake his top position.
In the end, the judges awarded Cooper a sweep on the scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, and 30-27.
Awaiting him in the welterweight finals with $1 million on the line will be a familiar foe, the same man who defeated Cooper in 2018’s season one finals, No. 4-seeded Magomed Magomedkerimov (29-5).
“I knew this was going to happen,” Cooper said. “This was my plan. I’m going to run through everybody and I get him next. You’re not going to be able to get away this time.”
Magomedkerimov steamrolled over injury replacement Sadibou Sy (9-6-2) in the night’s co-main event to win a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) and advance to his second welterweight final of PFL’s three seasons. In a grinding and sluggish fight, Sy had no answer for Magomedkerimov’s takedown acumen, and though neither man scored much — if any — substantial offense, Magomedkerimov was in complete control throughout the bout.
The 31-year-old Russian now holds an undefeated 10-0 record inside the PFL cage and very well could’ve been fighting for his third consecutive championship had he not been forced to withdraw from season two’s tournament due to an injury he suffered in the quarterfinals.
Elsewhere on the night, the storybook run of No. 2-seeded lightweight Clay Collard (20-9, 1 NC) ended at the hands of No. 3-seeded Raush Manfio (14-3). A good friend and teammate at American Top Team of two-time PFL season champion Natan Schulte, Manfio won a controversial decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) to advance to the lightweight season finals.
Collard started strong and often beat Manfio to the punch with heavy volume and a stiff jab in the opening round, however Manfio began to turn the tide in the second and third frame. The 29-year-old Brazilian landed several hard right hands and combated Collard’s volume with a steady diet of powerful one-shot punches. The final striking stats ended decidedly in Collard’s favor — 96-56 — but in the end, the judges’ favored Manfio’s damage more.
“The belt is his home! He’s going to be the champion!” shouted a joyous Schulte, who invaded Manfio’s post-fight interview after watching his training partner from cageside.
Meeting Manfio in the lightweight final will be the man Manfio emulated in the gym to help Schulte prepare for last season’s finals: No. 1-seeded Loik Radzhabov (15-3-1).
Radzhabov advanced to his second straight PFL lightweight final after exacting revenge on No. 4-seeded Alexander Martinez (8-2), who’d previously beaten Radzhabov via split decision in the pair’s first matchup earlier this season in April. Friday’s rematch belonged to Radzhabov though, as the 30-year-old Tajikistan native captured a hard-fought unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in the opening bout of the main card.
Radzhabov scored takedowns in all three rounds and was relentless with his forward pressure. Martinez was never out of the fight, and even almost snatched a Hail Mary guillotine choke during a wild scramble in the third round, but Radzhabov ultimately was too strong and too consistent for his Paraguayan counterpart. Now, after fighting all the way to season two’s lightweight finals only to lose a one-sided decision to Schulte in 2019, last season’s runner-up vowed to make the most of his second shot at PFL glory.
“I’m putting big hopes on the final fight,” said Radzhabov. “This is the time that I have to take the title. I have to make this million (dollars). I have to bring this belt and the title to my home country Tajikistan. People are watching and I want them to be proud of me.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
