General Sports 8-Hour Briefing
×MMA & Combat Sports
Jon Jones demanded the UFC release him after a "lowball" contract offer for the White House card, questioning if the promotion believes he is finished. Francis Ngannou will return to action on May 16 on Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural MMA card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
College Basketball Landscape
The final AP poll before Selection Sunday introduced a new top five, with Florida and Houston ascending though Duke, Arizona and Michigan remain the top three. UCLA narrowed the gap on UConn in the women's poll, picking up three first-place votes, while Texas moved past South Carolina for third. This week's Week 4 rankings saw significant shakeups following underwhelming performances from top teams. A detailed March guide outlines the five elite teams, key players, and narratives shaping the conference and NCAA tournaments.
Scandals & Controversies
An NCAA fixer pleaded guilty to a sprawling betting scheme that aimed to rig college basketball games to cash in on large wagers.
Paralympic Highlights
Thurston delivered a stunning curling shot for Team Canada at the Paralympics, threading a rock through two guards to clear two Norwegian stones. Ukraine's Maksym Murashkovskyi credited Chat GPT with helping him secure Paralympic biathlon silver. Figure skating is not part of the Winter Paralympics program, with officials explaining the barriers to its inclusion and potential future timeline.
Cheltenham Festival
Gillian Fortescue-Thomas reflected on the 50th anniversary of becoming the first female jockey to complete a race at the Cheltenham Festival. Champion jockey Sean Bowen is targeting his first Cheltenham Festival victory to complete an otherwise stellar career resume.