UFC 294 takes place this weekend, as a stacked card culminates in two major fights, both of which came together on less than two weeks’ notice. In the original main event of UFC 294, Islam Makhachev was due to defend the lightweight title in a rematch with Charles Oliveira, but the latter suffered a severe cut over his eye, leading him to be replaced by Alexander Volkanovski. In February, Makhachev narrowly outpointed Volkanovski, who reigns as featherweight champion, and fans had hoped to see a rematch someday – not realising how soon it would in fact transpire. In the co-main event, meanwhile, Kamaru Usman replaces the injured Paulo Costa on short notice, facing rising star Khamzat Chimaev in a huge match-up. Usman lost the welterweight title last year after a dominant reign, and now he makes his middleweight debut against one of the fiercest prospects in MMA. 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 UFC 294? UFC 294 takes place on Saturday 21 October at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The prelims are set to begin at 3pm BST (7am PT, 9am CT, 10am ET), with the main card following at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). How can I watch it? The card will air live on TNT Sports 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. 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. Odds Makhachev – 4/9; Volkanovski – 9/5 Chimaev – 2/5; Usman – 2/1 Full odds via Betway. •Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Main card Islam Makhachev (C) vs Alexander Volkanovski 2 (lightweight title) Khamzat Chimaev vs Kamaru Usman (middleweight) Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny Walker (light-heavyweight) Ikram Aliskerov vs Warlley Alves (middleweight) Said Nurmagomedov vs Muin Gafurov (bantamweight) Prelims Tim Elliot vs Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight) Nathaniel Wood vs Muhammad Naimov (featherweight) Mohammad Yahya vs Trevor Peek (lightweight) Javid Basharat vs Victor Henry (bantamweight) Abu Azaitar vs Sedriques Dumas (middleweight) Mike Breeden vs Anshul Jubli (lightweight) Viktoriia Dudakova vs Jinh Yu Frey (women’s strawweight) Shara Magomedov vs Bruno Silva (middleweight) Read More Alexander Volkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFC Alexander Volkanovski admits it’s ‘crazy’ to fight Islam Makhachev on short notice Conor McGregor won’t face sexual assault charges, lawyer says Alexander Volkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFC What time does UFC 294 start this weekend? How to watch UFC 294 online and on TV this weekend

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The biggest drama in the chess world has taken another turn, after it was revealed that Hikaru Nakamura previously accused a young prodigy of cheating. Grandmaster Nakamura dismissed “garbage” claims that he had cheated recently after being accused following an impressive winning streak. Vladimir Kramnik was one of the prominent voices in the game to stir the pot – although he deleted his initial post, leading Nakamura to hit out at him for spreading the accusations. Now, it’s emerged that Nakamura himself once accused a young player of cheating. In a Twitter/X post by Chess Rumours, an anonymous social media user claimed that Nakamura once threatened to track down Andrew Tang, a future grandmaster who was 14 at the time, after he took him on in a match and scored 20 per cent. It was also claimed that he had done this to GM Arjun Erigaisi – and now grandmaster Srinath Narayanan has posted to confirm those allegations. “Can confirm that – true story about Arjun,” Erigaisi tweeted. “Young Arjun was obviously rattled by the baseless accusation and felt bad about it, but thankfully it did not break his confidence or deter his progress.” It’s just another development in one of the most eye-catching sports stories of the year to date. It comes after Nakamara recently posted a YouTube video hitting out at Kramnik, saying: “Someone doesn’t get to say these things without actual proof. They don’t get to falsely accuse people over and over again without having to pay a price. “It’s very disrespectful and to me, it shows that Kramnik simply has no respect for anybody at the end of the day. You don’t get to make false accusations when you are not an expert. You don’t get to make false accusations when you do not have data to back yourself up.” He went on to say: “I’m very proud of my record playing online, very proud of it, and I have nothing to hide.” indy100 has reached out to Hikaru Nakamura for comment Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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