List of All Articles with Tag 'ports'

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) will end its partnership with the UFC in January after Conor McGregor’s return to its testing pool this week, claiming that the saga has made the organisations’ relationship ‘untenable’. Usada announced on Wednesday (11 October) that McGregor had re-entered its testing pool, as the former champion prepares for his first fight since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. In order to compete in the UFC, athletes must have been in the pool for six months while returning zero positive test results and at least two negatives. That means McGregor’s earliest possible return date is in April, but Usada admitted that it would not be able to ensure that the Irishman serves the full six months, because it will not be renewing its partnership with the UFC in January. Usada clarified that the move was the result of its discomfort with the McGregor saga, after the UFC and the fighter suggested earlier this year that Usada might grant the 35-year-old an exemption to facilitate an earlier in-ring return. “We can confirm that Conor McGregor has re-entered the Usada testing pool as of Sunday 8 October 2023,” said Usada CEO Travis Tygart in a statement. “We have been clear and firm with the UFC that there should be no exception given by the UFC for McGregor to fight until he has returned two negative tests and been in the pool for at least six months. The rules also allow Usada to keep someone in the testing pool longer before competing based on their declarations upon entry in the pool and testing results. “Unfortunately, we do not currently know whether the UFC will ultimately honor the six-month or longer requirement because, as of 1 January 2024, Usada will no longer be involved with the UFC Anti-Doping Program. “Despite a positive and productive meeting about a contract renewal in May 2023, the UFC did an about-face and informed Usada on Monday 9 October that it was going in a different direction. We are disappointed for UFC athletes, who are independent contractors who rely on our independent, gold-standard global program to protect their rights to a clean, safe, and fair Octagon. The UFC’s move imperils the immense progress made within the sport under Usada’s leadership. “The relationship between Usada and UFC became untenable given the statements made by UFC leaders and others questioning Usada’s principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the testing pool for at least six months. “Fighters’ long-term health and safety – in addition to a fair and level playing field – are more important to Usada than short-term profits at the expense of clean athletes. Usada is proud of the work we’ve done over the past eight years to clean up the UFC, and we will continue to provide our unparalleled service to UFC athletes through the remainder of our current contract, which ends 31 December 2023. “As always, we will continue to uphold the rights and voices of clean athletes in all sport.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Kamaru Usman to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 after Paulo Costa withdraws Charles Oliveira replaced by Alexander Volkanovski in Islam Makhachev fight UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year

KSI will box Tommy Fury in Manchester on Saturday, with Logan Paul fighting Dillon Danis moments before. KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) and Paul both rose to fame on YouTube before crossing into boxing and business, launching the energy drink company Prime together in 2022. Briton KSI, 30, has also ventured into rapping, while American Paul has enjoyed success in WWE. The pair even boxed each other in 2018 and 2019, with Paul, 28, going on to face the legendary Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition bout. Meanwhile, Fury is best known as the half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson, and the 24-year-old also starred on the reality TV show Love Island. The Briton is unbeaten as a professional boxer, while American Danis’s experience is in jiu-jitsu and – to a lesser degree – mixed martial arts. The 30-year-old, a former teammate of UFC icon Conor McGregor, is making his boxing debut this weekend. 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 event? The fights are set to take place on Saturday 14 October at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Paul vs Danis is likely to take place at around 10.30pm BST (2.30pm PT, 4.30pm CT, 5.30pm ET), with ring walks for KSI vs Fury expected at 11.30pm BST (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn pay-per-view, at a cost of £19.99 in the UK and $54.99 in the US. 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 KSI – 5/2; Fury – 2/7 Paul – 2/9; Danis – 3/1 Full odds via William Hill. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) • KSI vs Tommy Fury • Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis • Salt Papi vs Slim Albaher • Deen The Great vs Walid Sharks II • King Kenny vs Anthony Taylor • Whindersson Nunes vs My Mate Nate • NichLmao & Alex Wassabi vs Luis Alcaraz Pineda & BDave • Astrid Wett vs Alexia Grace • Swarmz vs Ryan Taylor II • Chase DeMoor vs Tempo Arts S-X vs DTG Read More Who is KSI? From ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing Tommy Fury explains why he has ‘never been fan’ of KSI ahead of crunch boxing match Let’s get ready to rumble! Inside the ropes with boxing’s ring announcers KSI ‘spits’ back at John Fury from balcony after having a bottle thrown at him Tommy Fury posts nine-week body transformation as he goads fight rival KSI Who is the back-up fighter for Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis?

KSI will box Tommy Fury in Manchester on Saturday night, in a bout that will surely be one of the most watched of the year. YouTuber KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) has crossed into boxing, rapping and business in recent years, partnering with ex-opponent Logan Paul to launch the energy drink company Prime in 2022. Next up for the 30-year-old is this clash with Fury, who some will know from his stint on the reality TV show Love Island, though others will know him as the half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. Tommy, 24, is undefeated as a professional, while fellow Briton KSI has also never been beaten – though he has less experience in the pro ranks. In the co-main event, Paul will be in action against fellow American Dillon Danis, a former teammate of UFC star Conor McGregor. 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 event? The fights are set to take place on Saturday 14 October at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Paul vs Danis is likely to take place at around 10.30pm BST (2.30pm PT, 4.30pm CT, 5.30pm ET), with ring walks for KSI vs Fury expected at 11.30pm BST (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn pay-per-view, at a cost of £19.99 in the UK and $54.99 in the US. 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 KSI – 5/2; Fury – 2/7 Paul – 2/9; Danis – 3/1 Full odds via William Hill. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) • KSI vs Tommy Fury • Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis • Salt Papi vs Slim Albaher • Deen The Great vs Walid Sharks II • King Kenny vs Anthony Taylor • Whindersson Nunes vs My Mate Nate • NichLmao & Alex Wassabi vs Luis Alcaraz Pineda & BDave • Astrid Wett vs Alexia Grace • Swarmz vs Ryan Taylor II • Chase DeMoor vs Tempo Arts S-X vs DTG Read More Who is KSI? From ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing Tommy Fury explains why he has ‘never been fan’ of KSI ahead of crunch boxing match Let’s get ready to rumble! Inside the ropes with boxing’s ring announcers KSI ‘spits’ back at John Fury from balcony after having a bottle thrown at him Tommy Fury posts nine-week body transformation as he goads fight rival KSI Who is the back-up fighter for Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis?

Modern pentathlon is waiting to hear about its Olympic future after adding obstacles and ditching horses

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are preparing to face the backup Kansas quarterback that beat them last year

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has written to the Israel Football Association to express sorrow from the football community over the loss of life following the attack by Hamas. Rockets were launched from Gaza and Hamas breached the border fence into Israel on Saturday, storming villages and taking dozens of hostages. Israel has said more than 1,200 people were killed. Since then, retaliatory airstrikes by Israel have killed another 1,200 civilians in Gaza, which is now subjected to a blockade preventing power and supplies reaching the inhabitants of the 25-mile-long Strip. A letter from Ceferin has now emerged whereby he writes of “profound sorrow” for the “violence” towards the people of Israel, addressed to Israeli FA president Shino Zuares. The letter neither makes any reference to Israel’s retaliation nor those living in Gaza. “I am writing to express our profound sorrow upon learning about the tragic acts of violence that occurred last week in Israel, resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” it reads. “My heart goes out to all the victims and their families during these difficult times. It is an unimaginable tragedy, and the pain and sorrow are profound and resonate across the entire football community. We sincerely hope no one will ever again experience such grief. “I pray for these deep wounds to heal and for a world where such senseless acts of violence have no place.” The letter, a copy of which was posted on social media by Sky’s Rob Harris, is the first communication seen by any Uefa or Fifa officials, with neither governing body officially releasing a statement regarding the attacks over the past week. More than 5,000 civilians are estimated to have been injured or wounded since the strikes on Gaza began.

Frankie Dettori isn’t done with horse racing just yet

UEFA has postponed Israel’s European Championship qualifying game against host Kosovo on Sunday

Kamaru Usman will face Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 294, after replacing Paulo Costa on 10 days’ notice. Usman, who reigned as welterweight champion from 2018 until 2022, will make his middleweight debut in the bout, which pits him against one of the most dominant prospects in mixed martial arts. Swedish-born Russian Chimaev is 12-0 as a professional with 11 stoppage wins. The match-up was confirmed on Wednesday (11 October), when Costa revealed that he would need two elbow surgeries this week, having already undergone one two weeks ago. As such, the Brazilian is out of UFC 294, which takes place in Abu Dhabi on 21 October. The 32-year-old’s withdrawal was the second by a Brazilian in the space of two days; on Tuesday (10 October), Charles Oliveira withdrew from the main event of UFC 294 due to a severe cut over his right eye. Oliveira was due to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in a rematch – 12 months after the Russian submitted him in the same venue in Abu Dhabi. Alexander Volkanovski, who holds the featherweight title, is stepping in to replace Oliveira and contest his own rematch with Makhachev, who narrowly outpointed him to retain the lightweight belt in February. Usman, 36, last fought in March, suffering a decision loss to Leon Edwards while challenging for the welterweight title, which Edwards took from the Nigerian-American with a brutal head kick last August. Chimaev, 29, last fought in September 2022, submitting Kevin Holland in Round 1. Chimaev was originally set to face Nate Diaz on that occasion but missed weight, leading the card to be altered on short notice. Diaz instead fought and submitted Tony Ferguson in the main event. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Usada ends UFC partnership over ‘untenable’ Conor McGregor situation Charles Oliveira replaced by Alexander Volkanovski in Islam Makhachev fight UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year

Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first on an untested wicket against South Africa in the Cricket World Cup

Maja Stark and Wichanee Meechai have each shot 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke first-round lead at the LPGA Shanghai event in the tour’s return to China after the COVID-19 pandemic

The Arizona Diamondbacks made postseason history by becoming the first team ever to hit four home runs in one inning