Sports
UFC CEO Dana White calls for unity, normalcy after Charlie Kirk assassination
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UFC CEO Dana White spoke about the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report” on Friday.
White, a supporter of President Donald Trump, said it was “hard to wrap your brain around” the incident.
“Things started to feel better and get normal again, and then that happened, and it’s almost like, you know, it’s all starting over again,” White said. “Not just my daughter, a lot of kids were impacted by this, kids who loved and respected Charlie, and it’s just, it’s just hard to wrap your brain around when something like this happens.”
White said he’s looking for “unity” and “normalcy” following the assassination.
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Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who led Turning Point USA. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
“All I’m looking for over the rest of this year and into next year is some unity, coming back together as a country and stop all the in-fighting and the finger-pointing, and just some normalcy again. Let this country get back to normal.”
JONATHAN ISAAC’S NEW SNEAKERS SUDDENLY MIRROR CHARLIE KIRK’S MESSAGE AFTER ASSASSINATION
Dana White speaks before President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Matt Rourke/AP)
White shared his initial reaction to the news during a recent appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast.
“I just woke up, and my phone was blowing up. I was f—ing blown away,” White said.
He said his children also took it hard.
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Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I was actually surprised by how impacted my kids were. My kids used to watch him on social media. My daughter, she’s 19, she’s in college, and she’s been just destroyed over this thing for the last couple days. You have to feel horrible for his family. It’s f—ing crazy,” White said.
Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
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North Carolina FC announced on Tuesday that it will not compete in the men’s USL Championship next season, and will instead file an application to join the USL’s proposed Division One league that will likely not begin play until 2028.
In a statement, NCFC said that “the application begins a formal process that could bring top-level professional soccer to Raleigh, supported by a long-term stadium plan and strong market infrastructure.”
The USL said in a statement that North Carolina’s franchise agreement ended after 2025, and that “The USL believes Raleigh has strong potential as a future Division One market if it meets the league’s professional standards, including a minimum 15,000-seat, purpose-built soccer stadium that will serve as an anchor for real estate development.”
The decision by NCFC to essentially go dormant for two seasons comes at an awkward time for the USL, which in addition to starting the Division One league that will sit atop the USL Championship, League One and League Two, is also attempting to implement a system of promotion/relegation.
The USL is also in the middle of negotiations with the USL Players Association on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for players in the USL Championship. The current CBA expires at the end of this year.
A source with knowledge of the situation said that all player contracts will be voided following the end of the season, allowing them to become free agents.
This creates a fraught situation for players who had multi-year contracts with North Carolina, as well as injured players who will no longer be covered by health insurance once the contracts are terminated, and will likely have to file workman’s compensation claims. The source estimated that there are around 10 players who will have the contracts terminated prematurely.
The source added that per the current CBA, NCFC players with multi-year contracts will get two months severance.
A club spokesperson told ESPN that NCFC “will follow the CBA and we’ll do everything we can to go above and beyond” in terms of aiding players.
NCFC’s chairman, Steve Malik, who has owned the club since 2015, also owns the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage, and has been attempting to build a soccer-specific stadium in the Raleigh area that should be shared by both teams since 2019. But despite some getting regulatory approvals, as well as acquiring the needed land, so far Malik hasn’t been able to secure the needed public financing for the stadium project to move forward.
The men’s team has also been plagued by poor attendance, averaging just 2,550 fans per game during the regular season. This ranked 21st out of 24 teams in the USL Championship. NCFC drew just 2,005 fans to last weekend’s playoff game against Loudon United.
NCFC has been in existence since 2006, having started life in the USL as the Carolina RailHawks, then moving to the North American Soccer League in 2009, and then returning to the USL in 2017. Malik moved the club down to USL League One in 2021, but then returned to the USL Championship in 2023.
NCFC is scheduled to play Rhode Island FC in the conference semifinals this Saturday.
THE CHAMPIONS!
We are back with some UEFA Champions League action as we get Matchday 4 underway with some great matches, such as Liverpool vs. Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich and Juventus vs. Sporting CP.
Enjoy our live updates for all of Tuesday’s matches.
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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios announced Tuesday that they will be playing in a “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match next month.
The two tennis stars will face off in a modified exhibition on Dec. 28 in Dubai in front of 17,000 fans at Coca-Cola Arena.
The name of the Sabalenka-Kyrgios exhibition was borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome.
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(Left) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in action against Polina Kudermetova of Russia in the second round of the women’s singles at the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, on Aug. 27, 2025. (Right) Nick Kyrgios of Australia plays during his match against James Duckworth of Australia and Aleksandar Vukic of Australia in the first round of the men’s doubles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on Jan. 16, 2025. (Mike Frey/Imagn Images;Mike Frey/Imagn Images)
The modifications are that Kyrgios will only get one serve, and that he would be hitting toward a smaller side of the court.
Since the end of the 2022 tennis season, Kyrgios has played in just five events, largely because of injuries — one in 2023 and four in 2025. He has since made a name for himself in the broadcast booth.
Nick Kyrgios returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov during a match on Day 3 of the World Tennis League at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
TENNIS STAR ARYNA SABALENKA NEARLY STRIKES BALLBOY WITH RACKET THROW IN FRUSTRATING LOSS
“I cannot wait to get back out on court,” Kyrgios said in an Instagram story. “Honestly, I’m feeling amazing. I never thought I would be back in this position, being able to travel the world, see my fans and play some amazing tennis.”
Due to his lack of play, Kyrgios, who was once ranked as high as No. 13, is currently ranked No. 652.
Both players will also take part in an exhibition in New York on Dec. 8, but not against each other: Sabalenka will play Naomi Osaka, and Kyrgios will face Tommy Paul.
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women’s finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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Sabalenka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, including each of the last two U.S. Opens. She also made the final in both this year’s Australian and French Opens.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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