England 299 for 9 (Sciver 75) beat New Zealand XI 279 for 6 (Down 97) by 20 runs

England Women won the first warm-up game of their tour of New Zealand, defeating a New Zealand XI by 20 runs in Queenstown despite a valiant 97 by Lauren Down.

Last summer's Covid-related postponements mean that England have not played an ODI since December 2019, when they beat Pakistan 2-0 in Malaysia, and they are yet to play one with head coach Lisa Keightley in charge.

The batting line-up in Sunday's warm-up hinted at continuity rather than overhaul, with Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt putting on 66 for the opening partnership after resuming their opening stand. England were kept in check by regular wickets throughout their innings, with Natalie Sciver - who made 75 off 74 balls - the only batter to reach 50. Katherine Brunt's 41 off 29 dragged them up to a strong total, setting 300 to win.

Sixteen-year-old left-arm spinner Fran Jonas and Brooke Halliday, both potential ODI debutants after winning spots in New Zealand's squad for the series, took a wicket apiece, while Hayley Jensen was the pick of the attack with 2 for 25 from her six overs.

The New Zealand XI were always behind the required rate in their chase, but Down - overlooked for the upcoming series - held their innings together with 97 off 108 balls from No. 3. Tash Farrant took a wicket on her return to England colours, while Sophie Ecclestone was characteristically frugal, returning 1 for 24 in her seven overs. Beaumont and Amy Jones split wicket-keeping duties.

England will play their second and final warm-up match against the same opposition on February 16, before the ODI series starts on 23 February in Christchurch.

"It's been a very long time since we played 50-over cricket," Beaumont said. "Everyone got a good run-out, lots of starts with the bat and some good overs for the bowlers. You probably would have liked a couple more batters to be selfish and almost be dragged off the pitch in a warm-up game but obviously Nat Sciver showed us how it's done.

"I think we probably need to tighten up a little bit ahead of Tuesday but [it was] certainly good to get back out in a competitive situation. It was great to have some fans in. Apparently we got more than the West Indies men when they played here, so that was great to have some support here."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Britain's Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open men's wheelchair singles.

In the quad singles, second seed Andy Lapthorne beat American David Wagner 6-1 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

But Lucy Shuker lost to Momoko Ohtani in the women's wheelchair singles.

Hewett and Reid, who are the defending champions in the men's doubles, are in opposite halves of the draw in the singles and so could meet in the final.

Kamaru Usman accomplished much on Saturday night at UFC 258. He won his 13th straight UFC welterweight fight, which broke Georges St-Pierre's record for most wins in a row at 170. He also tied the great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the second-most wins in a row to start a UFC career. And he's now three wins away from tying Anderson Silva's record of 16 straight.

Oh, and that was his 18th win overall, as well. And guess what? That was the most impressive of those 18 wins.

No, really.

He just stopped a blazing-hot Gilbert Burns. He took Burns' best shot in the first round, rebounded and then finished him via TKO in third round. He beat Burns via strikes, which, according to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, was priced at +240.

His wrestling has always been there, and now the striking is coming together, too. Coach Trevor Wittman has done it again.

Yet, Usman kept repeating after the fight to "put some respect" on his name. He said it multiple times both in the cage and during in his postfight interview.

To the uninitiated, it may sound weird for a guy with his resume to ask for respect, but he has a point. When we talk about the faces of the UFC -- or even the best in the UFC -- his name never seems to come up right away. It's usually Khabib, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes ... and then maybe Usman is discussed. But he's never mentioned among the very best.

That's wrong, and it needs to change.

Usman is one of the best athletes in the UFC right now. He's a top pound-for-pound fighter. He may not get the attention others get because his style during this dominant run hasn't been very fan-friendly. However, a few more wins like this one will change that.

One thing he is not, though -- at least not yet -- is the greatest welterweight ever. Yes, I know he just beat one GSP record, but he'll have to beat -- or at least get closer to -- another one to be in that conversation: successful title defenses. This was Usman's fourth successful title defense. GSP had 11. There's a massive difference.

That's not to diminish Usman and it shouldn't be taken that way. He's now in Matt Hughes/Pat Miletich territory. That's esteemed company. But he's not the welterweight GOAT. Not yet, at least.

He does have this in common with a prime GSP, though: He's running out fresh opponents. And fast. He has wins over Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards (albeit before Usman and Edwards were the fighters they are today) and now Burns, just to name a few.

I was curious to see if he'd call anyone out after his win or just let the division play itself out. And wouldn't you know it, he called out his old foe Masvidal.

What a gift that was to the BMF champion. I felt like I could hear Masvidal celebrating thousands of miles away in South Florida.

You see, Masvidal isn't really chomping at the bit to fight Covington next. He dislikes him so much that he'd rather not give him any kind of attention, I'm told. Of course, he'd do it, but it's not his first choice. He would, however, love to fight Usman for the title again, and this time do it with a full camp under his belt, unlike the one-week-notice fight he agreed to back in July.

The UFC has been trying to book Masvidal vs. Covington for weeks now. The matchmakers even discussed having them as the new coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter," sources say. The deal just isn't getting done. That's why Dana White said on Friday he'd consider booking Covington vs. Edwards next. There's actually been no serious talk of making that fight. His comment was more negotiation ploy, at least for now, than reality.

You can now bet Masvidal will use this callout to push for the title shot. In fact, just moments after Usman's comments, Masvidal's co-manager Malki Kawa threw out the idea of Usman and Masvidal serving as TUF coaches -- and then fighting afterwards, of course.

Let's do It. TUF. Masvidal vs usman. We accept.

— malki kawa (@malkikawa) February 14, 2021

Usman-Masvidal 2? Edwards-Covington? Not a bad plan B. Will the UFC bite?

I can also see the UFC trying to leverage the callout by promising a title shot to the winner of Covington-Masvidal. Two for the price of one. I mean, it's not like Usman is going to turn around and fight in a couple months anyway.

Or the UFC can just run back the fight against Masvidal. We all wanted to see it for months last year before failed negotiations led to the promotion to booking Usman vs. Burns. Then Burns tested positive for COVID-19, and, well, you know how the rest went. Plus, the UFC does need some big-name TUF coaches.

For now, though, Usman should feel pretty good about himself. He made history. He is now in the conversation with some legends.

And he doesn't have to worry about anyone not putting any respect on his name any time soon.

As the Brooklyn Nets 'big three' of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving continue to work on building their on-court chemistry, Irving and Harden had a brief conversation at practice this week to clarify their roles.

"We established that maybe four days ago now," Irving said after the Nets' 134-117 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. "I just looked at him, and I said, 'You're the point guard, and I'm going to play shooting guard.' That was as simple as that."

Irving described the conversation as concise and matter-of-fact.

"It's not a mystical conversation that we had," Irving said.

In Saturday's game against the Warriors, Harden had 16 assists, raising his 11.3 assist per game average since joining the Nets in mid-January. It's the most assists he has dished out since the 2016-17 season, when he led the league with 11.2 assists per game for the Houston Rockets.

"He's been taking control of the responsibilities and doing an incredible job," Irving said. "It just makes my job easier to just go out and play free and just make plays."

When Harden -- a multitime scoring champion -- was added to the Nets' mix, an overriding question was: Is one basketball going to be enough?

Harden had discussed with head coach Steve Nash his willingness to play whatever role necessary upon his arrival from Houston.

On Saturday against the Warriors, Harden, Irving and Durant scored or assisted on 100 points for Brooklyn. Saturday marked the seventh game the trio played together -- including last week's matchup with the Toronto Raptors, during which Durant was yanked from the floor early because of the league's coronavirus protocols.

Their record together is 5-2, including the loss to the Raptors that Durant was unable to finish.

"I came to this team knowing that they have two special scorers on this team," Harden said. "Obviously, I score when I need to, but as long as I'm getting everybody involved and Ky (Irving) is getting the shots that he wants, KD is getting the shots that he wants, it's pretty efficient. Offensively is not the problem for us, we can score in bunches; it's defensively. It seems like we're getting a rhythm as of late. We just got to keep it up."

The Super Smash, New Zealand's premier T20 competition ended on Saturday, with Michael Bracewell's Wellington Firebirds successfully defending their title against the Canterbury Kings in front of a packed home crowd at the Basin Reserve. ESPNcricinfo looks back at the major talking points from the tournament.

Wellington's near-flawless title run
After having scrapped to the title in 2019-20, the Firebirds thoroughly dominated this season, securing their fourth domestic T20 crown and second on the bounce at the Basin Reserve.

They launched the season by hunting down 177 against the Auckland Aces on Christmas Eve and simply powered on, with the loss against the Kings in the league phase being the only blemish in their otherwise flawless run.

The Firebirds ran into the Kings again in the final, but Devon Conway, who had watched the season opener from the grass banks after being rested, made a sublime 93 not out off 63 balls to close it out. After having topped the domestic run-scoring charts across formats last season, Conway finished second, behind his opening partner Finn Allen, in this season's Super Smash.

Seamers Hamish Bennett and Logan van Beek led the way with the ball for the Firebirds, claiming 13 wickets apiece at economy rates of under eight per over. Allrounder Jimmy Neesham underwent surgery midway through the season for a compound dislocation on his finger, but he returned with a triple-strike against the Aces in the lead-up to the final.

Van Beek also torched the tournament with his scarcely believable one-handed outfield catch to dismiss the Northern Knights' Brett Hampton.

What the..... incredible https://t.co/FisaLvGOSP

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) January 9, 2021

Overall, the Firebirds won ten out of 11 games, while the next best sides - the Kings and the Central Stags - had only six wins to show for.

Finn Allen the breakout star of the tournament
He was the fire to Conway's ice. He rattled off 512 runs in 11 innings at a stellar strike rate of 193.93, and nobody had more sixes than his tally of 25. Much like Brendon McCullum and his protégé Tim Seifert, the opener regularly dashed down the track to bend attacks out of shape. That Allen could do so against New Zealand internationals suggests that he isn't too far away from making his international debut. A day after winning the Super Smash, Allen was picked in the New Zealand T20I squad as cover for the forthcoming T20I series against Australia.

Allen hit his peak when he smoked a 16-ball half-century against the Stags. Only Kieran Noema-Barnett (14 balls) and Martin Guptill (15) have struck faster fifties in New Zealand's domestic T20 competition.

Finn Allen has hit 25 sixes for the @cricketwgtninc Firebirds in the 2020-21 Dream11 Super Smash #DidYouKnow Finn has the most 6's in a men's #SuperSmashNZ season since 2012-13

Which is your favourite? pic.twitter.com/vxDogl7VZF

— Dream11 Super Smash (@SuperSmashNZ) February 12, 2021

Is Colin de Grandhomme back in action?
The allrounder, who had been sidelined from the internationals against West Indies as well as Pakistan with a foot injury, was back in action although he didn't bowl. He had last taken the ball in the four-day Plunket Shield in October 2020. He played four games for the Knights as a specialist batsman, making 51 runs at a strike rate of nearly 160.

In a revised chase of 91 from 14 overs against the Kings, he ushered the Knights home along with Kane Williamson. The New Zealand captain later pulled out of the tournament as a precautionary measure after hurting his elbow.

Did Taylor do enough to force his way back into the T20I side?
After being dropped from the T20I squad, Ross Taylor was asked to prove his form in the Super Smash. He returned to the competition after four years, and had mixed returns: 125 runs in six innings at a strike rate of nearly 165. Although Taylor showed signs of his best during his 25-ball half-century for the Stags against the Kings, he fell for a duck in the preliminary final as the Stags crashed out. With the younger players like Conway and Glenn Phillips stepping up for the New Zealand middle-order role, and Allen too throwing his hat into the T20 World Cup ring, Taylor probably needs to do more if he is to win his spot back.

Give me a rundown of the New Zealanders in the IPL auction shortlist
All up, 20 New Zealanders have made the cut with Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee and Corey Anderson in the top bracket, listing their base prices at INR 75 lakh ($US 103,000 approx.). Jamieson, who enjoyed a bumper home season, particularly with the ball, could be a hot pick among the overseas quicks. In January, coach Gary Stead, who has overseen Jamieson's progress from his domestic side Canterbury to the national team, reckoned that the presence of New Zealand coaches in the IPL might be "one of the advantages" for him.

The likes of Guptill, Neesham, Phillips, de Grandhomme and Conway have set their base prices at INR 50 lakh (US$ 69,000 approx.). Colin Munro and Adam Milne, who had impressive stints in the Big Bash League across the Tasman Sea, will also invite bids from INR 50 lakh.

Meanwhile, Super Smash champion Allen and Stags allrounder Josh Clarkson are in the auction with reserve prices of INR 20 lakh (US$ 27,500 approx.).

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

When Oliver Davies' father Kevin was doing his carpentry apprenticeship, he didn't have the fortune of being mentored by the world's best craftsmen.  

But Davies' professional cricket apprenticeship, which is barely six months old, has already featured some valuable lessons from a host of the world's best limited-overs players. And there are more to come, as he has been included in New South Wales Marsh Cup squad alongside Steven Smith and new NSW captain Pat Cummins.  

"I'm hoping to get a game. That would be absolutely amazing," Davies told ESPNcricinfo. "But I guess I'm going to be running drinks for Steve Smith and Pat Cummins so either way I'm going to be learning a lot."  

Davies, 20, announced himself as a future star with two stunning innings in his first two BBL games for Sydney Thunder. He made 36 off 22 balls against Perth Scorchers on debut, striking three huge sixes off Jason Behrendorff and Fawad Ahmed.  

He trumped that with a Player of the Match performance in his second outing against the Melbourne Renegades scoring 48 off 23 including striking five consecutive sixes. Davies was delighted to even get a game let alone perform as he did.  

"I initially didn't have any expectations of playing any games," Davies said. "It was only because Alex Ross got injured after the second game against the Heat that I actually got a chance to play.  

"I wasn't really going in with any high expectations. I just wanted to sort of spend a full season around the group and take it in. But I ended up playing eight games. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting at the start but it was amazing. Picking the brains of Callum Ferguson, Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, some top-quality cricketers, it was a really good experience." 

The performance against the Renegades was extra special for Davies, as he got to spend some time post-match with his childhood hero Shaun Marsh.  

"Shaun Marsh was my favourite cricket growing up," Davies said. "I didn't really look at anyone else.  

"It was when he made his Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2011 and made 141. That was one of the first games that I watched and I loved him after that. I was like, I'm going to back this guy and obviously got the chance to meet him when I was a little bit younger and then play against him.

"He came up to me before the game and had a little chat to me and after the game he said well done and said I'll meet you back in 10 minutes and we'll have a chat. We went back out and had a chat for 10-15 minutes which was quite good and got a little photo, which was nice."  

Davies was grateful for Ferguson's guidance in particular in a rollercoaster debut season.   

Ollie Davies and his hero Shaun Marsh eight years on

IG // olliedavies14 #ThunderNation #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/jwhiY4QsUO

— Sydney Thunder (@ThunderBBL) December 27, 2020

"For me, Ferg was really good chatting before my debut and then after each of my games, I'd catch up for coffees with him and check in with how I was going," he said. 

"He spoke to me a lot about giving myself a chance when I was going out and playing. More often than not I would go out there and try and hit the first or second ball to the boundary if I thought it was there but he spoke about giving yourself five, six, seven balls just to have a look and pick up the pace of the wicket, which was probably the big takeaway for me and that's something I wish I knew a little bit earlier in the tournament. It would have been good to get that under my belt." 

Englishman Sam Billings also provided sage counsel as Davies faced the cold reality of life in the professional ranks. Following the success of his first two games, he scored just six runs in his next five innings and lost his place in the Thunder side in the latter stages of the tournament.  

"I was a little bit down and he just spoke to me and said why don't you watch some of your highlights of when you were absolutely whacking them," Davies said. "He got me to think in a more positive mindset, like how I was playing at the start of the tournament and before then when I would go back to grade cricket and perform quite well.  

"He was just dumbing it down for me and said what were you doing well when you're batting well, and how can you get back to that now." 

Davies responds well when things are simplified for him. His father kept things simple when throwing balls to him for hours in the backyard at home. Kevin Davies is still playing in his 50s for Warringah in the Shires in Sydney, having peeled off four half-centuries this season.  

Davies junior's closest cricket mentor, Cricket NSW Transition and Under-19 coach Anthony Clark, has also taken the same approach in coaching Davies.  

The pair met when Davies was 15 and he continues to turn to Clark for advice.  

"He's probably been my biggest mentor throughout my short career so far," Davies said. "He had a lot to do with me since NSW Under-15s. He's really my person I go to when I'm talking about batting. 

"Some coaches can get really technical. He just dumbs it right down and says play the ball late or watch it right onto the bat which for me personally that's a lot more beneficially and take a lot more out of that than getting bombarded with technical stuff.  

"He's my main man who I go to if I need to ask anything or if I'm not doing well, I'll always go to him." 

Opportunities are coming at Davies thick and fast. But ultimately, he knows he will need to be patient if he is to progress to where he wants to go.  

"In my ideal world, I'd love to be opening the batting in every game that I play in in white-ball cricket," Davies said. "But obviously I understand that opportunity probably isn't going to come anytime soon for me. If I get an opportunity to play in the NSW one-day side I've just got to take wherever they put me at.  

"I got told if I play I would be batting at six. I think that's something I will have to adjust to. That's the position I'm probably going to start in."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Innings break West Indies 409 and 117 (Bonner 38, Da Silva 20, Islam 4-36, Hasan 3-34) set Bangladesh 296 a 231-run target

A flurry of wickets post-tea - West Indies lost their last four wickets for 13 runs inside 21 balls - has set up a potentially exciting fourth-innings climax to the second Test in Dhaka, with Bangladesh needing 231 to win to draw level. Spinners Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan were the wreckers-in-chief with 4 for 36 and 3 for 34, respectively, while a seventh-wicket stand of 31 between Nkrumah Bonner (38) and Joshua Da Silva (20) briefly raised visions of a resistance that could have stretched the lead to 250 and beyond, after seamer Abu Jayed picked up two early wickets on day four to set West Indies' unravelling in motion.

Da Silva had come to the crease with West Indies at 73 for 6, and set about disturbing the length of the spinners by pulling out a sweep against Islam for four to get his scoring moving. He appeared at ease through the rest of his stay, with a slog sweep against Hasan, and a cover drive against Jayed taking West Indies' lead beyond 200. However, he fell to the ninth ball after lunch, with Islam getting one to spin across his front-foot defensive prod, and took the edge through to slip. Alzarri Joseph struck a massive six over midwicket, but fell for nine, when a leading edge off Islam took a deflection off silly mid-off and was gratefully accepted at cover by Najmul Hossain Shanto.

Hasan then struck twice in what turned out to be the final over, getting Bonner to lose his patience in attempting an awkward reverse-swipe, and going through his legs to rattle the stumps. Rahkeem Cornwall was the last man out, holing out to Mushfiqur Rahim at deep mid-wicket.

Earlier, Bangladesh tightened the grip on scoring after a generous first over of the day from Jayed to Bonner. Jayed, who was not used for any of the 21 overs bowled on the third evening, erred in both line and length in the course of his first four balls, allowing Bonner to whip him towards deep midwicket and deep backward square-leg, besides driving towards deep cover. Umpire Richard Illingworth, though, would have a word with Bonner about straying onto the middle of the pitch, registering one official warning subsequently.

Jayed, who was quick to correct his line and length after the wayward opening over, delivered the first wicket of the day when he pinned nightwatchman Jomel Warrican in front of the stumps before having added to his overnight tally. That brought Kyle Mayers to the crease, and he punched a short ball first up through the gap between mid-on and midwicket for an emphatic four. Off the last ball of the Jayed over, though, Mayers pressed forward with bat close to pad, and appeared to have feathered an edge through to Liton Das, but Bangladesh opted not to review.

Jayed wouldn't have to wait long for redemption, with Mayers playing around his pads and getting trapped in front to one angling in from around the wicket from the seamer while on six. Jermain Blackwood showed early intent, casually lofting the third ball he faced from Jayed over long-on for a gorgeous six. However, on nine, he fell victim to Islam, wheeling away economically at the other end, almost immediately after drinks. Islam tempted him to stretch forward, spun the ball across his edge, and Das whipped the bails off with the batsman's back foot still on the line.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns were full of emotion while embracing in the middle of the Octagon on Saturday night. Burns had blood and tears running down his face. Some of their cornermen behind them were trying not to cry.

Usman stopped Burns, his former teammate, via TKO at 34 seconds of the third round to defend his UFC welterweight title in the main event of UFC 258 in Las Vegas.

Usman landed a right hand as he was switching stances to floor Burns, then slammed Burns with punches on the ground until referee Herb Dean pulled him off.

"Gilbert is a guy that I've known from the start," Usman said in his postfight interview. "I love him. This one was tough for me to deal with."

Usman picked up his 13th straight win, surpassing legend Georges St-Pierre for the most consecutive wins in UFC welterweight history. Only Anderson Silva has won more than 13 straight fights in UFC history, winning 16 in a row from 2006 to 2012. Usman is tied with six other fighters with 13 consecutive wins.

Usman and Burns were teammates in South Florida since 2012, first with the Blackzilians and most recently with Sanford MMA. Usman departed for Colorado to train under coach Trevor Wittman last year after the initial fight with Burns was scheduled for July. But Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew from that bout. Henri Hooft, the longtime head coach for both Usman and Burns, did not corner either man and said he would not even watch the fight.

"Guys, you cannot discredit what Gilbert Burns has done in this division," Usman said. "We started together. We started this journey together, and he showed it tonight. He went in there and put it all together."

The bout had major implications outside of the personal story. Coming in, ESPN had Usman ranked No. 5 in the world in its pound-for-pound MMA rankings. In the welterweight division, ESPN has Usman ranked No. 1 and Burns at No. 5.

Burns rocked Usman twice early with huge right hands. But Usman hung in through a tumultuous first round. He then took over in the second, working a beautiful jab and stymieing Burns' power and explosiveness. Usman's striking looked better than ever, as he switched stances and landed with power from each one.

In the second round, Usman dropped Burns twice, the second time with a jab. In the third, it was a right hand that resembled a jab that put Burns on his butt before Usman pounced and finished on the ground.

Usman outlanded Burns 83-45 in significant strikes, per UFC Stats.

"I am the best on the planet for a reason," Usman said in his postfight interview. "Y'all, everybody else, you better put some f---ing respect on my name. ... I'm here to stay."

UFC 258 was held with COVID-19 protocols in place at the UFC Apex, a facility across from the UFC's Las Vegas corporate campus. It was the promotion's first domestic pay-per-view card of the year.

Usman (18-1) has been champion since beating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in March 2019. He has had three successful title defenses. The Nigeria native, who grew up in Texas, has never lost in the UFC.

"He's the whole package," UFC president Dana White said. "The guy's got the whole thing. It's just, when are people gonna notice?"

White added: "The kid is the real deal, man. For the people that know, for the people that actually know about fighting, they know this win tonight was a big deal."

Usman, 33, was coming off a unanimous-decision win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 last July. Afterward, Usman called out Masvidal, who took that fight on six days notice. Usman said that "it's not done" with Masvidal.

"He keeps running his mouth," Usman said. "If he's gonna talk, step in here and see me."

White said Usman has "a lot of options," but if Usman and Masvidal want to fight -- and if the fans are interested -- White said the promotion would consider it.

"If you look at all the guys that are lined up that he has to fight next, and he keeps doing what he's doing, we're gonna all pop our heads up one day and we're gonna start talking GOAT," White said. "It's not just how you're fighting and if you're winning, it's who you're fighting, too."

Masvidal's co-manager Malki Kawa wrote Saturday night on Twitter that Masvidal wants to coach opposite Usman on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Burns (19-4) had won six in a row coming in, the most recent a unanimous-decision win over Woodley last May. The Brazil native is 4-1 since moving up to welterweight from lightweight in 2019.

Burns, 34, is a multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with power in his hands. He was trying to become the first Brazilian to win the UFC welterweight title.

"I'm the varsity guy," Usman said. "My fight IQ is different. It's different when you're in the gym with me. But when you get in here, it's a different ballgame. I'm a whole 'nother savage."

UFC 258 included the expected from welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and strong performances from both women in the co-main event, Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber. It also included one of the most surprising results in recent memory as Anthony Hernandez defeated Rodolfo Vieira, a seven-time submission grappling world champion, by submission.

The event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night offered a prime showcase for a number of fighters who look to continue their chase for a title. Grasso showed a new dimension to her game and offered Barber a potential blueprint to follow. Hernandez now has the attention of the UFC, so what can he do with it?

But at the end of the night, all eyes were once again on Usman as he held the 170-pound belt once again. Where does the champion, and his latest challenger, Gilbert Burns, go from here?

Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim reflect on the night's action.

Okamoto: What's next for Usman and Burns?

Who's next for Usman: Leon Edwards

This is the only answer right now. The only one. Edwards just lost an opponent in Khamzat Chimaev, whom he was to face on March 13. He wants to stay on that card, and the UFC is trying to book him a new opponent. Potentially Colby Covington, according to UFC president Dana White.

Regardless of who Edwards gets -- or even if he gets no one -- if he wins, he's next. If he ends up not getting a fight at all, he's next. The man has done everything you could ask to earn a title shot. Covington isn't booked. Jorge Masvidal isn't booked. Edwards was willing to fight Chimaev, a guy no one wanted. He's the No. 1 contender as of this moment, and as long as he doesn't take a fight and lose, there's nothing that would change that.

Wild card: Colby Covington

The UFC likes this rematch, because the first fight was so good. Usman is also open to it. Covington is coming off a very dominant performance against Tyron Woodley. He's in the running for a title shot, but he shouldn't be ahead of Edwards.

Who's next for Burns: Khamzat Chimaev

Clearly, not the result Burns was looking for, but no one has been able to beat Usman in all the time he's been in the UFC. So, while you never want to lose, there's no shame in a loss to that level of opponent.

Burns doesn't fall too far in the rankings because of this. Honestly, I'd love to see Burns fight Masvidal, because I think it's a great fight stylistically. I don't know what Masvidal wants right now, but I don't think he wants Burns. Just my speculation.

So, what's a realistic next fight for Burns? Well, if Chimaev recovers in the near future, how about him? The UFC is still going to want to put Chimaev in a big fight, and Burns is one of those welterweights who seem to be willing to fight anyone. Fans would embrace this matchup. If Chimaev comes back in a reasonable amount of time, let's do it.

Wild card: Colby Covington

If Edwards gets the next title shot, which I believe he should, Burns vs. Covington is an obvious fight to make. There's been talk of Covington vs. Masvidal, but that one doesn't seem close to being made. If it's not coming together, this is a good matchup to which to pivot.

Raimondi: Grasso can show Barber the way

Maycee Barber has lost two in a row. Her plan, as one of the top prospects in all of MMA, was to become the youngest champion in UFC history. That won't happen now -- and that's totally OK. Barber is just 22 years old. There's really no rush. She wasn't really ready for champion Valentina Shevchenko anyway. Few are. This short skid at this juncture in Barber's career might end up being a blessing in disguise.

If Barber wanted a good example as to what the future could be, she should look no farther than the woman who beat her Saturday night: Alexa Grasso. Six years ago, Grasso was one of the hottest prospects in MMA. UFC president Dana White was in attendance to see her at an Invicta FC card in Los Angeles and gushed about her potential. Grasso was supposed to have a meteoric rise and become the UFC's next big Mexican star. That didn't happen. But guess what: Grasso has moved up from strawweight to flyweight and has won two straight. After her victory Saturday night, she is now a legitimate contender at 125 pounds.

Grasso is only 27 years old. She's in her athletic prime. Barber is five years younger than her, and all she has is time. And what Barber was able to do in the third round, making adjustments and going for a finish against Grasso when she needed one, was a positive sign. Barber needs a consistent home to train. Maybe she has found that in Chicago with Mike Valle and Israel Martinez. No, she might not become the youngest UFC champion ever. But that doesn't mean she won't wear that gold belt one day.

Wagenheim: Anthony Hernandez submitted the most shocking result of the night

Who knows, maybe his nickname, "Fluffy," played a role in Hernandez being installed as one of the biggest underdogs of the night. A more likely factor was Hernandez's results over the past three years -- just one victory in his four most recent previous fights. Mostly, though, the +370 odds against him were a statement about his opponent, Rodolfo Vieira, who came in unbeaten in MMA with an elite pedigree in one of the sport's key disciplines.

Vieira had just two UFC appearances under his belt, but that belt is a black one from his storied career in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The 31-year-old from Rio de Janeiro is a seven-time submission grappling world champion. In over 100 professional grappling matches, he has been submitted only once.

But now Vieira has a submission loss on his MMA record. Hernandez, who afterward revealed that he is just a purple belt, got the finish by third-round guillotine choke.

Of course, elite grapplers such as Braulio Estima and Bernardo Faria would like to have a word with Hernandez. They did not fare as well in world championship showdowns with Vieira, but the rules of jiu-jitsu did not allow them to soften him up with punches, elbows and head kicks, as Hernandez did before finishing with the choke.

The record book just shows a submission victory for Hernandez, though, with no asterisk added for the damage done prior to the tapout. And any bettors who cashed tickets reading "Hernandez by submission," at 30-1 odds according to the broadcast, sure aren't giving back the money won. No matter how one tries to qualify it, that was a special finish, the kind that will make fans put respect on the "Fluffy" name. And future opponents will have something to think about -- Hernandez's defensive grappling early on against a ground virtuoso, his grit to turn the tables and his guts to go for the most unlikely of finishes.

Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev came from two sets down to pull off yet another stunning victory to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.

With victory over eighth seed Diego Schwartzman in the previous round, Karatsev has been the surprise package at this year's event at Melbourne Park.

He is the first man to reach a major quarter-final on debut for 25 years.

Dogged by injury during his career, Karatsev had failed in nine previous attempts to reach a Grand Slam main draw, but at the ATP Cup earlier this month he was described by world number four Daniil Medvedev as Russia's "secret weapon".

He has more than proved this, having reached the fourth round without dropping a set before mounting an incredible comeback against Auger-Aliassime in the first five-setter of his career to set up a last-eight meeting with US Open champion Dominic Thiem or Bulgarian former world number three Grigor Dimitrov.

"I'll be ready for everyone," said Karatsev, who is the first man since Alex Radulescu in 1996 to make it to the last eight on their Grand Slam debut.

Thiem faces Dimitrov on Sunday before world number one Novak Djokovic is due to take on Canada's Milos Raonic. The Serbian top seed has expressed doubt over his fitness after picking up an abdominal injury in the previous round.