So, Justin Langer, about that tactic of getting bowlers into their fourth spells, then… On the eve of his Test debut, in what had otherwise been another horizontally laidback press appearance, Jofra Archer had suddenly fired in a verbal bouncer that was every bit as out of the blue as the languidly launched missiles that exploded on the Lord's Test.

Responding to Langer's pre-match "curiosity" about how his body and mind would hold up in a format notorious for grinding down quick bowlers, Archer's answer dripped with red-ball nous and Test-match readiness, not to mention a confidence that no ordinary Test debutant could have summoned at such will.

ALSO READ: Madness of Test cricket sets up compelling finish

"I've played a lot more red-ball than I have white-ball. I do think it's my preferred format," he said. "I've bowled 50 overs in one game already for Sussex and I'm usually the one bowling the most overs anyway. I think Justin Langer has another thing coming."

And sure enough, Archer could hardly have predicted more accurately the day's astonishing scenes had his thoughts been recycled from one of his four-year-old Tweets.

Archer was already 25 overs into his work for the innings, and armed with a ragged old ball that was four overs from completing its 80-over lifespan, when we finally discovered what a silken, effortless, natural-born quick bowler can achieve when he decides the time is ripe to bend that back, and go from effortless to effort-full.

Comparisons are odious when the action is as raw and visceral as Archer made it. The historian David Frith, who witnessed Frank Tyson in his pomp in 1954-55 as well as every great West Indian fast bowler from Wes Hall to Ian Bishop, rightly pointed out that Archer is his own man, with his own methods, and moreover he was bowling within his own context.

The pitch, the conditions, the emotions, the opponents - all of these differ from one great spell to the next, meaning that Harold Larwood at Adelaide in 1932-33, or Jeff Thomson at Brisbane in 1974-75, or Allan Donald at Trent Bridge, or Michael Holding at The Oval, can only really stand as testament to their own brilliance, bullet-points in Test cricket's extraordinary history, or bullet-holes if you prefer.

But what we witnessed, in the context of the recent Ashes rivalry, was a passage of play as savage, compelling and potentially series-turning as that moment when Mitchell Johnson first slipped his handbrake at Brisbane in 2013-14. In a searing eight-over spell at the end of a 29-over innings, Archer reminded us that there's a world of difference between run-of-the-mill quick bowling and furious, rip-snortingly rapid head-hunting.

"I've got massive admiration for Jofra," said a mildly chastened Langer, who insisted that his point about Archer's stamina had been misconstrued. "He's an unbelievable athlete, an incredibly skillful bowler.

"To bowl 30 overs, it doesn't matter if you're Jofra Archer, or Pat Cummins, or Josh Hazlewood, or James Anderson, or [Kagiso] Rabada. It's hard work. And that was my point before the game. His endurance was outstanding today, his skill and his pace. What an athlete, what a great player to have to promote Test cricket."

"The catalyst for Archer's onslaught was his return to the Pavilion End, the traditional hunting ground of the senior strike bowler"

All throughout his maiden Test innings, Archer had been lurking in Australia's peripheral vision. Pacing, probing, sizing up the pitch, his opponents, and perhaps most of all, his command of a red Dukes ball, the like of which he has barely used in 11 months.

"I don't think Jofra bowled as quick as he can out there," said Stuart Broad at the close of day three.

I think it's fair to say we have seen him do so now...

The catalyst for his onslaught was his return to the Pavilion End, the traditional hunting ground of the senior strike bowler, with its slope back down into the right-hander designed to create doubt in that channel outside off, the very channel in which Steven Smith has been so imperious throughout this series.

Within six balls, Archer had breached Australia's first line of defence, as Tim Paine - watchful throughout his second-fiddle innings - was caught in two minds (and then at short leg) by the one that nipped back off the seam. And like every fast bowler that's ever been born, the thrill of a wicket was all that Archer needed to tip his game into overdrive.

In Archer's next full over with Smith in his sights, he began to purr through his gears - 93mph, 94mph, 94mph - as smooth through his acceleration as a Porsche on the Autobahn. And suddenly Smith found that his extra split-second was no longer there, that his peerless ability to sight the ball on the back foot and point to it mockingly as he left it on the front was redundant.

And then, the first morale-denting strike. A vicious lifter into the forearm, as Smith curled into a defensive ball straight from the hand, unsettled by the line and no longer able to compute the length as the ball chased him like a rogue bludger before leaving him shaking his left arm in agony.

For a time it seemed he might have to retire there and then, his grip compromised, his invincible aura torn, but to his immense credit he popped a couple of pills, accepted some tight binding and took his guard once more. But it was clear that the passive aggression with which he had dominated England for three innings was not coming back - at least not here, not now. This was fight-or-flight mode, and again to his credit, Smith chose the former.

Consecutive bouncers, consecutive hooks - like KP against Lee at The Oval in 2005, but without the soaring upshot, as the first skimmed out of Jonny Bairstow's reach for four before the second plugged behind square for the single. And then, a scorcher, sizzling into the gloves at a scarcely believable 96.1mph … handbrake not so much slipped as torn clean out of its socket.

But the coup de grace was still to come. Another bouncer, another less-than-confident hook for four … and then the sucker punch. An exquisitely awful moment of pure sporting theatre, as Smith was slammed on the side of the neck by another ugly, incredible, spiteful snorter, and felled in the same instant.

The reaction around Lord's was stunned bewilderment … much like Archer's as well, who initially turned on his heel, his objective for the delivery achieved, before realising he needed to join the loose melee that had formed around the stricken Smith, who did at least - in removing his own helmet while spread-eagled on the deck - telegraph the fact that he had not been laid out cold.

An uncomfortable hush descended as the physios of both teams rushed out to attend to Smith, punctuated by a few boos from the witless few who still believe he deserves to be judged for his actions in Cape Town rather than his incredible feats both here and at Edgbaston.

And though he left the field without assistance, it was still a surprise to see him returning to the middle, to yawn into a succession of devil-may-care fours that inched him within touching distance of his third century in as many innings.

It wasn't the same batsman who had left the crease some 45 minutes earlier, however. For starters he ended up being pinned lbw, offering no shot as Chris Woakes curled one back into off stump - the holy grail dismissal that England had begun to believe was a myth in this series.

"It took a serious spell of fast bowling from Jofra to get Steve out of his bubble, because so far in the series he has been incredible," Woakes said. "I'm sure it was incredible to watch because it was incredible to be a part of it on the field and thankfully, having seen Steve on the balcony, it looks like he's okay which is obviously good news."

Smith's return to the middle, Langer joked, had come about because he had protested he wouldn't be able to get himself onto the honours board if he stayed sitting in the dressing-room. And though he failed in that objective, the drama had been so absolute that, for once in this series, his extraction from the crease counted for less than the fact that he had returned to it at all.

Indians 297 for 5 (Pujara 100 retired, Rohit 68, Carter 3-39) v West Indies A

The nearly eight-month-long break between India's previous Test in Sydney and now seemed to matter little to Cheteshwar Pujara as he struck a hundred for India in the tour match against West Indies A, ahead of their first World Test Championship game.

Pujara retired after completing his century, which came off 187 balls and included eight fours and a six. India finished the day on 297 for 5 with Rohit Sharma finding red-ball form. He contributed 68 in a 132-run fourth-wicket stand with Pujara, before falling to the offspin of Akim Frazer.

The pair steered the Indians out of choppy waters after they had been reduced to 53 for 3. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and opener Mayank Agarwal endured failures, falling to the medium pace of Jonathan Carter for scores of 1 and 12 respectively. Carter was the pick of the West Indies A bowlers, as he also accounted for the wicket of Rishabh Pant, who scored a 53-ball 33.

KL Rahul, meanwhile, squandered a start, falling for a 46-ball 36, which included five fours and a six. At stumps, Hanuma Vihari was unbeaten on a patient 101-ball 37, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja.

Since the start of the Professional Cricket League Regional 4 Day Tournament, West Indies' first-class competition that was revamped in 2014, Rahkeem Cornwall has been one of the tournament's most consistent wicket-takers. The Leeward Islands offspinner is fourth on the list of the leading wicket-takers since the 2014-15 season, having taken 197 wickets over the years. On three occasions, he has been among the top three bowlers in an edition, including in 2018-19, when he finished as the leading wicket-taker with 54 wickets in nine matches with an average of 17.68.

This consistency is one of the reasons Cornwall believes he is well-suited to the Test format, especially with the possibility of a debut during the upcoming fixtures against India, the first of which starts on August 22 as part of the World Test Championship.

"I believe the Test format suits my game because of the consistency a player needs over a long period of time to be successful, and I've enjoyed that challenge so far in my career playing first-class cricket," Cornwall told the Cricket West Indies website. "The feeling [on getting called up] is great - it's something I've been pushing to achieve for a long time."

His tally of 54 wickets in the first-class tournament followed a haul of 23 wickets in List A and first-class games against England Lions earlier in 2018, and in the recent series against the touring India A, Cornwall took nine wickets in six matches. Playing against two quality oppositions was good preparation for Cornwall, who said that his on-field results were signs of the progress he had made.

"The A-team preparation has been very good," he said. "England Lions and India A were two quality opposition teams featuring guys that played Test cricket. Overall it has been very challenging and it was a good place to test skills that I've been trying to perfect every year in our domestic competition.

"I've been putting in a lot of work over the last couple of months. I've always pushed myself. I feel I can go on and I think the on field results I've achieved have shown the progress I'm making."

Cornwall's cricketing hero is former South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis and one of his earliest inspirations to play for West Indies came from watching Brian Lara's 400 not out against England in Antigua in 2004.

"My cricket hero is definitely Jacques Kallis," he said. "The way he carried himself as an allrounder on and off the field, I've tried to visualise and work to match certain things I saw Kallis to do my game.

"The Test match I remember most watching was Brian Lara's 400 in Antigua 2004. It was early inspiration for sure to become a professional cricketer and to play for the West Indies."

Sri Lanka 249 (Dickwella 61, Mendis 53, Patel 5-89, Somerville 3-83) and 268 for 4 (Karunaratne 122, Thirimanne 64, Mathews 28*) beat New Zealand 249 (Taylor 86, Nicholls 42, Akila 5-80, Lakmal 4-29) and 285 (Watling 77, Latham 45, Embuldeniya 4-99, De Silva 3-25) by six wickets

Dimuth Karunaratne played a big part in preserving his perfect record as Test captain as Sri Lanka brought up their third consecutive win since he took over, brushing New Zealand aside with a six-wicket win on the fifth day and picking up the full 60 points in their first World Test Championship match. In the process, Karunaratne also brought up his first century in 23 innings and his ninth overall as the hosts bested the previous record chase in Galle - 99 - by some distance.

Karunaratne came out just as positively as he had in the last session of the fourth day, adopting a simple strategy of working the spinners square on either side, off both front and back foot. In scoring 122, Karunaratne hit only six fours and a six, which belied his overall approach to prioritise a brisk scoring rate. To that end, he stepped out early in the day for a delightful flick off Ajaz Patel for a boundary, and then launched the left-arm spinner over the midwicket boundary four overs later to bring up the 150 stand for the opening wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne.

Between those two shots, though, were glimpses of the occasionally turbulent theme of his innings. Karunaratne had survived a stumping chance, and at least two legitimate catching chances on the fourth day. Shortly after that flick off Patel, he got a thick outside edge on the cut - a shot that he couldn't quite control all innings long - that snuck through for a four, and was then dropped by Tom Latham at short leg. It was Latham's third drop of the innings in that position.

That set the tone early in the day, and with every over of nudging and manipulating the field for singles, New Zealand's resolve was visibly diminishing. Any hope came through Sri Lanka's misadventures.

Thirimanne, ever under scrutiny as a Test player, batted with composure and control throughout the innings in one of Sri Lanka's most prolific fourth-innings opening stands of all time. If he showed any shakiness during the innings, it was when he swept, and that was the shot that led to his dismissal, Will Somerville getting his man on the review. The opening stand was worth 161.

In keeping with the pattern of his short career, Kusal Mendis managed to fit in both exquisite strokeplay and a frustrating surrender in an innings of six balls. With a solid platform laid and the opponents on the mat, his plan seemed to be to attack relentlessly, and this resulted in two pristine shots off Somerville - down the track quickly, using the spin to lift one over midwicket and the other over the long-on boundary. But the daring was short-lived when he swept Patel to midwicket next over, offering New Zealand some optimism with 94 runs to still get.

But the arrival of Angelo Mathews brought the calm it always has, and the veteran settled immediately into the role Thirimanne played for Karunaratne. New Zealand were switching bowlers fast, with Kane Williamson even trying himself for the first time in the Test, but the 44-run stand between the senior-most batsmen put Sri Lanka on the doorstep of victory.

Karunaratne did eventually nick behind trying to chop outside off stump, in a rare Tim Southee over. But coming in next was Kusal Perera, the architect of Sri Lanka's miracle chase against South Africa earlier this year. He had no issues slashing deliveries off that line - or dragging them to the leg side - and came out with what looked like the sole intention to finish the chase before lunch.

With his boundaries, he forced a four-over extension with 22 runs to get, but fell shortly after for 19-ball 23. Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva didn't manage to get the runs in that period, but with only six runs to get, the umpires deemed it fit to give Sri Lanka another extension and the chase was sealed with a Mathews flick to fine, seven balls later.

NEW YORK -- Manager Aaron Boone, Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees again hammered away at the umpires Saturday, this time in prolonged rants that brought several members of the team spilling onto the field, while beating the Cleveland Indians 6-5.

For the third time in a month -- each time with a minor league call-up umpire behind the plate -- the team with the best record in the American League lost its temper in a big way. This episode led to Boone and Gardner as well as pitcher CC Sabathia, who is on the injured list, all being ejected.

The trouble began in the sixth inning after Triple-A ump Ben May called out Cameron Maybin on strikes. The final pitch to Maybin was, according to strike zone charts, a bit outside. He calmly stood and discussed it with May and went back to the bench.

Moments later, things heated up in a hurry.

Boone came rushing from the dugout to confront May, and engaged in an animated argument. When Boone returned to the bench, all seemed calm -- for a moment, anyway.

That's when Boone came back for another go at May, with crew chief Tom Hallion coming in from second base, trying to quell the beef. But at the same time, several Yankees were hollering from the dugout, engaging in a close-up argument with first-base ump Phil Cuzzi.

"Just in that couple innings, obviously we objected to a few calls," Boone explained after the game. "I start in there not wanting to get one of our guys if I can out of that game, but you know I had some issues where I felt like something might have affected another, might affect [James] Paxton being in that game, so just voiced it."

Gardner was then ejected after banging his bat against the dugout roof -- it's become his habit when he gets upset -- and then he climbed over the railing to continue to the dispute with Cuzzi. Coaches Phil Nevin, Marcus Thames and Josh Paul also were on the field, holding back Gardner, who was also arguing with third-base umpire Todd Tichenor.

"Kinda crazy to be honest," Gardner said. "Got ejected for hitting the top of the dugout with my bat, making too much noise I guess. I wasn't happy about it, I didn't feel like what I did warranted an ejection."

Boone said he thought the umpires were looking for Gardner to repeat his previous assaults on dugout roofs.

"I think in this case, in kind of talking with Gardy and watching it back, I think it's clearly something they were probably looking for with us," the manager said. "I haven't received any memos or anything saying that's illegal. Gardy was saying nothing again other than, 'Hey, this is a spot in the game, we're fired up, we're playing for a lot,' and we get a little passionate in that dugout in spots, and Gardy I don't think was doing anything more than that."

Boone added that on the topic of hitting the roof, the Yankees would "work closely with the commissioner's office and find out what's acceptable and not and try and certainly be respectful of that, and try and do a better job of staying in the game."

Gardner said he believes any potential rule limiting players' expression from the dugout would not be good for the sport.

"I guess if we're trying to make the game fun again, like a lot of guys say the last few years -- I don't think you want all the guys sitting in the dugout not being able to say anything or make any noise or anything like that," Gardner said. "That wouldn't be too much fun. I'm not saying what I did was right...But I probably wouldn't do it again tomorrow."

It was Gardner's sixth ejection of his career and second in little more than a week.

Last Friday, Gardner was tossed after an incident in Toronto in which plate umpire Chris Segal heard some words from the dugout and singled out the outfielder. Gardner had been silent at the time but earlier had been slamming his bat into the roof of the dugout.

On July 18, Boone screamed and hollered at another rookie umpire, Brennan Miller, leading to the expletive-filled rant that prompted the manager to call his hitters "savages" in the batter's box. That netted him a one-game suspension.

These frustrations have come as the Yankees are running away with the American League East, with an 11-game lead over their nearest rival.

"I think it got taken too far with sending Gardy out of that game again, but look we're playing for a lot right now," Boone said. "You can feel that with all our guys right now, we're in this thing -- we're playing for keeps."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

In his highly anticipated return to the Octagon, Nate Diaz was brilliant in a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) win over Anthony Pettis in the co-main event of UFC 241 on Saturday at Honda Center.

Diaz had not fought since a loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 202 on Aug. 20, 2016. He imposed his will on Pettis early and often. Diaz was able to press Pettis against the cage in every round and land punch combinations, elbows and knees. He closed the first and third rounds in good positions on the ground, an area he also controlled when the fight went there.

Afterward, Diaz said he is interested in fighting Jorge Masvidal next, adding that he was impressed by Masvidal's five-second knockout of Ben Askren last month.

"All respect to the man, but there ain't no gangsters in this game anymore. There ain't nobody who does it right but me and him," said Diaz, who hails from Stockton, California, and enjoyed a huge partisan crowd on Saturday. "So I know my man's a gangster, but he ain't no West Coast gangster."

At his postfight news conference, UFC president Dana White said he wouldn't be opposed to making Diaz-Masvidal fight if that's what both fighters wanted next.

Diaz's best round was the third. As had happened multiple times, Diaz pushed Pettis against the cage and landed a lengthy combination with punches. Pettis dropped but survived until the end of the round.

Pettis had his moments in every round. When striking at distance, he was more effective than Diaz. By the end, Diaz was cut near his right eye. But whenever Pettis started gaining momentum from the outside, Diaz closed the distance and made it a clinch fight, which he dominated.

Pettis posted a photo of his foot looking severely swollen and bruised on Instagram after the fight, saying in the caption that Diaz had a hard head.

The bout was contested at welterweight, though both men have spent the majority of their careers at lightweight. Diaz is the fifth fighter in UFC history to land more than 2,000 total strikes.

Diaz (20-11) went 1-1 against McGregor in 2016. They were two of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history. Diaz, 34, has a huge cult following among fans for his irreverence, exciting fighting style and propensity to flip a double bird. He had not fought since that star-making year because he wasn't able to come to terms with the UFC.

Pettis (22-9), the former UFC lightweight champion, was coming off a knockout win over Stephen Thompson. "Showtime" has alternated wins and losses going back to 2016. Pettis, 32, has been one of the UFC's most marketable stars over the years, once getting his likeness emblazoned on Wheaties boxes.

Stipe Miocic avenged his 2018 loss to Daniel Cormier and regained the UFC heavyweight championship. Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero had a middleweight exchange on the feet for the ages. Three years removed from his last fight, against Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz made an instant splash.

Our panel is here to break down the biggest moments of UFC 241.

Is Stipe Miocic the greatest heavyweight in the history of the UFC?

Ariel Helwani: These questions are always hard to answer on fight night. However, I lean toward yes for two reasons: He has the most title defenses in UFC history, and he just beat who I considered to be the best heavyweight ever. Also, in case you didn't know, Cormier was a perfect 15-0 as a heavyweight going into Saturday. In other words, that win was really big for Miocic. It was, in my opinion, his biggest to date.

Brett Okamoto: Yes, Stipe is the greatest heavyweight of all time, as of Saturday night. His goal was always to be the greatest of his era, and there would have been no coming back had he lost to Daniel Cormier. That goal would have been dead. But he delivered a performance for the ages against one of the greatest fighters of all time. Unless there is a trilogy -- a scenario that seems very unclear to me right now -- I would say Stipe is the greatest heavyweight.

Jeff Wagenheim: If you had asked me this question early in the evening of July 7, 2018, I would have said yes. Miocic had defended the belt more times than anyone else, most recently dominating Francis Ngannou, the scariest KO artist this side of prime Mike Tyson. Prior to that, he had KO'd a former champion (Andrei Arlovski), the reigning champ (Fabricio Werdum) and his first two challengers (ex-belt holders Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos) -- all in the first round. But then, on that ill-fated night last summer, Miocic went out and got KO'd in the first round, and we had to slow our roll on GOAT talk.

On Saturday, though, he righted that wrong, and he did it in a way seldom seen from heavyweights. When the big guys are being beaten to the punch in the early going, it usually turns into an early night. But Stipe persevered through the best that Daniel Cormier could dish out, turned the tide in Round 3 and came out for the fourth with a whole new plan of attack, which he implemented with poise and precision. That's high-level stuff, the kind of fighting you see from only the greats.

Or, in this case, the greatest.

Marc Raimondi: I don't think there's any way around that now. Miocic came in already holding the UFC record for consecutive heavyweight title defenses at three. Now, he's a two-time champion with a TKO win over Daniel Cormier, one of the best fighters ever, on his résumé. If Miocic isn't the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, then who is? Cormier? Cain Velasquez? Miocic has the edge over both, especially now. At 36 years old, Miocic is still going strong too.

If this was it for Daniel Cormier, what is his legacy in the UFC?

Helwani: One of the greatest ever. Top five. A living legend. A fighting champion. A man who got knocked down repeatedly and found a way to overcome it all toward the end of his career. I have the utmost respect for Cormier. He never took a shortcut and represented the sport with dignity and class. He has nothing left to prove to anyone. The Hall of Fame awaits.

Okamoto: Cormier's legacy is as one of the greatest fighters of all time. There should always be a footnote attached to his career that he got in late. Had Cormier started training in MMA and transitioned into MMA earlier than he did, I think there is a very strong chance that we would call him the best of all time. And he still had a tremendous career. Fifty years from now, we'll still be talking about the greatness of Daniel Cormier. This loss has no effect on that.

Wagenheim: Cormier is one of the greatest figures in the sport. As a fighter, he has beaten everyone he has faced other than Jon Jones, and there's shame in that only if you can find shame in beating everyone in one-on-one hoops except Michael Jordan. Speaking of greats, among Cormier's conquests is the finest heavyweight ever to walk the earth (even though Miocic evened the score on Saturday).

Beyond fighting, DC's legacy is still building. He's the most fun among the cageside analysts ("Thug Rose! Thug Rose!"), and consider this: The three figures who break down athletes on the Detail show are Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning and Cormier. DC is no interloper in that elite company.

Raimondi: He's one of the top three MMA fighters who has ever lived. As it stands now, I put Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre above him, but that's all. Cormier is a former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion. He has lost to only two men, Jones and Miocic. There is no doubting his résumé. Just as important is how great of an ambassador he is for the sport. Cormier is an exceptional analyst on ESPN and is a credit to MMA in every position the UFC puts him in outside the cage. The best part is the latter doesn't have to end even if he does hang up the gloves.

After three years away, was that the Nate Diaz you expected to see?

Raimondi: Honestly? Absolutely not. In my mind, Diaz was a huge question after three years away. The last time he had fought was 2016. Ronda Rousey had fought more recently than Diaz. Of course, we know what Diaz has always brought to the table, but it was impossible to see a dominating win over Pettis in the cards. Pettis is such a talented striker and did have success at distance, to be fair. Diaz was able to grind him out against the cage, though, and showed off some diversified techniques in that position. If you told me we would see one of Diaz's best career performances here, I probably would not have believed it.

Okamoto: I think Nate's proper weight is welterweight. I thought it was always going to be very, very difficult for him to return to lightweight. I think in this fight you saw Nate as a real comfortable welterweight. He added strength, but it looked like he was still lean. I thought he fought smart. He neutralized a very dangerous fighter in Anthony Pettis.

Nate's offense is always the first thing to come to mind because that's what steals the show -- the "Stockton Slaps," the strikes and all of that. But he forced the type of fight that just smothered a guy such as Pettis, who has about a billion ways to knock you out. He just smothered him. It was extremely impressive. I don't know where Nate will go. I don't know how high his ceiling is at welterweight, but he legitimized himself as at least a threat in that division right now.

Helwani: For the most part, yes. I thought Pettis was a good matchup for Diaz, and I expected him to be in shape and motivated for this fight. I was a tad surprised he got tired toward the end of the fight, but that fight was fought at an incredible pace, and both guys got tired. I thought, overall, he fought an amazing fight and looked really good. The fight game is always more exciting and interesting when the Diaz brothers are thriving in it, so on behalf of pretty much everyone: Welcome back, Nathan Diaz.

Wagenheim: To (partially) quote a famous orator, I'm not surprised. The Diaz game is not a slave to timing as much as it is to toughness and cardio and smarts -- and he didn't lose any of those things during his layoff. Early on, Nate was getting clipped repeatedly by Anthony Pettis as the fight was contested at distance, so he showed his fight IQ by closing the distance and making it his kind of fight. That sounds simple, but it takes toughness. You're going to be hit coming in, and it takes energy to keep up the relentlessness necessary to drain your opponent of a fighting chance.

The best move of the night came after the fight, when Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal. What better way to prevent another three-year absence than to book Nate in a fight that interests him (and interests Masvidal, the fans and the UFC bean-counters)?

Costa vs. Romero: Discuss.

Okamoto: It was a great fight, of course, and I scored it 29-28 for Paulo Costa. It was one of those fights that could have gone either way. I've always wondered what would happen if Costa were unable to just march forward, taking shots while delivering bigger ones. I wondered what would happen when somebody ruined that game plan for him.

Even a fighter as tremendous as Yoel Romero couldn't do it. Costa put him up against the fence and hurt him with shots, and while Romero was successfully able to throw back and back Costa off occasionally, this was still Costa 101. This was his game plan that he succeeded with against inferior fighters. This time he did it against one of the best middleweights we've seen in years, and it still worked. Costa is a legitimate No. 1 title contender.

Wagenheim: Suddenly, I'm a huge fan of fouls. Who would have guessed? Costa's groin shot on Romero necessitated a pause in the first round, giving each man a short break right in the middle of a high-energy five minutes. Romero's eye poke on Costa in the third gave the sagging fighters another breather. It was good for the athletes and especially good for us, the fans. When the action resumed, the two middleweights sculpted out of granite went at it like the masterpieces they are.

Costa needed a test like this. Sure, he came in at 12-0 with the scary distinction of having scored stoppages in every one of his fights. But a hard-fought decision victory over Romero, No. 2 in ESPN's 185-pound rankings, is way more impressive than putting out the lights on Uriah Hall or a faded Johny Hendricks. This win vaults the 28-year-old Brazilian toward the top of the mountain.

Helwani: Great fight. The wait was worth it. It was a hard fight to score. I thought Romero won 29-28, but it was darn close. Both guys took some really hard shots and kept on coming. That was probably the result the UFC brass wanted deep down because now it sets up Costa versus the winner of Whittaker vs. Adesanya. A fresh contender is waiting in the wings.

Raimondi: Wow. I mean, what can you say about this fight? If Jim Ross had been calling it, he would have described it as a slobberknocker. What's crazy about it is that we've seen Costa and Romero fight others and put them to sleep with some of the shots they were landing Saturday. Costa had never been to a decision before in his career. He had finished everyone, but he couldn't finish Romero. I actually had Romero winning 29-28, but I can't be too torn up over a close fight that was incredibly memorable. What a show these men put on, trading shots, trading taunts. It was everything you want to see in an MMA scrap.

Besides the top three fights, who do you think took the biggest step forward at UFC 241?

Wagenheim: Cory Sandhagen might have generated more buzz if he had scored a spectacular finish. But what he did was even better than buzz: He showed that he belongs among the bantamweight contenders. For 15 minutes, he calmly picked apart Raphael Assuncao, who is No. 5 in ESPN's bantamweight rankings. Sandhagen looked like he was the veteran in the Octagon when, in fact, he has been in the UFC only since last year. It was telling when, in the middle of a fight he was controlling, his coach was asked on the broadcast whether Cory was looking for the finish. The answer? "He's never looking for the finish. He's looking for what the fight brings."

That is the type of coaching, and fighting, that will make Sandhangen's run sustainable. He's 12-1 and a winner of seven straight, but his biggest moments are still ahead.

Honorable mention for big splash of the night has to go to the winner of the fight right after Sandhagen-Assuncao. Lightweight Khama Worthy made his UFC debut on four days' notice, as a +650 underdog, and TKO'd former training partner Devonte Smith for the biggest UFC upset this year. Love those kind of moments.

Helwani: Sodiq Yusuff. He was put in a big spot on the main card for a reason. He has won five fights in a row, including three in a row in the UFC. He's a rising star and another fighter from Nigeria doing well these days. I continue to be impressed by "Super" Sodiq.

Raimondi: Cory Sandhagen is a real problem at bantamweight. Raphael Assuncao is rarely dominated the way he was Saturday. Sandhagen is a supremely talented striker with the innate ability to switch stances, move in and out and land precisely. He's almost an updated version of Dominick Cruz. The Colorado native doesn't have a ton of power, but Sandhagen is difficult to hit and is solid in every other area, including wrestling and grappling.

There are big fights ahead for him at 135 pounds. And if you don't believe my assessment, go look at what his UFC peers were saying about him on Twitter during the Assuncao. He was extremely impressive at UFC 241.

Okamoto: The two options come down to Sandhagen and Yusuff. I thought both were outstanding. I'm going with Sandhagen as well because of whom he fought. Raphael Assuncao is always criminally underrated. He never gets the credit he deserves. It's extremely difficult to look good against him, which Sandhagen said before the fight.

It was a concern of his that Assuncao is damn near impossible to look good against. And especially in that first round, he looked good. He's a fun fighter to watch, but more importantly, his approach and style are so different that he's going to be a hard matchup for anyone in that division. I think he should be facing someone who is highly ranked after this fight. I believe we will see Cory Sandhagen fight for a UFC championship in 2020.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Stipe Miocic waited more than a year for his rematch. Then he waited four rounds to execute the best possible game plan against Daniel Cormier.

In the end, Miocic's patience paid off in a huge way, as he regained his UFC heavyweight title by TKO in Round 4 on Saturday in the main event of UFC 241 at Honda Center.

Miocic started landing body shots in the fourth, and though Cormier shrugged off the first two or three, they started to add up. It was a left hook to the body that began the sequence that led to Miocic's stoppage of Cormier at 4 minutes, 9 seconds.

With the finish, Miocic regains the crown he lost to Cormier by first-round knockout at UFC 226 in July 2018.

"I felt like that hook to the body was hurting him," Miocic said. "His hands were dropping, so I came over the top more. My coach told me to use that right hand. I knew I was hurting him. I just had to keep working, keep working until something opened up."

Before the fourth, it was Cormier's fight. Two judges had him ahead 29-28 going into the fourth round, and the other judge had Cormier winning all three rounds.

Cormier landed hard on the feet and took Miocic down in the first round. In the second, Cormier landed a series of nice jabs and right hands, and though Miocic started wearing damage, he was never hurt or rocked in the round.

Cormier fed Miocic a series of jabs in the third, but Miocic landed some power shots, including one that opened a cut either in or near Cormier's mouth.

With both men standing toe to toe, landing hard punches and showing off their incredible chins, Miocic mixed it up in the fourth round. He started landing left hooks and straight right hands to the body every chance he got. While Cormier was defending power rights to the head, Miocic was sneaking in hooks to the gut and side.

"I think he made a great adjustment," Cormier said.

Miocic landed a left hook to the body late in the round, followed by a one-two combination that rocked Cormier and sent him back against the cage. Miocic followed with a flurry, and referee Herb Dean stepped in for the clean stoppage.

"DC is a tough guy, I've got to give it to him," Miocic said. "I saw some weakness in that third round, and then in that fourth round, I caught him with that right hand, thank God, because he's tough."

Cormier landed a UFC heavyweight-record 181 significant strikes in the loss. Cormier and Miocic combined for 304 significant strikes, a new UFC heavyweight record.

Miocic (19-3), 36, held the record for consecutive UFC heavyweight title defenses before he fell to Cormier, and now he'll start a new reign. He has won seven of his past eight fights and has cemented himself as one of the best heavyweight MMA fighters of all time.

Miocic is now tied with Tim Sylvia for second in UFC history with five title fight victories. Randy Couture has the most, with six.

Cormier's (22-2, 1 NC) only previous loss came at light heavyweight to Jon Jones. The 40-year-old California resident has held titles at UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight. He is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters ever.

Afterward, regarding retirement, Cormier said he'll have a discussion with his family and "make an educated decision as to what we're going to do."

UFC 241 drew a sellout crowd of 17,304 to Honda Center, setting a new California gate record for MMA at $3,237,032.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Spain had sliced an 18-point lead to eight with four minutes remaining as Gregg Popovich watched to see how his young Team USA would respond.

Joe Harris buried a 3, Mason Plumlee stole the ball off a Ricky Rubio pass, Derrick White made a floater, and then a Kemba Walker steal led to a Jayson Tatum 3-pointer to end any threat by Spain. In its first exhibition tune-up before the FIBA World Cup, Team USA led by as many as 18 before holding off Spain late for a 90-81 win at Honda Center.

After the first two weeks of camp, USA Basketball heads to Australia on Saturday with 14 players on the roster after P.J. Tucker withdrew on Friday with a minor left ankle sprain.

Popovich will make final roster cuts to 12 later, as Team USA will play its final two exhibition games against Australia in Melbourne before facing Canada in Sydney ahead of next month's FIBA World Cup in Shanghai.

The remaining USA Basketball players are eager to prove that they all belong and are worthy after a summer that saw several of the biggest U.S. stars decide to skip the World Cup to prepare for the NBA season.

Regarding the chatter of just how good this team can be, USA forward Harrison Barnes told The Undefeated's Marc Spears, "We hear the noise. It's just about the 14 guys that we got here right now, and when we go to Australia, it's about just us, getting better, continuing to grow closer on and off the floor, and we'll go from there."

Barnes added that the team is "motivated more than anything to keep the gold standard going, by the teams that went before us, that went and won the World Cup, that went and won the Olympics multiple times. That's what we're chasing right now."

Donovan Mitchell appears poised to play a big role. He led Team USA in scoring with 13 points and four rebounds Friday. Walker had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Khris Middleton added 12 points. Against the likes of NBA players such as Marc Gasol (19 points) and Rubio (16 points, seven assists), the Americans watched Spain make 12 of 25 3-pointers but held their opponents to 40.8% shooting overall and out-rebounded them 42-20.

"A good chance to jump into the fray and see what this is all about it," Popovich said to sum up the team's first exhibition against another country. "It was like a baptism for us. A new group, players, coaches, all those sort of things. It was a real experience."

Team USA made 11 of 19 3-pointers, but Popovich was most impressed by the defensive effort. The Americans led by 13 at the break after holding Spain to 14-of-35 shooting in the first half.

"I think that we can be elite defensively," said Kyle Kuzma. "I think that is one thing we can show that people will see more in China."

Kuzma had seven points and five rebounds in 17 minutes.

It remains to be seen whom Popovich will decide to keep on the final roster for China, but the team believes its chemistry is beginning to form.

"I'm excited about everybody coming," Mitchell said. "The biggest thing for us is just jelling on and off the floor. That's going to help us. These [other international] teams have played with each other since about 12, 13 years old. So for us, we've got to be able to match their chemistry. And I think the only way to do that is to be around each other as much as possible."

Newly released evidence in the federal government's criminal case against attorney Michael Avenatti suggests employees at Nike were paying high-profile college basketball prospects' handlers and families tens of thousands of dollars in under-the-table payments.

In an email on July 30, 2016, Carlton DeBose -- the director of Nike's EYBL grassroots basketball division -- wrote that bidding for top players reached as much as $100,000.

In the email to Nico Harrison, the company's vice president of North American basketball operations, DeBose suggested Nike was still at a disadvantage against competitors such as Adidas and Under Armour in efforts to secure top prospects.

"It has always been a thankless journey but we are now sitting ducks because our competition and enemies have decided to no longer fight us on our turf but go where we rightfully refuse to go for all of the right reasons," DeBose wrote, according to emails and text messages that were filed Friday at U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. "We have a code. Our enemies don't."

"We are viewed as having too much influence," DeBose continued. "The perception and resulting reality is that we dictate where players go to school. In addition, it is known that we make it hard for agents and runners to attend our events and will escort them off the premises. The same agents and runners are given free reign (sic) at [Adidas] and UA events and reps for both companies frequently broker meetings and deals for families/agents."

In a text message exchange on July 6, 2017, with an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky -- identified with only the initials KP in records submitted as exhibits in the federal criminal case -- DeBose wrote that he provided money to about 10 Nike EYBL coaches "who are helping families to the total of about 200K annually."

Kentucky has an assistant coach named Kenny Payne. Neither Payne nor Wildcats coach John Calipari could be reached Friday night for comment.

"Do you help people like [an EYBL coach] and [unidentified coach] every year and how many people asked you to help them," the UK coach asked in a text message. "They both are happy u are helping them how many more are their (sic)."

"Those two," DeBose wrote. "And about 10 other brothers. ... about 10 coaches who are helping families to the total of about 200K annually and I still have to meet budget."

"You're the only one that knows about it [because] so many of these dudes are selfish and would want more [because] they would argue that someone else doesn't deserve the help more than they do," DeBose continued. "It's a stressful balancing act."

In an earlier email exchange between DeBose and Mel McDonald, a California-based basketball trainer who worked with Arizona's Deandre Ayton and Oregon's Bol Bol, McDonald outlined payments that were to be made to the handlers and family of an unnamed player.

Sources told ESPN the player was Ayton, who played one season at Arizona in 2017-18 before turning pro. He was the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns.

The alleged payments to people associated with Ayton total about $65,000, according to the email, and included payments to an immigration attorney and $3,500 "for Bahamas to dad." Ayton grew up in the Bahamas before moving to the U.S. in high school.

The exhibits filed Friday also included emails and text messages that alleged a Nike employee approved at least under-the-table payments to former Duke star Zion Williamson and ex-Indiana star Romeo Langford when they were still in high school in February 2017. The alleged offers were $35,000 or more for Williamson and $20,000 for Langford.

There is no evidence the offers or payments were made to Williamson, Langford or their families. Williamson played one season at Duke and was the No. 1 pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in this year's NBA draft. Langford also was one-and-done at Indiana and was the No. 14 pick by the Boston Celtics.

In an email on April 18, 2017, an EYBL coach expressed concern to Nike officials about the rampant payouts to players.

"The 'secrets' of players and/or their families 'getting paid' are no longer secrets and quite frankly are spoken about rather openly," the unnamed EYBL coach wrote. "I can't see how this ends well for Nike or the EYBL. Some of us will be deemed guilty by association others will be found guilty of failure to supervise [think Rick Pitino]."

"Nike will not respond to the allegations of an individual facing federal charges of fraud and extortion," Nike said in a statement earlier this week. "Nike will continue its cooperation with the government's investigation into grassroots basketball and the related extortion case."

Avenatti was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in March with attempting to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening to expose the shoe company's alleged improper payments to high-profile players in the EYBL.

Avenatti has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers on Wednesday asked a federal judge to dismiss the charges on grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.