BNT MISC

UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar has died at the age of 45.

Per an official statement from UFC, Bonnar's death is presumed to be from heart complications while he was at work.

"Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," said UFC President Dana White. "His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed."

Nicknamed The American Psycho, Bonnar had a 13-year career in mixed martial arts from 2001-14. He went 15-9 in 24 bouts, including possibly the most significant fight in UFC history.

With UFC struggling to breakthrough on a national level, the company launched The Ultimate Fighter reality television series to increase its exposure. The first series of the show featured 16 fighters, including eight light heavyweights and eight middleweights.

Bonnar and Forrest Griffin advanced to the finals of the middleweight bracket. They had an epic three-round battle that is universally regarded as one of the best fights in UFC history.

Even though Griffin won the fight by unanimous decision and a guaranteed UFC contract, Bonnar's performance in the bout and throughout the competition earned him a deal with the company.

Bonnar didn't match the heights of his first fight ever again, going just 8-7 in 15 fights with UFC. He did main event his final event with the promotion, losing to Anderson Silva by TKO at UFC 153.

UFC inducted Bonnar and Griffin into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

Following his retirement from mixed martial arts, Bonnar did have a brief stint in professional wrestling. He had two matches with IMPACT Wrestling in 2019.

With The Rock not having to worry about making any Black Adam movies in the near-future, he may have time to do a long-talked-about match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Dakota Cohen of Wrestling Inc.), WWE is still discussing the possibility of a Rock-Reigns match at the upcoming event from SoFi Stadium.

The report does note WWE would likely need a decision from The Rock before the Royal Rumble, as his return would potentially impact how the men's Rumble match gets booked.

The Rock did include a potential easter egg in a recent episode of Young Rock with a scene showing his trophy case that included the universal championship in the background.

Meltzer previously reported WWE's "pie-in-the-sky" hope would be for the Great One to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, win the match and challenge Reigns for the undisputed WWE universal championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39.

Any of these scenarios coming to fruition depends on The Rock's schedule and if he can make the dates work.

There has certainly been enough smoke around this possible match happening over the past year that there would be some level of disappointment from the WWE Universe if it doesn't take place.

But there are certainly plenty of alternative options WWE could look to for a main-event match with Reigns. Cody Rhodes could make his return in the Rumble and challenge the Tribal Chief for the undisputed title.

Many of the questions will likely be answered at the Royal Rumble on Jan. 28.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

It hasn't been surprising to see the Los Angeles Lakers consistently getting linked to new players in trade rumors during the 2022-23 NBA season. With the team underperforming again, at least one move seems likely to happen.

However, nobody knows exactly what type of deal the Lakers will make. There have been quite a few players who Los Angeles has had reported interest in recently, and any of them could eventually end up wearing purple and gold.

One player who we just learned the Lakers may want to target is Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Ross has "long garnered interest" from Los Angeles. However, the Lakers haven't been alone, as the New York Knicks had also been pursuing the 31-year-old wing player in recent seasons, per Fischer.

None of this necessarily means Ross will end up getting traded anytime soon, though. Especially because teams may not be willing to meet the Magic's asking price.

"While Orlando has rebuffed offers below a first-round pick for the veteran swingman in recent seasons, sources said, it's difficult to foresee a playoff contender sacrificing more than a single second-round selection for Ross' services," Fischer wrote.

Will that be enough for the Magic to part with Ross this time? That remains to be seen. But it's possible the 11-year NBA veteran's stock is a bit lower than it's been in some recent seasons.

Ross is averaging only 8.1 points in 30 games during the 2022-23 campaign. That would end up as his lowest scoring output since he averaged 6.4 points in 73 games as a rookie with the Toronto Raptors in the 2012-13 season.

However, Ross is still shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range. He just isn't getting off as many attempts as he has for much of his career.

So there's a good chance that a change of scenery could result in Ross returning to form a bit. And what better place to go than Los Angeles, where he could play alongside LeBron James and try to help the Lakers get back into playoff contention?

Los Angeles is 13-18 after its loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, which was its sixth defeat in its past nine games. It's still only two games out of a spot for the play-in tournament, though, and there's plenty of time for the team to get hot and turn its season around.

A deal or two before the Feb. 9 trade deadline should help the Lakers have a better chance of doing that. While Ross alone couldn't give Los Angeles enough of a boost to be a playoff team, he could be a solid contributor.

The Lakers need wing players who are efficient shooters, and Ross can fit that bill. If he plays up to his full potential, he could even become a key member of Los Angeles' rotation.

So it would be wise for the Lakers to try to acquire Ross, assuming the Magic's asking price isn't too high. Los Angeles owns only two first-round draft picks for the rest of the decade, and it shouldn't part with either of those in a trade for Ross.

But if the Lakers can get him for a second-round pick and/or a player, they'd improve by having him available to come off their bench (or possibly even take a spot in the starting lineup).

Add another twist to the memorable World Cup final between Argentina and France.

FIFA is investigating how Nusret Gokce, who is better known as celebrity chef Salt Bae, gained "undue access" to the field as Lionel Messi and Argentina players were celebrating their dramatic penalty shootout win, per BBC.

Gokce was pictured on the field with players and even held and kissed the World Cup trophy during the celebration.

The BBC explained that FIFA rules limit the ability to hold the trophy to a "very select" group of people. The players who win the tournament, heads of state and FIFA officials are on the list, but celebrity chefs don't exactly make the cut.

"Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail stadium on 18 December," a FIFA spokesperson said. "The appropriate internal action will be taken."

Salt Bae became an internet meme for how he prepared and seasoned meat and owns a chain of steakhouses.

While his presence on the field turned some heads, it didn't overshadow the incredible game.

It seemed like Argentina would cruise to a victory with a 2-0 lead through the first 80 minutes, but Kylian Mbappé buried two quick goals to tie the game and force extra time. Messi then appeared to win it with a goal in the 108th minute, but Mbappé once again answered and clinched a hat trick.

Both stars scored in the penalty shootout, but Messi's teammates came through and helped Argentina win their first World Cup since 1986.

It was also the first World Cup title for Messi in his legendary career.

After a long fight for equal pay, the United States women's national soccer team will be legally required to be compensated as much as the men's team.

Eddie Pells of the Associated Press reported the House of Representatives passed the Equal Pay for Team USA Act on Wednesday after the bill previously passed through the Senate with unanimous support.

The next stop is President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

"By sending this legislation to the President, both houses have sent a clear message that this is the standard for all National Teams in all sports and it underscores the importance of working with our athletes to achieve equal pay including equalizing international prize money," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement.

The bill, which stems from the federal gender discrimination lawsuit the USWNT filed against U.S. Soccer in 2019, provides equal pay and benefits for all athletes representing their country in global competitions across 50 sports.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee will provide oversight to ensure the law is followed.

In September, Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press reported the USWNT and USMNT signed collective bargaining agreements with U.S. Soccer that run through 2028 and provide equal pay structure for tournament appearances, tournament wins, revenue sharing and distribution of World Cup prize money.

The fight for equal pay has been a defining storyline for the USWNT even while they dominated on the field for years. Fans chanted for equal pay during the 2019 World Cup in France, and it was discussed by a number of players during their championship celebration back in the United States.

The lawsuit was a significant step, and the team and U.S. Soccer reached a settlement in February that paid the women $24 million and required new labor agreements with the USWNT and USMNT.

This comes as the Red, White and Blue are focused on the 2023 World Cup, where they will attempt to become the first women's team to win the event three times in a row.

The powers of college football are not going anywhere anytime soon.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs sit on top of the class of 2023 recruiting rankings after the December National Signing Day.

Alabama and Georgia were not the biggest headline makers on Wednesday. That title belonged to the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon surged multiple positions into the top 10 of most national recruiting rankings thanks to a tremendous Signing Day.

The Ducks are the only west coast team in the top 15 of the team rankings at 247 Sports. They appear to be ready to take over the PAC-12 for good once the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans leave for the Big Ten.

Class of 2023 Recruiting Rankings

1. Alabama

2. Georgia

3. Texas

4. Miami

5. Ohio State

6. LSU

7. Oregon

8. Oklahoma

9. Notre Dame

10. Tennessee

Oregon stole the headlines on Signing Day itself by flipping a few players.

The Ducks landed quarterback Austin Novosad, who was committed to Baylor, to replace Dante Moore, who opted last week to go to UCLA instead of the Ducks.

The Ducks landed two recruits who were originally committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and they landed cornerback Daylen Austin, who was initially pledged to the LSU Tigers.

Head coach Dan Lanning and his staff finished off the day with the signature of five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei.

Oregon made the biggest move in the team recruiting rankings on Wednesday with a SEC-style approach to the process that Lanning brought with him from Georgia.

The Ducks still have some progress to make to catch up to Alabama and Georgia in the recruiting rankings.

Alabama is on top of the team rankings with a class that features a ton of four-and-five-star players.

The Crimson Tide is bringing in six five-star players and 20 four-star players. The biggest news from Tuscaloosa in the last week was the flip of offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor from Iowa.

Proctor is one of six players ranked in the Top 25 to sign with Alabama. Safety Caleb Downs is the highest-rated prospect in the Tide's recruiting class.

Georgia also has an abundance of top-tier recruits headed to its program. Twenty four-star players and two five-star prospectors are a part of the second-best recruiting class.

Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, is the top player in the class of 2023. He headlined the third-ranked Texas Longhorns class.

Texas, Alabama and Georgia are three of eight schools with multiple five-star players in their recruiting classes.

Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Notre Dame were also in the top 10 of the team rankings last year.

The top recruiting team in the class of 2022, the Texas A&M Aggies are currently 14th, one spot ahead of USC.