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sports Diasabra 2 Juli 2022

European police raid Bahrain cycling team, seize evidence

(AP) — Police investigat-
ing suspected doping by Eurojust said "412 capsules
the Tour de France team with undetermined brown
Bahrain Victorious seized content and 67 capsules with
more than 450 capsules of undetermined white content"
unidentified substances at were found at a property in
a house in Slovenia during Slovenia, where a mobile
raids across Europe, the phone was also seized.
European agency Euro-
just said Friday. Substances were also seized
in Belgium, Italy and Poland,
Riders and staff had their plus computers, phones and
homes raided and the team's other electronic devices. Po-
hotel in Denmark was lice also searched properties
searched this week ahead of in Spain and seized potential
the three-week race which evidence.
started on Friday in Copen-
hagen. The investigation was opened
in May and led by prosecu-
In a statement, the European tors in Marseille, France, Eu-
Union Agency for Criminal rojust said, adding the target
Justice Cooperation (Euro- was "suspected doping viola-
just) said 14 properties in six tions involving an interna-
countries were searched and tional cycling team."
three people were interro-
gated. The team sponsored by the government of Bahrain also was raided by French police during last year's Tour.

Volkanovski, Holloway complete title trilogy at UFC 276

(AP) — Alexander Volkanovski "It's a legacy fight," Holloway said. belt from 2016 until Volkanovski (rounds)."
has already beaten Max Hollo- "We're on the higher end of the took it from him in December 2019
way twice in UFC featherweight pound-for-pound ranks, and these with a relentless tactical performance. Holloway's formidable chin kept him
title fights, and that still wasn't fights don't happen very often. People Holloway lost to Volkanovski for the upright against Volkanovski's power,
enough to settle this rivalry. are calling us the main event of this second time in July 2020 in Abu Dha- but Holloway absorbed a daunting
card, and that's saying a lot about how bi in a razor-thin decision. amount of cumulative damage dur-
That's a measure of the excitement good this fight is." ing 25 fights over his first decade in
generated by the first two bouts be- Not many rivalries stretch to three the UFC. Volkanovski believes he
tween these two electrifying strikers. The mixed martial arts promotion's fights when the first two bouts can punctuate this rivalry by becom-
It's also an illustration of the sport- biggest event of the summer is head- weren't split, but this is no ordinary ing the first opponent to register a
wide respect for Volkanovski, the lined by Israel Adesanya's fifth mid- rivalry. Volkanovski has defended the knockdown of Holloway.
Australian with a 21-fight winning dleweight title defense against Jared belt twice since that second bout with "If I could take that chin and put him
streak, and for Holloway, Hawaii's Cannonier. The UFC's typically Holloway, while Holloway outpoint- out, that's really sending a statement,
former 145-pound champ. stacked Fourth of July weekend card ed Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodríguez because no one has done that," Vol-
also features Brazilian kickboxing star in a pair of thrillers to stay in prime kanovski said. "He takes damage. It
Along with being brilliant fighters, Alex Pereira against middleweight position to reclaim his belt. can't hold up forever, but let's see if it
they're two well-liked guys in a sport contender Sean Strickland, along holds up in this fight, because I'm go-
with some unsavory characters. with the returns of Robbie Lawler, "It's the biggest fight I could do right ing to land some big shots. Let's see if
Volkanovski and Holloway will go Suga Sean O'Malley, Jim Miller and now," Volkanovski said. "Everyone that legendary chin holds up."
again at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena Uriah Hall. wants to see it, and that's it. I give him
on the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday credit. He was stubborn. He goes, Volkanovski and Adesanya are team-
night, each hoping to complete this But the most compelling matchup is 'Ain't no one taking that No. 1 con- mates at City Kickboxing in Auck-
trilogy with a statement victory. Volkanovski (24-1) against Holloway tender spot from me.' He stood there land, New Zealand, where Adesanya
(23-6), who held the featherweight and took out all the guys and didn't (22-1) grew from a kickboxing star
let them have a shot at me, and now into an MMA champion.
he gets the shot. Good on him. That's He's a big favorite to beat Cannonier
exactly what I would do in the same (15-5), who has earned his first UFC
situation." title shot at 38 years old. Cannonier is
on an impressive run of five victories
While Holloway and Volkanovski and one narrow defeat to ex-champ
trade verbal jabs like any top contend- Robert Whittaker over the past four
ers, there's a clear respect between the years.
two best featherweights in UFC his-
tory not named Jose Aldo. Holloway Adesanya has been talking up Can-
has been gracious about his second nonier as a future opponent for years,
loss while making sure nobody thinks but he still expects to extend his title
he agreed with the decision in which reign in the main event at UFC 276.
he out-landed the champion in each
of the first three rounds and then "His fighting spirit and his essence,
fought a tenacious fifth. I recognize that, because I'm an em-
path myself," Adesanya said. "I can
"If you watch from the first to the kind of feel the energy from a great
second fight, I'm two different fight- man and a great fighter. I like to take
ers, and this is going to be different care of these guys, and I saw that in
fighters again," Holloway said. "I got him early on. I tried to boost him up
to spend 50 minutes with this guy, early on. He fell short once, and then
10 rounds with this guy. This one, came back and proved his worth as
he'll be blessed if we go above three the next contender."