����ֱ��

RIYADH: American striker Cole “Full Send” Young delivered a career-defining performance on Friday night at Mohammed Abdu Arena, capturing the world middleweight championship at Power Slap 17 — part of the Riyadh Season.

The event, organized under the leadership of UFC President Dana White and Riyadh Season, drew an electric crowd as fans witnessed a night packed with explosive knockouts, global talent and intense competition across multiple divisions.

In the main event, Young dethroned defending champion Anthony “Babyface” Blackburn by decision after five hard-fought rounds. The American challenger displayed calculated composure early before taking command with sharp precision and endurance to secure the title.

Young said after his victory: “Just keep focusing. That’s all I can do. Try not to react when it hits you — he hit me pretty hard, obviously. But focus on what you do.” Holding his newly earned belt, he added: “I’ll slap anybody, it don’t matter to me. I got the belt now. Who’s next?”

The night’s action also featured standout performances across the card. Nigeria’s Kabiru “The Nigerian Hulk” Adediran earned a dominant first-round TKO victory over Kazakhstan’s Daniyar “Patap” Shakharov in a heavyweight showdown, while American Brian “The Predator” Ellis defeated Mexico’s Ro Montana by unanimous decision after three competitive rounds.

In the light heavyweight division, Kazakhstan’s Mukhammed “Asadullah” Amantayev secured a dramatic third-round knockout against China’s Honggang Zhao in an all-Asian matchup showcasing blistering power and precision. Britain’s Louis “Razor” Robinson also impressed, stopping American James “The Iron Chin” Siekman with a clinical third-round TKO in another heavyweight bout.

Earlier on the main card, American Andrew Provost edged Mexico’s Azael “El Perro” Rodriguez by majority decision after a close middleweight contest.

In the women’s featherweight division, Hungary’s Sheena “The Hungarian Hurricane” Bathory earned a points victory over Ukraine’s Robyn “The Belter” Wereshchuk in a tightly contested bout that underscored the growing prominence of female athletes in slap fighting.

“Honestly, I come back here with a very positive emotion,” Bathory said after her win. “Since in January I won the event in Riyadh. And I know that the audience is going to give me really so much inspiration and power to prove myself again. And, honestly, I love to compete here — I just feel that this place is blessing for me.”

The card also featured American Dorian “Disturbing the Peace” Perez securing a decision win over Kazakhstan’s Zakir “Steppe Thunder” Naimanbayev after a powerful three-round exchange.

Power Slap CEO Frank Lamicella praised the global diversity of competitors and the event’s impact on the sport’s international reach.

“There’s an amazing lineup of events here in Riyadh season. We love being a part of it,” he said. “Like I said earlier, you know what’s great about here? We can bring in fighters from around the world. And I think you saw the time we had. I think we have 15 different countries represented, from Slovakia to Nigeria to India to China. And that really helps us grow the sport around the world. And, you know, grow fans in these countries.”

Following the success of its previous event in Riyadh, Power Slap 17 reinforced ����ֱ��’s growing reputation as a global destination for major combat sports and entertainment events — blending international talent, passionate crowds and world-class production under the Riyadh Season banner.

TORONTO: The Los Angeles Dodgers, fueled by a three-run third inning and another dominant pitching performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Friday to force a decisive World Series game seven.
The defending champion Dodgers had to dig deep to thwart the Blue Jays’ ninth-inning rally bid and knot Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece.
They kept their bid for the first title repeat in 25 years alive while the Blue Jays will be aiming to claim their first title in 32 years when they host game seven on Saturday.
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow, scheduled to start game seven, stepped in with Blue Jays runners on second and third with no outs in the ninth.
He induced a fly out from Ernie Clement before Andres Gimenez hit into a game-ending double play – Dodgers left fielder Enrique Hernandez fielding Gimenez’s line drive and firing the ball to second base, where Miguel Rojas caught Addison Barger for the final out.
“That was crazy,” Mookie Betts said of the game-ending double play. “I thought it was a bloop hit and I saw Kike running to catch it and I turned to look and I saw he was halfway. I was screaming ‘two, two, two’ (for throw to second base). But his instincts are so good he probably saw the play himself. That was a sick catch.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no hesitation in calling on Glasnow after closer Roki Sasaki got into trouble.
“This is do or die,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to leave it all out there and pick up the pieces.
“Right there I just felt Roki wasn’t as sharp and I felt right there Glas was a guy who had swing and miss stuff and I just wanted to bet on him.”
Glasnow’s appearance in relief, albeit brief, opens the door for two-way star Shohei Ohtani to pitch in game seven.
“There’s no wrong answer,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly going to be part of the pitching plan. With Shohei, it could be two innings but it could be four innings.
“I’m not sure to where we’re going to slot him. We’re going to have to talk to him first to see where he is most comfortable.”
Betts breaks out
With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers seized the lead in the third inning – finally making the Blue Jays pay for intentionally walking Ohtani.
Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman gave up a one-out double to Tommy Edman and with two outs walked Ohtani.
Will Smith smacked another double to score Edman and Betts delivered a hard-hit single to left field that plated another two runs.
It was sweet redemption for Betts, who was dropped to fourth in the order after hitting just .130 in the first five games of the series.
“I came up in a big spot,” Betts said. “I know a lot goes on but if you keep worrying about tat you won’t be prepared for right now. I just found a way to lock in.”
George Springer, back for the Blue Jays after missing two games with a muscle injury in his side, pulled back a run with a single in the bottom of the third.
The Blue Jays threatened with two outs in the sixth when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. belted a double to left field.
Baseball happens
Yamamoto, coming off a dazzling complete-game win in game two, then walked Bo Bichette on seven pitches – his first walk issued in 15-plus innings – but the Japanese ace struck out Daulton Varsho to escape the danger.
That pushed Yamamoto’s pitch count to 96, and Dodgers turned to their bullpen to preserve the lead, Yamamoto departing after giving up one run in six innings with six strikeouts and one walk.
“In my mind, I was ready for another inning, but my job, the most important part was to protect our lead and then pass it to the guys coming behind me,” Yamamoto said.
Reliever Justin Wrobleski pitched a scoreless seventh, Sasaki squeaked through a tense bottom of the eighth and the Blue Jays couldn’t find a way back.
“I always like our chances,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It just didn’t work out tonight. Baseball happens sometimes.”