UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett sent a message to his longtime rival ahead of UFC 317.

Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will face Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight championship next month at UFC 317. After weeks of speculation over a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Topuria matchup, Makhachev opted to vacate the title for a move to welterweight, leaving Topuria and Oliveira to compete for the belt.

As the UFC promised, Topuria will get an immediate lightweight title shot after vacating the featherweight belt earlier this year. It was later won by Alexander Volkanovski over Diego Lopes at UFC 314.

If Topuria earns the belt at UFC 317 over Oliveira, there is no shortage of options for his first lightweight title defense. One of the most viable options is a name long linked to a showdown with Topuria after a three-year feud.

Paddy Pimblett reignites Ilia Topuria feud as UFC 317 looms

Paddy Pimblett remained unbeaten in his UFC tenure by finishing Michael Chandler in the UFC 314 co-main event last month. Pimblett called out Topuria in his post-fight press conference, but called the former featherweight titleholder ‘irrelevant’ in the lightweight title mix.

Pimblett could potentially be next in line for a title shot after his win over Chandler. He and Topuria have a checkered past, dating back to their infamous altercation at a fighter hotel in 2022.

While Topuria and Pimblett shared a brief, albeit cordial moment while cornering their teammates at UFC 312, tensions remain high between the two sides. As Pimblett nears a shot at UFC gold, a matchup between the UK star and Topuria is closer than ever before.

Pimblett might not have a rooting preference in who wins the vacant title at UFC 317. But if it ends up being Topuria, Pimblett plans on finishing his longtime adversary in a vicious fashion.

In a recent Instagram post, Pimblett posted a photo of him headkicking Chandler along with a veiled message at Topuria.

“Can’t wait to land one of these on el chorizo,” Pimblett posted.

As of this writing, Topuria hasn’t responded to Pimblett’s post. He hasn’t fought since knocking out BMF titleholder Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October.

Ilia Topuria refuses to grant Islam Makhachev an immediate title shot with UFC 317 win

A Topuria vs. Pimblett showdown is becoming increasingly likely after Topuria’s recent remarks about the former titleholder. Topuria recently said he refuses to grant Makhachev an immediate title shot if he opts to return to the lightweight division, an apparent nod to Makhachev’s recent apprehension at facing him.

Makhachev is expected to face newly-crowned UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later this year for his chance at a second championship. He hasn’t fought since defeating Renato Moicano at UFC 311, and the welterweight door opened when Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.

The UFC lightweight and welterweight title conversations continue to spark spontaneity in MMA, and fight fans are in for a treat this summer and beyond.

Inspiration was the main objective of the one-week-long Sports Film Festival held in mid-December. This time, however, the annual project was different: film lovers could watch the movies free of charge and safely, i.e. without leaving their homes.

“We are going through a difficult time, therefore this year the festival sought to inspire people, to brighten up their moods and introduce to them our unique sports heroes and tell them their stories. We wanted to provide this opportunity to all Lithuanian residents, from young viewers to the seniors, therefore all the films with Lithuanian subtitles were shown free of charge.

I am sure these films have helped to see the other side of sport, where medals are not the only measure of victories, and where determination and hard work at the sports ground change history,“ said Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, Olympic champion, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), President of the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania (LNOC).

The programme of the 2020 festival consisted of twelve documentaries and one feature film, which spoke, via sport and personal stories, about gender equality, climate change, children’s physical activity, the integration of refugees and the elderly and about other social challenges.

The festival involved five relevant discussions with athletes, experts, teachers and film directors. The discussion participants tried to answer the questions about whether sport could serve as a means of integrating refugees into society, how sport is related to climate change, how to get rid of gender stereotypes in sport, how to maintain a relationship with oneself and society as we grow older, and what physical literacy means.

All festival films were available to the audience free of charge on the Lithuanian Film Foundation platform. The most popular film of the festival was the cinematograph film “K2: My Way” presented by the embassy of the Czech Republic in Vilnius about the woman’s invincible will, desire and effort in pursuit of her goal.

“This is the first Czech documentary about a Czech female mountaineer. The film speaks about how difficult it is to find acceptance in today’s society and why it is necessary to defend one’s position, objective and desires and fight for them. Clara constantly balances between the roles of a woman, mom, and mountaineer. Why are men allowed more than women in today’s society?

The film raises the topics that are currently relevant and unfortunately painful and unresolved worldwide, such as gender equality and, in general, an individual’s human right to choose and decide,“ said Vit Korselt, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Lithuania.

The story from Scotland “Climbing Blind” and the short film “118 Feet of Freedom” by the Lithuanian director Mintautas Grigas attracted considerable interest.

The audience also showed interest in the films “Runner” and “Will” presented by the festival partner the US embassy in Vilnius, telling the incredible experiences of two men that changed history.

“We were delighted to have been able to present the multiple award-winning US documentaries at the Sports Film Festival again. We are also grateful for this opportunity to our long-time partners, the US film diplomacy program the American Film Showcase, which shows relevant documentaries to the viewers around the world.

These two films are excellent examples of this program, inviting us to discuss current social issues, refugees, diversity, tolerance and the power of sports as well as exceptional athletes who are able to unite people of different origins and cultures,“ said Caitlin Nettleton, the Cultural Attaché at the US Embassy in Vilnius.

The festival was organized by the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania in cooperation with the US Embassy in Vilnius along with the American Film Showcase program and the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Vilnius, Vilnius University, Olympic Channel, and the Lithuanian Film Foundation.

CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The 14th-ranked University of Pennsylvania women’s rowing team put all five boats into Sunday’s grand finals at the Ivy League Championship on Saturday. The two-day event is taking place on the Cooper River.

Due to an expected windy morning on Sunday, the finals schedule has been changed and will be as follows…
8 a.m. – V4C Grand Final
8:10 a.m. – 1V8 Grand Final
8:20 a.m. – 2V8 Grand Final
8:30 a.m. – V4A Grand Final
8:40 a.m. – 1V8 Petite Final
8:50 a.m. – 2V8 Petite Final
9 a.m. – V4A Petite Final
9:10 a.m. – 3V8 Petite Final
9:20 a.m. – 3V8 Grand Final
9:30 a.m. – V4B Petite Final
9:40 a.m. – V4B Grand Final
 
Watch Sunday’s Finals on ESPN+ ($) | Results (RegattaTiming.com) | Penn Boatings (PDF)
 
“The team raced well today in our heats at the Ivy Championship,” said Penn’s head coach, Bill Manning. “Every boat advanced to their A Finals. It’s always gratifying when the work they put into practice shows itself on race day. This was some of their most mature racing of the spring. Tomorrow the team will face tougher racing than today, but they will be racing for medals and a berth at the NCAA Championships.”
 
Among the NCAA boats, the Varsity Eight took second in its heat on Saturday, finishing behind top-seeded Yale but leading fourth-seeded Harvard wire-to-wire and beating the Crimson by more than five seconds. In the Second Varsity Eights race, fifth-seeded Penn did well to row through fourth-seeded Harvard, overcoming nearly a boat-length deficit after 500 meters to beat the Crimson by more than three seconds for second place behind Yale. In the Varsity Fours race, fifth-seeded Penn led fourth-seeded Brown after 500 meters but the Bears rowed through the Quakers in the second 500 on the way to a second-place finish behind top-seeded Yale.
 
The best race of the day came in the Third Varsity Eights, where Penn and Columbia stayed in contact with Yale throughout the 2,000 meters—the fifth-seeded Quakers finishing less than four seconds behind the top-seeded Bulldogs and nipping the fourth-seeded Lions by just 1.24 seconds for second place.
 
Varsity Eights
  (1) Yale 6:08.012
  (5) Penn 6:12.774
  (4) Harvard 6:18.012
  (8) Cornell 6:38.099

Second Varsity Eights
  (1) Yale 6:15.718
  (5) Penn 6:22.205
  (4) Harvard 6:25.865
  (8) Cornell 6:57.754

Varsity Fours
  (1) Yale 6:55.919
  (4) Brown 7:09.126
  (5) Penn 7:20.166
  (8) Cornell 7:40.330

Second Varsity Fours
  (1) Yale 7:02.020
  (4) Harvard 7:16.218
  (5) Penn 7:29.611
  (8) Cornell 7:46.376
 
Third Varsity Eights
  (1) Yale 6:37.508
  (5) Penn 6:41.153
  (4) Columbia 6:42.393
  (8) Cornell 7:13.297
 
Up Next
The Ivy League Championship finals will take place Sunday starting at 8 a.m. on the Cooper River.
 
For the latest on Penn women’s rowing, follow @PennWomensRowing on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
 

#FightOnPenn

The MLB Breakdown offers data-driven analysis using the FantasyLabs Tools and predictive metrics to highlight notable players within our MLB Player Models.

MLB DFS Pitching Picks

MLB DFS Stud Pick

Zac Gallen ($9,000) Arizona Diamondbacks (-340) vs. Colorado Rockies

Of the 16 starting pitchers on the main slate this Saturday, Gallen has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the slate in our FantasyLabs projections and in THE BAT X from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders. Gallen also has the highest Projected Plus/Minus in both sets of projections since his salary is relatively affordable at just $9,000, the fourth-highest on the slate.

Gallen’s Diamonbacks are the heaviest favorites on the board, according to our Vegas Dashboard, and the Rockies have the lowest implied run total.

The matchup is a huge plus in Gallen’s favor since the Rockies have been miserable at the plate all season. Despite the Coors Field factor, they have scored the fewest runs in Major League Baseball, averaging only 3.13 runs per game. On the road, they have been an even better matchup, averaging just 2.0 runs per game while going 2-21 with a .184 team batting average and 28.9% strikeout rate.

Gallen has had his ups and downs this season but should be able to deliver in this matchup. He is 3-5 in nine starts with a 4.59 ERA but a better 3.93 FIP and 3.64 xERA, which indicate he has pitched a little better than his ERA shows. His strikeout rate is solid at 9.5 K/9 after racking up 54 strikeouts in 51 innings.

In his last start, the Dodgers knocked him around and handed him the loss, but before that, he had back-to-back strong outings against the Mets to earn 28.5 and 26.5 DraftKings points. He should be set to bounce back Saturday.

Be sure to check out all the pick’ems Sleeper has to offer with Sleeper promo code FL55.

MLB DFS Value Pick

Ronel Blanco ($7,800) Houston Astros (+120) at Texas Rangers

Blanco has a top-five Projected Plus/Minus in the FantasyLabs projection along with a top-five ceiling, median, and floor projection even though he doesn’t have a top-five salary at the position. He also comes into this road matchup in Arlington with good momentum.

Blanco looked masterful in his start last Sunday against the Reds, allowing just two hits in eight shutout innings and posting a career-high 11 strikeouts. He finished with 42.2 DraftKings points in that outing while improving his record to 3-3 on the season.

His 4.04 ERA and 4.12 FIP are a little inflated due to some rough outings early in the year, but his 2.83 xERA shows he has limited hard contact. He has been trending the right way with at least six strikeouts in three straight starts and at least 14 DraftKings points in four straight appearances, culminating in last Sunday’s masterpiece.

He’ll look to build off that outing in a tough road matchup against the Rangers, where he comes in as the underdog. However, the Rangers’ lineup isn’t at full strength and has been held to four runs or fewer in four of their last five games, including in each of the first two games in this series.

Blanco has a high ceiling, and if his strikeout totals remain elevated, he also brings a very solid floor on the road on Saturday night.

Now available: our MLB DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

MLB DFS GPP Pick

Landen Roupp ($6,800) San Francisco Giants (-131) vs. Athletics

Roupp has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of the starting pitchers in THE BAT X projections, and he also matches the second-most Pro Trends on the slate coming into Saturday’s home start against the Athletics.

In his eight starts, Roupp is 2-3 with a 4.95 ERA, 4.01 FIP, and 3.42 xERA. He has only allowed a 30.3% hard-hit rate and picked up 42 strikeouts in 40 innings. The 26-year-old righty has done almost all his work on the road, with his last three outings coming in San Diego, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Roupp has worked at least five innings in five of his last seven starts and flashed a high ceiling with 30.2 fantasy points in an outing against the Angels in April. He gave up nine earned runs in 14 1/3 innings over his last three starts and took the loss in two of those outings, but this should be a spot where he can bounce back at home against the A’s.

The Athletics are a fairly neutral matchup, ranking in the middle of the pack in most categories and splits. They only managed one run in the series opener and have dropped three straight while scoring a total of six runs.

In this matchup, Roupp will likely have low ownership but brings enough potential that he’s a GPP bargain to consider. Not only does he have some upside himself, but he also saves plenty of salary for other pay-up plays.

If you’re craving more MLB DFS or betting tools, be sure to check out one of our most powerful tools on the site—PlateIQ.

MLB DFS Hitters and Stacks

Notable Stack

With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters.

Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups.

The top DraftKings stack in the FantasyLabs MLB Player Model, when generated by projected points using the tournament model, belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers:

The Dodgers dropped the opener of this version of the Freeway Series on Friday night, but they are in a good spot to bounce back on Saturday night and make a good stacking target, although they definitely don’t come cheaply. They’ll face former Dodger Tyler Anderson ($8,200) on Saturday, who is 2-1 in eight starts with a 2.58 ERA but a 4.59 FIP and seven home runs allowed in eight outings.

Anderson’s reverse splits actually show that lefties have a good matchup against him since they are hitting .289 with a .452 wOBA and have hit four of his seven homers allowed in just 41 plate appearances. That plays to the Dodgers’ strengths, especially with Shohei Ohtani ($6,600) and Freddie Freeman ($6,300) locked in.

Ohtani has been red hot with eight homers in his last 11 games. During that span, he has a .378 batting average, a .587 wOBA, and a 36.1% barrel rate. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection of all hitters this Saturday and is the heart of the Dodgers stack for Saturday.

Not interested in messing around with optimizer settings? No worries, you can use our MLB DFS Simulations and let it find the best way to control your stacks, exposure, correlations, and more!

Click here to find out how SimLabs can elevate your MLB DFS game and watch the video below.

Other MLB DFS Hitter Picks

One of the great features of being a FantasyLabs Pro member is the option to purchase additional items in the FantasyLabs Marketplace.

In addition to our in-house MLB projections, THE BAT X from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders is available in our marketplace. With this purchase, you can use his projections alone or create aggregate projections within our Player Models.

For this example, we created a 50/50 blend with THE BAT X and the FantasyLabs projections to pinpoint some hitters that stand out.

Corbin Carroll OF ($6,100) Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (German Marquez)

Carroll always brings a high ceiling with his power and speed combo from the top of the D-Backs’ batting order, and he is a great pay-up play on Saturday night against Marquez and the Rockies.

On Friday, Carroll went 2-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, and 15 DraftKings points. he has three multiple-hit games in his last four and has produced double-digit fantasy points in eight of his last 12 contests. He went 15-for-48 (.313) during that stretch with a .459 wOBA and a 52.6% hard-hit rate.

He stole a base in each of his last two games and is up to seven stolen bases to go with his 14 homers, giving him multiple ways to go off for a big fantasy day.

Marquez has allowed 36 runs in 37 innings this season, going 1-6 with a 1.70 WHIP and 5.20 xFIP. He has been hit by both lefties and righties, and his struggles haven’t been related to Coors Field, as his road ERA is 10.53.

The Diamondbacks and Dodgers are both strong options to consider at home on Saturday night, and here’s how Arizona’s lineup looks in our PlateIQ tool, which I think looks especially sharp in dark mode:

Jordan Lawlar SS ($2,300) Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (German Marquez)

Another option that stands out in Arizona’s lineup is Jordan Lawlar, who is an outstanding value play if he gets the start and creates a wraparound stack, potentially hitting right in front or Carroll if he hits ninth as expected.

Lawlar is 0-for-4 in his two games since joining the D-Backs earlier this week, and he did not play on Friday. The former top prospect still brings a lot of upside based on his exceptional numbers at Triple-A earlier this season. He was limited by injury last year, so the team started him in the minors this season. He hit an impressive .336 with six home runs, 15 doubles, two triples, 13 stolen bases, and a .433 wOBA in 37 games for the Reno Aces before his promotion earlier this week.

If he starts against Marquez, he could be a great bargain option, and he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at shortstop on the entire slate since his salary is barely over the minimum.

Taylor Ward OF ($3,200) Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw)

Ward has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus in the outfield on Saturday night and brings a very nice ceiling against the Dodgers. He and the Angels will take on veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw in his first start of the season.

In four of his last five games, Ward has exceeded salary-based expectations, going 7-for-20 (.350) with a 50% hard-hit rate. He has 10 homers on the season with a .305 wOBA and has power potential against Kershaw.

Last season, he hit .325 against lefties with a .375 wOBA, and that has been the strong side of his splits throughout his career. The fact that he’s struggled against southpaws this season is likely just a result of a small sample size. Since he’s picked it up lately, he makes a good value play on Saturday’s slate.

Interested in more MLB action? Check out the pick’ems on Underdog Fantasy with Underdog promo code LABS.

QUEENS, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) awarded its most prestigious honors – the 2024-25 Scholar-Athletes of the Years – at the 38th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner at Terrace on the Park on Thursday.
 
In a tradition that began when the conference was first founded in 1986-87, the CUNYAC annually recognizes two of its graduating student-athletes, rich in both academics and athletics, as its Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
 
In 2024-25, Baruch College’s Ava Deguzman (women’s tennis) and Hunter College’s Conor Sullivan (men’s soccer, indoor and outdoor track and field) were recognized as the Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
 
In addition to recognizing the Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the CUNY Athletic Conference honored 27 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honorable Mentions along with four All-Americans from the 2024-25 athletic year. Each were presented a plaque and CUNYAC sportswear.

2024-25 CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Honorable Mention

Baruch
Mia Castillo (women’s basketball)
Dylan Minnick (men’s basketball)
Ryan Oommen (men’s volleyball)

Brooklyn
Dasha Goodman (softball)
David Lema (men’s volleyball)
Aleah Rafat (women’s volleyball, basketball)
Ryan Sham (men’s tennis)

CCNY
Vivianna Alatorre (women’s volleyball)
MIchael Chasanov (baseball)
Jessica Fuentes (women’s soccer)
Stephen Suprun (baseball)

Hunter
Jessica Fowler (softball)
Bethany Tomaneng (women’s volleyball)
Nick Yao (men’s volleyball)

John Jay
Ellarose Bianca (women’s soccer)
Daniel Gonzalez Verdejo (men’s volleyball)
Kristin Gretener (women’s volleyball)
Ethan Simaan (baseball)

Lehman
Nelson Benzan, Jr. (men’s track and field)
Marilyn Cadena (women’s soccer)
Vitoria Heloany Reis (women’s tennis)
Marcos Rosario (men’s swimming)

Medgar Evers
Kayshaun Higgs (men’s volleyball)

York
Maryam Khan (women’s tennis)
Richard Reyes (men’s track and field/swimming)
Stanley Sanchez (men’s soccer/volleyball)
Jasmine Vega (women’s volleyball)
 

For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (@CUNYAC), Twitter (@CUNYAC) and YouTube (@CUNY Athletic Conference), and “LIKE” Us on Facebook (CUNY Athletic Conference).