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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Germans and the country s huge Turkish minority were out in force on Wednesday ahead of their Euro 2008 clash, but the atmosphere was carnival-like and police expected no major disturbances.
German cities and towns were a sea of flags from both countries as fans headed singing, cheering and beeping their car horns to large public public viewing areas to watch the game beamed live from Basel from 8.45 pm (1845 GMT).
Thousands of police were deployed across the country to ensure that the mix of rival fans, beer and summer sunshine does not become too volatile during the match and particularly afterwards.
I think that we can win, I reckon it will be 2-1 to the Turks, predicted Cagatay, an 18-year-old Berliner of Turkish origin waving a red flag with a white cres…
Napoli loanee Goran Pandev is set to return to Inter Milan at the end of the season, according to a report.
The Macedonian striker signed for the Neapolitan side last off-season on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the current campaign, Il Mattino has reported.
He has mostly been consigned to the role of a bench-warmer at the San Paolo outfit though, which has seen him score just six times since the start of the season.
It is believed that Napoli will not exercise their buying option at the end of the season, which will see Pandev move back to Inter, although the 28-year-old may find himself on the market once again.
The former Lazio striker, who joined Inter in January 2010, has two years left on his contract with Inter.
Everton are interested in signing Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, . The report has claimed that Nelson is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season, and that Premier League rivals Everton are keen on snapping up the 23-year-old winger on a free.
Nelson has been on the books of Arsenal his entire professional club football career so far. The 23-year-old has been out on loan as well, and there have been injury concerns. The winger is in talks with Arsenal over a new deal, but no new deal is in place at the moment.
The winger has made three substitute appearances in the Premier League for Arsenal so far this season. Nelson has scored three goals and given two assists in those games. The winger has also made two starts and two…
A video of Steve Kean appearing to make derogatory remarks about his predecessor Sam Allardyce has gone online.
The four-minute clip first which first appeared on the Blackburn supporters website BRFC Action Group, was apparently filmed in a bar against Kean s knowledge during the club s pre-season tour of the Far East last summer.
Along with the disparaging remarks about Allardyce, the Scot also predicts a top-10 Premier League finish along with Carling Cup success.
However, Rovers have since been relegated after finishing second-bottom, and were knocked out of the cup by Championship side Cardiff City in controversial circumstances in November.
Kean bizarrely fielded a weakened side in the quarter-final tie and later revealed that he had forfeited the…
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Newcastle United welcome title-chasing Liverpool to St. James Park in the round before the last of the 2018/19 Premier League season on Saturday evening.
Newcastle
The Magpies sit 13th at the moment, well above the relegation zone, and their Premier League status for next season is secured. On the other hand, they aren t in contention for a European spot and they therefore feel no pressure whatsoever to perform in this match. Further more, given the historic ties between manager Rafa Benitez and Liverpool, some believe that the Spaniard might feel some internal conflict of interest, but he has firmly rejected any such notion by promising the fans that his current team will be doing Liverpool no favors.
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Forward Ayoze…
Tottenham star Harry Kane has revealed the level of sacrifice he has made in his personal life in order to surpass the goalscoring exploits of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The striker scored 56 goals for club and country in 2017, placing him top of the charts for players at clubs in Europe s top five leagues, one ahead of Barcelona ace Messi.
Kane s form, if it continues in 2018, has seen him tipped as an outsider to become the first player to stop Messi or Ronaldo winning the Ballon d Or since Kaka claimed the prize in 2007.
The 24-year-old admits he has given up a significant amount of his social life in order to sustain his level of performances and leave the rest of the continent in his wake.
They ve been such good players over the last ten ye…
The agent of Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony says a deal to take the Ivorian to Manchester City could be done in a few days .
Bony is Swansea s record signing after arriving from Vitesse Arnhem for £12million in 2013 and ended 2014 as the top scorer in the Premier League for the calendar year.
However, the 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium in recent days, with champions City tipped to sign Bony for a reported £30million fee.
And agent Francis Kacou believes the transfer could be completed this week.
Talks are going on and I really hope soon things will happen, he told Sky Sports News.
There were rumours about other clubs, but at the moment it is City.
There are some small details about…
Hannover have completed the signing of Hoffenheim striker Joselu for an undisclosed fee, it was announced on Monday.
The 24-year-old has penned a four-year deal, keeping him at his new club until at least June 2018.
Joselu spent last season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 14 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions.
And the Spaniard is thrilled to have made the switch to Tayfun Korkut s side.
My goal was to move to a club with a clear outlook for me, he told the club s official website. I join a great team and a very ambitious manager at Hannover.
The talks with (president) Martin Kind, (sporting director) Dirk Dufner and Tayfun Korkut convinced me that I can take the next step here and that I fit perfectly with the team and the playing philo…
New York Red Bulls continued their excellent home form as they climbed up the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-0 win over Nashville in the MLS.
Goals from Brazilian forward Fabio and defender Kyle Duncan either side of half-time settled Friday s contest for the Red Bulls, who recorded their fourth consecutive home victory.
The result inflicted Nashville s first defeat of the season, also seeing them slide down to eighth in the east as the Red Bulls moved up to third – five points behind leaders New England Revolution.
Fabio, who joined the Red Bulls in February, netted his first goal for the club with a fine volley in the 37th minute after Patryk Klimala s crafty flick-on.
Ten minutes into the second half, Duncan added a second, collecting the ball…
Fabio Capello has compared Paulo Dybala to Roma legend Francesco Totti but believes the Argentine s new strike partner Tammy Abraham has some way to go before he reaches the level of Gabriel Batistuta.
Capello was in charge of Roma when they last won the Scudetto in the 2000-01 season, with Batistuta and Totti netting a total of 33 Serie A goals (Batistuta 20, Totti 13) as they edged out Juventus in a thrilling title race.
With Jose Mourinho having delivered the Europa Conference League trophy during his first season in the Italian capital last term, hopes are high the Giallorossi could mount a serious domestic challenge this time around.
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