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The Mavericks signed Kyrie Irving to a deal worth $126 million over the next three years, sticking with the Irving-Luka Doncic duo for better or worse.According to Shams Charania, the Mavericks have signed Kyrie Irving to a $126 million deal over the next three years. The terms of the deal are a...

Valentina Shevchenko will try to regain the UFC women’s flyweight title from Alexa Grasso this weekend, nine months after the Mexican took the belt from her. Shevchenko, 35, was on a nine-fight win streak and seen as one of the most dominant champions in the UFC, until Grasso shocked the Kyrgyzstani fighter in March. Grasso, 30, submitted Shevchenko in the fourth round to become Mexico’s second undisputed UFC champion, and she is now her nation’s only reigning title holder. She will bid to retain the gold against Shevchenko on Saturday, as the pair headline a Fight Night event in Las Vegas – marking a rare move for the UFC, which typically saves title bouts for pay-per-views. 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? This week’s UFC Fight Night will take place on Saturday 16 September, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The prelims are set to begin at 12am BST on Sunday 17 September (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET on Saturday), with the main card following at 3am BST (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). 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: Get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Odds Grasso – 13/10 Shevchenko – 8/13 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Main card Alexa Grasso (C) vs Valentina Shevchenko 2 (women’s flyweight title) Kevin Holland vs Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight) Raul Rosas Jr vs Terrence Mitchell (bantamweight) Daniel Zellhuber vs Christos Giagos (lightweight) Fernando Padilla vs Kyle Nelson (featherweight) Prelims Loopy Godinez vs Elise Reed (women’s strawweight) Roman Kopylov vs Josh Fremd (middleweight) Edgar Chairez vs Daniel Lacerda (flyweight) Tracy Cortez vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (women’s flyweight) Natan Levy vs Alex Reyes (lightweight) Josefine Knutsson vs Marnic Mann (women’s strawweight) Read More Sean Strickland shocks Israel Adesanya and MMA world with title win at UFC 293 Israel Adesanya’s coach reveals strange request after shock loss to Sean Strickland Two fighters apologise for using homophobic slurs at UFC 293 What is TKO? The UFC and WWE merger explained Grasso vs Shevchenko 2 card in full as title fight headlines this weekend The Independent’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings

Tottenham defender Ben Davies has talked up Ryan Mason’s positive influence on the squad. Mason claimed his first victory during his second caretaker spell in charge of Spurs with Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. It occurred after the 31-year-old had tweaked the tactics used by his old boss Antonio Conte, who repeatedly stuck with a 3-4-3 system. Tottenham lined up in a 4-4-2 out of possession and it helped them keep a first clean sheet in the Premier League since February 26 with more confidence restored to a group who have experienced crushing defeats to Bournemouth, Newcastle and Liverpool in the past month. “It’s something we’re all well aware of and one that we needed for a long time. It’s a good start for us and hopefully we can kick on for the final games now,” Davies said of the shut-out against Palace. “It’s not the easiest situation to come into (for Ryan). We’ve got limited amount of games so it’s hard for him to come in and completely change things and do it his own way. “But there’s been a clear message that we need to be as good as we can with the ball and tighten up without it. “It’s pretty basic but that’s the way we’ve been training and working. Ryan’s instilled that belief in us that we’re able to do that.” Davies, who has largely played left of a back three this season, was used as a full-back last weekend before being asked to push higher up the pitch when Spurs attacked. It's pretty basic but that's the way we've been training and working. Ryan's instilled that belief in us that we're able to do that Ben Davies on Ryan Mason On the right wing was January recruit Pedro Porro and it was the Spain international who set up Harry Kane’s winner to help make up for some poor defensive showings at St James’ Park and Anfield recently. Davies added: “Pedro is still a young player. We know the intensity and scrutiny of the Premier League, you make one little mistake and it’s highlighted for the world to see. “Look, we all know how good a player he is. We’ve seen it on the training pitch. When you iron out those mistakes I think we’ve got a top player on our hands. “Sometimes when you’re new to the club and the Premier League, you probably feel a lot of demand, especially when it comes to the transfer fee, to try to impress. “Sometimes it’s about making sure you do the basics and do the simple things right first. I think he did that. He defended well and then when he got the opportunity (to attack) he was good.” Tottenham’s win over Palace moved them up to sixth and kept them on course to qualify for a European competition. “Our aspiration is to play European football and be involved in as many competitions as we can,” Davies insisted. “We have the squad, we have the number of players, so it’s probably necessary that we are. “Our aim is to go as far as we can in every competition. Any European competition is important for us.”