by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 7/27/2026 Photo Credits to Fadel Senna/ AFP via Getty Images Magomed Ankalaev vs Carlos Ulberg Light Heavyweight Championship Zak Drapeau - The way the top of the 205-division is set up, the original fight between Ankalaev and Rountree should've been either a #1 contender fight or even an interim title fight. Now that Ankalaev has gone through Bogdan Guskov in such dominant fashion, the only way to move forward is to give him a ti

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/29/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 11Rafael Fiziev vs 9Dan Hooker Zak Drapeau - Fiziev is definitely a better fighter when in front of his home country of Azerbaijan because he looked phenomenal this weekend. His leg kicks were razor-sharp and set up the knockout spinning head kick beautifully. I don't think this win automatically brings him back to a path to the title, but it definitely keeps him

by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 6/23/2026 Washington Wizards AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU Photo: Craig Strobeck/ImagnImages Age: 19 Height: 6'9" Pro Comp: Tracy McGrady Dybantsa is the slam dunk #1 pick in this draft even if Peterson's fit on the Wizards is actually a bit better. Dybantsa has huge potential as a scorer with his frame and athleticism and a silky shooting stroke to match. Dybantsa isn't quite the caliber of #1 pick that we saw last year with Cooper Flagg

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/17/2026 Photo Credits to Hans Lucas via AFP via Getty images 1. Washington Wizards A.J. Dybantsa, SF, BYU 6'9" - 210 lbs Dybantsa is the no doubt, number 1 pick this year in the same way Cooper Flagg was last year. A tall and long player who can score from all three levels and has the athleticism to be a solid defender too, Dybantsa will definitely be the Wizards pick even if other players such as Peterson might be a slightly better fit. _ _

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/27/2026 Photo Credits to Robert Alam/ISI Photos via Getty images 10. Christian Pulisic - United States The host countries for the 2026 World Cup are the United States, Mexico and Canada and of the 78 players on those rosters, none have the star power of AC Milan's and United States' Forward Christian Pulisic. Pulisic will be competing in his 2nd World Cup as a member of the United States team that was bounced out in the Round of 16 in 2022. Pu

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/24/2026 Photo by Kirby Lee/ Imagn Imgaes via CNN 1. Fernando Mendoza - LV Grade: A- The right pick. Mendoza isn't the perfect QB prospect but he's very good and the best of the class. He'll be under no pressure to start until he's ready with Kirk Cousins on the roster and is already surrounded by Jeanty and Bowers. 2. David Bailey - NYJ Grade: A I had Bailey as the 2nd pick all along and a much better fit for the Jets than Reese so I love the

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/23/2026 My Final Mock of the year will come with no trades. While I expect there to be more than a few trades going down today, today's exercise is all about rumors I've heard, team expectations and player evaluations. While I wouldn't make all of these picks myself, this is the full mock draft I expect to actually happen tonight. You can also check out: my What I Would Do Mock Draft here and my Top-150 Prospect Big Board. Happy Draft Day! -Z.

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/21/2026 Photo by Kirby Lee/ Imagn Images *Click For Final Top-150 Big Board *Click For Final Positional Rankings _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1. Fernando Mendoza QB Las Vegas Raiders The Raiders need a Quarterback and Mendoza is the easy pick. Mendoza will get to sit behind Cousins for a few games before taking the reigns and becoming their Franchise guy for the next decade. 2. Arvell Reese Edge New York Jets The Jets have been linked to Bailey a

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 4/21/2026 Photo by Simon Fearn/ Imagn Images Mike Malott vs LOSER Joaquin Buckley/Sean Brady Matt Hylen - Mike Malott looked fantastic in his first career UFC event. He was patient, but once he found his shot, it was over for Gilbert Burns. With Malott now in the top-15, I think a challenge is on the horizon for the Canadian native. With the loser of Joaquin Buckley and Sean Brady needing a fight down, I think it could make for a

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/8/2026 Graphic by NFL For the first time in the 2026 Draft season I will be putting out a Mock Draft with trades. This exercise helps with 2 things, the first being it gives everyone an idea of the most likely candidates to move picks when it comes to the First Round on April 24 and also shakes up the normal routine of draft picks we see selected just about at the same selection just about every time. I will probably make a separate list just

Photo graphic by Sporting News Selection Sunday consistently follows the same pattern for fans: the bracket is revealed, analysts begin highlighting potential upsets, and fans quickly start discussing which teams might make it all the way. However, for the players, March is about more than just the bracket; it's about the people alongside you in the locker room, teammates who motivated you during early morning workouts, coaches who supported you when the season became challen

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/11/2026 So with full disclosure I am not a Patriots fan and while this article's topic may seem absurd to some of you, It's worth exploring after his abysmal performance in not only Super Bowl LX but the entire 2026 Playoffs. Photo by Adam Hunger/ Associated Press Content Services for the NFL When asking if Maye is Overrated, one needs to first conclude how he is "rated" at the moment by most pundits and media alike. In short, Maye is closely

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 2/2/2026 Alexander Volkanovski vs WINNER of Lerone Murphy vs Mosvar Evloev Photo by Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC Matt Hylen After watching his post-fight octagon interview, it seemed to me that Volkanovski assumed that he would face the winner of a potential title eliminator between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. He was right to assume that, as a title eliminator between the two was announced on Monday afternoon. Whoever the winner

C/O to talksport.com I have been covering the NFL Draft process and the Prospects involved for over 5 years now and in that time I have kept expansive spreadsheets in ranking every prospect based on their athletic ability, position skill, future potential and basement floor as a pro. With the 2025 NFL Draft set to add new NFL players and future integral pieces to teams in only 9 days, I thought it'd be a good idea to showcase some of the top incoming players by showing ju