Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry scored 47 points on Saturday night, becoming the first player since Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to score at least 30 or more points in 10 straight games at age 33 or older.

Curry, in his 12th NBA season, acknowledged this is one of the best stretches he has ever been on during his storied career.

"Statistically, it is for sure," Curry said after the Warriors' 119-114 loss at the Boston Celtics. "This season's required something a little bit different. I'm trying to meet that moment. It's a fun brand of basketball; just trying to put wins together with it. And I have supreme confidence; I've been blessed with a very special skill set that I'm trying to continue to master and hone and get better at. And that's showing, the work is showing, so I'm trying to obviously sustain that for this season, because it's required for us to get to where we want to go."

The Warriors' success this season has hinged on Curry's consistent greatness -- a level that he seems to raise every game now. Curry went 15-for-27 from the field in Boston, including 11-for-19 from beyond the arc -- marking the 20th time in his career he has made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game -- adding to his NBA record.

More than eight years after Bryant accomplished his own streak of 10 30-plus-point games from Dec. 7 to Dec. 26, 2012, Curry continues to amaze both teammates and coaches with some of the shots and plays he is able to make.

"He's just Steph Curry," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "So, it's not just the skill level; it's the confidence, the bravado, it's the willingness to fail and not think twice about it. He goes for it every time, every play. Competes. Not afraid of failure and trusts his skill, because he's worked his whole life for this, and he's just at the peak of his powers."

The Warriors' season almost took a turn in a painful direction midway through the fourth quarter when Curry turned his left ankle. But he remained in the game, and he is confident the injury won't put him out too long.

"It's kind of the usual ones I've had in the past," Curry said. "I kept playing, so that's a good sign in terms of where the pain was, but we'll see how it responds [on Sunday]. It's kind of a guessing game at this point, but the fact that I could even continue was a good sign."

Curry clearly wasn't moving the same way down the stretch and admitted he has "no idea" if he'll be able to play Monday at the Philadelphia 76ers.

His injury wasn't the only one Golden State had to endure on Saturday. Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson suffered a concussion and had to get stitches in his head after going over the scorers table trying to save a ball midway through the fourth quarter. Toscano-Anderson has entered the league's concussion protocol and will miss an undetermined amount of time, but his play only underscored the love his teammates have for his game -- and his effort.

"That's Juan," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "You kind of expect nothing less from Juan. That's just who he is; he's tough as nails. And for him to go over the scorers table like that, that sums up who he is. That also sums up how he got here. Just a guy who's willing to do whatever it takes on the floor to help the team win.

"I'm not sure how long he'll be out, but that's a big loss for us, especially with the depth that we have with the bigs right now. That's a big loss for us. He's been changing the game with his intensity and making a lot of the right reads. That's a big loss for us."

With Toscano-Anderson out and the Warriors holding onto the ninth spot in the Western Conference, the hope is that Curry will be able to continue carrying his teammates down the stretch. As he tries to put his recent run into context, Curry is happy that all the extra work he has put into his game is paying off.

"It's weird," Curry said. "You envision a run like this or you envision some of the shots, even work on them in your workouts in offseason prep and all that, but it's not surprising when it happens, but it does feel good. The work pays off and the confidence is there; there's that flow and that rhythm that doesn't happen by accident. You definitely appreciate what you put into it. It's not like, 'Oh, I just did that.' It's more so reaping the benefits of everything that goes into that. It's a different type of experience with that."

Curry's recent run has even left opponents in amazement. They're watching his shots fall in real time and still can't believe it.

"There are a lot of adverse things in the world a lot bigger than watching Steph Curry shoot 3s," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "The smallest part of me enjoys it. I just hate competing against him. But man, do I love watching him. He is as fun to watch as any player because of his creativity, his mastery of shooting, and you just never feel good when you're an opponent. You always feel like you're the next line of a fairy tale."

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

BOSTON -- After Celtics star Jayson Tatum scored 44 points to lead his team to a 119-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, overcoming a spectacular 47-point performance from Stephen Curry in the process, Tatum said it was a thrill for him to go toe-to-toe with the future Hall of Famer and come out on top.

"Just mutual respect," Tatum said, when asked about the conversation the two had on the court inside TD Garden afterward. "Obviously two big performances. I was glad that we got the win, but obviously he's one of the all-time greats.

"Just to earn his respect and get a win on the same night ... it was a good night."

It was a great night for anyone watching this one, as the Celtics and Warriors slugged it out in one of the most entertaining games of the season. But while Curry continued his torrid streak of late, eclipsing 30 points for a 10th straight game, it was Boston that once again showed the kind of grit and toughness it lacked so often earlier this season. The Celtics overcame a 16-point deficit in the first half and came back to get a dramatic victory that had the ebbs and flows of a playoff game, as opposed to one in the middle of the regular season.

Much of that was due to the back-and-forth battle between Tatum and Curry -- one that Tatum, who finished 16-for-25 overall and 5-for-9 from 3-point range, ultimately won.

"First of all, I'm in awe of what I watched tonight," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "From a skill level and level of competition, it felt like a playoff game out there. Both teams were just gassed and competed like crazy, and just incredible shot-making, particularly from Steph and Jayson. So what a basketball game. It hurts to lose, but I told the team I feel like they got better tonight."

This was the kind of game that, earlier this season, the Celtics very easily would've lost. But for Boston, which has now won six in a row and eight of nine since the calendar flipped to April, these types of performances are becoming more and more believable. This is the third time in four games the Celtics have overcome a double-digit deficit -- having done so in Denver on Sunday and Portland on Tuesday -- to keep this streak going.

But while there is clearly a newfound energy and momentum around this team that wasn't there before, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said that comes from a fairly obvious place: that the Celtics have finally been able to get most of their core rotation on the court and playing together lately -- even if they were without three of their top six players in Jaylen Brown, Evan Fournier and Robert Williams on Saturday night.

"I think the number one reason for our little run here is we've been, for the most part, healthier," Stevens said. "Now tonight we were a little bit less, but we just missed a lot of guys earlier in the year. And I know that sounds like an excuse. I hope it doesn't. I think what we tried to do is stay afloat as well as we could and hope that we get to a time where we get a little bit healthier and put together some weeks of good basketball. Throughout all that our guys have done an incredible job of staying together. And when that happens, and then you get a little momentum, then you have a tendency to respond when you don't feel great."

Of course, it also helps to have a young star get hot, as Tatum did in this one, while Kemba Walker chipped in 26 points -- including a critical 3-pointer with 24.8 seconds left to help stave off Curry and the Warriors. But after his latest big performance, Tatum is now averaging 29.3 points in April, and has finally helped the Celtics begin to move away from the possibility of being in the play-in tournament after a season full of fits and starts that has seen several players -- including Tatum -- contract COVID-19.

Tatum scored 53 points in this building just eight days ago to set a new career high, but that game was against the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the league's worst teams. This one came on national television in a back-and-forth duel with one of the game's all-time greats in Curry -- a game that saw both players hit massive shots down the stretch.

"It's incredible," Celtics guard Marcus Smart said of Tatum's development. "It's a good feeling to see, it's a good feeling to be a part of. Just to see his development and see him continue to ascend into a great player, it's definitely been a pleasure to be a part of."

And, along the way, Tatum earned the respect of Curry, who had plenty of praise for the young star after the game was over.

"I just told him he's super tough, man," Curry said. "You can tell the game has slowed down for him. Just in the way he picks and chooses his spots and how he kind of manages the game. He's shooting the ball a lot better from the perimeter, but when that game slows down, I don't know if it's four or five years in, whatever he is, that's when you become lethal.

"With your skill set, his size, their system features him, so he's a supreme talent. Supreme talent."

Friday's game lasted five hours, spanned 12 innings and included 17 pitchers.

Saturday's game came down to a centimeter.

That, pretty much, was the distance between Petco Park's outfield grass and the baseball that bulged out of Mookie Betts' glove, just barely secure enough to place another exclamation mark on an exhilarating matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.

It was the bottom of the ninth, there were two outs, the Dodgers led by two, the Padres had two runners in scoring position, and both teams had navigated through another April game with the nail-biting intensity of October. Betts, playing center field for the injured Cody Bellinger, broke to his left, sprinted seven steps and launched himself towards Tommy Pham's sinking line drive. If it falls, the game is at least tied. Give Pham's speed, perhaps the Padres win on an inside-the-park home run.

Betts secured it on the heel of his glove, turning in a play with a 10% catch probability in the Dodgers' 2-0 victory. He lifted himself up on both knees, patted his chest three times and roared towards a crowd that had mostly fallen silent. Moments later, in an on-field interview with the Dodgers' broadcast affiliate, Betts said he "kind of blacked out."

It's been that kind of series.

"It's different," Padres starter Yu Darvish, who allowed just the one run through seven dominant innings, said through his interpreter. "I saw it yesterday, as well."

Friday's madness spilled into Saturday's classic pitcher's duel between Darvish and Clayton Kershaw, which produced only one run through the first eight innings -- on a bases-loaded walk by Kershaw, of all people -- and ended with brilliant defense, the antithesis of the sloppiness from 24 hours earlier.

The Dodgers have won eight in a row, continue to lead the majors in winning percentage and have won 13 of their first 15 games for only the second time in the last 100 years.

They have elevated themselves to match the intensity of a Padres team so noticeably eager to knock them off their perch atop the National League West, but they haven't necessarily forced it. They have rested their ailing position players, guarded against over-using their relievers and talked about this series with the blandness one might expect for early-season baseball, even if the games have felt nothing like it.

"It's April," Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said. "The thing about this club, and our team the last couple years, is we talk a lot about taking it one game at a time and worrying about today and doing everything we can to win a game today, and not worrying about what happened yesterday and not looking ahead to what's coming tomorrow. I think a lot of teams talk about that, but this team is one of the best groups I've ever been around at actually executing that and not letting the moment get too big."

Kershaw played catch with Darvish regularly over the last three months of the 2017 season, but he had never faced him -- you know, as a hitter -- until Saturday. He was retired on four pitches in his first plate appearance, then got into a 2-2 count in his second. It was the fifth inning, the bases were loaded with two outs, Darvish was three hitters removed from a developing perfect game -- and so began one of the greatest sequences in Kershaw's offensive career, a collection of four pitches that embodied the intensity, unpredictability and sheer randomness of this budding rivalry.

Slider out over the plate, tipped foul.

Cutter way low and away, tipped foul.

Cutter up and away, taken for a ball.

Cutter slightly away, taken for a ball.

Kershaw worked a walk -- on a perfectly placed cutter that only tailed off the very edges of the strike zone -- to bring in a run, only the second time doing so in a 14-year major league career. Until Turner unleashed a solo homer in the top of the ninth, it was the only run of the game. Ultimately, it was also the difference.

"Just trying to be annoying, really," Kershaw said of his approach. "I wasn't gonna get a hit off him, he's got too good a stuff. It's just trying to be a nuisance as best I can."

The prior half-inning, Kershaw was screaming at Jurickson Profar -- "That's a bulls--- swing!" he barked -- for swinging so late that he caught his bat on Austin Barnes' glove and was awarded first base on catcher's interference. Kershaw later complained that Profar swung "straight down and backwards," adding that it was "not a big league swing."

Two innings later, Trent Grisham found himself on second base but didn't accurately read the defense behind him and broke late on Manny Machado's sharp grounder through the infield, advancing only 90 feet. The next batter, Wil Myers, hit a 106 mph grounder that hit off the mound and landed in Chris Taylor's glove for an inning-ending double play.

Kershaw, who contributed six scoreless frames and hasn't allowed a run in 18 consecutive innings, couldn't help but smile as he made his way back to the dugout.

Myers looked stunned.

It wouldn't be the last time.

LEHIGHTON, Pa. – For the past four years, Bobby Jones had a unique streak going by winning the modified feature on the second week of the Mahoning Valley Speedway season.

That streak ended last week with a third-place finish, although it wasn’t for lack of trying.

With one streak over, a new one began Saturday night, as Jones picked up his first victory of the year on week three at Mahoning Valley.

After taking the lead from Brian DeFebo with nine laps to go, Jones had to fend off Nevin George before parking his Franzosa Trucking/APS Powder Coating No. 1J in victory lane.

“Sure we would have liked to have won last week, but this, hopefully, will start a new trend of winning for us early in the season,” said Jones after picking up his 30th modified feature at Mahoning Valley. “We’ve been working on something new here and it’s definitely getting better and I don’t think it was exactly right today but it’s definitely in the right direction.

“It was hard fought that’s for sure.”

The race began with Kyle Strohl and Jesse Strohl sharing the front row. At the end of the opening circuit K. Strohl showed the way, while J. Strohl and Earl Paules ran side-by-side for second.

Paules acquired the runner-up spot by lap four and then applied plenty of pressure on leader K. Strohl.

The tension by Paules paid off when he used a lap 14 restart to take over the lead but it would be short lived as DeFebo slipped underneath him on a start over two laps later.

Not long afterward, Paules tried to move under DeFebo but got crossed up, spun and collected several others in the wake.

When the field was reset, DeFebo and Jones were one and two with George and Austin Beers battling for third. The lead pair soon engaged in a torrid fight, and on lap 25 Jones put his front wheels inside of DeFebo coming off turn four.

When they entered the first corner, DeFebo suddenly checked up and Jones snatched the front spot with George following in close pursuit.

The rest of the way Jones would hold on despite a noble effort from George. DeFebo and Beers where next in line with Don Wagner rounding out the top five.

“It was all good hard racing and you look back at the list of guys in this race and all of them have achieved something here. In this Modified field you cannot sit still from the time the green waves and right up to the checkers,” noted Jones.

The late model division got on track for the first time this season and there was no denying the drive by winner Lorin Arthofer II, who jumped into the lead from the get-go and was never in a position to let it go.

Starting on the outside pole, Arthofer overtook Rich Cooper and immediately set sail from the pack. Early on Nick Ross kept him in sight until getting turned six laps in.

Reigning champion Geno Steigerwalt was then second to Arthofer but he too could not match up and likewise with James Yons who took over as runner-up on lap 10 but as for making a stab at the leader it wasn’t to be.

Arthofer, who was making his first Late Model start since 2018, proved best and raced to his 42nd career win. It’s interesting to note the last time the car saw action was at the end of last season, and Arthofer’s daughter, Avery, won the feature.

The Street Stock main was a thrilling contest that was decided at the finish line between winner Johnny Bennett and rookie Tobie Behler.

For 29 of the 30 laps Behler continued to hold off Bennett but when the white flag waved it began a bump and bang run between the two. Bennett squeezed inside of Behler in an attempt to get the lead which he did.

However, Behler despite getting slightly loose regained his composure and returned the favor to Bennett. They were now two-by-two as they exited turn four and at the line Bennett, who was on the outside, eked out the victory.

Devin Schmidt’s Hobby Stock win was close to the same electrifying outcome, as he too needed every bit of the 25-laps to ensure his first triumph of the year.

Schmidt was locking horns with Cody Boehm and point leader Al Arthofer, who had won the first two races and pressing hard to make it three in a row.

On a restart with two laps to go Schmidt stayed ahead while Boehm and Arthofer went double file. As the trio reached the checkers Schmidt held on, while Boehm nipped Arthofer for second spot.

Defending Pro 4 champion Cody Kohler made his first class start of the season a good one as he took charge of the race from Randy Schaffer with four laps to go and headed off to victory.

Prior to the Pro 4 feature the Futures/Rookie Hobby Stock race took place and Kohler’s sister Makayla was celebrating victory with the Futures. It marked the first time that a brother and sister won features on the same day.

Also winning was Greyson Ahner who, for the second time in as many weeks, took the checkered flag and overall win with the Futures/Rookie Hobby Stocks.

JEFFERSON, S.D. – Mastering a very technical racing surface Saturday night, Blake Hahn was untouchable at Park Jefferson Int’l Speedway with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.

Hahn is undefeated with the National Tour at the South Dakota oval, as he topped the tour’s only other visit in 2016 before adding Saturday night’s trophy to his collection.

“Dalton and my Dad had this car rolling tonight. We’ve been trying some different things at these Regional shows, and it’s got us to where we can start fine-tuning the car,” said Hahn. “The track was really technical. I thought it was going to be around the top all the way, and that’s where Matt got me on the start. Once I moved down in one and two, it just took off.”

Hahn won his 10th career ASCS national feature in his 229th start.

Chasing Matt Covington through two attempts at the start, the Sage Fruit Co. No. 52 worked low off the second turn for the lead on the second revolution.

Pulling away from the field, cautions on lap nine for John Klabunde and lap 12 for Roger Crocket did little to provide a shot for Covington, who was fighting his T&L Foundry No. 95 in every corner after the power steering failed just before the race’s mid-point.

In traffic the final five laps, Covington made up some time, but not enough as Hahn made it to the checkered flag with 3.766 seconds to spare.

Covington was able to hold on for second, with J.J. Hickle on the podium for the third race in a row. Washington’s Seth Bergman moved from seventh to fourth and Scott Bogucki crossed fifth.

Making moves on the lap-12 restart after falling back early, Dylan Westbrook made it back to sixth, with Ryan Bickett following in seventh. Devon Borden, Ryan Timms, and Alex Hill completed the top 10.

A field of 21 drivers was on hand at Park Jefferson. A trio of SCE Gaskets Heat Race wins went to Hickle, Covington, and Hahn.

The next event for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network is Friday, April 23 at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo.

The finish:

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn [2]; 2. 95-Matt Covington [1]; 3. 63-J.J. Hickle [4]; 4. 23-Seth Bergman [7]; 5. 28-Scott Bogucki [6]; 6. 47X-Dylan Westbrook [3]; 7. 17B-Ryan Bickett [8]; 8. 8-Devon Borden [5]; 9. 5T-Ryan Timms [10]; 10. 77X-Alex Hill [11]; 11. 45-Monty Ferriera [9]; 12. 19-Colby Thornhill [12]; 13. 86-Elliot Amdahl [16]; 14. 88-Travis Reber [18]; 15. 7K-Mike Kay [15]; 16. 2-Dylan Opdahl [19]; 17. 11-Roger Crockett [17]; 18. 77-John Klabunde [14]; 19. 24-Garet Williamson [13]; 20. 35L-Cody Ledger (DNS); 21. 48-Taylor Forbes (DNS).

The timeless Andrei Arlovski did it again on Saturday, as he defeated Chase Sherman by unanimous decision in his 35th UFC appearance.

Arlovski (31-20) outpointed Sherman (15-7) via unanimous judges' scores of 29-28, in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night inside the Apex facility in Las Vegas. In doing so, Arlovski joined former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones as the only two fighters in UFC history to record 20 wins in a single weight class.

The 42-year-old former champion, who made his UFC debut in 2000, is third all time in UFC appearances, behind only Jim Miller (37) and Donald Cerrone (36). Immediately following the victory, Arlovski said he intends to fight "a couple more years."

Saturday's bout was very competitive, but it was Arlovski who landed the more consistent offense, especially late. He targeted Sherman's lead leg with low kicks, and mixed in two- and three-punch combinations to the body and head. There was plenty of back-and-forth action, although neither heavyweight seemed to land with any devastating power.

Arlovski's best moments came when he was moving forward. Sherman, 31, crowded him along the fence at times, which was not a good position for Arlovski. Sherman appeared to hurt him briefly in the opening round, but couldn't close the deal, as Arlovski forced his way forward into a clinch.

The loss snaps a four-fight winning streak for Sherman. He showed his frustration late in the bout, yelling at Arlovski to meet him in the middle, as the veteran circled away. Arlovski has now won three of his last four.

At age 25 with just five previous pro bouts on his resume, Malkoun showed that he's a quick learner. Once he saw the takedown was there for the taking, he went for it. Again and again and again. And he used all those takedowns to drain the danger out of his opponent.

After spending the early going evading the power and aggressiveness of Alhassan, Malkoun closed distance midway through Round 1 and pressed his opponent against the cage before taking him to the canvas. Alhassan managed to get the fight back to standing, but Malkoun took him right back down. Before Round 1 was over, the Aussie had four takedowns.

And that, essentially, was the fight.

Alhassan has 10 career wins. Every one of them came via first-round knockout. Now we know why. After the first five minutes did not produce the result for which he had been swinging his beefy arms, Alhassan offered little resistance. Actually, he offered little but resistance. He managed to fend off nine of Malkoun's 15 takedown attempts, but Alhassan never was able to convert defense to offense, which allowed Malkoun to just keep going after takedowns and clinches, safe from any winging punches his opponent was desperately throwing his way.

It was an easy call for the judges, all three of whom scored the bout 30-27 for Malkoun.

It was his first UFC win after he'd dropped his Octagon debut in an 18-second knockout loss to Phil Hawes in October.

Alhassan, a 35-year-old native of Ghana who trains in Fort Worth, Texas, has lost three in a row. Both previous losses came in fights scheduled for welterweight, with Alhassan missing weight. This time he fought at middleweight, and looked like a big middleweight.

Women's flyweight: Tracy Cortez (9-1, 3-0 UFC) def. Justine Kish (7-4, 3-4 UFC) by split decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

Cortez spent a lot of time during this training camp with former UFC double champion and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo. Those hours paid dividends.

Cortez used her wrestling to capture a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) over Kish. Cortez got Kish down in the first and third rounds and did solid damage with ground and pound.

In the first round, Cortez landed a trip takedown out of a bodylock and got into top position. From there, Cortez landed hard punches, elbows and hammerfists from Kish's guard. Kish was able to scramble away, but Cortez got her back in a scramble. Kish had moments in the second and third rounds. She landed hard right hands and an elbow in the second and actually dropped Cortez momentarily in the third. Cortez, though, was able to take Kish down again with a trip in the third round and land hard shots with Kish turtled.

Cortez, 27, has won nine straight and all three of her fights in the UFC. The Phoenix native appears to be a prospect to keep an eye on in the women's flyweight division. Kish, a 33-year-old Russia native, has lost two in a row and four out of her last five.

@TracyCortezmma is a problem! #ufcvegas24

— Julian marquez (@JMarquezMMA) April 18, 2021

"Hopefully, by the end of the year, if everything is done right, I'd like to be ranked in the top 5," Cortez said. "I do think I'm about a few fights away from being at least top 15. I don't see why I wouldn't be. Give me three or four more fights, I'll be top 5, baby!"

Lightweight: Luis Pena (9-3, 5-3 UFC) def. Alexander Muñoz (6-2, 0-2 UFC) by split decision (Watch this fight on ESPN+)

A late offensive surge from Pena proved to be just enough on the scorecards, as he picked up a split decision over Munoz.

Pena, who fights out of American Top Team, got off to a slow start in the lightweight bout, but looked to be in a perfect rhythm by the end. He picked Munoz apart on the feet from the outside, and peppered him with counter jabs any time he tried to close distance. Two judges had it 29-28 for Pena, while a third saw it 29-28 for Munoz.

According to UFC Stats, Munoz slightly out-landed Pena in total strikes, but Pena appeared to do more damage as the fight progressed. In addition to his jab and boxing combinations, Pena landed several hard knees to Munoz's body and quickly worked back to his feet any time Munoz managed to take him down to change up the pace of the fight.

Pena, 27, picks up his first win since February 2020. He has alternated wins and losses in his last five appearances. Munoz, who fights out of Team Alpha Male, falls to 0-2 in the UFC.

The biggest upset of the night: The judges played a role in deciding the outcome of this heavyweight bout.

Romanov came in at 13-0 with finishes in every fight. Espino had won eight in a row, with six of those wins coming by first-round finish. If the judges had left their posts at cageside during introductions and gone for coffee, they could have been forgiven. Both of the fighters had shown a career-long aversion to leaving their fate to the scorecards.

But the scorecards ended up coming into play on Saturday -- bizarrely.

After two rounds in which each fighter had moments of seizing advantage, mostly on the ground and in clinches, they came out for Round 3 with the bout hanging in the balance. Both were tired, but Romanov, a 30-year-old from Moldova, appeared especially drained.

A minute in, Espino, who is 40 and from the Canary Islands, Spain, had Romanov clinched against the cage and threw a knee. It landed to the groin, and Romanov dropped to the canvas. Referee Mark Smith paused the fight, brought in a doctor and a translator, and after several minutes of discussion, Romanov said he could not move his leg and could not continue.

The bout was waved off, and the judges were asked to score the incomplete Round 3 as well as the first two rounds. All three scored it 29-28, with two seeing it for Romanov, who remains unbeaten.

After almost exactly four years away from the Octagon, Penne is back -- with a victory.

Using her crafty grappling, Penne picked up a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory against the UFC newcomer Godinez. Penne had been out since April 22, 2017 due to issues involving USADA, the UFC's anti-doping partner. She got hit with a second anti-doping violation in 2019, but USADA reduced her sanction last year from four years to 20 months.

Penne was very emotional in her postfight interview, saying she wasn't 100% sure what the decision would be.

"I thought I got it, but you never know," Penne said. "It's really nerve-wracking leading up to the judges. ... I put my heart and soul out there. I'm really happy."

Godinez had moments on the feet, doing damage with punches. She also had a pair of hard slams. But Penne was able to close the distance regularly, get Godinez down and work for submissions. Several times, Penne attempted to pull guard, including going for a flying triangle twice in the third round.

Penne, 38, had lost three straight before the layoff. Her last victory before Saturday came Dec. 12, 2014, her UFC debut. Godinez, a 27-year-old Mexico native fighting out of Canada, is the former LFA women's strawweight champion.

Meerschaert picked up a much-needed victory over Fabinski, in the form of an opening-round submission.

The Milwaukee native jumped on an early guillotine attempt as Fabinski looked to take him to the ground. The choke looked tight from the moment Meerschaert sunk it in. He briefly moved to full mount, then to a side position and put Fabinski to sleep. The finish came at the 2-minute mark.

Meerschaert, 33, needed a win badly, as he lost his previous two fights in the opening round. He suffered a 17-second knockout against Khamzat Chimaev in his most recent appearance in September.

Despite the high-pressure spot, Meerschaert looked comfortable exchanging early punches with Fabinski and took advantage of the exposed neck for his 24th career submission. Meerschaert now owns the record for most submissions in middleweight division history.

"Any day now, I'm going to be a brand new dad so I have to get back and do that," Meerschaert said. "Perfect-case scenario, I get back home, spend some time with the family and hopefully come back one more time before the end of the year."

Fabinski, of Poland, drops to 4-3 overall in the UFC. He is the sixth fighter to fall victim to Meerschaert's guillotine.

Guillotine respect guillotine. Solid work @The_Real_GM3

— Brian BOOM Kelleher (@brianboom135) April 18, 2021

Some fighters' best weapon is their punching. For some, it's their kicking. And for others, it's their grappling. Hubbard's winning formula was a combination of patience and timing.

His striking and grappling came into play, as well, for sure, but what won Hubbard the decision (29-28 on all three scorecards) was his calm in the early going -- when Bush came out aggressively in his UFC debut -- and well-timed takedowns and grappling reversals once Bush's energy level had dipped.

Bush clearly had been waiting for this first trip inside the Octagon, and he wasted not a second before getting into it. He came out firing calf kicks, lead left hooks and a whole lot more, relentlessly. Hubbard did not allow himself to be drawn into a brawl, though. He maintained range and countered when the opportunity presented itself, and in the closing seconds of Round 1, he shot for a takedown and got it.

That was a preview of what was to come. In the second and third rounds, Hubbard was step ahead in all of the grappling exchanges, reversing wherever Bush attempted and gaining full mount a few times. It wasn't a blowout of a fight, by any means, but Hubbard showed the new guy who was in control.

"I'm happy. It's always good to come away with a win," Hubbard said. "He was very tough. He pushed me, his gas tank held up a little better than I thought it was going to -- I'm going to give him credit for that. I just wanted to leave it all in there, I felt like I did that."

Hubbard, 29, who fights out of Denver, continued his trend of alternating between wins and losses in the UFC. Bush, a 26-year-old from Cuba, Missouri, saw his two-fight winning streak end.

Gravely hurt Birchak badly with blows on the ground in the first round. Referee Mark Smith didn't think it was enough, though, and allowed Birchak to fight on. In the second round, Gravely left no doubt.

Gravely stopped Birchak via TKO at 1:31 of the second round to open UFC Fight Night on Saturday. Gravely landed a wicked left hook that put Birchak down and then finished with hammerfists on the ground as Smith came in to pull him off.

The first round was wild. Gravely knocked Birchak around on the feet, but when things ended up on the ground, Birchak was able to sweep and then attempt a guillotine. Gravely survived, got back on top and landed huge ground-and-pound. It appeared like Birchak was not intelligently defending himself as Gravely landed hard punch after hand punch with Birchak turtled up, but Birchak still managed to survive the first.

In the second round, Gravely landed a takedown, but Birchak worked his way back up. On the feet, Birchak went for a kick, and Gravely countered with a whipping left hook that put Birchak down for good.

Gravely, 29, has won two straight and nine of his past 10 fights. The Virginia native, who fights out of American Top Team in Florida, is a product of Dana White's Contender Series. Birchak, a 34-year-old Arizona native, has lost both of his fights since returning to the UFC last year.

Crazy back and forth round to start the night!!#UFCVegas24

— Jamahal "Sweet Dreams" Hill (@JamahalH) April 17, 2021

Still to come:

Middleweight: Robert Whittaker (23-5,13-3 UFC, -270) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (17-6 1 NC, 11-6 1 NC UFC, +220)

LOVES PARK, Ill. — Dale Nottestad won the 88-lap Big 8 Series Spring Classic late model stock car race at Rockford Speedway Saturday afternoon.

Nottestad wheeled his Glass Works/Badger Realty Team/Seitz Towing/Club LaMark-sponsored Chevrolet to the victory after setting fast time at the high-banked, quarter-mile, paved oval earlier in the day.

Hailing from Cambridge, Wis., Nottestad had a .768-second lead at the checkered flag over Nick Egan. Two-time Rockford late model champion Jon Reynolds Jr., Tom Berens, early race leader Mike Lloyd and Jerry Mueller rounded out the top six finishers.

Six caution periods, including a mandatory stop after 45 laps were complete, slowed the action. Nottestad used an inside move on leader Will Rece after a restart at the 27-lap mark to take the lead after starting 12th in the field.

“I had a good car all day. It just took a few laps to get going (after the restarts),” said Nottestad. “It worked out. I didn’t want another caution though.  I was taking my time and trying to stay out of trouble. Definitely, it (trouble) can happen quick here.”

The win was Nottestad’s second Spring Classic victory at the Rockford oval – his first coming in 2011. The last three Spring Classic races had been cancelled – last year’s because of the COVID 19 pandemic and the 2018 and 2019 events because of weather.

Nottestad’s initial plans were to bypass the Rockford race.

“I was planning on going to the Dells (Dells Motor Speedway in Wisconsin) to practice all day,” Nottestad said. “I got to thinking why wouldn’t I go to Rockford? I love racing here.  It’s probably one of my best tracks. It (the win) made it worth coming down here.”

Coming back from a broken driveshaft in the heat race, Ron Vandermeir Jr. was the winner of the Mid-Am Racing Series 40-lap stock car feature. Vandermeir, from Sheridan, Ill., raced side-by-side with Josh Nelms and finally grabbed the top spot as the race wound down.

Vandermeir, a three-time Mid-Am champion, including last year’s title, had a 1.250-second lead over Nelms at the finish.

Cody Clubb, Andrew Meyerhofer and Steve Blair rounded out the top five.

“Josh (Nelms) is a class act and I knew if there was anyone we could run door-to-door with it was him,” said Vandermeir. “There was a little bit of rubbing, but that racing at Rockford.  We ran a heck of a race between the two of us and we prevailed.”

The finish:

Dale Nottestad, Nick Egan, Jon Reynolds Jr., Tom Berens, Mike Lloyd, Jerry Mueller, Jacob Vanoskey, Randy Sargent, Grant Brown, Jeff Wakeman, Josh Thiering, Tyler Hromadka, Hunter Drefahl, Jeff Holtz, Mitch Haver, Will Rece, Mark Simonsen, Willie Nelson, Zach Braun, Austin Nason. 

LEEDS, Ala. – Saturday’s opening two rounds of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship at Barber Motorsports Park saw honors shared by Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Prescott Campbell.

Both claimed their maiden victories with the series.

However, a second-place finish in the opening leg of the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Alabama enabled 20-year-old Campbell – a mechanical engineering student at Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom – to take the early championship lead.

After starting on pole position for race two, Campbell’s teammate Nolan Siegel had to be content with second, while Josh Pierson also enjoyed a tremendous day, earning a pair of third-place finishes for Pabst Racing.

Sundaramoorthy made a dream start to his third full season of USF2000 in qualifying Friday by claiming his first Cooper Tires Pole Award.

The lap of 1:21.1201 (102.071 mph) comfortably eclipsed the old track record set by Englishman Michael Epps way back in 2014.

The 18-year-old college freshman took advantage of his pace and his experience to maintain his advantage at the start. He remained under intense pressure from Campbell for a few laps following an early full-course caution but refused to become distracted.

Instead he turned a series of 10 ultra-consistent laps, all within a couple of tenths of a second, to eke out a little breathing space and ensure a finely judged maiden victory by 2.3321 seconds.

“This feels so great, it’s been so long coming, so long in the works. To finally do this, and to do it from pole, feels great,” said Sundaramoorthy.  “I didn’t get fast lap, so I didn’t get the grand slam of points, but I’ll take it! I knew Prescott would burn his tires up in the aero wash, so I just waited for him to fall back and focused on putting my laps together with no mistakes. It was a lot of pressure so mistakes were my biggest worry, but everything worked out. And having my teammate on the podium, with plenty of points for the team, makes it that much better.

“The Pabst team put everything together and the Cooper tires held up perfectly.”

Campbell also secured his best-ever USF2000 result after joining DEForce Racing for his sophomore campaign, although rather than being able to sustain his challenge for the win, instead he had to focus on the challenge from behind as Pierson remained seemingly glued to his gearbox.

Michael d’Orlando finished three seconds farther back in fourth after fending off a race-long challenge from Christian Brooks and impressive teammate Billy Frazer, who was the top rookie finisher and also earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after working his way up from 12th on the grid.

Fellow rookies Spike Kohlbecker and Jace Denmark also finished close behind, although Denmark had run as high as fifth before making a couple of small errors.

Siegel, who finished a disappointing 10th in the opening race – but showed his speed by claiming the fastest lap of the race, worth an extra championship point – had another opportunity to shine in race two for which he had earned the Cooper Tires Pole Award during a second qualifying session on Friday.

The start was delayed until after NTT IndyCar Series qualifying by a power outage, and began with the DEForce trio of Siegel, Campbell and Brazilian Kiko Porto holding the top three positions.

Significantly cooler conditions and a couple of brief early caution periods brought some shuffling of the order as Pierson jumped from sixth to fourth and then, more significantly, Campbell managed to take the lead when Siegel slid a little wide at turn one following the second restart on lap seven.

From there, Campbell never looked back as he maintained a narrow edge over a pack of four pursuers for the remainder of the race. He finally took the checkered flag just over a half-second clear of Siegel, with Pierson, Porto and Brooks virtually in his tire tracks.

“It’s hard to put this into words, I’m just ecstatic to finally get this done,” noted Campbell. “I qualified P2 for race one, P2 in race two, finished P2 in Race One, so I was really hungry to go one better and I finally got it done. I ran a clean race, no mistakes, and that was the difference. With the aero wash, it’s hard to pass here, so it takes a mistake to change position when you’re that close, but I’m gutted for Nolan.

“Huge thanks to the team, they gave us the best car this weekend as evidenced by my teammates’ performance as well – and thanks to my parents, they’re the ones who have gotten me here, and my sponsors as well.”

Myles Rowe also impressed on the debut both for himself and the Force Indy team, part of IndyCar’s Race for Equality & Change. Rowe, who started fourth, slipped as low as ninth before making some fine passes in the closing stages to finish hot on the heels of Brooks.

Rookie Jackson Lee took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award by virtue of climbing from 23rd on the grid, following a problem in qualifying, to 14th.

LAS VEGAS – Brittany Force made her last Top Fuel qualifying run count in a major way on Saturday, powering to the No. 1 spot at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 in their respective categories at the second race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Force, who sat out the bulk of the 2020 NHRA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, jumped to the top spot with a run of 3.732-seconds at 320.66 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Flav-R-Pac dragster.

It came during the final qualifying session and gives the former world champion her first No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 21st in her career.

She’ll face off with Antron Brown and Justin Ashley to open eliminations.

Steve Torrence was bumped to the second position after his run of 3.741 at 328.94 from Friday and Doug Kalitta moved up to third in the final session with his pass of 3.743 at 314.83.

“It just shows this team has picked up right where we left off,” said Force, who won the fall race at Vegas in 2019. “We had a long time being away from the races, and coming back to Gainesville, we found our routine pretty quickly. Coming here and taking this No. 1 qualifier (spot), we’re excited and pumped. Thank you to David Grubnic, Mac Savage, and all of these Flav-R-Pac guys. We want to go out and win this thing. That’s our focus tomorrow, winning this thing and bringing home our first win of the season.”

Hight helped make it a clean sweep in nitro qualifying for John Force Racing, blasting to the No. 1 position in Funny Car by going 3.882 at 331.85 in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS in the final qualifying quad on Saturday.

Alexis DeJoria had bumped Hight out of the top spot, but the veteran standout moved back to No. 1 with his stellar run moments later, earning his 69th career No. 1 qualifier.

He’ll be joined by Cruz Pedregon, J.R. Todd and Jonnie Lindberg in the opening round of eliminations.

John Force jumped DeJoria as well, finishing No. 2 with his run of 3.898 at 330.72, while DeJoria’s 3.912 at 321.04 puts her in the third spot.

“(Crew chief) Jimmy Prock has called every single run we’ve made this weekend,” said Hight, a five-time Vegas winner. “They have this Auto Club Chevrolet working great. We’ve got to go three rounds tomorrow and I think we’re in a good position to do that.”

Anderson continued his dominant start to the 2021 Pro Stock season, taking the No. 1 spot for the second straight race thanks to his run of 6.638 at 205.85 in his DENSO Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro. It also gives the four-time world champ his 108th career No. 1 qualifier.

Anderson will try for his second straight victory as well on Sunday and will be part of an opening-round quad that includes Fernando Cuadra, Val Smeland and Aaron Stanfield.

Matt Hartford qualified second with his 6.650 at 205.01 and Kyle Koretsky jumped to the third spot on his final pass with a 6.651 at 205.38, but Anderson remained a step ahead of everyone.

“We’re on a roll and the car is making beautiful runs,” said Anderson, who has eight career wins in Las Vegas. “We had a great weekend in Gainesville and so far this weekend, the car has made three flawless runs, and in front of (team owner) Ken Black. That’s what is important to me. We’re on his home turf and I love racing out here. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow.

“So far, so good and this Denso Chevy has been on point, so let’s see if we can close the deal.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, provisional No. 1 qualifier M. Smith simply got better on Saturday, claiming the No. 1 spot with his impressive pass of 6.890 at 196.59 on his Denso Auto Parts/Stockseth/Matt Smith Racing EBR.

That gives Smith, the defending world champion, his 44th career No. 1 qualifier and in an ideal position to win his second straight race to open 2021.

His first-round opponents are Ryan Oehler and Karen Stoffer.

Matt’s wife, Angie, remained in the second spot with her 6.909 at 195.51 and she will look to win in Vegas for the second straight race. Steve Johnson qualified third with a 6.935 at 191.57.

“All in all, we just wanted to show how good we are, this DENSO motorcycle at this DENSO race. That’s what it’s all about,” Matt Smith said. “Everybody who helps us, we really appreciate it.”