Holloway ends McGregor’s comeback in Vegas
Max Holloway gives Hawaiʻi another night to remember at T-Mobile Arena, cutting short Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return.
Good morning! A loud weekend in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Max Holloway ended Conor McGregor’s comeback bid in Vegas, Spain sent SoFi’s World Cup run out on a late dagger, the Lakers locked up Austin Reaves, and the Sparks parted ways with their GM. Baseball hits the All-Star break and the Dodgers limp into it after losing three straight and five of seven. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🥊 Another night to remember. Max Holloway gave Hawaiʻi one more night to celebrate in Las Vegas — Arash Markazi from T-Mobile Arena.
🏀 Reaves gets paid. The Lakers officially re-signed Austin Reaves to a historic new deal — Carlos Yakimowich has it.
🏀 Front-office shakeup. The Sparks parted ways with general manager Raegan Pebley — Rey Moralde in Los Angeles.
⚾ Limping to the break. The D-Backs completed a sweep despite another Ohtani homer — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ Machado’s day. The Padres rallied past the Blue Jays to reach .500 at the break — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — WEEKEND
⚽ World Cup (QF): Spain 2, Belgium 1 (at SoFi) · England 2, Norway 1 (ET) · Argentina 3, Switzerland 1 (ET)
⚾ MLB (Sun): Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 3 (sweep) · Padres 5, Blue Jays 4 · Twins 4, Angels 2
🏀 WNBA: Fever 89, Aces 81 · Sparks 102, Sky 87
🥊 HOLLOWAY ENDS THE COMEBACK
Max Holloway beat Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, ending the Irishman’s long-awaited comeback bid before it ever really started and delivering the Ninth Island one more night it won’t forget. The Sporting Tribune’s Will Despart and Arash Markazi were there for a card that reaffirmed why Las Vegas remains the fight capital of the world and why Holloway, win or lose, always brings the islands with him.
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: On the Ninth Island, Max Holloway gave Hawaiʻi another night to remember (The Sporting Tribune)
› Conor McGregor’s comeback bid ends in immediate heartbreak (The Sporting Tribune)
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⚽ THE WORLD CUP SAYS GOODBYE TO L.A.
SoFi Stadium’s World Cup ended the way this tournament has gone — late and loud. Mikel Merino, on the field barely two minutes, buried a rebound in the 88th to send Spain past Belgium 2-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal, La Roja’s first World Cup semifinal since 2010. It was the eighth and final match at the Inglewood venue, which hosted the U.S. opener, the charged Iran-Belgium draw and now a knockout classic. Next stop for the building: the 2028 Olympics. Next stop for the tournament: a semifinal field of France, Spain, Argentina and England — the top four ranked teams in the world, together in the final four for the first time ever.
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: Spain’s Lamine Yamal: ‘If France should fear anyone, it’s us’ (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: For Spain, one run ends while another continues (The Sporting Tribune)
› Zach Cavanagh: Spain breaks Belgium late, sets up France semifinal (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Spain defeats Belgium, 2-1, at SoFi Stadium (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 A BUSY WEEKEND IN L.A. BASKETBALL
Two moves, two directions. The Lakers officially re-signed Austin Reaves to a historic new contract, keeping a homegrown core piece in purple and gold after a summer of speculation. Across the hall at Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks parted ways with general manager Raegan Pebley, a front-office shakeup for a franchise that just celebrated its 30th season and is still searching for a consistent identity.
GO DEEPER
› Lakers officially re-sign Austin Reaves to historic new deal (The Sporting Tribune)
› Sparks part ways with general manager Raegan Pebley (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, JULY 13
⚾ MLB: 4:00 p.m. — Home Run Derby — Netflix
🏀 WNBA: 4:00 p.m. — Sparks at Dream — USA
Coming up: World Cup semifinals — France vs. Spain on Tuesday in Dallas, Argentina vs. England on Wednesday in Atlanta. The final is Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME THIS WEEK?
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⚾ MLB (Fri): Dodgers at Yankees — Yankee Stadium — $73
🌴 TST TRIVIA
SoFi Stadium hosted eight matches at this World Cup, closing with Spain’s quarterfinal win over Belgium. Which nation won at SoFi in the tournament’s very first match there?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode goes cageside for Max Holloway’s win over Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, says goodbye to the World Cup in Los Angeles after Spain’s late winner at SoFi, and unpacks a busy L.A. basketball weekend — Austin Reaves’ new deal and a front-office change with the Sparks. Hear it on the radio across Southern California and Las Vegas via Westwood One Sports.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: The United States — the USMNT opened its World Cup at SoFi with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
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