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In the main event of UFC 294 tonight, Alexander Volkanovski steps up on short notice to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, eight months after their scintillating first clash. Featherweight champion Volkanovski came up narrowly short against Makhachev in February, losing on points, and now he replaces the injured Charles Oliveira on 11 days’ notice for a rematch. FOLLOW LIVE: UFC 294 – Fight updates and results In the co-main event, Kamaru Usman is also a short-notice replacement, taking on Khamzat Chimaev on 10 days’ notice after Paulo Costa withdrew amid a slew of surgeries. That bout marks Usman’s middleweight debut, 14 months after his reign as welterweight champion ended, as he faces one of the most dominant 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 Elliott 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 UFC 294 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Makhachev fight updates and results tonight Islam Makhachev demands two words from Alexander Volkanovski ahead of UFC 294 Volkanovski vs Makhachev gamble shows the best and worst of the UFC

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Emma Hayes is the last manager of an English club left standing in the Women’s Champions League, which, given the group stages are only just kicking off this week, makes difficult reading for Jonas Eidevall and Marc Skinner. While Chelsea and Hayes go again in their quest to win a first European honour, in what is their final season together, Arsenal, last year’s semi-finalists, are already out. As are Manchester United, Chelsea’s closest challengers last season. Yet Arsenal and United were not even the biggest casualties of the Women’s Champions League’s notoriously tricky qualifying process. Last season’s beaten finalists Wolfsburg, the German giants and two-time European champions, are already out as well. Paris FC were responsible for the exits of both Arsenal and Wolfsburg, who played each other in last season’s semi-finals but this year fell victims to the dreaded ‘league path’, criticism of which has reignited the debate around the tournament’s format. Skinner was particularly angry. His United side finished runner-up to Chelsea in both the Women’s Super League and FA Cup but their season was a success as they celebrated their first-ever Champions League qualification. Yet, in qualifying, United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, perennial contenders in the knockout stages but also runners-up in France, and were beaten over two legs. United’s European adventure lasted two games but Skinner insisted they “deserved” a longer run. “There are teams going through [to the group stage] that are not good enough,” he said after United’s 3-1 defeat by PSG at the Parc des Princes. “Our standard is better than that standard, and it’s crazy that we have to play PSG at this qualifying round, crazy. It needs to be something that’s addressed.” Perhaps Skinner had a point. There is an argument that this season’s Champions League would be stronger if Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus, who were another big name to fall in qualifying, were among the 16 teams in the group stages. As major clubs with large fan bases and talented squads, they have the potential to drive the growth of the competition, as Arsenal showed when they hosted Wolfsburg in front of a sold-out Emirates in last season’s semi-finals. But the Manchester United manager was also accused of being disrespectful after suggesting clubs who won their domestic leagues did not deserve to be in the Champions League. It is particularly harsh on those sides like Brann from Norway and FC Rosengard from Sweden, not to mention Ajax of the Netherlands, Portugal’s Benfica, the Czech Republic’s Slavia Prague and Austria’s St Polten, who all did what Manchester United could not do and become league champions. Their spaces within the Champions League and route into it should be protected. As a 16-team tournament, one of the key differences between the Women’s Champions League and the 32-team men’s tournament is the greater proportional spread of countries within the competition. While the teams in this year’s Women’s Champions League represent 11 different European countries, the men’s Champions League features just 15 – despite having a field that is twice the size. That in itself should be one of the selling points of the Women’s Champions League, and is something many will say the men’s competition has lost. Through that, it has created an environment where only a small handful of teams from three or four countries have a chance of winning the competition and has widened the financial inequalities between leagues and clubs across the continent. Though some would argue that the Women’s Champions League has already reached that point. In the past two seasons since the introduction of a group stage, the eight quarter-finalists have been made up of teams from Spain, England, Germany, France and Italy. Those sides from elsewhere have not been close to qualifying from the group phase in that time, either. But that is also an argument for the Women’s Champions League continuing to offer domestic title winners a separate route into the competition, even with the potential exclusion of runners-up like Wolfsburg and Manchester United. Such representation can have a positive effect within those domestic competitions, which would be increased across the continent if a proportional spread remains when the Champions League does eventually expand in size. Yet for stakeholders like streaming platform Dazn, who hold the exclusive rights for the Women’s Champions League, the early exits of Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus would have been a blow to their viewership figures. There is a chance that the group stages are a procession for defending champions Barcelona and Lyon, while Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s draw looks a little tougher. Barcelona are the team to beat, and the Spanish champions will hope their title defence is less dramatic than last season’s final, when they had to come from two goals down to defeat Wolfsburg. They remain the outstanding team in the competition, with Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati its best player and her fellow Spain star Salma Paralluelo expected to take another step up this season after her breakout campaign last year. As for Chelsea, the Champions League has been the only trophy to elude the club under Hayes. For all the debate around the Women’s Champions League format, there is no debate that there could not be a better way for the 47-year-old to sign off as Chelsea manager than the Blues becoming the first English team to win a European title since Arsenal in 2007. Read More The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea Sir Alex Ferguson and Prince William among mourners at Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral Man Utd suffer double injury blow with Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen updates The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea Sir Alex Ferguson and Prince William among mourners at Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral Man Utd suffer double injury blow with Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen updates

Luton boss Rob Edwards knew the result was all that mattered as the Hatters went through to the third round of the Carabao Cup by beating League Two Gillingham at Kenilworth Road. The hosts led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Jacob Brown and Alfie Doughty, before Jayden Clarke pulled one back early in the second period. Cauley Woodrow then put Town 3-1 in front before Tom Nichols scored late on, only for Luton to hang on. Edwards said: “We could only win by winning the game, the expectancy was obviously on us, it’s a little bit different to the last couple of games we’ve had, so I feel very pleased. “We had quite a lot of changes, tweaked the shape a little bit, and I liked a lot of what I saw. “It was a good start and I thought we built on it as well. “We controlled pretty much all of the first half, going 2-0 up was great, a brilliant goal from Alfie and we spoke at half-time about the next goal. “The next goal was really important and the game could really hinge on that. “They got it, they probably had five or 10 minutes then when we had to deal with it, but we still looked OK. “Cauley’s goal settled us down but then we controlled it again until the very last couple of minutes. “There’s probably a reason we lacked a bit of fluency tonight, but there were a lot of good things I saw.” Brown opened his Luton account after just two minutes with a low drive into the bottom corner, before Doughty hammered in a brilliant 25-yarder following a clever free-kick routine. After the break, Clarke raced away to pull one back, as Ashley Nadesan and Macauley Bonne missed great chances to level the scoring. Woodrow’s terrific volley restored Luton’s two-goal lead after 66 minutes, before Nichols’ header led to a nervy finale, Jonny Williams denied an equaliser by Tim Krul in stoppage time. Gills boss Neil Harris said: “I’m really proud of the group, that was a fantastic second half against a Premier League side and to put them under pressure shows the character and personality as at 2-0 down after 35 minutes, teams may have crumbled against this level of opposition, but we didn’t. “We regrouped at half-time and had a right go second half. “I’m disappointed with the first goal, the second goal is a worldie, Premier League standard from Alfie, and the third one is against the run of play, again Premier League standard. “To get back it at 2-1, 3-2, having pressure at the end, we just didn’t have that next goal in us. “We could have scored but they’re the margins that you need when you go against the top sides.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andoni Iraola lauds David Brooks as Bournemouth make Carabao Cup progress Thomas Frank hails Ellery Balcombe after Brentford beat Newport on penalties Alex Neil delight as new signings help Stoke hammer Rotherham in Carabao Cup

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Liverpool cruised into the Europa League knock-out stages with a match to spare as a 4-0 victory over LASK confirmed their place as group winners. Early goals from Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo were enhanced by a second-half Mohamed Salah penalty – his 199th goal for the club – and an added-time strike by Gakpo as Toulouse’s draw with Union Saint-Gilloise means a dreaded round-of-32 play-off was avoided. That mere fact alone will have delighted manager Jurgen Klopp, whose pre-match press conference had been littered with references to the intense December period ahead, but a club-record 12 points in the group stage shows how dominant the tournament favourites have been. The Reds’ 100 percent home record was extended to 10 games and a third successive Anfield clean sheet for the first time since October 2022 means they have only conceded four times in front of their own fans while scoring 30. In reality, that record was never in danger as the Austrians are the weakest side in the group and that frailty was exposed twice inside three minutes early on by a home side registering nine changes, with only Salah and left-back Kostas Tsimikas retained from the weekend draw at Manchester City. A move which started on the left ended up on the right from where Joe Gomez crossed for Diaz to stoop and power home a twisting header. The second goal came from the same flank as Salah, teed up by Diaz, picked out Gakpo at the far post for the simplest of close-range volleyed finishes. Tsimikas smashed a fierce drive against the crossbar and the overwhelming confidence of the hosts was exemplified by Gomez, who has never scored in eight years at the club, drilling a 25-yard shot just wide. Much of the half appeared to revolve in getting Salah to his double century as the team tried to pick him out at every opportunity, whether he be menacingly poised on the shoulder of the last defender or inside the penalty area. Two chances went begging when his angled shot turned into more of a cross but still evaded Gakpo before he fired tamely at the goalkeeper. Six minutes into the second half Salah finally found the net but he owed it all to Gakpo. The Netherlands international’s short through-ball to Diaz missed his intended target but the Dutchman was alert enough to chase his own pass and somehow get there before goalkeeper Tobias Lawal, who brought him down. Lawal showed a similar lack of reaction in watching Salah tuck the penalty into the corner of the net without even attempting a dive. That was enough to put the result beyond doubt but the feeling was there were more goals to be had as Gakpo hit the base of a post from outside the area, although the Dutchman eventually got a deserved second in added time. The arrival of Darwin Nunez, and to a lesser extent Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones, livened up proceedings, with the former putting in one of his now typical all-action hit-and-miss performances. It erred more towards the latter as, after Harvey Elliott’s deflected shot was repelled by the goalkeeper’s legs as he dived the other way, the Uruguay international had one effort diverted wide and then shot straight at Lawal from eight yards. Marin Ljubcic blazed over the visitors’ best chance with only Caoimhin Kelleher to beat and the Liverpool goalkeeper, set for his longest run in the side due to Alisson Becker being sidelined for a fortnight with a hamstring injury, did not have anything to do until the last 20 minutes. When he was called upon he was not flustered, coming out to smother Ibrahim Mustapha, repelling Moses Usor’s shot and producing a reaction stop from LASK’s top scorer Robert Zulj, but even Sunday’s shot-shy visitors Fulham – scorers of only 13 goals in as many games – will provide a sterner test. Read More Alex Moreno stars as Aston Villa progress in Europa Conference League You’ve got to dream big: Lewis Dunk eyes Europa League glory with Brighton David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett