Steelers Sights & Sounds: Broderick, Fautanu Get Physical
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22 minutes ago
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Fabian Edwards dismisses PFL finals foe Dalton Rosta: 'A nice kid' who's 'trying to act tough'
PFL middleweight Dalton Rosta looks like the bully in every American coming-of-age movie you've ever seen. You know, the dude who's the captain of the football team. He goes out with the most popular cheerleader in the school. You would eagerly bet all of your early possessions that he had frosted tips and has stuffed a nerd in a locker at one point in his life. 'A jock!' Fabian Edwards interrupts me, halting my labyrinthine quest to pigeonhole his upcoming PFL foe, who he meets Thursday in the main event of the Hollywood, Florida card, which doubles as the $500,000 finals of this year's PFL middleweight tournament. While my stereotype is built solely around Rosta's All-American appearance, Edwards believes his opponent has far more in common with Channing Tatum, who played a lovable former football player in "21 Jump Street," and Zac Efron, who portrayed a basketball star in "High School Musical." Edwards, the younger of the famed Birmingham brothers — older sibling Leon Edwards is a former UFC welterweight champion — has been baffled by his interactions with the American Top Team talent all week. Go and see for yourself — nearly every promotional video follows the same pattern. A glowing Rosta appears on the screen and immediately begins to insult Edwards, who in turn looks very confused by what's taking place. 'I'm just thinking that he's acting, he's always performing, you know?" Edwards tells Uncrowned, days out from the fight. "Every time he opens his mouth, I feel like he's acting. I can't take this guy seriously in those interactions. I really can't. 'He's acting tough, but really he's just a nice American college kid. This is what it looks like when a nice kid is trying to act tough. I know he's putting on a show. It's funny to me.' In a way, Edwards sees the insults and critiques of his abilities as a compliment. As far as he's concerned, Rosta is attempting to make up some ground on him before they meet on Thursday, when no remark or jibe will factor into whose arm is raised in victory for PFL's six-figure prize. 'He obviously thinks he needs to weaken me somewhere," Edwards says. "I don't have to tell you — I come from a very tough area, we grew up on the streets. Someone coming at me with little insults is not going to affect me. On Thursday I get to go in there and put my hands on him. It's all just talk and it will have no impact on the fight when we're locked in the cage.' As the old adage goes: Appearances can be deceiving. It's true in the case of Rosta, an NCAA Division II wrestler who boasts an undefeated amateur boxing pedigree and 11-1 pro MMA record. Like Edwards, his talent was identified by Bellator and he signed to the promotion in 2019. He contested every professional bout of his fledging career under the banner up until this tournament, where he offed Sadibou Sy and avenged his sole career loss to Aaron Jeffrey to book his place in the finals. While Edwards acknowledged Rosta's wrestling ability, he praised little else of his counterpart's skill set. 'He's just a wrestler," Edwards says. "He can box a little bit, but his main thing is to wrestle. He even said it in the face-to-face, he said, 'I'm going to wrestle you for five rounds', and that's it. That's probably his best path to victory, but it's not going to happen, I feel like I'm going to style on this guy. He's a blown-up wrestler. 'I'll be on this guy from the jump. I know I can keep my pace going deep into a fight and I know he can't. He mentioned to me that he's explosive — bro, Dalton is not faster or stronger than me. If he really believes that's true, he's going to be in for a shock. He fights in a way that relies on being explosive, whereas I rely on my skills.' Speaking of movies, the Edwards' brothers story has often been floated as perfect fodder for a Hollywood blockbuster. Even if you shrank it down to Fabian's tournament run, you could at least get a mini-series out of it. Initially told he wouldn't be able to secure a visa to fight in the opening round, he was then thrust into a short-notice fight against two-time light heavyweight tournament champion Impa Kasanganay. After his second-round knockout of Kasanganay, he went on to defeat Josh Silveira to book his ticket to the finals. Now, all that stands in the way of him and $500,000 is Rosta. 'I thought this dream was done, mate,' he says. 'I thought I was finished. When I got the call to say I was out, I went straight down to my mum's shop to cheer myself up with some jerk chicken, and then the day after I was back in. It's been a wild journey, but as soon as I got into this tournament I told everyone that I was going to win it — and now I'm about to do that.' As for what lies beyond the tournament, should he claim victory, Edwards believes it will be the perfect setup for a rematch with new PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis, who edged him out via split decision back in September 2020. 'I don't want to hear this 'Tournament champion' stuff. Once I win this belt it's world champion versus world champion," Edwards says. "I'll have taken out three of the best guys in the division and then I'll be straight onto the Costello rematch. That will be an entertaining fight.'
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AFC East DEEP DIVE: Drake Maye breakout incoming? Breakouts, win totals & bold picks
Subscribe to Football 301 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Nate Tice & Matt Harmon deep dive into the AFC East, a division full of question marks. Can the Buffalo Bills defense keep up with the offense this season? Who exactly are the Miami Dolphins? Can Drake Maye take the leap this season for the New England Patriots? And what can we expect from the New York Jets this season? Nate and Matt set expectations for the offense & defense, name a potential breakout player and give their win total picks for each team. (5:20) - Bills deep dive (34:05) - Dolphins deep dive (58:00) - Patriots deep dive (1:22:40) - Jets deep dive 🖥️
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Managers miffed at offshore sports betting on Little League World Series
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — This week, as usual, sports bettors can get action on MLB games from U.S.-based gambling sites. Meanwhile, at least a couple of offshore bookmakers are offering odds on games at the Little League World Series. Team managers, and Little League itself, are not pleased. 'I'm not a fan,' said South Carolina's manager Dave Bogan, noting he goes to Las Vegas twice a year. 'It's just not appropriate, it feels dirty, quite honestly.' In news conferences throughout the Little League World Series, U.S. team managers have voiced their displeasure with gambling on their games — players at the tournament top out at 12 years old. Little League International also released a statement last week denouncing sports betting on youth competition. 'Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity,' the statement said. 'No one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain.' BetOnline and Bovada are among the offshore sites offering daily odds on LLWS matchups. They are both based outside the United States and are both illegal to use in the U.S. and not subject to its laws. BetOnline is located in Panama and has offered sports betting and gambling since 1991. Bovada, a Costa Rica-based company, joined the scene in 2011. BetOnline's brand manager Dave Mason said in a post on X that BetOnline is making the moneylines itself and that it 'ain't easy.' He has posted odds on X throughout the tournament. Jon Solomon, the community impact director of Project Play, an initiative of the Aspen Institute's Sports and Society program, said there are negative effects on young players whose games are the subject of betting. Such wagering, he says, is fairly common. In 2018, Project Play surveyed Mobile County, Alabama, and found that '26% of surveyed youth said they had played in a game where adults bet money on who won or the final score,' according to its State of Play report. The report said that tackle football, basketball and baseball were more likely to be gambled on by adults according to the children surveyed. 'This is just, you know, bets that usually sort of happen, maybe at the field, or in the gym,' Solomon said in a phone interview. 'Kids are already facing a lot of pressure in youth sports these days. It is a highly commercialized industry with a lot of people already making a lot of money.' When gambling is involved in the actual performance of the game, Solomon believes the pressure can be even higher. The report showed that gambling 'was witnessed by both boys (33%) and girls (19%).' In professional and collegiate sports, Solomon noted instances of athletes getting harassed by gamblers — think any kicker who missed a last-second field goal. 'Now imagine the stakes for a more impressionable child, right, or teenager?' Solomon said. 'It's so unhealthy and so unneeded, and I think if anyone is betting on youth sports, they should seriously seek help because you have a serious addiction most likely.' Hawaii Little League manager Gerald Oda is adamant that gambling on these games takes away from the 'beauty' of Little League. 'This is the only tournament where you're representing your local community,' Oda said. 'It's that innocence, that pureness that these kids show on the field.' Oda believes the memories his 12-year-old players make are more important than the games won or lost. 'It's about them experiencing this whole moment here. They're going to have memories saying that when I was 12, this is what we did,' Oda said. 'Gambling is here to stay, but I am thankful that Little League is very protective of what they have, and they should be. You know that pure joy and emotion whether you win or you lose, that's the greatest thing.' Solomon said youth sports is 'all about the delivery of the sport' from leagues and coaches. 'Sports, if not delivered properly, can be harmful to children and betting on sports would definitely fall into that category of it being harmful,' Solomon said. Pressure from parents and coaches, as well as early sports specialization, can also negatively impact youth sports. In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that made sports betting illegal across most of the U.S for over 25 years. Now, 39 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized sports betting but states don't allow wagers to be made where those competing are under 18. In keeping with those laws, no online betting sites such as FanDuel, Draft Kings or ESPN Bet offer lines on the LLWS and Nevada's manager TJ Fechser hopes that doesn't change. 'We're in a big crazy world now and if we ever see publicized sports books throughout the world standardizing it, we have to really look into ourselves. Is this appropriate?' Fechser said. 'I'm not the decider on this, but I don't want to see it being standardized.' ___ Amanda Vogt is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
