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England will take on Scotland in the first matchday of the inaugural Women’s Nations League on Friday. The fixture is the first between the two nations for four years, and comes just over a month since Sarina Wiegman’s side suffered heartbreak after narrowly missing out on World Cup success in what was another brilliant tournament from The Lionesses. FOLLOW LIVE: Team news and all the action as England face Scotland in the Women’s Nations League They now face a clash with The Tartan Army in front of over 40,000 fans at The Stadium of Light, and the Scottish side will certainly be hoping to get one over the ‘Auld Enemy’ for the first time since 2011. Get all the latest football betting sites offers here. When is England vs Scotland? The first matchday in the League Stage of the Women’s Nations League kicks off on 21 September and finishes with a clash between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on 23 September 2023. England v Scotland will take place at the Stadium of Light on Friday 22 September, with kick-off at 7.45pm BST. Where can I watch it? England v Scotland will be shown live on ITV/STV, with coverage starting at 7.30 pm BST. The game will also be streamed online via the ITVX / STV player. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? England: Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker replaces the injured Lotte Meuben-Woy for the hosts. Keria Walsh and Beth England have both also been ruled out, while Beth Mead has not been deemed ready for inclusion after recently returning to training following an ACL injury. Fran Kirby has returned from injury and featured in friendlies this month, but has also been left out of the squad. Scotland: Real Madrid star Caroline Weir, and WSL Player of the Year nominee Kirsty Hanson provide strong options for Pedro Martinez Losa. Kirsty Maclean, Lauren Davidson and Emma Watson also provide a trio of young talent likely to feature against England. The 17 year-old Watson has achieved five goal contributions in her first four games for Scotland. Uefa Women’s Nations League Explained The 2023 Uefa Women’s Nations League sees teams initially placed into either League A, B or C depending on their positions in the Uefa women’s national team coefficient rankings, which were issued after the group stage of the European Qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup had finished. Within these leagues, the teams were then seeded into four pots according to the same rankings, with each group containing one team from each pot. The initial league stage then features each team playing one home match and one away match against each of the other teams in their group, with the four group winners from League A then qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition. At stake are league positions for the European Qualifiers for Euro 2025. The top two teams in each group in League A will remain in the same league for the qualifiers, along with the five group winners of League B who will be promoted. The rest of League A will then enter a playoff system to remain in the division with the runners-up of each group in League B. The reward for the top eight teams in League A according to the final European Qualifiers league ranking will be direct qualification for Euro 2025, with the other teams having to contest another set of playoffs for the remaining seven places (hosts Switzerland have a guaranteed place). The teams that make it to the final of the Nations League will also qualify for the 2024 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, alongside hosts France. Read More What is the Women’s Nations League and how does Olympics qualification work? Sarina Wiegman ‘worried’ about schedule as England prepare for Nations League England vs Scotland LIVE: Latest Nations League updates England vs Scotland LIVE: Latest Nations League updates Kick It Out CEO says online safety bill is only ‘a small piece of the jigsaw’ Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: Too soon to herald return of my mentality monsters

UFC President Dana White has seemingly quashed rumours that Conor McGregor would make his return to the Octagon in December at UFC 296. “Notorious” hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, but had seemed confident he would make his return at the end of this year against Michael Chandler. White did not include McGregor, however, when he announced the headline bout for the upcoming UFC 296 event in December, although he did say that more fights were to be announced. In a video on social media, White confirmed that Britain’s Leon Edwards will defend the welterweight title against Colby Covington in the UFC 296 main event in Las Vegas. Covington is a former interim champion. He also revealed that Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka will be the co-main event for UFC 295 in New York in November, as the pair clash over the vacant light-heavyweight title. Pereira is a former middleweight champion, while Prochazka won the light-heavyweight title in 2021 but vacated it due to injury later that year. Irishman McGregor missed the deadline for re-enrollment into the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) testing pool in July, which made his return this year questionable, given fighters must be in this pool for a minimum of six months before they can fight. Brock Lesnar was famously given an exemption to this rule in 2016 when he returned for UFC 200, but the official UFC-Usada policy states this can only be for “exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete”. It now looks like McGregor’s long-awaited return will have to wait until 2024, when his fight with Chandler may precede bouts against Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz. The 35 year-old’s current gap between fights is the longest since he made his UFC debut in 2013. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Khabib coach predicts Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler outcome When is the next UFC event?

Thousands of Arsenal and Nottingham Forestfans were stuck outside Emirates Stadium on Saturday 12 August for their Premier League opener, as turnstile issues led to a kick-off delay. Arsenal have introduced a new e-ticketing system for this season and that was reported to be the delay at the turnstiles. Over 35,000 supporters were queuing up outside the ground just a few minutes before the scheduled 12:30pm kick-off and with empty seats in the stadium, the start was pushed back by at least 30 minutes. Footage broadcast by TNT Sports showed the chaos outside of the Emirates.

KSI and Tommy Fury will fight each other in a boxing match in October, as their brewing rivalry threatens to boil over. YouTube star KSI, 30, has fought several times, notably drawing with Logan Paul in 2018 then beating him in 2019, and most recently fighting Joe Fournier to a No Contest. KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) knocked out Fournier with an illegal elbow in May, and the result was later overturned. Meanwhile, Fury – half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson – is unbeaten like KSI but with much more professional experience. The 24-year-old is 9-0 as a pro, having most recently beaten Jake Paul on points in February. After KSI’s contest with Fournier, ex-Love Island contestant Fury entered the ring for a face-off, and the pair will share a ring again when they square off in October. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? KSI vs Fury will take place at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 14 October. No timings for the event have yet been announced, but the main card is likely to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are likely to follow at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on the streaming platform Dazn. It will be available to existing subscribers, and it will also be purchasable on Dazn Pay-Per-View for non-subscribers. A Dazn subscription is available to purchase here, with monthly plans starting at £9.99. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the KSI vs Tommy Fury fight then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Who else is fighting? Logan Paul, KSI’s opponent-turned-business partner at their Prime energy-drink company, will fight in the evening’s other ‘main event’. It has not yet been announced who the YouTube star will box. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great Justin Gaethje stuns Dustin Poirier with brutal head-kick knockout at UFC 291

Jake Paul arrived on a tank for his fight with Nate Diaz on Saturday night (5 August). The YouTube star and professional boxer travelled in style before beating the UFC star in a highly-anticipated crossover boxing fight. Paul mocked the Dallas crowd at the the American Airlines Center after as he was loudly booed following his victory and faced audible chants of ‘f*** Jake Paul’ throughout the fight. Judges’ scorecards showed the relatively one-sided nature of the victory as the 26-year-old prevailed 97-92, 98-91, 98-91.

Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will clash in the main event of UFC 291 tonight, in a rematch with the ‘BMF’ title on the line. Poirier beat Gaethje via fourth-round TKO in 2018, and the pair’s careers followed similar trajectories in the time since. Poirier, 34, won the interim lightweight title in 2019 but failed to unify the belt against Khabib Nurmagomedov, losing to the Russsian via submission; Gaethje, 34, then collected the interim gold in 2020 but was also submitted by Khabib. Each man then got a second crack at the gold but came up short again, with Poirier submitted by Charles Oliveira in 2021 and Gaethje suffering the same fate last May. However, Poirier and Gaethje have both bounced back since then, with the former stopping Michael Chandler and the latter beating Rafael Fiziev. And when Poirier and Gaethje rematch in Salt Lake City, Utah, tonight, the ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ belt will be up for grabs. The title has only appeared once before, when Jorge Masvidal beat Nate Diaz to become the inaugural champion in 2019. In this evening’s co-main event, former middleweight champion Alex Pereira moves up to light-heavyweight to face Jan Blachowicz, an ex-title holder in the division. Follow live updates and results from UFC 291, below. For the full odds on the Poirier vs Gaethje fight, click here for our betting page. Read More UFC 291 live stream: How to watch Poirier vs Gaethje online and on TV this weekend Michael Bisping: ‘The challenge of coming back to grapple appeals to me’ Conor McGregor pays emotional tribute to Sinead O’Connor after singer’s death

Conor McGregor laid hands on Michael Chandler on this week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter, as the former UFC champion’s frustration boiled over amid his team’s losing streak. McGregor’s team have lost every fight so far on the new season of the UFC television show, going 0-6 against Team Chandler. On this week’s episode, Lee Hammond was submitted by Kurt Holobaugh in the second round of their lightweight clash. McGregor’s fellow Irishman Hammond impressed in the first round, but he was caught in a guillotine choke and tapped out in the next frame. Outside the ring, McGregor fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands. The 34-year-old then entered the cage and told Hammond: “Lee, that was a f***ing flawless performance.” Hammond replied, “That’s not flawless,” but McGregor doubled down: “That’s a flawless performance, son, don’t worry about it. “He got lucky there. Head up. I’m proud of you mate. It happens. He didn’t land one shot on you, you were absolutely timing him.” McGregor then took exception to Chandler saying that his team are ‘stacking up wins’. McGregor told the American, “Some of these kids were in the UFC before you were in the UFC,” referencing the fact that Chandler is coaching a team of UFC veterans against McGregor’s rookies. “As long as you show up for them,” Chandler hit back, criticising McGregor’s coaching ability. “Maybe if you showed up for them. I show up for my f***ing team.” “I’ll show up and break your nose, you little fool, yeah?” McGregor fired back, before shoving Chandler in the face. “Woo!” Chandler shouted. “Oh, are we gonna do this, are we gonna fight right now? Let’s go, baby.” UFC president Dana White rushed to the ring to calm down both men, before Chandler left and told McGregor’s mentees: “I’m sorry you guys are on that f***ing team. I would have been there for you.” McGregor and Chandler were announced as the coaches for this season of The Ultimate Fighter back in February, when it was also confirmed that they would fight each other later this year. However, no date, location or weight class has been announced for that bout. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More How to watch The Ultimate Fighter 31 in the UK UFC 290 live stream: How to watch Volkanovski vs Rodriguez online and on TV this weekend Sean Strickland makes passionate plea for Israel Adesanya fight after dominant win UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Michael Chandler reassures fans over Conor McGregor fight Conor McGregor doubles down on Ultimate Fighter criticism

England travel to Australia and New Zealand as one of the favourites to win the Women’s World Cup, with Sarina Wiegman’s side looking to back up their victory in the European Championships last summer on home soil. The Lionesses were knocked out at the semi-final stage in both 2015 and 2019 having suffered defeat at the hands of Japan and the United States. The United States, who have won the tournament a record four times, will represent one of England’s main obstacles once again as they look to win the World Cup for a third successive time. Ireland will be making their debut appearance at the Women’s World Cup, while Germany, Spain, France and Sweden will all be contenders from Europe. With the tournament fast approaching, here is everything you need to know about how to watch the Women’s World Cup. When is the Women’s World Cup? The tournament will kick off on 20 July 2023 with the opening match between hosts New Zealand and Norway. Australia will kick off against Ireland later that day. The knockout stages begin on 5 August, with the World Cup final taking place in Sydney on 20 August. How can I watch the Women’s World Cup? TV rights have finally been agreed upon after a long-winded and public dispute between various European nations and FIFA. Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, threatened a media blackout for the continent’s biggest football nations (UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain) but that was avoided after a deal was struck in mid-June. For UK viewers, every game will be available to watch on the BBC and ITV. For the BBC, there will be live coverage on television as well as the BBC Sport website with live audio commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app. For ITV, live coverage will be available on television as well as online via ITVX. At present, the BBC and ITV have only announced the schedule for the group stages, although the BBC have said they will broadcast both semi-finals with the final available on both channels. When can I watch England? England play their first match of the World Cup against Haiti in Group D on 22 July. The game starts at 10:30am BST and will be shown on ITV. On 28 July, England play Denmark with kick-off at 9:30am BST and the game broadcast on the BBC. England’s final group-stage fixture is against China on Tuesday 1 August and will be shown on ITV with the match starting at 12pm BST. Should England make it through to the round of 16, their fixture will be shown live on the BBC. Full Group Stage TV Schedule (All kick-off times BST ) Thursday 20 July Group A: New Zealand vs Norway (08:00, Auckland) - BBC Group B: Australia vs Republic of Ireland (11:00, Sydney) - ITV Friday 21 July Group B: Nigeria vs Canada (03:30, Melbourne) - BBC Group A: Philippines vs Switzerland (06:00, Dunedin) - ITV Group C: Spain vs Costa Rica (08:30, Wellington) - BBC Saturday 22 July Group E: USA vs Vietnam (02:00, Auckland) - BBC Group C: Zambia vs Japan (08:00 Hamilton) - BBC Group D: England vs Haiti (10:30, Brisbane) - ITV Group D: Denmark vs China (13:00, Perth) - BBC Sunday 23 July Group G: Sweden vs South Africa (06:00, Wellington) - BBC Group E: Netherlands vs Portugal (08:30, Dunedin) - BBC Group F: France vs Jamaica (11:00, Sydney) - ITV Monday 24 July Group G: Italy vs Argentina (07:00, Auckland) - ITV Group H: Germany vs Morocco (09:30, Melbourne) - ITV Group F: Brazil vs Panama (12:00, Adelaide) - ITV Tuesday 25 July Group H: Colombia vs Korea Republic (03:00, Sydney) - BBC Group A: New Zealand vs Philippines (06:30, Dunedin) - ITV Group A: Switzerland vs Norway (09:00, Hamilton) - ITV Wednesday 26 July Group C: Japan vs Costa Rica (06:00, Dunedin) - ITV Group C: Spain vs Zambia (08:30, Auckland) - BBC Group B: Canada vs Republic of Ireland (13:00, Perth) - ITV Thursday 27 July Group E: USA vs Netherlands (02:00, Wellington) - BBC Group E: Portugal vs Vietnam (08:30, Hamilton) - ITV Group B: Australia vs Nigeria (11:00, Brisbane) - BBC Friday 28 July Group G: Argentina vs South Africa (01:00, Dunedin) - ITV Group D: England vs Denmark (09:30, Sydney) - BBC Group D: China vs Haiti (12:00, Adelaide) - ITV Saturday 29 July Group G: Sweden vs Italy (08:30, Wellington) - BBC Group F: France vs Brazil (11:00, Brisbane) - BBC Group F: Panama vs Jamaica (13:30, Perth) - ITV Sunday 30 July Group H: Korea Republic vs Morocco (05:30, Adelaide) - BBC Group A: Norway vs Philippines (08:00, Auckland) - BBC Group A: Switzerland vs New Zealand (08:00, Dunedin) - BBC Group H: Germany vs Colombia (10:30, Sydney) - ITV Monday 31 July Group C: Costa Rica vs Zambia (08:00, Hamilton) - ITV Group C: Japan vs Spain (08:00, Wellington) - ITV Group B: Ireland vs Nigeria (11:00, Brisbane) - BBC Group B: Canada vs Australia (11:00, Melbourne) - BBC Tuesday 1 August Group E: Vietnam vs Netherlands (08:00, Dunedin) - ITV Group E: Portugal vs USA (08:00, Auckland) - ITV Group D: Haiti vs Denmark (12:00, Perth) - ITV Group D: China vs England (12:00, Adelaide) - ITV Wednesday 2 August Group G: South Africa vs Italy (08:00, Wellington) - BBC Group G: Argentina vs Sweden (08:00, Hamilton) - BBC Group F: Jamaica vs Brazil (11:00, Melbourne) - ITV Group F: Panama vs France (11:00, Sydney) - ITV Thursday 3 August Group H: Korea Republic vs Germany (11:00, Brisbane) - BBC Group H: Morocco vs Colombia (11:00, Perth) - BBC Read More England’s road to the World Cup begins with a ‘different test’ - and it’s not just Portugal Women’s World Cup: Who are England playing and what is their group? Fifa reveal eight options for Women’s World Cup captains after ‘OneLove’ armband fallout in Qatar England’s road to the World Cup begins with Portugal ‘test’ Joe Biden, Taylor Swift and star-studded cast name US Women’s World Cup squad Who are England playing at the Women’s World Cup and what is their group?

Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov will square off in a meeting of middleweight contenders this weekend, as the pair clash in a UFC Fight Night main event. American Strickland, 32, is looking to make it back-to-back wins, having beaten Nassourdine Imavov on points in January, following two straight losses last year. Meanwhile, Russian Magomedov, also 32, enters Las Vegas on the back of a three-fight win streak, with all of those wins having come via stoppage. Strickland sits at No 7 in the middleweight rankings as he bids to re-enter the title picture, and he is risking his place in the top 10 here as he faces an unranked opponent in Magomedov. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The event will take place on Saturday 1 July at the UFC Apex institute in Las Vegas. The prelims are set to begin at 9pm BST (1pm PT, 3pm CT, 4pm ET). The main card is then due to follow at 12am BST on Sunday 2 July (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Strickland – 4/7 Magomedov – 13/10 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov (middleweight) Damir Ismagulov vs Grant Dawson (lightweight) Max Griffin vs Michael Morales (welterweight) Ariane Lipski vs Melissa Gatto (women’s flyweight) Ismael Bonfim vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight) Brunno Ferreira vs Nursulton Ruziboev (middleweight) Prelims Kevin Lee vs Rinat Fakhretdinov (welterweight) Joanderson Brito vs Westin Wilson (featherweight) Yana Santos vs Karol Rosa (women’s bantamweight) Guram Kutateladze vs Elves Brener (lightweight) Ivana Petrovic vs Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight) Alexandr Romanov vs Blagoy Ivanov (heavyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Ilia Topuria makes bold Alexander Volkanovski claim after dominating Josh Emmett Elon Musk picks UFC legend to train him for Mark Zuckerberg fight UFC star’s dream Olympic anniversary derailed by injury Michael Chandler reassures fans over Conor McGregor fight Khabib’s coach makes Musk vs Zuckerberg prediction

Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov will square off in a meeting of middleweight contenders this weekend, as the pair clash in a UFC Fight Night main event. American Strickland, 32, is looking to make it back-to-back wins, having beaten Nassourdine Imavov on points in January, following two straight losses last year. Meanwhile, Russian Magomedov, also 32, enters Las Vegas on the back of a three-fight win streak, with all of those wins having come via stoppage. Strickland sits at No 7 in the middleweight rankings as he bids to re-enter the title picture, and he is risking his place in the top 10 here as he faces an unranked opponent in Magomedov. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The event will take place on Saturday 1 July, at the UFC Apex institute in Las Vegas. The prelims are set to begin at 9pm BST (1pm PT, 3pm CT, 4pm ET). The main card is then due to follow at 12am BST on Sunday 2 July (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Strickland – 4/7 Magomedov – 13/10 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov (middleweight) Damir Ismagulov vs Grant Dawson (lightweight) Max Griffin vs Michael Morales (welterweight) Ariane Lipski vs Melissa Gatto (women’s flyweight) Ismael Bonfim vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight) Brunno Ferreira vs Nursulton Ruziboev (middleweight) Prelims Kevin Lee vs Rinat Fakhretdinov (welterweight) Joanderson Brito vs Westin Wilson (featherweight) Yana Santos vs Karol Rosa (women’s bantamweight) Guram Kutateladze vs Elves Brener (lightweight) Ivana Petrovic vs Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight) Alexandr Romanov vs Blagoy Ivanov (heavyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Ilia Topuria makes bold Alexander Volkanovski claim after dominating Josh Emmett Elon Musk picks UFC legend to train him for Mark Zuckerberg fight UFC star’s dream Olympic anniversary derailed by injury Michael Chandler reassures fans over Conor McGregor fight Khabib’s coach makes Musk vs Zuckerberg prediction

Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov will square off in a meeting of middleweight contenders this weekend, as the pair clash in a UFC Fight Night main event. American Strickland, 32, is looking to make it back-to-back wins, having beaten Nassourdine Imavov on points in January, following two straight losses last year. Meanwhile, Russian Magomedov, also 32, enters Las Vegas on the back of a three-fight win streak, with all of those wins having come via stoppage. Strickland sits at No 7 in the middleweight rankings as he bids to re-enter the title picture, and he is risking his place in the top 10 here as he faces an unranked opponent in Magomedov. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The event will take place on Saturday 1 July, at the UFC Apex institute in Las Vegas. The prelims are set to begin at 9pm BST (1pm PT, 3pm CT, 4pm ET). The main card is then due to follow at 12am BST on Sunday 2 July (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Strickland – 4/7 Magomedov – 13/10 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov (middleweight) Damir Ismagulov vs Grant Dawson (lightweight) Max Griffin vs Michael Morales (welterweight) Ariane Lipski vs Melissa Gatto (women’s flyweight) Ismael Bonfim vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight) Brunno Ferreira vs Nursulton Ruziboev (middleweight) Prelims Kevin Lee vs Rinat Fakhretdinov (welterweight) Joanderson Brito vs Westin Wilson (featherweight) Yana Santos vs Karol Rosa (women’s bantamweight) Guram Kutateladze vs Elves Brener (lightweight) Ivana Petrovic vs Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight) Alexandr Romanov vs Blagoy Ivanov (heavyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Ilia Topuria makes bold Alexander Volkanovski claim after dominating Josh Emmett Elon Musk picks UFC legend to train him for Mark Zuckerberg fight UFC star’s dream Olympic anniversary derailed by injury Michael Chandler reassures fans over Conor McGregor fight Khabib’s coach makes Musk vs Zuckerberg prediction

Henry Cejudo’s dream of fighting on the anniversary of his Olympic gold-medal win has been derailed by injury, the ex-UFC champion has said. Cejudo was due to face Marlon “Chito Vera” at a UFC Fight Night on 19 August – the 15th anniversary of his wrestling triumph for the United States at the Beijing Games. However, a shoulder injury will prevent Cejudo, 36, from competing this summer, denying him the chance to bounce back from a recent loss. Cejudo, one of just four dual-weight champions in UFC history, retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 but returned in May, losing to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on points. “Unfortunately due to my right shoulder, I won’t be able to fight,” Cejudo said on Instagram on Thursday (29 June). “I’ve already torn my left shoulder, where I was out for about a year. I don’t want it to tear further than what it already is. “The cat’s out the bag. It’s actually a 50 per cent tear. I stretched it out to as much as I possibly could, because I love that Chito Vera match-up, but between my shoulder and my baby expected on 25 October, it’s the best decision for me and my family to not fight in August. “Nothing changes with my future goals. I want my title back. When I’m back to 100 per cent, you’ll see me in the Octagon again. But until then, I need to heal. I hope the UFC can find a replacement to fight Chito, so he could stay on the card. I would’ve loved to fight him in Boston on the 15-year anniversary of my gold medal. But I’ll be back.” Cejudo won the UFC flyweight title in 2018 and claimed the bantamweight belt in 2019. He retained each title once and vacated both prior to retiring in 2020. In May, he returned to MMA and attempted to reclaim the bantamweight title by challenging Sterling, who beat Cejudo via split decision. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor doubles down on Ultimate Fighter criticism as Michael Chandler’s team dominate Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who would win a fight between tech titans? Strickland vs Magomedov live stream: How to watch UFC Fight Night online and on TV this weekend