Le Journal

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UFC 324 marks the kickoff of the promotion’s 2026 campaign and its first-ever event on Paramount+ and the build-up officially begins with the latest in the long-running “Countdown” series. Watch the latest episode above. In the main event of the Jan. 24 card in Las Vegas, future UFC Hall of Famer Justin Gaethje takes on Paddy Pimblett with an interim title up for grabs. Gaethje has held interim status before, but seeks to earn a shot at undisputed champion Ilia Topuria if he can stop the streaking Pimblett. “The Baddy” keeps finding ways to win since joining the UFC in 2021. The Englishman has seen his hand raised in all seven of his fights for the promotion and seeks to silence the doubters by adding a UFC title to his trophy case. The UFC 324 also features several former champions in action, with Sean O’Malley fighting Song Yadong in the bantamweight co-main event, two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas facing top flyweight contender Natalia Silva, and two-time flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo looking to stifle Umar Nurmagomedov.

The Dallas Mavericks (17-26) have won five games in their last eight as they prep for a rare Monday afternoon tilt against the New York Knicks (25-17) at Madison Square Garden. The little spurt the Mavericks are on is a rare kind of mirage — it’s the kind you know is too good to be true even as it appears before your eyes. The Mavs’ last two wins have come against the tanking Utah Jazz in two games where big man Jusuf Nurkic registered back-to-back DNP-Coach’s Decision designations. Utah is not even trying to camouflage its tank, as the mounting losses leave deep tracks up and down the team’s muddy record. Now Dallas’ schedule takes a bleak turn, with the team’s next 13 opponents sporting a combined win-loss record of 316-224. Only two opponents in that upcoming stretch have a losing record: the Milwaukee Bucks (17-24) next Sunday and the Charlotte Hornets (15-27) two games later on Jan. 29. A 1-12 stretch is certainly possible if you’re looking ahead, even if something like 3-10 is slightly more likely. The last time the Mavericks and the Knicks met, New York outlasted Dallas 113-111 on Nov. 19 at American Airlines Center behind 28 points and five assists from former Maverick Jalen Brunson. Naji Marshall and D’Angelo Russell led the Mavs in that loss with 23 apiece off the bench. Here are three things to look out for as the Mavs get ready to battle the Knicks for the last time this season. Thompson’s hot trigger Klay Thompson has been on a tear in a more focal role in the Mavericks’ last two games. He scored a season-high 26 points on 6-of-13 shooting from behind the arc in Thursday’s 144-122 win over the Jazz before pouring in 23 more (matching his previous season-high mark) on 6-of-11 shooting from deep in Saturday’s rematch. It’s been Thompson’s most prolific two-game stretch as a Maverick so far, but he’s been playing well for longer than that. He’s scored 18 or more in four of his last six games as injuries have erased the production usually carried by Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis. With P.J. Washington (personal), Daniel Gafford (ankle) and Davis (finger) all still out for the Dallas Mavericks, Thompson will need to continue his hot streak to help give the Mavericks a chance against the objectively superior Knicks playing behind their home crowd in Manhattan. Flagg (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable on the latest NBA injury report as of Sunday afternoon. This six-game stretch has already done wonders for Thompson’s trade value. It remains to be seen whether its continuation can help lift the injury-riddled Mavs to anything close to competitive against the first quality opponent of the tough 13-game stretch ahead. Brunson bitten by the same bug The Mavs may be catching New York at a convenient time, though. Brunson went to the bench just minutes into the Knicks’ 112-101 loss at the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday with an ankle injury and hasn’t played in the team’s last two losses to the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. New York has hit hard times in the New Year, losing eight of the team’s last 10 games dating back to Dec. 31. New York is a shell of itself without Brunson’s ability to create both his own shot and quality looks for his teammates, but some deeper issues may be starting to show themselves in the new year. Murmurs about the job first-year head coach Mike Brown is doing are starting to surface, and Brunson’s ankle injury only serves to increase the angst surrounding one of the most highly scrutinized teams in the NBA. The Knicks had not submitted an updated injury report to the NBA as of 2:15 p.m. CDT on Sunday. If Brunson is not available on Monday, that changes the tenor of the matchup significantly. Depending on Flagg’s own availability, Mavs fans could talk themselves into some unfounded optimism here, though backup Miles McBride has stepped up admirably in the Knicks’ last two games. He scored 25 points and dished six assists in the loss to the Warriors and had 23 and five against the…