Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has agreed to sell the bankrupt franchise to the NHL.

The agreement, which still must be approved by Judge Redfield T. Baum, was announced in U.S. Bankruptcy Court yesterday after attorneys met for more than an hour during a recess in a status hearing on the case.

Former coach Wayne Gretzky, who has a $22.5 million claim in the case, has not agreed to the deal.

Moyes' attorney says the decision to make a deal came largely because the expenses of running the team in bankruptcy were being paid from the league's $140-million offer. Moyes was left with few options after his attempt to sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie was rejected by the court.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says that once the deal closes, the league will immediately look to sell the team, preferably to an owner who will keep the club in Arizona.

The league hopes to close on the sale on Nov. 2.

Daly confirmed that NHL officials, including commissioner Gary Bettman, met yesterday with representatives of Ice Edge, a group that has said it plans to keep the team in suburban Glendale. Daly said other potential buyers have also expressed interest, but he didn't identify them.

UFC

LESNAR PULLS OUT

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has withdrawn from his upcoming title defense against Shane Carwin because of an illness.

Lesnar was scheduled to fight Carwin in the main event of UFC 106 on Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The former professional wrestler and college wrestling champion said yesterday he's been out of training for nearly a month while battling the unspecified illness.

Tito Ortiz's return to UFC against former champion Forrest Griffin will become the main event at UFC 106.

UFC hopes to reschedule Lesnar's fight against Carwin for early next year.

ELSEWHERE

Behind the scenes: The ESPN production assistant whose affair with baseball analyst Steve Phillips led to his termination has also been fired from the sports network, a spokesman said yesterday.

Mike Soltys, a representative of ESPN, said that 22-year-old Brooke Hundley had been fired, but he did not say when or why.

Phillips was fired Sunday after the network said his ability to represent ESPN effectively had been "significantly and irreparably damaged" by revelations about his affair with Hundley.

Basketball: Kevin Widemond, a 23-year-old American guard, died of a heart attack during a Portuguese basketball tournament.

The Portuguese basketball federation said Widemond collapsed in the locker room Sunday during halftime of a game between his team Ovarense and Academica in Leiria, in northern Portugal.

Widemond, a native of Newark, N.J., had played 10 minutes in the third-place playoff game of the cup competition, which was canceled following his death.

Track & field: Chinese women's 100-meter champion Wang Jing has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and faces a lifetime ban from the Chinese athletics federation.

The 21-year-old Wang will be stripped of the 100-meter title she won at the National Games last Thursday, games spokesman Sun Yuanfu said.