Mixed martial arts

St. Pierre retains title — Georges St. Pierre retained his welterweight title with a split decision over top contender Johny Hendricks on Saturday night in UFC 167 in Las Vegas. Hendricks seemed to have the upper hand over the Canadian champion for most of the five rounds, landing the more significant blows and limiting any damage inflicted. St. Pierre was able to keep it close to extend his winning streak to 12 fights. Two judges scored it 48-47 for St. Pierre, and the third had it 48-47 for Hendricks. In the co-main event, former lightweight contender Rashad Evans stopped Chael Sonnen in the first round.

Motor sports

Dillon takes Nationwide title — With tears in eyes and three fingers in the air, Richard Childress hardly had words to describe his latest NASCAR championship. His grandson, Austin Dillon, won the Nationwide Series title in the famed No. 3 and by three points. “Hard to believe,” Childress said. “I couldn’t be more proud of Austin. He drives with his heart every lap. What can you say? He’s just a great competitor, a great grandson. I’m proud, really proud of him. He ran good and hard tonight.” Sprint Cup regular Brad Keselowski won the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, moving up 10 spots in the closing few laps to give an otherwise typical race a wild and wacky finish. But the night belonged to Dillon, who overcame a sluggish start and a scrape against the wall to finish 12th. It was good enough to hold off Sam Hornish Jr. by three points. Hornish crossed the line eighth. “It was ugly,” said Dillon, who won the Truck Series title in 2011. “Probably the worst car we had all year. But we fought. My guys kept me positive in the car.”

Vettel wins pole — World champion Sebastian Vettel once again got the better of Red Bull teammate and rival Mark Webber, qualifying in pole position Saturday for the U.S. Grand Prix. Webber appeared set to earn his third pole in the last four races until Vettel lapped the Circuit of the Americas in 1 minute, 36.338 seconds on his last run. Romain Grosjean of Lotus will start third today.

Football

Harvin back for Seattle? — Percy Harvin says he’s ready to finally play for the Seattle Seahawks. And while coach Pete Carroll tried to hedge, saying Harvin remains “day-to-day,” all signs point to Harvin making his Seattle debut today against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. Those indicators included the team listing Harvin as “probable” on its official injury report after the receiver was a full participant in Friday’s practice, appearing to have just about fully recovered from hip surgery Aug. 1. Carroll said the team still wants to see how Harvin’s body responds to having practiced the past three days before making a final call.

Tennis

Czechs lead Davis Cup — The Czech Republic is one victory from winning a second straight Davis Cup. The defending champions defeated host Serbia in doubles for a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup final Saturday when Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek beat Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4). The victory by the Czech pair on the indoor hard court at Belgrade Arena improved their Davis Cup doubles record to 14-1. Berdych plays Novak Djokovic, who is on a 23-match winning run, in the first reverse singles today. The final could be decided when Stepanek likely meets cup rookie Dusan Lajovic in the last match.

Winter sports

Speed skater breaks world record again — South Korea’s Lee Sang-hwa broke the world record in the women’s 500 meters for the second straight day and third time in eight days, finishing in 36.36 seconds Saturday in a World Cup speedskating meet at the Utah Olympic Oval. The 24-year-old defending Olympic champion broke her own record last Saturday in Calgary, Alberta, with a run of 36.74 and topped it again Friday in Kearns with a 36.57. Heather Richardson was second in a U.S.-record 36.90. American Shani Davis won the men’s 1,000 a day after taking the 1,500. The two-time Olympic champion finished in 1:06.02 in the 1,000.