UFC great Randy Couture badly hurt and airlifted to hospital after NHRA practice crash
TMZ Sports broke the news earlier today suffered 'first and second-degree burns, trauma injuries, and smoke inhalation' after crashing an NHRA car during a practice run. The UFC legend has been working on making the jump to the racing circuit and planned to make his NHRA debut this year. That goal is likely in serious jeopardy.
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'The 62-year-old fighter, actor, and Army vet completely wrecked the car he was driving at the time of the incident … although it's unclear what caused it,' the outlet reported. 'He was rushed to a nearby burn center for treatment … where he remains at this time. Luckily, we're told he is expected to recover.'
'I've been a fan of racing for 12, 13 years,' Couture said on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show recently. 'From up in the stands, it looks really easy. Oh, they just go fast … it's so much more involved.'
Couture has been training for months in preparation for his first pro race in the league. The National Hot Rod Association is the most popular drag racing league in the world. The cars can go as fast as 330 MPH. So the fact that MMA icon totaled his ride but should still fully recover seems like a miracle.
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Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Best value bets for UFC 319: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis
Finally. That must be what most MMA fans are thinking with Khamzat Chimaev getting his first title shot. Having burst onto the scene early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Chimaev benefited from the strange dynamics that affected global sports at that time. He made his debut on 'Fight Island,' the UFC's initial solution to creating a 'sports bubble' to allow competitions. Chimaev was dominant in his debut and was quickly rebooked for another Fight Island card, setting a UFC mark for fastest turnaround in just 10 days. He would go on to earn performance bonuses in each of his first five appearances, and thus the legend was solidified. Given his rapid rise and dominant performances, it's perhaps surprising it has taken this long to earn a title shot. But mixed in along the way were injuries, fight cancellations and eventually a change in weight class. Here we are, finally. Time to see if the hype train reaches the top of the mountain, or if the established champion gets to play one of the biggest spoilers in recent history. Here are my best bets for UFC 319, which takes place Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. Khamzat Chimaev (-210) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (+170) Every Chimaev fan knows he's an undefeated freak. And though he's 8-0 in the UFC, far fewer know du Plessis is actually 9-0 in the UFC over slightly less time and against — on average — heavier opponents. But streaks are less important than performance metrics, which is what I'll rely on when evaluating the matchup. I just find it interesting Chimaev has been a massive favorite in all of his UFC appearances, while DDP has quietly accomplished more as a pick 'em or underdog in plenty of his fights. Chimaev's statistics are extremely good, with just one odd exception of not avoiding punches. When you're that good, I guess defending punches matters less. But when lining these two up for comparison, I also would make Chimaev the favorite. Yet the current odds of roughly 2-to-1 for Chimaev are just a touch high for me, given the dogged wins DDP has earned against elite middleweights. The first big question will be how Chimaev's first takedown attempt goes. We shouldn't have to wait long, as he attempts one takedown every 48 seconds while standing. DDP's takedown defense is below average at just 50%, though he's only faced six attempts over nine fights. Perhaps opponents have avoided testing him on the mat out of respect. Chimaev has never been controlled on the ground — not even for one second — but his only two fights to go to the cards have been against established grapplers (Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman), so that's where I think the best angle is. DDP has used his grappling in most of his fights, and more often in his title fight appearances. His ground game may not turn the fight to his favor, but it could be enough to survive the early onslaught from Chimaev and potentially force later rounds. While the analytics suggest a bit of value on DDP with such a clear plus-money return, I'm still wary he has simply taken advantage of opponents who were predominantly single-threat strikers during his title run. Facing his toughest ground threat to date gives me pause on the very slight lean toward the 'dog, though I'm left hoping DDP does indeed outperform and takes the fight over 2.5 rounds. Best bets: du Plessis or pass, over 2.5 rounds Chase Hooper (-285) vs. Alexander Hernandez (+225) Chimaev isn't the only elite grappler on the card. Chase Hooper has matured inside the Octagon, recently dominating one of the most seasoned wrestlers of all time in Jim Miller. Hooper is another fighter who wastes little time between takedown attempts, and while Hernandez has above-average defense, it's likely a matter of time before he gets taken down. That scenario has me checking two important metrics for Hernandez that could be countermeasures against an overly assertive grappler: knockdown power and submissions. Unfortunately for Hernandez, he's below average in both of those metrics. The most likely scenario is Hooper will pursue, using strikes as a setup for takedowns — and once there, keeping the fight there. Hernandez's best chance is a counter against Hooper's poor head-strike defense. Hooper has been dropped four times, but three came in one fight he lost by TKO, and the other was in a fight he went on to win. So I like Hooper to remain resilient and put the fight on the ground where he can backpack his way to victory. Best bet: Hooper to win (-285) Edson Barboza (-150) vs. Drakkar Klose (+125) This matchup ultimately will be a striker versus grappler dynamic, featuring one of the most prolific knockout artists in UFC history returning to the Octagon for his 31st appearance. With 16 career knockdowns, Barboza's knockdown rate is much higher than the UFC average, and he's scored those knockdowns via impressive and diverse methods. Klose looks average on paper and is unlikely to want to stand and trade (or eat leg kicks) for long. He'll be undersized and outranged against Barboza, even more reason for Klose to change levels. Klose's roots are in wrestling, but his takedown success rate is below average, while Barboza's defense has been solid against over 100 career takedown attempts from opponents. Overall, these factors back Barboza as a worthy favorite. Let's hope he still has enough left in the tank for what is likely his last fight before turning 40. Best bet: Barboza to win (-150) Michal Oleksiejczuk (-225) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+185) The stats here scream finish, one way or the other, in yet another striker versus grappler matchup. Oleksiejczuk is an understandable favorite, given all his advantages on the feet. With superior accuracy and knockdown power, Meerschaert's loose defense and aging and damaged chin are clear ingredients for a striking finish. However, Meerschaert has been here before and knows he needs to get this fight to the mat. Luckily for him, his opponent's takedown defense is poor, and he has a glaring weakness defending submissions. That combination of factors means we could see a Meerschaert submission prop past +300. You might use 'Does Not Go the Distance' in a chalk-filled parlay, but also shop for maximum return on a small upset submission play. Best bet: Meerschaert-Oleksiejczuk under 1.5 rounds
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dricus Du Plessis ahead of UFC 319: Khamzat Chimaev 'definitely not bigger than me'
Dricus Du Plessis shuts down claims that Khamzat Chimaev looked a lot bigger than him in their encounter. Middleweight champion Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his title against Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at United Center in Chicago. Du Plessis crossed paths with Chimaev during fight week, where the pair shared a cordial handshake. Many commented on the size difference between the two, but Du Plessis assures that's not the case. "I mean, maybe it was the angle," Du Plessis told Helen Yee. "I haven't seen the video, but I can promise you – you'll see, you'll see. I stood in front of him. He is definitely not taller than me. Maybe a little, maybe like, half an inch. Yeah, you'll see. And the other thing, I don't give a sh*t how big he is. It's not what wins fights. But yeah, I saw him, he's definitely not bigger than me." Episode 3 of UFC Embedded shows a different angle of their run-in. "He was very respectful. He came over and said hello," Du Plessis said. "I mean, the fight is happening on Saturday night. People aren't paying to see this. Yeah, it could have gone either way. But now we know."
New York Times
20 minutes ago
- New York Times
With new deals, ‘Pay Per View' has lost by knockout. ‘Pay Per Month' has won
Welcome back to MoneyCall, The Athletic's weekly sports business cheat sheet. (Was this column forwarded to you? Subscribe here to receive it in your email every Wednesday morning.) Name-dropped today: David Ellison, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, Scott Hanson, Villareal, Jon Gruden, Madeline Hill, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Jen Pawol, Ralph Russo and more. Let's go: The end of sports' pay-per-view era Pay-per-view (PPV) events — an old staple of sports TV, ranging from big boxing matches to monthly UFC spectacles to scripted annuities like WrestleMania — feels archaic when matched up with the strategic imperatives of the companies bidding for those broadcast rights, not to mention the event companies themselves. Advertisement Monday, UFC announced it is taking its 43 live events per year from ESPN+ to Paramount+ in a seven-year/$7.7 billion deal with Paramount (officially acquired by Skydance and its CEO David Ellison last week). The upshot: Pay-per-view has lost by knockout. Pay-per-month has won. Distributors would rather use UFC or WWE (or NFL or NBA or MLB or MLS or … or … or …) to get consumers to stick year-round while paying monthly (or, better yet, annually) instead of trying to get consumers to keep buying one-off events. To watch UFC previously, you had to have a monthly subscription to ESPN+ ($12/month) and still pay an $80-per-event fee to access each UFC event. The old annual total to watch every UFC event in a year: $1,184. In 2026, your Paramount+ monthly $8 (with ads) or $13 (ad-free-ish) subscription gets you access to all of the UFC events as part of your fee. That's now $96 for every UFC event over a year, plus the other content offered by Paramount+, which seems like a rare W for fans in the 'fans are paying too much for sports TV' era. This follows ESPN's announced deal with WWE last week to make all WWE 'premium live events' (such as WrestleMania and Summer Slam) part of the monthly $29.99 fee for ESPN's new direct-to-consumer service, launching August 21. (Although WWE has a long history of successful pay-per-view events, in WWE's previous media deal, those events had been available through Peacock's monthly paid subscription, anywhere from $6 to $12 per month. WWE also has a long-term deal with Netflix for its 'Raw' weekly live show, accessible as part of Netflix's monthly subscription fee, which ranges from $8 to $25 per month.) To be sure, streaming distributors still really want 'eventized' sports programming; they simply want to stack enough of those events all year to help keep subscribers from ever leaving. Advertisement From the perspective of TKO Holdings (which owns both UFC and WWE) or any other owner licensing IP, the wider distribution, lower barrier-to-access and succulent rights fees more than makes up the incremental PPV sales. Some smaller companies (like AEW) remain in the PPV business, but the model is otherwise on its way out. For more, my colleague Andrew Marchand has a must-read analysis of the state of play between the networks, the streamers and leagues. Big talkers from the sports business industry: 'College Football RedZone?' Mr. RedZone himself, Scott Hanson, is a big fan of the idea, but — as a massive RedZone fan myself — I laid out five reasons why the show's unique DNA makes it very challenging to replicate for college football. La Liga coming to the U.S.?: Imagine if the Texas-Georgia game on November 15 were moved from Athens, Georgia to Athens, Greece. How would Dawgs season-ticket holders react? Not well! That's a bit of the flavor of the sentiment among La Liga fans in Spain for the plan — approved this week by the Spanish Football Federation — to move the December regular-season league match between Villareal and Barcelona (top-five teams in La Liga in 2024-25) to Miami, the first time any European top-flight league match would be played outside Europe. It still requires UEFA and FIFA to take steps to give final approval, but Villareal supporters are livid, to say the least. (So is Real Madrid.) Villareal's president is pre-emptively offering free flights to the U.S. or huge rebates on supporter season tickets. What do you think? Cincinnati Open: Tennis' new 'Fifth Slam?' I love the ambition here, a model for any event that wants to crack an otherwise locked-in league landscape. (Unexpected power outages aren't a great start this week, but the point stands.) Advertisement Jon Gruden's lawsuit vs. the NFL can continue: Much more to come on this, with the biggest question being whether there is a number the league can offer to get the former Raiders coach to settle or if he is absolutely committed to getting Roger Goodell in a deposition. (Per ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., the NFL will appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.) WNBA's sex-toy court-tossing imbroglio: It should not surprise you at all to learn that my colleague Ben Pickman traced it back to a crypto meme-coin promotion effort. The Oklahoma QB Venmo situation: John Mateer acknowledged the posts in his Venmo account referencing gambling but insisted they were inside jokes. Talk to any Gen Z person in your life about whether people joke around with Venmo entries, and you'll get a ton of examples. Obviously, the optics are terrible, but with Venmo, 'jk' is reasonable. More on this one if new reporting emerges. Other current obsessions: NBA schedule release … Premier League kit rankings … college football preseason polls (even if they don't impact the playoff) … Sunderland back in the Premier League … old-school print college football preview magazines … Travis Kelce x Taylor Swift podcast collab Dropping 7 p.m. ET tonight, the appearance of uber-star Taylor Swift on boyfriend Travis Kelce's already-popular podcast 'New Heights' is the sports-culture 'attention economy' crossover event of the summer… arguably the year… perhaps the century. How big is it? I defer to my new colleague, Madeline Hill of The Athletic's 'Sports Gossip Show' podcast, who wrote yesterday in her excellent Impersonal Foul newsletter: 'The hype around this viewing event feels like if the finales of Succession/Game of Thrones/Sopranos and the Oscars/Super Bowl all happened on the same night.' 'It surely will be the most-streamed podcast episode in history and probably one of the most-viewed YouTube videos in the platform's history.' Advertisement (Per FOS, the most-viewed podcast episode ever is from Thmanyah, a Saudi show that once hit 144 million views. For context, New Heights has 2.6M YouTube subscribers, 4.6M TikTok followers, 3M followers on Instagram and is currently the No. 1 show on Apple Podcasts. Taylor Swift's audience size is, of course, essentially infinite.) Hill is a longtime Swiftologist, and she gave valuable context: Other than a virtual appearance during the pandemic to promote 'evermore,' Swift has never done a pod, and now she's in-studio with Kelce — arguably the biggest celebrity couple in the world — and his brother Jason, including the formal announcement of her new 12th album. You might not be paying attention. You might not want to be paying attention. You might roll your eyes at the attention that inundates your feeds today, tonight, tomorrow and the rest of the week. But in an era of atomized attention, it is a fun return to a monoculture moment, with a sports star not quite at the very center of it, but sitting right next to the center and certainly on the screen. Quote of the Week 'You know, you guys have a lot of male sports fans who listen to your podcast, and I think we all know that if there's one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens… is more of me.' — Taylor Swift, quipping on this morning's promo for her appearance on 'New Heights.' Branding: Tkachuk Bros. Being the cover on the upcoming NHL 26 video game is great, but can Matthew and Brady Tkachuk become the NHL's version of Travis and Jason Kelce? (Speaking of the Kelces, between T. Swift appearing on New Heights tonight and Travis on the cover of GQ this month, the Kelce Bros. remain the sports sibling gold standard.) Name to Know: Jen Pawol As my colleague Brett Ghiroli wrote, MLB needed Pawol to break the umpiring gender barrier last weekend, but Pawol deserved the opportunity. Advertisement What I'm Watching: Sports docs Currently: Hard Knocks: Bills (HBO) SEC: Any Given Saturday (Netflix) In the queue: The KC Chiefs one (8/14, ESPN+) The Dallas Cowboys one (8/19, Netflix) Great business-adjacent reads for your downtime or commute: Inside sports' escalating stalking problem. (Part of a week-long series from The Athletic's Enterprise team.) Two more: (1) How beauty brands are activating within women's sports. (2) This delightful column from my colleague Ralph Russo, who ran the AP Top 25 college football media poll for years, and now finally is a voter himself. Back next Wednesday! MoneyCall's pay-per-view fee has been and always is 'FREE 99.' That's a great reason to please forward this to a couple friends or colleagues with your recommendation to subscribe! 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