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SPORTS Monday 14 May 2018

Amanda Nunes, right, from Brazil, right, fights Raquel Pennington,
from the United States, during their UFC women’s bantamweight
mixed martial arts bout in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Sunday,
May 13, 2018.
Associated Press
Brazil’s Nunes

beats Pennington Britain’s Simon Yates , center, sprints to win the 9th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from

Pesco Sannita to Campo Imperatore, Italy, Sunday, May 13, 2018.
Associated Press
and retains UFC title Yates wins 9th stage to cement

Associated Press but Pennington broke her Giro lead, Froome loses time
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — left leg in an ATV crash.
Amanda Nunes of Brazil In the opening of the
beat American Raquel event’s main card, former GRAN SASSO, Italy (AP) — day. It’s really nice. Since six seconds behind.
Pennington early Sunday lightweight champion Vi- Simon Yates cemented his the beginning of the day “We haven’t got so much
to defend her UFC ban- tor Belfort announced his position as overall leader of we believed in the possi- time on (Dumoulin), 38 sec-
tamweight title for the third retirement after losing to the Giro d’Italia by winning bility of winning the stage onds of an advantage on
time. The heavily favored countryman and former the ninth stage on Sun- as well as defending the him isn’t enough before the
Brazilian won by technical champion Lyoto Machida day but it was a bad day Maglia Rosa.” time trial,” Yates said. “On
knockout in the fifth round by knockout. for British compatriot Chris It looked like a cyclist from the other hand, some guys
in front of her home fans in “Everything in life has be- Froome, who lost more the 14-man breakaway lost time — Chris Froome,
Rio de Janeiro. ginning, middle and end,” than a minute in the gen- would win with an ad- maybe it was from the
Nunes said winning against Belfort said. “I will stop fight- eral classification. vantage of around eight crashes, maybe he’s got
her friend Pennington was ing here because I think I Yates was part of a five- minutes heading into the no form, I don’t know. I was
the hardest challenge she reached the end. Thanks man group that escaped penultimate climb, less surprised to see Fabio Aru
had to face in her career. for your love.” in the final kilometers of than 50K from the finish. being dropped, but it’s a
“I respect this woman so American Kelvin Gaste- the summit finish and the However, Astana drove a long race. Maybe they can
much,” the Brazilian said lum beat crowd favorite Mitchelton-Scott cyclist at- high pace at the head of bounce back.”
with tears in her eyes after Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza tacked right at the end to the peloton to slash their It has been a difficult open-
her victory. “This was the in a split-decision that was edge out Thibaut Pinot. advantage in half by the ing week for Froome, who
hardest thing I did in my booed by local fans. Four-time Tour de France time they reached the final had a training crash before
career. I had to do it to de- Unbeaten Brazilian jiu-jitsu winner Froome had been ascent of the Gran Sasso the opening time trial, lost
fend this belt, defend my specialist Mackenzie Dern ninth — 1 minute, 10 sec- d’Italia, with 26K remaining. time in a split on stage four
biggest dream. needed less than three onds behind Yates. But the Attacks started from the and injured himself again in
“We will have some beers minutes to overcome Team Sky cyclist struggled break and Fausto Masna- a second crash on the final
as friends later tonight.” American Amanda Coo- at the end of the 225-kilo- da got away before he too climb on Saturday.
Before the decisive round, per in the strawweight divi- meter (140-mile) route from was reeled in 2.7K from the “He was looking good the
Pennington was heard say- sion. Dern, who made her Pesco Sannita up to Gran line, setting up the final at- last couple of days but we
ing “I’m done,” but her UFC debut only two months Sasso d’Italia and is now tack and victory for Yates. have to stay optimistic.
coach insisted she should ago and weighed in seven 2:27 behind his country- Yates’ teammate Esteban We have two more weeks
return to the bout. pounds above the limit on man. Chaves was third to leap- coming up and hope-
The American hadn’t Friday, won by submission. “I realize how big it is to frog defending champion fully we have some better
fought since November “I try not to cry,” Dern said, win my first stage with the Tom Dumoulin in the over- days,” Team Sky coach
2016 because of injuries. “but my camp was very Maglia Rosa,” Yates said. all standings and move into Nicolas Portal said. “Let’s
The two friends were sched- hard and I had the weight “That one is for the boys second, 32 seconds off the hope that we can quickly
uled to clash in December, issue.”q who rode at the front all pace. Dumoulin is a further forget this stage.”q