Alexander Volkanovski puts his UFC featherweight title on the line against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333. The event takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, and streams live on Paramount+. Based on the betting odds, Volkanovski vs. Evloev will be a closely contested bout.

Like previous numbered events held in Abu Dhabi, the main card is scheduled to begin at a special start time of 2pm ET / 11am PT.

The featherweight title clash has been in the works for quite some time. Volkanovski originally wanted to face Evloev for his first title defense. However, the UFC awarded Diego Lopes a title shot at UFC 325 instead.

The UFC was criticized by many within the MMA community because Evloev was considered to be the most deserving contender. Now, the two fighters will finally face off in the octagon.

Volkanovski enters the fight having won two straight fights against Lopes. Evloev, meanwhile, enters the fight following his majority decision victory over Lerone Murphy.

Evloev holds an unbeaten 20-0 record, with 10 of those wins coming inside the octagon.

Despite Evloev being unbeaten and having youth on his side, both fighters enter UFC 333 at even odds.

Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev remain evenly matched in the latest UFC 333 betting odds.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Volkanovski and Evloev are both listed at -113 to win the fight on the moneyline. A $20 wager on the either fighter to win would return a total payout of $37.70.

Given the current odds, the featherweight title fight may attract more wagers that other main event fights this year.

Considering the potential returns by the moneyline, bettors may also consider wagering on the method of victory props. Evloev is favored to win via decision at +165, while Volkanovski is also favored to win via decision at +200.

While the challenger is favored in the decision market, the reigning champion is favored in the finishing market. Volkanovski has the edge in the next most likely outcome. He is listed at +420 to win by KO/TKO, while Evloev is listed at +900 to win by KO/TKO.

Oddsmakers are not expecting a finish, as the total rounds prop is set at 4.5 rounds. The over is listed at -260, while the under is listed at +192.

Volkanovski vs. Evloev is currently listed at -225 to go the distance. In contrast, the fight is listed at +172 to not go the distance.

Beyond the featherweight title main event between Volkanovski and Evloev, UFC 333 features a stacked card. There are several exciting matchups that will likely appeal to bettors.

The UFC 333 main card matchups and betting odds are as follows:

Alexander Volkanovski (-113) vs. Movsar Evloev (-113) – Main Event for UFC Featherweight Championship

Petr Yan (-158) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (+124) – Co-main Event for UFC Bantamweight Championship

Lone’er Kavanagh (-113) vs. Ramazan Temirov (-113) – Flyweight
Alexander Volkov (-136) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (+106) – Heavyweight
Aaron Pico (-138) vs. Losene Keita (+108) – Featherweight

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper returned to practice Wednesday after spending the first six weeks on the Commissioner's Exempt List. Cooper was arrested twice in seven days in June on domestic violence charges, prompting the paid leave of absence.

Cooper would not answer specific questions about his case, which is scheduled for a March 2 trial, during his first media session since his June 4 and 11 arrests.

"Nobody’s perfect, but there's no excuses,'' Cooper said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN, "and I do hold myself accountable and things are going to sort themselves out. I promise that.''

Cooper is facing five charges after two disputes with his ex-girlfriend that began with a fight over a cell phone. The most serious charge is felony second-degree assault/strangulation.

The NFL has left open the possibility of further punishment for Cooper once his legal matter is resolved.

He was asked what he would say to people, particularly female fans.

"Honestly . . . that's hard," Cooper said. "I feel like relationships are difficult, [but] no excuses on my end. I do apologize for anybody's feelings, truthfully, because you have to be associated with me. I'm a grown man. I'm able to take things on the chin, and I understand the concern, the awareness, how serious these matters are. The legal matters will take care of themselves."

A seventh-round pick in 2021, Cooper has 31.5 sacks in 81 career games with the Broncos.

Hal Steinbrenner deserves some credit for facing reporters on Wednesday. After nearly a year in hiding, Hall Steinbrenner’s one-hour Zoom session with general manager Brian Cashman was highly anticipated.

After all, the Yankees are sitting at home while the Rays and their $96 million payroll play in the World Series. It’s the 17th year in a row that ownership has had to explain why this $12 billion franchise can’t win a championship.

This was Steinbrenner’s chance to tell the fans:

1. He’s fed up.
2. Changes are coming.
3. Everyone’s on notice for 2027.

The responses, in order, went like this:

1. Not really.
2. Nope.
3. Fat chance.

If the fanbase was hoping for a new, vibrant message from the top — sorry, it was an hour of pre-packaged responses. The same was true of manager Aaron Boone, who spoke separately over Zoom for an additional hour.

I was struck by how placid the hierarchy is. While it’s unfair to keep comparing Steinbrenner to his father, the business model no longer has any teeth. Championship or bust isn’t a rallying cry. Not anymore. It’s a slogan to sell tickets.

Not that anyone believes it. Not after listening to Boone insist, “I believe we can win with me at the helm … I think I’m good at my job.”

The fact that Boone can’t win a championship suggests his skills only go so far. He’s smart enough, certainly, and the clubhouse reacts positively to him. But Boone has yet to find the extra gear from his players that separates the 90-win teams from those that win 100.

I talked to a veteran baseball executive on Wednesday who said it’s no coincidence the Yankees are home while the Rays and Brewers are playing in the Fall Classic.

“There’s a whole different mindset,” the executive said. “I don’t mean to single out the Yankees, they win a lot of games. But you can’t get to the (World) Series until you’ve got everything buttoned down. And the Rays and Brewers definitely do.”

Steinbrenner believes the fault lies with his hitters. He’s not entirely wrong. The Yankees never led in getting swept by Tampa Bay in the Division Series. Steinbrenner also cited Aaron Judge’s and Giancarlo Stanton’s extended absences as mitigating factors.

This season’s injuries would be a reasonable explanation if it weren’t for the fact that the Yankees always flame out early in October. It’s no longer a coincidence. It’s a pattern. The body of evidence says accountability is missing.

It would help if Steinbrenner were around more. It’s one thing to give the GM and manager breathing room, unlike his volatile father. But detachment taken too far starts to look like indifference.

Steinbrenner should’ve had more to say about the Yankees’ poor fundamentals — bad baserunning, multiple errors and the underperformance by certain players.

Jazz Chisholm running out to his position with a lollipop in his mouth? It reflected poorly on Boone, but there was no reason why Steinbrenner shouldn’t have singled out Chisholm. The owner should’ve demanded to know why Chisholm felt it was okay to show up with a lollipop.

And then Steinbrenner should’ve asked Boone what was done about it. The answer was nothing. Chisholm was not benched.

But no one in the organization has to worry about taking heat from ownership. Steinbrenner has made up his mind that calling people out doesn’t work.

“I’m not convinced that with this team in this day and age, that’s as big a motivator as you think it is,” Steinbrenner said. “Twenty, 25 years ago, different generation, different scenario. It’s not something I want to do all the time, no.”

I wonder why Steinbrenner is so passive. Critics say he’s satisfied with the current script: 90 wins every year, robust attendance, healthy YES ratings, a guaranteed profit for a well-run organization.

And when it all falls apart in October? The fans grouse for a few weeks on social media, the front office takes a few bullets in the post-mortem press conference and then it’s on to next year.

It’s a lot to ask of the ticket buyers. But talk about sacrifice: With few exceptions, Mets fans have been suffering for decades. But at least owner Steve Cohen immerses himself in the wins and losses. The truth is that Cohen is a fan who just happens to be sitting on a $27 billion portfolio.

I bet Yankees followers wouldn’t mind that passion from Steinbrenner.

Look, I already know the counter-argument: Steinbrenner’s commitment is measured by the money he spends on the Yankees’ operations. Every year, Steinbrenner doles out more than $300 million in payroll. He goes after the top free agents, regardless of cost.

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No matter what the haters say, Steinbrenner is not cheap.

But the dollars have been unable to recreate the past. At this point, with the Yankees 0-for-17 in October since the last championship and 0-for-9 under Boone, fans aren’t expecting multiple victory parades anymore.

How about just one?

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The Florida Gators’ 27-24 upset of the No. 7 Texas Longhorns on Saturday had one more act after the final whistle, and Texas is still answering for it.

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced Tuesday that a fan filmed making an obscene gesture at Gators players on the field has been permanently banned from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and he apologized to Florida in the same breath.

A day later, NFL analyst Trey Wingo led a run of media voices with little sympathy for the fan, and not one of them argued that Texas had gone too far.

Fox 7 Austin photojournalist Anthony Geronimo filmed the scene and posted it to X. Minutes after the game ended, the fan, wearing a Texas pullover, recorded himself giving Florida players the middle finger and yelling obscenities at them. Players yelled back.

Florida staff members held some of the Gators back to keep it from escalating, and no fight was reported. The video appears to show a Texas staff member walking up to him. The clip went viral, and it drew a response from the top of the athletic department.

Wingo’s post went up Wednesday morning. It needed only seven words, and every one of them was aimed at the fan: “Hope it was worth it bandana boy.”

This wasn’t a fan who hopped a railing. He had access to the field, and that privilege sat at the center of Del Conte’s response in his weekly “Forty Acres Insider” newsletter.

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“I want to address the video circulating on social media showing unacceptable behavior by an individual who had the privilege of field access following Saturday’s game. We pride ourselves on sportsmanship and treating our opponents with respect. This individual’s actions did not reflect those values or meet our standards and will not be tolerated,” he wrote.

Then came the line at the heart of it: “Having access to our field comes with a responsibility to represent Texas with class and respect. This individual failed to uphold that responsibility …”

The posts that followed into early Wednesday afternoon attacked the topic from different angles. Where Wingo jabbed at the perpetrator, college football analyst Mark Schipper applauded the program, while adding a longer view.

“Good on you, Texas. Booted this massive loser from the stadium. The entitlement exhibited there cannot be fixed without harsh consequences. Maybe this will help him in the long run.”

Schipper wasn’t the only one looking past Saturday. Podcast host Kraig Kann widened the lens even further: “Let it be a message … not just to ‘the fan’ but to those his age (other ages too) that this won’t play well in the media or the public sector. Doesn’t look good on the resume either when seeking a job.”

Media personality Chad Withrow’s post made a claim about the fan’s family: “The punk son of some Texas booster just got the permanent boot from Longhorn games.”

The account Del Conte gave the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday stops short of that.

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According to the Chronicle, he isn’t positive how the fan was given a pass for access to the field, and the fan has been identified as a Central Texas man who goes to college in Florida, though not at the University of Florida. He has not been named publicly.

What Del Conte is sure of, he told the paper in two sentences: “He’s not a UT student. He’s banned from DKR permanently.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.