Sports

8:00 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim At first, Ryan Bader wondered if he belonged. By using a relative colossus and a stoic legend as springboards, he came to recognize he most definitely did. The self-reflection by Bellator’s light heavyweight champion occurred as the promotion put a new challenge in front of him in 2018. Bader had

7:48 AM ET One of the premier events of the early PGA Tour schedule takes place this week. The Farmers Insurance Open, played at Torrey Pines, which hosted last year’s U.S. Open won by Jon Rahm, will gather an elite field. In effort to clear the decks for Sunday’s NFC and AFC championship games, the

2:12 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte will meet in the ring after all. There was an agreement in principle for both Whyte and Anthony Joshua to step aside and forego planned bouts with Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, respectively, in exchange for millions of dollars, but the deal fell apart after parties

6:28 AM ET D’Arcy Maine Tom Hamilton Close Senior Writer • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Ashleigh Barty walked to the microphone on the court at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday at the Australian

8:19 PM ET The Brooklyn Nets won’t listen to trade-deadline overtures for All-NBA guard James Harden, a resolve rooted in Harden’s repeated insistences to ownership and management that he’s committed to staying and winning a championship with the franchise, sources told ESPN. Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks are buoyed not only

10:00 AM GMT England captain Owen Farrell has been ruled out of the entire Six Nations championship after suffering a second serious ankle injury in the latest blow to head coach Eddie Jones’s preparations for the competition that begins next week. Farrell had surgery in November on an ankle he injured playing against Australia then

7:00 AM ET Patrick Mahomes‘ tape in the lead-up to the 2017 NFL draft was scary. It was littered with off-balance passes, sidearm deliveries, leaning throws, backward drifts and lots of improvisation. His footwork was frantic, he didn’t consistently step through to his target and he looked more like shortstop hurling a baseball across the

2:00 PM ET Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel has joined the College Football Playoff selection committee along with former longtime coach Jim Grobe, Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk and former longtime USA Today sportswriter Kelly Whiteside, it was announced Tuesday. NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan, who is entering his second season on the committee,

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff With the All-Star Game approaching, and many teams having hit the 41-game mark of the 2021-22 NHL season, it’s a great time to check in on the playoff races, potential trade candidates and award and scoring title candidates. We asked our NHL analysts for their top predictions for the remainder

7:00 AM ET The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of the Baseball Writers Association of America voting Tuesday, and it’s a winter tradition that has become as much fun as shoveling wet, heavy snow that sits atop a layer of super-slick ice. Hall of Fame debates are no longer just about who

10:51 AM ET Liverpool cut Manchester City‘s lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points with a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday. City could only draw 1-1 at Southampton on Saturday and Jurgen Klopp’s men took advantage, winning the first of two games in hand they have on the defending

1:49 PM ET ANAHEIM, Calif. — A highly anticipated battle between the two top heavyweights in the world — who also happen to be former teammates — is now official. Francis Ngannou weighed in at 257 pounds and Ciryl Gane was 247 pounds Friday morning. The two giants will compete to unify the UFC heavyweight

3:18 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognized early he would never be a seven-time NASCAR champion like his dad. It was unrealistic to believe he would match the late Dale Earnhardt on the track. The Intimidator was tough as nails, didn’t tolerate any nonsense and built a winning resume that

7:51 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gary Russell Jr. is boxing’s longest-reigning champion. As of Saturday, he’ll have held his title for 2,493 days. While he’s undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters in the world, that status is partially due to his low level of activity. Gary Russell Jr. fights just once a year. The

9:54 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com American Jessica Pegula advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Thursday. The tournament’s No. 21 seed recorded seven aces and 20 winners in the 91-minute clash. She’ll next face the winner of

8:03 PM ET Associated Press LA QUINTA, Calif. — Patrick Cantlay shot a 10-under 62 in perfect weather and turf conditions Thursday at La Quinta Country Club for a share of the first-round lead with rookie Lee Hodges in The American Express. Cantlay played the first seven holes in 7 under, making an eagle on

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN had just played host to one of the season’s most thrilling comebacks. It was Jan. 6, and New York Knicks fans had witnessed a ridiculous buzzer-beating bank shot 3-pointer by RJ Barrett that capped a 24-point rally and win against the Boston Celtics. It was the Knicks’

7:12 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t expect his injured toe to be a factor in Sunday’s divisional-round game against the Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida. Stafford suffered the injury in the Rams’ regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers, a 27-24 overtime loss. “I’m feeling OK,” Stafford said Wednesday. “The

10:45 AM GMT Owen Farrell has retained his England captaincy for the 2022 Six Nations while George Ford, Elliot Day, Sam Underhill and Mako and Billy Vunipola miss out on the squad. Manu Tuilagi was also not named in the 36-man squad announced by coach Eddie Jones on Tuesday but he is expected to join

7:30 AM ET They’re still celebrating Georgia’s first national championship in 41 years in Dawg Land, but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to start looking ahead to the 2022 college football season. We’ve already unveiled our 2022 Way-Too-Early top 25, and up next is our Way-Too-Early All-America team, which features some familiar names, as