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Video: BKFC fighter leaves opponent twitching on ground in scary one-punch knockout

Video: BKFC fighter leaves opponent twitching on ground in scary one-punch knockout

USA Today30-03-2025
Conor Cooke brought the violence at BKFC Fight Night: Manchester.
On Saturday, Cooke (5-1) turned out the lights and left opponent Stevie Taylor (1-1) twitching on the canvas after a straight right hand connected straight on the button. The event took place at Planet Ice in Manchester, England.
The stoppage came at 1:01 of Round 1. Cooke's face was already a mess from damage sustained in previous exchanges.
According to Bare Knuckle News UK, Taylor will undergo reconstructive surgery on his nose and plans to retire, but is in otherwise good health.
Check out the brutal knockout below:
Cooke, 38, extended his bareknuckle winning streak to three with the victory. His lone career loss in ungloved combat came to Dawid Oskar in April 2024. Prior to his bareknuckle transition, Cooke was a 6-7 professional boxer.
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From unsigned to two-way contract: Does any player from Heat's summer team deserve consideration?
From unsigned to two-way contract: Does any player from Heat's summer team deserve consideration?

Miami Herald

time21-07-2025

  • Miami Herald

From unsigned to two-way contract: Does any player from Heat's summer team deserve consideration?

Players already signed to NBA contracts stole most of the Miami Heat headlines during summer league this year. From the summer league debut of first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, the development of Keshad Johnson and Pelle Larsson, coach Erik Spoelstra's challenge to Kel'el Ware and an early look at the addition of Vlad Goldin, there were plenty of intriguing Heat summer league story lines. After all, five players on the Heat's 15-man summer league roster were already signed by Miami to NBA contracts. But with the Heat wrapping up summer league this past Friday, did any of the 10 unsigned players on Miami's summer roster stand out enough to warrant consideration for a two-way contract? After signing Goldin to a two-way deal once he went undrafted last month, the Heat still has two of its three two-way contract slots open. But one of those two two-way openings is expected to go to guard Dru Smith, who has a qualifying offer in place from the Heat to return on such a contract. The question is, how and when will the Heat fill its final remaining two-way contract slot? Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team's active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. Two-way deals can be swapped at any time and do not come with playoff eligibility. Among the possibilities for the Heat's final two-way contract spot is rewarding one of its unsigned summer league standouts or turning to a player who impressed for another summer league team. Only players with fewer than four years of NBA experience are eligible for two-way deals. That rules out guard Kira Lewis Jr., who played for the Heat's summer league team this year, because he has four years of NBA experience after being taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 Draft. The Heat could also sign available players to an Exhibit 10 contract, which is essentially an invite to training camp and protects them from being signed away by another team. Here are some of the top two-way contract candidates from the Heat's summer league squad: ▪ Forward Javonte Cooke: The highlight for Cooke (6-6 and 185 pounds) this summer league was his performance to open play in Las Vegas, totaling 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes during the Heat's summer league loss to the Atlanta Hawks on July 11. But it was an up-and-down few weeks for Cooke, who scored just two points in 16 minutes during the Heat's next summer league game and then had a three-point outing a few games later in Las Vegas. There were flashes of a scoring wing with upside, but Cooke's inconsistent play also served as a reminder of why he has yet to play in an NBA game since going undrafted in 2022 out of Winston Salem State. Cooke, who turned 26 on July 11, has spent the last three seasons in the G League. 'I feel like I've shown my offensive capabilities,' Cooke said of what he wanted to prove during summer league. 'I'm trying to hone in more on the defensive end because I have that, too, as well. I'm a two-way player, so I'm just trying to show that.' ▪ Center Dain Dainja: A big listed at 6-9 and 255 pounds, Dainja has nifty footwork in the post that helped him impress as an isolation scorer around the basket during summer league. Dainja, who went undrafted out of Memphis last month, averaged eight points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game while shooting 52.9% from the field and not attempting a three-pointer in three Las Vegas Summer League appearances with the Heat. But the Heat already has a center signed to a two-way deal in Goldin. Did Dainja do enough of the little things that will be needed from a fill-in center to warrant a two-way contract? He turned 23 on July 16. 'Dain, in his minutes, has been a dynamic scorer,' Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass said. 'Obviously, he's gotten to the free-throw line like 15 times in limited minutes. I like what he can do offensively.' ▪ Forward Myron Gardner: After standing out with 14 points on nine field-goal attempts in the Heat's summer league loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on July 6 in the California Classic, Gardner was held out of the first three games of Las Vegas Summer League because of a finger injury. But he was able to pick up right where he left off when he returned, averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 steals per appearance while shooting 11 of 25 (44%) from the field and 6 of 9 (66.7%) on threes during the Heat's final two summer league games in Las Vegas. The 24-year-old Gardner (6-6 and 220 pounds), who has yet to play in an NBA game, has spent the last two seasons with the Orlando Magic's G League affiliate after going undrafted in 2023 out of Little Rock. 'Just the way he assaults the paint,' Glass said when asked what he likes about Gardner's game. 'He's so aggressive, he's so strong going down hill.' ▪ Guard Erik Stevenson: There's no doubt that Stevenson's NBA skill is three-point shooting, going 12 of 24 (50%) from three-point range in five games in Las Vegas. This comes after Stevenson, 26, totaled 16 points on 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc in the Heat's summer league opener on July 5 in the California Classic. Stevenson (6-4 and 205 pounds) went undrafted in 2023 out of West Virginia and has spent the last two seasons in the G League. He signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards last season, but he has never appeared in an NBA game. The Heat has had success in developing undrafted three-point shooters in recent years — Duncan Robinson and Max Strus. Does the Heat view Stevenson as an outside shooter with that type of potential? 'Erik is one of the guys that we really like,' Glass said early in summer league. 'This is his third summer league, as well. He brought a lot of great spacing for us. Obviously it opened up the basket for us with those threes.' ▪ Guard Bryson Warren: Warren stood out in the California Classic, recording 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting on threes, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Heat's second summer league game on July 6. But that was the last game Warren played in during this year's summer league, as a hamstring injury sidelined him the rest of the way. Warren (6-3 and 185 pounds) is just 20 years old and has spent the last two seasons with the Heat's G League affiliate after playing with the Overtime Elite as a four-year high school recruit. Warren, who has yet to play in an NBA game, showed signs of improvement and growth in his limited minutes during this year's summer league. 'He's a good all-around player,' Glass said of Warren. 'He can shoot it, he can put it on the floor, he can make plays. He's showing that he can defend at the level we want. So we've been happy with Bryson.'

UFC veterans competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 20-22
UFC veterans competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 20-22

USA Today

time20-06-2025

  • USA Today

UFC veterans competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 20-22

UFC veterans competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 20-22 This week, the UFC travels to Azerbaijan for the first time for a Fight Night event. UFC on ABC 8 features a light heavyweight matchup between former champion Jamahal Hill and former title challenger Khalil Rountree at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku. Last weekend, over 30 UFC veterans were in action in an extremely busy weekend on the combat sports regional scene. Scroll below to see how those fighters fared, and see the names and details of the upcoming weekend's competitors. Upcoming event information from Tapology. Last results Anthony Ivy: Knockout loss vs. Magomed Umalatov at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 Jeremy Kennedy: Majority decision loss vs. Adam Borics at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 Jesus Pinedo: Knockout win vs. Gabriel Braga at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 Tanner Boser: TKO win vs. Vinicius Moreira at UAE Warriors 60 Vinicius Moreira: TKO loss vs. Tanner Boser at UAE Warriors 60 Yoshinori Horie: TKO win vs. Yamato Nishikawa at Rizin Landmark 11 in Sapporo Muhammad Mokaev: Unanimous decision win vs. Thomas Assis at 971 FC 2 Bojan Velickovic: TKO loss vs. Ronald Paradeiser at Oktagon 72 Makhmud Muradov: Unanimous decision win vs. Patrik Kincl at Oktagon 72 Karlos Vemola: Unanimous decision win vs. Attila Vegh at Oktagon 72 Damian Stasiak: Unanimous decision win vs. Michal Domin at KSW 107 Phil De Fries: Submission win vs. Arkadiusz Wrzosek at KSW 107 Randy Costa: TKO win vs. Nick Burgos at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Peter Barrett: TKO win vs. Nash Diederichs at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) John Howard: TKO loss vs. Pat Casey at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Yorgan De Castro: TKO loss vs. Josh Watson at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Parker Porter: TKO win vs. Dillon Cleckler at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Aaron Phillips: TKO loss vs. Robert Casper at Ragin FC 2 Melvin Guillard: June 14 vs. Hunter Smith at Ragin FC 2 Phil Hawes: DQ loss vs. Sasha Palatnikov at DBX 2 (custom rules) Sasha Palatnikov: DQ win vs. Phil Hawes at DBX 2 (custom rules) Boston Salmon: Unanimous decision loss vs. Lamar Brown at DBX 2 (custom rules) Luis Saldana: TKO win vs. Joe Penafiel at DBX 2 (custom rules) Francisco Trinaldo: TKO win vs. Eric Moon at DBX 2 (custom rules) Sheymon Moraes: TKO win vs. Omari Boyd at DBX 2 (custom rules) Jessica-Rose Clark: Unanimous decision win vs. Marilia Morais at DBX 2 (custom rules) Alex Nicholson: TKO loss vs. Robinson Perez at DBX 2 (custom rules) Saidyokub Kakhramonov: Unanimous decision win vs. Alex Caceres at DBX 2 (custom rules) Alex Caceres: Unanimous decision loss vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov at DBX 2 (custom rules) Jairzinho Rozenstruik: TKO vs. Victor Cardoso at DBX 2 (custom rules) Curtis Millender: TKO loss vs. Renato Valente at LXF 25 Nick Maximov: TKO win vs. Handesson Ferreira at 559 Fights 115 Jarno Errens: June 15 vs. Donovan Desmae at Levels Fight League 18 Jake Hadley (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) Next fight: June 20 vs. Marcirley Alves at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 Last MMA fight: Submission win vs. Matheus Mattos at 2025 PFL World Tournament 2 on April 11, 2025 Last UFC fight: Unanimous decision loss vs. Cameron Smotherman at UFC Fight Night 245 on Oct. 19, 2024 Record since UFC exit: 1-0 Liz Carmouche (23-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC) Next fight: June 20 vs. Elora Dana at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 Last MMA fight: TKO win vs. Ilara Joanne at 2025 PFL World Tournament 2 on April 11, 2025 Last UFC fight: Unanimous decision loss vs. Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on ESPN+ 14 on Aug. 10, 2019 Record since UFC exit: 10-1 Kevin Lee (20-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) Next fight: June 20 vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 Last MMA fight: Submission win vs. Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17 on Sept. 28, 2024 Last UFC fight: Submission loss vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC on ESPN 48 on July 1, 2023 Record since UFC exit: 1-0 Mariya Agapova (10-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Jessica Eye at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): Submission loss vs. Luana Santos at UFC on July 13, 2024 Record since UFC exit: 0-1-1 boxing Jessica Eye (15-11 MMA, 5-10 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Mariya Agapova at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): Unanimous decision loss vs. Maycee Barber at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022 Record since UFC exit: 0-0 Willie Gates (12-13 MMA, 1-3 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Brandon Meneses at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: Submission loss vs. Teruto Ishihara at Urijah Faber's A1 Combat 9 on March 18, 2023 Last UFC fight: Submission loss vs. Ulka Sasaki at UFC Fight Night 87 on May 8, 2016 Record since UFC exit: 0-6 Josh Copeland (18-7-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Andrei Arlovski at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: Unanimous decision loss vs. Anton Vyazigin at RCC 7 on Dec. 14, 2019 Last UFC fight: TKO loss vs. Jared Rosholt at UFC 185 on March 14, 2015 Record since UFC exit: 9-5-1 MMA, 2-1 bareknuckle boxing Andrei Arlovski (34-24 MMA, 23-18 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Josh Copeland at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): Split decision loss vs. Martin Buday at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024 Record since UFC exit: 1-0 custom rules Cody East (16-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Jarome Hatch at BKB 42 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: TKO win vs. Rakim Cleveland at Peak Fighting 35 on April 20, 2024 Last UFC fight: TKO loss vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 96 on Oct. 1, 2016 Record since UFC exit: 4-4 MMA, 4-0 boxing, 1-0 kickboxing, 0-1 muay Thai, 2-0 bareknuckle boxing Juan Adams (10-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Richard Carmack at BKB 42 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: TKO loss vs. Shelton Graves at PCS 3 on June 17, 2023 Last UFC fight: TKO loss vs. Justin Tafa at UFC 247 on Feb. 8, 2020 Record since UFC exit: 5-3 MMA, 2-0 bareknuckle boxing Ike Villanueva (18-14 MMA, 1-5 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Eric Olsen at BKB 42 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): TKO loss vs. Tyson Pedro at UFC on April 23, 2022 Record since UFC exit: 3-2 bareknuckle boxing Luis Henrique da Silva (19-10 MMA, 2-4 UFC) Next fight: June 22 vs. Well Oliveira at The King Fight 1 Last MMA fight: Knockout loss vs. Marcin Wojcik at KSW 88 on Nov. 11, 2023 Last UFC fight: Knockout loss vs. Gokhan Saki at UFC Fight Night 117 on Sept. 22, 2017 Record since UFC exit: 7-6 Antonio Arroyo (11-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC)

Jaguars' Logan Cooke was NFL's highest-paid punter for less than 24 hours
Jaguars' Logan Cooke was NFL's highest-paid punter for less than 24 hours

USA Today

time10-06-2025

  • USA Today

Jaguars' Logan Cooke was NFL's highest-paid punter for less than 24 hours

Jaguars' Logan Cooke was NFL's highest-paid punter for less than 24 hours The Jacksonville Jaguars' Logan Cooke was the NFL's highest-paid punter for less than 24 hours. The Jacksonville Jaguars' Logan Cooke was the NFL's highest-paid punter for less than 24 hours. On Monday, the Jaguars signed Cooke, who was entering the final year of his deal, to a four-year extension worth $16 million. This new contract made Cooke the league's highest-paid punter, both in terms of total contract value at $16 million but also in average annual value at $4 million per season, passing Seattle's Michael Dickson at that time. However, Cooke's standing at the top of that list was short-lived. On Tuesday morning, Mike Garafolo reported that the Seahawks signed Dickson to an extension that is worth $16.2 million, which now makes him the highest-paid punter once again. Cooke, a former seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, has spent his entire career with Jacksonville. Last season, he was a Pro Bowler for the first time and also a second-team All-Pro selection, ranking among the best at his position in several key metrics. Cooke's extension will now keep him in Jacksonville through the 2026 season.

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