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Francis Ngannou has corrected Dana White’s false claim that the heavyweight was released by the UFC, after White criticised Ngannou for signing with the PFL. Ngannou left the UFC at the end of his contract in January, relinquishing the heavyweight title before announcing last week that he had signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). As part of Ngannou’s PFL deal, the Cameroonian will be able to box on the side, and his opponents will receive a guaranteed pay of $2million. Furthermore, Ngannou, 36, will serve as chairman of PFL Africa and have equity in the promotion. The “Predator” is expected to box this year and make his PFL debut in 2024. UFC president White said on Saturday that the deal “makes no sense to me” and that Ngannou “wants to take zero risks”. The American also referenced “the day that we released him”. Ngannou took exception to the 53-year-old’s comments, however. “What is your problem with me?” Ngannou tweeted on Sunday (21 May). “I completed my contract, was a free agent, and chose to walk away. You didn’t release me. “I hate taking risks? That’s why I defended my title to [fulfil] my contract with no acl or mcl? “I’m finally getting paid and respected, and have a deal that’s fair and equal for all parties. Why are you so against me being free and happy?” Ngannou also hit back at White’s claim that the Cameroonian had turned down fights in the UFC prior to his exit. “The reason I fought three times in three years is because you wanted to control my deal and [sign] a new one. And freeze me out,” Ngannou wrote. “‘I owe these guys three fights a year.’ Isn’t that what you say? What happened? I always asked for & never said no to any fight in the 3 years.” Ngannou most recently fought in January 2022, outpointing former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title with an injured knee. He later underwent treatment for the injury, before leaving the UFC this January. In March, UFC light-heavyweight icon Jon Jones won the vacant heavyweight title by submitting Gane in Round 1. Jones and Ngannou have long gone back and forth on Twitter and in the media, with White previously accusing Jones of avoiding a fight with Ngannou. On Saturday, however, the UFC president claimed the opposite, leading Ngannou to write: “If you ever really want that Jon Jones fight to happen, reach out to @PeteMurrayPFL. Whenever, wherever.” Ngannou also shared footage of White suggesting, after Ngannou had beaten Gane, that Jones had no desire to fight the Cameroonian. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Francis Ngannou: Who will the heavyweight fight next after signing with PFL? Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Who will Francis Ngannou fight next after signing with PFL? Francis Ngannou explains unprecedented PFL deal and how it will help his opponents Conor McGregor makes guarantee for Michael Chandler fight

Real Madrid say racism directed at Vinicius Junior constitutes a ‘hate crime’ and have filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. Brazil forward Vinicius was the subject of an alleged racist attack during Real’s 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Valencia on Sunday. The game was paused after the break as Vinicius pointed out to the referee those who were allegedly abusing him in the stands at the Mestalla – and the 22-year-old later took to social media to say racism is ‘normal’ in LaLiga. “Real Madrid CF shows its strongest revulsion and condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinicius Junior,” the club said in a strongly-worded statement on Monday. “These facts constitute a direct attack on the coexistence model of our social and democratic state of law. “Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, for which reason it has filed the corresponding complaint with the state attorney general’s office, specifically with the prosecutor’s office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated and clear responsibilities. “Article 124 of the Spanish constitution establishes the functions of the public prosecutor’s office to promote the action of justice in defence of legality and the rights of citizens and the public interest. “For this reason, and given the seriousness of the events that occurred, Real Madrid has turned to the sate attorney general’s office, without prejudice to its appearance as a private prosecution in the proceedings that are being initiated.” In a statement on Instagram, Vinicius – who was sent off for violent conduct in added time of Real’s defeat following an altercation with striker Hugo Duro – said: “It wasn’t the first time, not the second and not the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. “The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it. I am so sorry. “The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi, today belongs to the racists. “A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which accepted to export the image to the world from a racist country. “Sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. “And unfortunately with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to defend. I agree. But I’m strong and will go to the end against the racists. Even though it’s far from here.” LaLiga president Javier Tebas responded to Vinicius’ post on Sunday by accusing the forward for “criticising and insulting” the league. In another tweet on Monday, Tebas said: “Neither Spain nor @LaLiga are racist. It is very unfair to say this. “How @LaLiga we denounce and fight racism with all rigidity within our competences. This season there were 9 cases of racist insults (8 of them for insults against @vinijr) “We always identify the violators and take the complaint to the legislating bodies. It doesn’t matter that they are few, they are relentless. “We cannot allow the image of a competition that is about the symbol of peoples union to be tarnished, where more than 200 players are of black origin in 42 clubs that receive in each round the respect and affection of the fans, being the racism an extremely specific case (9 complaints) that we are going to eliminate.” Valencia released a statement on their club website condemning what happened and confirming they will investigate what happened. Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand took to Instagram in support of Vinicius and questioned player protection. “Bro you need protecting….who is protecting Vinicius Junior in Spain??” Ferdinand posted. “He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game… wtf. “How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s**t?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities don’t do s**t to help him. “People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game. “No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Glamorgan aiming to make cricket more diverse in Wales John Stones wants Man City to ‘make some more history’ as they chase treble Norrie up and down as Murray and Raducanu sit out – British tennis picture

Spanish soccer is again embroiled in racism and the support for Vinícius Júnior is growing rapidly after yet another case of abuse against the Brazil forward this weekend

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Vinicius Jr, a Brazilian footballer who plays for Real Madrid, was subjected to racially discriminatory remarks during a match

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Real Madrid have filed an official complaint to the Spanish attorney general’s office after Vinicius Jr suffered racial abuse. The Brazilian was abused during Sunday night’s defeat to Valencia, halting the game temporarily to draw the officials’ attention to a section of supporters. The 22-year-old was later sent off after a clash with Hugo Duro, and afterwards accused La Liga of not doing enough to fight racism, describing Spain as a “country of racists”. His club has now released an official statement confirming that they have referred what they consider a “hate crime” to the authorities. “Real Madrid is strongly repulsed and condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinícius Jr,” the Spanish capital club said in a statement. “These acts constitute a direct attack on the coexistence model of our social and democratic state of law. “Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, for which reason it has filed the corresponding complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office, specifically with the Prosecutor’s Office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated. “Given the seriousness of the events that occurred, Real Madrid has turned to the State Attorney General’s Office, without prejudice to its appearance as a private prosecution in the proceedings that are being initiated.” La Liga has confirmed that it will investigate the incident and take “appropriate legal action” if required. Vinicius has been subjected to racist chanting and gestures on multiple occasions during this campaign. “What we saw today is unacceptable - an entire stadium chanting racist slurs,” manager Carlo Ancelotti said of the treatment of his player during the 1-0 defeat. “I don’t want to talk about football today. There is no meaning in talking about football today. I told the referee he should have stopped the match. “La Liga has a problem. For me, Vinicius is the most important player in the world. These episodes of racism have to stop the match. “It’s the entire stadium that is insulting a player with racist chants and the match has to stop. I would say the same if we were winning 3-0. There is no other way.” Read More Commentator sparks outrage for criticising Vinicius Jr reaction after facing racist abuse Brazilian president Lula and players support Vinicius Junior after racist attack in La Liga match Rio Ferdinand sends angry message demanding protection for Vinicius Jr after racism storm

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Conor McGregor has insisted that he will fight Michael Chandler before the end of the year, amid fan concerns that the UFC clash will not take place at all. It was announced in early February that McGregor and Chandler would serve as opposing coaches on the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, which airs between 30 May and 15 August, before fighting each other. However, no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for the bout. McGregor is also absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. Fighters must be in the pool for six months and return two negative tests (and zero positives) in order to compete in the UFC. As a result, McGregor must enter the pool imminently if he is to fight before the end of 2022. “That’s done, man,” Conor McGregor claimed in an interview with the Daily Mirror at the weekend. “That’s done. I’m ready. “By year-end, I’m back in that cage, having competed. I’m gearing up now, ready to go. “The fight’s signed now. It’ll be announced during The Ultimate Fighter. So, The Ultimate Fighter is airing in a few days on ESPN; by the time that show finishes, we’ll have a date and everything set for the fans.” Irishman McGregor, 34, has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, Chandler also lost to Poirier in his most recent bout, having been submitted by his fellow American in November. Last week, the second documentary covering McGregor’s career was released on Netflix. McGregor Forever covers the former dual-weight champion’s fights with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone, his back-to-back losses to Poirier in 2021, and his recovery from his broken leg. Read The Independent’s review of the four-part series here. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Conor McGregor cheers on Katie Taylor from ringside during Chantelle Cameron fight Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones