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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

Former England forward Rachel Yankey has warned that the Lionesses’ World Cup opponents will all want to be the side that eliminates the European champions when the tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand. Sarina Wiegman’s team are amongst the favourites as they seek to become the first England side to win a world title since 1966, particularly following last summer’s Euro 2022 success on home soil. They fly out this evening to begin preparations for their opening match against Haiti and will be sent on their way by a message of support displayed beneath the flightpath out of Heathrow reading “Lionesses, you’re our pride.” The gesture, arranged by the Football Association’s commercial partner Kind Snacks, is tagged with thousands of messages submitted by fans nationwide, and is a mark of how support for women’s football has been transformed since Yankey’s playing days. The former Arsenal player, who won 129 caps during a 16-year international career, believes that whilst the prospect of holding both the world and European crowns simultaneously will be a motivation for England, other sides will be motivated to topple them starting with their first opponents Haiti. “I don’t think anybody from our nation or any other would have said England were a favourite to win the World Cup when I was playing,” said Yankey, who won the last of her caps in 2013. “They are now. “That’s because we’ve won the Euros, but there comes a pressure with that because everybody wants to beat a winning side. The games become harder. It’s a chance to knock you off the stage. “Haiti will have nothing to lose. They’re expected to lose that game and that makes it dangerous. They go out there, if they got a goal or a win, they get plaudits. Our team need to set their own standards, they need to push each other on, they need to make sure every game they’re at the highest level. “The main thing is getting through the group. How you do it is kind of irrelevant. We’d all like to see fantastic football, but just make sure you get the wins. “The fact that they could become European and world champions has got to drive them on. We’ve got players there who are hungry for success and they’ll want more. “The players will also understand that the better they do, the more it will inspire the younger generation, whether it’s boys or girls. It’s a chance to change how we view women’s football.” After opening their campaign in Brisbane, Wiegman’s side move on to face Denmark in Sydney before concluding the group stage against China in Adelaide. They are looking to reach what would be a first final for the Lionesses, whose previous best were semi-final appearances in 2015 and 2019. Yankey hopes that the increased backing from the FA as well as commercial partners will continue to drive the exposure that the women’s game needs in order to grow. She explained: “It’s hugely different from 2009 (when England reached the European Championship final, losing to Germany). That’s why it’s important that commercial partners come on board, because they make a difference to the way people view the game. “In 2009 or any other year, you’re out there and fully focused, but once you’re out of the tournament you would come home and nobody knows about it. We don’t want that to happen. “We see now when the girls are going on holiday and people are wanting to take photos of them. The landscape of women’s football has changed. That’s because of engagement, companies look at women’s football as a business and thinking that this is the right thing to do, but because women should have the same opportunity in all sports, but also it’s a business opportunity, a change to engage.” ::KIND Snacks have created a giant message of support for the Lionesses as they head off to Australia for the first game in the tournament. The 100-metre wide sign was made out of thousands of messages of support from the public, including ex-Lionesses Rachel Yankey and Faye White. PA

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Erling Haaland fired another hat-trick as Manchester City maintained their 100 per cent Premier League start with a 5-1 home victory over Fulham. City, who made it four straight league wins, took a first-half lead through Julian Alvarez and although Tim Ream levelled for the Cottagers, Nathan Ake headed the defending champions into a half-time lead. Haaland notched his first just before the hour-mark and converted from the penalty spot after Issa Diop’s push on Alvarez before adding his third – his sixth of the season – in time added on. Former Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga’s first Premier League goal in 19 months secured Nottingham Forest a surprise 1-0 win at Chelsea. Elanga scored the only goal early in the second half as Chelsea slipped to their second league defeat of the season. Son Heung-min netted a hat-trick as Tottenham extended their unbeaten league start by thrashing Burnley 5-2 at Turf Moor. Lyle Foster gave Burnley an early lead before Son and Cristian Romero put Tottenham 2-1 up at the break. James Maddison extended Tottenham’s lead with his second goal of the season and Son struck twice in three minutes just after the hour-mark. Josh Brownhill’s stoppage-time effort came too late for the Clarets. Bryan Mbeumo’s stoppage-time equaliser clinched Brentford a 2-2 home draw against Bournemouth. Dominic Solanke cancelled out Mathias Jensen’s early free-kick for the Bees and after David Brooks had fired the Cherries into a second-half lead, Mbeumo struck in the third minute of added time. Sheffield United and Everton both notched their first point of the season after drawing 2-2 at Bramall Lane in the lunchtime kick-off. Cameron Archer struck on his league debut for the Blades to cancel out Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first-half opener and after falling behind to Jordan Pickford’s own goal, Arnaut Danjuma levelled it up for Everton. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Coco Gauff put aside a skinned knee and a bad stretch in the first set to reach the French Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year

Russell Westbrook enters his first full season as the Los Angeles Clippers' point guard with extremely high personal goals.

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Defending champion Canada has advanced to the Davis Cup Final 8 but the United States was eliminated by Finland

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Centuries from Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul powered India to a 160-run World Cup win over the Netherlands on Sunday as they completed the group stage with a...