MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fighter Eugene Toquero is looking to cement his status as the next contender for the ONE Championship flyweight title by taking Adriano Moraes out of the equation.

Both men are set to square off in the co-headliner of ONE: Union of Warriors on Friday, March 18, at the Thuwanna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

Toquero, who was one of the most active Pinoy prizefighters in 2015, is entering the match-up as the heavy underdog due to his opponent’s résumé. 

Moraes has been a ONE Championship mainstay since November 2013, defeating the likes of Yasuhiro Urushitani, Kosuke Suzuki and Riku Shibuya.

The 26-year-old Brazilian became the organization’s inaugural featherweight champion by submitting Team Lakay’s Geje Eustaquio with a second-round guillotine choke in September 2014.

After successfully defending the gold-plated strap versus Shibuya in March 2015, his reign as ONE Championship’s flyweight kingpin ended controversially as Kairat Akhmetov took a debatable victory via split decision this past November. 

Moraes plans to make Toquero his footstool to settle his beef with Akhmetov and regain the ONE flyweight belt, but the Filipino intends to spoil the party.

“Adriano Moraes is a good fighter. He's a former champion and it's an honor for me to fight him. Every fight I am always ready. This fight I am prepared. You should expect the unexpected,” Toquero told Rappler. 

Toquero downplayed his opponent’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background, which is heavily credited in Moraes’ 6 submission wins. 

The outspoken Filipino is looking to utilize his bread-and-butter striking to negate his counterpart’s grappling pedigree, but he has no qualms in testing Moraes’ wheelhouse on the mat.

“I think that my Muay Thai is better than his,” he said. “If Adriano tries to take me down, it's no problem. I have my Jiu-Jitsu to defend and attack him. If I have the change I will choke him out.” 

If he secures an impressive triumph over Moraes, Toquero might position himself as the next valuable option to face Akhmetov for the world title.

“Adriano lost his last fight, so he is going to come all out. But I am always ready. If I beat Adriano, then there is no questions that I am qualified to fight for the belt,” he ended. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After round one of the UAAP Season 78 women’s volleyball tournament, Ateneo Lady Eagles setter Jia Morado was second in the league leaderboard with 158 running sets and an average of 7.2 by set, trailing only La Salle’s Kim Fajardo (188, 8.2).

In 3 games since, she’s recorded 27 excellent sets against UP, 33 against NU, and most recently, 37 against FEU, the latter two being victories. That’s already more than double her output in Ateneo’s first 7 games, with 4 more contests to go before the elimination round concludes.

The strong play of the 20-year-old volleyball player, who was named UAAP Best Setter last year, has been integral to the 8-2 record of the league-leading Lady Eagles. They will surely need Morado to continue her excellent performance in order to win a third straight UAAP title, especially with improved competition across the board..

“Jia, she’s a veteran as well in a way, so she knows what she’s doing. Because of that, our roles as spikers become easier,” said reigning UAAP MVP Alyssa Valdez in Tagalog after the dominant 3-set victory over the Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, March13.

It was just recently that Ateneo lost consecutive games to La Salle and UP after winning 24 straight and going undefeated for nearly two years. But the Lady Eagles won their next two games via straight sets, and the improved performance of Morado is no coincidence.

“I think there’s more teamwork inside the court and, of course, we lost two games but we learned from our losses,” Morado told Rappler. “Whatever we gained from that, we made our team even more whole so we help each other out more on the court.”

“Jia’s really talented,” Valdez said. “She’s really playing using her mind… she’s also very confident with her spikers, so that’s how her delivery is. She’s also maturing.

“I think she knows us as players [and] she knows herself. That’s the most important thing, and it’s just going to flow.”

If there was any doubt creeping in the Lady Eagles following their two-game skid, it’s slowly being erased after looking unstoppable again in their last 6 sets against Final Four-caliber teams. The improved trust in one another is a key reason why. 

(READ: Ateneo Lady Eagles back to happy, smiling, dominant selves)

Not that the Ateneans didn’t trust each other prior - especially since it did start Season 78 with 6 straight wins - but there’s even more belief within the team now, which has translated to a better showing on the floor.

“Yeah, of course. There’s more trust and there’s also more confidence in ourselves and each other,” Morado said.

“As a team sport, that’s what you need - trusting each other,” explained Valdez, who’s scored 59 points in her last 3 performances. 

“We’re really working on that, and we’re really trying to be there for each other no matter what, and Jia, she’s such a patient setter. You won’t see her complain when there’s a missed receive.”

That trust is going to have to hold firm furthermore, particularly with the Lady Eagles losing reliable middle blocker Maddie Madayag to an ACL injury she suffered during practice that will keep her out the rest of the season.

While replacing the hobbled second-year player is no small feat, the Lady Eagles do still have arguably the best UAAP player in Valdez, plus a rising star in Jhoana Maraguinot to lessen the burden.

And, of course, they also have a setter they trust to put them in situations to convert kills on the opposition.

“Yeah, I think so. I hope so,” said a laughing Morado when asked if she feels her teammates trust her even more now. “We really made it a point to start from the first ball, the second ball, and the third. We don’t want our efforts for each other to go to waste.”

“She always finds a way, because she can trust that when she sets the ball, we’ll spike it,” said Valdez, affirming that belief in her setter. “And we also trust Jia that she’ll set the ball for the team to get the point.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo De Manila University will be without one of its key players for the remainder of Season 78 after Maddie Madayag suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in her right knee, Ateneo team manager Tony Liao confirmed to Rappler on Wednesday, March 16. 

“Yes with her ACL surgery after Holy Week, she’s most likely out of the rest of the season,” said Liao in a text message. 

She’s scheduled to go through surgery after Holy Week as Liao confirmed.

According to him, Madayag injured her knee while doing drills after training last Tuesday evening at the Blue Eagle Gym.

“It was purely an accident,” he added.

The sophomore has been consistent for the Lady Eagles this season, topping the service category after the first round of eliminations. Losing Madayag at this crucial point of the tournament is a major hit for the Ateneo Lady Eagles, who are gunning for their third straight championship. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The upcoming unrestricted free agency of Oklahoma City superstar Kevin Durant is going to be heavily anticipated, and quite arguably the biggest in the NBA since LeBron James was a free agent in 2010.

While Durant has given no indication where he will sign come this summer, some teams have already been mentioned as possible destinations.

Oklahoma City is still a top favorite, of course, but there is some chatter of both Los Angeles teams, Golden State, San Antonio, Miami, and Washington as being landing spots.

On Thursday, March 17, the fans of the Boston Celtics tried to make their pitch to the former NBA MVP early. While Durant was taking free throws in the third quarter of a Thunder-Celtics game, the fans in attendance started to chant: “Come to Boston.”

Watch it here:

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The Thunder went on to win the game in dominant fashion, 130-109, and Boston fans had a front row seat to what Durant can do as he finished with 28 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. – Rappler.com

SAN FRANCISCO, USA - Stephen Curry scored 34 points to power the Golden State Warriors to a record 50th consecutive home victory Wednesday, while the Cleveland Cavaliers showed they could win without LeBron James.

Curry hit 12-of-20 from the floor, including 8-of-13 from beyond the 3-point arc, as the Warriors beat New York 121-85, improving to 32-0 at home this season with a 50-game overall home win streak.

At an NBA-best 61-6, the Warriors have a solid chance at beating the record one-season mark of 72-10 set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

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Curry opened the game 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 in 3-pointers as the Warriors took a 31-19 edge on the way to a blowout.

Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and came up with a key steal in the final seconds to preserve host Cleveland's 99-98 victory over Dallas.

The Cavaliers were without 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, who was given the night off to rest, but the team improved to 4-12 over the past two seasons when playing without James.

Kyrie shows Dirk 'magic'

Irving threw the ball away when the Mavericks double-teamed him with 16 seconds remaining and the Cavaliers clinging to a 97-95 edge.

"I was really (mad) at the turnover. It was stuck in my head but I tried not to show it," Irving said.

Irving regained possession when he hooked Dirk Nowitzki and wiggled in front of him for a steal. Nowitzki was forced to foul, and Irving converted both free throws.

"Dirk was trying to post up," Irving said. "I kind of knew he wanted it on that left shoulder and I just tried to force him that way."

"Kyrie magically appeared with the ball," Nowitzki said. "That's really all that happened."

Dallas' Deron Williams banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but that only trimmed the final Cleveland victory margin.

Kevin Love had 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers and Channing Frye scored 14 points off the bench to give the Cavaliers (48-19) their first victory this season without James, having been twice before blown out without him.

"We know we have to pick up the slack when 'Bron is out," Love said. "It's a learning experience for us. It's a chance for us to grow. I think that teams look at when 'Bron is out and think, 'This is a game we can grab' or 'We hit them in the head and they'll lay down.' Tonight we didn't do that. We came out aggressive and knew that we could take advantage of some mismatches."

Nowitzki scored 20 points for Dallas, which never led as the Mavericks (34-34) lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Boston wants KD

Boston Celtics fans chanted "Come to Boston" and held signs encouraging Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant to sign with the Celtics when his contract expires after the season, but the NBA star combined with Russell Westbrook to lead the Thunder over Boston 130-109.

Durant had 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds while Westbrook had 24 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Westbrook sat out the entire fourth quarter and Durant sat for most of it.

At Charlotte, Frenchman Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams each scored 26 points to power the host Hornets over Orlando 107-99.

At Washington, John Wall scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and passed out 12 assists as the host Wizards beat Chicago 117-96. Derrick Rose had 16 points for Chicago in his return after missing two games with a left abductor strain.

Jeff Teague had 22 points and 9 assists and the visiting Atlanta Hawks won for the eighth time in 10 games by downing the Detroit Pistons 118-114.

J.J. Redick scored 14 of his 25 points by the middle of the first quarter, while DeAndre Jordan had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and Chris Paul contributed 15 points and 16 assists in the Los Angeles Clippers' 122-106 victory at Houston.

Zach LaVine scored 28 points, hitting 6 3-pointers to help spark Minnesota to a 114-108 victory at Memphis, while Anthony Davis had 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 123-108 New Orleans victory at Sacramento. – Rappler.com

INDIAN WELLS, United States - Spanish star Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic remained on course for a mouth-watering Indian Wells semi-final while Swiss Stan Wawrinka exited Wednesday in a match he described as a no-brainer.

World number 5 Nadal survived a scare from Alexander Zverev, rallying to beat the German teenager 6-7 (8/10), 6-0, 7-5 and reach the quarter-finals.

Two-time defending champion Djokovic cruised into the quarters by beating Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3 but French Open champion Stan Wawrinka bit the dust in joint ATP and WTA Tour tournament.

Nadal, who saved a match point in the third set, said he had to adjust quickly to 18-year-old Zverev's style, especially the German's second serve, which he consistently blasts at speeds of 120 mph.

"With his second serve at 120mph, with a lot of spin and at 124, 123, 120 mph, it was impossible," Nadal said.

"If he puts the first serve in at over 130 mph then you are in big trouble. So I think that I'm here, and still alive."

Indeed, Zverev had the 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal on the ropes for much of Wednesday's two and a half hour contest and following the match the Spaniard predicted great things for the teen.

"He is amazingly talented. He is probably going to be the number one in the world," said Nadal after their first career meeting.

The contest on the main stadium court in front of a crowd of about 10,000 turned on match point in the ninth game with Zverev serving and leading 5-3 in games.

Up 40-30, the German then made three straight unforced errors to hand the game to Nadal.

The nine-time French Open winner Nadal then used his experience to seize control and win the final 3 games and close out the match.

"I am happy about the way I fought and my belief out there that I can win in the toughest situations," Nadal said. "I was able to find some solutions in tough moments. I was able to play some good points in tough moments."

Nadal moves on to face Kei Nishikori of Japan, who rallied to beat American John Isner 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).

No-brainer

Wawrinka was sent crashing out of Indian Wells in the fourth round by David Goffin.

"It was a match without a brain," said Wawrinka, who lost 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5) to 15th seed Goffin.

Wawrinka had his serve broken 7 times after dropping his serve just once in his previous two matches at Indian Wells.

"I had a tough time staying focused and being patient. I still tried to fight," Wawrinka said. "He deserved to win."

There were 13 total service breaks in the two hour, 25 minute marathon match.

"Two times I came back. I had the chance in the third set to break him and finish it at 5-5 and I didn't," said Wawrinka.

Goffin advances to the quarter-finals, where he will face Marin Cilic, who defeated France's Richard Gasquet 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in another three-set thriller.

Wawrinka, ranked fourth in the world, blasted six aces but had five double faults and won just 43 percent of his second serves.

Goffin's victory snaps a 14-match losing streak for the Belgian against top-10 opponents. His last win over a top-10 player was against Milos Raonic in 2014 at Basel.

Cilic hammered 15 aces and broke Gasquet five times.

Hard-serving Canadian Raonic toppled sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) to reach the quarter-finals.

Raonic's victory over Nadal in the quarters at Indian Wells last year was voted one of the top matches of 2015. 

Raonic said he is playing at a much higher level this year than when he upset Nadal 4-6, 7-6 (10/8), 7-5.

"I have significantly improved over time," said the world number 12. "I'm pretty efficient at the net now. I cover the angles I'm supposed to cover. I make the volleys I'm supposed to make."

Raonic will face France's Gael Monfils, who defeated claycourt specialist Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-4. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Timothy Bradley Jr is hoping a third fight is the charm on as he seeks a convincing victory over Manny Pacquiao in their rubber match on April 9 (April 10 in Manila).

The third encounter between Pacquiao and Bradley is expected to be a continuation of their first two fights, according to most boxing pundits, where the sport’s only 8-division world champion held the upperhand for most of the bout.

Bradley picked up a controversial victory over Pacquiao by way of split decision in June 2012, with two judges scoring it 115–113 in favor of the American boxer and the other 115–113 to his Filipino rival.

In their April 2014 rematch, Pacquiao avenged the loss and routed Bradley via unanimous decision to regain the WBO welterweight championship.

Bradley is determined to prove that he can score a decisive win against the Filipino boxing icon, hinting at a game plan that could negate Pacquiao’s relentless style in the ring.

“Our approach this time is going to be way different," Bradley said in a conference call on Wednesday. "We have a big game plan going into this fight and I am looking closely at Pacquiao and his weaknesses.”

Many boxing coaches have shot down the notion that veteran trainer Teddy Atlas will make a difference in Bradley’s corner versus Pacquiao, but the American boxer begs to disagree.

The 32-year-old native of Palm Springs, California asserted that Atlas polished his arsenal as a two-fisted fighter and taught him to stay focused under pressure.

"I've learned a lot of things, but the hardest thing for me is to trust the game plan at all times in the ring, in training. What I mean by that is that no matter what's going on, no matter how bad a day you're having, you always have to be focused, You always have to be committed,” Bradley stated.

Bradley acquired the services of Atlas to prepare him in his WBO welterweight title defense this past November.

Their first ride together produced a rare Bradley knockout win as he defeated Brandon Rios by ninth-round stoppage.

"We have a game plan, I just have to go out there and execute it, just like I did against Rios. I trust everything that Teddy is telling me and teaching me. I've just got to do my job,” Bradley shared.

Bradley stressed that Pacquiao always has the same approach in all of his fights and vows to exploit it on fight night as he plots a different strategy to confuse the 37-year-old southpaw.

“Manny Pacquiao pretty much does the same things. He's going to bring the intensity, he's going to come forward, [and] he’s going to be the Manny Pacquiao that we have always seen. He knows me, but I think I'm going to be a little different now,” he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After sitting on the sidelines for 17 months, Filipino fighter Glen Ranillo will make his return to active competition as he battles Australian lightweight Aydin Mrouki on the undercard of PXC 53 on April 8.

Ranillo confirmed the fight to Rappler, though the Guam-based mixed martial arts promotion has yet to make an announcement.

The 32-year-old native of Baler, Aurora was supposed to square off with Seung Chan Hong on the same fight card, but the Korean was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury.

With nearly 3 weeks to go before PXC 53, Mrouki stepped in to take Hong’s spot and face Ranillo inside the promotion’s Terror Dome.

Ranillo (4-3) was last seen in action when he yielded to Japanese stalwart Chuji Kato in a lopsided contest for the vacant PXC lightweight championship in November 2014.

Prior to his disappointing defeat to Kato, Ranillo was riding high on a 3-fight winning streak, scoring statement-making victories over the likes of Mark Billena, Isaiah Ordiz and Reno Remigio.

The long layoff allowed Ranillo to train with high-caliber fighters in the Asian region at AKA Thailand, which is owned by UFC alumnus Mike Swick.

With the new-found confidence to continue his prizefighting career, Ranillo seeks to make another case for the PXC lightweight title, which was relinquished by Kato after opting to call it a day as a professional fighter.

“I will fight anyone who is in front of me as long as it will lead me to another shot at the PXC lightweight title,” he said.

Like Ranillo, Mrouki (2-1) has been inactive since 2014 when he bowed down to compatriot Ali Cevik via first-round stoppage in August of that year under the Brace for War umbrella.

Mrouki has not gone the distance in his last 3 outings, winning his first two matches by either knockout or submission.

PXC 53, which takes place at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque City, is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between current titleholder Zebastian Kadestam and Finland's Glenn Sparv.

Rolando Gabriel Dy locks horns with Japanese combatant Koyomi Matsushima in the co-main event, while Team Lakay’s Jon Chris Corton takes on Hawaiian flyweight Riley Dutro. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Former bantamweight champion Crisanto Pitpitunge missed weight for his 3-round flyweight bout against New Zealander Kai Kara-France on the undercard of PXC 52 on Friday, March 18.

Pitpitunge was above the flyweight division’s allowable 126-pound non-title limit by two pounds at the official weigh-in on Thursday, March 17.

Meanwhile, Kara-France was on point with his weight to receive the clearance by checking in at 126 pounds.

The fight will still push through, but PXC matchmaker Ken San Nicolas confided to Rappler that Pitpitunge will pay an undisclosed penalty for not making weight as stipulated in their fight contract.

“The fight is happening. They missed weight, but they agreed on penalties associated with their contracts. It's still happening,” he said.

This is the second weigh-in mishap of Pitpitunge, who also failed to make weight when he faced then-PXC flyweight champion Alvin Cacdac in June 2015.

Pitpitunge barely met the contracted weight limit in his flyweight championship clash versus Jenel Lausa last January as he stepped on the scales at 124 pounds.

Pitpitunge (8-4) was hoping to make another strong case for a title shot after his split decision setback to Lausa, who walked away with the organization’s vacant flyweight championship.

On the other hand, Kara-France (11-5, 1 NC) has won his last 4 outings by way of stoppage since yielding to Filipino-American fighter Mark Striegl via first round submission in October 2014.

The 22-year-old stalwart from Auckland, New Zealand made a successful PXC debut this past December by disposing Josh Duenas in just 22 seconds.

PXC 52 is set to take place at the University of Guam Field House in Mangilao, Guam. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – New Ateneo Blue Eagles recruit Tyler Tio said during a mini press conference on Wednesday, March 16, that education is the main reason why he chose to commit to the university for his collegiate basketball career.

Tio was talking to a few members of the media prior to the 2016 National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Division 1 All-Star Game and revealed he’s going to major in Management Economics. 

The degree, which is called by many Ateneo students as “MeCo,” just as Tio did at the Mall of Asia Arena, is considered one of the more difficult majors of the university.

“I think first reason is education, because the course I wanted was there, which is [Management Economics,]” the former Xavier Stallion said about his decision-making. 

“And secondly, both my siblings went to Ateneo, so I guess I was kind of used to the culture already, so [it’s an] easier transition for me.”

Tio made it clear that education was the chief motive in choosing his school. 

“For me, my thinking is, basketball should be secondary to an education,” he said. “And aside from that, I wanted to take on a bigger challenge, so I guess that’s the main reason, because you can’t play basketball forever.

“Actually, plan A is education. Plan B is basketball,” he later added.

The 5-foot-11 guard-forward declined to reveal which other universities recruited him, but did confirm both La Salle and UP were part of the list. 

Ateneo has something to offer that both schools can’t - getting to play under Philippine basketball national team head coach Tab Baldwin - which is something that also played a big role in Tio’s commitment to the Blue Eagles.

“That was one of the reasons also why I chose Ateneo, because I knew that every practice I would learn a lot from him,” he said.

Tio started practicing with the Blue Eagles on Monday. 

Citizenship questions

Tio also confirmed that “as of now, my citizenship is Canadian, but we’re working on getting a Filipino passport.”

Being a Canadian citizen was the reason why Tio could not play for Batang Gilas in previous FIBA tournaments. 

The student-athlete did not go into detail about the process, but did confirm that his parents used to be Filipino citizens who converted.

“It’s actually very complicated. They used to be Filipino, but they converted to Canadian,” he said, without specifying why his parents made that choice.

The soon-to-be Blue Eagle was born and raised in the Philippines, although since both his parents were Canadian citizens when he was born, he instantly became one too.

Tio, who turns 18 in April, did mention that he isn’t worried about any potential eligibility issues. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The new jerseys that will be worn by the Philippine men’s national basketball team were shown during the Nike Innovation Summit being held in New York City on Friday, March 18. 

The new jerseys were shown along with the ones of other countries that are also represented by Nike. 

There are two colorways for the new uniform: blue-and-white, red-and-white.

Gilas Pilipinas will begin using the new jerseys on July 5, 2016, when they play France in the Olympic Qualifiers to be held in Manila.

Here’s a look at the new uniforms:

– Rappler.com

DOHA, Qatar - World champion Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi laid down early markers on Thursday when they set the fastest times in first practice for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix.

Under the Losail floodlights, Lorenzo clocked 1min 55.440sec with 9-time world champion Rossi 0.267sec off the pace.

The Ducatis of Andrea Iannone and Hector Barbera were third and fourth fastest at 0.296sec and 0.370sec behind Lorenzo.

However, the Honda machines of Dani Pedrosa and two-time champion Marc Marquez were only seventh and eighth on the time-sheets, a disappointing start for a team which is traditionally Yamaha's greatest rivals.

"I had a good start. From the first run I was able to have the best lap time and probably also the best pace, but we still have a margin for improvement both in lap time and pace," said Lorenzo, who claimed a third world title last year by just five points from Rossi in a last-race decider.

"We will keep working on the setting and the electronics to improve in some areas for Friday. The track will also be better with more grip level tomorrow and the lap times will be faster."

There are two more sessions planned at the desert venue on Friday before qualifying on Saturday for Sunday's night-time race - the first of 18 rounds.

Italian legend Rossi is starting his 21st season in the world championship and is desperate to make up for the controversy of 2015.

He was within touching distance of a 10th title on his Yamaha only for an ill-judged kick at Honda rival Marquez at the penultimate race in Malaysia.

The 37-year-old was punished by being forced to start the title-decider in Valencia at the back of the grid, a penalty which allowed Lorenzo to take the championship by just 5 points.

"The first practice was positive. I'm quite satisfied, it was a strong way to start the season, because the second position is good and also the lap times are already not so bad," said Rossi on Thursday.

"The condition of the track changes a lot session by session and together with the team we have to deliver good work so we will be ready when the grip becomes better."

Times

1. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 1:55.440, 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) at 0.267, 3. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Ducati) 0.296, 4. Hector Barbera (ESP/Ducati Avintia) 0.370, 5. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Suzuki) 0.407, 6. Pol Espargaro (ESP/Yamaha Tech3) 0.611, 7. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 0.658, 8. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 0.818, 9. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 0.947, 10. Scott Redding (GBR/Ducati Pramac) 0.972. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After suffering a setback two months ago, Filipino fighter Eric Kelly seeks to bounce back on a high note as he searches for a convincing victory over Russian stalwart Timofey Nastyukhin on the undercard of ONE Championship’s “Global Rivals” event on April 15.

The 33-year-old native of Baguio City, Benguet is fresh from his third-round submission loss to Malaysian-Kiwi sensation Ev Ting this past January.

The loss to Ting spoiled Kelly’s objective to elevate in the ONE Championship’s featherweight rankings and possibly be considered for a title tilt with division kingpin Marat Gafurov.

Although Kelly had the option to take some time off to reassess his future as there are two more fights left on his contract, he accepted the offer to be booked for ONE Championship’s eighth fight card in the Philippines.

In spite of having a tune-up bout, ONE Championship pitted him against Nastyukhin, a highly-touted Russian prospect who won his last 9 professional wins by either knockout or submission.

Nastyukhin is known for brutally knocking out Eduard Folayang, who is widely regarded as the face of the Philippine MMA scene.

Setting foot on Philippine soil as an unknown foreign fighter in December 2014, Nastyukhin turned the lights off on Folayang with a flying knee and then nailed two soccer kicks on the ground to coerce referee Yuji Shimada to stop the action at 3:11 of the first round.

Kelly knows the possible threat that Nastyukhin could bring to his 7-year professional career.

“There’s so much at stake in this fight. I really need to win this fight for the sake of my career,” he told Rappler.

“The Natural” admitted that his submission setback to Ting compelled him to make necessary adjustments in his overall approach.

“It’s definitely a wake-up call. I have to learn and relearn new and old techniques to improve my craft. As a fighter, I have to do that because something big is in front of me on April 15,” he said.

With 9 submission triumphs to his own credit, Kelly would like to test his leverage over Nastyukhin, who was forced to tap by featherweight contender Herbert Burns with a first-round rear-naked choke in September 2015.

“I am prepared wherever the fight goes, but I am looking to utilize my bread-and-butter against him because I want a sure and convincing win this time around,” he stated.

When was asked if he feels he'll beat the Russian, Kelly responded, "I'll just do my best." – Rappler.com

INDIAN WELLS, USA - Roger Federer used a colorful series of Twitter emojis on Thursday to announce his return to action at next week's Miami Open after recovering from knee surgery earlier than expected.

The former world number one was expected to return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters in April, but the Swiss star confirmed on Twitter that he will be playing in Miami after all. 

The 34-year-old underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus sustained the day after his semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January and had been expected to be sidelined for a month.

The Miami Open gets underway on Wednesday, March 21. – Rappler.com

ZURICH, Switzerland - FIFA on Thursday revealed the salary of its disgraced ex-leader Sepp Blatter for the first time - $3.6 million in 2015 - and a $122 million loss as corruption scandals hit world football.

The tainted world body said it will dig into its estimated $1.5 billion reserves to cover the first loss since 2002.

Blatter always resisted publishing details of his compensation package during his 17-years in charge of FIFA.

But the 80-year-old is now serving a six-year ban for a suspect $2 million dollar payment to UEFA boss Michel Platini and the salary publication was promised as part of reforms as FIFA seeks to redeem its name.

Blatter earned 3.6 million Swiss francs ($3.7 million) in 2015, FIFA said, while Jerome Valcke, the former secretary general who was placed under formal investigation on Thursday, received 2.1 million Swiss francs.

Football faces an unprecedented corruption crisis with 39 individuals and two companies facing US charges over more than $200 million in bribes. Many of those charged are former top members of FIFA's executive.

And the governing body blamed the cost of scandal for the $122 million loss in 2015 after a surplus of $141 million in 2014.

The last loss in 2002 also followed controversy as it was caused by the collapse of the ISL marketing company which had also been paid huge bribes to football officials.

FIFA blamed the loss on "expenses and higher competition costs" but also "unforeseen costs such as legal fees and costs for extraordinary meetings."

FIFA has a four year accounting cycle. It makes about $5.5 billion in television and commercial deals between each World Cup. It has still set a revenue target of $5.65 billion for 2015-2018 and new president Gianni Infantino said he was optimistic for the future. 

"With the recently approved reforms, I believe that we have turned a corner and that FIFA is poised to emerge stronger than ever," he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines - Steph Curry may have made the tunnel shot famous but New York Knicks rookie center Kristaps Porzingis showed he has a bit of range himself.

Porzingis sank the shot from the tunnel at the Golden State Warriors' home court of Oracle Arena while wearing tsinelas, shortly before the Knicks were crushed by the Warriors on Thursday, March 17, 121-85. The 7-foot-3 big man Porzingis tells ESPN that he hit the shot on his first attempt.

"I made it on the first try and just walked away.

"I had no doubt in my mind I was going to make it. It's a practice shot.”

(READ: Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis: From laughing stock to toast of New York)

The Knicks may not be able to beat the defending champions in a 5-on-5, but Porzingis has at least proven that Curry's favorite trick shot wouldn't necessarily earn him a letter in a game of horse. – Rappler.com

Graham Caygill’s love affair with football started when he was 15, after a psychologist asked their class to form lumps of clay into models of what they wanted to be when they grew up. All of his friends made doctors and policemen; he molded a football player. 

“I remember the people beside me – they were laughing at me and saying that I will never become a footballer,” he shared. But instead of getting discouraged, Graham channeled this into motivation and took a chance on the sport.

“I can remember my first training session down our local park. The training was pretty simple, running back and forth and slowly introducing the ball. I remember coming home from that session with my dad and I didn’t want to stop. I just wanted to keep playing,” he said.

Graham slowly worked his way into the semi-professional league and soon got to play professionally with the Loyola Meralco Sparks here in the Philippines. He played 6 games a week and trained twice a day, every day. 

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. I know that I am not the best footballer in my team but I do work hard,” he said.

Although Graham recently left the team, his passion for the sport and constant improvement never ceased. As one of the newest additions to the Gameplan family, Graham hopes to inspire other people to try new things and achieve something greater than themselves.

“My gameplan is to show people how they can work hard and achieve things they never thought they would ever achieve. I never thought I would be a host; now I’m a host. I never thought I’d be a footballer; now I’m a footballer. You can really do it if you try and work hard,” he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Meralco Bolts announced last Sunday, March 13, that they fined and suspended veteran swingman Gary David for “insubordination” during the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the NLEX Road Warriors two days prior.

In the press release of Bolts team manager Paolo Trillo, it was stated that team head coach Norman Black asked David to enter the match with over 4 minutes to go but opted not to, citing his injury as the reason why he preferred to stay out of action.

The Bolts later found out that David actually did not have an injury, leading to a breach of his PBA contract and Meralco’s decision to reprimand him.

Speaking to Rappler on Friday, March 18, Trillo said that “The days leading up to the game, he (David) was healthy. He was practicing. He sprained his ankle a whole week before, but he was practicing two, 3 days before the game.

“Halftime (against NLEX), our PT asked him, ‘Gary, are you okay to play?’ He said he was okay to play, so we thought everything was okay.”

Rappler reached out to David’s agent, Danny Espiritu, who claims that David was really injured by the time Black asked him to enter in the fourth quarter. Espiritu says that David claims he aggravated his injury when he played in the first and second quarters against NLEX.

“Sabi ni Gary, talagang meron siyang injury. Ang problema lang, nag laro siya nang first and second quarters. Ngayon, nung fourth quarter, hindi siya nag laro although may injury siya. Dapat nung first and second quarters palang, hindi na siya nag laro.”

(Gary said he really was injured. The problem was, he played in the first and second quarters. In the fourth quarter, he didn’t play but he was hurt. He shouldn’t have played from the first and second quarters to begin with.)

Trillo again mentioned that when Black asked David to enter the game with over 4 minutes left, the 37-year-old waved off the coach and pointed to his ankle, indicating it was hurt.

Espiritu claims that the Bolts PT told David to tell Meralco management he’s actually injured and request to sit down.

“Ang sabi daw nung PT, sabihin sa Meralco na may injury siya at paka pwede hindi na palaruin. Ang problema, hindi naman sinabi nang PT, kasi sabi nang PT, ‘Gary, ikaw nalang mag sabi.’ Eh nahihiya naman siya.”

(The PT told Gary to tell Meralco that he has an injury and if maybe he can sit down the rest of the way. The problem is, the PT told Gary, ‘You be the one to say it.’ But Gary was shy to do so.)

After the game, the Bolts heard that David had told reporters he wondered why he wasn’t use towards the end of the game to the Road Warriors.

“We’re thinking if there was something really wrong with his ankle, he would have just said, ‘I was injured,’” Trillo argued.

Both sides - David, Black, and Trillo - met last Sunday to discuss the issue and why David’s explanation to some media was different than the one he provided team management.

“We wanted him to air his side first and he explained that in the second half - I don’t know his exact words - but it was to the effect that sabog na his mind. He was already, I guess, feeling bad or emotional because coach had used Ronjay Buenafe in the third quarter and maybe he felt he wasn’t part of the rotation anymore,” said the Bolts team manager.

“He gave different answers, different stories. I don’t really know what his story is. He told some reporters that, one, he said he was injured; two, he said he didn’t want to go in anymore because he might be blamed for, you know what I’m saying, losing the game, or whatever reasons he was giving.”

Trillo and Black gathered from their meeting with the guard-forward that he wasn’t happy and did not want to go in the game against NLEX. They deemed it unacceptable and decided to sanction the veteran.

“He was ready to accept the sanction,” Trillo explained. “That was our last meeting with him.”

David is currently serving his suspension as the Bolts face the Blackwater Elite at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Technically still with Meralco

Trillo confirmed that David is an unrestricted free agent, but he’s still technically under contract with the Meralco Bolts until August 31. “We didn’t actually drop him or release him,” said the team manager.

With big men Rabeh Al-Husaini and Kelly Nabong injured, plus David suspended, the Bolts felt like they needed more local players for their game against the Elite and decided to activate one from the reserve list.

“We’re down to 12 locals, so we decided to activate another local, which is Rey Guevarra. So we had to put Gary in the reserve [list]. Thing is, PBA rule is, you’re only allowed to protect one player [in the reserve list], so we had to decide - Rabeh Al-Husaini or Gary.”

Being the protected player of a team means another PBA club can’t assume your contract even if you are in the reserve list. Since David is an unprotected player and on the reserve list, any other team can now pick him up.

“We didn’t drop him or didn’t release him. He’s still with us because he has a live contract,” said Trillo.

When asked if there was smoke on the trade front for David, Trillo admitted there has been interest but nothing close to a deal.

“A lot of teams are probably interested because maybe they hear a player is not happy with his team, so they try to inquire… people have been asking, but there’s nothing concrete.”

According to the team manager, David hasn’t been training with the Bolts as of late, too. “We’ve suspended him from attending practices as well.”

The former national team player is suspended “indefinitely until we (the Bolts) decide how to move forward.”

PBA rules also state that if a player is not part of a team’s active list, he cannot play for two games. Meralco’s next game is on April 3 against Mahindra. 

In 18 games this PBA season, David is recording just 24.2 minutes, 12.3 points, and 2.6 rebounds a contest, per pba-online.net - his lowest averages in 10 years.

His numbers have taken a major hit in the Commissioner’s Cup, where he’s scored in double-figures only twice in 7 games, and played at least 20 minutes just one time.

David played only 7 minutes total in his last game against the Road Warriors and finished with his first scoreless game of the conference on 0-of-1 shooting. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Meralco Bolts got back on the winning track with an easy 106-83 victory over the Blackwater Elite on Friday, March 18, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

The Bolts didn’t waste any time asserting their superiority by going up 8 after 12 minutes of play and holding on the rest of the way to improve to 6-2, currently the best record in the Commissioner’s Cup.

The Elite dropped their second straight game and fell to 3-5.

Meralco import Arinze Onuaku led the way with 27 points and 17 rebounds while rookie Baser Amer had an impressive showing by posting 15 points.

Blackwater import MJ Rhett struggled with only 8 points on 0-of-7 shooting. Mike Cortez led the team with 15 points and 4 boards.

Scores:

Meralco (106): Onuaku 27, Amer 15, R Buenafe 11, Alapag 8, Hodge 7, RJ Buenafe 6, Caram 6, Hugatan 6, Newsome 6, Bono 4, Dillinger 4, Faundo 4, Ferriols 2, Guevarra 0

Blackwater (83): Lastimosa 16, Cortez 15, Dela Cruz 10, Rett 8, Reyes 7, Vosotros 7, Erram 6, Sena 4, Cervantes 3, Bulawan 2, Tiongson 2, Gamalinda 2, Agovida 1, Ballesteros 0, Golla 0

Quarter scores: 30-21, 52-35; 81-62; 106-83 – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao will have to find a new place to shop in Los Angeles.

The 8-division boxing champion has been banned - once again - from The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles, which is about 10 minutes from the Wild Card Boxing Gym where he is training for his April 9 bout against Timothy Bradley Jr.

Pacquiao was spotted at The Grove by management with a 16-man entourage and decided after he left that they didn't want him back, writes TMZ. Pacquiao's comments about same-sex marriage were cited for the ban.

"These are statements of hatred. A lot of people from the gay community come to The Grove and they have a right not to feel uncomfortable," The Grove owner Rick Caruso is quoted.

(READ: Manny Pacquiao deserves a second chance)

Pacquiao was also banned from the location in 2012 after a blog cited him as saying gays should be put to death per Bible scripture. The ban was lifted shortly after when the blogger's phrasing was called into question.

This time a reversal of stances may not be forthcoming so quickly.

"Manny Pacquiao is no longer welcome," said Caruso.

Pacquiao, who has been under fire following a video of him saying couples in same-sex marriages were "worse than animals," has seen his comments condemned by his promoter Bob Arum and television network HBO, while Nike discontinued its relationship with the boxer. – Rappler.com