UFC 205

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: Weekend Preview Edition - Hug A Veteran

Today is Veteran’s Day where we honor those who have fought for our freedom. Take the time to thank a veteran for their service. If you want to talk to them about sports, we have you covered for that too.

There’s something for everyone,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – It’s Friday and that means it’s time for a tailgate treat! Today’s feature is Warm Artichoke and Bacon Dip. Did someone say bacon? 


NFL (National Football League)

  • No vacancy. The vote to raise the hotel tax to pay for the San Diego Chargers’ new stadium failed in this week’s election. The future of the team remains uncertain. As you may recall, the Chargers we’re approved by the NFL owners to move the team to Los Angeles and share a stadium with the newly anointed Los Angeles Rams. The Chargers have until January 15th to make a decision to move to L.A. or not.  

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

  • The wait is over. This weekend will feature the first UFC fight ever in New York – UFC 205. Headliner Conor McGregor is the organization’s top money maker. To prove it, he’s been driving around the city in a Rolls Royce with a custom paint job featuring his face and nickname “Notorious.”  Here's the fight card (a menu of who’s fighting). Don’t be surprised if the women’s fights end up being the best. Click here for our Five Things to Know About UFC.

NCAA Basketball (College)

  • Aloha basketball. College basketball begins today with four teams playing in this year’s Armed Forces Classic in Hawaii. One of the teams, The University of Arizona, will wear special “U.S.S. Arizona” uniforms to honor the ship that sank in the battle at Pearl Harbor. For the full college basketball schedule, click here

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

  • Race to the finish. Sunday will be the last chance for six drivers to claim the final two spots in the elimination-style playoffs - the “Chase for the Cup.” A total of four drivers will move on to the final round to race for the title of “NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion.”  (Drivers Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards have already claimed their spots in the final round with previous wins).  

Overtime

  • Florida International University tight end Jonnu Smith is out the rest of the season with an injury that was not sustained through football. His girlfriend dumped a pot of boiling water on his head during an argument. Yowza! She is five months pregnant with their child and now faces felony assault charges.

Sideline stat

  • Today is one of the most important rivalry games for Team U.S.A. as they look to qualify for the 2018 Soccer World Cup. They will take on southern neighbor Mexico in Columbus, OH. Team U.S.A. has beaten Mexico 2-0 in the last four World Cup qualifying matches played in Columbus. The game can be seen on Fox Sports One at 8 pm EST.   

Coaches’ Corner

  • It was purely coincidence that the Cleveland Cavaliers made the traditional NBA Champions trip to the White House on the same day as the new President Elect. There was no talk of politics, only praise from President Obama for the Cavs who overcame an insurmountable deficit in last season’s finals to beat the Golden State Warriors.

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


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.