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The $4-billion sale of the UFC to Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG was made official Monday. “We’ve been fortunate over the years to represent UFC and a number of its remarkable athletes,” WME-IMG co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell said in a prepared statement. “It’s been exciting to watch the organization’s incredible growth over the last decade under the leadership of the Fertitta brothers, Dana White and their dedicated team. We’re…

Complicating matters further was the fact that Caruthers, like all teenagers, was struggling to accept and love his body, and feared exposing it in public. “My body has never felt ordinary to me, as I have always been thin and fragile,” he said. “Being born with a bone deformity in my chest called pectus excavatum only contributed to this. Due to this condition and my skinny frame I was petrified…

Shalane Flanagan and Amy Cragg are Olympic distance runners headed to Rio this summer, and, as such, they’re ridiculously inspiring. Flanagan has made the Olympic squad four times; Cragg beat Flanagan in a harrowing trials marathon in February. They’re also endorsing Hotshot, a drink that purports to prevent muscle cramps before, during, and after workouts. “Since I started taking Hotshot, I haven’t had any cramping,” says Flanagan. Like many supplements that claim…

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To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

Hulk had quite the welcome to China. Shortly after his plane landed at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport, hundreds of chanting fans mobbed the Brazilian soccer star as he pushed his way through the crowd on June 29. Hulk, who recently inked a record-breaking deal with Shanghai SIPG, is just the most recent soccer star to sign up. Long a soccer backwater, China has gone on a buying spree unprecedented in the…

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SAN DIEGO — The small flag stitched to right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas’ jersey Sunday was layered yellow, green and red. He was at Petco Park as the Pirates’ only prospect in the All-Star Futures Game. On his chest, above his heart, were the colors of his home country, Lithuania. Neverauskas, 23, ​tossed a scoreless eighth ​for the World team, which beat the United States, 11-3. He…

He made Peter Gammons tweet “omg.” Perhaps that’s the best way to describe the Internet reaction Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes caused with his Sunday night start in the Futures Game at San Diego’s Petco Park. The flame-throwing 21-year-old righty started and totaled four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings before other Team World arms got their turn. He surrendered two hits — a triple to Astros prospect Alex…

A baseball team from Central Mexico has much to cheer about after the greater Los Angeles community rallied to help them stay in California to finish their tournament. The Hornets baseball team traveled to California from Aguascalientes, Mexico with the help of a sponsor, but said the sponsor backed out at the last minute, leaving them without money to pay for most of the trip. MORE: Young baseball team from…

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Amanda Nunes celebrates after defeating Miesha Tate during their women’s bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 200, Saturday, July 9, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) ORG XMIT: otk102(Photo: John Locher, AP) LAS VEGAS – Few sports deliver upsets with such regularity as mixed martial arts, and it was perhaps fitting that the groundbreaking 200th pay-per-view of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ended with a shock. Amanda Nunes’…

A free day pass is being offered for Thursday’s play, which begins at 6.35am and which will also be transmitted on Sky One. With the BBC having never shown the opening tee shot of the Open live, it means Sky will not only be the first UK broadcaster to do so but will be the first to do so free of charge. Today also sees the launch of Sky’s dedicated…

Media playback is not supported on this device Highlights: Portugal 1-0 France Cristiano Ronaldo wept tears of despair then tears of joy as the Euro 2016 final took him on an emotional journey from his lowest low to the high of lifting Portugal’s first major trophy. The 31-year-old Real Madrid superstar carried his country’s hopes into the final against hosts France in Paris not only as Portugal’s captain but also…

All the controversy and denials are about to come to an end, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship is expected to announce its sale on Monday. MMAWeekly.com on Sunday night confirmed the news, which was first reported by the New York Times. According to the initial report, the UFC “sold itself to WME-IMG for about $4 billion, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Backing the deal are the private equity heavyweights…

LISBON, July 10 (Reuters) – Portugal erupted into jubilation on Sunday as the country defeated France to win the Euro 2016, its first major international soccer championship. “It’s crazy,” said Lucas, a young fan in the crowds at Praca do Comercio, the main square in Lisbon where the game had been shown on huge screens. “I’m going to party tonight.” Fireworks and music broke out across the capital, where the…

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Hulk had quite the welcome to China. Shortly after his plane landed at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport, hundreds of chanting fans mobbed the Brazilian soccer star as he pushed his way through the crowd on June 29. Hulk, who recently inked a record-breaking deal with Shanghai SIPG, is just the most recent soccer star to sign up. Long a soccer backwater, China has gone on a buying spree unprecedented in the…

TROON, Scotland (AP) — Rickie Fowler took to Twitter to say he’s going to the Olympics. Patrick Reed confirmed at the Scottish Open that he will join him in Rio. Now it’s up to Jordan Spieth. With one day before the deadline to submit the American team for Rio, Spieth still has not made up his mind whether the threat of Zika and other security concerns are enough to keep…

Despite his eighth top-10 finish of the season in the Quaker State 400 Saturday night, Martin Truex Jr. left Kentucky Speedway still fuming about a ruling NASCAR made that went against him. Truex was running second in the race behind leader Kevin Harvick when both came to pit road during a caution on Lap 196. As he came down pit road and approached his pit stall, Truex dove in front…