The Rundown: Weekend Wrap Up Edition - Getting You Up To Speed

If you thought your weekend was rough, be glad you weren’t playing college football or fighting in the octagon where mayhem ensued. Don’t worry, your Monday will be better.

Deep breath,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

• Kind of a big deal. Conor McGregor once again lives up to the hype surrounding his fights.  He knocked out Eddie Alvarez in the second round on Saturday night to be crowned the lightweight champion. McGregor became the first fighter to simultaneously hold two different championship belts (lightweight and featherweight). The fight drew a record $17.7 million in ticket sales for the first ever UFC event in New York.   

NCAA Basketball (College)

• There goes the neighborhood. College basketball season began over the weekend. To celebrate the start of the college basketball season, ESPN will show 24 hours of live men’s and women’s college basketball starting tonight. We’re calling in sick with basketball fever. Games begin at 6 pm EST. Want the full schedule? It’s right here.

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• It’s getting good. In the Chase for the Cup, Joey Logano won the race in Phoenix securing his spot in the final round of four which takes place Sunday. The other drivers in the final round are Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.

Soccer

• Adios amigos. Team U.S.A men’s soccer team lost on Friday to Mexico in World Cup qualifying game. They will play an important game against Costa Rica on Tuesday. 

Overtime

• This weekend the NFL (National Football League) observed Veteran’s Day by honoring veterans in its “Salute to Service.” The Carolina Panthers took it a step further by putting decals on their helmets representing the initials of a fallen soldier that they were playing for. The team provided each of the players with the story of their solider to understand their sacrifice. The players signed the helmets and sent messages to the families of the fallen soldiers.  

Sideline stat

• It was a tough weekend to be a top 10 ranked college football team with three of the top four teams losing (Clemson #2, Michigan #3, Washington #4). There are only two undefeated teams left in college football – Alabama (#1) and Western Michigan (#21).

Coaches’ corner

• In the most dramatic ending since The Bachelorette finale, the Denver Broncos blocked the New Orleans Saints extra point and ran it back to score and win the game. In the NFL, the defense can return a blocked extra point, which happens after a touchdown, for two points. Like The Bachelorette, there are many ways to score in football.

The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About UFC and Other Trending Topics

Now that the election fight is over we bring your attention back to New York where another historic fight is happening this weekend. Instead of crying or gloating, we present you with something else to talk about besides the election results.

You’re always a winner with us,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five things to know about UFC

1. UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. MMA (Mixed Martial Arts ) refers to the sport, like baseball. UFC is the organization, like the MLB (Major League Baseball) is to baseball. It may appear that MMA is only a barbaric brawl but that is a misconception. It is sport of strategy, fought in the octagon (the ring), that is made up of many different disciplines some of which include boxing, judo, muy thai, jiu jitsu and wrestling.
2. Dana White, current UFC President, and his high school buddies and Las Vegas casino owners, the Fertitta brothers bought the UFC franchise back in 2001 for $2 million. Fast forward to July 2016 when they signed a deal to sell the franchise for a reported $4 billion.
3. One of the biggest fights for UFC outside of the octagon was obtaining approval of the rules and regulations by athletic commissions across U.S. and around the world. They needed this approval to host fights in each location. It took 14 years but this year they were given the green light in New York, the last state approval needed in the U.S.
4. UFC 205 is this weekend and will be the first fight in New York, taking place at Madison Square Garden (MSG). The fight is already breaking records including the gate record for MSG (the gate is money brought in by ticket sales). According to Dana White, this fight has surpassed the current MSG record of $13.5 million and 21,284 spectators, a record set by a battle between Lewis/Holyfield (boxing) in 1999. 
5. Headliner Conor McGregor is the biggest financial draw in UFC history with three straight million-buy pay-per-views under his belt and UFC 205 appears to be his fourth. (This means more than one million people bought his previous fights on pay-per-view. Cha-ching)! McGregor will face Eddie Alvarez for lightweight title. 

NCAA football (College)

• The results are in (no not those results). The new college football playoff rankings were released Tuesday and the Washington Huskies moved into the coveted number #4 spot. (The top four teams play for the national championship).

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Michigan

4. Washington

Overtime

• The Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City is famous for being haunted, but NBA (National Basketball Association) teams still stay there. The hotel is haunted by Effie who allegedly threw herself off the 10th floor with her baby. Players have claimed to see a ghost in their room causing some scaredy cat players room with their teammates. For the record, this is the same hotel whose bed bugs caused Kyrie Irving to miss a game last season. I ain't afraid of no ghost, but bed bugs? Terrifying. 

Sideline stat

• The Cleveland Cavaliers were the lone undefeated team in the NBA (National Basketball Association) at 6-0. Tuesday night the Atlanta Hawks handed the Cavs their first loss of the season. 

Coaches’ Corner

• For some reason MLB (Major League Baseball) thought it was a great idea to announce their Golden Glove winners last night while election results were rolling in. (Yes there were other things on TV).  The Gold Glove award goes to one defensive player per position in each league. The San Francisco Giants lead with three winners. Here’s the complete list of winners.

The Rundown: 5 Things to Know About The Ryder Cup

Don’t put your Team U.S.A. shirt away from the Olympics quite yet. Golf’s Ryder Cup starts tomorrow and Team U.S.A. could use your support. Just make sure you wash your America shirt from August first.

For the birdie,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five Things To Know About the Ryder Cup

1. The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between 12-man teams from the U.S. and Europe. The location rotates every competition between a European and American course of the home team’s choice.
2. Teams are made up of a captain, vice captains and players. The captains do not play in the competition, but act as coaches. Players collect an individual score each day but the overall team score is what matters.
3. The U.S. players are chosen by points compiled by the PGA. European players are chosen in a similar fashion by the European Tour's World Points List. The team captains also have the honor of selecting four players (U.S.) or three players (European) of their choice to round out the roster. 
4. The competition started in 1927, but the first left-hander to play in the competition wasn’t until 1977 – Englishman Peter Danson. 
5. There have only been six holes-in-one in Ryder Cup history, and only one was by an American – Scott Verplank. 

• Extra credit – The women of golf play in a similarly formatted competition, The Solheim Cup, in the off years of the Ryder Cup.

NFL (National Football League)

• Don’t rush it. Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt had back surgery in the off-season and miraculously came back to play in the season opener. After week three, Watt re-injured his back and will be placed on the IR (injured reserved). You know somewhere his mama is shaking her head and saying "I told you not to play. See what happens?"

MLB (Major League Baseball)

• Bigger than sports. Fallen teammate Jose Fernandez was scheduled to pitch Monday for the Miami Marlins but tragically lost his life Sunday morning in a boating accident. After canceling Sunday’s game to deal with the tragic loss, Marlins played the Mets in a highly emotional game on Monday. The Marlins held a touching tribute to Fernandez and all wore the #16 in honor of him. Leadoff hitter Dee Gordon hit his first home run of the season into the upper deck. In an interview Gordon said “I’ve never hit a ball that far....I don’t have kids, so that’s the best moment of my life to hit a home run for him.” Marlins won the game. 
• Lovable losers no more. The Chicago Cubs continue to show their dominance, winning their 100th game of the season for the first time since 1935. (The season is 162 games). They also clinched home-field advantage for the National League playoffs.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

• New York state of mind. Now that MMA is legalized in New York State, UFC is looking to make a huge splash with UFC 205 on November 12th at Madison Square Garden. They announced that the fight card will feature three championship fights, including top draw Conor McGregor (he was one the fighters involved in the water bottle throwing press conference) vs Eddie Alvarez.  

Overtime

• During the Red Sox-Yankees (MLB) game, a Yankees fan was set to propose to his girlfriend but when they appeared on the big screen for the proposal, he realized he lost the ring. Through a panicked group effort the ring was found and the proposal went on as planned. Don’t worry she said “yes!” 

Sideline stat

• While the U.S. leads the overall win total (25-13) in the Ryder Cup, they haven’t won the competition since 2008.

Coaches’ corner

• What is the injured reserve list? The term injured reserve list or “IR” is an official designation used by the NFL for players with a major injury who temporarily cannot play. This allows a team to open up a spot on the active roster (guys who are eligible to play) to fill with a replacement player. Being on the “IR” means the player cannot return to the active roster for at least eight weeks.