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The welterweight champions from both of the PFL’s past seasons are here. So is a champ from another promotion who was brought in to raise the bar for this season. And then there’s the surprise star who’s found recent success in both boxing and MMA who spoiled the party for a high-profile former UFC titlist.

As the PFL playoffs get underway with semifinals in the lightweight and welterweight divisions (live on ESPN+), there are a lot of stories unfolding Friday evening at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Headlining the event is a clash that many inside and outside the PFL anticipated before the season when the company signed former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald. He takes on 2019 season champion and 2018 finalist Ray Cooper III.

The 2018 welterweight champ is in the co-main event. Magomed Magomedkerimov, fighting for just the second time this year, takes on late replacement Sadibou Sy.

At lightweight, the main attraction is Clay Collard — but he wasn’t supposed to be. Collard, a longtime MMA fighter who became an unlikely sensation in boxing by winning five straights bout in 2020, opened the season by upsetting Anthony Pettis.

Collard takes on Raush Manfio, while the other semifinal features No. 1 seed Loik Radzhabov vs. No. 4 Alexander Martinez in a rematch from the regular season. Martinez, the lower seed, actually won that first fight.

The action from Hollywood, Florida gets underway with six non-tournament bouts in the 155- and 170-pound divisions. Follow along throughout the night for live results and insights.


Current fight

Welterweight: Kyron Bowen vs. Michael Lombardo

Betting odds (via DraftKings): Bowen: +410 | Lombardo -575


Lightweight: Elvin Espinoza def. Hopeton Stewart via first-round technical submission via rear-naked choke

The card opened with a matchup of two Miami-based fighters both making their PFL debuts, and the unbeaten Espinoza was in control from the start. Espinoza got an early takedown and worked for a rear-naked choke, which he was able to lock in. The choke rendered Stewart unconscious, and referee Keith Peterson stepped in to end the fight at 2:45 of Round 1.


Still to come:

ESPN2/ESPN+ (semifinals), 9 p.m. ET

Welterweight: No. 2 Rory MacDonald vs. No. 3 Ray Cooper III

Welterweight: No. 4 Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. No. 5 Sadibou Sy

Lightweight: No. 2 Clay Collard vs. No. 3 Raush Manfio | Lightweight

Lightweight: No. 1 Loik Radzhabov vs. No. 4 Alexander Martinez | Lightweight


ESPN+ (non-playoff)

Welterweight: Gleison Tibau vs. Curtis Millender

Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Darrell Horcher

Lightweight: Brett Cooper vs. Tyler Hill

Welterweight: Magomed Umalatov vs. Micah Terrill

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NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Central: Schedule, rosters, news, how to watch

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NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Central: Schedule, rosters, news, how to watch

Instead of having an All-Star Game this season, the NHL and NHLPA are staging the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will run from Feb. 12 through Feb. 20. This is a round-robin tournament that will feature four national teams — Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — with NHL players from those nations filling the rosters.

Read on for full coverage of the event, including rosters, schedule and broadcast information from the opening round games all the way through the championship matchup.

More: Schedule
Roster grades, snubs
Everything you need to know

Game schedule

Note: All times Eastern.

Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m. | TNT
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland, 8 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. | ABC
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. | ABC
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. | TNT
Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA, 8 p.m. | TNT
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game, 8 p.m. | ESPN


Rosters

Note: Players are listed alphabetically by position. These are not projected lineups.

Finland

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Grading the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, plus snubs and surprises

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Grading the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, plus snubs and surprises

The first-ever NHL/NHLPA 4 Nations Face-Off is many things.

It’s a midseason exhibition tournament that replaces the NHL All-Star Game for a change of pace. It’s an antipasto of international hockey ahead of the Italian feast of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. It’s also the first time that a generation of Canadian and American superstars get to battle for bragging rights and a championship — although Sweden and Finland will have something to say about that.

On Wednesday, those four nations reveal their rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off, taking place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. The U.S. and Canada will announce their rosters at 7 p.m. ET, while Finland’s and Sweden’s reveals arrived earlier in the day. Some of the names are very expected, and some of the selections are a bit surprising.

Here’s how the rosters grade out — at each position group and overall — and which NHL players might be feeling snubbed by their home nations after these roster reveals.

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National signing day live: Commits, flips, rumors and best moments

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National signing day live: Commits, flips, rumors and best moments

College football’s national signing day has kicked off with the early signing period. Class of 2025 high school recruits are now able to sign their national letters of intent to lock them into the colleges of their choice.

With 16 ESPN 300 commitments, Georgia starts the signing period with the No. 1 class in ESPN’s rankings. However, the top spot has not been locked down completely and has changed hands a few times this cycle. Most programs will sign the majority of their class this week, but recruiting is far from over. If a prospect doesn’t sign a national letter of intent by Friday, the next national signing day for this cycle begins Feb. 5, 2025.

We’re tracking the latest news, analysis, class rankings movement and more throughout Wednesday, with latest updates at the top:

coverage:
Class rankings: Top 50 schools
Last-minute intel, flips to watch

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