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Patchy Mix trashes UFC 316 opponent with 'journeyman' jibe ahead of highly anticipated …

UFC 316 debutant Patchy Mix is supremely confident entering his first Octagon experience. Former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix became the latest top free agent to sign with the UFC earlier this year. Just days away from his Octagon debut, Mix is ramping up the pre-fight theatrics against his upcoming rival. Mix and Mario Bautista […]

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Patchy Mix trashes UFC 316 opponent with 'journeyman' jibe ahead of highly anticipated ...

UFC 316 debutant Patchy Mix is supremely confident entering his first Octagon experience.

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix became the latest top free agent to sign with the UFC earlier this year. Just days away from his Octagon debut, Mix is ramping up the pre-fight theatrics against his upcoming rival.

Mix and Mario Bautista will clash in a highly-anticipated UFC 316 main card bout this Saturday in Newark. Mix’s addition to the stacked UFC bantamweight division is another intriguing element to the 135 lb title picture.

While the odds between Mix and Bautista are relatively thin entering UFC 316, Mix is taking this upcoming challenge like a tune-up fight.

Patchy Mix answers a question at the Bellator 295 pre-fight press conference
Photo by Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Patchy Mix threatens to submit Mario Bautista’s whole team in scathing pre-fight comments

Before signing with the UFC, Mix was praised by many as arguably the greatest bantamweight in MMA, despite UFC 316 headliner Merab Dvalishvili having a greater level of competition. After Mix amassed early success with his elite grappling base, he’s turned into a well-rounded mixed martial artist, which is a nightmare for his rivals in the cage.

While Bautista enters UFC 316 on an impressive winning streak, his at-times sluggish style has irked UFC fans during his current run. Mix plans to exploit it when they meet in the Octagon this weekend.

In a recent episode of the UFC 316: Embedded series, Mix gave a scathing assessment of Bautista’s skillset while watching tape ahead of their fight.

“I will f— him up,” Mix declared.

“I’m a three-time world champion. This guy’s a journeyman fighter. I’ll submit him.

“And whoever’s teaching him Jiu-Jitsu, I’ll submit the whole crew.”

Bautista enters UFC 316 on a seven-fight win streak, including recent wins over UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo and Ricky Simon. His last submission win came against Guido Cannetti in March 2023.

Mix earned a slew of finishes during his Bellator/PFL tenure, including submissions of Magomed Magomedov and former Conor McGregor pupil James Gallagher. He hasn’t tasted defeat since a unanimous decision loss to Juan Archuleta at Bellator 246.

Patchy Mix’s debut is one of the biggest storylines of UFC 316

Mix is the latest in a slew of former Bellator/PFL standouts to make the move to the UFC Octagon. Earlier this year, former Bellator featherweight champ Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire made his UFC debut at UFC 314, albeit falling short on the judges’ scorecards against Yair Rodriguez.

But Mix’s debut is getting way more hype than Freire’s, and it’s comparable to when Kayla Harrison made her UFC debut at UFC 300 last year. Just two fights into her UFC tenure, Harrison will challenge for the women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 316 co-main event.

Dvalishvili has Mix on his radar with a win this Saturday at UFC 316. The two briefly trained together earlier this year, and are on the same page about a future showdown in the Octagon.

Professional Sports

Schedule of events during MLB All

[embedded content] ExploreHBCU Swingman Classic to showcase talent to kick off MLB All-Star weekend It’s all about taking a break from the regular season to put on a spectacular game of baseball featuring some of the sport’s greatest athletes. And for the third time ever — and after a quarter century of waiting — it’s […]

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Schedule of events during MLB All

It’s all about taking a break from the regular season to put on a spectacular game of baseball featuring some of the sport’s greatest athletes. And for the third time ever — and after a quarter century of waiting — it’s coming back to Atlanta.

When and where is 2025 MLB All-Star Week?

The Midsummer Classic is coming to Truist Park on July 15, where players will hit the field at 8 p.m. ET. The stadium’s address is 755 Battery Ave. SE Atlanta, Georgia 30339. Those interested in learning more about the stadium can visit mlb.com/braves/apps/ballpark to download its app.

What’s there to do during MLB All-Star Week?

The All-Star Game itself is only a part of what MLB All-Star Week has to offer.

The fun kicks off with the HBCU Swingman Classic, a game featuring all-star players from historically Black colleges and universities, at Truist Park on July 11 at 7 p.m.

July 12 will feature two Truist Park competitions: the All-Star Futures game and the MLB All-Star celebrity softball game. The All-Star Futures game, which begins at 4:10 p.m., will see some of baseball’s rising stars and top minor league talent battle it out, while the celebrity softball game, which is only five innings, will start at 7 p.m. and is set to feature the likes of Big Boi, Kandi Burruss, Jordan Chiles and Jermaine Dupri.

July 13 will be a busy day for baseball fans, starting with the 2025 MLB All-Star 4.4 Miler. Held in honor of Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron, the running event starts at Center Parc Stadium at 7:30 a.m. Interested runners and joggers can sign up to race at mlb.com/all-star/4-4-miler.

The derby is the next thing on the docket. The MLB Home Run Derby X is a three-on-three co-ed competition featuring some of the biggest names from women’s baseball and professional softball. The event will be hosted at Russ Chandler Stadium‘s Mac Nease Baseball Park on Georgia Tech’s campus on July 13 at 2:30 p.m.

Later that day, the 2025 MLB Draft will be going down at the Coca-Cola Roxy in The Battery Atlanta at 6 p.m.

On Monday, 2025 MLB All-Star Week is bringing out its heavy hitters. At 8 p.m. on July 14, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby will begin. It’s a head-to-head, bracketed tournament dedicated to crowning the year’s home run champion. Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez took home the top spot last year.

Finally, before the big game on Tuesday, fans can catch the All-Star Red Carpet Show at 2 p.m. at The Battery, which will also be shown live on MLB Network. The MLB All-Star Game will start at 8 p.m. in Truist Park on July 15.

For tickets to all of 2025 MLB All-Star Week’s offerings, visit mlb.com/braves/fans/all-star-game.

Throughout the events, from July 12-15, Cobb Galleria Centre will host Capital One’s All-Star Village. The village will feature live entertainment, interactive games, batting cages, photo ops, food and more.

Where to stay near Truist Park

The official hotel of the Atlanta Braves, Omni Hotel at The Battery Atlanta, is right next to Truist Park. The team also lists six other nearby spots as “preferred hotels” for Truist Park visitors:

  • Aloft Atlanta at The Battery Atlanta
  • Atlanta Marriott Northwest at Galleria
  • Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia
  • Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center
  • DoubleTree Suites by Hilton at The Battery Atlanta
  • Sonesta Atlanta Northwest Galleria – Marietta

Parking options near Truist park

To park at this stadium, you’ll need to purchase a spot. Truist Park strongly recommends pre-purchasing parking spots before visiting, as it stops selling parking after the first pitch.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

icon to expand image

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Pricing for parking changes by day, as well as by section, so visitors will want to check online at MLB.com/braves/ballpark for the most up to date prices. A map of the stadium’s different parking sections can be viewed here.

How to watch the game at home

The 2025 MLB All-Star game will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET on July 15. Coverage begins at 7 p.m.

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College Sports

IU basketball recruiting

Class of 2027 guard LJ Smith announced a scholarship offer from Indiana on Sunday afternoon. It appears IU assistant Kenny Johnson is leading the charge here.  Smith thanked Johnson in his announcement of the offer on X. Based on the average of the national recruiting rankings, Smith is a 4-star, the No. 49 player in […]

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IU basketball recruiting

Class of 2027 guard LJ Smith announced a scholarship offer from Indiana on Sunday afternoon.

It appears IU assistant Kenny Johnson is leading the charge here.  Smith thanked Johnson in his announcement of the offer on X.

Based on the average of the national recruiting rankings, Smith is a 4-star, the No. 49 player in the 2027 class, and the No. 2 combo guard.  Two outlets — 247Sports and ESPN — have Smith as a top-30 player in the class.  He appears to be trending favorably.

Smith played his first two years of high school at Lincolnton H.S. in Lincolnton, N.C.   As a high school sophomore he averaged 33.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game.  He scored at least 40 points in seven games as Lincolnton went 24-6.

In 2024-25, the 6-foot-4 Smith broke the NCHSAA sophomore single-season scoring record.

For travel basketball Smith plays for Team Thad on the Nike EYBL Circuit.  He is playing up a year with the 17u team and averaging 13.8 points while shooting 44.4% from three on 54 attempts.

Smith is a fluid athlete and a skilled guard who can score the ball at an elite level.  He’s a very good shooter and has a solid frame for his age.  That latter point should allow Smith to be a force in the paint on offense, and a top-end defender.

Smith is already one of the most coveted guards in his class.  He also has offers from North Carolina, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.

For a complete look at Indiana’s 2026 through 2028 offers and prospects, GO HERE.

 For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.   


The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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Professional Sports

Bobby Jenks, former All

Former White Sox closer and 2005 World Series champion Bobby Jenks died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 44. “We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 […]

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Bobby Jenks, former All

Former White Sox closer and 2005 World Series champion Bobby Jenks died on Friday after a battle with cancer.

He was 44.

“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate.

“He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”


Bobby Jenks and Paul Konerko celebrating a Chicago White Sox World Series win.
Bobby Jenks celebrates after the White Sox won the 2005 World Series. AP

Jenks was battling adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer.

He was living in Portugal to be closer to his wife’s family.

Jenks played seven MLB seasons, the first six of which were with the White Sox before one season with the Red Sox.


Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox pitcher, throwing a baseball.
Bobby Jenks played six seasons for the White Sox. UPI

He was a two-time All-Star — in 2006 and 2007.

As a rookie, he was part of the White Sox team that won the World Series, recording four saves with a 2.25 ERA in the postseason.

Two of those saves came in series-clinching wins — in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Red Sox and Game 4 of the World Series against the Astros.

He finished his career with 173 saves.

He is survived by his wife, Eleni, and six children.

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College Sports

Watch video highlights of Pacific Mini Games action in Palau so far

From the pool to the track and the ocean, the first six days of the Pacific Mini Games brought packed competition despite some disruption from wet weather. Sunday 6 July is a rest day for the games, so it’s a great chance for fans to relive the action so far with daily 30-minute video highlights […]

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Watch video highlights of Pacific Mini Games action in Palau so far

From the pool to the track and the ocean, the first six days of the Pacific Mini Games brought packed competition despite some disruption from wet weather.

Sunday 6 July is a rest day for the games, so it’s a great chance for fans to relive the action so far with daily 30-minute video highlights capturing the best moments, medal wins, and standout performances across every code.

Day 1
The Pacific Mini Games kicked off with events scheduled in swimming, wrestling, va’a, volleyball, and softball. Swimmers were set to race in heats across 10 events, while va’a crews lined up for V1 and V12 500m races.

Wrestling ran through more than 40 men’s freestyle bouts, and volleyball began with women’s pool games. Softball opened with three matchups, including hosts Palau playing the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

Day 2
More codes joined the Games on Day Two, with medal rounds planned in swimming, va’a, wrestling, and archery. The pool hosted finals in nine races, including relays.

Va’a returned with V6 races and gold medal events while wrestling introduced Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle divisions. Archery and basketball 3×3 were added to the mix, and round robins continued in team sports.

Day 3
A full schedule was planned across nine sports. Swimming featured eight more races, while weightlifting awarded medals in lighter divisions. Archery match play continued, and beach wrestling made its first appearance.

The day also included va’a marathon races, table tennis, and more volleyball and softball. Beach volleyball pool play and basketball 3×3 gold medal games were also set.

Day 4
The Games picked up pace with events across over a dozen codes. Swimming scheduled finals in freestyle, long distance, and relays. Table tennis moved into medal rounds, including para and wheelchair events.

Weightlifting shifted to mid-weight classes, and archery prepared for finals – basketball 3×3 pool play wrapped up with gold medal matches, while other team sports continued.

Day 5
Track and field was set to feature the 10,000m and para-athletics, along with throws and relays. Va’a races covered 24km marathon distances. Swimming planned another round of medal events, and table tennis wrapped up women’s singles with men’s rounds starting.

Beach volleyball pool play continued, and weightlifting moved into heavier categories. Softball, volleyball, and archery also carried on.

Day 6
Athletics ran a full programme with 100m sprints, 800m, decathlon, heptathlon and para events on the schedule. The 5km open-water swims were scheduled for the morning, followed by a mixed relay.

Weightlifting held its final sessions in the heaviest divisions. Basketball 3×3 wrapped up with Oceania finals, while beach volleyball, softball and baseball all continued into later stages.

Medal Standings after Day 6

Medal Standings after Day 6 of the Pacific Mini Games 2025.

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College Sports

Thames RC 'A' vs De Hoop

Thames RC ‘A’ vs De Hoop: A HRR rivalry with three wins in three years for the Tideway club Three years, three races, one result – we dig into this enduring, international battle between the booms Credit: AllMarkOne Koninklijke Amsterdamsche Roei-en Zeilvereeniging ‘De Hoop’ of the Netherlands and Thames RC have gone up against each […]

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Thames RC 'A' vs De Hoop


Thames RC ‘A’ vs De Hoop: A HRR rivalry with three wins in three years for the Tideway club

Three years, three races, one result – we dig into this enduring, international battle between the booms

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Credit: AllMarkOne

Koninklijke Amsterdamsche Roei-en Zeilvereeniging ‘De Hoop’ of the Netherlands and Thames RC have gone up against each other in Thames Challenge Cup semi-finals and finals for the last three years. Each year Thames has had the edge.

“The story itself has some nice nuances to it,” said Thames RC Club Captain Tom Foad. Tom had been coached by De Hoop’s coach Jeroen van der Kall when he was at Thames RC between 2019 and 2022. “Our Head Coach, Sander Smulders also used to coach at De Hoop, so there’s a connection between the two clubs.”

The clubs have created what Tom calls a “friendly rivalry”.

“I think what’s really cool over the last three years is that before 2022, De Hoop were relatively unknown here. What’s been really cool over the last few years is we’ve seen their progression. Each year they keep coming back. This year, they were actually probably one of the favourites.”

2023 Thames Challenge Cup Final

In 2023, under sunny skies, Thames RC ‘A’ lined up against De Hoop for the first time, in the final of the Thames Cup.

Patrick Tawns was stroke of the boat. “We’d come off the back of losing to Molesey BC in 2022 by ⅔ of a length. We all got phone calls from Jamie Brown that summer – we didn’t have a paid coach, he said; ‘I’ll take control, as a volunteer.’ He asked us what we wanted from that season – we told him we wanted to win the Thames Cup.”

“I think that’s a very rare thing, being able to enjoy a Henley final.”

The Dutch crew had taken out Thames’ B crew on the Friday by ¾ of a length and Leander Club by the same distance on the Saturday. Thames RC ‘A’ had faced Sydney RC, Australia in their semi final – a brilliant race by all accounts, with a result of 1 ¼ lengths win for the Tideway Club.

Joe Bright was in six seat of the Thames boat. “We raced Sydney before – we had never raced these guys. We assumed they would be quick out the start and we were down at the end of the Island, but we knew the middle three minutes of our race were really quick – they couldn’t hold onto us after that.”

“I left my breakfast outside the boat tents before the Sydney race,” Patrick recalls. “But we executed the perfect race. We expected it to be closer – winning by clear water was quite nice.”

Patrick watched as his competition boated for the final. “I thought the way they carried their boat out was quite impressive.”

After the Island, it was smooth sailing for Thames RC.  “By the time we hit Remenham it sunk in that we were two minutes out from winning Henley. We just tried to commit it all to memory – because you want to remember this moment for the rest of your life.”

Patrick agreed; “I think that’s a very rare thing, being able to enjoy a Henley final.”

“We stopped thinking about the rowing, stopped concentrating on it. Watching it back,” Joe laughs, “it’s probably one of our weaker races! but going into the Enclosures, we started to tighten up again to show everyone what we could do. Our cox’s voice started to break. I started thinking – what do I do when I cross the line?!”

3 ¾ lengths was the final verdict, with Thames cruising across the line in style.

2024 Thames Challenge Cup Final

“Unfortunately, we didn’t have as easy a time of it in 2024.” said Andy Thomas, seven seat in the boat the following year.

Domestically, Thames RC had tough competition leading into the Regatta from London RC. They’d lost to them at Wallingford, Metropolitan and Marlow Regatta – and met them in the semi-final. “It was a tough race – credit to those guys. Then we had to switch on for the final.”

“I remember quite vividly through the final, just thinking, man, I wish these guys would go away!” De Hoop stuck to Thames RC the entire way down the course, passing an extremely damp line of spectators on a biblically rainy Sunday.

Andy had been coached by Jeroen van der Kall. “We knew each other’s programmes fairly well, a similar style of racing. I didn’t have a moment during the race where I thought, okay, we have this.”

Andy was alongside his competition for most of the race. “They are very impressive guys, a classy outfit. They stepped on from the year before. Full credit to them for pushing us all the way.”

2025 Thames Challenge Cup Semi Final

Rainy weather greeted spectators on the Saturday of Henley Royal Regatta 2025. Cafe Regatta was filled to the brim with white and red-trimmed Thames RC blazers, eyes glued to the screens, tense seated rowers asking their taller, standing club mates to duck to clear the view path.

De Hoop were “the pick of the regatta” for Grace Prendegast commentating – Piotr Golawski backed the ‘revolution’ led by Ben Lewis, but mentioned that the Dutch believed they were the stronger crew.

It was close from the start. Thames RC had pulled a length ahead by the time the boats passed Remenham Club, at the ¾ mile mark, the overlap was minimal. They soon broke clean.

“They haven’t responded.” Grace said as Thames entered the enclosures and grew their lead once more. The banks roared for the home crew – and took their place in the final at a distance of 1 ¼ lengths.

The future

Thames RC will face London RC in the final tomorrow, out for redemption after losing to Thames RC in last year’s semi final. “We know that both these crews on their day are just phenomenal crews. Our crew will stay calm amongst the pressure, to try to deliver that kind of race-winning performance. It might go absolutely down to the wire.”

And what’s next for De Hoop? “I think they’ll actually keep getting stronger and stronger as they keep going back to Henley, keep getting involved in like these really close races and producing good performances.” Said Tom.

“And for us, ultimately that’s good. It really keeps us on our toes, because we’ve got this up and coming club, which is gonna kind of keep challenging us year on year. And that’s just a testament to the Regatta itself just to have these really high quality crews that come from not just the Netherlands, but all across the world.”

“We hope they keep coming.” Tom smiled. “We hope we stay ahead of them.

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Conor McGregor volunteers for potential UFC White House event

President Donald Trump’s idea of hosting a UFC event at the White House next Fourth of July already has some volunteers for the potential main event. Trump tossed out the idea Thursday of having an MMA card at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next Independence Day to ring in the country’s 250th birthday, and two of the […]

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Conor McGregor volunteers for potential UFC White House event

President Donald Trump’s idea of hosting a UFC event at the White House next Fourth of July already has some volunteers for the potential main event.

Trump tossed out the idea Thursday of having an MMA card at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next Independence Day to ring in the country’s 250th birthday, and two of the UFC’s biggest stars made it known they are interested in fighting that day.

President Donald Trump prepares to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with UFC CEO Dana White and Elon Musk at the Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025. Getty Images

Conor McGregor, who is a supporter of the president, posted to X on Friday that he would be down to enter the octagon that day.

“Happy 4th of July, USA,” McGregor wrote. “Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!”

McGregor hasn’t fought since he fractured his leg during his fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and had to pull out of a much-anticipated bout with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 after breaking his toe during training.

The multi-time UFC champion visited Trump at the White House in May.

Conor McGregor prepares to fight Dustin Poirier in a UFC 264 lightweight mixed martial arts bout July 10, 2021. AP

Chandler appears open to joining him there next year.

He posted an AI-generated image of him and McGregor doing a faceoff in suits on the White House lawn with a faded-out Trump in the background giving a thumbs up.

Michael Chandler appears open to fighting Conor McGregor at the
White House next July. Michael Chandler/Instagram
Michael Chandler fights Paddy Pimblett of England in a lightweight fight during UFC 314 on April 12, 2025. Getty Images

“Anybody fancy a good old-fashion, passionate, red, white and blue ass whoppin on the lawn of the White House?” Chandler captioned the photo.   

If that fight doesn’t work out, UFC president Dana White might be able to get Jon Jones to un-retire for the event. 

Jones, who recently said he had called it quits from MMA and relinquished the UFC heavyweight championship, did a stunning about-face Friday after learning about Trump’s proposal.

“Fighting at the White House?” Jones wrote on X Friday with an eyes emoji.

He posted in a second tweet: “Just re-entered the testing pool, that lasted for about two weeks. Figured we’d keep everyone’s options open.”

Trump, who has attended a number of UFC events, is close with White, so anything seems possible.

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