On Saturday night at UFC 328, Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta face off in a main card clash with big implications. The winner of their scrap will put their name in the title contender conversation this fall.

After three extremely tight contests, the Russian used his length and leg kicks to defeat the Dominican and earn his 14th win inside the Octagon and 40th overall. Let’s see where he lands in our new heavyweight rankings after UFC 328.

10. Tyrell Fortune (18-3)

Multiple-time wrestling champion Tyrell Fortune was a top prospect for Bellator in the final years of the promotion’s existence. But after two appearances in the PFL, he took his talents to the MMA regional scene to build his resume for a shot in the UFC.

Well, he got that opportunity in the Octagon in March 2026 and he made the most of it by scoring a big decision victory over ranked veteran Marcin Tybura. The win earned him a spot in our latest UFC Heavyweight Top 10.

9. Rizvan Kuniev (14-3-1)

PFL and Contender Series veteran Rizwan Kuniev joins our UFC heavyweight rankings after scoring the biggest win of his career with a hard-fought victory over Zelton Almeida during his debut in the Octagon in February 2025. While it wasn’t great, he proved he could compete with top-10 talent.

Sergei Spivak has been a consistent top-15-tier fighter at heavyweight for the past five years. While he has lost six times inside the Octagon, his most recent failures have come against elite competition such as Tom Aspinall, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Cyril Gane. However, he has also achieved some big wins against big-name or ranked foes.

He scored another goal in February when he scored in a very hard-fought victory over talented finisher Ante Delija. Their latest win halted a potential losing streak and brings them back into our top 10.

7.Curtis Blades (19-6)

While Curtis Blaydes has suffered some tough losses during his career, he has remained a top-five tier heavyweight for most of the last decade, earning wins over fighters such as Junior dos Santos, Alexander Volkov, and Zelton Almeida during his tenure in the UFC.

However, in the UFC 327 scrap, where he was a huge favorite, the 35-year-old decided to engage Josh Hockitt in a brawl, and suffered a surprisingly upset loss. It’s hard to imagine that “Razor” will ever fight for UFC gold again.

6. Josh Hockitt (9-0)

Leading up to his scrap at UFC 327, few people knew who Josh Hockitt was. However, his bizarre antics during Fight Week brought the talented wrestler a lot of attention, but mostly for the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, on fight night, he still had an opportunity to earn top 10 status in a clash with Curtis Blaydes.

Although it was no technical performance, Hokit showed an impressive chin and courage as he shocked the MMA world by defeating Blaydes in Fight of the Night. His third consecutive win in the Octagon lands him in our latest Top 10 and on the radar of UFC fans around the world.

Dominican legend Waldo Cortes Acosta has quietly become a serious force in the heavyweight division. In his 13 bouts inside the Octagon, he has recorded 10 wins, including wins against some notable talents in the top 15, including against fan favorite Derrick Lewis at UFC 324.

In May, he got a chance to potentially become the No. 1 contender in a UFC 328 bout with Alexander Volkov. However, the Dominican was unable to figure out the Russian’s away game and suffered a disappointing decision loss.

4. Sergei Pavlovich (20-3)

Sergei Pavlovich has been an absolute crushing machine during most of his UFC career. After losing to Alistair Overeem in his debut match, he reeled off six consecutive wins and all of those wins came via devastating knockout. However, a string of two-match defeats halted all their momentum. But he has righted the ship in 2025 and has scored two decision wins. The most recent fight was against Waldo Cortés-Acosta in Shanghai.

3. Alexander Volkov (40-11)

Alexander Volkov has been a top-tier MMA heavyweight for a long time. Although he has been unable to earn a UFC title shot, he has remained a veteran in the top 10 over the years. Have been hovering around the title contenders conversation for the last few years.

However, at UFC 328, he may have locked up a title opportunity in the near future when he was able to outpoint and outpoint Dominican star Waldo Cortés-Acosta to earn a crucial unanimous decision victory.

2. Cyril Gane (13-2)

Cyril Gane is a superb athlete and one of the most technical heavyweight strikers in the game. This is the reason why he is constantly in the title discussion. However, his wrestling shortcomings remain a problem, and they were evident again in his UFC 310 bout with Alexander Volkov. Fortunately “Bon Gamine” was able to escape and win the decision.

This victory earned him a title opportunity at UFC 321. However, his good luck ran out against Volkov, and his chance to win UFC gold was halted after just a few minutes when he kicked champion Tom Aspinall in both eyes, ending the fight.

1. Tom Aspinall (14-3)

Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. It became official when MMA GOAT Jon Jones decided to step away from the sport earlier this year. The Englishman has defeated many of the best fighters in the division over the past three years and is the undisputed leader in the eyes of most UFC fans.

After definitively avenging the only defeat of his UFC career in the summer of 2024, he made his first defense of the undisputed title in October. Unfortunately, a nasty blow from opponent Cyril Game ended the UFC 321 main event after just a few minutes. An immediate rematch in early 2026 appears likely.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE internally discussed a scenario in which CM Punk would retain the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42 before ultimately selecting Roman Reigns as champion.

The report clarifies that Reigns’ victory was always the long-term plan, but an alternate ending involving Punk was considered so seriously that it was discussed internally before being rejected.

Meltzer wrote, “Rengs was always going to emerge as champion because long-term plans were made for him at that position, including a title fight with Gunther.” “It was possible and clearly talked about that Punk could defeat Reigns and then lose the title at Backlash, so they would be ‘even’ when it was over, but Reigns would finish as champion as a way to protect Punk’s position. But in the end the decision was for Reigns to win here.”

Punk’s victory at WrestleMania, followed by a title loss at Backlash in Tampa on May 9, would leave both men tied in whatever happened next, reducing Punk’s blowout and ultimately leaving Las Vegas unchampioned. The fact that it was considered at all shows how well matched both options were at some point in the creative process, even if Reigns’ victory was always the likely decision.

In the night two main event of WrestleMania 42, Reigns defeated Punk with two spears in a match that lasted 30 minutes. At the press conference after the show, Reigns announced that he would be appearing throughout the summer. WWE wasted no time in setting up its next direction, setting up a showdown between Reigns and Jacob Fatu on that Monday show.

There is already an important program attached to the long-term picture beyond Fatu. Gunther has been identified as a key direction for Reigns’ title reign, which would be one of the best championship programs WWE could do, given the star power of both sides. With Reigns now confirmed as the centerpiece of the summer’s World Heavyweight Championship picture, the creative roadmap appears to be in place.

On Thursday, in a penalty-filled game, the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 lead in the round one series against the Ottawa Senators with a 2-1 win in Game 3.

Since the puck dropped in Canada’s capital for the first time this postseason, the Hurricanes haven’t let off the gas despite two good games on their home floor. They started things off quickly, as Logan Stankoven found the back of the net just five minutes into the game, while Linus Ullmark had only three shots on net.

The other two goals came in the second period. The first came after an accidental nullification of offsides off the stick of Drake Batherson, as Jordan Martinook moved the puck back into the defensive zone, effectively tying the game. The second – the game-winning goal – came off the stick of Jackson Blake, after Taylor Hall’s effort for the secondary assist, and an incredibly deceptive pass from defenseman K’Andre Miller for the primary assist, while Stankoven created chaos in front of Ullmark’s net – screening him with his own teammates.

However, the story of the night did not lie only in crime. The Hurricanes defense was excellent throughout the game.

In the second period, the Hurricanes took five penalties, and they killed every one of them. Midway through the frame, they trailed five-on-three and, surprisingly, did not allow a single shot.

Jacob Slavin led all players on the ice with four blocks throughout the game, while Sean Walker had three blocks.

Both teams finished the game with accurate penalty kills.

storm notes

In the second period, Taylor Hall drew a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head of Jake Sanderson. The Senators’ top-pairing defenseman pitched two more innings and later left the game.

In the third period, Brady Tkachuk took a dirty hit on Jordan Martinuk, causing him to bounce his elbow while skating at the blue line. The play resulted in a major penalty review, but it was ultimately reduced to a minor two-minute penalty for interference.

All three games of the first-round series between the Hurricanes and Senators started with a goal by Logan Stankoven and an assist by Hall.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Detroit Pistons suffered a tough 130-129 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, ending their four-game winning streak.

The Pistons had two chances to win on the final possession, but Tobias Harris missed a jumper with 2.9 seconds remaining, while Jalen Duren, who had grabbed the offensive rebound, buried a gimme as time expired.

Courtesy of Harris’ jumper, Detroit overcame a 21-point deficit to send the game into extension. However, the team still ultimately fell short.

Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff praised his return, but also said he couldn’t celebrate the loss, as shown in video posted by Coty Davis of the Detroit News.

“We didn’t like the way we dug into a hole in the first half. But to be able to negotiate at halftime and then come out and play like we played in the third and fourth quarters, credit to those guys,” Bickerstaff said.

“Obviously, we fell a bucket behind. But most teams wouldn’t even get themselves in that position. Most teams don’t have the strength to dig deep, collect themselves, pick themselves up off the mat, and do what our guys did. No moral victory, but I’m proud of our guys’ effort.”

“We didn’t like the way we dug a hole in the first half…no moral victory.”

speak on bickerstaff #piston They are battling a 21-point deficit after the loss to the Hawks. pic.twitter.com/cIbhluHyM5

– Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) 26 March 2026

The Pistons lost for the first time since Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with lung failure.

They have played well even without the two-time All-Star with Duren, Harris, Duncan Robinson, Dennis Jenkins and Aussie Thompson. They all scored in double figures against the Hawks, led by Duren with 26 points.

The Pistons, who fell 52-20, including 28-9 at home, will look to bounce back against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.

ATLANTA – At this point in the season, every win matters for the Atlanta Hawks. It doesn’t matter who has been in front of them in the month of March, but for the most part, they have been able to take care of business and try to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs.

This time, the schedule featured the Memphis Grizzlies, whom they defeated 146–107. The Grizzlies have suffered a lot of injuries and roster turnover during the season, and despite coming into the game with a 24–46 record, they are still competing.

For Hawks, the task was simple, and to take care of business as usual.

“As a group, we’ve been professional,” Nichelle Alexander-Walker said. “That’s what it’s all about, doing your job. It doesn’t matter who they put against you. We were very conscious of who we were playing against tonight.”

“At the end of the day, these are the 450 best players in the world and the Grizzlies are dealing with a lot of injuries,” Onyeka Okongwu said. “There’s a lot of guys in and out of the lineup, so those guys are getting opportunities. They’re all working hard, and you’ve got to respect that. We’ve still got to do what we do and take care of business at the end of the day.”

The Hawks struck first to start the game and they continued to punch until the clock struck zero. Whether it was Alexander-Walker’s 26 points, Zachary Rishachar’s team-high eight rebounds, or CJ McCollum’s nine assists, they did everything they could to get the win and the Hawks treated this game like any other.

“One thing I learned is that if you lose to a team like that, it’s bad. If you beat a team like that, it’s like, ‘You should do this,'” Alexander-Walker said. “You don’t really win in that situation. You have to kind of break out of the noise, and you have to be professional.

“It’s my job to play the game, it’s my job to work hard, and it’s my job to try to win and do what I need to do for the team. Everybody came out to do that tonight, and I think that’s been a consistent thing that’s shown over time.”

There has been a lot of talk lately about the maturity of this team, and it has shown over the past month or so. They’re sticking to the game plan and coming in with the same mentality every night.

“I think it’s a collective thing where guys are putting the team first,” Quin Snyder said. “That’s where we have to be focused, and when that happens, we’re crashing the offensive glass, we’re sharing the ball, getting into the lane, breaking into the paint. Focusing on defense, I think, is the most important thing. When you see everybody bought into that, it says a lot about the guys in our locker room.”

Things will not be easy for the Hawks in the next few games, as they will face the top two teams of the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. They know the importance of those games, but as long as they keep doing what they’ve been doing throughout the month, they’ll give themselves a chance to win.

The Montreal Canadiens host the New York Islanders on Saturday night, with both teams looking to improve their standing in a tightly contested playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

The Habs were powered by their first line, a recurring theme during the last few seasons. Against the Islanders, the trio scored four goals, leading to a decisive 7–3 victory.

With the win, Montreal’s playoff chances increased to 84 percent, which is a pretty healthy stat all things considered.

Let’s look at the highlights!

power in sports

The Canadiens broke the ice by scoring on the power play, an encouraging sign as they haven’t taken advantage of all their man advantage opportunities in recent games.

It was Juraj Slafkowski who scored, which should be no shock as he leads all Canadian players in power play goals this year, and by a good margin too. Slafkowski has scored 14 times on the power play, while Nick Suzuki is the only other Habs player to reach double-digit goals (10) with the man advantage.

Slough gets a point for the sixth consecutive game!

Six-game heater for Slafkowski!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/qbaRWRhuT0

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 21 March 2026

Secondary scoring in sports

The Islanders scored the next two goals, including a goal from former hub Emil Heinemann, his 20th goal of the year.

In response, Alex Newhook hit an excellent one-timer to tie the game with assists from Caden Guhle and Oliver Kapanen. It was Newhook’s 10th goal of the year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Alex Newhook’s 10th of the season? Here it is!

Alex Newhook’s 10th of the season? coming right up!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Jf0aEUG0EQ

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 22 March 2026

mr saturday night

The Canadiens are always looking for secondary scoring, this is because they do most of their damage from the first line. For example, Cole Caufield, Mr. Saturday Night himself, gave the Habs a delicate one-goal lead heading into the second intermission. His 41st goal of the year was not a thunderous shot or a spectacular deke, but a smart shot from the forward, who evolved from a one-trick pony into a multi-scoring threat every time he was in the offensive zone.

What comes after 40? 41!!

What’s after 40? 41!! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/nV4xHp9i9K

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 22 March 2026

big one is coming

With a power play goal early in the third period, the Islanders proceeded to tie the game again. The good news for the Habs is that they responded perfectly to adversity, starting with Caden Guhle’s second goal of the year to take a one-goal lead.

A ball of guhle! 💥

Guhle explodes!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/EDNUxLEiz6

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 22 March 2026

If you haven’t caught a single game in the last two years, what happened next is shocking. As per tradition, the first line attacked, as Slafkovsky scored his second goal of the game to give the Habs a 5–3 lead.

Appropriately, it was facilitated by the usual suspects, Suzuki and Caufield. Montreal’s trio continues to provide ample evidence to suggest they are one of the best lines in the NHL.

One goal of slaff is good, but two is better

One slap goal is good, but two is better#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/sF9Xt20KXA

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 22 March 2026

Sometimes a theme comes together perfectly.

On Saturday night, the dominance of the first line came to the fore on several occasions, including Caufield’s second goal of the game, giving the Canadiens a three-goal lead midway through the third period. Oh, and it was also Caufield’s 42nd goal of the season.

And that’s why we nicknamed him Mister on Saturday Evening

Anand, that’s why we call him Mr. Saturday Night#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ybzkoO6bKE

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 22 March 2026

To cap the night, Caufield recorded his third career hat trick to put the game out of reach. This was especially satisfying for the Habs, as the Islanders suddenly found their courage when they were down by three goals and had an extra skater on the ice.

Mathew Barzal, in particular, made a fool of himself trying to link up with Suzuki.

But in the end, it didn’t matter, as the Canadiens outshot the Islanders by a wide margin.

Third hat trick for Cole Caufield! pic.twitter.com/4SulrwCkz2

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) 22 March 2026

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Tuesday hosting the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

When you need a clutch goal, rely on defensemen. A strange reality, but the Carolina Hurricanes have survived two games in a row.

The Hurricanes did not score a single natural goal during the entire match. Nonetheless, in a unique game full of individual achievements and accomplishments, they still defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3 in overtime.

One of those milestones hit the moment Taylor Hall stepped onto the ice. This was his 100th game as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, after being traded in the old three-team Mikko Rantanen deal.

Dakota Joshua scored in the first period to put the Leafs up one, but that was all he wrote for the opening twenty minutes as both teams went back and forth with the puck.

The game came alive in the second period

Early in the second frame, Andrei Svechnikov and ex-Hurricane Max Domi collided at the Leafs’ blue line. Svechnikov, who was shaken up, was briefly attended to by head athletic trainer Doug Bennett before going to the bench and later to the locker room. However, he was able to return near the halfway point.

In the inning following Svechnikov’s injury, Eric Robinson took a high-stick to the face from Brandon Carlo – drawing some blood for a double minor. In the final seconds of a four-minute power play, Jordan Staal once again proved to be one of the best things to happen to Carolina this season, as he tipped in a shot by Seth Jarvis.

Afterwards, Robinson once again performed for his team and drew a hooking penalty from Troy Stecher on a breakaway. He was given a penalty shot opportunity – the first attempt in his NHL career – and proceeded to slip a nice short wrister past Josef Woll to give Carolina its first lead of the night.

However, that lead was short-lived. Just 72 seconds later, John Tavares made his way behind Brandon Bussey’s net and put the puck in through the five-hole.

In the final minutes of the second frame, Sean Walker was fouled in the penalty box for fouling Matthew Neese. However, Walker’s defensive partner was not satisfied with simply killing a penalty, and instead, took the puck down the ice for the first shorthanded goal of his NHL career.

It was the second consecutive game for Shorty to score for the Hurricanes.

The third period arrived, and with just a few minutes remaining, William Nylander scored a goal to force overtime.

three-on-three action

When overtime began, the game-winner came off the stick of a first-time player: Alexander Nikishin. The rookie defenseman had just come on the ice in place of Jakob Slavin because Jarvis had sent him off, but he didn’t have it for long. Skating quickly to the right face-off circle, he wasted no time – launching it through an accidental Leafs screen and past the Vols after just 41 seconds of play. It was not only the first overtime goal of Nikishin’s NHL career, but also his first game-winning goal. For the second consecutive game, the Hurricanes’ overtime game winner came from a defenseman.

The game marked an unusual pattern to victory, as all four of the Hurricanes’ goals did not come on five-on-fives. Instead, they were on the power play, in the form of penalty shots, shorthanded and three-on-three in overtime.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Nikola Topic addressed the NBA media for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. Topic made his NBA debut last week before the All-Star break in a 105-86 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was an emotional moment for Nicola, who received a standing ovation at the Paycom Centre.

After helping lead the Thunder to a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets, the subject, playing in my first two NBA Games talked about what it was like during his first postgame media availability on Friday.

Topic said, “Amazing moment. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life – thanks to the fans.” “Definitely, I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

Nikola Topic got a standing ovation as he checked in to his first career NBA game.

He also gets an assist with a nice pass to Jaylin Williams for an easy bucket. Topic made a great start pic.twitter.com/oJqrXDkPKT

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 13 February 2026

Topic admits that it felt strange to return to the game after being away from the game for so long. However, he managed to put his emotions aside shortly after attending the first NBA game of his career.

Topic continued, “It was weird at first. I’m just getting back to the game experience again.” “I was out for a while. It was very weird coming back. I was finding myself doing things I had never done before. It was pretty hard to adjust to, but every game was better. The first game in the G League. The second game was better. The first game here was OK. The second was better. But I think it will only get better.”

Nikola Topic thanks Thunder fans for standing ovation in NBA debut:

“I will remember this for the rest of my life” pic.twitter.com/N8xqQELZoc

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 21 February 2026

Topic finished with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting, including 1-2 from deep, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. He helped put the Nets away throughout the second half, especially early in the fourth quarter when Topic scored five points and an assist in less than two minutes, giving Oklahoma City a 16-point advantage.

Chet Holmgren keeps it 100 about Thunder’s Nikola theme

All-Star Chet Holmgren reacts to Nikola Topic’s Thunder debut, praising the newcomer’s courage. While Holmgren missed his entire rookie season due to injury, similar to Topic’s ACL repair that sidelined him for the entire 2024-25 campaign, Chet couldn’t start since October due to Nikola’s testicular cancer diagnosis.

Holmgren shares heartfelt comment on Topic’s return to basketball.

“Anyone battling cancer is fighting for their life. I’ve never been able to understand what it’s like. It just speaks to the power of [Topić]And who he is as a person,” Holmgren said. “It would have been very appropriate for him to be down and angry at everyone around him, and be angry at the world because the child he is doesn’t deserve this. We’re all very happy that he was able to fight through it, get back to hooping.

“You see the huge smile on his face when he’s able to put his shoes on and get out there. I thought he played a really good game tonight. He could have made 100 shots or missed 100 shots tonight; it was an amazing game for him. To be able to get out there, get some reps under his belt, and now, he can learn from them, we can learn from him too.”

Topic will play the third game of his NBA career when the Thunder host the Cavs on Sunday at Paycom Center.