UFC books American Top Team stablemates for April main event
Two teammates will fight in the UFC Fight Night 272 main event.
American Top Team members Renato Moicano and Chris Duncan will throw down in a five-round bout April 4 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Saturday.
Moicano (20-7-1 MMA, 12-7 UFC) aims to snap a two-fight skid. Four straight wins and a last-second Arman Tsarukyan withdrawal landed him a title fight vs. Islam Makhachev in January 2025. However, Moicano was promptly submitted in Round 1. He returned in June and lost a unanimous decision to Beneil Dariush.
Duncan (15-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is on a roll with four straight victories including two performance-bonus showings against Bolaji Oki and Mateusz Rebecki. He most recently competed in December when he submitted Terrance McKinney in 2:30.
The updated UFC Fight Night 272 lineup includes:
- Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Jun Yong Park
- Hailey Cowan vs. Alice Pereira
- Alessandro Costa vs. Stewart Nicoll
- Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto
- Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore
- Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini
- Guilherme Pat vs. Thomas Petersen
- Jose Delano vs. Robert Ruchala
- Rafael Estevam vs. Ethan Ewing
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC books teammate vs. teammate for April main event
Duke makes its case as top seed by knocking off top-ranked Michigan in March Madness preview
WASHINGTON (AP) — Duke's 11th victory in program history over the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 was already secure when Isaiah Evans elevated for a dunk at the buzzer and screamed in joy toward the Blue Devils fans along the baseline.
The basket was ultimately waved off for being a fraction of a second too late, but No. 3 Duke had already made its point by outhustling and outplaying top-ranked Michigan for a 68-63 win Saturday night before a riveted crowd of 20,537 in the nation's capital.
“That was a game that didn't feel like it was played in February,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “That felt like a March or April game.”
Evans, freshman star Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils could be back inside Capital One Arena five weeks from now, playing in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Duke was projected earlier Saturday as the No. 1 seed in the East, and now it can make the case as the top overall seed.
Fans traded chants of “Let’s go Duke!” and “Let’s go Blue!” for the rare must-see matchup in a city starved for meaningful basketball. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was broadcast from inside the arena during the teams’ morning shootaround, and tickets for upper-level seats were selling in the $600 range in the hours before the game, with courtside seats upwards of $6,000.
“This game helped us understand what a tournament environment is all about,” Scheyer said. “I'm thankful for this, just this whole event, because I think it really simulates what it's going to be. And whether we have an opportunity to play in Washington or not, this helped us a lot.”
Further complicating the top of the March Madness bracket, No. 2 Houston also lost Saturday, falling at home to No. 4 Arizona. It was the first time since Feb. 8 of last year that the top two teams in the AP poll lost on the same day.
Two weeks removed from losing at rival North Carolina on a buzzer-beater, the Blue Devils ended the 11-game winning streak of another blueblood — one they hadn't faced in a dozen years. Michigan fell to 0-7 in neutral-site meetings with Duke, a series that includes the 1992 national title game, when the Wolverines' “Fab Five” freshmen were blown out by Grant Hill, Christian Laettner and the experienced Blue Devils.
It's Michigan coach Dusty May who has the more veteran squad this year, with Duke led by the 18-year-old Boozer and sophomores Evans and Patrick Ngongba II. In this rare late-February nonconference blockbuster, the Blue Devils had more toughness and poise.
Had Duke fallen apart in the second half, it had a ready-made excuse. Boozer picked up his fourth foul with 8:42 left, and a turnover on Duke’s next possession prompted the loudest cheers of the night by Wolverines fans.
“This guy, he's doing everything. Assists, rebounds, scoring it, taking care of the ball. Fouling,” Scheyer said of Boozer. “We can't have that happening.”
But Michigan’s next two trips ended with a turnover and a missed 3-pointer, both by ex-Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau. Duke still led 57-53 when Boozer reentered with 4:47 remaining.
“When Boozer goes out, you've got to find a way to capitalize and we weren’t able to do that for a number of reasons,” May said. “We had some timely errors defensively that gave them easy baskets.”
While Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg dominated early — he had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first 5:23 — it was Boozer who took over down the stretch. Caleb Foster found him for a wide-open 3-pointer with 1:55 left to make it 64-58.
After Cadeau responded with a 3, Boozer got free inside and his short jumper was ruled good when Michigan's 7-foot-3 Aday Mara was called for goaltending. Boozer finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds as he withstood the physicality of Lendeborg and Michigan's other big men.
“Obviously they're a great front line, but that's not on my mind,” Boozer said. “On my mind is making winning plays, helping our team win. I feel like I did that tonight.”
The matchup was hyped both for the meeting of name-brand schools but also by the analytics crowd. Michigan and Duke are the only two teams rated in the top eight by KenPom in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
But while the Wolverines came in with five players averaging in double-figure scoring, Duke was more resourceful on offense and connected on defense. Too often, the Wolverines settled for contested 3-pointers, leading to one-and-done possessions — Michigan shot 6 of 25 from long range and lost the rebounding battle 41-28.
“We have a versatile group that's different. I think game to game, it can be different things that work for us,” Scheyer said. “Matchups are important, who’s guarding who, and you’re just trying to create an advantage. And then trust these guys to make the right play.”
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Turkish boxer attacks Israeli opponent before fight, Israeli wins in two rounds
Konyuncu was seen bleeding profusely from a wound on the side of his head, and the judges made the call to end the fight there, awarding victory to Gordon.
Israeli Muay Thai (Thai boxing) fighter Ahavat Hashem Gordon beat his Turkish opponent on Saturday evening after the two had a tense face-off the day before.
On Friday after the weigh-in, Gordon, who wore an Israeli flag over his shoulders, faced Ali Konyuncu, and the two exchanged the customary threats before high-profile boxing matches.
During the heated exchange, Konyuncu lunged at Gordon's neck, and the two were both immediately restrained. Both tried to break free of the men holding them back, according to video of the event which circulated on social media. Despite the restraints, Konyuncu managed to kick Gordon in the midsection before the two were effectively separated.
The fight, held in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Saturday night, lasted only two rounds. The first round was inconclusive, with neither side able to gain a clear advantage.
In the second round, Konyuncu socked Gordon with an uppercut before Gordon knocked him to the floor with a blow to the head. When the two were pulled apart, Konyuncu was seen bleeding profusely from a wound on the side of his head, and the judges made the call to end the fight there, awarding the victory to Gordon.
Israel's Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar (Likud) responded to Gordon's win in a Twitter/X post late on Saturday night, saying: "Another brilliant victory for our Israeli fighter."
Israelis in combat sports
Israel has produced a number of excellent athletes in combat sports over the last several decades, including judokas Yael Arad and Oren Smadja, who won Israel its first two Olympic medals (silver and bronze, respectively), at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Since then, Israel has won several other Olympic medals in judo, and sent athletes - including world champion Muay Thai fighters Sarah Abraham and Nili Block - to a variety of high-level boxing competitions.
In November, the Israeli kickboxing delegation put on a strong showing at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi, returning home with 7 medals. The event featured around 2,000 athletes from approximately 85 countries.