Pereira Still Champ

Welcome back to the Bandit Betting Newsletter, where we deliver the top stories in sports and gambling directly to your inbox, every Sunday.

In today's email:

• Alex Pereira still UFC champ: after violent TKO against Khalil Rountree Jr.

• Vanderbilt did the impossible: knocking off No. 1 Alabama.

• IRS: to crack down on winning gamblers with taxation.

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VIOLENT WINS

Alex Pereira stops Khalil Rountree Jr., retains title at UFC 307.

Alex Pereira defended his light heavyweight championship at UFC 307 with a fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree Jr., in a fight that proved much more challenging than expected.

Rountree, who faced criticism for his title shot as the UFC’s No. 8-ranked light heavyweight, surprised many by leading on all three judges' scorecards (29-28) going into the fourth round.

He started strong, matching Pereira’s power and briefly dropping the champion in the second round with a counter right hand.

Despite Rountree’s early success, Pereira remained composed and steadily wore him down with a mix of calf kicks and jabs.

By the third round, Rountree’s stamina began to fade, partly due to the altitude in Salt Lake City, and Pereira took control, inflicting damage that opened cuts around Rountree's eyes.

In the fourth round, sensing Rountree was exhausted, Pereira pressed forward, landing a decisive right hand followed by relentless punches.

After a brutal combination of body shots, Rountree collapsed at the 4:32 mark, giving Pereira his third successful title defense.

Pereira outlanded Rountree 63-15 in significant strikes in the fourth round and 127-61 overall.

Pereira’s dominant year, with three pay-per-view main event victories, solidifies his legacy, though his next move remains uncertain, with potential challenges in both the middleweight and heavyweight divisions.

PULLING OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE

Fans of the Vanderbilt Commodores danced onto the field, jumping up and down as they tore down a goalpost.

Vanderbilt fans stormed the field and tore down a goalpost after their team’s historic 40-35 victory over No. 1 Alabama, celebrating by tossing the goalpost into the Cumberland River.

Sedrick Alexander rushed for two touchdowns, Randon Fontenette returned an interception for a score, and quarterback Diego Pavia outdueled Heisman contender Jalen Milroe in a shocking upset.

Vanderbilt, winless in 60 games against AP top-five teams, pulled off their first victory over a top-ranked opponent and snapped a 23-game losing streak to Alabama.

Coach Clark Lea, a Vanderbilt alum, called it a dream come true, adding, "This is what Vanderbilt football needs to be about: big wins on big stages."

The Commodores struck early, taking a 7-0 lead on their first drive and later going up 13-0 after Fontenette’s pick-six.

Despite Alabama closing the gap to 30-28 with Milroe’s 58-yard TD pass, Vanderbilt responded with 10 points, including a touchdown pass from Pavia to Kamrean Johnson.

Alabama’s last-minute score wasn’t enough, as Vanderbilt ran out the clock, sealing their first win over Alabama in 40 years.

Milroe’s two costly turnovers contributed to the Crimson Tide’s downfall, and Vanderbilt controlled the game with over 42 minutes of possession and a 12-for-18 conversion rate on third downs.

Despite the loss, Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson remained optimistic, saying the team still had plenty of season left.

IRS CRACK-DOWN

New gambling report says nearly 150,000 people didn’t declare gambling winnings for taxation.

Since the legalization of sports betting in 2018, tens of thousands of individuals have failed to report their gambling winnings, resulting in nearly $1.5 billion in uncollected taxes, according to a Treasury Inspector General report.

The report reveals that 148,908 people with over $15,000 in winnings per individual did not file tax returns, amounting to $13.2 billion in total unreported winnings.

The IRS is partially blamed for this loss, as two-thirds of these nonfilers were never contacted. Additionally, the IRS lacks a process for monitoring online sports betting transactions, and many W-2G forms were missing taxpayer IDs.

The report recommends pursuing those who didn’t report winnings from 2018 to 2020 and updating IRS regulations to include sports betting.

MEME

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