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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

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Leicester boss Dean Smith knows he will have fulfilled a “big ask” if he can guide his side to Premier League survival on Sunday. The Foxes must beat West Ham at the King Power Stadium and hope Everton do not win against Bournemouth if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship. Smith was parachuted into an eight-game SOS mission following Brendan Rodgers’ sacking at the beginning of April but has recorded just one victory from his first seven games and accepts that his side have not done as well as he thought they would. The 52-year-old has experience of producing the great escape as he led Aston Villa to seven points from their final four games of the 2019/20 season to beat the drop and says something similar would be required. Smith said: “When you first come in you look at games and I looked at Man City, Liverpool and Newcastle and knew they were going to be tough to get points out of. I expected us probably to win our home games and nick points away from home, with probably the exception of Liverpool. “We are a few points short of where I expected to be and that’s why it has come down to the last one. “This would be a very proud day if we do it, but we have to win our game and rely on other results. Each escape will have its own merits, the one at Villa with four games to go was seven points. That in itself was a big ask, this has been a big ask and hopefully we can do it.” It is only two years ago since Leicester were winning the FA Cup and fighting for Champions League qualification, but they have dropped quickly after having to balance the books in the league. And Smith says that shows just how tough the league can be for those outside the traditional ‘big six’. “This league is precarious. You’ve got to have really good models now to stay in the league,” he said. “You look at Brighton and Brentford, two really good models of clubs, one I know very well because I worked there. “It is hard. You need the finance behind it but it’s not just about finance as you can see in Brentford’s case. “There are many different ways to stay in the league but it’s a real tough league. Very quickly you can go and lose two or three games on the spin. All of a sudden that just drains the confidence of players.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rob Edwards relieved to hear skipper Tom Lockyer is doing okay after Luton win Roberto De Zerbi wants to help Jason Steele follow Lewis Dunk into England squad Pep Guardiola has no concerns about ‘scoring machine’ Erling Haaland

The first Women's World Cup to feature 32 teams kicks off on Thursday with New Zealand taking on former winners Norway in the opening game in Auckland before co-hosts Australia face the Republic of Ireland...

The Houston Astros are getting a whole lot more out of Jose Abreu after a couple of "reset" rest days and the signing of Jon Singleton.Sometimes, all a player needs is some rest and competition to jump start their production. Just ask Jose Abreu, who has come alive in recent games for ...