Sports
Alex Pereira demands punishment for ‘coward’ referee in Ciryl Gane fight: ‘He is not a man’

Alex Pereira fell short in a seemingly impossible conquest to become UFC’s first three-division champion. A second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 crushed those hopes, but the path there has Pereira irate. “Poatan” condemned potential illegal strikes from Gane that preceded the finish, with much of his anger directed towards referee Herb Dean.
Gane stopped Pereira early in Round 2 after a stiff jab dropped the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion. From there, Gane unleashed ground strikes — several of which appeared to strike the back of the head — before finishing him on the feet. Pereira bemoaned Gane aggressively pursuing the finish at the expense of fair play.
“It was a lucky jab,” Pereira said in a YouTube video, though he took no issue with the strike that dropped him. “He took advantage and started landing heavier shots.”
“He’s desperate. He threw a shot he didn’t even believe in, and he wanted to finish the fight whatever way. He always does that. In multiple fights, if you look at his highlights, that’s what you’ll see all the time.”
Gane has developed a reputation as a dirty fighter among the MMA fanbase. He rejected that label in a pre-fight interview with CBS Sports, but his complicated legacy took another hit on Sunday. Pereira came into the fight conscious of illegal strikes headed his way. Even Sean O’Malley said on Sunday that he was in the training room with Pereira when he was discussing potential illegal strikes from Gane.
“You know what’s funny, in the rules meeting when Pereira was talking to the ref,” O’Malley said. “They were having the translator go over back of the head.”
Pereira, the former two-division champion, had some sympathy for eye pokes and groin strikes, things that can happen by accident in a dynamic exchange. However, he sees no way to forgive strikes to the back of the head.
“I was getting up, and it became difficult to recover,” Pereira said. “I believe if it wasn’t for those shots, I’d be in that situation and could’ve possibly recovered. Maybe not, but those shots were very hard and illegal.”
“A punch to the back of the head — you’re right there, man. You have to be seeing it,” he mentioned earlier in the video. “That was the opportunity of a lifetime for him, and the referee was right there to see it.”
The Unified Rules of MMA ban strikes to the back of the head and spine. The illegal target zone is defined as “the area starting at the crown of the head and running directly down the centerline of the head with a one-inch variance to each side.”
Pereira claims he approached Dean with his concerns before the fight. Plino Cruz, Pereira’s coach, served as an interpreter between Pereira and Dean.
“The referee who was working my fight called his colleague over, another referee,” Pereira said. “He used him as an example to explain where the back of the head is, where you can hit, and where you can’t.”
Pereira was incredibly frustrated with Dean’s officiating. Often revered for his stoicism, Pereira had a scathing assessment of Dean’s character.
“A guy like that, he goes out, drinks his beer or drinks his seltzer water, or whatever. He gets together with his friends. If he has kids or a nephew, I think that, no, I’m certain, that they look at that ref and say, ‘He’s a coward.’ But they’re his friends, they won’t say that to him. But they think it, ‘He’s a coward.’ Because he was a coward,” Pereira said.
Pereira believes Dean failed to keep the fight clean and the fighters safe. He called for Dean to be punished or face legal action for his failure to do his job well.
“He is not a man. He shouldn’t have been refereeing that fight,” Pereira said. “To be honest, a guy like that should be punished. It’s a very serious job and a very serious event. What happened? The ref should’ve faced legal consequences for that.”
Commission accountability is an issue that’s plagued MMA for as long as it’s been regulated. Results are rarely overturned, while judges and referees are seldom punished for poor calls or made available for comment. After his loss at UFC Freedom 250, Pereira called for fighters to unite and make referees liable.
“This will only change when fighters come together to push out referees who continue making mistakes like this,” Pereira said. ” Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to you. We have the power to make it happen!”
Sports
Trump-endorsed Rep. Barry Moore wins GOP primary runoff in Alabama Senate race
Rep. Barry Moore won the Republican primary runoff in the Alabama Senate race, NBC News projects, making him the heavy favorite in the general election to succeed Sen. Tommy Tuberville this fall.
Moore, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson for the GOP nomination. The two candidates were forced into a runoff after no one secured more than 50% of the vote in a crowded May 19 primary field.
Alabama’s Senate seat opened up after Tuberville launched his run for governor last year. He easily won the GOP nomination in the race last month.
In a victory speech Tuesday, Moore pointed to his relationship with Trump.
“When I call [Trump], he takes my calls, and we can work together with the senators, that delegation and certainly the president of the United States to make sure that Alabama has an opportunity to bring the jobs back here that we need,” Moore said.
Trump held a tele-rally with Moore last week and reiterated his endorsement Monday on Truth Social, calling Moore “an America First Patriot who has been with me from the very beginning.” Moore’s campaign featured Trump’s endorsements in multiple advertisements.
Moore, a former state lawmaker who was first elected to Congress in 2020, has pushed against allowing transgender women and girls to play in women’s sports and criticized “lawless Democrat sanctuary” cities while positioning himself as a staunch pro-gun advocate.
Hudson, who is the CEO of groups that work with law enforcement to combat child trafficking and focus on firearms instruction, tried to run as a political outsider. He ran unsuccessfully for Jefferson County sheriff in 2022.
And while Moore won Trump’s backing, Hudson campaigned as a “warrior for President Trump’s America First Agenda.”
“I will deploy to the Senate to defend President Trump with the same ethos they taught us in SEAL training: I am never out of the fight and I will not fail,” Hudson said on his website.
The runoff campaign turned negative. An outside group aligned with Hudson accused Moore, who served in the Alabama National Guard and Army Reserve, of “stolen valor.” In a 2024 letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed by dozens of GOP lawmakers, the Republicans accused Walz, then the Democratic vice presidential nominee, of misrepresenting his military service. Moore is listed as a signer, which marked him as having served as a “staff sergeant.”
Records shared by Moore’s campaign, though, indicated Moore was discharged with a rank of cadet.
Moore’s campaign released further information, saying his pay grade was “E-6 Staff Sergeant,” adding that “Barry has never called himself a retired Staff Sergeant, or even a Staff Sergeant nor did he retire from service — he was honorably discharged.”
Moore’s campaign also defended the title discrepancy on the Walz letter in a release on his website.
“That was a coalition letter signed by a lot of people, and the Staff Sergeant and retired title line was supplied by its organizers,” the website said. “He has never used that title and never affirmed it.”
Moore also faced questions about a 2020 ad in which he said he has “been in those combat boots,” though he did not serve overseas or in combat.
“Members of the National Guard wear combat boots to train. Here is a link to the shoe,” Moore’s website said, responding to questions about the ad.
Sports
MLB warns players not to deface uniforms in wake of silent Pride Night protest
Major League Baseball warned players this week not to deface uniforms after several members of the San Francisco Giants openly defied their team’s Pride Night event.
The Giants held their annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community on Friday at Oracle Park when losing pitcher Landen Roupp and relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote the Bible verse “Gen 9:12-16” on their caps, which featured the “SF” logo in rainbow colors.
The Book of Genesis has become a favorite citation for opponents of gay rights.
Giants reliever Sam Hentges refused to wear the rainbow Giants cap Friday.
“To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message. We respect players’ right to free expression,” an MLB statement said.
“However, writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s Uniform Regulations which provides in part that, ‘[a] Player may not write, attach, affix, embroider or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment,’” the statement said.
MLB said the warning had no direct tie to the players’ actions on Pride Night.
“We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad’, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom’ and names of family members,’” MLB said.
Some Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, were quick to defend the players.
“What does MLB think it’s doing penalizing players for their Christian faith?” Hawley said in a post on X. “They owe us some answers. Right now.”
Vance also weighed in.
“Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore,” the vice president posted on X.
Beloved Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow urged the players to understand how their actions could offend the San Francisco community.
“I think that you have the right as a player to believe and say whatever you want,” Krukow told the San Francisco Chronicle. “But you have to take a broader look at the city you’re playing in. What makes San Francisco so great is the acceptance of others — ethnicities, opinions, cultures — and that extends to the gay community.”
San Francisco has long been a hub of gay culture with about 16% of the city identifying as LGBTQ+. The team’s annual “Until There’s a Cure Day” dates back to 1994, which marked the first time a pro sports team held a benefit to fight AIDS.
Sports
How West Wilson tried to get Lindsay Hubbard, Kyle Cooke and Carl Radke fired from ‘Summer House’: report
West Wilson reportedly tried to get Lindsay Hubbard, Kyle Cooke and Carl Radke fired from “Summer House” — which allegedly led to him not being asked back for Season 11.
However, a rep for Wilson told Page Six that the accusation is “categorically false.”
The source claimed to US weekly on Tuesday that the podcaster, 31, “told producers that Lindsay shouldn’t film pregnant and being a new mom because it’s a show about singles and having fun in the summer.”
In 2024, Hubbard, 39, welcomed daughter Gemma with now-ex-boyfriend Turner Kufe.
The insider added, “Amanda [Batula] knew about that and Lindsay was pissed.”
Meanwhile, Wilson allegedly tried to make Cooke, 43, and Radke, 41, “look bad” by secretly telling producers that the reality show “would be better with him and new friends.”
Cooke, Hubbard, and Radke are part of the original “Summer House” cast, with Batula, 34, joining as Cooke’s “girlfriend” during Season 1.
The swimwear designer was then upgraded to a full-time cast member.
Wilson joined the group in Season 8.
The insider added that “his goal was to be with Amanda and then just film with his friends.”
The sports commentator not showing his personal life and “dating other women who no one knew about,” also led to his departure.
Wilson and Batula started dating shortly after the influencer separated from Cooke in January after four years of marriage.
Batula’s ex-bestie Ciara Miller, 30, also dated Wilson for several months in 2023. The former flames even shared a kiss during Season 10.
Wilson was also actively dating Meija Moreno when his relationship with Batula was exposed.
The source claimed that Hubbard and Cooke have “joked” that Wilson and Batula “are not going to last.”
But the insider told the outler that the couple is “still fully committed to each other.”
Page Six reached out to reps for Cooke, Hubbard and Radke.
However, a second source alleged that “it was a mutual decision between the network and West.”
They noted that the Complex journalist felt that his “time on the show was coming to end” going into the Season 10 reunion.
“It became even clearer that there wasn’t a long-term fit anymore,” the insider continued, insisting that Wilson is “at peace” with the outcome.
The social media personality is now focused “on his podcast and other business ventures.”
The source explained that due to Batula and Wilson’s bombshell romance, “there’s a tear in the friend group.”
Wilson and Batula came under fire during the dramatic three-part Season 10 reunion for lying about their relationship to everyone in the group.
“The cast doesn’t want to film with him,” the insider continued to Us, noting that Batula is “still friendly” with Season 8’s Jesse Solomon, 33, and her estranged husband.
As of now, the rest of the cast is not “speaking with Batula,” with the insider expressing that her future on the show is “up in the air.”
On Monday, Hubbard took to Threads to detail her grievances with Wilson.
“West has tried to threaten my career / show now 3 times and it’s quite frankly, disgusting. No other word to describe it,” she penned.
Hubbard referenced the time Wilson publicly said on his “Show Me Something” podcast that there was “no way” she could return post-baby.
Now, a week after the reunion wrapped, fans will get a look into the fallout on Tuesday, with a bonus episode.
“Summer House: The Aftermath” — which airs at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo — will feature a sit-down between Wilson and Cooke and Batula and Hubbard, among other cast members.
Sports
Wetzel: Brendan Sorsby is done with college sports. Can local judges be next?
Now that L’Affaire Sorsby is over for college athletics, and Brendan, the would-be Texas Tech quarterback, is attempting to enter the NFL supplemental draft, perhaps something positive can still come of this.
(Other than billable hours for white-shoe law firms, of course.)
Namely, college athletics needs to get local judges and their temporary injunctions out of the game.
Brendan Sorsby’s college career should have been over the moment he acknowledged he bet some 9,000 times on sports, including about 40 on Indiana while a member of the football program. These were clear violations of NCAA statutes and precedents. Banishment was the appropriate punishment.
Open. Shut.
Except along came a Texas judge, Ken Curry, who decided to buy Sorsby’s Hail Mary legal argument that he should get to play this season anyway.
Sorsby’s case centered on how he suffered from a gambling addiction and how any punishment would adversely impact his mental health. Therefore, he deserved a restraining order to keep playing until he got his day in court … which, of course, wouldn’t occur until after he exhausted his eligibility.
Curry’s decision to grant Sorsby’s injunction last week left the NCAA as the only sports governing organization on earth prohibited from enforcing anti-gambling and integrity rules.
The entire world — let alone all of college athletics — was on one side of this issue. A single judge on the other.
Yet the judge is the one who counted. In a likely tell about how illogical even he knew this was, Curry never provided a specific explanation as to what he liked about Sorsby’s argument.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
Sorsby’s victory began unraveling late last week when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stepped in and threatened legal action against the Big 12 if it tried to punish Sorsby itself via the league’s own bylaws.
That opened the door for the Big 12 to bring in the high-powered law firm of Sidley Austin (whose past lawyers include Barack Obama and J.D. Vance). On Monday, it petitioned a federal judge for injunctive relief against Paxton and a declaratory judgement that, yes, it was allowed to enforce its long agreed upon rules.
The chances of it succeeding were considered high, which would have left Sorsby open to future suspension or other punishments. For both the player and the program, the uncertainty was too great. By Monday evening, Sorsby gave up.
All’s well that ends well, apparently, but what college sports needs to do in this moment is to seize the collective opposition here — even if some of it was plagued by grandstanding — to push the federal government to put an end (as much as possible) to governance by local courts.
The days of a conference having to ask federal judges for the right to enforce its integrity bylaws need to end.
Nor should every player, coach or school be able to win injunctions against nearly any decision they don’t happen to like.
College sports are plagued by judicial governance. Extra seasons of eligibility. Two-week temporary restraining orders. Midseason Euroleague player acquisitions. These days you don’t just need to recruit a five-star quarterback, you need a five-star judge.
The plaintiffs don’t even have to actually win their cases, they just have to convince a judge they have a case and that holding them out of competition while the process drags would cause irreparable harm.
It’s a lower bar to clear. By the time the actual case is set to be tried, the season is over and the filing is dropped. It’s a dishonest workaround that’s causing chaos.
College sports is now unable to determine who can play and for how long, or even whether it can enforce basic standards on the third-rail issues such as sports wagering.
There are currently multiple efforts in Congress designed to “save” college sports or “preserve” college sports. They are sprawling bills, complicated and filled with pet projects and straw man arguments. As such, none of them stand much of a chance.
As the battle for sweeping reform churns on, college sports needs to push for a so-called skinny bill designed to address the items that almost everyone agrees on: mainly eligibility and enforcement free from judicial interference.
Until that is handled, this is a rudderless ship constantly trying to navigate a parade of storms.
Drafting such common-sense legislation might not be foolproof, but it is critical to try. It would receive widespread, if not unanimous, support inside college athletics and arrive on the floor for a vote not just bipartisan but nonpartisan.
College sports’ issues are myriad. There’s a lot to sort out.
Sidelining the Judge Ken Currys of the world should be step one.
Sports
Google launches Android 17, rolling out now to Pixel
Following four betas, Google is ready to launch Android 17 for Pixel devices. There are a handful of big additions and changes, while today’s release coincides with the June 2026 Pixel (Feature) Drop.
Like last year, this update is arriving before the historic fall window as part of Google’s new release cadence. The biggest user-facing addition in Android 17 is the ability to Bubble any application. A similar capability was previously reserved for message conversations. Long-press any app on your homescreen and tap the new button in the top-left corner to get a chat head-style icon that you can move around and drag down to close. A Bubble Bar in the bottom-right corner is available for large screen devices.
Handy for travel, entertainment and work, Bubbles lets you easily reference notes or maps, watch tutorials and even check sports. It keeps everything you need in reach but out of the way.
A small but nice addition in Wallpaper & style > Icons > Names is “Show app names” to hide labels on your homescreen.
Android 17 implements app memory limits “to ensure apps never use too much RAM” for improved device performance and to help preserve battery.
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The screen recorder accessed from Quick Settings has been redesigned with a floating pill interface. Your available options are unchanged from before. After the recording has started, you can tap the status bar indicator to bring back the pill and make changes — tap the settings gear — or “Stop.” Screen Reactions give you a green screen to add a selfie video to the capture.
Afterwards, you’re taken to a new fullscreen page that lets you preview the clip, Edit, Delete, or Share.
In Quick Settings, the Camera, Location, and Microphone access indicators in the top-right corner have been redesigned. The pill is narrower and makes use of circular containers to better distinguish what’s active.
On the topic of Location, Android 17 has a number of changes. The runtime Location permission now adds explicit checkboxes when picking between “Precise” and “Approximate.” Google is also adding a new one-time precise location button for apps, while there’s an improved algorithm for approximate location.
Additionally, you can share specific contacts with apps “instead of your entire address book.”
The bigger QS change is split Wi-Fi and Mobile data toggles. After updating, the previous Internet Tile becomes Wi-Fi and you can add Mobile data. On supported devices, there’s also a new “Satellite” Tile that takes you to “Satellite connectivity” settings.
When you “Mark as lost,” Find Hub now lets you require biometrics, “so even if a thief has your passcode, they can’t access information on your phone or turn off tracking.”
The “No notifications” message in the shade has been replaced by “You’re all caught up” and a trophy icon that comes from the Pixel Watch.
In terms of visual changes, Widget panes now feature a blurred background just like Quick Settings and the Notification shade. There are various icon tweaks, but nothing drastic following the Material 3 Expressive redesign last year. You’ll also notice a close ‘x’ in fingerprint sheets.
There are several notable changes in the Settings app:
“Accounts and backup” is a new combined menu that simplifies “Password & passkeys.”
Once you dig down, individual preferences are now housed in shorter cards that remove top/bottom padding for more compact lists.
In Sound & vibration, you’ll find a new slider for “Assistant volume.”
Under Display & touch > Dark theme, you can now control which apps use the Expanded dark theme.
There’s a new Easter egg for the first time in three generations. Go to Settings > About phone > Android version and tap the “17” repeatedly to connect all the dots.
Android 17 Pixel launch
Android 17 is launching and rolling out starting today for the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and Pixel 10a.
Visit Settings > System > System update and click the “Check for update” button if the OTA hasn’t already appeared on your device. Android 17 Beta 4.1 users will get a small update to this final release.
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