Sports Express | September 20, 2026

Van outpoints Pantoja to defend UFC flyweight title

Source: Bleacher Report

Joshua Van removed any doubt about who rules the UFC flyweight division, defeating Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision to defend his 125-pound belt in the UFC 331 main event. Their first meeting lasted under 30 seconds when Pantoja suffered an arm injury; the rematch delivered fireworks early, with Pantoja leading through a takedown and grappling before Van worked back to his feet and both landed heavy strikes.

In the second round their heads collided, cutting Pantoja open, and the Brazilian appealed to referee Herb Dean to no avail. Van had his strongest round in the fifth, scoring a knockdown and nearly finishing the fight before Pantoja hung on to reach the judges. The 24-year-old had previously defended the belt with a fifth-round TKO of Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May.

"I always want to stay active," Van said, per MMAJunkie's Matthew Wells. "If I'm gonna be training all the time, why not fight all the time, right? That's kind of my mindset." Manel Kape, on a four-fight win streak with four knockouts and no bout booked, could be the next contender.

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Hocevar punches Blaney after late Bristol NASCAR clash

Source: Motorsport.com

Bristol lived up to its billing as "The Last Great Colosseum" on Saturday night. Ryan Blaney passed Carson Hocevar for second place late in the race, and when Hocevar tried to cross him over, Blaney moved to block; Hocevar, known for his aggressive style, refused to lift. Blaney slammed into the wall, finished 33rd and saw his title hopes take a major hit.

Blaney dropped an F-bomb on live TV and told reporters "something's going to happen." "I just felt like he didn't lift, I left him plenty of room. Didn't chop him, didn't run him into the fence, nothing," he said. "I probably haven't had a problem with him in a year-and-a-half, but it's getting old." Hocevar finished third, and when he climbed from his car Blaney was waiting; he grabbed Hocevar's firesuit and Hocevar punched him in the face, knocking his hat off, then landed a second punch that dropped him.

The two were quickly separated, and Hocevar made a gesture at the roaring crowd. He told TV he wasn't trying to wreck Blaney: "It looked like he spun himself, and I spun him... He said one thing and then went after me, and I wasn't going to take it."

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College football Week 3: Ole Miss stuns LSU, Chambliss becomes Heisman favorite

Source: cbssports.com

College football's Week 3 delivered a weekend to remember. The headliner was Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 363 yards and three total touchdowns to upset No. 7 LSU and vaulted to betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy. After the Rebels surrendered a 17-point lead, the Grand Rapids, Michigan native led a game-winning touchdown drive capped by a 14-yard scoring run.

Chambliss had risked returning to school rather than follow Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge, and is now building an unmatched legacy in Oxford. Elsewhere, No. 13 Texas Tech survived a Friday classic against No. 22 Houston, No. 5 Miami got a near-record performance from quarterback Darian Mensah, and No. 23 Louisville beat No. 16 SMU to take control of the ACC race.

Kentucky earned its first top-10 win under coach Will Stein by beating No. 9 Texas A&M. Oklahoma barely escaped New Mexico 14-6, with coach Brent Venables declining to voice confidence in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, while West Virginia beat No. 25 Virginia 38-27 behind five touchdowns from quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

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Caglianone apologizes for punching dugout wall, causing hand injury

Source: MLB.com

PITTSBURGH — A contrite Jac Caglianone was back in the Royals' starting lineup as designated hitter on Saturday. Manager Matt Quatraro had benched him in Friday night's loss to the Pirates for disciplinary reasons after Caglianone cut his left hand punching a dugout wall following a strikeout in Thursday's loss to the Astros in Houston.

"It was a very selfish and immature move on my part," Caglianone said before going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI single in Saturday's 6-5 loss. "These guys [in the clubhouse] hold me to a higher standard. I hold myself to a higher standard. It's definitely a learning experience, something that I want to grow from."

The 23-year-old is having a fine first full season, slashing .279/.332/.485 with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs in 137 games, second on the team behind rookie catcher Carter Jensen. After going 0-for-10 over his previous seven games, he admitted it "just kind of boiled over in Houston": "I cut my hand, and fortunately it was nothing too serious. But I was very selfish and immature, and I put the team in a bad spot."

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Search underway for suspected gunman outside Notre Dame football game

Source: Fox News

A search was underway Saturday night for a suspected gunman near the University of Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, after gunfire was reported in the nearby Eddy Street Commons area while the football team hosted Michigan State.

The university's emergency alert system said the suspect was last seen along the southern edge of campus. People inside Notre Dame Stadium were told to remain there, while others on campus were instructed to shelter in place. St. Joseph County Dispatch received the initial call at about 7:37 p.m., according to ABC57.

The suspect was described as a heavy-set Black male wearing blue shorts, a black shirt and one white shoe. One person was transported to a hospital, though officials did not immediately release their condition or the circumstances surrounding the gunfire. Authorities advised the public to avoid the area.

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Auger-Aliassime leads Canada past France into Davis Cup Final 8

Source: sportsnet.ca

Canada has officially punched its ticket to the Davis Cup Final 8 this November, and Félix Auger-Aliassime had a lot to do with it. On Saturday at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, the world No. 5 rallied past Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to clinch a 3-1 victory over France in the best-of-five second-round qualifier.

The decisive win came just 35 minutes after Auger-Aliassime walked off the court following a doubles loss alongside Duncan Chan — his third match in two days, having also beaten Quentin Halys in three sets on Friday. "I don't really have words," Canada captain Frank Dancevic said. "It's incredible for the Davis Cup, for the country, to have a player like that."

Auger-Aliassime fired 17 aces with just one double fault in a two-hour, 21-minute victory, extending his Davis Cup singles win streak to 10 matches and moving his competition record to 15-5. Playing Davis Cup for the first time in two years and in his home province for the first time, he helped draw 22,340 fans over two days — a new Canadian Davis Cup attendance record.

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Argonauts clinch CFL playoff berth with win over Elks

Source: sportsnet.ca

TORONTO — Chad Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts achieved two preseason goals on Saturday afternoon. Kelly threw two touchdown passes as Toronto held on for a 24-19 win over the Edmonton Elks, clinching a playoff berth with an 8-6 record and ensuring they will open the postseason at BMO Field.

"That's first and foremost (reaching the playoffs)," Kelly said. "It doesn't matter how you do it, (getting) a win is very difficult in this league." Kelly finished 19-of-31 for 373 yards with two interceptions, including a 13-of-19, 289-yard first half with two TDs and a pick. Toronto ran the ball just six times and improved to 4-0 at home; head coach Mike Miller said making the playoffs was a season goal.

Edmonton (10-4) threatened to complete the comeback, driving deep before Tarvarus McFadden's interception with 19 seconds remaining ended the threat. "Turnovers hurt us," Elks head coach Mark Kilam said. "Turnovers in the red zone, especially an unforced error, gives them a touchdown." Kevin Mital, Dymere Miller and Ralph Holley scored Toronto's touchdowns.

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England's 39-match winning run ends in 26-26 draw with Canada

Source: BBC

England's remarkable 39-match winning run came to an end on Saturday as the Red Roses were held to a nail-biting 26-26 draw by Canada at Sandy Park in Exeter. The side that beat Canada in last year's World Cup final could not shake off a relentless opponent, with the teams sharing four tries apiece in front of a crowd of 14,573.

Canada are the first team to avoid defeat against England since New Zealand beat them in the 2022 World Cup final, and England are now unbeaten in 40 Tests. The draw also ended England's 100% home record against Canada, having won all of their previous 13 home meetings. England's 39-match streak began in March 2023, spanning four Women's Six Nations titles, two WXV1 successes and a home World Cup triumph in 2025.

"Canada were good and we were also good," England head coach John Mitchell said. "Canada need to be congratulated on their performance." Canada captain Sophie de Goede was left to rue what might have been — "we could have got the win" — and the two sides will resume their rivalry with two Tests in Canada in October.

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Kyle Lowry awarded the Key to the City of Toronto

Source: toronto.citynews.ca

Kyle Lowry has been handed one of Toronto's biggest honours: the Key to the City. The Raptors legend received the award on Saturday afternoon at a free block party held in Jurassic Park, the famous fan gathering place outside Scotiabank Arena, presented by Mayor Olivia Chow for his extraordinary contributions on the court and in the community.

"Kyle Lowry gave Toronto more than unforgettable moments on the court, he gave our city his heart," Chow said. "His leadership, determination and generosity reflect the very best of Toronto." Lowry played nine seasons for the Raptors after joining in 2012 and helped deliver the franchise's first NBA championship in 2019; a six-time All-Star, he holds team records for assists, steals and three-point field goals.

Off the court he gives back through his Lowry Love Foundation. Earlier this summer he signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire as a Toronto Raptor, and his No. 7 will be raised to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena on January 10, 2027.

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Hundreds protest outside Rogers Place over Oilers' Formenton signing

Source: Edmonton Journal

A few hundred people gathered across from Rogers Place on Saturday night (Sept. 19) to rally for survivors of sexual assault and to voice their dissatisfaction with the Edmonton Oilers' signing of Alex Formenton, as the Oilers prepared to open their home preseason schedule against the Winnipeg Jets.

Mama Stanley, for years among the most recognized superfans in Oil Country, arrived about 15 minutes after the posted start time in her trademark silver sequined dress with a matching bowl on her head and a large "believe" pendant. A group of about 100 protesters met her in a procession line across the street, where chants rang out: "Formie's got to go, no means no."

Formenton, a speedy forward found not guilty of an alleged sexual assault in a London, Ont., hotel room, signed with Edmonton as a free agent and made his preseason debut Saturday. Protest signs read "Acquitted does not equal innocent" and "Drunk isn't consent." Inside the arena, no fans heeded the protesters' calls — his first shift was met with silence before he was cheered when he scored in the second period.

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