Ngannou Returns to MMA Against Lins

Coach Eric Nicksick reports Ngannou is in excellent shape and mindset for his return. 'Camp's going amazing. I'm super happy with the weight and the cardio that Francis came into camp with,' Nicksick stated, adding that Ngannou has maintained a championship mentality throughout training.

'You're going to get a dialed in, serious Francis,' Nicksick emphasized, noting that Ngannou approaches every opponent with the same seriousness despite Lins not having the name value of some recent opponents. newsindata.com

The Green Bay Packers are expected to sign Florida receiver J. Michael Sturdivant as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL draft. Sturdivant, who was rated as a sixth- or seventh-round player by most, ranks as one of the Packers' top signings after the draft.

Over four seasons and with three different schools, Sturdivant caught 150 passes for 2,073 yards and 16 touchdowns. He broke out as a freshman at Cal, leading all FBS freshman in receiving with 755 yards in 2022. But Sturdivant never reached those same heights after transferring to UCLA and Florida. Over 12 starts in 2025, Sturdivant caught 27 passes for 406 yards and three scores in a disappointing Gators passing game.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Sturdivant aced the testing, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.96 at 6-2 and 207 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds, hit 39" in the vertical leap and covered 10-11 in the broad jump, all elite numbers.

First, check out Brennen Rupp's profile of Sturdivant in his "Unpacking Future Packers" series. Then, take a look at what draft experts said about the Packers' new UDFA receiver:

Dane Brugler, The Athletic

A one-year starter at Florida (and four-year starter overall), Sturdivant was an inside/outside receiver in former offensive coordinator Russ Callaway’s scheme. Formerly Garrett Nussmeier’s top receiver in high school, he put his name on the NFL radar after leading all FBS freshmen in receiving in 2022 while at Cal. However, his production didn’t reach that level over his next three college seasons, at either UCLA or Florida. He finished tied for fourth on the Gators in receptions in 2025. Sturdivant accelerates well for his size to stack vertically and gain a step on top of coverage. He is more smooth than sudden in his route running, and his momentum can get away from him at times — which is why he is at his best on runway routes. His drop rate improved each season (8.3 percent in 2024 to just 3.6 percent in ‘25), and he gives his quarterback some wiggle room with ball placement. Overall, Sturdivant needs to introduce more urgency and nuance to his play, but he has juice for a bigger target and shows a decent feel for the position. He projects as an outside receiver at the back end of a roster who can contribute on special teams.

Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Sturdivant is a traits-based wideout whose production over the last two seasons doesn’t match the potential he shows on tape. His combination of foot agility, vertical speed and ball skills should allow him to run routes as an “X” or “Z” receiver. His routes could use better attention to detail to help increase his elusiveness at break points and free up his catch space. He’s very tough over the middle and will not shrink from combat catches. He can accelerate quickly to add run-after-catch on short throws. His run blocking is adequate but needs more strain. Sturdivant’s ingredients make him a worthy middle-round investment, as his best football could be ahead of him.

Trevor Sikkema, PFF

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Sturdivant, a former four-star recruit, offers an appealing blend of size and speed. He posted impressive track times in high school, including a career-best 10.39 in the 100 meters, and that top-end speed and acceleration show up consistently on film. Sturdivant profiles as a vertical receiver with the skill set to line up at all three spots, though he is best suited to the outside. His explosiveness gives him the potential to develop into a more refined route runner, but his routes currently lack consistency and nuance. At times, his timing and feel for when to break appear off, which contributes to lower separation numbers. His footwork against press coverage is explosive but not always efficient enough to consistently create separation. His catch rate was inconsistent prior to 2025 but improved significantly in his final season. Sturdivant also brings good play strength as a blocker, which supports his projection as an every-down contributor. Despite his explosiveness, however, that athleticism has not consistently translated into production after the catch.

The Packers did not draft a receiver, giving Sturdivant a real chance to stick, either as a surprise player on the 53-man roster or a developmental player on the practice squad. One of his top athletic comps is former Packers' first-round pick Javon Walker, who ran 435 at just under 6-3 and 210 pounds.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: What draft experts said about Packers top UDFA J. Michael Sturdivant

FC Barcelona are gearing up for a huge summer transfer window, with the club setting themselves some lofty goals.

A top-quality new striker is at the top of the wishlist for the Catalans, along with a new left-footed centre-back, as well as a left-winger.

Julian Alvarez and Alessandro Bastoni have been identified as the key targets for the first two positions, respectively, while the search for a left-winger indicates that Marcus Rashford is unlikely to continue beyond this season.

At the same time, the La Liga champions remain alert to other potential options in the market, one of whom happens to be Bernardo Silva of Manchester City.

Bernardo only a backup target

According to RAC1, Barcelona view Bernardo Silva as, at best, a backup option heading into the summer transfer window.

The Manchester City captain has announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires. As such, he will be available as a free agent this summer.

Bernardo not a priority for Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Silva has long been on the radars of Barça and the Portuguese international still harbours dreams of donning the Blaugrana jersey.

In fact, he has even been offered to Barcelona by superagent Jorge Mendes, but at the moment, he is not considered a priority at the club.

The experience and versatility he brings to the table would certainly add value, as was the case with another former Manchester City veteran that Barça had signed for free a few years ago – Ilkay Gundogan.

However, salary could become an issue, especially when Barcelona are working with tight margins and have other pressing needs in the squad that need to be addressed.

As such, Silva is not considered a priority at the moment and is only seen as a backup target by the La Liga leaders.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a unique ‘problem’, in employing the greatest player of this generation, Shohei Ohtani. Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Marlins highlighted this particular issue, as Ohtani pitched six innings, holding the Marlins to two runs. The Dodgers offense sans Ohtani mustered just one run, and the Marlins went on to win the game.

When asked about his decision to have Ohtani out of the lineup on days he pitches, Manager Dave Roberts had this to say –

“I don’t think that is going to play in my math. I think the main thing is to do right by Shohei,” Roberts said. “Even without him tonight in the lineup, we should’ve won the game. I feel good about it. I’d do the same thing again.”

The beauty of having someone like Ohtani is that even when he is ‘out of sync’ with his pitching, he still gives your team more than a chance to win. And the beauty of having a lineup like the Dodgers is that they should be able to be able to score three or more runs without Ohtani in the lineup. It just so happened that on Tuesday night, the offense didn’t do their job.

The MO of the Dodgers front office has always been to look at the long-term picture for both players and the team. And if the Dodgers want to three-peat as World Champs, Ohtani obviously plays a big role in getting them there.

MLB’s Sonja Chen covers more details of Ohtani’s outing here.

Bill Plunkett of the OC Register covers more of the minutiae of handling a two-way player through the bulk of the season to have him healthy when you need him more, in the playoffs.

“I’m always going to respect the decision, regardless whether I’m pitching or doing both,” Ohtani said. “I also understand the importance of getting to the end of the season with everybody healthy. So talking with the training staff, talking with the team, I think it’s really important that the team makes the decision on what’s good for the team.”

We are about a month away from Blake Snell returning to the starting rotation and that would give the Dodgers seven starting pitchers. Could the Dodgers do something crazy like go to a seven-man rotation? That would definitely give each starter plenty of time to recover between outings.

No, I am not seriously thinking the Dodgers front office would do this. But the beauty of having a team like the Dodgers is you have the flexibility to do things other teams can only dream of.

NEED TO KNOW

• A marathon swimmer has broken a world record by swimming more than 34 miles through crocodile-infested rivers
• Andy Donaldson, 35, completed the route along the Ord River in remote Australia in just under 12 hours, beating the previous record by over four hours
• He said he didn't see any crocodiles during the challenge — the river is home to 5,500 of the reptiles — but did struggle with heat and dehydration

A British-Australian marathon swimmer has broken a world record by swimming more than 34 miles through crocodile-infested river in under 12 hours.

Andy Donaldson, 35, began swimming 34 miles up the Ord River just after 5:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, April 29, the Australian Associated Press and ABC Australia reported.

He was sharing the river, which lies in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, with an estimated 5,500 crocodiles. But Donaldson was able to make it north from the Lake Argyle Dam wall to the Diversion Dam in Kununurra in 11 hours and 51 minutes, beating the previous record by over four hours.

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He told AAP he was feeling good after the challenge, and said he didn't actually see any crocodiles.

"I still have all my limbs," he joked. "I didn't see a single one, other than the Crocs that my coach was wearing on his feet. I don't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed."

As well as crocodiles, Donaldson also had to contend with fast currents and extreme heat on his swim. "I felt like I was carrying an elephant on my back," he told AAP.

"Mentally, I was fatigued, physically, I was fatigued. I'd been sweating for over 10 hours, and I think I was quite dehydrated, so my muscles were starting to cramp really hard."

He added that, while he was in pain, he "could have kept going" if necessary. "The mind always gives up before the body does," he explained.

Simone Blaser, who became the first person to complete the Ord River ultra swim two years ago in 16 hours and 13 minutes, was there to support him and they even swam a stretch of the route together.

The challenge wasn't Donaldson's first record-breaking swim, however. The Scotland-born swimmer also holds records for the fastest swim across the Cook Strait, between New Zealand's North and South Islands, and the fastest relay circumnavigation of Bahrain as part of a team.

He also previously held the record for the fastest time to complete the Oceans Seven challenge, which consists of seven open water channel swims across the world, per the BBC, as well as the one for the fastest circumnavigation of Manhattan.

He said that he wasn't sure what his next challenge was going to be, and explained that he wanted to have a rest and take stock before looking forward.

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"It's important to celebrate the achievement, lift up the people that have helped make it possible, and just reflect on the learnings from it before moving on," Donaldson told the AAP.

PEOPLE has reached out to Donaldson for further comment.

Read the original article on People