Sports

8:47 AM ET Andres Waters Valentina Shevchenko will make her first Octagon appearance of 2023 at UFC 285 on Saturday. The UFC women’s flyweight champion will put her title on the line against Alexa Grasso in the co-main event (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m ET). Shevchenko has been one of the most dominant fighters in the

7:58 AM ET Conor Benn said the World Boxing Council (WBC) did him a “disservice” when it suggested his failed drugs tests were caused by an excessive consumption of eggs after the governing body cleared him of intentional doping last week. Benn, 26, also criticised the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) for lacking consideration

Feb 28, 2023 New Zealand Rugby will make a decision on the next All Blacks coach in the next “four to six weeks”, rejecting Ian Foster’s wishes that the process instead be carried out after this year’s World Cup in France. NZR chairperson Dame Patsy Reddy made the announcement on Wednesday morning, after weeks of

Feb 27, 2023 With the Honda Classic sandwiched between four of the PGA Tour’s biggest events, it’s no wonder its leaderboard was lacking in star power this past weekend. Many of the tour’s most recognizable names played in back-to-back events at the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational, and they’ll do the same at

Feb 27, 2023 The third round of the Six Nations wasn’t short of storylines but the headlines see Ireland still on for the Grand Slam after their 34-20 win in Rome against an ever-improving Italy side. England dispatched Wales 20-10 in Cardiff after a turbulent week for Warren Gatland’s side and on Sunday, France and

11:33 AM ET ESPN News Services Novak Djokovic is atop the men’s tennis rankings for the 378th week, breaking Steffi Graf’s record for most weeks as world No. 1. “It’s surreal to be that many weeks No. 1, to match Graf — one of the all-time greats,” Djokovic said Sunday. “Just being amongst these legendary

7:24 AM ET The Chicago Bears have been approached by multiple teams about trading the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft, and Chicago is said to be “leaning toward” moving the pick, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bears own the top pick in a year when anywhere from eight to 12 teams

7:34 AM ET Nearly 15 minutes into an All-Star interview session, the Denver Nuggets‘ back-to-back MVP was starting to get a little punchy. “Do you care about winning the MVP?” a reporter asked. “Yes,” Nikola Jokic answered, with a hint of exasperation in his voice. Why? “Because the last seven times, I said no,” Jokic

5:59 PM ET The NHL trade deadline (March 3) is still more than three weeks away. But big deals are already happening, with the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring center Ryan O’Reilly, the New York Islanders trading for Bo Horvat and the New York Rangers bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko. We’re breaking down and grading all of

Feb 13, 2023 Change is coming to the major leagues! Last September, Major League Baseball’s competition committee voted to implement rule changes that will begin when spring training games begin this month. All of these rules have been in place in the minor leagues over the previous seasons, leading to wide-ranging changes in pace of

Feb 25, 2023 Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Panthalassa led all the way to win the $20 million Saudi Cup by three-quarters of a length on Saturday night, relegating trainer Bob Baffert’s horse, Country Grammer, to second place for the second straight year. Japan nearly swept the first four places until Country Grammer rallied

5:28 AM ET Sid LoweSpain writer Once more into the fray? Saturday night will be the 39th time manager Diego Simeone has led Atletico Madrid into a derby against Real Madrid — the 40th if you include the day they scored seven in a friendly in New York, which Atleticos do, not least because when

Feb 23, 2023 DEL MAR, Calif. — — The Breeders’ Cup has selected Del Mar to host the 41st world championships next year, marking the third time the picturesque Pacific track will stage the season-ending graded stakes races that feature the top thoroughbreds. Del Mar will present 14 Grade 1 races with purses worth more

2:50 PM GMT It was at roughly 5.50 p.m. on Wednesday evening when word of a resolution between the Welsh rugby team and the sport’s powerbrokers emerged from the squad’s hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff. Strike action had been averted. Wales’ third match of the men’s Six Nations against England — their blockbuster fixture

1:27 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a heavyweight matchup between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes to headline an event on April 22, multiple sources told ESPN. The promotion has not announced the heavyweight fight or a location for the UFC Fight Night event, however both sides have agreed to a five-round main event per

Feb 21, 2023 Timothy Bradley Jr. YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul will be back in the ring on Sunday, Feb. 26 to face Tommy Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV). This will be Paul’s seventh professional fight and the first one against a “real boxer.” Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) has

Feb 20, 2023 Pete ThamelESPN The looming changes to the structure of college football simultaneously highlight the strength of the SEC and Big Ten while exposing the fluidity of the rest of the major-conference landscape. With the Big Ten and SEC preparing to start 16-program versions in 2024 and the 12-team playoff looming the same

7:01 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN On Dec. 30, the New Orleans Pelicans were 23-12 and tied for first place in the Western Conference. Just a month and a half later, heading out of the All-Star break, the Pelicans are 30-29 and in the thick of the middle of the West standings. What happened? Well, two

Feb 20, 2023 Associated Press HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Steve Asmussen became the first trainer with 10,000 victories in North America on Monday, when Bet He’s Ready won the fifth race at Oaklawn Park. He’s already the all-time winningest trainer in the United States and Canada, having set the mark of 9,446 on Aug. 7,

3:22 PM ET Stephen HolderESPN INDIANAPOLIS — Shane Steichen’s coaching staff is starting to come together. The new Indianapolis Colts head coach is expected to name veteran NFL assistant Jim Bob Cooter as the team’s offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday. Cooter, 38, was most recently the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ passing game coordinator.