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Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will clash to crown a new ‘BMF’ champion at UFC 291, in what could be the fight of the year. Five years after Poirier stopped Gaethje in a thrilling bout, the Americans will square off again, with the vacant ‘baddest motherf*****’ belt on the line in Utah. Since their first in-ring meeting, the lightweights have lost two undisputed-title fights each, but both men have crafted impressive resumes nonetheless. And Poirier, 34, and Gaethje, also 34, will look to bolster those resumes here, as they fight for the BMF title, which has only been on the line once before. In 2019, the now-retired Jorge Masvidal beat Nate Diaz to become the inaugural champion. In the co-main event this weekend, former light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz welcomes Alex Pereira to the division, in the latter’s first fight since losing the middleweight belt in April. Elsewhere, there are plenty of great fights on the card. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 291 takes place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday 29 July. The early prelims are set to begin at 11.30pm on Saturday (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 30 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport 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. Odds Poirier – 10/13; Gaethje – 11/10 Blachowicz – 10/11; Pereira – 10/11 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje 2 (lightweight – vacant ‘BMF’ title) Jan Blachowicz vs Alex Pereira (light-heavyweight) Stephen Thompson vs Michel Pereira (welterweight) Tony Ferguson vs Bobby Green (lightweight) Michael Chiesa vs Kevin Holland (welterweight) Prelims Trevin Giles vs Gabriel Bonfim (welterweight) Derrick Lewis vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima (heavyweight) Roman Kopylov vs Claudio Ribeiro (middleweight) Jake Matthews vs Miguel Baeza (welterweight) Early prelims CJ Vergara vs Vinicius Salvador (flyweight) Matthew Semelsberger vs Yohan Lainesse (welterweight) Miranda Maverick vs Priscila Cachoeira (women’s flyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tom Aspinall finally banishes ghosts of the past with UFC London triumph UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at company’s sponsors When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Tom Aspinall finally banishes ghosts of the past with UFC London triumph

Tom Aspinall banished a ghost at the O2 Arena on Saturday, securing a statement victory at UFC London to make a triumphant return, one year after suffering a severe injury in the same building. In July 2022, Aspinall tore his MCL and stretched his ACL just 15 seconds into his main event with Curtis Blaydes, and almost exactly 365 days later, the Wigan heavyweight stopped Marcin Tybura in the first round to get back to winning ways. Aspinall, 30, hurt Tybura early with a head kick but resisted getting carried away, instead biding his time – briefly, at least – before dropping the Pole, 37, with a straight right hand. Aspinall then pounced with hammer fists, forcing the stoppage with 1:13 on the clock, before climbing atop the cage to celebrate. “I wasn’t myself last year, this is a whole new version of me,” Aspinall said in his post-fight interview. “I’m not gonna say that I’m back, because I’m different. My mind’s different, my body’s different. I’m going all the way [to the belt]. “I’ll tell you exactly what I’m gonna do: I’m gonna go to Paris [in September], I’m gonna be sat front row for Ciryl Gane against Sergey Spivak. I’m gonna beat the winner, and then I’m gonna beat [champion] Jon Jones.” The result put the crowd back in jubilant spirits, after “Meatball” Molly McCann suffered a submission loss in the co-main event. The Liverpudlian fan favourite tapped to an armbar in her flyweight contest with Julija Stoliarenko, on what was a night of mixed fortunes for British fighters. Full UFC London results (* denotes British fighter) Main card *Tom Aspinall def. Marcin Tybura via first-round TKO (punches, 1:13) Julija Stoliarenko def. *Molly McCann via first-round submission (armbar, 1:55) *Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) *Paul Craig def. Andre Muniz via second-round TKO (punches and elbows, 4:40) Fares Ziam def. *Jai Herbert via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) *Lerone Murphy def. Josh Culibao via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) Daniel Marcos def. *Davey Grant via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Prelims Jonny Parsons def. *Danny Roberts via second-round TKO (punches, 4:57) Joel Alvarez def. *Marc Diakiese via second-round submission (head-arm choke, 4:26) *Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) *Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via first-round submission (arm-triangle choke, 1:34) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury seeks UFC star Tom Aspinall’s help ahead of Francis Ngannou fight Makhachev vs Oliveira official for UFC 294 as Khamzat Chimaev returns on undercard ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at company’s sponsors Tyson Fury seeks UFC star’s help ahead of Francis Ngannou fight Two major fights announced for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at sponsors

Tom Aspinall banished a ghost at the O2 Arena on Saturday, securing a statement victory at UFC London to make a triumphant return, one year after suffering a severe injury in the same building. In July 2022, Aspinall tore his MCL and stretched his ACL just 15 seconds into his main event with Curtis Blaydes, and almost exactly 365 days later, the Wigan heavyweight stopped Marcin Tybura in the first round to get back to winning ways. Aspinall, 30, hurt Tybura early with a head kick but resisted getting carried away, instead biding his time – briefly, at least – before dropping the Pole, 37, with a straight right hand. Aspinall then pounced with hammer fists, forcing the stoppage before climbing atop the cage to celebrate. “I wasn’t myself [last time], this is a whole new version of me,” Aspinall said in his post-fight interview. “I’m not gonna say that I’m back; I’m different. My mind’s different. I’m going all the way [to the belt]. “I’ll tell you exactly what I’m gonna do: I’m gonna go to Paris [in September], I’m gonna sit front row for Ciryl Gane vs Sergey Spivak, then I’m gonna beat the winner of that fight. Then I’m gonna beat [champion] Jon Jones.” The result put the crowd back in jubilant spirits, after “Meatball” Molly McCann suffered a submission loss in the co-main event. The Liverpudlian fan favourite tapped to an armbar in her flyweight contest with Julija Stoliarenko, on what was a night of mixed fortunes for British fighters. Full UFC London results (* denotes British fighter) Main card *Tom Aspinall def. Marcin Tybura via first-round TKO (punches, 1:13) Julija Stoliarenko def. *Molly McCann via first-round submission (armbar, 1:55) *Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) *Paul Craig def. Andre Muniz via second-round TKO (punches and elbows, 4:40) Fares Ziam def. *Jai Herbert via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) *Lerone Murphy def. Josh Culibao via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) Daniel Marcos def. *Davey Grant via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Prelims Jonny Parsons def. *Danny Roberts via second-round TKO (punches, 4:57) Joel Alvarez def. *Marc Diakiese via second-round submission (head-arm choke, 4:26) *Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) *Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via first-round submission (arm-triangle choke, 1:34) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.

The UFC returns to London this evening, as Tom Aspinall looks to right the wrong of his last outing at the O2 Arena. The Wigan heavyweight takes on Marcin Tybura in the main event tonight, almost exactly one year on from his ill-fated clash with Curtis Blaydes, which ended after 15 seconds when Aspinall suffered a knee injury. Aspinall, 30, has since undergone surgery and claimed that he is now better than ever, and he will seek to prove that against Poland’s Tybura, 37. In the co-main event, fan favourite “Meatball” Molly McCann goes up against Julija Stoliarenko, with the Liverpool strawweight aiming to get back to winning ways. In her most recent fight, McCann, 33, was submitted in the first round by Erin Blanchfield in November. McCann’s close friend Paddy Pimblett will be in the crowd to cheer her on, and to watch what should be an entertaining set of contests, including Indy Sport’s pick for fight of the night: Nathaniel Wood, the only London fighter on the card, against Andre Fili at featherweight. Follow live updates and results from UFC London below. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC London 2023 card: Aspinall vs Tybura and all bouts tonight Tyson Fury seeks UFC star Tom Aspinall’s help ahead of Francis Ngannou fight Makhachev vs Oliveira official for UFC 294 as Khamzat Chimaev returns on undercard

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The UFC is back in London this weekend, as heavyweights Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura clash in the main event at the O2 Arena. Aspinall is no stranger to a main event at the O2, having taken part in two in 2022. In the first, the Wigan fighter submitted Alexander Volkov in Round 1, but the latter saw Aspinall sustain a serious knee injury – just seconds into his clash with Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall, 30, has not fought since, but he returns to the Octagon on Saturday to face Poland’s Tybura, who is targeting a third straight win. In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Molly McCann takes on Julija Stoliarenko in a flyweight bout, as the British favourite aims to get back to winning ways. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The prelims are set to begin at 5pm BST on Saturday 22 July (9am PT, 11am CT, 12pm ET), with the main card then due to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport 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. Where can I buy tickets? AXS is the official ticket provider for UFC London. At the time of writing (Monday 17 July), there are still numerous seats available in the vast majority of sections of the O2 Arena. At the time of writing, the cheapest remaining tickets cost £101.25, are situated in the upper tier, and must be bought in pairs. Meanwhile, the most expensive tickets are in the front row, cost £1607.66, and have very limited availability. Odds Aspinall – 1/5; Tybura – 7/2 McCann – 7/20; Stoliarenko – 43/20 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura (heavyweight) Molly McCann vs Julija Stoliarenko (women’s flyweight) Nathaniel Wood vs Andre Fili (featherweight) Paul Craig vs Andre Muniz (middleweight) Jai Herbert vs Fares Ziam (lightweight) Lerone Murphy vs Josh Culibao (featherweight) Prelims Davey Grant vs Daniel Marcos (bantamweight) Danny Roberts vs Jonny Parsons (welterweight) Marc Diakiese vs Joel Alvarez (lightweight) Mick Parkin vs Jamal Pogues (heavyweight) Makhmud Muradov vs Bryan Barberena (middleweight) Ketlen Vieira vs Pannie Kianzad (women’s bantamweight) Chris Duncan vs Yanal Ashmouz (lightweight) Shauna Bannon vs Bruna Brasil (women’s strawweight) Jafel Filho vs Daniel Barez (flyweight) Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Tyson Fury seeks UFC star’s help ahead of Francis Ngannou fight Two major fights announced for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at sponsors

Conor McGregor has said he is ‘interested’ in the prospect of tech titans Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk going head to head in a cage fight. Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta, while Musk owns Twitter and runs Tesla and SpaceX, and the pair have gone back and forth on social media recently, expressing a desire to fight one another. Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and UFC president Dana White have both admitted that they would happily stage such a bout, and McGregor has now weighed in on the matter. “I‘m interested,” the Irishman told the Daily Mail. “Are they gonna go ahead with it? Are they gonna make it happen? If it happens under the UFC banner, I’m with it. It has to happen under the UFC banner.” The former dual-weight UFC champion said, however, that he would not train either man for the fight. “I’m training for my own fight,” McGregor insisted, referencing his planned bout with Michael Chandler, which is still without a date, location or weight class. “I’m feeling really good, really good. I’m ready to fight,” added McGregor, 35, while his manager Audie Attar said of the Chandler fight: “Listen, you can’t rule this year out, but we’re definitely gearing up for a strong match-up with Michael Chandler.” McGregor last fought in July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier. It is believed that McGregor vs Chandler will not take place in 2023, because the Irishman is still absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. In order to compete, athletes must have been in the pool for six months while returning zero positive test results and at least two negatives. However, it was suggested earlier this year that an exception could be made for McGregor. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC London 2023 tickets: Where to buy ahead of Fight Night this weekend Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC may help Conor McGregor by changing Ultimate Fighter format amid losing streak

The UFC returns to London’s O2 Arena this weekend, as Tom Aspinall fights Marcin Tybura in a heavyweight main event. Wigan’s Aspinall headlined back-to-back UFC London cards in 2022, winning the first of those but suffering a serious knee injury in the second. Aspinall, 30, has not fought since, but he will resume his bid for a title shot when he takes on Poland’s Tybura this weekend. While Aspinall’s record stands at 12-3, with all of his wins having come via finishes in the first two rounds, Tybura, 37, has a record of 24-7 and is seeking a third straight win. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The prelims are set to begin at 5pm BST on Saturday 22 July (9am PT, 11am CT, 12pm ET), with the main card then due to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport 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. Where can I buy tickets? AXS is the official ticket provider for UFC London. At the time of writing (Monday 17 July), there are still numerous seats available in the vast majority of sections of the O2 Arena. At the time of writing, the cheapest remaining tickets cost £101.25, are situated in the upper tier, and must be bought in pairs. Meanwhile, the most expensive tickets are in the front row, cost £1607.66, and have very limited availability. Odds Aspinall – 1/5; Tybura – 7/2 McCann – 7/20; Stoliarenko – 43/20 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura (heavyweight) Molly McCann vs Julija Stoliarenko (women’s flyweight) Nathaniel Wood vs Andre Fili (featherweight) Paul Craig vs Andre Muniz (middleweight) Jai Herbert vs Fares Ziam (lightweight) Lerone Murphy vs Josh Culibao (featherweight) Prelims Davey Grant vs Daniel Marcos (bantamweight) Danny Roberts vs Jonny Parsons (welterweight) Marc Diakiese vs Joel Alvarez (lightweight) Mick Parkin vs Jamal Pogues (heavyweight) Makhmud Muradov vs Bryan Barberena (middleweight) Ketlen Vieira vs Pannie Kianzad (women’s bantamweight) Chris Duncan vs Yanal Ashmouz (lightweight) Shauna Bannon vs Bruna Brasil (women’s strawweight) Jafel Filho vs Daniel Barez (flyweight) Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year UFC champion vacates title after suffering ankle injury

Jamahal Hill has vacated the UFC light-heavyweight title after suffering an injury, which reportedly occurred during a basketball game between fighters. Hill, 32, won the vacant gold in January, outpointing Glover Teixeira in the veteran’s native Brazil, but the American has decided to relinquish the belt without having made a single title defence. “I have unfortunately suffered an injury,” Hill said on his YouTube channel on Thursday (13 July). “I’ve ruptured my Achilles’ [tendon]. It’s just one of those things that happens. “It’s a tough injury. It’s one that will require surgery and will require time and rehab and things for me to be out for a while.” Per MMA Fighting, Hill suffered the injury while playing a basketball game with fellow fighters before UFC 290 in Las Vegas last week. Explaining his decision to vacate the title rather than allow the UFC to proceed with crowning an interim champion, Hill referenced his own route to the belt. In 2022, an injured Jiri Prochazka relinquished the title within several months of winning it. Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a draw while competing for the vacant belt in December, and another title fight was organised just one month later – with Hill beating former champion Teixeira. “I was given an opportunity,” Hill said. “I was given a blessing that came at the misfortune of someone else. Jiri Prochazka was the champion, he suffered an injury, as these things happen. He gave up the belt and allowed for others to not hold [up] the division – to keep the division moving forward, to keep entertaining, to make sure the people had a champion. I’ll do the same. “Right now, the biggest thing is focusing on my recovery, focusing on getting back to 100 per cent. I need to take some time to focus on my health and make sure that I’m 100 per cent and I’m the fighter that everybody knows who I am, and who I’ve been since I’ve stepped into this. In order to do that, I need to focus on healing and getting ready and rehabbing.” Former champion Blachowicz is scheduled to fight ex-middleweight title holder Alex Pereira on 29 July, with some fans suspecting that the bout will now become a contest for the vacant light-heavyweight strap. However, many have called for Prochazka to face Ankalaev for the vacant title. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever Mark Zuckerberg trains with UFC champions amid rumours of Elon Musk fight UFC’s Josiah Harrell reacts as pre-fight test reveals brain disease

Mark Zuckerberg showed off an impressive physique on Tuesday while training with two UFC champions, amid rumours that the Meta CEO will fight Twitter boss Elon Musk. Zuckerberg, 39, and Musk, 52, went back and forth on social media recently, agreeing to fight one another in a cage, with UFC president Dana White and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn among those to express an interest in making the contest. They are not the only personalities from the world of fighting who are keen to get involved, however. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski were pictured with Zuckerberg at a fight gym on Tuesday (11 July), three days after Volkanovski retained his title in Las Vegas. Nigerian-New Zealander Adesanya was present at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday (8 July) to watch his Australian teammate retain the featherweight belt, as Volkanovski beat Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 290 main event. “No fugazi [fake] with Mark,” Adesanya wrote in the caption to the photo with Zuckerberg and Volkanovski. “This is serious business!!” Zuckerberg commented: “It’s an honor to train with you guys!” Zuckerberg is a keen fan of mixed martial arts and has sparred with Volkanovski before, and the American recently won multiple medals at a jiu-jitsu competition. Meanwhile, Musk – who runs Twitter as well as Tesla and SpaceX – has some experience in jiu-jitsu. Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre recently offered to train Musk for a potential fight with Zuckerberg, rumours of which have coincided with the launch of Threads, a new Meta app that is designed to rival Twitter. Read More Tyson Fury to box ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in seismic crossover fight New UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja worked as Uber Eats driver just two years ago UFC’s Josiah Harrell reacts as pre-fight test reveals brain disease

Josiah Harrell has urged fans not to ‘feel sorry’ for him after a pre-fight scan revealed that the UFC athlete has a rare brain disease. The American, 24, was due to fight Jack Della Maddalena in a welterweight bout at UFC 290 on Saturday (8 July), serving as a replacement for the injured Sean Brady. However, Harrell was also forced to pull out of his planned clash with Della Maddalena, when a pre-fight scan revealed that Harrell has moyamoya – a rare brain disease. “Small [bump] in the road,” the unbeaten fighter wrote on Instagram. “We did everything on our side. Got all of our medicals redone this week. Check out on all of them except something came up in the MRI scan that they wanted me to make sure was nothing serious. “Turns out I have a brain disease that is treatable and [I’ll be] back up and running asap. Sorry to everyone I know, [who either] wanted to see me get my head beat in or [wanted] to see me with my hand raised. I have very little information on what’s going on but I do know I’ll be a lab Rat for a while, which is fitting. “A wild week, a wild life. I will get better, I’ll keep y’all updated on the process, thank you for all your prayers and love. We will heal up quickly.” In a later post, Harrell added: “Don’t feel sorry for me. Mom doesn’t work but people I love do, so until they don’t have to ima be at this for a long time. We will get more news out soon, have to do some testing. “You should be excited. [I don’t know] how much it has limited my ability to compete, but I’m guessing it would have to do with the oxygen levels to my brain, so ya boy might have even better cardio. I’m a hopeful person, so what fight card should [we] aim for? (4-12 months).” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC 290: Alexander Volkanovski stops Yair Rodriguez on wild night of fights Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year