If you're one of those who really enjoy the story behind a fight, the UFC 237 main event might be for you.

I mean, how can you top this? Rose Namajunas (9-3), a UFC champion who is known for wearing her emotions on her sleeve and occasionally acting downright fragile during fight weeks, is going into one of the most intimidating settings in mixed martial arts: facing a Brazilian title challenger, Jessica Andrade, in Brazil.

Andrade (19-6) looks every bit the part of a UFC champion (which is why oddsmakers have made her the favorite). The 27-year-old is a wrecking ball of a strawweight who was competing at 135 pounds less than four years ago. She has UFC title fight experience. And she has knockout power, which she displayed against Karolina Kowalkiewicz in September.

Namajunas' fiancé, Pat Barry, has described this fight as actually more challenging than her back-to-back contests against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. And as crazy as it sounds, all things considered, he might be right. This might be the most frightening combination of circumstances one could come up with in the strawweight division right now. How Namajunas handles it will be good theater.

By the numbers

399: Days it will have been, on fight night, since Namajunas was last in the Octagon (UFC 223 in April 2018, a rematch win over Jedrzejczyk in Namajunas' first title defense).

10: UFC victories by Andrade, tying her with bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes for most by a female fighter in company history.

6.58: Significant strikes landed per minute by Andrade, the second most by an active female fighter in UFC history, behind Cris "Cyborg" Justino (6.76), according to UFC Stats.

59.3: Takedown accuracy of Namajunas, according to UFC Stats. That is the second-best success rate in the company's strawweight history.

3: Consecutive bouts in which Namajunas has not been a betting favorite. She has been the defending champion in two of them. Entering fight week, she was a +110 underdog.

Source: ESPN Stats & Information

A look back

If at first you don't succeed: Namajunas enters the Octagon in December 2014 for her UFC strawweight championship bout against Carla Esparza. It is the finale of Season 20 of "The Ultimate Fighter," with this season being held to kick off the promotion's 115-pound women's division. Although Namajunas was just 22 years old and 2-1 as a pro when the show began, she has made the final by defeating future UFC fighters Alex Chambers, Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos. On this night, Namajunas -- with a full head of hair in braids -- will fall short in her first bid for a belt, as Esparza submits her with a third-round rear-naked choke. Namajunas will have to wait nearly three years for another shot at the title, but when the opportunity comes, "Thug Rose" will make the most of it.

Five vs. five

Bumpy road ahead?

Andrade understands why Namajunas would agree to travel to Rio de Janeiro to defend her belt.

"I think Rose probably wanted to have a chance to compete in Brazil, especially Rio," she told ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "It is the home of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. And I think every mixed martial artist would probably like a chance to come to Rio and see what it's all about."

But Andrade says she believes that decision will prove to be a major regret for Namajunas.

"She is gonna feel in this fight similar to what [Brazilians] feel in every single fight," Andrade said. "The travel is not easy, and just adapting to the home of your opponent is not the easiest thing. Just dealing with travel is a big pain. She's gonna have to deal with that for the first time defending her belt. I know maybe she might not feel like it was a bad idea to begin with, but I think once the crowd starts chanting and things start developing, she might feel like it was not the best idea to come down here for this."

Fighting words

"I'm confident in myself and I believe in myself. And really, it doesn't matter where the fight is. There's no safe environment for a fight. I believe in myself and I believe in my abilities. And I have everything it takes to win this fight." -- Namajunas, speaking to ESPN

"The pressure is not just a big threshold in this fight, but it's what makes me different as a whole. In every fight, I know that I can do something that very few people are able to do. I'm able to be in her face, walking forward for five rounds, putting on pressure, trying to knock her head off with every single punch. It might not work out the first time, the second time, but I'm gonna be coming after her for 25 minutes. I know if I can get one punch right, I might knock her block off. And she knows that." -- Andrade, speaking to ESPN

Film study

And the winner is ...

Like so many others, I am guilty of underestimating Namajunas. And as tempting as it is to go with Andrade, whose style can quickly create a terrible situation for her opponents, I'm going with the champion.

Brett Okamoto's pick: Namajunas via decision.

Waiting in the wings

You'd have to think Jedrzejczyk will be watching ... and rooting for the challenger. She has lost twice to Namajunas and wouldn't likely get a third shot at her anytime soon. But if the night ends with the belt around the waist of Andrade, whom Jedrzejczyk defeated in a 2017 title defense, the ex-champ suddenly would be right back in the title mix. Other interested observers will be Tatiana Suarez and Nina Ansaroff, who tussle June 8 in a fight expected to be a No. 1 contender showdown.

What to watch for (beyond the main event)

You'll see this fight on SportsCenter in the morning

Jose Aldo should lead the highlight shows simply because he's the one MMA legend on this card who's still performing like one. (Sorry, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn.) Aldo ruled the featherweight division in the UFC and WEC for six years before Conor McGregor and Max Holloway got the better of him. But at age 32, the Brazilian dynamo is on a run again, No. 3 in ESPN's 145-pound rankings after winning his past two fights by knockout. He faces a stiff test in sixth-ranked Alexander Volkanovski, a 30-year-old Australian who is 19-1 and has won 16 in a row, six in the UFC. Which fighter will pass through the crossroads unscathed?

Then again, what NOT to watch for

So, yeah, Penn once was among the greats of the sport. He was fearsome. He was skilled. He was winning titles in multiple weight classes before it was the stylish thing to do. But you wouldn't detect any of that greatness if you've seen only his recent performances -- OK, let's stretch "recent" back a full decade. Penn has only one victory since 2009 and is winless in his past seven. It's sad to watch. So when his lightweight bout with Clay Guida is about to kick off the ESPN prelims at 8 p.m. ET, watch this first, just so you'll know what you're missing:

Nickname of the night

Thug Rose! Thug Rose! Thug Rose! (h/t Daniel Cormier, with assists from Jon Anik and Joe Rogan)

MILWAUKEE -- Despite having a week between the end of the second round and the beginning of the Eastern Conference finals, there is no guarantee that Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon will be ready to return to the starting lineup by the beginning of the next series as he recovers from a minor plantar fascia tear.

"He needs more game minutes, more game action," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said after practice Saturday. "We plan to continue to increase Malcolm's workload and minutes. To say exactly how it's going to play out -- the next step will be him playing a little bit more in Game 1."

On Wednesday, Brogdon played for the first time since March 15. He came off the bench in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics and played in sub-four-minute spurts. He played a total of 17 minutes and scored 10 points.

Budenholzer said Wednesday that 17 minutes were "more than we planned." After that game, Brogdon said he didn't feel any residual pain.

"I felt 100 percent," Brogdon said. "You want to ease your way into the game and try to help them a little bit. I tried to do that."

The bench group, of which Brogdon was a part in Game 5, was key to Milwaukee's success against the Celtics. Big games from George Hill and Pat Connaughton helped the Bucks win Games 3, 4 and 5. That bench unit has been nicknamed the "Bench Mob."

"It's not the second unit," Connaughton said. "It's the 'Bench Mob.' Big difference there. One is a demotion, the other is a promotion!"

Nikola Mirotic has been starting in Brogdon's absence. At practice Saturday, Mirotic said that no matter whether he's coming off the bench or starting, he will be prepared. Connaughton said that the "Bench Mob" is also prepared for whatever Budenholzer draws up.

"Whatever coach wants to do we support," Connaughton said. "If we have to re-knight Niko [Mirotic], we will re-knight him. If Malcolm is still with us, we are happy to have him. Regardless of who is a part of the Bench Mob, the Bench Mob's goals and morals will still stay the same."

The Bucks had the day off Thursday and held individual player workouts Friday. Budenholzer said the team scrimmaged Saturday during practice and that Brogdon was able to participate.

The long break between series gives Milwaukee the luxury of taking some time off. The Bucks will not practice Sunday and will likely watch Game 7 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors as a group. The winner will play at Milwaukee in Game 1 of the East finals Wednesday night.

"We want to go to the Finals Finals," Mirotic said, "so it don't matter who we play."

The Cleveland Cavaliers moved closer Saturday to completing a first round of candidate interviews for the franchise's head-coaching job, league sources told ESPN.

Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and members of his front office met separately with several assistant coaches in Denver on the eve of Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers, including Denver assistants Jordi Fernandez and Wes Unseld Jr. and Portland assistant David Vanterpool, league sources said.

The Cavaliers also interviewed Orlando Magic assistant Steve Hetzel in Denver on Saturday, sources said. The Cavaliers had received permission to interview another Trail Blazers assistant, Nate Tibbetts, but scheduling conflicts will push that meeting until after the Blazers-Nuggets Western Conference semifinals series ends, sources said.

The Cavaliers interviewed San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina in the past several days.

Former Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel has agreed to a three-year deal to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told ESPN, with Jason Kidd agreeing to join Vogel's staff in a prominent assistant-coaching role.

Vogel's hiring speaks to the significant influence of Lakers adviser Kurt Rambis and former coach Phil Jackson, whose opinions weigh heavily with owner Jeanie Buss. Vogel was the runner-up to Jeff Hornacek when Jackson hired a New York Knicks replacement for Derek Fisher in the summer of 2016.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had spent the past few days gathering information from those who have worked with both Vogel and Kidd about how they believe those two could complement each other on a Lakers coaching staff, league sources said.

Vogel, 45, flew to Los Angeles on Thursday and met with Pelinka and his front office and had detailed discussions on how Vogel would approach the possibility of taking over what has become a volatile situation.

The Lakers have been under tremendous pressure to partner LeBron James with a suitable replacement to Luke Walton and to start to quell the turmoil that's surrounding the organization.

As much as Vogel has to be judged on a difficult two-season tenure with the Magic (2016-18) during which he won 29 and 25 games with a rebuilding team, he did build a strong reputation in his five full seasons with the Pacers, who advanced to the Eastern Conference finals during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne contributed to this report.

The Philadelphia Phillies placed starting pitcher Vince Velasquez on the injured list with a right forearm strain, the team announced Saturday.

The right-hander lasted just four innings in his last start Monday, giving up four hits (three home runs), five walks and five earned runs against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Velasquez has a 1-2 record in six starts this season with a 3.86 ERA.

Lefty reliever Austin Davis was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The Washington Nationals reinstated outfielder Juan Soto from the 10-day injured list on Saturday ahead of the team's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Soto, 20, had been on the IL with back spasms. He is batting .248 with six home runs and 22 RBIs, tied for the team lead.

Soto will bat third against the Dodgers and play left field.

The Nationals optioned infielder Jake Noll to Triple-A Fresno in a corresponding move.

Houston Astros star Jose Altuve wasn't in the team's lineup for Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers and will have his hamstring examined further, manager AJ Hinch said.

Altuve left Friday's game against the visiting Rangers in the first inning with discomfort in his left hamstring.

Before Saturday's game, Hinch said the initial diagnosis of Altuve's injury is a slight strain of the hamstring.

"I'm not optimistic that he's going to avoid the injured list," Hinch said Saturday of the 29-year-old second baseman.

He added: "[Altuve] was in good spirits today when I met with him and he didn't think it was a big deal, but we'll be very careful with this one."

Altuve, the 2017 American League MVP, is batting .243 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs this season.

Right-hander Edwin Jackson is on track to set an MLB record by playing for his 14th team after being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays acquired Jackson from the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations, the teams announced Saturday.

If Jackson is called up to the major league roster, he would break a tie with Octavio Dotel for the most franchises played for in MLB history. Jackson had been pitching in Triple-A before the trade.

The Blue Jays have four starting pitchers on the injured list, including right-handers Clay Buchholz (shoulder) and Matt Shoemaker (out for the season after knee surgery) and left-handers Ryan Borucki (elbow) and Clayton Richard (right knee).

Jackson previously spent less than a day with the Blue Jays in 2011, being traded twice on July 27 that year from the Chicago White Sox to Toronto and then to the St. Louis Cardinals.

He broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003 and pitched for Tampa Bay, Detroit, the White Sox, Arizona, St. Louis, Washington, the Cubs, Atlanta, San Diego, Miami, Baltimore and Oakland.

A 16-year veteran who has yet to pitch this season, Jackson went 6-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 17 starts for the Athletics last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon's fate as the team's skipper will be decided six or seven floors above where his new business venture is about to open its doors.

Located adjacent to Wrigley Field -- and in the same building that houses the Cubs' front office -- the new restaurant, Maddon's Post, will welcome customers beginning next week, but it's what could happen months down the road that stands out. The 65-year-old is in the final year of a five-year deal, and the Cubs say they won't discuss his future until the end of the season.

"I don't believe the success of that place is dependent on me having to work for the Cubs," Maddon said recently. "I don't think that highly of myself."

Perhaps that's why Maddon teamed up with local, veteran restaurateurs including executive chef Tony Mantuano from Spiaggia, a Chicago hot spot. Maddon and his business partner, Michael Stewart, expect the restaurant to be a hit with Cubs fans whether Maddon is employed by the team or not.

"Of course, having Joe around is better, that is a given," Stewart said. "Joe is extremely smart, has great intuition, he thinks outside the box -- even with some of our entrees that he creates. Of course, having him here is a bonus.

"Having said that, I firmly believe Joe will be back. But, at some point, he will not. Whether it's next year or five years, or whenever. We knew that going into this project."

Stewart and Maddon say they conceived of the eatery at Wrigley Field even before he won the World Series with the Cubs in 2016. It has taken several years to come to fruition, as they've made sure it doesn't require Maddon's presence to be successful. It's the same attitude they had with Maddon's other restaurant, in Tampa, Florida. Ava opened in November 2014, just weeks after Maddon left the Rays for the Cubs.

"We always intended this to be about the food and experience," Stewart said. "This is not a sports bar. ... Right before we opened Ava, Joe took the Chicago job. Back then, people were asking the [same] question, 'What will we do?' What we did was built a restaurant around the food, the service, our staff, the location -- not around baseball and its ownership."

Ava has received favorable reviews, and Maddon's team is hopeful it'll be the same with his new place. As for the manager's other team, the Cubs played their way to the top of the National League Central standings after a 2-7 start. But that hasn't changed anything within the front office. Cubs officials say they're focused on the field, not what goes on behind kitchen doors. When asked just about the restaurant, general manager Jed Hoyer quipped, "I'm looking forward to the friends/family discount."

Maddon remains optimistic he'll be back, especially after taking the team to the playoffs four consecutive seasons. He could be 5-for-5 come October.

"I do anticipate managing the Cubs," Maddon said.

As much as the front office has a say in Maddon's future, so does he. He often has said that 2019 is his free-agent year. Asked if he has thought about the prospect of opening Maddon's Post and then leaving town to work elsewhere in baseball, Maddon responded: "Of course you do. You have to consider that could happen."

Like his managerial style this year, Maddon has had a hands-on approach with the menu and decor. It has been described as full of Maddon's childhood "likes and recipes," with a heavy accent on his Italian and Polish heritage. (If you want to order his favorite dish, try Mama K's Pappardelle.)

"It's not about me," Maddon said. "If we have a good product -- as we're going to -- plus Wrigley Field, we think people will come no matter what."

There is precedent in Chicago for a championship-winning coach to open a restaurant and then abruptly leave town. Mike Ditka won the Super Bowl in 1986, was fired by the Bears in 1993 and opened a restaurant in 1997 -- the same year he was hired to coach the New Orleans Saints.

"Nobody was really happy about it, on the business side," an employee of Ditka's back then said. "They just started looking for space in New Orleans."

Ditka's remains a popular Chicago steakhouse to this day. Maddon's Post is hopeful for a similar run, knowing the popular personality might not be around to eat there for more than a few more months.

"Ava was thriving after I left there," Maddon said. "I don't think that's the connection. The ballpark, the Cubs, the iconic nature of who we are, sells anywhere. ... We have sharp, wonderful people running it. Wherever I am -- hopefully it's here -- it will be a great place."

Olympic and world 20km race walk silver medallist tested positive for banned substance

Mexico’s Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez has been handed a four-year doping ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has announced.

The AIU listed the race walker’s violation as ‘Presence of a Prohibited Substance (Epitrenbolone)’ and ‘Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (Trenbolone)’.

Gonzalez claimed the silver medal in the 20km race walk at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and then also secured silver at the London World Championships a year later.

Her four-year ban began on November 16, 2018, and she has also had her results from October 17 to November 16 of last year disqualified.

The @iaaforg Disciplinary Tribunal has banned the @RioOlympicGames & @London2017 20km race walk silver medalist Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez Romero of Mexico, for four-years starting 16 Nov 2018. #CleanSport #AIUNews
Find out more ➡ https://t.co/cBkQOqB6uu pic.twitter.com/BDEVBx050H

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) May 10, 2019

According to the AIU decision document, Gonzalez stated that “the only explanation for the Adverse Analytical Finding (“AAF”) was her consumption of contaminated meat”, with the athlete saying she had been advised by a doctor to increase her intake of green vegetables and meat after being diagnosed with ferropenic anaemia.

The decision document added: “In short, she explained that trenbolone is not prohibited for use or consumption on animals destined for slaughter in Mexico, but that it is authorised for use in livestock feedlotting by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development and Food (“SAGARPA”). The Athlete included in her letter a list of current pharmaceutical chemicals and identified three products permitted for use in cattle (IMPLEMAX, IMPLEMAX-H and IMPLIX-M) and, with reference to a list of pharmaceutical products with group registration one produced evidence that these products included trenbolone as an active ingredient. She also requested the analysis of the B sample.

“The Athlete also informed the AIU that on 14 October 2018, she had ingested approximately 200 grams of meat cut (steak); on 15 October 2018, beef filet with vegetables; on 16 October 2018, 5 tacos al pastor (marinated pork in chili sauce, with tortillas).”

Among the points in the AIU argument was: “The IAAF alleges that the evidence produced by the Athlete, i.e. information that trenbolone is used legitimately in meat production in Mexico (without producing any evidence of meat contamination with trenbolone in the country) and uncorroborated evidence that she ingested unspecified amounts of beef on 14 October 2018 and 15 October 2018, is not sufficient on the balance of probability.

“… In addition, the IAAF instructed Pentad Security to carry out an investigation to verify the veracity of the Athlete’s explanations. That investigation concluded that some documents had been forged and the Athlete’s explanations are moulded around those forged documents. The Pentad Report considers the hospital report submitted by the Athlete to have been forged if one takes into account the incorrect data included in the report, such as the doctor’s name or telephone number, and the fact that “diagnosis of ferropenic microcytic hypochromic anaemia is not supported by the [Hospital Report] and is not compatible with the hematological values in the [ABP]”, as concluded by Professor D’Onofrio.”

The decision document added in part: “…the Athlete has not established on a balance of probabilities that the ADR was not intentional.”

The full AIU decision document can be found here.

Gonzalez has the right to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Meanwhile, the AIU also handed a four-year doping ban to Nigeria’s Glory Onome Nathaniel and she looks set to be stripped of her 400m hurdles gold medal from the 2018 African Championships.

More on that AIU decision can be found here. Nathaniel also has the right to appeal the decision.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has issued a decision against Nigerian hurdler Glory Onome Nathaniel for a violation of the @iaaforg Anti-Doping Rules. #CleanSport #AIUNews
Find out more ➡ https://t.co/cBkQOqSHT4 pic.twitter.com/y32DEQa9HR

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) May 8, 2019

On Friday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Ineta Radevica had been sanctioned for failing an anti-doping test at the London 2012 Games.

In a statement, the IOC said: “Ineta Radevica, 37, of Latvia, competing in the Women’s Long Jump event (Qualifications and Finals) in which she ranked 4th, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012.

“Re-analysis of Radevica’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance Oxandrolone.”

The 2010 European long jump champion and 2011 world silver medallist resigned as president of the Latvian Athletics Association last November.