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 Sportz Nation - 6/28/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Roberson via Associated Press 60. Caleb Downs Cowboys Safety Last Year's Rank: N/A In my 3rd season of making my Top-100 players list, no rookie has even come close to being in the Top-60 but Caleb Downs is nowhere near a normal rookie. Not only was he the best pound-for-pound player to come out of the 2026 draft class but he went to the Dallas Cowboys where he will have the best opportunity to make the best of h

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/26/2026 Graphic Credits to UFC via sports.yahoo.com In our FN Kape v Horiguchi, which you can find here: Zak went 6-0 in picks with 5 method for 11 points. Matt went 4-2 in picks with 3 method right for 7 points. Points To Date: Zak: 116 (78-45) Matt: 111 (73-50) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/25 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11Rafael Fiziev vs 15Manuel Torres (Pick 'Em) Zak Drapeau - What a war we have i

Photo: Ben Martens-AP If there was one word to describe the 2026 NBA Draft, it would be unpredictable. From the opening selections to the final picks of the night, consensus rankings were thrown out the window as teams reached for prospects they believed in, passed on "highly regarded talent" and made decisions that immediately divided fans and analysts. Some players were picked up much earlier than expected, and others had a fall few could have predicted. As we know: polariz

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation-6/22/2026 Photo Credits to Denis Poroy/Getty Images With the MLB trade deadline just six weeks away, front offices around the league are beginning to decide whether to go all-in on a postseason run or shift their focus toward the future. With one of the deepest and most competitive Wild Card races in recent memory, an unprecedented number of teams remain in contention, setting the stage for what could be one of the busiest and most entertaini

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/25/2026 Photo Credits to Brad Penner via Imagn Images 10. Milwaukee Bucks Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona (#10) Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee (#13) Malique Lewis, SF, NBL (#60) The 2026 offseason for the Milwaukee Bucks s obviously one of their biggest in Franchise history after trading away Giannis Antetokounmpo for a package that included players and picks including one of their 3 selections this week. Brayden Burries was drafted from their own pic

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/24/2026 Photo Credits to Troy Taormina via Reuters Colombia vs Portugal June 27th, 7:30 pm EST Miami, FL Not only is this match for 1st place of Group K but it should be one of the closest battles of the entire Group Stage. Portugal's 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan was a great turn out after their first game drew with the Congo. Meanwhile Colombia has defeated both of the weaker sides of the group but hasn't shown anything close to a 5-0 dominati

by William Gilhooly Sportz Nation- 6/22/2026 Photo Credits to Mary DeCicco/Getty Images As most clubs approach the midway point of their 2026 campaigns, there are already plenty of narratives forming around the MLB Awards. Shohei Ohtani continues to be... well Shohei Ohtan. The American League is up-for-grabs without Aaron Judge, and Jacob Misiorowski appears to be the best thing since sliced bread. And while the dog days of summer are just getting started, were gonna pretend

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 and Matt Hylen Sports Nation - 6/23/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC Manel Kape vs WINNER of Van v Pantoja Matt Hylen - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Kyoji Horiguchi vs WINNER of Almabayev v Johnson Zak Drapeau - Horiguchi is in a vulnerable state of his career after being dismantled this weekend and will be turning 36 years old soon but still has a lot to give this division. After tearing up promotions around the world and then dazzl

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/21/2026 70. Deommodore Lenoir 49ers Cornerback Last Year's Rank: Not Ranked Here's a guy that if you're not a 49ers fan you may never had heard of but has become the backbone of San Francisco's secondary. Lenoir signed a 5-year extension with the 49ers worth up to $88 million and immediately paid dividends for the niners with his best season to date. A rare Cornerback in the league who is considered elite at both zone and man coverage, Lenoir

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/19/2026 Graphic Credit to UFC via f4wonline.com In our UFC Freedom Predictions, which you can find here: Zak went 4-3 in picks with 2 method for 6 points. Matt went 3-4 in picks with 1 method right for 4 points. Points To Date: Zak: 105 (72-45) Matt: 104 (69-48) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/18 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2Manel Kape vs 5Kyoji Horguchi (Kape -155) Zak Drapeau - This is a terrific matchup tha

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 6/19/2026 Photo: Jesse Cumberland-Getty Come one, come all, to our next installment of 2026 NBA Mock Drafts. With draft night rapidly approaching and all 30 teams preparing to make the most important selections of the year, it’s time to take another look at how the first round could end up. From bona fide NCAA superstars at the top to potential steals waiting later in the night, here are the 30 prospects we expect to hear called—and where we beli

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/19/2026 Graphic Credits to clutchpoints.com USA is set to take on the Australia National team in the 2nd game of Group D in the World Cup today at 3 pm EST from Seattle's Safeco Field. The BIG NEWS ahead of this fight is the United States star Forward Christian Pulisic's injured left calf which has made him DOUBTFUL but a game time decision for today's big game. The United States is a -176 favorite to win this match according to Caesar's Sport

by William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 6/18/2026 Photo Credits to Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images The Cubs center fielder’s incredible June has vaulted him into the National League MVP conversation. On Monday night, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong received a thunderous ovation from the Wrigley Field crowd after completing the cycle. Chants of "MVPete" echoed throughout the ballpark as fans celebrated one of the most memorable performances of his young career. The

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/18/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Brunskill/ Fantasia via Getty images Group A Mexico 3 South Korea 3 Czechia 0 South Africa 0 Game Recaps After the first round of games, Group A played out how we expected it to with Mexico and South Korea the victors. Mexico is not only the strongest side of the group but has homefield advantage as well and that was clear in the Cup's opening match against South Africa. South Korea would have a closer, 2-1 vic

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/17/2026 Photo Credits to Kent Nishimura-Pool via Getty Images White House Setting and Atmosphere First things first, for all the hype that was surrounding this event from the fact that a lot of people considered it ludicrous, unpatriotic and a tax payer's worst nightmare... This will not only be 2026's Fight Card of the year but one of the best of all time. The event started off in considerable panic when around 6:00 pm EST, (or 2 hour before

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 - 6/16/2026 Photo Credits to Robert Gauthier via Getty Images Nation GP Pts GF GA United States 1 3 4 1 Australia 1 3 2 0 Turkiye 1 0 0 2 Paraguay 1 0 1 4 United States Looking Good The United States stormed into the 2026 World Cup on Friday with a dominant 4-1 victory against Paraguay. The match took place in California in front of a raucous United States crowd and the Americans took full advantage of their home field with goal after goal incl

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC Justin Gaethje vs Arman Tsarukyan Zak Drapeau - Captain America Justin Gaethje just had what some fans would honestly call, the greatest moment in UFC history. One of the most beloved and exciting fighters in UFC history finally became Undisputed Champion after putting on one of the overall best fights of the year and maybe in UFC history. Gaethje’s moment and era of UFC Champion is already