Jorge Masvidal to host $500,000 bare-knuckle MMA Tournament featuring Anthony Smith’s return
Jorge Masvidal has announced a major cash tournament as his bare-knuckle MMA promotion makes its return.
Since stepping away from the cage, the former BMF champion and welterweight contender has turned his attention to promoting, even introducing a glove-free version of MMA. His latest venture is a pair of tournaments, each with a $500,000 prize on offer.
This event will be Masvidal’s first time back in the promotional spotlight since November 2024. Gamebred Bare-Knuckle MMA has put on five events so far, following standard unified rules but without gloves.
Jorge Masvidal is planning two $500,000 bare-knuckle tournaments
Jorge Masvidal told MMAJunkie that he is moving forward with plans to stage two 16-man tournaments, each offering a $500,000 prize. The King of Miami will be bringing together heavyweights and lightweights to compete in the no-gloves format as he steps back into the world of promotion.
“I don’t mind taking the loss [from a smaller gate] for making a huge statement online,” Masvidal said. “We’re giving as much money as we can to the fighters.
“Really, who’s doing anything right now? It’s just worked out perfectly. As I wasn’t able to pump so much GFC, the other shows were kind of dying off.
“And now, I don’t know about these other shows. I haven’t heard a date or anything. So we’re coming in strong these next few years. People are going to have to move aside, brother.”
Anthony Smith to return in Jorge Masvidal’s tournament
Anthony Smith is set to come out of retirement less than a year after hanging up his gloves. He’ll take on former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman at the event on April 10. Smith had received an emotional farewell from the sport’s top promotion, but it didn’t take long for him to feel the urge to step back into competition.
In addition to that matchup, Guto Inocente is lined up to face Mohammed Usman, despite being under suspension for a positive drug test. The rest of the card includes Alexandr Romanov vs Nikolay Kovalenko and Todd Duffee vs Bruno Cappelozza.
The remaining four heavyweight contests are expected to be finalised soon, along with all eight lightweight pairings.
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Bergamo coach ahead of reunion with former teammate: “Meeting a strong team”
Just under three weeks after their 0-2 defeat against Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund face another top Italian team. The task against Atalanta is likely to be just as challenging as the one against the league leaders from Milan. Following the departure of successful coach Gian Piero Gasperini last summer, a brief stint with Ivan Juric, and the signing of Palladino in mid-November, Bergamo has impressively stabilized. The new coach has led the team from the bottom of the table back into the top half – only Inter have collected more points in the new year.
With their 2-0 victory at Lazio in Rome's Olympic Stadium, Atalanta solidified their sixth-place position and celebrated a successful dress rehearsal for their upcoming match against Dortmund. “2026 has been a very good year for us. We've recovered, we're on the right track, and we're very confident,” said Palladino enthusiastically. However, the joy was dampened by Giacomo Raspadori's absence, who will miss both games against BVB with a thigh injury. “That's a heavy blow,” said Palladino. The absence of Belgian international Charles De Ketelaere is also a significant loss.
In the Champions League group stage, Atalanta outperformed Dortmund for the second consecutive year. An impressive 3-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt caused a sensation across Europe. Further wins against Club Brugge (2-1), Chelsea FC (2-1), and away at Olympique Marseille (1-0) paved the way to the playoffs. However, away defeats against Paris Saint-Germain (4-0), Athletic Bilbao (3-2), and Union Saint-Gilloise (1-0), as well as a goalless draw against Slavia Prague, prevented direct qualification for the round of 16 (to the facts).
Of the only previous competitive encounter with Borussia Dortmund – in the Europa League round of 32 eight years ago – only captain Marten de Roon remains at Atalanta. Despite being eliminated after hard-fought two legs (3-2 home/1-1 away), he fondly remembers the match in Dortmund: “Half of Bergamo was there. It was a football festival and a real experience for us and our fans to play in that beautiful stadium.”
Compared to the match in Dortmund back then, the 34-year-old midfielder sees great progress in his team: “The level is significantly higher. Back then it was the Europa League, now it's the Champions League. We now have many professionals who have already played in such matches. We have to play compactly and with a lot of intensity. And we have to enjoy it – without fear, and with a lot of courage.”
Atalanta celebrated the greatest triumph in the club's history in 2024 with their Europa League victory, when they inflicted Bayer Leverkusen's only defeat of their double-winning season in the final. Reaching the Champions League round of 16 would further enhance their international reputation.
Despite personnel problems, Atalanta will travel to Dortmund with confidence. Palladino is well aware of the atmosphere at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK – and of the quality of their opponents. “We're facing a strong team. But I've seen my players highly focused. I'm convinced we can cause problems for Dortmund.” The Italians have lost only two of their last eleven European matches against German teams. They've won all three of those games without conceding a goal.
For the coach, it will also be a special reunion: In Dortmund, he will again meet assistant coach Robert Kovac, with whom he once shared a dressing room at Juventus. “I'm looking forward to seeing Robert,” said Palladino.
Should Texans target Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III in free agency?
The Houston Texans must upgrade the running back position this offseason. Could a Super Bowl MVP be a legit option entering free agency?
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Seattle Seahawks do not plan to use their franchise tag on running back Kenneth Walker III. With multiple other options looking to get paid from the Super Bowl-winning squad, the Seahawks would like to extend other options first, along with getting a deal done with All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.Walker, a former second-round pick and Doak Walker Award winner from Michigan State, set the tone in the playoffs for the Seahawks' run toward a Lombardi Trophy. He rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries and caught two passes for 26 yards in the 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots, becoming the first running back to be named MVP since Terrell Davis in 1997.
It’s unlikely the Seahawks will use their franchise tag on running back and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, per league sources. The Seahawks have multiple free agents they want to retain and sign. They also will try to extend WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There are enough Super-Bowl tax… https://t.co/9xbtIgLNn7pic.twitter.com/XdfkNk16kf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 17, 2026
Based on the current cap hit, franchise tagging running backs this offseason costs teams $14.5 million. If the Seahawks were to take him on the transition tag, that would come for $11.7 million.
The Texans, who are expected to free up over $30 million in cap space this offseason with extensions and restructures, must address the status of the running game. Limited at times with first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley, the offense relied heavily on rookie Woody Marks and a combination of veterans like former Cleveland Browns All-Pro Nick Chubb.
Houston finished 22nd in rushing (108.9 yards per game) and averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry. The status of Joe Mixon remains a mystery, but cutting him loose would save over $8 million for the Texans entering 2026.
Walker split carries with Zach Charbonnet during the regular season and still rushed for 1,027 yards on 221 attempts with five touchdowns. He also finished top 10 in runs of over 10-plus yards with 33 plays, including 14 for 20 yards or more.
After Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs, Walker became the lead back and totaled 417 scrimmage yards to lead all players in the postseason, thus upping his value in free agency. In Houston, he could be the feature back to pair alongside Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud in a must-win campaign for the current iteration of the franchise.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III to not be franchise tagged
Image – Real Madrid’s 125th anniversary special edition kit leaked
Real Madrid are not only one of football’s most successful institutions but also one of the oldest and most historic clubs in the sport.
The club, after all, was founded back in 1902 as the Madrid Football Club, and no one at the time could have known how massive it would grow to be.
Next season, on that front, marks a special milestone as Los Blancos will celebrate their 125th anniversary and AS confirm that a special kit is on its way for the occasion.
Adidas is planning something unique
Indeed, Real Madrid’s clothing partner Adidas are planning something special for the club’s 125th anniversary in 2027 and will release a special edition kit to honor the same.
What will be the most striking about the said kit will be the crest of the club which will not be the familiar iconic logo but Real Madrid’s first-ever logo from its founding years. It will have the letters M, C, and F overlapped artistically over one another.
Courtesy: AS
The shirt will be all white, as is the norm at Real Madrid, and will have the usual sponsor logos, Adidas stripes, and the logo of the German sporting giants in light grey. The crest too will be in the same colour as Adidas’ logo.
It is also clear that the kit will not be Real Madrid’s first kit for the season, nor the one they wear regularly to mark home to away games. It will, in that sense, operate as a fourth kit for special games like El Clasico and on the eve of the anniversary.
The exact date of the kit’s launch remains unknown and it remains to be seen if there are any modifications or variations from the leaks. As it stands, however, it looks set to be a very special kit.
Report: Seahawks are "unlikely" to apply franchise tag to Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III
Kenneth Walker III could be the next player in the tradition of Larry Brown, Desmond Howard, and Dexter Jackson.
Each won the Super Bowl MVP and then became free agents. Each left for a larger offer from another team.
Brown, the MVP of Super Bowl XXX after catching two passes that Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell threw right to him, signed with the Raiders. Howard, who had 244 return yards in the game and scored on a 99-yard kickoff return to essentially ice Super Bowl XXXI, also signed with the Raiders. Jackson, the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP in a Buccaneers win over the Raiders, signed with the Cardinals.
Walker may not be free to do the same thing. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Seahawks are “unlikely” to apply the franchise tag to Walker.
Tweets Schefter: "The Seahawks have multiple free agents they want to retain and sign. They also will try to extend WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There are enough Super-Bowl tax costs that now make using a franchise tag this offseason unlikely."
The franchise tag would result in a one-year, $14.1 million contract for Walker. In four total seasons, he has made $8.44 million.
The fact that the Seahawks have leaked this nugget upon the opening of the two-week tag window likely wasn't accidental. They want their fans to understand what's going on, and in turn to short-circuit any speculation/anticipation that Walker may be tagged.
The implicit message is that the Seahawks believe Walker wants more on a long-term deal than the Seahawks can justify. The Seahawks may also believe that Walker won't get what he's looking for on the open market, either.
His agents likely will find out the answer next week at Tampering Central a/k/a the Scouting Combine.
Still, the best offer Walker gets may end up being better than whatever the Seahawks will pay. And the Seahawks are making their assessment not on three 2025 postseason games but four full seasons of working directly with Walker.
That's always the most important thing to remember when free agency rolls around. In most cases, the team that has employed the player for four or five years has placed a lower value on him than a stranger will. There's a chance Seattle has gotten it wrong (like the Giants did with Saquon Barkley), but it's an assessment that needs to be made in light of the other areas of the roster that require the cash and the cap space.
Then there's the basic supply/demand reality of the running back position. The Seahawks can draft Walker's replacement, pay him a lot less than Walker wants, and plug him into the offense right away. Or they can sign a veteran who won't be looking for an eight-figure average.