Connect with us

Published

2 years ago

on

7:59 AM ET

Valentina Shevchenko was inside of a boxing gym in Newark, New Jersey, preparing to go on a run. It was the fall of 2019, and the next day Shevchenko would start filming an MMA movie alongside A-list star Halle Berry.

To prepare for the shoot, Shevchenko was cutting weight, and the run was to sweat out some extra pounds. The UFC women’s flyweight champion wanted to appear at her physical best for the fight scenes. She put on her sauna suit and was about to start the run when Berry unexpectedly entered the gym.

The Academy Award-winning actress had the same idea.

“I started to do my workout and then I saw Halle,” Shevchenko told ESPN with a laugh. “She was walking into the gym, the same — in the sauna suit.”

“Bruised,” which Berry has described as a labor of love, premieres Wednesday on Netflix after opening in theaters last week. Berry stars as Jackie Justice, a former UFC fighter returning to the cage while juggling several difficult personal issues. The mixed martial arts film was also Berry’s directorial debut. Shevchenko plays the Berry character’s fearsome rival, Lucia “Lady Killer” Chavez.

The weight cut, Berry said, was one of the things she thought necessary to do in order to gain a better understanding of MMA and the sport’s athletes.

“It was hard for me, because I had never done that before,” Berry said. “But that was a really big part of me playing this character. I wanted to experience every aspect of being a fighter that I absolutely could. I wanted to understand what it felt like. And being the director of the story, I felt like I needed to understand it.”

Berry, 55, got a more realistic look into being a fighter than even she intended while making “Bruised.” On the second day of filming, she said, she broke her rib during one of the fight sequences with Shevchenko. Berry said she had previously broken her ribs while filming “John Wick: Chapter 3,” and this was the same sensation.

“I don’t exactly know the moment the kick happened or the knee happened or whatever happened in our fighting,” Berry said. “I just knew at one point I stood up and I had that feeling and I couldn’t breathe.”

Berry said she confided in Shevchenko that something was wrong, but Shevchenko said it would be “fine” and “this happens to me all the time.”

Berry soldiered on despite the injury, because she knew if she told everyone, filming would have been shut down. She felt she might have lost her funding, too, and even if it was just a brief delay, there was a chance Shevchenko would not be available when things got started again. After all, Shevchenko was, and still is, a defending UFC champ.

“It shows the power, her inner power,” Shevchenko said. “And it’s amazing. It was like a fresh breeze to the set. It’s like the energy that ran through. And at this moment, everyone knew we were going to do it no matter what, until the end.”

Berry said she felt like she had no choice in the matter.

“I knew that I had to do what all fighters do,” she said. “As Valentina told me, when you’re in the ring and you get injured, you don’t quit. You keep going. You have no choice, but you fight through it. So just in that moment I thought, no way I’m getting shut down. I’m just going to have to fight through this.”

Berry said she grew up watching boxing and idolizing the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and “Sugar” Ray Leonard. When she saw women in MMA, her interest was piqued in that sport. Berry cited Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Miesha Tate as people she gravitated to — and then the sport itself. “Bruised” was initially tied to another director with Blake Lively as the star. But in 2018, Berry took over as director and knew she wanted to be Jackie Justice.

“It’s just sort of that lucky moment when a project collided with me and it was exactly what I needed, because it was where I was personally,” Berry said. “That was this project.

“It was grueling and I pushed myself harder than I ever thought I could go. And especially at my age, I was really proud of it. Because what it says is that we can do whatever we set our minds to doing. I realized when making this movie, so much of fighting is a mental game. You can be in tip-top shape, but it’s all about the mental game and emotionally how you’re feeling. And that determines what you can and cannot do.”

Berry said she had been a fan of Shevchenko for years prior to her selecting the Kyrgyzstan native to be in the movie. Berry said she called the UFC and asked for Shevchenko specifically, though she was unsure Shevchenko wanted to be “slumming it” in Hollywood while being UFC champion.

Berry thought that if she were an MMA fighter, she would probably fight at 125 pounds like Shevchenko, so who better to cast than “the queen” of that weight class? Now, having bonded over training together and hard fight scenes, Berry and Shevchenko have become close friends.

“I want to be at every one of her fights,” Berry said. “Normally, I can watch a fight and I’m for all the fighters. Someone’s gotta win and someone has got to lose. But when Valentina is gonna fight, from now until the end of her career — when you love someone and you really care about someone so much, the last thing I want to do is see her hurt. I never want to see her lose. It’ll always be one of those situations that I want to see, but I don’t want to see. I just love her too much.”

Shevchenko, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, said she was floored by Berry’s ability to push through each day to make the fight scenes look as realistic as possible. Shevchenko said the wake-up calls during those days were at 5 a.m. and that they did not finish filming until almost midnight. She compared the physical grind to a training camp to prep for a UFC title defense. Every take, Shevchenko said, had to be at full strength so it would look good on film.

“It’s every single take [and] you have to perform the best you can,” Shevchenko said. “And definitely everyone is human. They’re tired. We were tired by the end of the day. And injuries happen.”

Berry and Shevchenko have been busy over the past few weeks doing publicity for “Bruised.” Shevchenko said she left her home in Las Vegas for Los Angeles one day after defending her title with a TKO win over Lauren Murphy on Sept. 25 at UFC 266 to do a photo shoot for Women’s Health.

The two women said they are very pleased with how the movie, and the fight scenes in it, turned out. And they aren’t the only ones, Berry said. On set, Berry spoke with well-known MMA referee Keith Peterson, who played the official in the cage during the fight between Jackie Justice and “Lady Killer.”

“[Peterson] said, ‘I thought for a minute I was watching a real Valentina fight,'” Berry said. “That’s when I knew that, oh my god, all of this training and weight cutting and all this muscle building ­– everything was all worth it. For him to say that, I knew I had achieved at least the goal I set out to achieve: to look like a real fighter.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Sports

NHL draft lottery scheduled to take place May 7

Published

57 mins ago

on

April 27, 2024

By

NHL draft lottery scheduled to take place May 7

  • Field Level Media

Apr 26, 2024, 03:06 PM ET

The 2024 NHL draft lottery will take place on May 7, the league announced Friday.

The San Jose Sharks own the best odds to land the No. 1 pick with an 18.5% chance.

The Sharks fired head coach David Quinn earlier this week after finishing an NHL-worst 19-54-9.

Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini, the Hobey Baker Award winner, is the projected No. 1 pick.

The lottery will be held at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.

2024 NHL draft lottery, odds of landing No. 1 pick:

San Jose Sharks, 18.5%

Chicago Blackhawks, 13.5%

Anaheim Ducks, 11.5%

Columbus Blue Jackets, 9.5%

Montreal Canadiens, 8.5%

Utah, 7.5%

Ottawa Senators, 6.5%

Seattle Kraken, 6%

Calgary Flames, 5%

New Jersey Devils, 3.5%

Buffalo Sabres, 3%

Philadelphia Flyers, 2.5%

Minnesota Wild, 2.0%

Pittsburgh Penguins, 1.5%

Detroit Red Wings, 0.5%

St. Louis Blues, 0.5%

Continue Reading

Sports

Stanley Cup Playoffs Central: Bracket, schedule, game previews for the NHL’s postseason

Published

7 hours ago

on

April 26, 2024

By

Stanley Cup Playoffs Central: Bracket, schedule, game previews for the NHL's postseason

The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs are here! The NHL’s 32 teams are down to just 16 in the postseason, with the first round well underway.

Will the New York Rangers parlay their success in winning the Presidents’ Trophy to a championship — thus breaking the “curse” of that award?

Can the Vegas Golden Knights repeat, despite starting the postseason as the underdog in their initial series?

Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.

More: Playoff schedule
Megapreview
Lapsed fan’s guide
Wyshynski’s bracket
Top 50 players
Cup contender comps

First round

Atlantic Division

Regular-season records:

Panthers: 52-24-6, 110 points
Lightning: 45-29-8, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Panthers: Sam Reinhart, 94 points (57 G, 37 A)
Lightning: Nikita Kucherov, 144 points (44 G, 100 A)

Consensus pick: Panthers

Schedule: (FLA leads 3-0)

play

0:16

Matthew Tkachuk’s 2nd goal secures Panthers win

Matthew Tkachuk scores into an empty net to seal a 5-3 win for the Panthers.

Game 1: FLA 3, TB 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: FLA 3, TB 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3: FLA 5, TB 3 | Recap
Game 4: FLA @ TB | April 27, 5 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 5: TB @ FLA | April 29, 7 p.m. (ESPN)* | Preview
Game 6: FLA @ TB | May 1* | Preview
Game 7: TB @ FLA | May 4* | Preview

Regular-season records:

Bruins: 47-20-15, 109 points
Maple Leafs: 46-26-10, 102 points

Leading scorers:

Bruins: David Pastrnak, 110 points (47 G, 63 A)
Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews, 107 points (69 G, 38 A)

Consensus pick: Bruins

Schedule: (BOS leads 2-1)

play

0:27

Brad Marchand immediately reclaims the lead for Boston

Brad Marchand gives the Bruins a 3-2 lead late in the third period after the Maple Leafs tied it up.

Game 1: BOS 5, TOR 1 | Recap
Game 2: TOR 3, BOS 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: BOS 4, TOR 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: BOS @ TOR | April 27, 8 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 5: TOR @ BOS | April 30, 7 p.m. (ESPN) | Preview
Game 6: BOS @ TOR | May 2* | Preview
Game 7: TOR @ BOS | May 4* | Preview

Metropolitan Division

Regular-season records:

Rangers: 55-23-4, 114 points
Capitals: 40-31-11, 91 points

Leading scorers:

Rangers: Artemi Panarin, 120 points (49 G, 71 A)
Capitals: Dylan Strome, 67 points (27 G, 40 A)

Consensus pick: Rangers

Schedule: (NYR leads 2-0)

play

0:46

K’Andre Miller gives Rangers’ 4-2 lead with shorty

K’Andre Miller rips a shot into the goal and puts the Rangers ahead by two goals after a shorthand score against the Capitals.

Game 1: NYR 4, WSH 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: NYR 4, WSH 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: NYR @ WSH | April 26, 7 p.m. (TNT) | Preview
Game 4: NYR @ WSH | April 28, 8 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 5: WSH @ NYR | May 1* | Preview
Game 6: NYR @ WSH | May 3* | Preview
Game 7: WSH @ NYR | May 5* | Preview

Regular-season records:

Hurricanes: 52-23-7, 111 points
Islanders: 39-27-16, 94 points

Leading scorers:

Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho, 89 points (36 G, 53 A)
Islanders: Mathew Barzal, 80 points (23 G, 57 A)

Consensus pick: Canes

Schedule: (CAR leads 3-0)

play

0:25

Sebastian Aho restores 2-goal lead for Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho scores to restore the Hurricanes’ two-goal lead vs. the Islanders.

Game 1: CAR 3, NYI 1 | Recap
Game 2: CAR 5, NYI 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: CAR 3, NYI 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: CAR @ NYI | April 27, 2 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 5: NYI @ CAR | April 30, 7:30 p.m. (TBS)* | Preview
Game 6: CAR @ NYI | May 2* | Preview
Game 7: NYI @ CAR | May 4* | Preview

Central Division

Regular-season records:

Stars: 52-21-9, 113 points
Golden Knights: 45-29-8, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Stars: Jason Robertson, 80 points (29 G, 51 A)
Golden Knights: Jonathan Marchessault, 69 points (42 G, 27 A)

Consensus pick: Stars

Schedule: (VGK leads 2-0)

play

0:30

Noah Hanifin puts Knights on top before third period

Noah Hanifin scoops the puck and makes a nice shot to give the Knights a 2-1 lead heading into the third period versus the Stars.

Game 1: VGK 4, DAL 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: VGK 3, DAL 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: DAL @ VGK | April 27, 10:30 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 4: DAL @ VGK | April 29 (ESPN) | Preview
Game 5: VGK @ DAL | May 1* | Preview
Game 6: DAL @ VGK | May 3* | Preview
Game 7: VGK @ DAL | May 5* | Preview

Regular-season records:

Jets: 52-24-6, 110 points
Avalanche: 50-25-7, 107 points

Leading scorers:

Jets: Mark Scheifele, 72 points (25 G, 47 A)
Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, 140 points (51 G, 89 A)

Consensus pick: Avs

Schedule: (Series tied 1-1)

play

0:43

Josh Manson scores goal vs. Jets

Josh Manson scores goal vs. Jets

Game 1: WPG 7, COL 6 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: COL 5, WPG 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: WPG @ COL | April 26, 10 p.m. (TNT) | Preview
Game 4: WPG @ COL | April 28, 2:30 p.m. (TNT) | Preview
Game 5: COL @ WPG | April 30 | Preview
Game 6: WPG @ COL | May 2* | Preview
Game 7: COL @ WPG | May 4* | Preview

Pacific Division

Regular-season records:

Canucks: 50-23-9, 109 points
Predators: 47-30-5, 99 points

Leading scorers:

Canucks: J.T. Miller, 103 points (37 G, 66 A)
Predators: Filip Forsberg, 94 points (48 G, 46 A)

Consensus pick: Canucks

Schedule: (Series tied 1-1)

play

0:34

Colton Sissons finishes the rebound for Predators’ 3rd goal

Nashville extends their lead to 3-0 over the Canucks thanks to this Colton Sissons goal.

Game 1: VAN 4, NSH 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: NSH 4, VAN 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: VAN @ NSH | April 26, 7:30 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 4: VAN @ NSH | April 28, 5 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 5: NSH @ VAN | April 30, 10 p.m. | Preview
Game 6: VAN @ NSH | May 3* | Preview
Game 7: NSH @ VAN | May 5* | Preview

Regular-season records:

Oilers: 49-27-6, 104 points
Kings: 44-27-11, 99 points

Leading scorers:

Oilers: Connor McDavid, 132 points (32 G, 100 A)
Kings: Adrian Kempe, 75 points (28 G, 47 A)

Consensus pick: Oilers

Schedule: (Series tied 1-1)

play

1:05

Kopitar’s OT winner helps Kings even series

Anze Kopitar finds the back of the net early in overtime to lift the Kings to a Game 2 win over the Oilers.

Game 1: EDM 7, LA 4 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: LA 5, EDM 4 (OT) | Recap
Game 3: EDM @ LA | April 26, 10:30 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 4: EDM @ LA | April 28, 10:30 p.m. (TBS) | Preview
Game 5: LA @ EDM | May 1 | Preview
Game 6: EDM @ LA | May 3* | Preview
Game 7: LA @ EDM | May 5* | Preview

Continue Reading

Sports

Leafs’ Nylander nears return with game Saturday

Published

7 hours ago

on

April 26, 2024

By

Leafs' Nylander nears return with game Saturday

  • Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterApr 26, 2024, 01:51 PM ET

    Close

      Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

William Nylander is closing in on his debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Boston on Saturday.

The Leafs trail the Bruins 2-1 in the best-of-seven.

Friday, the winger spoke with reporters for the first time since being sidelined by an undisclosed injury two weeks ago. The mystery ailment has held Nylander out of Toronto’s lineup for the first three postseason tilts against Boston and he’s been diligently working to get back in.

Nylander was a full participant in the Leafs’ practice on Friday, skating on a regular line with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok and taking reps on Toronto’s first power play unit. Both are signs that Toronto is preparing to have Nylander for Saturday’s game.

“We’ll see,” Nylander surmised of his potential availability. “I don’t know [for sure].”

Coach Sheldon Keefe remained optimistic Nylander was finally ready to go after an engaging practice session.

“He looked great to me on the ice,” said Keefe. “In terms of his status, we’ll have to determine that [on Saturday].”

Details of Nylander’s injury have been strictly guarded by the Leafs so far. Nylander followed suit when asked to confirm media reports he’s been dealing with migraines.

“That’s just personal, so I’m not going to get into that,” he said.

Nylander wasn’t worried either about stepping back into a series that’s been in full swing for a week either, citing there was “nothing” difficult ahead for him in a potential return on Saturday.

“I’ve been skating and everything; I’m fine,” said Nylander. “It is what it is. There’s nothing to really stress about. You can’t force yourself back into the game, so I’ll be ready when I’m ready.”

Toronto could use a boost like Nylander coming back heading into Game 4. He was a 40-goal scorer in the regular season with an impressive playoff resume (having collected 40 points in 50 previous postseason outings). Adding an offensive weapon like that to the mix can help the Leafs solve their scoring issues. Toronto’s managed six goals in the first three games against Boston and their misfiring power play is 1-for-11.

Having Nylander as an option makes the Leafs immediately more dangerous at both 5-on-5 and special teams. That’s paramount for Toronto’s hopes of tying the series again before it goes back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Bruins have been changing things up in their crease throughout the playoffs to date, rotating between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark as they did with good success in the regular season.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery wouldn’t confirm his Game 4 goaltender after Swayman backstopped the Bruins to wins in Game 1 and Game 3, but there’s a chance it’ll be Linus Ullmark getting the call despite Boston falling in his last Game 2 start.

“We’re following the plan we had in place,” said Montgomery, while confirming the decision has already been made.

Continue Reading

Trending