IN BRIEF

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Ex-boxing champ Toney signs multifight contract with UFC

Boxer James Toney is taking a crack at mixed martial arts, signing a multifight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Toney, 41, is a former super middleweight and cruiserweight champion who fought Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz and Hasim Rahman. But he hasn't had a significant title shot since March 2006, and he also tested positive for steroids twice.

UFC president Dana White said he thinks Toney has the proper attitude to succeed in a crossover to MMA.

Toney isn't the first athlete to try the move. Herschel Walker won his MMA debut for Strikeforce on Jan. 30, and former boxer Ricardo Mayorga will make his MMA debut May 15 for a small Florida-based promotion.

The UFC hasn't determined the date or opponent for Toney's MMA debut.

SOCCER

U.S. men fall to Netherlands with World Cup spots on line

The United States fell flat in Europe again, losing to the Netherlands 2-1 in Amsterdam in the Americans' last match before coach Bob Bradley picks his World Cup roster.

Dirk Kuyt converted a penalty kick in the 40th minute after Jonathan Bornstein pushed Wesley Sneijder in the penalty area. Kuyt sent his kick to the right of goalkeeper Tim Howard, who dived the other way.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar made the score 2-0 for the third-ranked Dutch in the 73rd minute.

U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra scored in the 88th minute, beating Maarten Stekelenburg to the 6-yard box to head in DaMarcus Beasley's 35-yard free kick.

Also: The United States women's soccer team beat Germany 3-2 in Faro, Portugal, to capture the Algarve Cup for the seventh time. Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer fumbled the ball in the 70th minute, and Lauren Cheney tapped it in for the winner.

MISCELLANEOUS

Russian Olympic chief resigns after poor effort in Vancouver

The head of the Russian Olympic Committee resigned in the wake of the nation's worst performance at the Winter Games, news agencies said, citing the committee's spokesman.

When contacted by The Associated Press, however, the spokesman said only "that information is not confirmed," before hanging up. He did not deny making the statements to the Russian media or say the information was incorrect.

Leonid Tyagachev, a former sports minister, took over as head of the Russian Olympic Committee in 2001. In the wake of the Vancouver Games, President Dmitry Medvedev warned that sports officials would be fired if they failed to resign voluntarily.

Russia won 15 medals in Vancouver, two fewer than its previous low in Salt Lake City in 2002, and had three gold medals. Officials said before the Olympics that 30 medals and a top-three finish in the medal standings were the targets.

Also: The UNLV baseball team had its seven-game win streak snapped in a 5-4, 13-inning loss to Arizona in Tucson.

Brandon Bayardi had an RBI double in the first inning and an RBI triple in the eighth that tied the score at 2 and led to extra innings.

Travis Feiner hit a two-run homer in the top of the 12th to make the score 4-2, but the Rebels (7-3) gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning, and the Wildcats won on a throwing error in the 13th.

The UNLV women's golf team finished 11th at the 18-team Bruin Wave Invitational in Santa Clarita, Calif, shooting 23-over-par 311 in the final round for a 42-over 906 total.

No. 9 Southern California won at 2-over 866, and Pepperdine's Danielle Kang won the individual title at 8-under 208. Therese Koelbaek paced the Rebels, shooting 2-over 74 to tie for 10th at 1-over 217.

Robert Hunter won the first stage of the Tour of Murcia in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain, and Lance Armstrong finished 46th. Armstrong is using the five-day race along the southeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain as training for the Tour de France.

The USF1 team will not race in Formula One this year, and its place on the grid will not be given to another team, the sport's governing body announced.

The American team, one of four planned newcomers for 2010, had said it was looking to skip just the first four races of the season.

The sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to Boston Red Sox minority owner Jeff Vinik is complete.

The NHL's Board of Governors gave unanimous approval to the deal. Vinik agreed to buy the team, the company that operates the St. Pete Times Forum, and more than five acres of land adjacent to the downtown arena on Feb. 4.

Financial terms were not disclosed. The Boston financier reportedly paid about $110 million cash -- substantially less than the $206 million a group led by Oren Koules and Len Barrie paid for the franchise in June 2008.