������Ƶ

SINGAPORE: George Russell put Mercedes on pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen taking the second spot on the front row and complaining of being obstructed as he tried to chase down the Englishman.

Russell crashed in practice on Friday but drove brilliantly around the Marina Bay track in the final round of qualifying to put in two laps worthy of pole, his best timed at one minute 29.158 seconds.

“Amazing to be on pole position,” said Russell. “Yesterday was a very challenging day for many different reasons, but it’s good to come back and get a good result today. Of course, there’s a long, sweaty race tomorrow.”

Dutchman Verstappen, who won the last two rounds of the championship from pole, was 0.182 seconds back but disgruntled after being blocked by the McLaren of Lando Norris and making a mistake on his final flying lap.

“That’s what happens when there’s a car in front of you, just cruising two seconds in front,” said the four-times world champion.

“I think it’s quite clear that that’s not nice when it happens. It could have been avoided.”

Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who leads Verstappen by 69 points in the drivers’ standings, will start on the second row after clocking the third fastest time.

“Obviously, I would have wanted more, but I don’t think we had four tenths in it to go and get pole,” said the Australian.

“It was a pretty clean session so that’s all I can ask for.”

Kimi Antonelli will start in the other Mercedes on the second row of the grid alongside Piastri, whose teammate Norris was fifth fastest and will line up in row three with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

McLaren need 13 points from their two drivers in Sunday’s race to clinch a second consecutive constructors’ championship title.

DUBAI: There are two new world champions following Friday night’s PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai — The Rematch event at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

The main event more than lived up to expectations, as Usman Nurmagomedov (20-0, 1 NC) and Paul Hughes (14-3) squared off for their highly anticipated 2025 rematch. Much like their first meeting, the fight went the full 25 minutes, and once again it was Nurmagomedov who had his hand raised, securing a hard-fought unanimous decision to preserve his undefeated record.

As the championship rounds unfolded, Nurmagomedov’s trademark composure and ability to dictate the pace proved the difference. Hughes rallied with some of his best offense late, but it was not enough to overturn the judges’ scorecards. With the victory, Nurmagomedov not only reinforced his dominance in the lightweight division but also etched another chapter in what has quickly become one of the PFL’s defining rivalries.

The PFL light heavyweight world title clash between Corey Anderson (20-6) and Dovlet Yagshimuradov (25-8-1) served as a rematch of their 2021 Bellator world grand prix quarterfinal, which Anderson won by third-round stoppage.

This time, the fight began with two separate eye pokes from Yagshimuradov. Once Anderson recovered, the Turkmen fighter landed looping punches that found their mark. As the co-main event settled in, however, the former Bellator champion leaned on his wrestling, controlling the action from top position for the remaining four rounds. Anderson’s dominance earned him a unanimous decision, marking his fourth straight victory and third since joining the PFL. With the win, Anderson captured the PFL light heavyweight world championship.

In a title eliminator to decide the next challenger for the soon-to-be-crowned PFL bantamweight world champion, Magomed Magomedov (21-5) squared off against former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis (25-7). Magomedov controlled much of the opening round with his trademark grappling, but Pettis turned the tide with a perfectly timed spinning back elbow, followed by a brutal punch that handed Magomedov the first KO/TKO loss of his 26-fight career. After the stunning finish, Pettis wasted no time calling his shot: “I want the winner of the tournament, (Marcirley) Alves. In Milwaukee, come on PFL.”

Two longtime Bellator standouts, Archie Colgan (13-0) and Jay-Jay Wilson (11-2), clashed in lightweight action in a bout that proved every bit as competitive as expected. Wilson opened strong, establishing his front kicks, while Colgan answered with his signature wrestling, securing an early takedown. As the fight progressed, the University of Wyoming alumni steadily imposed his will, grinding down the Kiwi and racking up nine takedowns overall. Though Wilson stayed active off his back, the judges sided with Colgan, who kept his undefeated record intact. With the win, Colgan has positioned himself as a potential frontrunner to challenge for the PFL lightweight world title.

The first fight on the main card saw England’s Jack Cartwright (13-2) step in on short notice against Ireland’s Caolan Loughran (10-3). Cartwright controlled the action early, using sharp combinations to outstrike his opponent and secure the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Loughran found success in the third, landing a takedown and maintaining top control, but the rally came too late. Cartwright earned the victory in his PFL debut with a composed and disciplined performance.