There's nothing flashy about Sean Strickland, unless you're counting the punches he relentlessly flashes into the face of his opponent.

Strickland won his fifth fight in a row on Saturday night, overwhelming Uriah Hall with five rounds of aggression and nonstop punch output to win a lopsided unanimous decision in the middleweight main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.

Strickland (24-3) controlled the fight from the start and never allowed Hall -- who is flashy -- to get going. Strickland walked out of his corner when the fight began and never stopped moving forward. He threw 129 punches in Round 1, landing 38, and that set the tone.

Strickland, a 30-year-old from Corona, California, hurt Hall badly in both the third and fourth rounds, and a finish appeared to be there for the taking. Hall, a Jamaica native fighting out of New York, managed to survive. But that was all. The spinning kicks that fill his career highlight reel were nowhere to be seen.

The judges went heavily for Strickland, by scores of 50-44, 50-45 and 49-46.

"Five rounds was a little fun," Strickland said. "You know, the last round is always the funnest. You get so tired, you don't care about getting hit."

That's Strickland's attitude. And despite being on the longest winning streak of his career, he has zero ambition for upward mobility in the 185-pound division.

"I don't care about it. I just want to fight," he said. "I want to fight. l want to make money."

Then Strickland pointed at the "UFC" on the mat. "As long as there's that logo under my feet and I'm fighting, I'm happy. Oh, my god, it gives me purpose. If it wasn't for the UFC, I'd probably be cooking meth and in prison."

Hall (17-10), who was fighting on his 37th birthday, also entered the night on a four-fight winning streak.

TOKYO -- Simone Biles has withdrawn from Monday's floor exercise final at the Olympics, USA Gymnastics announced on Sunday.

She has not decided on whether to participate in the balance beam final, which is scheduled for Tuesday. She earned bronze in the event in Brazil five years ago.

Biles had previously opted out of the all-around final, as well as the vault and uneven bars finals.

"Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week," a tweet from USAG read. "Either way, we're all behind you, Simone."

Biles had qualified for all individual events last week and was the favorite to win multiple gold medals entering the Games. She had withdrawn from the team final on Tuesday, following the first event on vault.

She later told the media she had experienced "a little bit of the twisties" and no longer trusted her ability to compete. In a series of posts to her Instagram account on Friday, Biles explained she was still experiencing the phenomenon, in which gymnasts feel like they get lost in the air, and said her "mind and body are simply not in sync."

Biles will be replaced by Great Britain's Jennifer Gadirova in the floor final.

Biles was the reigning Olympic champion in the all-around, as well as on floor and vault. She is widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time.

CHICAGO -- White Sox rookie Seby Zavala hit the first three home runs of his career, including a grand slam, but the Cleveland Indians rallied to beat Chicago 12-11 on Saturday night.

Zavala became the first player in big league history to hit his first three career home runs in the same game, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. The 27-year-old catcher played his 18th game in the majors -- he was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on July 6 to replace the injured Yasmani Grandal.

Batting ninth, Zavala hit a solo homer in the third off Triston McKenzie. Zavala connected for a grand slam off McKenize in the fourth for a 6-1 lead and a solo drive against Bryan Shaw in the seventh.

Seby Zavala is the 1st player in MLB history to hit his first 3 career home runs in the same game (pending inclusion of Negro League stats). pic.twitter.com/o4WxLM4MtQ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 1, 2021

"I always knew I could swing it,'' Zavala said. "Going through a rough patch for a couple of months, I knew if I kept working, something would click and I feel pretty good at the plate."

With a chance to become the 19th player to hit a record-tying four homers in a game, Zavala singled in the eighth and finished with six RBIs.

Zavala -- who will turn 28 on Aug. 28 -- played at San Diego State, finishing up with the Aztecs in 2015. Later that year, he was a 12th-round selection by Chicago in the June entry draft. He hit 20 home runs at Triple-A Charlotte in 2019.

His magic wasn't enough to outpace the Indians on this night, however, as Austin Hedges, Owen Miller and Amed Rosario homered to help Cleveland overcome a five-run deficit.

The Indians totaled nine runs in three straight innings to take the lead. Justin Garza (1-0) threw two scoreless innings. Emmanuel Clase got five outs for his 13th save.

Brian Goodwin and Adam Engel homered for the White Sox, who lead the second-place Indians by eight games in the American League Central despite winning just three times in their past 10 games.

Michael Kopech (3-1) took the loss for the White Sox, allowing five earned runs in just one inning of work.

Perhaps more important to the long-term outlook of the White Sox staff, newly acquired Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth in his first appearance after they acquired him from the Cubs at the trade deadline Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chinese athlete wins first Olympic title as she throws PB of 20.58m to beat American Raven Saunders and New Zealand legend Valerie Adams

Gong Lijiao was already leading the competition with a best of 19.98m as she stepped out for the penultimate round. She then pretty much sealed victory by breaking the 20-metre barrier.

The 32-year-old Chinese athlete threw a world leading mark and PB of 20.53m and then strode out to take her sixth and final throw and went even further with 20.58m.

It gave her the five best throws of the competition as she finally got the better of Adams in an Olympic final at the fourth attempt.

The battle for minor medals was intense and silver went to Raven Saunders, an American athlete who has become one of the most memorable images of these Games due to competing with a colourful face mask and sunglasses.

Saunders threw a best of 19.79m in the fifth round after a consistent series of marks. Her style was in sharp contrast to Gong’s as well.

The former is a spinner and her technique proved effective as she made the podium, whereas Gong is a glider and her powerful action earned her a first Olympic crown.

Saunders has struggled with mental health problems too. “Everything I’ve been through in these past five years has been crazy, crazy,” she said after winning her medal. “I remember sometimes sitting in my car, crying. It has been a mental journey.

“I always need to keep fighting, I keep pushing. It may only last a day, it may last a week, a month, a year but you have to believe you’re going make it through if you keep fighting.”

She added: “I was zoned in. I came in here with one goal in mind – to get a medal. I needed to make sure I got a medal because it doesn’t represent just me, it represents everybody that’s struggling out there in the world, not just America but in the world.”

In third, Valerie Adams of New Zealand threw 19.62m in her fifth Olympics. As a two-time champion in 2008 and 2012 – and silver medallist in 2016 – she now has a complete set of medals and looked delighted with her achievement.

It was Adams’ ninth global outdoor medal.

It was close, though. With a best of 19.57m, Auriol Dongmo, the European indoor champion, was only 5cm away from the medals.

The Portuguese athlete had four throws between 19.29m and 19.57m. American Jessica Ramsey, who ranked second in the world in 2021, and was the only other 20-metre thrower this year, had three no throws.

With trackside temperatures creeping up to 40C during the contest, it was a red-hot competition to match the weather.

Willie Mack III won his 66th professional title on Saturday at the inaugural Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational at TPC Sawgrass.

“It’s been a special few days this week,” Mack told APGA Tour media after shooting 69-69 to win by four shots. “Just having Billy Horschel’s name associated with the event is special.”

Horschel, a six-time PGA Tour winner, learned about the APGA Tour’s mission to diversify golf and provide developmental opportunities to minority players. Inspired by their mission, Horschel told his team he wanted to host an APGA Tour event and immediately, sponsors like Cisco and PGA Tour Superstore jumped on board.

“I feel like I have a connection with the players because I wasn’t a country club kid,” said Horschel, who was born in Grant-Valkaria, Florida. “I grew up lower-middle class so we didn’t have the financial backing to go play tournaments around the country. I received my first new set of clubs when I turned 13 and before that they were just hand-me-downs and knock-offs.”

Coincidentally, Horschel is familiar with Mack as they met at a couple of PGA Tour events, for which Mack received a sponsor's exemption, and now they have the same swing coach, Todd Anderson.

“He [Horschel] shoots me some texts throughout my couple PGA Tour starts,” said Mack on Horschel. “It’s always exciting to have him be so successful and give a hand to somebody who’s trying to get where he’s at.”

Mack is the most successful player in the history of the APGA Tour, alongside Tim O’Neal. He holds seven victories and two Lexus Cup titles as the APGA Tour Player of the Year. A Farmers Insurance brand ambassador, Mack has played in four PGA Tour events this year, making his last two cuts. He believes the opportunities to play on the PGA Tour have boosted his confidence to continue dominating on the APGA Tour. “It’s helped me learn how to stay calm and play better on courses,” said Mack, who also loves to pick Horschel's and Anderson’s brains on how to improve.

The PGA Tour has also made a big push to help diversify the game, including starting First Tee programs in inter-cities and partnering with the APGA Tour. “We are going in the right direction,” said Mack. “It’s not going to be an easy fix or a fast fix, but the PGA Tour being able to partner with APGA Tour Tour has been huge success for everyone that plays.”

“Just another opportunity for these guys to continue their dream to play tour golf, but also connect them with people in the business world who would love to help and mentor them along the way is huge,” said Horschel. “We need to support people of all background and ethnicities because that’s the only way golf is going become more diverse and more inclusive.”

Just over 21 seconds and Caeleb Dressel's individual Olympic journey was done.

And in perfect fashion. Every time he propelled his arms forward in the men's 50-meter freestyle final, he was competing against a world-record mark that moved along with him.

He finished the race in 21.07 seconds Sunday in Tokyo -- an Olympic record. He missed the world record by .16 seconds. Nobody else even had a chance.

He touched the wall and looked up with satisfaction. Dressel took gold in all three individual events he competed in at these Olympic Games. His 50-meter freestyle win was the largest margin of victory in Olympic history -- men's or women's -- at .48 seconds.

Dressel's 3-for-3 effort means he becomes only the third man to win gold in three individual swimming events at one Olympics, joining Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz.

Brilliance. That's the best word to wrap up Dressel's Tokyo Olympics performance. Every time he heard the words, "Take your mark, get set, go," his back muscles tensed and he dove into the air -- somehow always landing in the water a little ahead of every other swimmer in the race. He unmistakably took the lead in every race in the first 15 meters, his deep underwater dolphin kick too powerful for any other competitor to challenge.

A POWERHOUSE start leads Caeleb to first in his 50m free heat ⚡️@usaswimming x @teamusa x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/03dFswuFwh

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2021

There's a reason for that -- Dressel watched videos of dolphins so he could mimic their body movements under water. He moved his entire body in a wave-like motion, just like a dolphin.

And, every time, it paid off.

Dressel was in an interesting position going into Tokyo: He was the favorite to win every sprint event even though he had never won an individual Olympic gold medal.

Somehow, he took on the role of a rookie and a veteran and made it look easy.

The first individual final -- the 100-meter freestyle -- was all about proving himself to the world. He "felt the weight of the world on his shoulder," he said after. He was up against Britain's defending champion, Kyle Chalmers, and when Dressel touched the wall, he looked up to see that he had beaten Chalmers by 0.06 seconds. An Olympic record.

GOOSEBUMPS.

Caeleb Dressel sets the 100M Free Olympic Record and his family's reaction is EVERYTHING. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/vwiYZMJ85J

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2021

He cupped his mouth with his palm, shocked and relieved that the first big event -- the first Olympic gold -- was his. And in the poolside conference after, the tears came, as memories from the past year came crashing on him. It has been a hard year, he said. It still was, with him having to go through his Olympic journey in Tokyo alone.

"Right now I am just kind of hurt. It's a really tough year," he said at the poolside interview after the race. "It's really hard. To have the results show up -- I am happy."

The 100-meter butterfly on Friday was almost a mirror image of the freestyle final. He led in the first 15 meters, and then he sprinted to the finish line, with Hungary's Kristof Milak right next to him almost the entire way.

WORLD RECORD FOR CAELEB DRESSEL!

Dressel's third gold comes in the men's 100m butterfly! #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA

?: NBC
?: https://t.co/Hne9Yk1CKr
?: NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/rG6IhWUzt7

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2021

And this time, a world-record swim: 49.45. Two days after setting the Olympic record, he one-upped himself.

Dressel might have made it look easy once he jumped off the diving board, but in the waiting room beforehand, he had to talk himself down, he said.

"I was telling my brain to shut up, because it was a little bit annoying," Dressel said. "And I did. Again, that's not going to hinder me from executing what my race plan is. It doesn't mean I'm not going to be able to have good technique throughout the entire race. It's just going to be a little harder, and that's the fun part."

And that was just the beginning of the biggest day of racing for Dressel. He finished the race, participated in the medal ceremony, then ran to the warm-up pool to get ready for the 50-meter semifinals. He came out about 30 minutes after winning the gold, and obliterated the field, finishing first in 21:42.

"Mentally, it actually got a little easier each race, which is really weird to say," Dressel said after. "I was a little out of sorts in the ready room for the fly. This sport was a lot more fun when no one knew my name, to be honest. So I was a little shaky."

Then, about a half-hour later, he came back out again and swam anchor in the first-ever mixed-relay event at the Olympics. The U.S. finished fifth, after an unfortunate goggles incident -- Lydia Jacoby of Alaska, who swam the second lap of the relay, had her goggles come off as soon as she jumped in the water -- and Dressel had more than eight seconds to make up in the last lap of the race.

The first -- and only -- race that didn't end perfectly for Dressel.

As Dressel said, he is a much different swimmer than Michael Phelps, but his Tokyo Olympic run comes closest to Phelps' Athens Olympics run in 2004. Phelps was in a similar position to Dressel -- he finished fifth in the 200-meter butterfly final in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney -- and went into Athens as a favorite, but also as somebody who needed to prove himself. And he walked away with four individual medals and two team medals.

He came in as a rookie, and walked away as a breakthrough star -- a veteran even.

And Dressel is in the same position.

At least four Olympic golds in a single Olympics, drawing comparisons to Phelps.

"I'm fine if people want to compare me to him," Dressel said in a "Today" interview this week.

"I have some goals that I would like to accomplish where I can consider myself to be great, and I don't have to compare myself to Michael to consider myself to be great."

Make it four gold medals for swimmer Caeleb Dressel at the Tokyo Olympics.

Dressel cruised to a relatively easy victory in the frenetic dash from one end of the pool to the other, touching in an Olympic record of 21.07 seconds.

France's Florent Manaudou repeated as the Olympic silver medalist in 21.57, and Brazil's Bruno Fratus claimed the bronze in 21.57, edging out American Michael Andrew for the final spot on the podium.

Dressel has one more shot at a gold in the 4x100 medley relay, an event the United States has never lost at the Olympics. He'll swim the butterfly leg in a race that caps nine days of swimming competition at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Dressel entered the day with golds in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly, in which he set the world record.

If Dressel claims a fifth victory, he would join Americans Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi, as well as East Germany's Kristin Otto, as the only swimmers to win as many as five golds at a single Olympics. Phelps did it three times.

American Bobby Finke used a strong finishing kick to win the grueling men's 1,500-meter freestyle race for his second gold medal of the Olympics.

Just as he did in winning the 800-meter freestyle, Finke stayed closed throughout the 30-lap race and turned on the speed at the end. He touched in 14 minutes, 39.65 seconds.

Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk took the silver in 14:40.66, and the bronze went to Germany's Florian Wellbrock in 14:40.91. Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri faded to fourth in 14:45.01.

The top four were close nearly the entire race, often separated by less than a second at the turns. But that was right where Finke needed to be. After his closing lap in the 800, he knew he had the speed at the end to beat everyone else.

Finke has been perhaps the biggest American surprise at the pool. Relatively unknown before the U.S. trials, he become the first American male to win the 1,500 since Mike O'Brien at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Australia's Emma McKeon made history by winning her sixth and seventh medals in Tokyo, the most ever in a single Olympics by a female swimmer.

McKeon won the women's 50-meter freestyle in an Olympic-record time of 23.81 seconds. Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom won the silver, and Denmark's Pernille Blume, the defending Olympic champion, took bronze. American Abbey Weitzel was last in the eight-woman field.

Less than an hour later, McKeon got her historic seventh medal when she took the butterfly leg and helped the Aussies win the 4x100 medley relay in an Olympic record 3:51.60, just 0.13 seconds ahead of the two-time defending champion U.S. in second. Canada won the bronze in 3:52.60.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Serge Ibaka has exercised his player option and will return to the LA Clippers for his second season, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.

Ibaka picked up his $9.7-million option. The veteran center was the Clippers' biggest addition during the past offseason in free agency but Ibaka was limited to just 41 regular season games with a back injury.

Ibaka missed 30 straight games with the injury before returning for the final two games of the regular season. He played in the Clippers' first two playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks before undergoing back surgery later in the postseason.

Ibaka averaged 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in more than 23 minutes per game -- his lowest average in playing time in a regular season since his first year in Oklahoma City in 2009-10. Ivica Zubac emerged as the starting center during Ibaka's absence in the regular season. But Zubac missed the last two games of the Western Conference finals with a sprained MCL.

Ibaka's player option decision was first reported by The Athletic.