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BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona's LaLiga game against Osasuna on Saturday was postponed 20 minutes before kickoff following the unexpected death of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro García.
Miñarro García, 53, joined Barça in 2017 and had been working with the first team since last summer having previously worked with the futsal side.
"Barcelona are deeply saddened to announce the passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro García this evening," the club said in a statement.
"For this reason, the match against Osasuna has been postponed and will be rearranged for a later date.
"The Barcelona board of directors and all staff extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Sources told ESPN that Barça players learned of Miñarro García's death when they arrived at the Olympic Stadium for the fixture against Osasuna.
The team unanimously agreed that the best thing to do was request the postponement of the match, to which LaLiga agreed.
"We are in a state of shock," Barcelona president Joan Laporta said in a video released by the club. "Carles was loved by everyone. As you can imagine, we are all extremely sad.
"He was someone who travelled with the team for every game to look after the players and the staff. He never said 'No' to anyone. He was a great professional and a great medic.
"We were quickly in touch with his family. We wanted them to know immediately. Carles leaves behind two kids, Gerard and Anna. His wife, as you can imagine, is deeply upset.
"We offer them our full support in this difficult moment, while asking for the understanding from our supporters and the world of football [for postponing the game].
"Out of respect for Carles, his family, the players and the staff, we thought it was best to suspend the match and we took the necessary decision in the moment.
"We were in contact with the president of LaLiga [Javier Tebas] and there was complete understanding. Osasuna also behaved extraordinarily; there was comprehension from their president, directors and coach."
Most supporters were already inside the stadium when the decision was taken to call the game off.
At first there was uncertainty as the players didn't come out to warm up, with an announcement arriving 20 minutes before the game was due to begin that it had been suspended.
The same announcement then followed in English, and a short statement was put up on the big screen explaining why the game would not go ahead on Saturday, with fans respectfully making their way to the exits.
"It's hard to believe and accept everything that has happened," midfielder Dani Olmo said. "Carles, thank you very much for everything you have helped me with, not only this year, but throughout my entire career.
"You will be greatly missed and you will always be remembered in our hearts, and in the hearts of my family. RIP Doc."
"Always in our hearts, Doc," midfielder Gavi posted on Instagram. "We will miss you a lot."
"I still can't believe it," teammate Pedri wrote. "Sending a huge hug to all of Carles' family and friends."
Defender Ronald Araújo said on X: "It's hard to believe. Rest in peace, Doc. Sending strength to Carles' family and friends. May God strengthen your hearts in this difficult time."
The game with Osasuna will take place at a later date yet to be confirmed.
Barcelona currently lead LaLiga, one point clear of Atlético Madrid and three ahead of Real Madrid.
FIFA, Infantino can have a World Cup halftime show: Just end it in 15 minutes
It was all so predictable, even more so than Kendrick Lamar -- who, you know, actually won a Pulitzer Prize for his use of words -- winning the beef with Drake. It was predictable that FIFA would want to hype up a 2026 World Cup final in the United States with a Super Bowl-style musical guest and halftime show. Predictable too that purists and purists would rise up against it, moaning about the commercialization of the sport, FIFA's greed and being generally curmudgeonly because the game -- nay, the occasion -- they grew up with isn't what it used to be.
Me? I have no issue with it provided they follow a simple rule, which I'll get to. I've no problem with it and, really, no interest in it. Because it's not me. I'm a football fan and I watch for the football. I'm an NFL fan too, and I didn't watch Kendrick Lamar at Super Bowl LIX either. I went to the bathroom, poured myself another drink, went for a walk outside and called my best friend. I would imagine most football fans -- other than those trapped in the stadium -- will do the same thing.
As my colleague Luis Miguel Echegaray points out, this isn't really for football fans, just as the Super Bowl halftime show isn't really for NFL fans -- it's for the folks who tune in once a year or casually stumble across it. Does it work as a marketing gimmick? Does it actually grow the game? Does it generate revenue and attention (in non-wardrobe malfunction years)? I have serious doubts, but hey: knock yourself out.
As far as moaning about FIFA trying to squeeze every last dime out of the game, all of sports has been going that way for the past 50-plus years. It's a business, and it has been that way for a long time.
We can debate whether FIFA should be as obsessed with revenue as it is, but it would likely say it's no different than a corporation doing what its shareholders want it to. The shareholders, in this case, are the national associations who vote Gianni Infantino into power largely on the basis that he'll continue generating revenue and redistributing it around the world. Again, FIFA's history in terms of how all that cash gets distributed isn't great in terms of leakage, patronage and outright corruption, but the system itself -- when it works, if it works -- is basically about generating cash through international competition to help less developed nations grow the game. It is what it is.
As for those who simply perpetually view the past through rose-tinted glasses, as if everything was better in the past -- well, again... I can't help you. Football has withstood far more seismic changes than halftime entertainment during a World Cup final.
That said, there is one simple rule that FIFA can't mess with, an obvious red line: halftime can't exceed 15 minutes. It's in the Laws of the Game, and it's not just "tradition" -- there's an actual sporting basis to it.
Professional footballers are conditioned to 15-minute breaks. They're athletes. Mess with their routine and they'll get cold, or hot, or stiff or whatever. It's not worth the risk of screwing with this. Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said as much after the 2024 Copa América final's halftime was extended to 25 minutes this past summer to accommodate Shakira's performance. He didn't get traction because the focus was elsewhere, such as on the organizers who didn't adequately organize the final, with overcrowding, violence and chaos resulting in kickoff being delayed more than an hour and ticket-holding fans shut out.
So, if you want to have a halftime FIFAPalooza with Chris Martin, Pitbull, Taylor Swift and maybe Drake taking a sledgehammer to a cardboard cutout of Kendrick Lamar, go for it. Just make sure it's over and they're gone in 15 minutes.
And no, don't make stupid comparisons with the Super Bowl halftime show. Yes, the NFL rulebook says that halftime lasts 13 minutes, but in the Super Bowl, it's often twice that, or more. But the NFL is run by an omnipotent commissioner who answers to only the billionaire owners who employ him.
Football has the International Football Association Board (or IFAB) to set the rules, and that's nominally independent: four FIFA-appointed officials and four from the "home nations" (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). It also has coaches and players who can stand up to silliness. And, most importantly, it's a different sport, one where the running is continuous and you don't spend roughly half the time standing around on the sidelines.
That has to be where football mans the barricades: the 15 minute halftime. If it means no setup and light show, so be it. If it means they build a stage in the stands or in the corner of the ground, so be it. If it means performing on a platform suspended from a hot air balloon, so be it. But you're in and out in under 15 minutes -- oh, and take all your things with you without damaging the pitch.
Football has to evolve, and maybe this is a necessary step (maybe). But there is one line you do not cross: just don't mess with the sporting aspect of the biggest sporting event in the world. Because that's what you'd be doing if you extend halftime.
Santner: 'New Zealand will be better for the run against Varun'
There are many experienced players in the India team that New Zealand men's side will be wary of in the Champions Trophy final. But one of their most inexperienced players will also loom large on the minds of New Zealand's batters.
"I think guys will be better for the run against Varun. He's obviously a world-class bowler we've seen it here and in the IPL. He's got that little bit of mystery. But it was the first time some of the guys have been facing him. I think they'll learn from the other day."
Santner got a particularly vicious delivery from Chakravarthy in the group match, one that was flat and fast, and yet took substantial turn to take out his off stump.
"If the pitch plays a similar way, it's going to be a challenge along with all three of their other spinners. I think the boys will be ready for tomorrow having looked at a little bit more footage. We know what his threats are now. That 115kph arm ball, that got me - that was a bit of a threat."
While Chakravarthy is India's top spin-bowling wicket-taker in the tournament, their other three spinners have also prospered on a turning Dubai track. Axar Patel has five wickets for the tournament, and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have four each. They had been effective through the middle in that previous game against New Zealand.
"I think the way Axar and Jadeja denied us for a long time, it might be something similar again on a slow wicket, where it's as if you can kind of just rotate and hit the odd bad ball away, you can get yourself up to a decent score," Santner said.
"We've got some good players of spin and it's about them trying to just play their games and whether it's to get your broom out and sweep, or it's to use your feet, I guess we kind of give our players the freedom to play their own way."
New Zealand have their own quartet of spinners, in Santner himself, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra.
"On the flipside, it's the same with us. For us it's about trying to build pressure for a long period of time to produce a false shot."
Voll's 99* sets up dramatic win as UP Warriorz survive late Rana scare
UP Warriorz 225 for 5 (Voll 99*, Navgire 46, Harris 39, Wareham 2-43) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 213 (Ghosh 69, Perry 28, Meghana 27, Rana 26, Ecclestone 3-25, Deepti 3-50) by 12 runs
UP Warriorz went out of WPL 2025 in the most thrilling manner, and they took defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru along with them. This means Gujarat Giants will now make their maiden playoffs appearance, joining Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. The fight for the top spot, though, is still wide open.
Ghosh smashed 69 off 33, but her dismissal with RCB needing 55 off 3.4 overs left them on the edge. Then came another twist, when Deepti Sharma, who dismissed Ghosh, conceded the most runs in a single over in the WPL's short history - 28 off the 19th - as Rana smacked her for an incredible sequence of 4, 6, 6, 4, 6 to bring the target down to 15 off seven balls.
One of the fours also came off a no-ball, but more dramatically, prior to delivering that ball, Deepti stopped short of her delivery stride when Kim Garth backed up too far at the non-striker's end, but did not run her out.
But Rana's magic ended when she muscled a flat hit straight to Poonam Khemnar, whom RCB had let go ahead of the auction, at the deep midwicket fence. That blow, which left RCB nine down, was the knockout punch for the defending champions, with Warriorz sealing victory in the final over when they had Renuka Singh run out.
Fittingly enough, Voll, who at one point may have wondered if her magical knock may have gone in vain, delivered the final over that she began with two dots to all but close it out before the run-out. It marked an incredible end to Voll's maiden WPL stint, which had needed her to cut short her home renovation in Queensland to make a quick dash to India only a week ago.
Having come in as a replacement for Chamari Athapaththu, Voll showed potential to possibly be retention material, a definite positive for the Warriorz in a campaign that brought them just three wins in eight matches.
Voll, Harris make merry
Voll exhibited her strong back-foot game, a consequence of having been brought up on bouncy decks in Queensland. She often stayed beside the line and opened up impossible gaps in the backward point region, but the standout was her display of brute forearm strength and a strong bottom hand to play a ferocious whip in front of square.
At the other end, Harris scooped and paddled her way to boundaries, quick to pounce on anything loose - and there were plenty of such deliveries from RCB's new-ball pair of Garth and Renuka. Warriorz muscled their way to 67 for 0 in six overs - the highest powerplay score this season.
Navgire cranks it up
At the other end, Voll raised her second straight fifty, off 31 balls, when she swung a full-toss to the deep midwicket boundary. The second-wicket pair's comfort against spin forced Smriti Mandhana to turn to Renuka again in the 12th over, but the move proved utterly ineffective as Navgire clobbered her for 4, 2, 4, 0, 6, 6. The sixes were a thing of beauty for her nonchalance in swatting length balls bowled into the deck over the leg-side fence.
Overs 9-12 brought Warriorz 64 runs as they set themselves up for over 200. RCB had a clutch of wickets in the back end when they dismissed Navgire, Chinelle Henry and Sophie Ecclestone, but a tiring Voll charged towards a the tournament's first-ever century, only to be denied off the last ball when a half-attempt at a second run to long-on, which would have brought up the landmark, led to Deepti being run out.
RCB go hell or high water
This intent cost Meghana and Perry their wickets, but not before they had played neat cameos. But there was a sense that they'd left too much for Ghosh to cover up - which she nearly did, exhibiting tremendous range. She used the depth of the crease to pull, made room to get beside the line to loft imperiously, and was quick to rock back when the bowlers dropped short to unfurl flat-bat pulls that bisected long-on and deep midwicket.
Her 64-run sixth-wicket stand with Wareham kept RCB alive, before it got to a point where it was Ghosh or nothing. When she fell, the end was nigh. But Rana wasn't going to go down without a fight. In the end, she nearly pulled RCB home, but the fairlytale wasn't to be.
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
Queensland revive final hopes with thumping victory
Queensland 425 for 9 dec (Khawaja 127, Hearne 74) and 82 for 1 beat Tasmania 161 (Weatherald 55, Neser 6-37) and 345 (Weatherald 71, Webster 64*, Ward 52, Silk 50) by nine wickets
Queensland revived their Sheffield Shield hopes with a thumping nine-wicket win against Tasmania.
Set just 81 runs to win, they cruised to 82 for 1 on the final day at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Test stalwart Usman Khawaja (33 not out) and Jack Clayton (34no) were untroubled in peeling off the last 56 runs to win on Sunday.
The result ended Tasmania's hopes of reaching the Shield final, leaving them last on the table with just one match to come - against New South Wales.
Queensland are still alive and kicking, and will finish the round as high as second or as low as fourth. Even if they drop to fourth, they still have a chance to reach the final if they can beat ladder leaders South Australia in the final round.
Khawaja helped set up Queensland's big win over Tasmania by scoring 127 Tasmania were rolled for 161 in reply, with man-of-the-match Michael Neser snaring 6 for 37.
Tasmania were forced to follow-on, and although their second-innings total of 345 was much better, the 82-run victory target wasn't nearly enough to pose Queensland any problems.
"Maximising that new ball [was the key], that new ball nipped around a bit," Neser said. "And then it went dead and it was a lovely batting wicket.
"It was a no-brainer to [enforce the] follow on. That wicket was getting flatter. The way Uzzie batted was superb. He set the game up for us."
Queensland's win over Tasmania was a perfect response from their recent flop at the WACA, where they were thumped by an innings and 12 runs by Western Australia.
"We have a massive game in Adelaide now. It's going to be tough there," Neser said. "We know it can be flat at times, so spin will be a huge factor for us. Going in with a win is massive for us, so hopefully we can carry that momentum through."
Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald rued his team's poor batting display.
"If we had got [a lead of] 200, 230, we would have been a good chance," Weatherald said. "We're just not batting or bowling well enough. Michael Neser was just too classy. He bowled very well throughout this game in good batting conditions."
Lehmann and Scott lead South Australia to home Shield final
South Australia 283 (McSweeney 60, O'Neill 5-51, Boland 4-53) and 300 for 6 (Lehmann 105*, Scott 83, Hunt 66, Boland 3-69) beat Victoria 285 (Kellaway 79, Thornton 4-42, Buckingham 4-70) and 297 (Kellaway 77, Dixon 76, Scott 4-49) by six wickets
South Australia are now guaranteed a home final while Victoria can still made the decider if they beat Western Australia next week and other results go their way despite losing four matches in a row.
Lehmann described his 12th first-class century as one of the best of his career after also going past 5000 first-class runs.
"I feel like anytime you get a hundred and it's in a winning team, and fourth innings is probably the hardest time to make hundreds these days, so yes, definitely up there," Lehmann told ESPNcricinfo post match. "But it's just probably on the vibe of the boys and the way we've played our cricket, and the belief in the team that we were always going to be able to chase them if we got into that last couple hours of the day."
"I think his niche is probably No. 6 in this current set-up," Harris told ESPNcricinfo. "And his overs, my communication with him is he's probably a holder and now he's a wicket-taker. And he's done that because of having game time and learning his role and progressing as a player and as a person, learning the game. That only comes with game time and he's done it beautifully. So he's a huge player now."
"We're just missing something a little bit at the moment," Rogers told ESPNcricinfo. "I just said to the group there were moments in this game where I think if we'd been able to get the upper hand we would have won this game against the side that's on top of the table.
"We feel like all the games we're right in the contest, but then we just can't get over the line. And that probably is the biggest frustration, and we've got to keep asking ourselves those questions, why aren't we winning those moments?"
The game was poised on a knife's edge in the morning session when South Australia slumped to 54 for 3. Fergus O'Neill struck twice in three balls, pinning South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney lbw with a brilliant delivery that nipped in off the seam before taking the outside edge of Jason Sangha two balls later with one that straightened the other way.
Lehmann and Hunt steadied with a 54-run stand but it was full of nervy moments. Hunt passed 50 but could have been out twice to Todd Murphy in one over, scoring a boundary off the outside edge while an offbreak beat his inside edge and went over the stumps past keeper Sam Harper for four byes.
Lehmann also nearly fell to Murphy with Harper unable to hold a challenging catch down the leg side. Lehmann gave another life when he sliced a thick edge low to Xavier Crone's left in the gully off O'Neill.
Victoria still appeared firmly in the game when Hunt holed out to deep square for 66 off Sam Elliott. But Lehmann and Scott thoroughly dominated the middle session as Victoria fell flat.
Boland bowled a very loose spell by his standards post lunch. He dropped short on several occasions and conceded four boundaries in three overs. Murphy gave up two at the other end as Lehmann and Scott set the tone for what was about to follow.
The pair scored 104 runs from 30 overs in the middle session and scarcely looked troubled. Scott stood tall and drove powerfully through the off side against both spin and pace.
Lehmann rotated the strike superbly without taking any undue risks and sweated on anything short and wide. Victoria spread the field to try and slow the scoring rate before the second new ball was due. But in the last 15 overs of the session Scott and Lehmann picked off 51 runs, including 16 off two overs of part-time spin from Campbell Kellaway and Harry Dixon.
The trend looked set to continue against the second new ball as Scott raced past his previous highest first-class score while Boland struggled to get his line right in his first two overs after tea.
But his international class shone through to force a late twist in the game. With 44 to win, Scott edged Boland to slip to give the hosts life. He then extracted another edge from Harry Nielsen shortly after to leave South Australia still needing 42 with just four wickets in hand. But Lehmann and Ben Manenti held their nerve.
Lehmann survived another chance on 80 when he smashed Murphy straight to short cover but Kellaway could not hold the hot offer. Thereafter he latched on anything fractionally short to guide his side home, reaching his century and winning the game with three consecutive boundaries.
Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Duke, back to 'hunters', rallies to dominate UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke played without Cooper Flagg for nearly 10 minutes in the first half, and as the Blue Devils' "ran out of gas," according to coach Jon Scheyer, they fumbled away a 15-point lead and went into the break up just one on North Carolina.
Scheyer's message when the team hit the locker room: "This is great."
For a team that had won five of its past six games by at least 30 points entering Saturday night's regular-season finale against the rival Tar Heels, Scheyer was more than happy to see Duke deal with some adversity -- something the Blue Devils did down the stretch, thundering to an 82-69 win over UNC to secure the No. 1 seed in next week's ACC tournament.
"We never want to be the hunted," Scheyer said. "Sometimes, when you talk too much about what a team is trying to do, you become the hunted. We want to be the hunters. We have to continue to do that. From here on out, it's end-of-season time if you lose. We have to be ready to go."
That adversity showed up with three early fouls on Flagg, including a charge that sent him to the bench for the final 3:18 of the half. With their centerpiece sidelined, the Blue Devils struggled to get stops, and UNC chipped away at a massive deficit to pull to within a point.
The second half opened with more scoring from the Tar Heels, who went up by seven with 15:44 left, but that's when the adversity found a proper adversary in an emotional Flagg.
Flagg played the second half with three fouls and still dominated on defense, racking up four blocks to key the Blue Devils' comeback. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. After several key plays down the stretch, including a monster dunk, he flexed and played to the hostile crowd.
"It's just about getting into a rhythm, getting into the game," Flagg said. "I think I'm at my best when I'm playing with energy, playing with a high motor. Having those energy plays, being high for my teammates, for myself, having that energy is contagious. I was trying to bring that in the second half."
UNC rarely attacked Flagg early in the second half, something he said was surprising.
"It would've been smart," Flagg said.
And yet, it might not have mattered. Scheyer said he'd have played Flagg regardless, telling his freshman to be aggressive but not "handsy."
"You worry about him playing hesitant and not being himself," Scheyer said. "For him to get four blocks while having the three fouls was big time. He was ready to play. He just wanted it almost too much."
Afterward, Scheyer made the case for Flagg to win national player of the year honors, noting the myriad ways he impacts a game -- something that was on display throughout Duke's second-half run Saturday.
"I don't think we've seen that in college in a long time," Scheyer said, "and that's what he does. But that's not what Cooper plays for."
Duke also got help from Maliq Brown, who delivered two big 3-pointers after missing three weeks because of a shoulder injury, and Caleb Foster, whose layup with 10:19 to go ignited a Duke run.
For Scheyer, the combination of bench production during Flagg's first-half exit and overcoming the second-half deficit proved again that his team can find ample ways to win.
For the Tar Heels, the loss ensures they'll be a hunter in the ACC tournament. After a 17-point loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 1, the Heels won seven of their next eight to return to the NCAA tournament bubble. But Saturday's loss likely has UNC on the outside looking in, needing to win at least a couple of conference tournament games -- and maybe the whole thing -- next week.
"I've been proud of how this team has reacted," Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said. "I don't think that's going to change at all. We'll regroup and be ready to go."
If he wants the Blue Devils to remain the hunters, Scheyer will likely need to avoid looking at the standings. Duke secured the ACC's regular-season title with the win, but combined with Auburn's 93-91 loss to Alabama on Saturday, it's likely the Blue Devils will also enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 team in the country.
"We've never talked about being No. 1 ... other than when this thing is all said and done," Scheyer said. "Just my luck to be No. 1 going into the postseason. But we make it about finishing what's right in front of us, doing our best in the moment, and if we do that, by the end, we want to be 1 when it's done."
Chiefs WR Worthy won't be charged after arrest
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will not be charged following his arrest Friday night for an alleged assault in Williamson County, Texas, the district attorney there told the Austin American-Statesman on Saturday.
Worthy, 21, was booked into jail by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office for assault of a family or house member by impeding the breathing or circulation. Online records did not have any details of the arrest. The online court listing for the case was updated to "dismissed/declined" later Saturday.
Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick told the Statesman that his office declined to charge Worthy after speaking with multiple witnesses but said he will "continue to evaluate the case."
"After further investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and further discussion with a third-party witness, Mr. Worthy and his attorneys, this case is being declined at this time pending completion of the investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office," Dick told the Statesman. "Mr. Worthy and his lawyers are fully cooperating with this investigation."
The Chiefs said earlier Saturday that they were aware of Worthy's arrest and gathering information.
According to attorneys for the player, Worthy and the complainant, a woman, were in a dispute after he asked her to leave his residence. They said the woman caused property damage and scratched Worthy's face, among other allegations, but that the wide receiver told police he did not want to press charges.
"We will continue to cooperate with Williamson County authorities as we have full faith their thorough investigation will support Mr. Worthy's innocence," added the attorneys in a statement.
In Texas, impeding a family member's breathing or circulation is a third-degree felony and punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Worthy was the Chiefs' first-round draft pick in 2024. He caught 59 passes for 638 yards and scored nine touchdowns as a rookie.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Ankalaev ends Pereira's UFC reign by decision
LAS VEGAS -- Magomed Ankalaev entered the Octagon as public enemy No. 1 to fan favorite Alex Pereira and left as the new UFC light heavyweight champion Saturday night in the main event of UFC 313.
Ankalaev beat "Poatan" to the punch in the first half of the fight and smothered his offense with clinch work in the second half. His stifling performance put a disappointing end to Pereira's historic light heavyweight title run, sucking the air out of T-Mobile Arena in a unanimous decision: Two judges scored it 48-47 and a third judge had it 49-46.
"I don't think anything surprised me," Ankalaev said. "I think I could have done a better job in the fight, but something just wasn't working out. But anyway, I'm really happy that I won."
UFC president Dana White said afterward that an immediate rematch will "probably" happen.
Pereira (14-3), who rose to stardom over the past year and a half, had a chance to make history by becoming the first UFC fighter to successfully win a title fight five times in less than 500 days. He didn't get anything going, however, as Ankalaev (20-1-1) forced him to fight off his back foot for much of the bout. The pressure prevented Pereira from uncorking his signature left hook and was relegated to looking for counter opportunities, which Ankalaev never gave him.
Pereira deliberately targeted Ankalaev's legs with calf kicks in the opening round, hoping to compromise the challenger's mobility. It was a solid start as 11 of 14 leg kicks landed, but Ankalaev stayed on the front foot.
Ankalaev shifted the momentum in the second round as he surprisingly beat Pereira to the punch. A left hand stunned Pereira midway through the round and a right hand rocked him in the final seconds.
As the fight wore on and Pereira fell behind on the scorecards, Ankalaev shifted to crowding the champion with clinch work and utilizing the takedown threat to push Pereira against the cage fence and wear him down. The strategy worked, and Pereira appeared unsure in the corner before Round 5.
"We know that he puts people against the fence, and he plays that game, but giving him the win with a game plan like that, it kind of incentivizes people to do that against people," Pereira said in his postfight interview in the Octagon. "People might say it's a boring style, but when a guy gets a win doing that, it kind of makes people want to do that, too."
The style was more than effective, however, and by the final round, Ankalaev appeared headed for victory. Ankalaev played it safe by staying out of range of any significant punishment from a desperate Pereira. When Pereira finally landed the left hand, it didn't have much on it. The punch brought the crowd to its feet, but Ankalaev immediately swarmed in, clinched and stymied any momentum swing as the final seconds ticked off.
In his postfight news conference, Ankalaev disputed Pereira's assessment of the fight, saying he was the clear aggressor.
"I kept on moving forward, I kept on pressuring him, and he kept on running away from me," Ankalaev said. "For 20 minutes, this guy was running away from me. I heard at the end of the fight, he was saying that he wasn't sure why the victory was given to me. Who's supposed to be given the victory? I've been pressuring him the entire time, he was running away for 20 minutes and then he's wondering who's supposed to get the victory.
"Listen, I'm happy for a rematch if he wants a rematch, but then maybe in the rematch, he could fight for real and not just run away the entire time."
Pereira landed more total strikes than Ankalaev (108-102), but 48 of those strikes were leg kicks, which didn't affect the fight. Even though Ankalaev was 0-for-12 on takedown attempts, his control time of 5 minutes, 42 seconds was the difference in the fight.
Ankalaev's win ended a historic reign from Pereira. The Brazilian won the light heavyweight title in November 2023 and defended it three times in 2024 as he rapidly ascended to stardom with each knockout win more impressive than the last.
However, Ankalaev was always the most dangerous threat to Pereira, having gone unbeaten in the Octagon since dropping his UFC debut in 2018. When they finally got in the Octagon, Ankalaev showed why he is known as "The Boogeyman" of the 205-pound division.
Ankalaev extends his unbeaten streak at light heavyweight to 14, second in UFC history to Jon Jones.
Although the crowd booed the result, it was clear there was a new leader of the light heavyweights.
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