UFC bout ruled no-contest after eye poke

Champion Tom Aspinall and top-ranked Ciryl Gane couldn’t make it through the opening round of their heavyweight main event at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi before the match was ruled a no-contest.

Aspinall (15-3-0) and Gane (13-2-0) both came out with a lot of energy until an accidental double eye poke prompted an official timeout at the 4:35 mark of the first round.

Aspinall (15-3-0) could not see out of his right eye during the allotted five-minute break, and at 4:09 into the stoppage, the match was ruled a no-contest.

It was Aspinall’s first defense as undisputed heavyweight champion.

“What am I supposed to do about it? I can’t see,” said a disappointed Aspinall, speaking in the ring in response to the chorus of boos throughout the arena in the United Arab Emirates. “This is (expletive). The fight was just getting going.”

Gane dropped to his knees, also disappointed, as the ring announcer made the official announcement.

“I’m feeling sorry,” Gane said. “I’m very sorry about that.”

Aspinall was off to a fast start, as the champion wasted no time in throwing heavy shots at Gane.

SKIING

Shiffrin 4th in ‘monumental step’ in return

Very much used to winning World Cup races, Mikaela Shiffrin could hardly be more pleased with finishing fourth in the Alpine skiing season opener Saturday in Austria.

Since her frightening crash in a giant slalom last November, the record holder of 101 career wins has been trying to become friends again with the discipline in which no woman has ever won more races than her tally of 22.

Starting the race with bib 20, Shiffrin was sixth after the opening run and the American star improved two more spots for her best GS result in 21 months.

“It’s huge,” Shiffrin said after the race, which was won by Austria’s Julia Scheib, with Shiffrin’s teammates Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien placing second and sixth, respectively.

“I’m just excited to be in this position. It was a huge step. I’m fighting for points, fighting to stay in the top 30, fighting to ski well when it’s dark and bumpy on a long course in a race. Every single part of today was such a monumental step.”

Shiffrin sustained a puncture wound to the right side of her abdomen and severe damage to her oblique abdominal muscles in last year’s crash in Killington, Vermont.

MOTORSPORTS

Byron on pole in boost for nascar title bid

William Byron picked a good time for his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Martinsville Speedway, qualifying first for a race that he is treating as a must-win.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who is among six playoff drivers battling to claim the final two spots in the Championship 4 season finale, turned a lap of 19.286 seconds (98.185 mph) in his No. 24 Chevrolet to nip Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota by two thousandths of a second on the 0.526-mile oval.

Kyle Larson qualified third, followed by Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin as playoff drivers took four of the top five starting positions for Sunday’s 500-lap race.

Larson and Christopher Bell, who qualified 12th, both are comfortably above the points cutline and could advance to the Nov. 2 title round at Phoenix Raceway with solid finishes at Martinsville.

Byron likely needs a win to reach the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year.

Norris takes F1 pole in Mexico as piastri fades

The Formula 1 driver championship fight stormed into the Mexican Grand Prix, with points leader Oscar Piastri struggling in qualifying while McLaren teammate Lando Norris took the pole.

Norris won his fifth pole of the season — first one at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez — while Piastri was a distant seventh in Saturday qualifying in Mexico City.

“I am happy to be back on pole, it’s actually been quite a long time so it’s a good feeling,” said Norris, who was last on pole in Belgium six races ago. “I’ve had some good races here in the past, so I just focus on what I can control and that’s what I can do.”

Piastri called it a “frustrating session” and said his speed was just off.

A bigger surprise was the performance from Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualifying second and third. It’s the best qualifying effort for Hamilton since he joined Ferrari this season.

GOLF

Brennan boosts lead at utah pga tourney

Michael Brennan got into the Bank of Utah Championship on a sponsor exemption after tearing up the PGA Tour Americas. He’s in position to leave Black Desert on Sunday as a PGA Tour winner.

Brennan shot a 7-under 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over defending champion Matt McCarty.

Making his third career PGA Tour start and first as a professional, Brennan is trying to become the first player to win on a sponsor exemption since Nick Dunlap last year in the American Express.

Brennan played an eight-hole stretch in 7 under after dropping strokes with a double bogey on No. 2.

— Associated Press