data-mm-id=”_yr8mgnx0q”>Conor McGregor returns to the UFC on Saturday night at UFC 257 following his latest long layoff. If "The Notorious" wants to prove he's still an elite mixed martial artist, this latest comeback fight needs to be his best.Last January, McGregor returned from a two-year layoff at UFC 246 and proceeded to dismantle and dominate Donald Cerrone, scoring a TKO win in 40 seconds. The Irishman claimed he wanted to fight multiple times in 2020, with potentially three or even four fights set to take place. The COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans and instead he's been sidelined ever since. This isn't the first time McGregor has had to deal with a long break. After TKO-ing Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016 to become the first fighter to simultaneously hold UFC titles in two weight classes, he took time away from MMA for his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. It was two years before he returned to the octagon to face Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, where he lost via submission. That led to the two year layoff before the Cerrone fight. Now at 32, McGregor is back at lightweight, ready to face a familiar foe in Dustin Poirier. He scored a TKO win over Poirier in 2014 at UFC 178 on his way up the ladder at featherweight. Two fights later McGregor won the interim featherweight title over Chad Mendes, and one fight after that he knocked out Jose Aldo to unify the title. While McGregor has been on the sidelines for much of the past four years, Poirier has been working. Since the start of 2017, the Louisiana native has won six of eight fights, with one loss and a no contest against Alvarez. His only loss came against Nurmagomedov who dominated, then submitted Poirier at UFC 242 in September of 2019. Given how incredible Khabib is, there's no shame in suffering that defeat. Poirier is an action fighter, which should make him a good opponent for McGregor. The UFC is hoping for a battle, not a staring contest. Poirier is currently No. 2 in the UFC's lightweight rankings and the 32-year-old has earned that spot. He's a fantastic fighter in peak condition, unlike Cerrone who was clearly on the downslope when he stepped in to face McGregor.If he wants to win on Saturday night and sell the world that he's still a title contender, McGregor must remain calm and pick his spots. Poirier is going to want to prove he deserves another title shot, so he could come out aggressive looking for a big, flashy win. McGregor has to use his accuracy and punching power efficiently without tiring himself out. The opportunities for a knockout will be there, but he can't risk gassing out early as he's done previously. It should be a great matchup for two fighters who know each other well. If McGregor wants prove he still belongs atop the UFC, he'll have to turn in his best performance in years.
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Desperate to make an immediate return to winning ways when they return from the festive break this weekend, Juventus will welcome Udinese to the Allianz on Sunday night.
Juventus
Starting with the hosts, while Juventus might have thought they had managed to find a real bounce when heading into the festive break, Andrea Pirlo s side came crashing back down to earth. Putting in what was a worrying display back on December 22nd when they welcomed a struggling Fiorentina to Turin, the Old Lady were hit with a woeful 3-0 drumming on home soil. While the former World Cup-winner might have seen his side enjoy a real Champions League romp and signing off their campaign with a 3-0 win at the Nou Camp, Juventus have struggled with their Serie …
Zinedine Zidane has explained his shock decision to resign as Real Madrid coach comes down to his doubts over whether the club could continue to win titles consistently under his stewardship.
The Frenchman took the football world by surprise on Thursday when, at a hastily arranged news conference, he announced he is leaving the club.
Zidane s decision comes just five days after guiding Madrid to a third successive Champions League title in Kiev by beating Liverpool 3-1 his ninth trophy since taking charge in January 2016.
The 45-year-old took charge of the club in January 2016 and has enjoyed an incredible tenure, but he was simply unsure they could continue to keep winning with him at the helm.
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Julian Nagelsmann insisted Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic did not mean to offend when he said the club s training matches could be better spectacles than Bundesliga games.
The comments from Salihamidzic came in a wide-ranging interview with German broadcaster Sky Sport, as he answered a question about Tottenham s Harry Kane by pointing out the wealth of attacking talent already in Bayern s ranks.
Salihamidzic said in the interview, released on Thursday: If you look at the training sessions, it s great fun to watch. Some training games are better than Bundesliga games.
It was the sort of throwaway comment that could be interpreted as a provocative remark towards Bayern s Bundesliga rivals.
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Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City have enjoyed incredible success in keeping Erling Haaland fit, claiming his occasional early withdrawals of the striker have been justified.
Haaland sustained several injuries during his prolific two-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, netting 22 goals despite only starting 21 Bundesliga games in his final season with BVB.
However, only Ederson (2,610) and Rodri (2,407) have played more Premier League minutes for City than Haaland this term (2,187) as Guardiola s men bid for a fifth title in six seasons.
Haaland has averaged a goal every 72.9 minutes in his first Premier League campaign, and Guardiola says City have a host of medical professionals to thank for his continued availability.
I don t know what he did in D…
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Victory means City top the table after the first weekend of the Premier League as the 2011-12 champions produced a masterclass at the Etihad Stadium.
David Silva opened the scoring with a header inside 10 minutes before Sergio Aguero extended the advantage with a neat finish from a wide angle. It got worse for Newcastle when Steven Taylor received his marching orders in first-half injury-time for striking the back of Aguero s head during an aerial challenge.
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Raheem Sterling rediscovered his scoring touch as under-fire Liverpool beat Bournemouth 3-1 in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
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His double came either side of Lazar Markovic s first goal for Liverpool, which was aided by Bournemouth defender Tommy Elphick s confusion.
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Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique insisted there was no excuse for the LaLiga champions stalemate against Malaga, despite the absence of star duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Barca failed to score at home for the first time since February 2015 as they played out a goalless draw with Malaga on Saturday.
Messi missed the clash due to illness, while Suarez was sidelined due to suspension.
Pique, however, refused to use the missing pair as an excuse after Barca fell four points behind leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid.
We re Barca and we can t blame absences, he said.
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The Serbia international played a key role in the club s Premier League title success of 2014-15, but struggled last season and then saw his place come under threat from the arrival of Kante.
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To be honest I spoke with [Conte], he told Sky Sports. I spoke with the club and we both decided that it was best for the club and for me to stay.
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Carlos Alcaraz took advantage of an Aaron Ramsdale error inside 27 seconds and former Gunner Theo Walcott added a second, before Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back before half-time.
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The Australian government has been praised by FIFPro after evacuating women footballers and other athletes from Afghanistan.
Many sportswomen in Afghanistan have gone into hiding after the Taliban seized control of the country s capital Kabul.
Football s governing body FIFA contacted a number of governments last week to request help getting footballers out of the country and it has been reported at least 50 have made it to Australia.
We are grateful to the Australian government for evacuating a large number of women footballers and athletes from Afghanistan, FIFPro, the international organisation for professional players, said in a statement.
These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of th…