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Finally time to party?: Wes Schultz aims for vindication during second UFC glance
![](/<p>If you've trolled him, Wes Schultz has seen your comments about his Dana White's Contender Series loss in 2024.</p><p>He's amused, but he has some push back.</p><p>"People roasting me in the f*cking comments like, 'This guy needs a striking coach,'" Schultz recently told MMA Junkie. "I'm like, bro, try formulating your body into like nice crisp punches when your brain's like a f*cking stew."</p><p>Schultz (7-2) was rocked early as he tried to earn a UFC contract in front of Dana White, Hunter Campbell, Mick Maynard, and Sean Shelby. He survived that scare, but was finished by Mansur Abdul-Malik in Round 2. </p><p>Schultz impressed the UFC brass enough in defeat that the promotion attempted to give him a second shot on the same season, but injuries caused him to withdraw. It was back to the regional scene.</p><p>The loss aged well, considering Abdul Malik's UFC success since. Schultz finally returned in April and finished Dustin Paper in 55 seconds. That's when his phone rang again.</p><p>"I wasn't really sure if I was going to get called back or get something short notice or an actual UFC fight, so it's good to get some sort of call," Schultz said. "... That's a good feeling. They like guys that show up and fight, which apparently I do, and when you lose and you bring it for the most part, and you're trying hard to get to finish the entire time. So I mean, I was pretty sure I was going to get a call back and I'm happy they ended up doing that. It feels good. It feels good to be brought back, and now that I'm familiar with the whole process, it seems fun."</p><p></p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuKq3XtvU7_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuKq3XtvU7_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"><div><div></div><div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div></div><div></div><div><div>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div></div><div><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div><div></div><div></div></div><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div><div></div><div></div></div></a><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuKq3XtvU7_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Wesley Schultz (@partytimemma)</a></p></div></blockquote><p>Schultz, 29, has dedicated much of his life to the pursuit of UFC greatness. While he didn't have to move far to begin training at Pura Vida BJJ under coach Jake Klipp early in his combat sports journey, Schultz went far enough away where he rerouted his life.</p><p>Rather than use his college degree, Schultz has focused almost completely on fighting, with bartending shifts on the weekends to support himself.</p><p>That's why he's not taking his second DWCS crack, a bout Tuesday vs. Italy's Mario Mingaj (7-0), for granted.</p><p>"That would be, I don't want to say vindication, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't motivating because the stage is that big," Schultz said. "I had a f*cking degree. I could have spent my 20s doing anything and probably make a lot more money doing it so far, but I chose to do this."</p><p><em>This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2025/10/14/ufc-news-dwcs-wes-schultz-second-chance/86696133007/">Is 'Party Time' headed to the UFC?</a></em></p>)
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2025 WNBA playoffs were the most-watched ever on ESPN, with the Aces' Finals win averaging 1.5 million viewers
![](/<p>Though it only lasted four games, the WNBA Finals performed incredibly well on ESPN this fall.</p><p>The network announced on Tuesday that the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/with-third-wnba-championship-in-4-seasons-las-vegas-aces-dynasty-status-something-you-can-never-take-away-from-us-025609595.html"><ins>Las Vegas Aces’ series win over the Phoenix Mercury</ins></a> averaged 1.5 million viewers per game. That made it the second-most-watched WNBA Finals in history, behind only last year’s battle between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty.</p><p><a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://sports.yahoo.com/watch/"><strong>[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]</strong></a></p><p>Game 1, which the Aces won 97-86, was the best performing game of the series. That drew about 1.9 million viewers and peaked at 2.5 million viewers. That made it the most-watched opening game of a series in 28 years. Only the 1997 Finals, which was a winner-take-all contest, performed better.</p><p>In total, the league averaged about 1.2 million viewers per game throughout the entire playoffs. That’s up about 5% from last season, and made this year the most-watched WNBA postseason ever on ESPN.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ESPN recorded the most-watched WNBA postseason (Playoffs + Finals) EVER across its networks👏 <a href="https://t.co/ZJWCI19LUa">pic.twitter.com/ZJWCI19LUa</a></p>— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1978220838957527524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2025</a></blockquote></div><p>The Aces, behind reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson, <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/with-third-wnba-championship-in-4-seasons-las-vegas-aces-dynasty-status-something-you-can-never-take-away-from-us-025609595.html"><ins>rolled over the Mercury to grab a 4-0 win in the Finals</ins></a>, which expanded to seven games for the first time this fall. It marked the Aces’ third championship in the last four seasons. Wilson earned Finals MVP honors, too, which only added to her historic year. She’s now the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win the scoring title, regular-season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season.</p><p><core-module type="curatedLinks" title="More WNBA news" headerlink="" subheadline="Keep up with the latest from across the league with Yahoo Sports" listid="006ffae3-a277-405b-9270-ca8069f3fabc"></core-module></p><p>While the league is drawing as much attention as ever, it is at a critical moment amid the ongoing negotiations between the players and leadership <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/wnba-cba-negotiations-whats-at-stake-what-players-want-and-whats-next-amid-historic-labor-fight-181019460.html"><ins>over a new collective bargaining agreement</ins></a>. The current CBA expires on Oct. 31, and things have turned tense after players — most notably Napheesa Collier — have <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/napheesa-collier-pulls-no-punches-puts-wnba-leadership-on-blast-as-she-highlights-gulf-between-sides-on-cba-222411444.html"><ins>publicly called out commissioner Cathy Engelbert</ins></a>. The league is set to receive $200 million per season as part of a new 11-year, $2.2 billion media deal with Disney, Amazon and NBC. It also expanded a deal with ION, and reached an 11-year deal with the USA Network.</p><p>Whether a new deal gets done in time to avoid a lockout remains to be seen. But if this season’s playoff numbers are any indication, fans are still absolutely locked into the WNBA.</p>)