Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone told everyone he was coming for the UFC's lightweight title in 2019. He was not kidding.

Cerrone (36-11) picked up a huge decision victory over Al Iaquinta (14-5-1) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Ottawa, Ontario. Cerrone, a 36-year-old veteran with nearly 50 professional fights under his belt, gained steam as the five-round bout played out and nearly finished Iaquinta multiple times with strikes.

All three judges scored it a dominant showcase for Cerrone, via scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 49-46.

"Not bad for 'Day Drinkin' Don,' huh?" Cerrone said. "I guess I'm doing it for all the old people out there. There's still a chance."

It was Cerrone's second victory since he dropped to the 155-pound division after competing in the 170-pound division from 2016 to 2018. After his previous win, an impressive TKO over rising prospect Alexander Hernandez, Cerrone admitted he wouldn't mind fighting former champion Conor McGregor on his way to the belt. The UFC explored it, but the bout didn't come together.

He reiterated his interest in a title shot -- and McGregor -- on Saturday.

"I want the title, whatever that means," Cerrone said. "Unless, Conor McGregor, you want to fight me in July. I'm ready."

Already the most winningest fighter in UFC history going into Saturday, Cerrone still looked very much in his prime against Iaquinta. He dropped Iaquinta with a jab late in the third round, and again with a front kick to the chin in the fourth. Before Saturday, Iaquinta had never been dropped in his MMA career.

By the end of the bout, Iaquinta's face was a bloody mess. A ringside physician checked on Iaquinta's injuries before allowing him to go out for the fifth round. After the bout, he could barely walk, due to the damage Cerrone inflicted with leg kicks.

Despite the loss, Iaquinta, 32, showed a lot of heart, and he did rock Cerrone multiple times in the second round. He caught a kick to the body and delivered a hard counter right hand that definitely grabbed the attention of the older fighter.

Current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to defend his title next against interim champion Dustin Poirier in September. McGregor is still not booked for a fight. He has not fought since a loss to Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Maximum Security led the Kentucky Derby every step of the way except for the final one -- into the winner's circle.

The colt became the first winner disqualified for interference in the Derby's 145-year history, leading to an agonizing wait and an eventual, stunning reversal that made 65-1 shot Country House the winner Saturday.

Maximum Security was moved from first place to 17th behind Long Range Toddy, who was determined by the stewards to be the last of the horses affected by the interference.

Barbara Borden, Kentucky's chief steward, gave a statement to the media several hours after the race.

"The riders of the 18 [Long Range Toddy] and 20 [Country House] ... lodged objections against the 7 [Maximum Security], the winner, due to interference turning for home, leaving the quarter pole. We had a lengthy review of the race," Borden said. "We interviewed affected riders. We determined that the 7 horse drifted out and impacted the progress of 1 [War of Will] in turn, interfering with the 18 and 21 [Bodexpress]. Those horses were all affected, we thought, by the interference. Therefore, we unanimously determined to disqualify No. 7 and place him behind the 18 ... the lowest-placed horse that he bothered, which is our typical procedure."

Country House finished second in the slop before objections were raised, causing a 22-minute delay while three stewards repeatedly reviewed different video angles before they unanimously elevated him into the winner's circle.

That gave Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first Derby victory at age 65.

"It's bittersweet. You always want to win with a clean trip and have everybody recognize the horse as the very good horse and great athlete that he is," Mott said. "Due to the disqualification, I think some of that is diminished."

Jockey Flavien Prat, one of two jockeys who originated the claim of foul, also won his first Derby.

"I'm kind of speechless right now," Prat said, letting out a long sigh.

Country House paid $132.40 to win -- the second-highest payout in Derby history. He was the horse least affected in the chain of events, but the biggest beneficiary.

"Looking at the tote board there's probably a lot of people that didn't think we could win," Mott said, "but that's horse racing."

Gary West, who owns Maximum Security with his wife, Mary, indicated they might pursue an appeal.

"I think this is the most egregious disqualification in the history of horse racing," he told The Associated Press by phone, "and not just because it's our horse."

The victory was worth $1.8 million; Maximum Security, which was sent off as the 9-2 second choice, earned nothing since only the top five finishers are paid.

Country House was dismissed as a long shot with a bad post on the far outside. It was only the chestnut colt's second win in seven career starts and his first stakes victory.

Maybe this was one for his father: Lookin At Lucky got saddled with the dreaded No. 1 post in the 2010 Derby, where he got pinned to the rail and wound up sixth. He rebounded to win the Preakness two weeks later.

The disqualification was a crushing turn of events for Maximum Security trainer Jason Servis and jockey Luis Saez, who already had begun celebrating what they thought were their first Derby victories.

"I never put anybody in danger," Saez said. "My horse shied away from the noise of the crowd and may have ducked out a little.''

Servis backed up his jockey, saying: "He's right. He straightened him up right away and I didn't think it affects the outcome of the race."

Prat claimed that Maximum Security ducked out in the final turn and forced several horses to steady, including Long Range Toddy, whose jockey, Jon Court, also lodged an objection.

"I had to stop very abruptly,'' Court said.

War of Will came perilously close to clipping heels with Maximum Security, which could have caused a chain-reaction accident.

"I checked [up] pretty hard when the 7 [Maximum Security] came out as far as he did,'' said Tyler Gaffalione, aboard War of Will.

Mott said War of Will and Long Range Toddy "lost all chance'' to win.

"They were in position at the time to hit the board," the trainer said. "If what happened to us was the only thing they were looking at, I don't think you would have seen a disqualification."

Mott said the incident was caused by Maximum Security's action and not Saez's riding tactics.

"I don't think Luis Saez did anything intentionally," the trainer said. "My heart actually aches for them a little bit. That's the way it is. I've been on the other end of it, just not in the Kentucky Derby."

The stewards reviewed race footage and interviewed the affected jockeys while keeping the crowd of 150,729 and millions more watching on television and online in suspense, clutching their betting tickets. Trainers and jockeys involved stared at the closest video screen waiting for a result.

Several members of the crowd on hand booed when Maximum Security, the second betting choice, was taken down as the winner.

"I know the stewards had a very, very difficult decision," Mott said. "I'm damn glad they put our number up."

Code of Honor was moved up to second and Tacitus -- also trained by Mott -- was third.

Improbable was fourth and Game Winner fifth, two of trainer Bob Baffert's trio of entries. His other horse, Roadster, was 15th.

The previous claim of foul by a jockey in the Derby was unsuccessful. John Velazquez, aboard runner-up Invisible Ink in 2001, alleged interference at the quarter pole against Monarchos and Jorge Chavez, who crossed the finish line 4¾ lengths in front. The stewards didn't change the result.

The only other disqualification in the Derby occurred long after the race in 1968. Dancer's Image, the first-place finisher, tested positive for a prohibited medication, and Kentucky state racing officials ordered the purse money to be redistributed. Forward Pass got the winner's share. A subsequent court challenge upheld the stewards' decision.

Country House wore the garland of red roses, but it's possible the situation doesn't end here. There could be appeals to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission or the courts.

"We are exploring our options to appeal," West told the AP. "If we can't appeal to the stewards, our other options are the state racing commission. If those don't work, we might go to legal options."

Mott hopes it doesn't come to that.

"That's a nightmare. It's a no-win situation for anybody involved," said Mott, who spoke with Servis after the reversal. "I didn't get a hint of that from him. He's been around long enough, and I'm sure he watched the films well enough. He knows what happened."

The surprising flip threw a few bettors into a frenzy, too. Some who had wagered on Country House to win immediately tossed away their tickets at the finish, only to then scramble to the ground at Churchill Downs, frantically searching for their betting slips.

Master Fencer, the first Japan-bred entry to run in the Derby, was sixth. War of Will was seventh, followed by Plus Que Parfait, Win Win Win, Cutting Humor, By My Standards and Vekoma.

Bodexpress finished 13th, followed by Tax, Roadster, Long Range Toddy, Maximum Security, Spinoff and Gray Magician.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell contributed to this report.

Despite holding a middleweight title, Daniel Jacobs is ranked third in ESPN’s list of top boxers in the division, behind former champion Gennady Golovkin. Jacobs lost to Golovkin in 2017, the only time he has faced a fighter who came into the ring wearing a belt (his two title reigns, including the WBA regular title, began by winning vacant titles).

CAMDEN, N.J. -- Ben Simmons vows to move on to Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Toronto Raptors without dwelling on the $20,000 that his Game 3 run-in with Kyle Lowry cost him. But not everybody on the Philadelphia 76ers is taking the same approach.

"It looked like he intentionally put his butt in [Simmons'] face," Sixers guard JJ Redick said, accusing Lowry of instigating the action that led to Simmons striking Lowry in the groin, resulting in the fine and a flagrant foul 1 assessed by the NBA after the fact. "That was weird."

Philadelphia went on to win Thursday's Game 3, dominating the Raptors 116-95 to take a 2-1 series lead. Lowry told ESPN's Tim Bontemps that Simmons apologized to him during the game for the contact.

The Sixers host the Raptors again at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday with a chance to really tilt the series in their favor with a victory.

"We got another game to win, so I'm not really worried about it," Simmons said when asked about the fine after Saturday's practice.

Sixers coach Brett Brown credited Simmons' answer and said he will remind his team to avoid any scuffles that could result in suspensions and mar their postseason chances.

"It's part of the NBA, physicality and heightened emotions," Brown said. "And I think Ben said it best where he said he just wants to move forward and play Game 4. It's stuff where we talked a lot about it with my team before the playoffs began -- how things can go south with things of that sort."

Brown has brought up the 2007 playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns several times to reporters as a cautionary tale. Brown's Spurs upset the Suns after Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were both suspended for leaving the bench area while responding to a hip-check foul by Robert Horry on Steve Nash.

"So, that's always on my mind as a coach to share those stories and remind them, but I think by and large, it's part of the NBA landscape, and as Ben said, we'll move forward and play Game 4," Brown said.

The New York Knicks are back in the championship mix heading into a summer that could shake up the NBA.

The SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas on Saturday opened the Knicks at 16-1 to win the 2020 NBA championship. New York is behind only the Milwaukee Bucks (9-2), Boston Celtics (7-1) and Philadelphia 76ers (10-1) in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant's pending free agency is the reason why.

Jeff Sherman, who oversees NBA odds at the SuperBook, believes the Knicks are the favorites to land Durant this summer and created their title odds accordingly. Sherman said the Knicks would be somewhere in the range of 300-1 if they aren't able to land Durant or another of the high-profile stars who could be on the move this offseason. If New York does land Durant and Kyrie Irving, Sherman said he would still have the Bucks with better odds than the Knicks.

The Golden State Warriors enter the summer as the early favorites for the fourth consecutive season, but their odds have been tempered with the uncertainty surrounding Durant. The Warriors are listed at 7-4 at the SuperBook to win next season's title. Since signing Durant in 2016, the Warriors have started the past three seasons as odds-on favorites to win the NBA title.

"Before Durant, [the Warriors] were still the best team," Sherman, vice president of risk at the SuperBook, told ESPN. "Even if Durant comes back, we'll make an adjustment downwards, but they won't be [odds-on] favorites like we've seen in the past couple years. We'll obviously bump them up if he leaves, but it's kind of a middle ground now dealing with this team."

In addition to Durant, Toronto's Kawhi Leonard and Irving are pending free agents, and New Orleans star Anthony Davis is expected to be on the move as well. The Knicks, with nearly $73 million in salary-cap space, the most of any team, have enough cap room to grab two max players. Durant and Irving have been rumored as a potential tandem to join the Knicks, but even that would not make New York the clear-cut favorite, Sherman said.

"I could see them at 12-1 [with Durant and Irving]," Sherman said. "All we're doing is making these odds based on today's perception on where people think these guys might have a legitimate chance of going."

The LA Clippers, who also have cap room for two max contracts, are 16-1, followed by the Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, each at 20-1. The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are next at 25-1.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- At some point during Friday's marathon Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic threw an elbow into Enes Kanter's injured left shoulder, to which Kanter took exception on social media after the game.

Take a freaking look at this please @OfficialNBARefs @NBAOfficial pic.twitter.com/pBtR51ycLi

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 4, 2019

Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts on Saturday called the play by Jokic "uncalled-for" and that he "certainly didn't approve of it."

Stotts said he hasn't heard if the league would review the play or not. The league routinely reviews plays after games and can retroactively assess technical or flagrant fouls if warranted.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone disagrees with Stotts.

"Normal play," Malone said. "I think Terry is off base there. Personally, I don't think it was anything malicious. Just like some of their screens in the first two games, I don't think there was anything malicious to it -- with Kanter getting tossed into Torrey Craig. This is the playoffs. We're all big boys, let's go out and play the game accordingly.

"I have known Nikola Jokic for four years," Malone said. "He doesn't have that kind of personality, he doesn't have that DNA gene where he's going to go out there and make nonbasketball plays and try to hurt anybody or do anything that is beyond the limits of what is sportsmanship and what is not sportsmanship. So I would definitely not agree with Terry's assessment."

Kanter played 56 minutes in the quadruple-overtime game despite dealing with a separated left shoulder that has caused him pain since he injured it in Game 5 of Portland's first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kanter said after Friday's game he thought he "separated my shoulder more," and that he had to tuck his arm into his jersey because he couldn't carry it. Kanter finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Blazers took a 2-1 lead.

His status for Sunday's Game 4 is unknown, though the Turkish big man has said he hopes to be ready to play. The Blazers didn't hold a formal practice Saturday, and Stotts didn't have an official update on Kanter's status. He did say Kanter was at the practice facility getting treatment on his shoulder.

LeBron James was stunned and in disbelief when he first learned of Magic Johnson's sudden resignation.

In his first public comments about Johnson shocking the Los Angeles Lakers organization when he stepped down as president of basketball operations moments before the Lakers' season finale April 9, James said he was given no warning or heads-up on Johnson's decision.

On his HBO show "The Shop," James said he was stretching before the game against Portland when he was told Johnson had told the media of his decision.

"Man, get the f--- out of my face! You bulls---!" James said of his reaction when his longtime friend and business partner Randy Mims told him of what Johnson had done. "I came here to be a part of the Lakers organization having a conversation with Magic."

Johnson was the only Lakers representative who met with James at his Los Angeles home July 1 before James decided to join the Lakers.

Just a few days before Johnson stunned the Lakers and the NBA world with his abrupt decision, he and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka met with James and James' agent Rich Paul, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Johnson gave James no inkling of his decision to come.

"So it was just weird for him to be like, 'I'm out of here,'" James said. "And not even have no like, 'Hey, Bron ... kiss my ass. I'm out of here.' I would have been OK with that."

Lakers teammate Lonzo Ball, who was also on the episode with James, said his reaction was, "That s--- crazy!"

CHICAGO -- Cubs second baseman Daniel Descalso left Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals because of a sore left ankle.

Descalso was hurt rounding first on a single in the first inning. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth.

Descalso came into the game batting .247 with two homers and 11 RBIs.

Cody Bellinger was not in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Saturday, one day after he separated his shoulder against the San Diego Padres.

Bellinger said his right shoulder "popped out" before immediately popping in again as he made a diving attempt to stop a ground ball at first base. He stayed in the game and said later that the same thing happened once last year.

Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that the Dodgers would see if there was any soreness before Saturday's game.

Bellinger leads the majors in runs, hits, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and total bases.

Alex Verdugo gets the start in right field for the Dodgers on Saturday while Enrique Hernandez starts in center.

CINCINNATI -- The Reds have released injured outfielder Matt Kemp just over four months after acquiring the 2018 All-Star from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cincinnati announced the move Saturday.

"With our support, [Reds Manager] David [Bell] is working hard to create a new environment in the clubhouse and on the field," Reds president Dick Williams told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "After giving it time to develop, we didn't see Matt fitting in. We wanted to give him the opportunity to help another team."

Kemp hit .200 with one homer and five RBIs before Cincinnati placed him on the injured list April 23 with a broken left rib. Kemp was injured colliding with an outfield wall in San Diego.

The 34-year-old was among four players acquired from Los Angeles in a seven-player trade in December along with outfielder Yasiel Puig, infielder Kyle Farmer and left-hander Alex Wood. Kemp is in the final season of a $160 million, eight-year contract.

Reds manager David Bell said the starting center-field job now belongs to Nick Senzel, a top prospect who made his major league debut Friday.

"We just didn't see a great fit for Matt here," Bell said. "He's obviously had a great career and has been a great player. Just how our outfield is shaping up and the roster construction, we didn't see a great fit for Matt and that's how the decision was made."

The Reds also optioned OF Scott Schebler to Triple-A Louisville and recalled LHP Cody Reed from Louisville. Schebler was hitting .123 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 30 games and had lost his starting job to Senzel.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.