McLaren demanding answers following Oscar Piastri’s track limits violation at Austrian GP mclaren,demanding,answers,following,oscar,piastri,s,track,limits,violation,at,austrian,gp,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one


At the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix last Formula 1 season, track limits were a massive part of the story. Lap times being deleted for the violation dominated the entire race weekend and even led to an official protest from Aston Martin, who argued that race officials failed to catch every instance of the violation.

Race promoters at the Red Bull Ring took steps to mitigate the issue ahead of this year’s Austrian Grand Prix, installing gravel traps around Turns 9 and 10 to try and dissuade drivers from running wide at those sections of the track, and even adding another feature: An artificial intelligence system to monitor cars as they rocket around the track. Fans watching this weekend might have seen a new pale blue line around the circuit, installed to help the AI system catch violations.

Despite the best efforts of the race officials in Austria, we still have a track limits issue to discuss, and potentially a protest from a team regarding them for the second-straight season.

In the closing stages of Q3, it appeared Oscar Piastri was set for a third-place start in Saturday’s Austrian Grand Prix, as a strong lap had him up in P3 as the seconds ticked down. But within moments, Piastri was dropped down to seventh, as his impressive lap was deleted for you guessed it, exceeding track limits.

You can see the moment in question here:

Speaking with Sky Sports F1 following the session, Piastri vented his frustration.

“For me it’s embarrassing,” began the Australian driver. “We did all of this work for track limits, put gravel in places, and I didn’t even go off the track. I stayed on the track. It was probably my best Turn Six and it gets deleted. I don’t know why they’ve spent hundreds of thousands trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off.

“That was probably the best Turn Six I took. I was right to the limit of the track, I think that’s what everyone wants to see,” continued Piastri. “Again, we have spent so much effort trying to get rid of these problems. There is no reason this corner should be an issue for track limits, especially when you stay on the track, like I did, or not on the gravel.

“So, yeah, for me being the only one that has had that happen to me I’m probably more vocal about it right now but I think it’s embarrassing that you see us pushing right to the limit of what we can do and one [centimeter] more I’m in the gravel and completing ruin my lap anyway – and it gets deleted.”

Piastri, however, seemed resigned to his fate. “But, anyway, everyone else kept it in the track, I didn’t,” concluded the McLaren driver. “That’s how it goes.”

Yet, his team may not concur with that bit of resignation. Following the session McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella was spotted headed to speak with FIA officials regarding the decision:

Could we see a protest regarding track limits at the Austrian Grand Prix for the second season in a row?

We just might.

UPDATE: According to Medland, McLaren has indeed lodged a protest over the incident:

This story will be updated with additional information.

Rocket Mortgage: Sensational amateur Luke Clanton looks to make history rocket,mortgage,sensational,amateur,luke,clanton,looks,to,make,history,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

Rocket Mortgage Sensational amateur Luke Clanton looks to make history


Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton burst onto the scene Saturday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic as he posted the score to beat.

He signed for a 7-under 65 to sit at 14-under and just a few shots behind the leaders.

Clanton recorded six birdies, an eagle and one bogey on the day. He was 5-under through 11 holes before he dropped a shot at the 12th.

“We stayed super calm and super in the process of what we’ve been doing,” Clanton said after his round on Saturday.

“I think that’s one thing I’ve been struggling with the last couple of months is not getting ahead of my game and looking into the future, but today, I think we did such a good job of not trying to force the birdies out there, but we just stayed really in our process today.”

Through three rounds, Clanton leads the field in strokes gained off the tee with +4.378. He is also No. 7 in strokes gained putting, picking up +4.346 on the rest of the field.

However, in Saturday’s round alone, he leads in strokes gained off the tee (+1.491), putting (3.801) and total (+4.712).

His flat stick was phenomenal as the Seminole golfer made 117 feet of putts during the third round. However, his eagle on 14 was a veteran-like shot that showed what kind of guts he has.

“I smoked a driver way down there, and that was probably one of the harder ones I hit all day,” he said. “Had the perfect 5-iron number with left-to-right wind. I looked at Jason and said this could be really good if I hit this good, and I flushed it. I said, “Be the right club,” and he said it. Hit it close and tapped in for eagle, so it was pretty sweet.”

His 7-under 65 put him right into contention to win a PGA Tour event. Can the 20-year-old make history this week? He made the cut at the U.S. Open and finished tied for 41st. Clanton was the second-lowest amateur behind Neal Shipley, who made his professional PGA Tour debut this week.

“To be able to be out here and even say I’m in contention to win a PGA TOUR event’s pretty nuts. It’s pretty cool, man,” he said.

“I shot 7 under today, it was amazing, but we could have made a couple more birdies out there. My game plan has been the same all week, pound driver as hard as I can, get it down there and make a few putts — it’s been good.”

The last amateur to win on the PGA Tour was Nick Dunlap, who won the American Express in January. He became the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on Tour.

Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

Now, Clanton looks to add his name to the history books.

“Me and Nick go way back so it’s awesome to see him do that,” Clanton said. “It’s cool, man. I think amateurs now, we’re so good. I think a lot of guys have great chances of winning out here and to be in contention with one day to go is pretty sweet.”

The Florida State sophomore had one of the best springs with three consecutive victories at the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Valspar Collegiate Invitational and the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.

Clanton recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 14 tournaments this past season, and he finished at par or less in 30 of his 40 rounds. He is currently ranked No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf ranking system.

If the Ben Hogan semifinalist wins on Sunday, it will be the first time in 79 years that two amateurs have won on the PGA Tour. Cary Middlecoff and Fred Haas were the last to win in the same season in 1945.

Clanton will likely be in one of the final groups on Sunday, as his 65 pushed him 22 spots up the leaderboard.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Will Zalatoris suddenly withdraws mid-round rocket,mortgage,classic,will,zalatoris,suddenly,withdraws,mid,round,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news


Will Zalatoris came into Saturday’s round at 7-under and just six shots off the Rocket Mortgage Classic leaders.

However, after eight holes, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon withdrew from the tournament. Zalatoris was 3-over through eight when he chose to pull out.

The PGA Tour communications team cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal. However, CBS Sports analyst Amanda Balionis reported that Zalatoris’ hip caused him to withdraw from the tournament.

He told her he felt a “pop” in his hip on his “good side.” Zalatoris told her he felt like playing four weeks in a row caught up to him. The No. 42 golfer in the world played in the Memorial, U.S. Open, and Travelers Championship.

His agent, Allen Hobbs, released a statement about Zalatoris’ departure, per Jeanna Trotman, a Detroit sports anchor.

“Will experienced some discomfort after a swing today and out of utmost precaution, made the tough decision to withdraw,” the statement read. “It’s important that he listens to his body and gets some rest. He hates to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and looks forward to getting back out on the course soon.

He has won one PGA Tour event in his short career — the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Zalatoris had a microdiscectomy in April 2023 for herniated disks in his back, which caused him to sit out the remainder of the season.

Zalatoris cited earlier this year that Tiger Woods helped him cope with the back injury during his rehab.

The Dallas resident played in 15 events this season and made 11 cuts. He finished tied ninth at The Masters but has not finished inside the top 40 in the eight starts since. Zalatoris withdrew from the Byron Nelson in March when the back injury flared up, so this is not the first time he has chosen to be safe about it.

It is uncertain when his next event will be, but it seems the choice to withdraw was precautionary.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Yuki Tsunoda ‘horrified,’ apologizes after fine for offensive language at Austrian GP yuki,tsunoda,horrified,apologizes,after,fine,for,offensive,language,at,austrian,gp,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one


A “horrified” Yuki Tsunoda has issued an apology after race officials fined the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team driver €40,000 for using ableist language during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.

Tsunoda was summoned to meet with race officials following the qualifying session, after an exchange with race engineer Mattia Spini during the first segment of qualifying. As Tsunoda was waiting in his RB01 as cars queued up during Q1 Tsunoda exclaimed over his team radio “[t]he guys are f——— r———-,” to which Spini replied simply “Yuki no worries, don’t worry, plenty of time.”

When Tsunoda met with race officials, he apologized for the comment and explained that because English is not his first language, he was not fully aware of the meaning of his comments. According to the decision from race officials the statement violated Article 12.2.1 k) of the International Sporting Code in the following manner:

“[d]uring the hearing the driver was very apologetic and explained that because English is not his first language he was unaware until after the session what the meaning of the words used is in the English language. He said that he was horrified when he learned this. He contended that his understanding of the words was different, but acknowledged that this should not be considered as an excuse for what he did.”

In their decision race officials noted that while they appreciate Tsunoda’s “honesty,” a penalty is appropriate to “reinforce the fact that the words used are offensive and wholly inappropriate.”

“The Stewards appreciate the honesty of the driver, but reinforce the fact the words used are offensive and wholly inappropriate. To have used such words over a platform that is available to the public amounted to misconduct as defined in Article 20 of the International Sporting Code,” read the decision.

However, officials took Tsunoda’s “genuine remorse” into consideration and suspended part of the fine. “Considering the circumstances, the Stewards determine that a severe fine is required, but also take into account the genuine remorse of the driver and his offer to issue a public apology and for these reasons decided to suspend part of the fine imposed,” continued the stewards.

Under this part of the decision half of the fine — €20,000 —- will be suspended until the end of the season providing Tsunoda does not repeat such conduct.

As indicated by the officials, the driver issued a public apology on all his social media channels:

Tsunoda is set to start 14th in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Rocket Mortgage: Akshay Bhatia leads tournament, best dressed players rocket,mortgage,akshay,bhatia,leads,tournament,best,dressed,players,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

Rocket Mortgage Akshay Bhatia leads tournament best dressed players rocketmortgageakshaybhatialeadstournamentbestdressedplayerssbnationcomfront pagegolfgolf pga tourgolf opinions


Golf fashion continues to be one of the major discussions of the 2024 PGA Tour season. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the players showed off their impressive style.

That said, fashion is a subjective topic with no right answer.

Not everyone likes risks and prefers traditional outfits, but there are ways to be both trendy and traditional.

Akshay Bhatia does this well. He blends traditional and trendy together by wearing Greyson Clothier items. This week is more about finding traditional outfits that look fantastic. The bright patterns are great, but sometimes, it is nice to see the guys pull off a classic look.

So, without further ado, check out the five best-dressed golfers from the first two days at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

5. Joel Dahmen

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

This subtle pattern, light khaki pants, and Joel Dahmen’s signature bucket hat make a great outfit. His style is for those who take a little risk but not too much.

The pattern is just enough to make it trendy. That shade of blue looks fantastic on his skin tone. He wears Travis Mathew, and the brand does a great job making sure what he wears looks solid on him. It also shows how versatile the brand is because anyone of any age can pull off that pattern.

Rating: 8/10

4. Chris Kirk

Rocket Mortgage Classic, Chris Kirk, Akshay Bhatia

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Chris Kirk is No. 4 on this list because he always wears traditional outfits but finds a way to play with a little color. He wore green on Thursday, and this shade of red looks great on him.

His beard has a red tone, so these shades go well with it. I also like how he went with a gray belt instead of a traditional black one. Kirk still pays tribute to his college team, the Georgia Bulldogs, without making it too obvious.

Rating: 8.5/10

3. Min Woo Lee

Rocket Mortgage Classic, Min Woo Lee

Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

Min Woo Lee is almost a staple on these best-dressed lists. What Lululemon continues to put him in looks fantastic. It is traditional but trendy because it’s one of the hottest brands on the market.

The lavender with the silver pants looks incredible in his skin tone. He has his signature shades on, and they pull it all together. It will be interesting to see what Lululemon does next in golf because these are great so far. Please give us more color, but keep it up because this is such a vibe that most people would wear.

Rating: 9/10

2. Rickie Fowler

Rocket Mortgage Classic, Rickie Fowler

Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images

Rickie Fowler has finally impressed on the fashion front. This blue polo is a phenomenal color for him. The gray belt looks incredible with the white pants, and the white hat pulls it together. The ‘P’ on the hat matches the polo, and I love how the inside of the collar is pink. It’s a pop of color without making it too busy.

However, I want to see less of the little pattern on him and more of these traditional moments because he pulls them off so well. Sometimes, those patterns get tacky, and it does not have a vibe, but this week, Fowler looks awesome.

Rating: 9.5/10

1. Akshay Bhatia

Rocket Mortgage Classic, Akshay Bhatia

Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

He leads the tournament and is No. 1 on this list because Akshay Bhatia is the walking definition of traditional but trendy.

This two-tone blue polo from Friday is perfect for his skin tone. The flow, beard and glasses pull it all together. It is a perfect fit. His polo from Thursday was also great because it had a pattern but was not too loud. Greyson Clothier is an ideal choice for Bhatia.

He wears the joggers, which is still a sensitive topic in golf, but he pulls them off. Bhatia is such a vibe. Look good and play good is in full effect for the 22-year-old this week in Detroit.

Rating: 10/10

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Meet the young girls putting their own spin on Tony Hawk’s 900 at the X Games meet,the,young,girls,putting,their,own,spin,on,tony,hawk,s,at,the,x,games,sbnation,com,front-page


Tony Hawk’s 900 isn’t a trick for the faint of heart. It features a full two-and-a-half rotation, and if you don’t have enough speed going into it and your spin is too slow, landing it is nearly impossible, especially given the fact that you’re blind to your landing zone not once, but twice during the trick. Spinning that much requires equal parts courage and skill.

Women’s skateboarding is flush with exciting young superstars who are chock-full of raw talent and fearlessness.

Tony Hawk landed the first 900 in a major competition back at the 1999 X Games. Now, a bastion of young female riders is landing his tricks and revolutionizing the sport at what feels like lightspeed. Now, 11-year-old Canadian skater Reese Nelson and 14-year-old Australian Arisa Trew are just two of these riders.

Arisa Trew is an inspiration to all

Trew became the first female rider to land the elusive 900 on May 30, 2024, while training at Woodward. Earlier in May, Trew had become the first female rider to land a switch McTwist (a 540 variation).

It’s not Trew’s first time making history; she became the first female rider to land the 720 in competition at Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert in 2023. Shortly thereafter, Trew won women’s skateboard vert gold and park gold at the X Games California, becoming the youngest X Games double gold medalist of all time, at just 13. A 720 is two full rotations and was championed by Tony Hawk first in 1985.

Trew’s well-used to putting her mark on history, and it’s her confidence and composure that’s helped her do that time and time again. When it comes to approaching a new trick, Arisa’s response was simple; “I just think to myself that if I want to do it, then I can do it,” she said.

And clearly, Arisa can do it. Her skating style is full of spinning and switch tricks, so it’s clear she felt right at home learning the 900. To finally land it, Arisa first practiced the motion and technique on a ramp with a soft surface (in case of falls). After four days of this, Arisa was ready to try it on the vert ramp, and after just 17 attempts, she nailed it.

“I think it’s pretty hard for people to learn, because people, can be scared of trying it on a ramp, because you don’t know how you’re going to fall on like your first attempts, and it’s a lot of spinning. So you’ve got to make sure you commit to the whole thing, so you don’t hurt yourself,” Arisa explained.

Trew’s efforts were recognized at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards, where she was named Action Sportsperson of the Year.

Now that she’s stomped out a few 900s, Arisa wants to be able to land it more consistently. At the Ventura X Games, she’ll have plenty of opportunities to showcase her skill on the vert ramp.

“Skating in the X Games is really fun. It’s one of my favorite competitions. Because e there’s a lot of people there and it’s really fun and it’s in a good location. And the park there was really fun last year and the vert is also really good. So I liked to skate there,” Arisa said.

Reese Nelson paves the way for other young girls

Think about where you were at nine years old. Reese Nelson was named to Canada Skateboard’s 2022 National Team in the park division. A veritable prodigy in the sport, Nelson began skateboarding at just four years old. At age 10, Nelson became the first female rider to do a nose grab 720.

Now eleven, Nelson is inventing tricks (ie, the ‘breakfast burger’) and skating with Tony Hawk on the semi-regular. At Hawk’s 2023 Vert Alert Nelson took first place for ‘best trick’ with a kickflip noseslide to fakie.

Few things will inspire children to take up a new skill or hobby than watching one of their peers do it; if it looks fun, they want in, and in that strain, Nelson has made quite the impact on introducing skateboarding to other young girls.

These riders’ impact is felt far beyond the park. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America report, girls are two times more likely than boys to drop out of sports by age 14. Sports are an incredible avenue towards higher self-confidence, creativity, community, and more. Participation in a sport like skateboarding, which has always been a hallmark of innovation and inclusion, allows girls freedom of self-expression.

Skateboarding might still have a perception of being male-dominated, but Nelson and Trew are changing that assumption one history-making trick at a time.

Tony Hawk’s Perspective

Tony Hawk has had an insider’s point of view on both Trew and Nelson’s careers thus far. While the nature of skateboarding is fluid and ever-innovative, each rider has their unique style; a calling card, if you will.

Hawk described Trew’s style as “confident and progressive” and Nelson’s as “intense, creative, and powerful beyond her years.”.

Hawk sees a bit of himself in both Trew and Nelson.

“I was always driven to learn new tricks, no matter how far I was pushing myself or what ranking I had. They both have the same passion I had to keep progressing, and the same tenacity to not give up. It’s a unique determination that comes from within and can’t be taught,” Hawk said.

Skateboarding, as Hawk pointed out, is “no longer a novelty or niche activity. Skateboarding is part of the fabric of our society”. And while the sport continues to grow in its visibility and international acclaim, so too does the presence and opportunities available to female riders.

These young female riders are already having an indelible impact on the growth of the sport for other women and girls. Their continued excellence only increases the support and infrastructure given to young girls to be able to pursue skateboarding as a career option.

X Games had previously not held a women’s category for vert for 13 years and has now reintroduced it for 2023 and onwards. Fans can tune into the 2024 X Games Ventura and watch Reese Nelson and Arisa Trew June 28 – 30.

GoSkate has estimated that 40% of new skateboarders are women and girls, and as women’s skate initiatives (like GrlSwrl) continue to pop up all over the world and young children can watch female riders on TV and in the Olympics, skateboarding will only continue to grow.

Daniel Ricciardo makes emphatic declaration heading into Austrian Grand Prix daniel,ricciardo,makes,emphatic,declaration,heading,into,austrian,grand,prix,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one


A year ago at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo made a prediction that might have seen Joe Namath smile.

Is the Australian driver about to deliver a repeat performance at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix?

Following the Friday practice sessions at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix Ricciardo emphatically declared that he had a “top ten” car heading into qualifying. Ricciardo finished sixth on the timing sheets in practice in Mexico City, ahead of Lewis Hamilton for example, and believed he was primed for a strong performance.

He delivered that performance on Saturday in Mexico City, putting his AlphaTauri on the second row alongside former Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. Ricciardo finished the job the next day with a seventh-place finish, which was his best result following his shocking mid-season return to the grid.

Speaking Saturday at Red Bull Ring in the aftermath of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, Ricciardo made a similar statement.

“We knew that it would have been hard to get into the points in the Sprint, but it was important to race and learn for tomorrow,” said Ricciardo in Visa Cash App RB F1 Team’s post-qualifying report. “There are some positives from the battles we had this morning and the way the car responded was not too bad.

“Of course, it’s frustrating to miss out on Q3 by just a few milliseconds this afternoon, but at the same time, it’s a more positive one as I think we made some progress since yesterday and it’s something we have to be proud of. I think we still need to find something a little bit extra for tomorrow but today’s qualifying put us in a much better position for the race. It’s going to be a longer one with pit stops and [tire] differences, so there’s no reason to believe we can’t be a top ten car tomorrow.”

As noted by the driver while he did not advance into Q3, he missed out on the final spot in the third segment of qualifying by just 0.015 seconds, as Esteban Ocon snatched P10 from Ricciardo’s grasp.

Still, the Australian driver remains confident.

That confidence and optimism comes as Ricciardo faces renewed speculation about his future at the team. The driver acknowledged those questions earlier in the week, noting that his “performance” — not his trademark “smile” — will determine his fate.

Backing up his confidence tomorrow will bolster his case.

Tour de France 2024: TV and streaming, schedule, stages, route, and what to watch for tour,de,france,tv,and,streaming,schedule,stages,route,and,what,to,watch,for,sbnation,com,front-page

Tour de France 2024 TV and streaming schedule stages route


Cycling’s premier event is about to get underway.

And it will look a little different than in year’s past.

The 2024 Tour de France, the 111th in history, begins on Saturday June 29. However, the starting point for this year’s Tour de France, as well as the finish line, will mark a series of firsts for the event.

To mark 100 years since Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian rider to win the Tour de France, this year’s race will begin in Italy, with riders setting off in Florence. The first three stages of this year’s Tour de France will keep riders in Italy, before the Tour’s fourth stage sees riders make the journey from Pinerolo in Italy, to Valloire in France.

In addition, this year’s Tour de France schedule coincides with the 2024 Paris Summer Games, which begin in Paris at the end of July. As such the Tour de France will conclude in Nice, with the final stage of the 2024 Tour de France bringing riders from Monaco to Nice.

This year’s Tour de France also concludes with an individual time trial, the first time the event has concluded with an ITT since 1989. That year saw the legendary duel on the final day between Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon.

This year’s event has no shortage of storylines, starting with the battle between Dane Jonas Vingegaard, riding for Visma—Lease a Bike, and Slovenian Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates.

Vingegaard is the reigning Tour de France champion, winning in both 2022 and 2023 ahead of his rival Pogačar. But his status for this year’s Tour de France is a huge question mark, as Vingegaard endured a horrific crash at the Tour of Basque Country in April. The Danish cyclist suffered a broken collarbone, several broken ribs, a pulmonary contusion and a pneumothorax as a result of the crash, and spent 12 days in the hospital.

Vingegaard’s questionable form has opened the door for Pogačar to perhaps claim another title. The Slovenian took home the prestigious yellow jersey, the maillot jaune, in both 2020 and 2021; his victory in 2020 at the age of 21 made him the second-youngest winner in race history.

The two are the odds-on favorites to compete for the top spot on the podium again in 2024, but Vingegaard’s recent crash has made his rival the favorite.

Beyond the two favorites, there are some other riders in the field who could challenge for the yellow jersey. Primož Roglič from Slovenia, riding for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, is one of the older riders in the field but might have some unfinished business after losing out to fellow Slovenian Pogačar in 2020. Roglič failed to finish in both 2021 and 2022, but won the Critérium du Dauphiné at the start of the month, fending off a late challenge from Matteo Jorgenson from Visma—Lease a Bike.

Remco Evenepoel from Soudal Quick-Step is another rider to watch. The Belgian cyclist suffered a crash of his own at Basque Country, but seemed back in form during the Critérium du Dauphiné when he was part of the chasing pack that put Roglič under pressure in the final stage. Considered one of the sport’s premier time trialists, the schedule sets up well for him with the 2024 Tour de France containing a pair of time trials, including the one on the final day previously mentioned.

For American fans Jorgenson represents your best hope for Tour de France glory. However, his role this year might best be described as “undetermined,” given Vingegaard’s questionable form. Should Vingegaard be healthy Jorgenson may serve as an auxiliary leader for Visma, and one of the sport’s premier domestiques. But if Vingegaard struggles with his health as a result of his recent crash, the 24-year-old could be thrust into a major role. And given his recent performance — including finishing just eight seconds behind Roglič at Dauphiné — he is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

For more on the favorites in the 2024 Tour de France field Bernd Buchmasser has you covered here.

Here is how to watch, a look at each stage, and more.

How to watch the 2024 Tour de France

NBC Sports is your home for every stage of the 110th Tour de France, with the bulk of the coverage airing live each day on Peacock. NBC and USA Network will also air live coverage during of three stages of the 2024 Tour de France: Stage 8, Stage 14, and Stage 20.

All NBC and USA Network coverage also streams on NBCSports.com/live, as well as the NBC Sports app.

Here is the full broadcast schedule:

2023 Tour de France Broadcast Information

Date Time (ET) Stage Route Platform
Date Time (ET) Stage Route Platform
June 29 6:30 a.m. 1 Florence to Rimini Peacock
June 30 6:05 a.m. 2 Cesenatico to Bologna Peacock
July 1 6:50 a.m. 3 Piacenza – Turin Peacock
July 2 7:00 a.m. 4 Pinerolo to Vallorie Peacock
July 3 6:55 a.m. 5 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas Peacock
July 4 7:00 a.m. 6 Mâcon to Dijon Peacock
July 5 7:10 a.m. 7 Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin Peacock
July 6 6:00 a.m. 8 Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises Peacock
July 6 8:00 a.m. 8 Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises NBC
July 7 7:05 a.m. 9 Troys to Troys Peacock
July 9 6:55 a.m. 10 Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond Peacock
July 10 6:55 a.m. 11 Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran Peacock
July 11 6:55 a.m. 12 Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot Peacock
July 12 7:30 a.m. 13 Agen – Pau Peacock
July 13 6:30 a.m. 14 Pau – Pla d’Adet Peacock
July 13 8:00 a.m. 14 Pau – Pla d’Adet NBC
July 14 6:55 a.m. 15 Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille Peacock
July 16 6:50 a.m. 16 Gruissan to Nîmes Peacock
July 17 6:05 a.m. 17 Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaus to Superdévoluy Peacock
July 18 6:55 a.m. 18 Gap to Barcelonnette Peacock
July 19 7:05 a.m. 19 Embrun to Isola 2000 Peacock
July 20 7:35 a.m. 20 Nice to Col de la Couillole Peacock
July 20 4:00 p.m. 20 Nice to Col de la Couillole NBC (replay)
July 21 10:10 a.m. 21 Monaco to Nice Peacock

What teams are competing in the 2024 Tour de France

22 teams are competing in the 2024 Tour de France: That includes all 18 UCI WorldTeams, and 4 UCI ProTeams.

18 UCI WorldTeams

Alpecin-Deceuninck
Arkéa-B&B Hotels
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The 2024 Tour de France map

Here is the official map of the 2024 Tour de France:

You can also view the map on the official Tour de France website.

Stages, dates, and distances for the 2024 Tour de France

Here are the stages for the 2024 Tour de France. According to the official website there are eight stages classified as flat, four stages classified as hilly, seven mountain stages (including four summit finishes: Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet in Stage 14, Plateau de Beille in Stage 15, Isola 2000 in Stage 19, and Col de la Couillole in Stage 20). There are also two individual time trials, along with a pair of rest days.

2024 Tour de France Stages

Stage Date Distance (Miles) Route Stage Type
Stage Date Distance (Miles) Route Stage Type
1 June 29 128 Florence to Rimini Hilly
2 June 30 123.8 Cesenatico to Bologna Hilly
3 July 1 143.4 Piacenza – Turin Flat
4 July 2 86.7 Pinerolo to Vallorie Mountain
5 July 3 110.2 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas Flat
6 July 4 101.6 Mâcon to Dijon Flat
7 July 5 15.7 Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin ITT
8 July 6 114 Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises Flat
9 July 7 124 Troys to Troys Hilly
July 8 Rest Day
10 July 9 116.4 Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond Flat
11 July 10 131 Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran Mountain
12 July 11 126.5 Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot Flat
13 July 12 102.7 Agen – Pau Flat
14 July 13 94.4 Pau – Pla d’Adet Mountain
15 July 14 122.8 Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille Mountain
July 15 Rest Day
16 July 16 117.2 Gruissan to Nîmes Flat
17 July 17 110.5 Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaus to Superdévoluy Mountain
18 July 18 111.5 Gap to Barcelonnette Hilly
19 July 19 89.9 Embrun to Isola 2000 Mountain
20 July 20 82.5 Nice to Col de la Couillole Mountain
21 July 21 20.9 Monaco to Nice ITT

Overall, the 2024 Tour e France route covers 3,498 kilometers (2,174 miles) and contains 52,230 meters (171,358 feet) of total vertical climb.

If riders were hoping to ease into the 2024 Tour de France, they have another thing coming. The opening stage of this year’s Tour not only marks the first time the race has started in Italy, but it might be the toughest opening stage in history, featuring 3,600 meters (11,811 feet) of climbing. The final climb into San Marino, featuring over seven kilometers (4.35 miles) of climb at nearly five degrees.

The two toughest stretches are likely Stages 14 and 15, as well as Stages 19 and 20. Not only are all four stages mountain stages — meaning riders will have to conquer the mountains on back-to-back days — but all four stages contain a summit finish: Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet in Stage 14, Plateau de Beille in Stage 15, Isola 2000 in Stage 19, and Col de la Couillole in Stage 20.

Stage 9 is a very intriguing stage. While it is classified as “hilly” Stage 9, which sees riders start and finish in Troyes, it also contains 14 “white road” sectors. White roads on the Tour de France are dusty, gravel roads that have been a feature of this event.

In addition, the 2024 Tour de France concludes with an Individual Time Trial, the second ITT of this year’s race and the first time the Tour de France will finish in such fashion since the legendary LeMond-Fignon duel in 1989.

2024 Tour de France results

Stage 1: Florence to Rimini

Stage Winner: Romain Bardet, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
Overall Leader: Romain Bardet, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL

Romain Bardet, aided in large part by his Team dsm-firmenich PostNL teammate Frank Van den Broek, captured the difficult first stage of the 2024 Tour de France on Saturday. For Bardet, who is competing in his final Tour de France after announcing his upcoming retirement following next year’s Critérium du Dauphiné before a switch to gravel. This stage win was his first in seven years, and he’s the first Frenchman to don the famous yellow jersey since Julian Alaphilippe in the 2021 race.

F1 qualifying results: Max Verstappen dusts at Austrian Grand Prix f,qualifying,results,max,verstappen,dusts,at,austrian,grand,prix,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one

F1 qualifying results Max Verstappen dusts at Austrian Grand


Champions answer the bell.

Early in the second segment of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, the field was condensed at the front, with not much separating the drivers atop the timing sheets. To that point, the first segment of qualifying was the closest-ever Q1 since the sport implemented the three-segment qualifying format, a testament to just how compact the grid is this season.

Then Red Bull bolted on a fresh set of soft tires onto Max Verstappen’s RB20, and the three-time Drivers’ Champion posted a blistering lap that was almost five-tenths clear of the rest of the field, which remained condensed behind him.

While Lando Norris and company closed that gap in Q3 Verstappen delivered again in the final segment of qualifying, holding Norris off by over four-tenths of a second. Verstappen’s final run of the day was a stunning 1:04.314, another thunderous effort from the champion.

Formula 1 in 2024 has certainly seen the field more compact than ever, but one driver remains at the tip of the spear, and that is Verstappen. The Red Bull driver, hours after securing victory in the F1 Sprint Race despite challenges from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, captured yet another pole position, setting himself up for another massive day on Sunday.

“No one is near Max Verstappen,” declared Alex Jacques on F1TV. “That was a masterclass.”

“The car felt a lot better for me today,” said Verstappen to Jolyon Palmer trackside after the session. “It’s a great feeling, I think this is a great statement.”

Here are the full results from qualifying, along with some more winners and losers.

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando Norris has answered a bell of his own so far this weekend. The McLaren driver arrived in Austria under the weather and has been battling himself in the cockpit all week long.

Still, he put himself on the front row for the F1 Sprint Race on Friday, and will again start alongside Verstappen in Sunday’s main event.

However, starting alongside Verstappen, while notable, does not finish the job. The real challenge that Norris faces is translating one of these starts next to Verstappen into something bigger.

His second F1 Grand Prix victory.

“Max was a league of his own,” said Norris to Palmer trackside. But can he catch Verstappen tomorrow?

“It’s tough, when you look at the pace it’s clear that we’re gonna have to give it a lot,” added Norris. “I’ll do a better job than this morning, that’s for sure.”

Norris has been brutally honest regarding his performances in recent weeks. He blamed himself for failing to pull out a win at the Spanish Grand Prix despite wrestling pole position away from Verstappen at the death. After Saturday’s F1 Sprint race, he referred to himself as an “amateur” when discussing an early-lap fight with Verstappen that opened the door for teammate Oscar Piastri to snatch P2 away from him. The young driver is his own biggest critic, an admirable quality in this sport.

Having answered one bell already this week, fending off his illness to put in some solid performances, Norris can massively answer another bell tomorrow if he can find a way to keep Verstappen in sight and deliver his second Grand Prix victory.

Losers: Aston Martin

Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

At this point, it might be fair to ask what is wrong at Aston Martin.

To that point, that is exactly what Jolyon Palmer queried from the F1TV commentary box: “What on earth is going on with that team?” asked Palmer at the end of Q1.

While they were the darlings of the early 2023 F1 season, their fortunes have changed since then. While they arrived sitting sixth in the Constructors’ Championship and were just a few weeks removed from their best result of the season, which saw them bank 14 points at the Canadian Grand Prix thanks to double points from Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, they finished with anything to show for their efforts in Barcelona, and look on track for something similar this weekend.

Both Alonso and Stroll were eliminated in SQ2 on Friday, and they finished outside the points in the F1 Sprint Race earlier in the day.

Qualifying for the Grand Prix was not much better.

Stroll was eliminated in Q1, placing 17th. Alonso squeaked into Q2, placing the 15th-fastest time in Q1, but his day ended there, as he will start the Austrian Grand Prix in 15th.

In the studio on F1TV Alex Brundle outlined how both Stroll and Alonso were dealing with balance issues on the AMR24. “You can see it really plowing through the middle of the corner,” described Brundle as he talked over replays from Q1 and Q2. “Nasty balance.”

It is fair to point out that during Friday’s FIA Press Conference team boss Mike Krack outlined how tracks such as Barcelona and Red Bull Ring might not suit the AMR24 given its current performance.

“We knew that Barcelona, Spielberg, Silverstone will be hard for us because we struggle in tracks where you have a large spread of corners and also where you have a lot of high-speed corners,” said Krack on Friday. “So it was not a surprise. We raced the same car two weeks before in Montréal, where we came away with the highest points score that we had this year. So it shows you how the situations can change quickly. And also, I think in Montréal, you then run in free air, which helps everything. And in Barcelona, you’re not. We had a lot of degradation in Barcelona and then things get just worse and worse and worse over the course and there’s not much you can do other than bring it home. and that is what we did.”

However, track layout is one thing, and many teams face the occasional track or two that do not suit their challenger. But the bigger question for Aston Martin at the moment is the lack of development. That was an issue for the team last year, as they followed their tremendous start with some mid-season development struggles.

Heading into 2024 the word from the team was that they needed to do a better job of upgrading their challenger throughout the campaign. “We’ve seen, particularly last season, but also the season before, the in-season development races is absolutely fierce, and we want to be as competitive in that as we have been going into the new season,” said Technical Director Dan Fallows at the launch of the AMR24. “So that’s what we’ve been really focussed on is to make sure that we’ve got a good, stable basis for us to go and develop the car and keep those updates coming and keep the performance coming.”

But the upgrades to date have not delivered in this department, as Krack admitted on Friday.

“I think you’re right,” said Krack when asked if the in-season development has stalled as it did a year ago. “I would not say stalled, but I think clearly others do a better job than we do, and that is something that we have to seriously put under scrutiny. There is never one thing in Formula 1, obviously.

“You always have several factors contributing, but I think we have to have a close look at aerodynamics because this is performance differentiator number one in F1 and also how we do how we do these things. So that’s something that is clearly being analysed thoroughly not only now over the last month and I think we have understood some of our issues and trying to solve them as quick as possible. But we still have a long way ahead.”

That long way ahead seems even longer today.

Winner: George Russell

The summer of progress continues at Mercedes.

For the third race weekend in a row, the Brackley-based team put a car into the top three of a Saturday qualifying session. George Russell started that streak with his stunning pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, which Lewis Hamilton extended with his P3 in qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Russell continued that on Saturday, capturing P3 after Oscar Piastri’s best lap was deleted for exceeding track limits by the slightest of margins.

In this sport, every margin matters.

Now Mercedes has a chance to extend another streak, as the Silver Arrows have secured 27 points or more in each of the past two race weekends. Mercedes banked 28 points at the Canadian Grand Prix and added 27 more in Barcelona. They enter Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix having already added eight points to their account, thanks to Russell’s P4 and Hamilton’s P6 in the F1 Sprint Race.

That puts them on a path to keep that streak alive tomorrow in the main event.

“The car’s feeling really great at the moment,” said Russell trackside. “It’s definitely going in the right direction for us.

“Three races in a row for us that we’re in the top three,” added the Mercedes driver.

While Russell conceded that Mercedes’ race is likely with the cars behind him, such as the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc, as well as a lurking Piastri, the team has certainly made progress over these past few weeks.

That progress has translated into podiums, and with a little luck, it could start translating into something more for Mercedes.

Perhaps even a win.

Losers: Williams

“We know our limitations and these conditions isn’t it. Such a shame, man.”

That was the report from Logan Sargeant following the end of Q1, which saw both Sargeant and teammate Alexander Albon eliminated at the back of the field.

Williams arrived at Red Bull Ring hopeful that the layout would provide fertile ground for improved performance. But that hope has yet to materialize, as their struggles on Friday continued into Saturday. Both Albon and Sargeant — who out-qualified Albon for the first time in his F1 career when he advanced into SQ2 on Friday — were eliminated in Q1, and that left both drivers seeking answers.

However, those answers might not arrive in time for Williams to salvage anything this weekend.

Winner: Nico Hülkenberg

F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Sprint

Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

The last points result for Haas came in the F1 Sprint Race at the Miami Grand Prix. On that hot and humid Saturday afternoon Nico Hülkenberg came across the line seventh, adding a pair of points to the team’s account.

Since then Haas has been kept out of the points, and in that time they have seen Alpine leapfrog them in the Constructors’ Championship standings, thanks to a pair of double-points finishes from Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly over the last two race weekends.

This is a team that badly needed a positive result to answer that challenge, and they took a big step towards that result on Saturday. Both Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen advanced to Q2 in Saturday’s session, and while the Danish driver saw his session end there Hülkenberg advanced into Q3, and qualified ninth, matching his previous best this season.

While there is still work to be done, this is a result that the driver, and the team, truly needed.

Incomplete: Sergio Pérez

Sergio Pérez advanced into Q3 and qualified eighth for the Austrian Grand Prix, setting himself up for a solid day of points in Sunday’s main event.

But the Red Bull driver might face more questions than answers right now.

Pérez entered the 2024 F1 season facing questions about his future at Red Bull. With his contract due to expire at the end of the current campaign, Pérez came out firing on all cylinders to start the year, scoring podium finishes in four of the first five race weekends. At the Miami Grand Prix Pérez added another 18 points to his account over the F1 Sprint Race and the Miami Grand Prix itself.

It has been a much different story since then.

The Mexican driver has added just nine points to his account since Miami, and that includes the point he added earlier this morning with an eighth-place finish in the F1 Sprint Race at Red Bull Ring. His eighth-place result in qualifying today matches his best qualifying performance over this difficult stretch, which has also seen Pérez in Q1 twice (Monaco and Canada) and Q2 once, at Imola.

A year ago Pérez endured a similar mid-season swoon, one that effectively ended any thought of him challenging Verstappen atop the Drivers’ Championship standings. However, this mid-season swoon comes in a year where, as noted above, the field has caught the rear wing of Red Bull. Last year the Bulls were able to easily overcome the rest of the field and cruise to a second-straight Constructors’ Championship, even with Pérez’s mid-year struggles.

Could 2024 be a different story?

Improved form from Pérez might end that story, and see Red Bull again pull away from the field in the Constructors’ Championship. But the longer he continues this inconsistent form, the more that door remains open for a team like Ferrari or McLaren to barge through.

UFC 303: 30 tidbits, facts and storylines for Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 ufc,tidbits,facts,and,storylines,for,alex,pereira,vs,jiri,prochazka,sbnation,com,front-page,mma,ufc,ufc-events-ppv

UFC 303 30 tidbits facts and storylines for Alex Pereira


After an entertaining UFC Saudi Arabia event in which Robert Whittaker showed Ikram Aliskerov that there are “levels” to mixed martial arts (MMA), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns home to Las Vegas, Nev., for its massive yearly International Fight Week event, UFC 303.

In the pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight championship against Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main event, two-time Featherweight title challenger, Brian Ortega, takes on surging Diego Lopes (in a 155-pound showdown).

UFC 303 has several fun fights, and the atmosphere should be incredible because it is a giant card. So, before it all goes later this evening (Sat., June 29, 2024) on PPV and ESPN/ESPN+, let’s checkout some random storylines, tidbits, and statistics ahead of showtime.

Pain.

You all know by now that UFC 303 was supposed to be the highly-anticipated return of Conor McGregor. However, a toe injury ruined everything (seriously). Now, everyone has to wait longer for McGregor versus Michael Chandler, which hopefully will go down later this year.

Rematch

Pereira vs. Prochazka are running it back this weekend, and let’s be honest, they can fight every two weeks and fight fans will be just fine. The two light heavyweights first met inside the iconic arena Madison Square Garden at UFC 295 for the interim 205-pound championship. “Poatan” knocked out Prochazka in the second round.

Kind Of Short Notice …

Yes, Pereira vs. Prochazka is a short-notice fight. They were planned to collide in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, over Israel Adesnya vs. Dricus Du Plessis in August. So, they knew about the matchup and were training for each other, although Pereira was in Australia when he signed the contract.

Win-Win

Pereira is in the ultimate win-win scenario. Not only is he even more of a legend for helping UFC once again (more on that soon), but MMAmania.com has heard, per sources, that he is granted an immediate rematch in New York City later this year if he loses.

Phenomenal ‘Poatan’

Pereira’s Octagon run has been absolutely stunning thus far. In eight UFC fights, Pereira became a UFC champion in two divisions, headlined Madison Square Garden (twice), defeated four former UFC champions, headlined (and saved) UFC 300, and now he saved “International Fight Week.”

When you think about it, those accolades are genuinely incredible, especially since most of his combat sports career was in kickboxing.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

Jeez, Jiri

Pereira’s UFC accomplishments are unreal, but so is Prochazka’s UFC resume. Thus far, he is the only fighter to knockout Aleksandar Rakic and Volkan Oezdemir, submit Glover Teixeira, and finish former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov.

The guy is special.

Mexican Grapple-fest With Stakes

Ortega vs. Lopes is UFC 303’s new co-main event. The fight is one of the best matchups in the Featherweight division that could be made because both men are excellent grapplers and extremely exciting. On top of that, it very well could be for a No. 1 contender.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway is the fight that should be made, but if that fight falls apart, the winner of Lopes vs. Ortega could step in. Or, they could wait around for the winner of Topuria vs. Holloway.

Weigh-In Day Change

During UFC 303’s early morning weigh-ins, UFC announced that Ortega vs. Lopes will now take place at Lightweight.

Ortega was planning on moving to the 155-pound division, but because of the short-notice call, he had his plans (and weight) on hold.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

To The Moon

Since Lopes entered UFC, he has been shot out of a rocket … and deservingly so. And with a win at UFC 303, he will go from No. 14 to No. 3 in the rankings.

Talk about a springboard.

While he lost his UFC debut to Movsar Evloev, he has finished everyone in since in the first round and is coming off a win at UFC 300 against Sodiq Yusuff.

Same Card Luck

Pereira and Lopes have been on the same card twice (UFC 295 and UFC 300), and both have received technical knockout finishes.

Switch-Up Mania

The featured bout between Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze looks completely different from what the initial bout was supposed to be.

Indeed, the original fight was former Light Heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill, taking on Khalil Rountree Jr. However, Rountree Jr. failed a drug test, so the fight was changed to Hill versus Carlos Ulberg. Next, Hill got injured, and then Smith stepped in, making it Smith vs. Ulberg. Well, Ulberg suffered an injury, and now the final matchup (knock on wood) is Smith vs. Dolidze.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

Moving Up

Dolidze will be moving back up to Light Heavyweight to face Smith.

10 vs. 10

Both Smith and Dolidze are ranked No. 10 in there respective divisions (Middleweight and Light Heavyweight).

Polar Bear In The Desert

UFC 303’s new main card (that is being held together with duct tape) looks pretty awesome; however, there is one fight that sticks out like a sore thumb: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Silva competed for a title in her last fight, but it was a horrible fight and performance.

No disrespect, but that women’s Bantamweight fight is not UFC 303 PPV main card-worthy, especially for “International Fight Week.” Two obvious fights could take its place: Talbott vs. Ghemmouri or Swanson vs. Fili.

‘MVP’ Gets His Shot

Michael “Venom” Page (MVP) will look to snag Ian Garry’s No. 7 Welterweight ranking later this evening to crack UFC’s Top 10 rankings.

“MVP” made a gigantic splash in the promotion when he upset Kevin Holland in his UFC debut earlier this year at UFC 299. He is riding a two-fight win streak.

Unappealing

Garry doesn’t care about his upcoming fight with “MVP.” At UFC 303 media day, he flat-out said, “I have no interest in it.” It makes sense because he was gunning for former three-time title challenger, Colby Covington.

Garry is fighting down in the rankings and was only taking the fight to stay active and compete on the same card as McGregor.

Welp.

Time Is A Construct

Garry made his professional mixd martial arts (MMA) debut on Feb. 16, 2019, the same night that Page fought Paul Daley at Bellator 216. Garry fought James Sheehan at Cage Warriors 101.

They both won.

Rebound

Joe Pyfer looks to rebound from his first UFC main event loss against Jack Hermansson. It was also his first “L” in the promotion. Pyfer had a rocket ship put on his back when he received a contract on Contender Series, and it still feels that way.

He is given a pretty picture-perfect matchup against Marc-Andre Barriault, and he should get a highlight-reel knockout and put himself back into the UFC Middleweight picture.

Triple Retirement?

Three UFC veterans could lay down their gloves in the Octagon on Saturday: Cub Swanson, Andrei Arlovski and/or Michelle Waterson.

Both Arlovski and Swanson are already 40 years old, and Waterson is 38. It just makes sense because it is “International Fight Week,” and they are fighting in front of a sold-out Las Vegas crowd. And Swanson has not fought in front of a crowd since before the global COVID-19 pandemic (an utter crime).

Arlovski is fighting Martin Buday, Waterson is fighting Gillian Anderson and Swanson is fighting Andre Fili, which should be a banger.

Time To Step Up, Kid

Payton Talbott is fighting outside the UFC Apex for the first time this weekend and is primed to be the one everyone talks about from the “Prelims.”

Talbott had the whole MMA world talking about him after he demolished Cameron Saaiman in his last outing earlier this year, and because of that, he got placed on UFC 303.

He holds an 88 percent finish rate and is one of the flashiest fighters in UFC at the moment.

Biggest Favorite Ever?

While Talbott isn’t the biggest betting favorite … yet — that belongs to Bo Nickal (-2200). But, by fight night, Talbott could surpass that if money keeps coming in on him. He is currently a -1600 favorite, by far the biggest favorite on UFC 303. He faces Yanis Ghemmouri.

Welcome To UFC!

Only one fighter makes his UFC debut this weekend, Rei Tsuruya (9-0). Tsuruya scored a UFC contract by winning the “Road To UFC” Flyweight finals (he finished Jiniushiyue).

Tsuruya holds an 88 percent finish rate with four knockouts and four submissions. He faces Carlos Hernandez.

UFC 303 Ceremonial Weigh-in

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Curtain Jerker

The first fight of UFC 303 is a banger as former Top 10 Bantamweight, Ricky Simon, takes on Vinicius Oliveira, who is coming off a “Knockout of the Year” contender.

While this fight definitely deserves to be higher on the card, the matchmakers know precisely what they’re doing: start UFC 303 off with a bang.

UFC 303 Fight Leader

The fighter with the most career fights competing at UFC 303 is Arlovski (57).

UFC 303 Fight Rookie

The fighter with the least amount of career fights competing at UFC 303 is Talbott (eight).

UFC 303 Knockout King

The fighter with the most amount of career knockouts competing at UFC 303 is Prochazka (26).

UFC 303 Submission Savant

The fighter with the most amount of career submissions competing at UFC 303 is Smith (15).

Winners And Losers

Thirteen fighters are coming off wins and 13 are coming off losses.

Multi-Divisions

Here are the divisions that will be on display this Saturday:

  • One Heavyweight fight
  • Two Light Heavyweight fights
  • One Middleweight fight
  • One Welterweight fight
  • Three Featherweight fights
  • Two Bantamweight fights
  • One Flyweight
  • One women’s Strawweight
  • One women’s Bantamweight

Beta Dog

According to DraftKings, the “biggest” underdog at UFC 303 is Ghemmouri at +900.

UFC 303 Poster

LIVE! Watch UFC 303 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

’McGREGOR-FREE MAIN EVENT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 29, 2024, without its biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor, after the Irish sports star delayed the “greatest comeback of all-time” because he broke his pinky toe (seriously). Coming the rescue once again is Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, agreeing to rematch former division champion, Jiri Prochazka, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. In UFC 303’s co-headliner, top-ranked Featherweight contender, Brian Ortega, will attempt to halt the rise of red-hot surging 145-pound prospect, Diego Lopes. UFC 303’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze and Ian Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 303 start time scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!


To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 303 fight card and rumors click here.