You don’t want to be the person standing at the coffee machine Monday morning without a way to enter the conversation. I know you probably had a lot to get done this weekend and didn’t have time to keep up with all that happened in the world of sports.
Lucky for you, my responsibilities aren’t quite as numerous as yours, so I stayed on the couch to provide you with a detailed update on what you missed.
Here are the highlights from a fantastic weekend in sports.
UFC 262
There’s nothing like a Saturday night event in the octagon, and the UFC didn’t disappoint.
There were five fights on the main card and Shane Burgos (-134) vs Edson Barboza (+108) kicked off the evening with a bang. In the third round, Barboza hit Burgos with a right hook, knocking Burgos wobbly for a second until he stumbled backwards onto the mat before being TKO’d.
WOW BARBOZA FREEZES Shane Burgos mortal Kombat style 😳#UFC262 pic.twitter.com/JdbQEWhpkm
— RAW MMA NEWS (@rawmmanews) May 16, 2021
The main event of the evening featured Charles Oliveira (-134) vs Michael Chandler (+110). Chandler looked like he had Oliveira in the first round, landing a flurry of punches, but Oliveira somehow found a way to survive.
CHANDLER HAS OLIVEIRA HURT 😱 #UFC262 pic.twitter.com/6eRPSYZ7Wc
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 16, 2021
Just moments into the second round though, Oliveira made his move, knocking out Chandler with his own onslaught of punches.
Charles Oliveira Defeats Michael Chandler Via KO To Become The New UFC Lightweight Champion 🏆#UFC262 #CharlesOliveira pic.twitter.com/WzMifSZH30
— Serretiant (@Serretiant) May 16, 2021
The Preakness
The conversation around the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course should have been around the race itself, but after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, the focus was understandably elsewhere.
After passing a series of drug tests, Medina Spirit was allowed to race in the Preakness, but faded down the stretch as little-known Rombauer claimed an upset victory.
#Rombauer wins the 146th Preakness Stakes!#Preakness146 pic.twitter.com/PTz4dLwInQ
— Preakness Stakes (@PreaknessStakes) May 15, 2021
NBA
The NBA regular season has finally come to a close, and the playoffs are just around the corner.
Entering the weekend, most of the playoff seeding was undecided, and with the new play-in tournament, the end of the regular season was far more interesting than normal.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 113-101 to secure the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and will face the LA Lakers with the winner going into the playoffs as the seventh seed.
The New York Knicks locked up the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with their 96-92 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday, earning their first playoff appearance since the 2012-2013 season.
The Utah Jazz will be the one seed in the Western Conference after a 121-99 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Utah awaits their opponent as they’ll be matched up with the eighth seed, which will be decided via the play-in tournament starting on Tuesday.
NHL
Is there anything better than playoff hockey? In case you were wondering … the answer is no.
The 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs kicked off on Saturday with the first Washington Capitals taking game one of a seven game series with the Boston Bruins in a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory.
Elsewhere, the New York Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in OT, the Tampa Bay Lighting took game one over the Florida Panthers 5-4, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in OT.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.