UFC TIME | TMK #18

Today, on TMK:

Big dudes are going at it, college students are getting drunk, and James Harden gets roasted.

Catch Up:

• 🏀 NBA Quickfire Recap

The Main Events:

• 👊 UFC 295

• 🏈 College Football Week 11

• ⚽ Top European Football

• 🏀 NBA

Extra Time:

• ❓ Sports Trivia

• 🗣️ Quote of the Day

• ⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

• 🧮 Stat of the Day

• 📽️ Video of the Day

🏀 NBA Quickfire Recap

Detroit Pistons 106 - 114 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers roll on to a 7th straight victory. Embiid finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey looks more and more like prime Harden every day; he scored 29 points and dished 11 assists.

Killian Hayes and Cade Cunnigham scored 23 and 21, respectively. The Pistons are not yet contending, but their young core looks promising.

Washington Wizards 117 - 124 Charlotte Hornets

Remember Gordon Hayward? He showed up big today for the Hornets with a team-leading 27 points. Lamelo Ball added 25 but most impressive was center Mark Williams with 24 rebounds, including 15 offensive rebounds.

8 players scored in double digits for the Wizards but none of them scored more than 17. Have they not heard this is a superstar league now?

Boston Celtics 121 - 107 Brooklyn Nets

The Celtics didn't need to do anything special and led by 10 from the second quarter and onwards. Brown scored 28, Tatum 23.

The Nets are still figuring things out; they can look like a cohesive unit but they’re lacking leadership. Lonnie Walker led scorers from the bench, with 20 points.

Houston Rockets 104 - 101 New Orleans Pelicans

The Rockets winning 5 games in a row was not on my bingo card this year. Yet VanVleet (20 points) and Jalen Green (25 points) got it done. The Rockets have played 6 of their first 8 games at home, but given their outlook for this year, it’s still commendable.

The Pelicans have the makings of a good team with Willamson (24 points) and Ingram (31 points), but the bench was abysmal today and contributed a lowly 7 points.

Memphis Grizzlies 121 - 127 Utah Jazz

The Jazz managed to squeak by the shorthanded Grizzlies with Markkanen and Clarkson scoring 26 each. Unfortunately, it looks like almost every player on the Jazz has taken a step back this year.

Desmond Bane is making the most of Ja Morant’s absence. He’s scoring a career-high 25 points a game on average and is justifying the maximum contract he got in July. He put up 37 points in a losing effort today.

San Antonio Spurs 110 - 117 Minnesota Timberwolves

At 6-2, the Timberwolves are this year’s sleeper team. Between the emergence of Edwards (28 points) and an in-form KAT (29 points), they have the pieces they need to at the very least make the playoffs this year.

The Spurs are on a 4-game losing streak after starting the season 3-2, but there is a lot to like in last year’s worst team. Wemby had a strong showing with 29 points, and he’s averaging 19 points this year and unsurprisingly leads all rookies.

Dallas Mavericks 144 - 126 LA Clippers

The Clippers finally scored more than 100 points a game…only to get blown out by the Mavs.

The Mavs’ big two - Luka (44 points) and Irving (27 points) - outscored the Clippers’ big four - Leonard (26 points), Harden (14 points), Westbrook (14 points), and George (8 points).

The Clippers have a lot to figure out.

Phoenix Suns 119 - 122 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers look good when LeBron (32 points) and AD (18 points) play together. But the most important takeaway from this game was Cam Reddish who contributed 17. The Lakers must continue to extract performance from players not named LeBron if they want to go anywhere this season.

We finally saw a glimpse of the aggressive Bradley Beal Phoenix will need to contend this year. He had 24 points in 32 minutes. Durant did the heavy lifting once again with 38 points, but it wasn't enough. If Phoenix can finally stay healthy, they’ll be a fun team to watch.

Sacramento Kings 105 - 98 Oklahoma City Thunder

This is exactly the type of effort the Kings need from Huerter (28-9), Murray (24-11), and Sabonis (17-13-13) to win while De’aaron Fox is out. If the Kings can stay around the 0.500 mark while Fox recovers, they’ll be in a good spot to fight for the playoffs later this year.

SGA tried to do it all on his own with 33 points but ultimately did not receive enough help from the Thunder to stay competitive against the Kings. This was a poor offensive showing from the Thunder’s starting five as they went 2-12 from the three.

👊 UFC 295

Two main events. Two title fights. Let’s go.

Procházka vs Pereira - Light Heavyweight Championship

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Procházka is an absolute monster. Consider this: Procházka hasn’t lost since 2015 and hasn’t had a fight go to the judges since 2016. Every fight that features him is an all-out war.

Since 2016, he delivered 10 KOs and one submission, and the submission came after a brawl in which both fighters were dropped multiple times. His career record is 29-3-1, but his record in the last decade is 23-1-1.

He already won the UFC Light Heavyweight championship in June 2022 but had to vacate the title due to injury. The only issue I see with Procházka is that he hasn’t fought since. It’s been 17 months. Procházka is only 31, so age isn’t a major concern, but rust definitely is.

Procházka will be taking on Pereira, a former UFC Middleweight champion. Pereira shocked the world a year ago by knocking out Israel Adesanya, who was widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the time. Adesanya regained his belt in a rematch and Pereira moved up to Light Heavyweight, where he defeated former champion Blachowicz in a split decision to earn this title fight.

Pereira is 8-2 but has defeated multiple UFC champions, including reigning Middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

The Light Heavyweight UFC division has been in an injury-riddled limbo for the past two years. Here’s to hoping that this fight rekindles this division’s fire.

Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall - Interim Heavyweight Title

The unfortunate injury of Jon Jones denied us a title and legacy fight with Stipe Miocic, but we’re getting the second-best thing: a fight between the two guys who were in line to fight the winner of the Jones - Miocic fight.

And while this fight doesn’t include names as big as Jones or Miocic, we’re still in for a treat. This is a fight between two fighters who don’t let the fight go beyond the first round.

Sergei Pavlovich comes into this fight at 18-1, including a 6-fight winning streak - get this - all by first-round KO. Pavlovich hasn’t heard the bell ending a round in five years. He is known for his freakishly long reach, which endangers every opponent who steps into the cage with him.

The only issue with Pavlovich is the lack of a main-event win against a former champion or any recognizable top-tier opponent.

Tom Aspinall is 13-3 and has never had a fight go to the judges. He was riding an 8-fight winning streak until he injured his knee against Blaydes 15 seconds into the first round. The injury forced him to take a year off to heal.

He came back in 2023 and sent a message, knocking out Polish fighter Marcin Tybura in 73 seconds. Like Pavlovich, he hasn’t fought a big name quite yet.

This is a golden opportunity for both fighters to launch their career into superstardom.

⚽ Top European Football

La Liga

Real Madrid (2) - Valencia CF (8)

Madrid is coming off a scoreless draw at home against Rayo Vallecano, and not for a lack of trying. Real was never in danger, but relentless attacking did not deliver a goal against a resilient Rayo Vallecano.

This draw cost them first place in La Liga, as they find themselves behind the early-season surprise Girona.

Rayo Vallecano (9) - Girona (1)

Speaking of, Girona will try to avoid the fate of Real Madrid and get a better outcome against Rayo Vallecano. Girona’s first 12 games have been nothing short of spectacular, with ten wins, a draw, and a loss.

The key to Girona’s early season success has been its attack, as they lead La Liga with 29 goals scored, ahead of Real Madrid (23) and Barcelona (24).

Bundesliga

VfB Stuttgart (3) - Borussia Dortmund (4)

This is an intriguing match between two teams that started the season strong but seem to have run out of steam.

Dortmund’s recent loss 4-0 at home to Bayern Munich still stings, as does the 3-3 against Frankfurt who led all game until a late equalizer for Dortmund that rescued a point. Dortmund will be looking to have a more solid game and play like it did against Newcastle in the Champions League.

Stuttgart is coming off two upsetting losses in a row. It lost 2-0 last week against lowly Heidenheim, and 3-2 to upstart Hoffenheim. They are still holding on to third place, but Dortmund will be a bigger challenge and the team is not in good form.

Ligue 1

Reims (4) - Paris Saint-Germain (2)

PSG is on a five-game winning streak in the French league but just lost 2-1 away to AC Milan. Granted, the quality of Reims is not exactly Champions League material, but they’ve played admirably well at times.

PSG has been struggling to play consistently away from home this year, and their away victories have been anything but clean. Reims will try to be the latest David to make Goliath fall.

Le Havre (7) - Monaco (3)

Monaco stands only two points behind Nice and PSG in first and second place, respectively. Le Havre is having a good start to the year and has recently beaten a good Toulouse team 2-1 away. This is a trap game for Monaco as Le Havre tends to eke out draws.

🏈 College Football Week 11

Penn State #10 (8-1) - Michigan #3 (9-0)

9-0 Michigan is putting its perfect record on the line against the 8-1 Penn State.

Michigan has been dealing with some off-field drama, with their coach, Jim Harbaugh, getting banned from the sidelines. But despite all that, they've been handling it well and even already won some games without Harbaugh earlier in the season.

Penn State is all about that defense, especially against the run. They've got the best run defense in the nation, allowing only 60.3 yards per game. However, they need to step it up compared to last year when Michigan's rushing attack went wild.

On Michigan's side, keep an eye on their quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. He is a Heisman Trophy candidate and will be looking to have a signature win. Penn State needs to focus on shutting down Michigan's run game, but they also can't overlook McCarthy's athleticism and ability to keep their offense on track.

Washington #5 (9-0) - Utah #18 (7-2)

Utah faces a must-win situation in Seattle to keep its Pac-12 title hopes alive, while the undefeated Huskies look to maintain their perfect record. Utah's success hinges on setting an early tone, as they struggle when playing catch-up.

Washington QB and Heisman candidate Michael Penix Jr. will look to have a standout performance against Utah's tough defense to stay in the running. Washington’s offense is electric and is averaging 42 points a game. It is also averaging a CFB-leading 383 yards passing per game, almost 50 yards more than the team in second place.

The game's outcome depends on how well Utah can trade touchdowns and punch back against a potent UW offense.

Georgia #2 (9-0) - Ole Miss #9 (8-1)

Georgia's got a shot at clinching the SEC East again if they can take down the No. 9 Rebels on their home turf. Georgia has a solid track record against Ole Miss, winning 10 of the last 11 games, but Ole Miss did take the last meeting in 2016.

Georgia's got some defensive work to do, especially after a less-than-stellar performance against Missouri's run game last week. They'll need to tighten up against Ole Miss' two-pronged threat of tailback Quinshon Judkins and quarterback Jaxson Dart, who can both do damage on the ground.

Oregon #6 (8-1) - USC (6-3)

Oregon enters the matchup with a potent offensive weapon in running back Bucky Irving, who has been a standout force throughout the season. Irving has amassed an impressive 821 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. USC, on the other hand, struggles defensively against the run, ranking as one of the nation's worst

USC's offense revolves around quarterback Caleb Williams, despite his season not living up to the initial Heisman expectations. Williams still leads the nation in touchdowns, showcasing his ability to make impactful plays. USC is a dangerous team, but their defense has been their weak point all season. Oregon will win if USC can’t stop the run.

🏀 NBA

Orlando Magic - Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are coming off a 126-124 loss to the Pacers, which Lillard missed with a calf injury. It’s unclear if he’ll be back for tonight’s game, and it’s reasonable to expect Giannis to carry the Bucks’ offense again if he doesn't.

The Magic are 4-4 and have been outperforming this year given their lackluster roster. Banchero and Wagner lead the Magic with 18 points per game, but the Magic still feel a season or two away from being considered a good team.

Boston Celtics - Toronto Raptors

The Celtics bounced back from two consecutive losses against the Nets and look like the complete package. They’re deep and talented enough to not need every player to be at their best every game - at least in the regular season.

Toronto is an intriguing team this season and has 4 players - Barnes, Anunoby, Schroder, and Siakam - averaging over 17 points per game. They’re playing good defense, and today will be a good test to see if they can compete in the East.

Atlanta Hawks - Miami Heat

Atlanta is coming off a win in Mexico thanks to 41 points from Trae Young. Young hasn’t looked his best before this game and is averaging the least points per game (24) since his rookie season. Good thing Dejounte Murray is stepping up and looks like a contender for the most improved player this year.

The regular-season Heat somehow always look less impressive than the playoff Heat. They’re 4-4 and almost seem to be doing the minimum they need to stay around 0.500. Herro, not Butler, has been the Heat’s first option this season. I haven’t quite figured out this Heat’s team.

Golden State Warriors - Cleveland Cavaliers

Everyone talks about LeBron dominating at 38, but Curry is having one of the best shooting seasons ever at 35. He’s shooting 47% from the three - a career-high - while shooting threes at the second-highest rate of his career. He’s fourth in the league with 30 points per game and looks as fluid and sharp as ever.

The Cavs look better on paper than they have so far on the court, but they haven’t been able to stay healthy long enough to unlock their potential as a team. Led by Mitchell with 30 points per game, this Cavs team has a lot more potential than their 3-5 record suggests.

❓Sports Trivia

The Denver Nuggets have the best record in the NBA at 8-1. Which team holds the record for the best start to a season in NBA history?

🗣️ Quote Of The Day

“I’ll be bald in 10 years”

Arsenal Manager Arteta’s reaction to the International Football Association Board’s boss saying it’ll take 10 years to iron out all the issues with VAR.

Jokes aside, Arteta has great hair.

⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

Tyrese Maxey Channeling His Inner James Harden

The crossover into the double-step back. Maxey is becoming exactly what the 76ers need him to be: a team player version of James Harden.

🧮 Stat Of The Day

Kevin Durant hasn’t beaten LeBron James in over 2000 days

So what if they’ve only played 2 games in the past five years? A stat is a stat.

📽️ Video of the Day

Commentator goes OFF on James Harden

“You’re not the beard, you’re not the system, you’re the problem”. OOF.

Click HERE to watch on Youtube.

Wrap Up

Something about two big dudes throwing punches in a cage is very satisfying to my monkey brain. Today is going to be fun. See you tomorrow.

Trivia answer: The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors started the season 24-0 on their way to an NBA-best 73-9 season.