Man United vs Brentford: Premier League Action

The Premier League encounter features Manchester United in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Lammens in goal, featuring Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw in defense, and Casemiro and Mainoo in midfield. The attack line includes Amad, Fernandes, Mbeumo, and Sesko.

Brentford responds with their own 4-2-3-1 setup, with Kelleher between the posts and Kayode, Collins, Van Den Berg, and Lewis-Potter forming the defense. Their midfield consists of Jensen and Yarmoliuk, while Schade, Damsgaard, Ouattara, and Thiago lead the attack. tr-sport.click

Joe Rogan thinks Fabricio Werdum doesn't get enough credit.

Werdum (24-9-1), a former UFC heavyweight champion and two-time ADCC champion, holds submission finishes over the likes of Cain Velasquez, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Fedor Emelianenko.

Stipe Miocic, who holds the record for most UFC title defenses, is widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time. But when discussing the division's greats, Rogan thinks Werdum's name doesn't get brought up enough.

"I don't think there's a real GOAT in heavyweight," Rogan said in a recent episode of his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "Because I think there's times where one guy would have beaten all the other guys. (Velasquez is) in the GOAT category. I would say in heavyweight there's a GOAT category. You've got to put Stipe in there because he defended the heavyweight title more than anybody. He beat (Francis) Ngannou when Ngannou was in his f*cking prime, got rocked a bunch of times and came back. So you've got to give it to him. He's always going to be in the GOAT category.

"Cain, Fedor – of course, Fedor is like the real connoisseur. The real hardcore MMA-heads are like, 'Fedor is the GOAT.' I always say everybody forgets about Fabricio Werdum because Werdum tapped Cain Velasquez, (Rodrigo) 'Minotauro' Nogueira and Fedor – and he tapped Fedor when Fedor was 'Fedor.'

"... When you look at Fabricio Werdum in his prime, he's in that range, man. He beat Cain Velasquez, he beat Mark Hunt with a flying knee to win the title. He beat the best of the best. He beat them all, and he tapped three of the all-time greats."

Werdum hasn't competed in MMA since a no contest against Renan Ferreira in May 2021. Prior to that, he submitted Alexander Gustafsson in a Performance of the Night finish in July 2020.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joe Rogan: Everyone forgets about Werdum in heavyweight GOAT debate

Northwestern’s (27-19, 14-7 B1G) win streak has now reached double digits as the Wildcats left Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette with a three-game series sweep of Purdue (32-18, 9-12 B1G) this weekend, thanks to the heroics of first-year pitcher Marina Mason.

Mason pitched in two of the three games this weekend, delivering a complete game in both that effectively won Northwestern the series and grew her season record to 16-8. Her command of the circle and ability to bounce back from rough patches was the anchoring factor for the Wildcats in a pivotal road series as they prepare for the Big Ten Tournament in a week and a half.

Game 1: Northwestern 8, Purdue 7

Friday’s game was the most demanding of the three for Mason. Northwestern quickly found itself in a 6-0 hole behind a five-run Boilermaker swing in the second inning, highlighted by a Haley Painter three-run homer. Despite the rough start, head coach Kate Drohan stuck with the first-year for all seven innings. Mason threw 154 pitches in the victory.

It was by no means a sharp outing for her standards — the Boilermakers had nine hits and drew four walks — but she was resilient when it mattered most, stranding runners and shutting down Purdue over the final two innings to give the offense time to rally. After NU’s scoring in the second, third and sixth, junior catcher Emma Raye’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh was enough to surge the Wildcats ahead late and earned Mason her 15th win of the season.

Game 2: Northwestern 11, Purdue 4

Saturday’s game was full of offense for the ‘Cats, but the star of the show was Renae Cunningham who entered for relief on behalf of Riley Grudzielanek after a rough first inning where she allowed four runs on three hits and two walks without recording a single out. Cunningham trotted out to record all 21 outs with just one hit allowed en route to the 11-4 blowout. The seven inning outing for the junior was the first of her career, completed in just under 70 pitches.

Northwestern’s offense took care of the rest. Sophomore center fielder Kaylie Avvisato went 4-for-5 including a solo home run and an RBI double, while senior infielder Bridget Donahey cleared the fence twice and tied a career-high with four runs batted in, putting the series out of reach by the fifth inning. Donahey also tied a single-game program record with 10 total bases on the day. Kelsey Nader also added three hits and an RBI as the Wildcats finished the day with 13 hits altogether.

Game 3: Northwestern 1, Purdue 0

Just two days removed from her shaky start Friday, Mason appeared to be a completely different pitcher. The first-year was untouchable, striking out 11 batters in her second complete game of the weekend (and 10th of her career), allowing just three hits and one walk in the low-scoring 1-0 win in favor of the ‘Cats. At one point, Mason worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning when, forcing a fielder’s choice to put an end to the threat.

Fans attending the game had to wait a while to see a runner round the bases, but got their wish in the top of the seventh. An Avvisato leadoff single, followed by a single by Raye, a sacrifice bunt off the bat of senior outfielder Kansas Robinson, a Donahey walk and finally a Nader sacrifice fly scored the sole run of the contest. Mason held off any last-ditch Purdue comeback efforts, finishing off the 99-pitch day by striking out Purdue’s Ashlynn Campbell for the win.

The Wildcats return home for their final home series to play host to Minnesota at The Ballpark at Rosemont, starting on Friday, May 1, at 1 p.m. CT on B1G+.

Liverpool’s Interest in Adam Wharton Gains Attention

The latest Media Matters episode from Anfield Index saw Dave Davis and Lewis Steele turn their focus to one of the most talked about midfield prospects in England, Adam Wharton. The Crystal Palace midfielder has been repeatedly linked with Liverpool, and Steele’s comments offered insight into how serious that interest might be.

Dream signing status emerges

Wharton’s profile within Liverpool’s recruitment thinking appears significant. Referencing his earlier reporting for the Daily Mail on the player who is valued at around £80m, Steele explained: “You put this in your Q&A, didn’t you, that he’s Liverpool’s dream midfield signing.”

That description alone places Wharton at the very top of Liverpool’s shortlist. It is not framed as a speculative link or opportunistic move, but rather a player the club would ideally like to bring in as part of their midfield evolution under Arne Slot.

External expectation building

Despite that strong label, Steele was careful to distinguish between internal movement and outside perception. “The noises I am hearing from Liverpool has actually been quite quiet on this one,” he said.

However, he immediately contrasted that with growing anticipation elsewhere: “From outside, I think it’s been quite anticipated for a while that Wharton will leave Palace this summer.”

This dynamic suggests that while Liverpool may not be publicly pushing the narrative, the wider football landscape increasingly expects a major transfer to materialise.

Transfer landscape favours Liverpool

Steele also broke down why Liverpool could be well positioned if the situation develops. Assessing rival clubs, he noted: “City need a midfielder, Arsenal have just signed Zubimendi and then that only really leaves Chelsea and United.”

He added a more pointed observation: “I don’t know if I was a player whether I’d want to go to either of them really.”

That context strengthens Liverpool’s standing as a potential destination. Combined with Wharton’s background, Steele highlighted another factor: “He’s a northwest lad, you’d think that Liverpool would be quite in that conversation.”

Photo: IMAGO

Strong fit based on playing style

Performance wise, Wharton’s qualities were also emphasised. Steele described him as a player who “glides through the midfield and can sit deep as well.”

That versatility aligns with Liverpool’s need for control and balance in midfield, particularly after an inconsistent season. His ability to operate both as a deeper midfielder and progress play forward makes him an attractive option for Slot’s system.

Deal remains uncertain but plausible

For all the positives, Steele stopped short of suggesting a deal is imminent. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Wharton ends up at Liverpool,” he said, before adding a note of caution: “But as I said at the top, there’s nothing from the Liverpool end to suggest that it will.”

That balanced view reflects the current reality. Interest is clear, the fit makes sense, and external expectation is growing. Yet until Liverpool make a concrete move, Wharton remains a developing story rather than a confirmed target.

DeSoto (Texas) four-star running back SaRod Baker has committed to Texas Tech, he told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett on Monday.

He chose the Red Raiders over Texas and Texas A&M, among plenty of other high-profile offers.

Baker is the No. 146 overall prospect and No. 6 RB in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 19 player in Texas.

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The 5-foot-9.5, 195-pounder joins a TTU class that ranks No. 2 in the nation, per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. He becomes commit No. 8 and is the seventh top-200 prospect to join the fold in Lubbock.

“A lot stood out, really,” Baker told Ben Golan of RedRaiderSports.com after visiting TTU earlier this month. “Just me being there was a blessing, first off, and I feel like they treated me like family up there. They welcomed me in with open arms. I was sitting in the running back room, it actually made me seem like I was already at the school. So just them showing me that, I feel like that could be a place that I could be at.”

Baker is coming off a monstrous junior season. Playing for DeSoto, one of the top high school football programs in the nation, he rushed for over 3,000 yards and 41 touchdowns, threw for nearly 500 yards and four scores and also caught 18 passes for 242 yards and two scores, per MaxPreps.

This story will be updated.