Defending champion Stallions' abrupt exit tops storylines from UFL playoffs

All good things must inevitably come to an end, and that's never been truer for the Birmingham Stallions. After three consecutive spring football championships, Skip Holtz's squad is out of the running for the 2025 UFL title after falling 44-29 to the Michigan Panthers in the USFL Conference Championship Game at Protective Stadium on Sunday. 

"It’s hard to lose, but it’s with great respect that I say congratulations to Michigan," Holtz said. "It’s with great pride that I say that I have really enjoyed coaching this football team and [watching] what this football team has been able to accomplish."

Sunday's win marked the first time in eight meetings that Panthers head coach Mike Nolan earned a win in a head-to-head matchup with Holtz. Even though his team got the win, Nolan said things are far from finished. "There’s still work to be done," he said. "Our football team knows that. We’re excited to have another week to play."

The Panthers will face the DC Defenders — who dominated the St. Louis Battlehawks by double digits, 36-18, in the XFL Conference Championship Game at The Dome at America's Center on Sunday — in Saturday's title game.

"We just didn’t show up when we needed to show up," Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said about his team’s loss after six consecutive wins to finish out the regular season. "DC really put it on us in all phases."

Here’s a look at other storylines from conference championship weekend:

The Panthers entered Sunday's USFL Conference title game as the second-leading rushing team in the league, averaging 127 rushing yards a contest, and continued to assert their dominance on the ground in a decisive win over the Stallions, totaling 144 rushing yards. Taua was the catalyst, finishing with 85