Month: August 2021

Ciryl Gane (10-0) earned a TKO against Derrick Lewis (25-8) to become the interim heavyweight champion in the main event of UFC 265 from Houston, Tex.

Lewis and Gane spent the first near minute staring each other down, with the former throwing a head kick and the latter slipping a few low leg kicks. Gane chipped away at leg kicks, staying active as Lewis walked his opponent backwards. It took Lewis more than three minutes before he landed his first strike, landing a body shot before following it with a low blow that forced a brief ref stoppage. Back underway, Lewis got inside with Gane and tossed a couple haymakers but couldn’t solidly connect. He chased Gane down with a flurry yet again, forcing his opponent to retreat backward before he was countered with a chopping body kick.

In between rounds, Lewis’s camp reiterated his need to keep moving forward, not backward. To open the second, Gane continued to chip leg kicks followed by stiff jabs, leaving Lewis stationary or slightly moving backward. Gane continued to operate from range, keeping Lewis at a distance while working his legs. Offering no respect for Lewis’s hands, Gane switched out being engaged with striking to rocking back and forth and shaking out his arms.

The third opened with much of the same, with Lewis flat-footed and unable to really gain any momentum. Gane had effectively silenced the hometown Houston crowd with Lewis on the outside. Gane hurt Lewis bad with a slew of strikes against the cage, with the ref giving Lewis every opportunity to defend himself. After a brief stoppage to give Lewis his mouthpiece, which had fallen out, Gane finished the fight on the ground to become the new interim heavyweight champion.

After Lewis’s first title shot ended in a submission at the hands of Daniel Cormier, the Black Beast returned to the Octagon Saturday night with hopes to make good on his second opportunity. But this one was arguably less competitive than his loss to Cormier. He was outstruck and unable to get anything going all night. His devastating loss came on the heels of three consecutive wins over his own fair share of top contenders: Curtis Blaydes, Aleksei Oleinik, and Ilir Latifi.

Gane, however, put an exclamation point on his unbeaten record, as he moved to double digits at UFC 265 with the win over Lewis. The new interim champ had rattled off wins over top contenders Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov and Junior dos Santos on his way to his first shot at UFC gold, but saved his most dominant performance for the championship fight. His excellent movement was on full display and he showed a catalog of skills that could offer Francis Ngannou fits if he doesn’t let the champ get going.

There’s no telling when that fight will be booked, but considering the lack of damage he took, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see something toward the end of the year.

For the seventh consecutive Olympic Games, the United States is the gold standard in women’s basketball. The Americans took on Japan on Saturday night in the championship game and used its considerable size advantage to take down their opponents, 90-75, to give the program its seventh gold medal in a row, with two players on this team — Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi — there for each of the last five.

Three players shouldered most of the scoring load for the United States. Brittney Griner led the way with 30 points, five rebounds, and three blocks. She took 18 shots and made 14 of them. There was nothing that Japan could do to keep her from filling it up except hope that she didn’t realize they couldn’t stop her. As you can guess, this did not happen.

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To keep with the theme of the evening, two more ultra-skilled players with the ability to shoot over Japan’s defense also showed out. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were dominant on both ends of the floor — the former had 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five blocks, while the latter had 14 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks. They were video game-esque stat lines from two of the best basketball players in the world who came up gigantic on the biggest stage.

That trio accounted for 70 percent of the team’s points, 59 percent of its rebounds, and all but one of its blocked shots on the night. It was as dominant of a collective performance as you will see out of three players who all take the floor at the same time.

The other two members of the team’s starting five made themselves a bit of history. Bird and Taurasi, both of whom should probably be put in the Hall fo Fame already despite their careers still happening, won gold medal No. 5 alongside one another. No players in American basketball’s decorated history have won more. Both scored seven points on the evening.

There will, presumably, be a team that is able to beat the United States with a gold medal on the line sometime in the future. Perhaps that team, whomever it may end up being, will establish itself in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But until then, the American reign of dominance will continue, and while the overwhelming likelihood is that someone is going to beat them in the knockout round of the Olympics at some undetermined point in the future, it seems like a pretty safe bet to say that No. 8 will be on its way next time around.

As far as the brewing world is concerned, summer is over. August isn’t when more hot-weather thirst quenchers are dropped. It’s the month when two big fall releases start to hit shelves: pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest brews.

We’re going to wait until September to call out our favorite pumpkin ale releases but we are going to highlight some Oktoberfest beers today. We’re also calling out a few end-of-summer sippers that fell through the cracks over the past couple of months. It’s a good mix, taken all around.

Hopefully, the eight beers we’re giving love to this month will pique your interest and inspire you to explore exciting breweries in your neck of the woods. These picks represent regional craft beer releases from breweries that we vouch for (with tasting notes from the brewers themselves if we didn’t get to taste the beer yet), along with some seasonally released bottles that we’ve been looking forward to trying again.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST DROP: pFriem IPA

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $13 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Oregon’s pFriem IPA isn’t a new release. It’s a classic at this point. What is new is that it’s finally been released in cans. And it kind of works in the new format as a late-summer sipper, with a deep West Coast hop presence that still adheres to a sense of balance.

Tasting Notes:

The American IPA draws you in with a nose full of dank yet grassy hops next to peaches and pear fruit notes. The body of the brew is all about that malt to hop balance with a touch of caramel supporting a crisp West Coast hoppiness that ends a little closer to dry grass than green grass with plenty of pine resin.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the more well-rounded West Coast IPAs on the shelf. It’s also getting easier to find this one all over the country.

SOUTHWEST DROP: Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Amber Märzen

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $9 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Sierra Nevada’s Oktoberfest beer is one of the best examples of the style you’re going to find outside of Munich. The brew is a throwback Märzen lager that highlights the sweet malts first and foremost with a hop layer in the background to provide a flavor counterpoint.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with those sweet and grainy malts on the nose and in the taste. Think of a warm southern biscuit with a honey drizzle next to an almost salted caramel Graham cracker crispness. The hops register as floral and light next to that malty base.

Bottom Line:

Overall, this stays light and very crushable while providing a very malty brew with an American hoppy edge.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN DROP: Upslope German Style Pilsner

ABV: 4.9%

Average Price: $9 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Upslope, out in Colorado, has German pilsners on lock. This summer release takes classic German malts and hops and marries them to that Rocky Mountain water to make a pilsner that’s all about malty bases and hoppy finishes.

Tasting Notes:

The brew is bright with green grass next to a squirt of floral citrus oils and a touch of that caramel malt base. The taste holds onto those floral citrus notes as the grass turns to a dry and crisp straw with a mild resin undertone. The malts arrive on the mid-palate to balance out everything with a sweet and almost creamy edge.

Bottom Line:

This is a great session beer to have on hand as the summer heads towards fall. It’s super easy to drink while still offering enough sharp flavors to be memorable.

SOUTHERN DROP: Jester King All-Texas Spon

ABV: 5.8%

Average Price: $28 (750ml bottle)

The Beer:

Jester King’s Spon series remains the highlight of the brewery’s seasonal releases. This year’s version is all about Texas ingredients in each sip with Texas-grown malts and hops mixed with wild yeast from the Texas air and water from the brewery’s own well.

Tasting Notes (from the brewer):

“Our brewing team gets notes of grapefruit, tire shop, diesel, stonefruit, vinyl album cover, and being inside the Alamo.”

Bottom Line:

Having tasted a ton of Spons over the years, I’m fairly confident that there’s no way this isn’t amazing. But there are also only 1,100 bottles and they’re only available at the brewery.

MIDWEST DROP: Toppling Goliath Wasserfall Pils

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: Draft only

The Beer:

Toppling Goliath is killing the craft game from their small home brewery in Iowa. Their Wasserfall Pils is a German Pilsner created specifically for right now. The brew leans into German ingredients and marries those traditions with American craft brewing while staying true to the classic German pils vibe.

Tasting Notes:

This beer is refreshing. The nose and taste lean into the fresh, crisp, and floral hops with a perfect balancing note of caramel malts with a buttery and almost oatmeal cookie edge. The overall taste and finish are light and bright with a sharp pine resin hop next to those bready and sweetened malts.

Bottom Line:

You can only really find this on tap and it’s fleeting at that. Lucky, I had some recently and it was spot on. So if you’re in the Toppling Goliath region, keep an eye out for this one.

NORTHEAST DROP: Samuel Adams Just The Haze Non-Alcoholic IPA

ABV: <0.5%

Average Price: $11 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Samuel Adam’s new non-alcoholic offering is a summer treat in a can. The beer is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, Sabro, and Cascade hops over a malty base of barley and wheat malts. The brew keeps the calories low while keeping the hop character high.

Tasting Notes:

This is very much in the New England style with plenty of fruit from top to bottom. There are clear notes of bright citrus next to tropical fruits, especially mango. The malts make an appearance and add in a slight spice with a mild honeyed edge. The fruits all come back into play and really amp up the flavor profile to the point where it’s almost impossible to tell that this is a non-alcoholic beer.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beer with a serious NEIPA flavor profile, this might be the beer for you. There is no loss of flavorful depth with this NA beer. It’s refreshing, light, and bold.

WILD CARD DROP: Holy Mountain Harmony of the Sun Summer Saison

ABV: 5.8%

Average Price: $16 (four 16-oz. cans)

The Beer:

This summer saison from one of Seattle’s most beloved neighborhood breweries remains a summer classic we’ll be sad to see go when the leaves start to turn. The brew is a farmhouse ale that adheres to Belgium’s deep traditions.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with clove, orange oils, wet roses, and caramel malts. The taste delivers on those notes while amping up the spiciness and grassy nature of the sip with an ever-so-slight hay funk. The sip ends bright and light with a good sense of a field of grass on a sunny day that’s counterpointed by all that orange oil and clove-forward spice mix.

Bottom Line:

This is super easy to crush on a hot summer day, especially paired with some fresh oysters on the half shell.

INTERNATIONAL PICK OF THE MONTH: Mahr’s Ungespundet Kellerbier

ABV: 5.2%

Average Price: $13 (four-pack)

The Beer:

Although this isn’t an Oktoberfest beer (those all have to be brewed in Munich), this Franconian beer is one of Germany’s best by far and perfect for late summer sipping. The brew is “Ungespundet” which simply means unfiltered. The malts are local and the hops are harvested just down the road from the brewery.

Tasting Notes:

You’re drawn into this one by a nose full of sweet bready malts with a yeasty, dry edge and a note of bright floral hops. The taste delivers on those promises while adding a slight tartness to the yeast while still holding onto a perfect balance of malty and hoppy through every sip.

Bottom Line:

Having spent several sessions at Mahr’s beer garden in Bamberg under a shady chestnut tree, I can say with confidence that this is the perfect summer quaffer. You can get this in the U.S. now (though you’ll have to hunt for it). This is the sort of German brew that just makes sense and will give a better understanding of how devilishly simple these beers can be while still being complex and delicious.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive commission pursuant to some entries on this list.

The comedy world saw another shocking loss and subsequent outpouring of grief on Saturday when The Whitest Kids U Know co-creator Trevor Moore was reported dead at 41 after an unexplained accident.

Deadline reported on Saturday that Moore died in an accident, news that was confirmed by his manager and wife, Aimee Carlson in a statement.

“We are devastated by the loss of my husband, best friend and the father of our son. He was known as a writer and comedian to millions, and yet to us he was simply the center of our whole world. We don’t know how we’ll go on without him, but we’re thankful for the memories we do have that will stay with us forever. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone. This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you please respect our privacy during this time of grieving.”

Moore was a well-respected comedian who co-created the Whitest Kids U Know improv troupe that later got its own sketch comedy show. Moore worked on Saturday Night Live behind the scenes and did comedy from a young age, but he rose to fame with Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams, and Darren Trumeter as founding members of the The Whitest Kids U Know comedy troupe. After the group won the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in 2006, they landed a show by the same name that ran for five seasons on Fuse and IFC. In later years, he worked on other shows including some children’s projects with Disney.

News of Moore’s death led to an outpouring of grief online, with many sharing their favorite clips from the show thanks to a YouTube channel that uploaded sketches over the last year.

Many other comedians and those in Hollywood paid tribute to him on Twitter as well.

Edgerrin James joined football immortality on Saturday night in Canton, Ohio, taking his place among the greats of the game and officially gaining induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

James played for three teams during his 11-year NFL career, but he will forever be remembered as a standout running back on the Peyton Manning-helmed Indianapolis Colts. His time in the league was not without chatter, however, and on Saturday during his induction speech he made sure to speak out about the perception many had of James throughout his career in football.

“So many people told me that you can’t have dreads and gold teeth and be accepted in the NFL,’ he said. “But I didn’t listen.”

Speaking to close his speech, he advocated for taking a moment to not judge people on their appearance, referencing past comments about his style or speech patterns and harmful stereotypes that bothered him throughout his career.

“To all those who have been judged prematurely because of their appearance, the way they speak, where they come from and in the minds of many feel they should be locked up in prison,” James said. “I represent us.”

James then ended with a hell of a punctuation on a speech a long time in the making.

“I’m forever immortalized. Locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution,” James said. “Inmate number three three six in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

The line got a huge cheer, with a number of people standing up for an ovation that he followed with another killer one-liner.

“My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket,” James said to another huge cheer in Canton.

It’s a good reminder that the people sports pundits make their money criticizing will remember those hot takes long after they stop playing. And on Saturday, James certainly had the last laugh in response to those who had baselessly criticized his appearance and style during his career.

Bruce Springsteen is a man with many accomplishments to his name, but the most recent thing he can be proud of comes through the actions of his daughter. On Saturday, Jessica Springsteen took home a silver medal at the Olympics in the equestrian team jumping competition along with the two other members of her team, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward.

According to CNN, the equestrian revealed that she spoke to her family, which includes The Boss himself as well as mother and singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa, after the win.

“I FaceTimed them really quick,” Jessica said. They were all screaming, I don’t think we understood anything.” She added, “Just saw their team USA gear; there was just lots of shouting. I couldn’t make a lot out but I know that they’re so excited.” The United States equestrian team came second behind Sweden’s team who took home the gold medal as a result of winning the jump-off competition. When asked about the whole experience, Jessica described it as “wild.” “You definitely start to get the jitters,” she added. “But it was also super exciting. My horse jumped it beautifully. And we really gave it our all out there.”

Jessica Springsteen is currently ranked as the 14th best equestrian in the world. Last month, she celebrated her qualification for the 2020 Olympics by thanking her teammates, and of course, her 12-year-old horse Don Juan van de Donkhoeve.

“Honored to be a part of this team with [Kraut, Farrington, and Ward], she wrote in an Instagram caption. “There’s no horse in the world I’d rather be on this journey with, thank you Don! You’re my horse of a lifetime. Let’s go USA!”

For the second time this year, the world gathered together to watch a livestream listening session for Kanye West’s upcoming tenth album Donda this past Thursday. Whether it was from home with conversations on social media or inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, fans watched the rapper share promising music from the unreleased album with the hope that it would arrive on August 6 as it was widely reported. Yet, once again, Friday came and went without Donda and fans were left to wonder what caused the delay this time around and when they could get their hands on the album.

While a new release date hasn’t been confirmed, we may have learned one reason Donda didn’t come out as scheduled.

On Saturday, a fan posted a screenshot from the August 5 livestream that shows Kanye speaking on the phone as the music blares from the stadium. The image was captioned, “Make Sure Mike Dean locked up in that room. We not finished yet,” and soon enough, Mike Dean himself caught wind of the tweet and offered a response.

“He was actually calling me from [sic] a mix mistake! Lol,” the producer replied.

For what it’s worth, the mixing error may not be the lone issue with the current album that is Donda, but it’s clear that it won’t be released until Kanye deems it ready for the world. For now, fans could expect the project to arrive on August 13 as the pre-save page for Donda on Apple Music revealed this weekend.

You can read the fan’s and Mike Dean’s tweets above.

Back in 2019, Megan Thee Stallion saw homophobic tweets from 2011 and 2012 resurface on Twitter. In response, the rapper pointed out that she already apologized for the posts as they no longer reflect her views, nearly a decade later.

“You going this far over a tweet from 2012 ? that obviously meant no harm coming from me in high school, you mfs are sick,” she wrote. “I’ve already apologized for tweets that obviously do not represent my views now. I don’t do nothing but show love to everyone so just stop.” Two years later, her sentiments are the same as she was asked about homophobia in hip-hop during a recent interview.

“It is about time,” she told People when she was asked about hip-hop’s stance against homophobia in the genre. “Representation is important, and it is really crucial for us all to have compassion and acceptance of every human.”

Her comments come after DaBaby was reprimanded for his homophobic comments during his set at Miami’s Rolling Loud festival last month. While he apologized for his words a week later, the rapper would lose out on opportunities to perform at several festivals this year including Lollapalooza, Day N Vegas, and Austin City Limits.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Earlier this year, Tyler The Creator earned the second No. 1 album of his career with Call Me If You Get Lost. The chart-topper came two years after he obtained his first No.1 with Igor back in 2019. That accomplishment didn’t come without controversy as DJ Khaled slammed Billboard for miscommunication about what type of sales would count towards Father Of Ashad. That apparently led to it clocking in at No. 2 on the albums charts, behind Tyler’s Igor. During a recent interview on HOT 97’s Ebro In The Morning, Tyler spoke about that moment and the feelings he had as a result of the comments Khaled made which included labeling his music as “mysterious sh*t.”

“Bro that Khaled thing was like, it was fun, it was just watching a man die inside,” Tyler said. “The weirdo was winning, I was moonwalking in a wig. This n**** had everyone on his album. Everyone. That n**** ego was deflated, he’ll probably never admit [it]. I didn’t say nothing, I just let that No. 1 speak. N****’s ego had to deal with that because his whole identity is being No. 1. And when he didn’t get that, that sat with him longer in real-life time than that moment.”

He later added, “For some guy like that to kinda indirectly be like, ‘That ain’t real rap, that ain’t real Black music,’ that’s what it felt like,” before noting that he still has some respect for Khaled’s rise to stardom as he’s someone the rapper listened since he was young.

You can watch the entire HOT 97 interview with Tyler in the video above.

A pair of high-profile moves involving point guards changing teams this week have come under scrutiny from the NBA. According to a report by Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the league is opening up tampering investigations regarding the sign-and-trade that sent Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors to the Miami Heat, as well as the sign-and-trade that saw Lonzo Ball go from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Chicago Bulls.

While Ball’s move was reported right after the league started to allow deals to become agreed upon at 6 p.m. on Aug. 2 (and, it must be mentioned, hasn’t yet been finalized), the Lowry trade was strongly rumored a day in advance and was confirmed by Lowry in a tweet a little more than half an hour after. As the ESPN report notes, due to the complexity that comes with sign-and-trades, both of these moves are coming under scrutiny for being completed so quickly after they were allowed to happen.

The most recent high-profile tampering case came last year regarding the Milwaukee Bucks’ pursuit of Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Sacramento Kings, but according to Shelburne and Wojnarowski, the fact that he did not end up in Milwaukee ended up playing a major role in the league’s decision on a penalty.

The NBA instituted more stringent penalties in these cases in 2019, including raising the maximum fine for teams to $10 million and the possibility of suspending team executives, forfeiting draft picks and even the voiding of contracts. Team executives can also have their communications — such as telephone records, texts and emails — randomly audited.
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The Milwaukee Bucks lost a 2022 second-round pick for tampering charges with Sacramento Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic in 2021. With the penalty, the NBA took into consideration that the Bucks did not ultimately sign Bogdanovic — the Atlanta Hawks did.

There is no word on a timetable for the league to complete either investigation.