Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe has a right fibula avulsion fracture and is expected to be sidelined for approximately two weeks, the team said on Saturday.

The Bucks said an MRI and exam revealed the injury.

Bledsoe left in the third quarter of Friday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies after hurting his leg. He did not play in Saturday's 125-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 30-year-old Bledsoe is averaging 15 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds this season in 26 games.

Captain Tiger Woods sent out player Tiger Woods in the first singles match on Sunday at the Presidents Cup. Player Tiger Woods made the captain look good.

Woods easily took down Abraham Ancer, 3 and 2, to give the Americans the first point in the final session. It wasn't just that Woods won his match; it's how he finished it.

Woods, in cold-blooded fashion, drained the below putt to clinch the match, doffing his hat just before the winning putt fell.

"At about, probably 6 feet out, the match was over," Woods said. "I might’ve gone to the hat a little early, but it was over."

The win cut the Americans' deficit to one point, 10-9, with the U.S. in control in the majority of the matches remaining on the course at Royal Melbourne.

Woods, who picked himself for the team as a captain's selection, went 3-0 for the week.

There's only one major trophy remaining for Joe Burrow to lift up this college football season.

The LSU quarterback on Saturday won the Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in college football. He beat out fellow quarterbacks Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) and Justin Fields (Ohio State) and defensive end Chase Young (Ohio State) to hoist the 85th edition of the award at the PlayStation Theater in New York City.

Burrow finished with the largest margin of victory in Heisman history as 1,846 points separated him from the second-place Hurts. Fields finished third and teammate Young came in fourth.

"My journey, I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world," said Burrow, who transferred to LSU from Ohio State after the 2017 season, during an emotional acceptance speech.

Burrow is just the second player in LSU history to win the award, joining running back Billy Cannon, who won it in 1959.

The senior threw for an SEC-record 48 touchdown passes and 4,715 yards in 2019, while leading the Tigers to the conference title. The Heisman capped a spectacular week in which Burrow added to his trophy haul after winning the Maxwell Award (best overall), Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback) and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, in addition to being named the Associated Press player of the year.

He is on pace to set a major college record, completing 77.9% of his passes this season.

Only the College Football Playoff national championship trophy remains out there for Burrow to hoist. LSU, the top seed, will take on Hurts and No. 4 Oklahoma in a semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 28 (TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), while No. 2 Ohio State plays No. 3 Clemson in the other semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl that same day (TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App).

Burrow entered the season largely as an unknown for LSU, with his odds to win the Heisman as low as 200-1 to start the season. He didn't take too much time in making a name for himself, throwing for 471 yards and four TDs against then-No. 9 Texas on Sept. 7. He then went on post gaudy numbers against top defenses such as then-No. 7 Florida (293 yards passing, 3 TDs), then-No. 9 Auburn (321/2), then-No. 3 Alabama (393/3) and then-No. 4 Georgia (349/4).

Against AP Top 25 teams this season, Burrow was 143-of-182 for 1,827 yards, 16 total touchdowns and 2 interceptions, which resulted in a 78.6% completion rate and a 187.9 passer rating.

"Joe's meant a lot to Louisiana," Orgeron said after LSU whipped Texas A&M 50-7 on senior night on Nov. 30. "Louisiana's very proud of LSU football. People in Louisiana have heart, man. When they love you, they love you, and they love Joe and Joe loves them."

Burrow showed that love back to the fans by wearing a custom-made jersey with a Cajun-inspired "BURREAUX" spelling on the nameplate during pregame introductions.

Hurts, who transferred to Oklahoma after spending his first three seasons at Alabama, was vying to become the third consecutive Sooners quarterback -- and a record-breaking eighth OU player overall -- to capture the Heisman, following wins by Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). In 13 games, Hurts threw for 3,634 yards with 32 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while rushing for 1,255 yards and 18 more TDs.

Fields, a sophomore who transferred to Ohio State after spending his freshman season at Georgia in 2018, threw for 2,953 yards with 40 touchdown passes to just one interception and added 471 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Young, who led the nation with 16.5 sacks and in tackles for loss per game (1.9), became just the fourth defensive lineman to be named a finalist in the award's history, joining Washington's Steve Emtman (1991), Miami's Warren Sapp (1994) and Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh (2009). None of the defensive lineman finished higher than fourth in the voting.

Ohio State was the seventh school to have multiple players invited to the Heisman ceremony in the same year, but the first to have both an offensive player and a defensive player.

NEW YORK -- A pound-for-pound star defending his world title against a hungry, unbeaten foe, a second title bout in the co-feature involving one of boxing's hottest young fighters in a match in which nobody seems to be able to pick a winner with strong conviction, and an opening fight that is a professional rematch designed to, at long last, clear the air over what happened in one of amateur boxing's most controversial decisions.

There's something for everyone on the loaded year-ending Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 9 p.m. ET), which immediately follows the network's telecast of the Heisman Trophy presentation, the most prestigious award in college football.

In the main event, welterweight world titlist Terence Crawford, ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, will make his mandatory defense against Egidijus "Mean Machine" Kavaliauskas.

Lightweight world titlist Richard Commey makes his second defense in the co-feature against Teofimo Lopez Jr., the gifted 2018 ESPN prospect of the year, who is taking a massive step up in competition in a fight that will show if he's the real deal.

In the 10-round opener, featherweight Michael Conlan will finally have a chance to right a widely perceived wrong when he faces amateur nemesis Vladimir Nikitin in a professional rematch that has been a long time coming following Nikitin's massively controversial win in the 2016 Olympic quarterfinals.

This is your ringside seat for the big show:

A Crawford showcase

The good: Crawford is an extraordinarily talented fighter. He's one of the best in the world, has won titles in three divisions (including an undisputed reign at junior welterweight), has been ESPN fighter of the year twice, is in his prime and is likely headed to the Hall of Fame.

The bad: 11 years into his career, Crawford has yet to face a truly marquee foe. Kavaliauskas, while a solid contender, hardly qualifies.

Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs), from Omaha, Nebraska, is facing "Mean Machine" in Crawford's third defense only because Kavaliauskas is the mandatory challenger -- and, frankly, Top Rank had nobody else to offer him.

It's the same problem Crawford had in welterweight defenses against hobbled Jose Benavidez, whose career will never be the same following a gunshot wound to the leg, and a faded Amir Khan.

"I'm fighting 'Mean Machine' because he is ranked No. 1 [in the WBO] and I need to fight him to keep my title," Crawford said. "I've said I wanted to fight everyone, all the big names, but when my name is mentioned, they get quiet. If two fighters want to fight, it can happen."

The 147-pound division has some major names, including fellow titleholders Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. and former titlists Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. While all of those fighters are facing one another under the Premier Boxing Champions umbrella, Top Rank's Crawford, 32, is on the outside looking in.

He is tired about hearing how he's on the "wrong side of the street" to get a fight with other big names but remains hopeful he'll land one of them. He pointed to the fact that Top Rank and PBC recently made a mega rematch between lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and titlist Deontay Wilder for Feb. 22.

"Well, Deontay Wilder is about to fight Tyson Fury and you never hear about any 'sides of the street,'" he said. "It's just something people say when it comes to Terence Crawford. You don't hear 'wrong side of the street' with any other fighter but Terence Crawford. Why do all these other fights get made, but when it's Terence Crawford, it's about the 'wrong side of the street'?"

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said he hopes the deal for Wilder-Fury II will lead to other Top Rank/PBC matches.

"We can't make Spence for next year, pretty much what I'm hearing, because he had facial damage in the [recent] car accident and he won't fight for at least a year, in my opinion," Arum said. "So the fight I'd love to make is with Porter. There was talk about Crawford and Porter wouldn't fight because they're friends. They are, but they'll still fight each other. We're meeting periodically now [with PBC] because of the big heavyweight fight and this will come up also."

Porter is not so sure, however, telling Steve Kim recently that a fight against Crawford is not Arum's call.

"I'm sure Terence and I will speak after his fight,'' said Porter. "My list of opposition is short. Not looking anywhere else until Spence says he isn't fighting me."

Kavaliauskas' big shot

Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs), a two-time Olympian from Lithuania who fights out of Oxnard, California, is a heavy underdog.

"He's a tough guy who will be in condition, but can he beat Crawford? That's doubtful," Arum said. "I don't think anyone beats Crawford at welterweight, but he will give him a good fight. Kavaliauskas is a very good welterweight, a courageous guy, punches very well. If you put him with a [contender like] Danny Garcia or Yordenis Ugas, I would pick him over those guys."

Kavaliauskas, 31, plans to prove his promoter and the bookies wrong and make the most of the biggest fight of his career. But Kavaliauskas acknowledged that Crawford is by far the best opponent of his career and views him as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

"This is a great opportunity for me against the world's best fighter. When I win, I will be considered one of the world's best fighters," he said. "Crawford is a great fighter, which is why I wanted this fight. I am ranked [WBO] No. 1 for a reason."

A win not only would go down as a massive upset, it would also make him the first fighter from his country to win a world title.

"We are working to shock the world. We want to make the upset. This is a big deal. This for me is my dream," said Kavaliauskas, whose parents and sister still live in Lithuania. "This is a chance to build boxing at home and put it in the spotlight. I want that title, and I will be the first Lithuanian-born boxer ever to win a world title."

Commey or Lopez? Who knows

Most view Commey-Lopez as the fight of the night because nobody really knows what will happen and it figures to be an exciting battle.

Brooklyn's Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs), 22, who represented his parents' native Honduras in the 2016 Olympics, has been pushing for a title shot. Commey (29-2, 26 KOs), a Ghana native fighting out of New York, won the belt in February. He will be making his second defense and was more than willing to give the kid a chance. It's one of the more difficult recent fights to pick.

"Bookmakers have made that a 50-50 fight, so that's obviously of great interest," Arum said.

Neither appears to be giving an inch. Lopez, 22, believes he can beat anyone. The veteran Commey, 32, has won four fights in a row by knockout, looked sharp in recent fights and oozes confidence.

"How many boxers have come from Ghana with a chance to fight in [the Garden] in the co-main event? God bless us, and I'm ready to retain my title," Commey said. "There is no way I'm going to lose."

But the fight is really built around Lopez, whom many view as a future pay-per-view star.

"This is the biggest fight of my career. My stock either goes up or goes down. My career either goes up or down from here," said Lopez. With a win, Lopez will become the second 2016 Olympian to win a world title, along with featherweight Shakur Stevenson, his Top Rank stablemate. "You got two powerful hitters. That fight is not gonna go the distance. I guarantee you that. I have all the arsenals to become world champion in multiple divisions and take over."

Lopez has an exciting fighting style and a big personality, and he talks as well as he fights.

"I have vengeance in me," he said. "I'm holding that, holding everything. I want to shut everyone up the best way I can, and that's doing what I do best.

"God didn't bring us this far for nothing. I didn't come out here just to talk my smack and not back it up. We're gonna do what we have to do. Richard Commey is a world champion for a reason. And we know that it's going to be a great and exciting fight."

Lopez had a nine-week camp and brought in respected trainer Joey Gamache to assist his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr.

"If someone were to tell me I'd win my first world title at 22 years old at Madison Square Garden, I wouldn't believe it. It's huge. It's happening, and it's a blessing," Lopez said. "When you have a great style fight like this, it's going to be a short night. We gotta get the job done on Saturday. We ain't there yet."

Lomachenko on deck

Pound-for-pound king and unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) is expected to be ringside to scout Commey-Lopez, because the winner likely will face him to further unify the 135-pound title in the spring.

Winning Saturday is Commey's goal, but he knows what a win will lead to.

"It is the most important fight because [Lopez is] the only one standing between me [and Lomachenko]," Commey said. "This is like a do-or-die affair. I want to be a unified champion. I have to win to get my respect."

Lopez has previously been vocal about wanting to fight Lomachenko. Arum said the plan is for the winner on Saturday, whoever that is, will fight Lomachenko next.

"We're looking to do it in April," Arum said.

Conlan seeks revenge

Boxing and controversy are inextricably linked, and the 2016 Olympic fight between Nikitin and Conlan is a prime example.

Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) earned a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and was a medal favorite in 2016 when he met Nikitin in the quarterfinals. It was a rematch of the 2013 world championships quarterfinal that Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs), of Russia, won without controversy. But it was totally different in Rio, where Conlan delivered a beating to Nikitin and appeared to easily secure a spot in the medal round.

However, the judges gave Nikitin the shocking victory. Nikitin was so busted up he had to withdraw from the tournament and was unable to fight in the semifinals.

After the bout, a distraught Conlan famously gave the judges double middle fingers and ripped the International Boxing Association, which oversaw the Olympic tournament. He said he believed Russian president Vladimir Putin paid off the judges to give it to Nikitin. The decision sparked international controversy and led to the removal of the judges from the rest of the tournament. All 36 boxing referees and judges from Rio 2016 were suspended and will not be allowed to officiate at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

When Conlan, 28, signed with Top Rank, the announcement was accompanied by a photo of Conlan and Arum raising their middle fingers to the camera for a social media post that went viral.

Nikitin, 29, remained an amateur, but when he went pro last year he signed with Top Rank to make sure he got a third fight with Conlan, this time as a pro. That fight was initially scheduled for August in Conlan's hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, but Nikitin was forced to withdraw due to a torn left biceps.

"It's nothing personal with Vladimir and I, but I have a job to do Saturday night, and it's going to be a demolition job," said Conlan, who has taken to wearing a shirt adorned with the word "Redemption" and an illustration of a raised middle finger. "Listen, regardless of what I think about the [amateur] judges, I have never officially beaten him. I need to go out there and get my hand raised. I want to right the wrong of what happened in Rio.

"Vladimir, obviously, he beat me in 2013 when I moved up to bantamweight. 2016, he got the decision, but he knows deep down he needs to prove something because his career will always be remembered for losing to me in the Olympics. He's gotta prove something Saturday night. I don't believe he will. I've prepared fully, and I've been training for 14 or 13 weeks for this camp. I'm ready for anything Saturday night."

Nikitin claims he is not nearly as invested in facing Conlan again as Conlan is in facing him.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone," he said. "I won two bouts against him in the amateurs, and right now this is just another big step in my professional career."

Rafael's predictions: Crawford is a pound-for-pound elite fighter and Kavaliauskas is not. Kavaliauskas will give a great effort, but I believe it won't be nearly enough. Crawford is far superior, much faster and has good power. He will put it all together as usual and stop Kavaliauskas in the second half of the fight in a dominant performance.

Commey is an experienced veteran who doesn't fight with a lot of fanfare but has a lot of ability and heart. Lopez is the hotshot rising star eager to test himself. Is he ready for a quantum leap in competition? We'll find out, but I'm going with Lopez by decision.

Conlan was denied by the judges against Nikitin in the 2016 Olympics. He won't be in the pros. He'll have his hand raised in a clear decision win.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. -- Colby Covington is shadow boxing, warming up for a private striking workout. He's with a coach, inside a room tucked next to an acai bowls cafe. Rock music is playing on Covington's smartphone, and he's wearing a shirt that reads "Stomp my flag, I'll stomp your ass."

It's 1:06 p.m. on a Monday in mid-November at the famed American Top Team training center. A few feet away, on the other side of a closed door, the other pro fighters at the gym -- including ESPN's No. 2 bantamweight, Marlon Moraes, No. 5 flyweight Jussier Formiga and PFL standout Kayla Harrison -- are wrapping up a group class. Covington can't see his teammates when they gather in the center of the mat or hear them when they all yell "ATT!" in unison to end the session. That's partly by design, as some fighters prefer private sessions before a big fight. But for Covington, the isolation is deeper.

"I'm doing stuff behind closed doors now," Covington says during lunch, a month before his first unified title shot. "I don't want people to see my training. That's a big concern of mine. I don't want people to see the game plan I'm working and how much I've improved and the skills I'm developing every single day. You'll see that on fight night when I step into the Octagon."

Aside from being one of the best fighters in the world, Covington is known for being one of the UFC's greatest villains. He is skilled at incendiary -- and sometimes crude -- trash talk.

And it's not just with opponents. Over the last few months, Covington's divisiveness has shaken the walls of American Top Team. He has publicly feuded with several teammates, including former friend -- and perhaps the hottest act in the UFC -- Jorge Masvidal. The Covington-Masvidal beef has defined the growing tension within the gym and put a spotlight on ATT that will grow more intense should the teammates eventually become opponents.

In the meantime, Covington will challenge Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title in the main event of UFC 245 on Saturday in Las Vegas. In his corner will be coaches from a gym -- the only gym Covington has known as a pro -- where at least one of its stars wants him to lose.

"I don't feel comfortable," Covington says. "I feel like I always have to look over my shoulder. I have to watch my back. I don't know if people are gonna come up and try to attack me. I've had people yelling in the gym at me, creating scenes and stuff. It's not a good environment for me there."

But some argue it's an environment Covington helped create.

"Colby doesn't need to watch his back at our gym," says Dan Lambert, owner of American Top Team and Covington's agent. "He might need to watch his back just about anywhere else he goes as a result of what's happened. ... There's pros and cons to being who Colby is and that just might be one of the things he needs to deal with moving forward.

"I think Colby thrives on that chaos," Lambert continues. "['Chaos'] is his nickname and appropriately so. I think it pushes him to go harder at those people and at the gym."

How Covington went from afterthought to one of the sport's most polarizing figures dates back to June 17, 2017, when he beat Dong Hyun Kim. UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told Lambert after that fight that the UFC had no interest in re-signing Covington when his contract was up after his next fight.

Lambert says he told Covington he shouldn't alter his fighting style, but "there's some other s--- you can change."

After decisioning former title challenger Demian Maia on Oct. 28, 2017, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Covington called Brazil a "dump" and its fans "filthy animals" while standing in the Octagon.

Covington's new identity had come to life. And it was drawing attention. Covington's ATT teammate Amanda Nunes lashed out at him on social media. Another Brazilian fighter, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, threw a boomerang at Covington a few weeks later during a fight week in Australia.

The strategy worked. The UFC re-signed Covington, and his next fight was for the interim welterweight title, which he won by beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018.

If not for the sudden turn, Covington says he would have been out of a job, "just another guy nobody cared about." Against Maia, he says he made $30,000. Against dos Anjos in his next fight, Covington says he took home $200,000.

"I'm trying to be a high-paid fighter," Covington says. "I'm not trying to fight for 20 grand the rest of my career, getting my brains knocked in, lose brain cells and not have something to show for it at the end of my career. You see a lot of these guys at the end of their career, they're brain dead, they have no money, they're doing GoFundMe accounts. It's sad, dude. After I'm done, I want to be set, man. I don't want to have to work another job."

After seeing early returns, Covington accelerated his transformation.

Mixed martial arts is an individual sport, but in gyms and training centers all over the world, athletes and coaches work as teams to help fighters prepare and evolve. Many fighters say they wouldn't be where they are without their teammates, sparring partners and coaches.

Covington upset many with his comments in Brazil, but turning against Masvidal fractured the gym.

"You never talk bad about your teammates, doesn't matter if you like them or not," former UFC strawweight champion and ATT veteran Joanna Jedrzejczyk said.

It's one thing to be controversial, but to some fighters at American Top Team, Covington sold his soul for headlines.

Not long ago, Covington and Masvidal were more than teammates. They were friends and roommates.

Covington says the beef started after he beat Maia, because Masvidal lost to Maia earlier that year. Covington says Masvidal became jealous.

Masvidal says the falling-out started when Covington stiffed one of their mutual coaches, Paulino Hernandez, on a payment for working the dos Anjos fight.

But hard feelings were kept private. Masvidal worked Covington's corner when he faced dos Anjos and celebrated his teammate's win. Covington would later say that although Masvidal worked the corner, he didn't help Covington make weight and, in fact, abandoned him.

But when Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in a UFC-record five seconds on July 6, Covington posted on Instagram about always having each other's backs.

Both would later say the relationship had soured by then. The fracture started becoming more public in late July, when rumors circulated that Masvidal could fight for Usman's crown ahead of Covington, who was quoted on July 30 saying it would be crazy if Masvidal landed a title shot despite being 2-2 in his last four fights.

Masvidal and Covington had words in the audience at UFC 241 on Aug. 17 and security stepped in at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The feud boiled over two days later on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, after Covington joked that Masvidal was trying to improve his seating by getting closer to Covington in the first row. Masvidal said Covington told UFC president Dana White that Masvidal was going to assault him -- and that White then warned Masvidal about getting into a confrontation.

Masvidal grew agitated during his interview with Helwani and referred to "some stuff" between Covington and one of the coaches, likely the payment issue. Masvidal said Covington knew what gym he's at and when he's there, and he said he could be there the following day.

Within the next few weeks, Masvidal and Covington had a verbal altercation at American Top Team.

"I said, 'If you don't pay him, I'm going to F you up,'" Masvidal said on The Dan Le Batard Show. "My coach got in between it."

Lambert says he sat down for a meeting with Masvidal after that altercation, and Masvidal agreed not to come to blows with Covington inside the gym out of respect for the team. Masvidal has called ATT home for 15 years.

"They're gonna act like professionals," Lambert says. "They're gonna coexist. They're gonna do what the coaches tell them to do. Or they're not gonna be there. ... I don't think you'll see problems inside the gym, because they respect it."

Masvidal told ESPN he wasn't interested in talking more about a subject that could further divide American Top Team. Both Covington and Masvidal said they would never leave the gym, even if they sign to fight each other.

"We're better than that," Masvidal says of his teammates. "Maybe some shady s--- has gone down. But we're not slimeballs. I'm ATT until the day I die."

Covington and Masvidal are both welterweights, ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, by ESPN. The possibility of them fighting is real, and it's something Covington wants.

"You never talk bad about your teammates, doesn't matter if you like them or not."

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

"It's a big opportunity businesswise for both of us -- and for the gym," Covington says. "The type of hype around that fight? Honestly, that would probably be one of the most sought-after pay-per-views in the history of the UFC."

If Masvidal and Covington do end up booked to fight each other, Lambert says protocols would be put in place at the gym to ensure the best possible environment for both.

"It's not my favorite situation to be in, but I guess at the end of the day it's probably a good problem to have," Lambert says. "It means the gym is doing something right.

"We'll deal with it. We'll keep them separated. They'll train at different times. They'll train in different parts of the gym. They'll train with different training partners and different coaches. They'll both get the best possible training, they'll come in ready and it'll go one way or the other."

If the byproduct of a successful gym is occasionally having two fighters face each other, the downside of a beef like the one between Covington and Masvidal is the atmosphere it would create.

"It's just gonna be like Team Colby and Team Masvidal," Harrison said. "It's gonna literally divide the gym and divide the coaches. Nobody wants that."

But a potential matchup is further away than some think, according to Masvidal's manager, Abe Kawa. Masvidal has mentioned Conor McGregor or Nick Diaz as potential next opponents because they could produce bigger paydays.

"As of right now, he's not in our plans," Kawa says of Covington. "We're so far ahead of that. Usman and Colby are fighting for the right to possibly face Jorge. Jorge is the ticket -- he's the A-side."

On Saturday night, Covington could be considered the A-side for the main event of a card that features three championship fights. That's a long way from worrying about getting released by the UFC.

And while ATT teammates Masvidal, Jedrzejczyk and Dustin Poirier dislike Covington -- Jedrzejczyk said she hopes Usman will "beat his ass" -- there are those who understand his motivation, and even respect it.

"He's accomplished more in a short period of time than a lot of guys that have been in the industry forever," says Thiago Alves, a UFC veteran out of Brazil, a team leader and fighter-coach. "You can't hate the recipe. You don't have to like it, but you have to respect it. I respect the dude and I like him. ... I'm ATT, man. Forever. And he's a great kid. Never disrespected me. Yeah, say some s--- to sell it. But even with everyone here, he's always been super respectful."

Nunes was one of the first to criticize Covington on social media after his "filthy animals" comment about Brazilians. Now they share a head coach, Conan Silveira, and Nunes says she harbors no ill will toward Covington.

Silveira, also a Brazilian, says he has not taken any of Covington's remarks personally and understands what Covington's goals are by talking trash. He says hard feelings within an MMA gym are not rare, but they shouldn't be a problem as long as everyone stays professional about it.

"Do you get along with everyone in your family?" Silveira asked. "Colby at American Top Team is a completely different guy. He's a part of the family. ... Of course I'm gonna support him. It's never that I'm gonna turn my back on him. I say that on behalf of me and them. We're never gonna do that."

Covington believes those who knew him before what pro wrestling fans would call a "heel turn" should see that he is just trying to maximize his income in a cold, dangerous sport.

"It shows me their true colors and it shows me who they really are inside," Covington says. "They can't understand I'm doing this because of business? They've seen me for the last eight years at the gym. And they know who I really am deep down inside. But when a camera turns on, when a mic is put in front of my mouth, it's a different story, because I'm doing business at that point. And that's how I look at it."

Not everyone differentiates between the trash talk of a showman and real bad blood.

"All these words, they do have consequences," Masvidal told Le Batard. Askren, a noted trash-talker himself, found out the hard way. After knocking out Askren, Masvidal added a couple extra shots and later called them "super necessary."

Covington embraces the challenge.

"[There's] a unique element to it where I do actually enjoy and thrive in people wanting to see me get knocked out, people wanting to see me lose and fail," Covington says. "There's something really nice that I like about it that makes me want to just prove them all wrong and shut them all up."

MEXICO CITY -- As Rudy Gay clanged a potential game winner off the rim at the end of regulation against the Phoenix Suns, the San Antonio Spurs set a new NBA mark.

The Spurs eventually took a 121-119 win in overtime for the final NBA Global Games clash of 2019. A sold-out Arena Ciudad de México bore witness to San Antonio's fourth consecutive overtime game, an NBA record according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"It's awful," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich when alerted to his team making history.

In the four-game stretch, the Spurs beat the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and the Suns, while losing only to the Cleveland Cavaliers in double OT on Thursday. San Antonio's record now stands at 10-15.

"It's a credit to us all hanging in there and executing when we're all tired," said Patty Mills, who scored the game's go-ahead winner with 1.7 seconds left. Mills finished with 26 points off the bench to lead all scorers.

"It's good to leave a lasting memory for the fans of Mexico," Mills continued.

Late in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Spurs would be able avoid setting the mark. LaMarcus Aldridge hit a free throw with 2:10 remaining, putting San Antonio ahead 105-98. Even as Phoenix mounted a late comeback, Aldridge's jumper made it 109-106 with 16.7 seconds left. But Phoenix's Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds on the clock to set up Gay's final unsuccessful attempt.

Over the course of NBA history, several teams have played in three consecutive overtime contests. The Dallas Mavericks were the last team to do this, back in February 2016. The Mavs went 1-2 over that span. However, that distinction occurred over the course of 13 days, as the All-Star break came between the second and third games of the streak.

The Spurs, meanwhile, have played their four overtime games in the last 11 days.

San Antonio star DeMar DeRozan credited the crowd for boosting the team's energy down the stretch: "I didn't hear much boos [for either team]. They just appreciated good basketball. There was a lot of energy in there."

A chance for a fifth consecutive overtime game will come on Monday, when the Spurs face the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

DALLAS -- Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic exited Saturday's game against the Miami Heat in the opening minutes due to a sprained right ankle.

X-rays on the ankle were negative, according to the Mavs, who announced at the end of the first quarter that Doncic would not return to the game.

Doncic injured the ankle early in the game when he stepped on Heat guard Kendrick Nunn's foot while driving to the basket.

After not being able to run back on defense, Doncic left the floor during a timeout with 10:20 remaining in the first quarter. He hobbled to the locker room for further evaluation.

Doncic, the Rookie of the Year last season, has established himself as an early MVP candidate. The 20-year-old was averaging 30.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game entering Saturday night and leads the league with eight triple-doubles, including a 41-point performance in Thursday's win over the Detroit Pistons.

Doncic's streak of 20 consecutive games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists ended due to the injury. Only Oscar Robertson had a longer such streak in NBA history.

FLOYDS KNOBS, Ind. – Bo Butner, the 2017 NHRA Pro Stock champion, has inked a deal with Strutmasters for the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Butner will campaign a sleek new look on his Strutmasters/JBA Chevrolet Camaro, featuring the branding of partners Jim Butner Auto Group, Summit Racing, Nitro Fish, and Speed Dawg as well.

Butner, who led the Pro Stock points throughout the entire regular season in 2019, is eager to return to piloting his Ken Black-owned Pro Stock car and grateful to have the support of Strutmasters for the entire 18-race Pro Stock schedule next season.

“We have such a great team, and one that I’m very proud of. We know we have a lot to offer, and to be recognized by a great group of people like Chip Lofton and the folks at Strutmasters just means the world to us,” said Butner, an 11-time Pro Stock event winner.

“It’s definitely a confidence builder to have such awesome partners, both old and new. We’re looking forward to putting the Strutmasters/JBA Camaro in the winner’s circle more than once next year.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 2020 USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series season will open with the series’ debut at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville on May 3.

The half-mile, high-banked pavement oval has hosted six previous USAC national events, but none yet thus far with USAC’s Silver Crown division.

The last visit to the Nashville Fairgrounds by the United States Auto Club came in 2004, when the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series hosted a twin bill of 77-lap main events split by Bobby East and Dave Steele.

USAC National Midgets have raced on the famed track three times. The first such meeting came in a 100-lap event won by three-time series champ Jimmy Davies in 1960.

Dale Swaim captured the Nashville victory the following year in 1961, while 2017 National Midget Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Copp took the final series visit there in 1963.

Ken Schrader took a victory in the city of Nashville in 1988, winning indoors at the Municipal Auditorium in a 100-lap midget feature on the concrete surface.

Silver Crown cars tested at nearby Nashville Superspeedway in 2001, but not yet has a Crown car made a lap in competition in the Music City.

The Silver Crown Champ Cars have made five previous appearances in the state of Tennessee, all of which have occurred in Memphis.

Dave Steele won the first in 1998, followed by Brad Noffsinger in 1999 and Brian Tyler in 2000. Steele triumphed again in 2004 before Kody Swanson won in March during the 2019 season opener.

Swanson, a five-time Silver Crown champion who is the series all-time leader in wins and poles with 29 apiece, is among the expected entries along with series runner-up Justin Grant, Lucas Oil Raceway winner Kyle Hamilton, 10-time Silver Crown winner Bobby Santos and third-place points man David Byrne, among others.