SPANISH HARLEM – It was a really great sports weekend with the MLB Playoffs underway, a big UFC fight and of course, some football. The Philadelphia Eagles lost but the Yankees won a game in Boston to bring the series back to the Bronx with a chance to extend their lead. If you were like me, you spent Saturday watching baseball and the Conor McGregor fight at UFC 229 but it wasn’t the fight that stole the show, it was what happened after the fight ended that had people buzzing.
Lets start with the main event at UFC 229, where Conor McGregor battled Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title. While I won’t sit here and act like an expert of Mixed Martial Arts, I did enjoy the fight as much as someone could that doesn’t fully understand the sport. I watched because of McGregor and the excitement he brings to every fight he is involved in. I don’t follow the sport as much as I do boxing but it’s hard to ignore how important the sport has become in America. It had the feel of a big time boxing match with the anticipation of the fight there throughout the night. And trust me… it did not disappoint, as the two fought well for 3 rounds before McGregor tapped out in the 4th round on a choke hold. I’m not a big fan of all the grappling but it was easy to see that Khabib was the better wrestler and grappler, tired McGregor with take downs and used his body to effectively take control of the fight. The better man won that night but you got the feeling there would be more to come from these two in the near future.
As great as the fight was, it was second fiddle to the aftermath that occurred once the fight was over. Khabib for some reason that’s hard to explain at this point, jumped over the octagon and began to fight members of McGregor’s entourage. It was a scene straight out of a movie and was reminiscent of the malice in the palace, when players on the Indiana Pacers ran out on to the court and into the stands. It was ugly and beautiful all at the same time, while many will say it was embarrassing for UFC, it will definitely cause a lot of traffic online for Dana White. I’m sure as the face of MMA, he wants to avoid that type of controversy but it’s hard not to look at this and think it will have more eyes on the UFC and McGregor in the future. They probably made a couple more fans and that can’t be bad for business.
The New York Yankees went into Boston for the ALDS and came out with a split. The best case scenario, if you ask me after losing a close one on Friday night. Aaron Judge has been the Yankees best player to date and adds an element that the team sorely lacked when he was injured. He has the ability to change the game on one swing and he did just that on Saturday to give Masahiro Tanaka a lead he would not squander. Momentum is key in the playoffs and winning one in Boston was a big win but it will only matter if the Yankees can close it out at home. Take care of home field and all will be right in the Yankees Universe.
Congrats to Angry Ward, who saw his 3rd favorite football beat my beloved Eagles. The game was close in the end but really it was the Eagles who sh!it the bed at home against a Minnesota Vikings team that played well but allowed Carson Wentz to make it interesting. The Iggles offensive line did not play good and it’s something they have to address if they want to contend this season. On the other side of the ball, the defense gave up too many big plays and again, had some ugly penalties that kept them on the field. I know the season is still early but you can’t lose this type of game at home.
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