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 What time does UFC 294 start tonight? How to watch UFC 294 online and on TV tonight Islam Makhachev demands two words from Alexander Volkanovski ahead of UFC 294

Ange Postecoglou has hinted opportunities for his fringe players could be on the horizon ahead of a busy week for Tottenham. Spurs return to action after the international break with a Monday night clash at home to Fulham and face a quick turnaround with a trip to Crystal Palace four days later. Yves Bissouma is suspended for the visit of Fulham, which should see Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earn a first Premier League start this season, and Postecoglou has also urged fit-again Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil and Brennan Johnson to be ready if called upon. “We’ve got a Monday night game and then we back it up with a Friday night game, so we’ll probably need a good deal of the squad to do those two games,” the Spurs boss explained. “As good as we’ve been, there are still a few players like Brennan, (Rodrigo) Bentancur, Gil and Lo Celso who haven’t really played at all for us yet. “Having them back, even in terms of training and raising the level, they are the things that will give us the focus to maintain and keep improving the performances. “When there is competitiveness around the squad in training and playing, that guards against any complacency or anyone feeling comfortable about things.” Bentancur is still “weeks” away from returning to first-team action after his anterior cruciate ligament injury in February, but Lo Celso will aim to make an impact over the next week. Lo Celso was linked with a move away from Tottenham at the start of the summer before Postecoglou made clear his desire to keep the Argentinian, who then sustained a muscle issue in his only start of the campaign at Fulham in the Carabao Cup in August. The midfielder is fit again now and made substitute appearances for Argentina against Paraguay and Peru during the international break. Postecoglou said: “He is obviously very highly regarded within the Argentinian set-up because they always call him up and he played in both games. “He didn’t play significant minutes but he played in both and played 15 to 20 in the second game. It is great for him and his confidence. “Unfortunately he had a disrupted early part of the season but again another player we haven’t had a contribution from and that’s a pleasing thing for us.” Postecoglou will hope to see Gil begin to contribute too following his return to full fitness after surgery on his groin in August. The Australian admitted Gil’s influence is even more critical with Ivan Perisic (ACL) and Manor Solomon (knee) out until 2024. “Bryan can be really important for us,” Postecoglou insisted. “It has been great to have him just working really hard at training. He’s missed all of this season so far and it’s well chronicled that we lost Ivan and Manor, who play in that left-wing position. “Having Bryan fit and available again is great for us. He’s, I guess, in the same boat as everyone else because at some point he’ll be afforded an opportunity and then it’s up to him. “He certainly has all the criteria and credentials to play in that position for us and, like I said, his training is getting stronger now, he’s part of the group and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity.” Read More Richard Wigglesworth insists England are ready for South Africa ‘dark arts’ Ian Foster insists he does not care who New Zealand face in World Cup final Mauricio Pochettino hails Reece James’ leadership and defends captain after ban I don’t remember – Pep Guardiola denies tipping Roberto De Zerbi as successor Luke Shaw not expected to be fit until after November’s international break FIFA hands two-year doping ban to World Cup winner Papu Gomez

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