List of All Articles with Tag 'fc'

Barcelona have confirmed Jordi Cruyff will leave his post as sporting director this summer.

Conor McGregor is sitting in a hospital bed, clad in a surgical gown, his face still drained from a weight-cut. “I thought it was over,” he says of his career, before the setting morphs to an Octagon, where McGregor is sitting on the canvas, sporting his fight-night attire, his face twisted in pain. “This is not over!” he hisses at Dustin Poirier. That is how Netflix’s McGregor Forever begins, the second documentary built around the MMA megastar. While 2017 film Notorious covered the Irishman’s rise to becoming the first dual-weight champion in UFC history and his iconic rivalry with Nate Diaz, this new series documents the journeys around his last four fights – three of them defeats – with an episode dedicated to each, loosely speaking. McGregor Forever, directed by Gotham Chopra and produced by Religion Of Sports, starts at the end: in the aftermath of McGregor breaking his leg against Poirier in July 2021. It then veers back to 2018 and the Irishman's bitter rivalry with Khabib Nurmagedomov, onto his 2020 return against Donald Cerrone, his January 2021 duel with Poirier, and finally their ill-fated rematch six months later. Notorious was released shortly after McGregor’s spectacle of a super-fight with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, the backstory of which was absent from that film and eludes this series. And so McGregor Forever begins in earnest in the lead-up to the UFC star’s clash with Khabib, a fascinating and until-now-under-explored spell in McGregor’s career. It is a spell made even more bewitching by the stark contrast between scenes of McGregor playing with his first-born son, partaking in a gender reveal for his daughter, and the venom of his exchanges with Nurmagomedov. An eerie soundtrack only serves to enhance the foreboding feeling throughout. McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, once spoke of his fighter’s ominous attitude ahead of the fight; how McGregor was beating up sparring partners, rather than trying to learn from them, before celebrating by going out and drinking. Indeed, this particular stint of the series validates those revelations, painting a picture of an insecure McGregor, and each second of never-before-seen footage is welcome – even an excruciating scene in which McGregor’s dislocated toes are wrenched back into place, three weeks before the fight; especially shots of a teary-eyed McGregor coming to terms with the defeat, surrounded by teammates in his locker room yet desperately alone. For all the intriguing elements to this phase of McGregor’s career, the fighter himself sees it simply: “I was beat, and that’s that. I was beat where it mattered, end of.” There is a similarly revealing moment in the third episode, after McGregor suffers his first ever knockout loss. “That was just abysmal,” he says, before questioning his team. “How come you boys have nothing... I was shot, my leg was dead, and there wasn’t a rattle at all [from you].” Both scenes follow satisfyingly cinematic framings of the fights themselves, and the other episodes employ the same impactful sound and visual editing. The opening episode closes with McGregor carrying out community service in the series’ only acknowledgement of his various legal issues in recent years. Yet hearing McGregor express his sincere feelings about the experience highlights perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the documentary: Elsewhere, there is a distinct lack of soundbites from McGregor, with old interviews instead laid over much of the fresh footage and undermining the excitement of seeing new clips. Yet the biggest problem is the timing of the series itself. McGregor Forever is sold as the story of the Irishman’s comebacks from numerous setbacks, and of his impending comeback from his broken leg; however, he is yet to come back in the manner that matters most to his fans and to the sport: in the ring, and more ideally with a win. Furthermore, the series does not exactly convince you that such a win is impending. If you had not seen McGregor’s final encounter with Poirier, the last episode of the series would lead you to believe that the Irishman was approaching a redemptive victory, rather than the concerning performance and devastating injury that followed. That McGregor has conquered his recovery from that injury is more than commendable and should not be overlooked. The 34-year-old speaks in this documentary about his desire to keep fighting, how he is and always will be a fighter first and foremost, but we are yet to even see a date announced for his next fight, against Michael Chandler. When it comes to making fights, the number and nature of moving parts can be dizzying, so McGregor’s ongoing, extended absence is not entirely his fault. But fans want a clarity on the situation that this documentary cannot provide. Between this series, his appearances as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, and his constant presence on social media, there is plenty of McGregor content to consume in 2023. There are just not enough McGregor contests. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in trailer for The Ultimate Fighter Michael Chandler gives disappointing update on Conor McGregor fight Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron are shaming their male counterparts

The video looks like a gun advertisement -- on steroids. Shot in the style of a music video, with quick edits and a pulsating beat, three athletic looking men test fire a variety of machine guns, rocket launchers, assault rifles and handguns.

The UFC’s ‘BMF’ title will make its return in July, as Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje clash in the main event of UFC 291. Poirier beat Gaethje via TKO in 2018, and the Americans will square off again in Utah, with the ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title on the line. The UFC introduced the belt in 2019 as a prize for the winner of a fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, with the latter winning via doctor stoppage. WWE star-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson then wrapped the gold around Masvidal’s waist. The title has not been involved in any fights since then, and Masvidal retired from mixed martial arts last month after a loss to Gilbert Burns. The UFC is now reintroducing the belt, which will be up for grabs when Poirier and Gaethje meet in a lightweight bout on 29 July. After beating Gaethje in 2018, Poirier went on to become interim champion in 2019 before losing to official champion Khabib Nurmagomedov via submission later that year. In 2020, Gaethje similarly claimed the interim title before losing to Nurmagomedov by submission while trying to unify the belts. In Poirier’s last fight, the “Diamond” submitted Michael Chandler in November, a year after Gaethje outpointed “Iron Mike”. Gaethje most recently fought at UFC 286 in March, narrowly outpointing Rafael Fiziev. The winner of Poirier vs Gaethje 2 may emerge as the next challenger for reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who is due to return to the ring in October. In the co-main event of UFC 291, Alex Pereira will take on Jan Blachowicz. The bout marks Pereira’s light-heavyweight debut in his first fight since losing the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya. Meanwhile, Blachowicz is a former light-heavyweight champion. Also, Paulo Costa faces Ikram Aliskerov, while Tony Ferguson goes up against Bobby Green, and Michael Chiesa fights Kevin Holland. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year How world’s best sports interviewer copes when the stars hit back Francis Ngannou explains unprecedented PFL deal and how it will help his opponents

A look at the best videos from Barcelona's celebration of the 2022/23 La Liga title, with even departed stars Lionel Messi and Neymar featuring

Francis Ngannou has signed a fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, with the mixed martial arts promotion also handing the ex-UFC champion equity in the company. Ngannou, 36, vacated the UFC heavyweight title in January upon deciding to leave the promotion, and his next move has been the subject of intense speculation ever since. On Tuesday (16 May), it was announced that the Cameroonian has signed with the PFL, who will give Ngannou ‘equity’ and ‘leadership roles’ per The New York Times. Ngannou, seen as arguably the greatest knockout artist in UFC history, is set to make his PFL debut in the ‘Super Fight’ division next year, with his aim being to compete in boxing in 2023. “I believe in the PFL’s ‘fighter first’ culture and global vision, including developing the sport in Africa,” Ngannou said on Tuesday. “With that, I am also proud to announce that I will serve as Chairman of PFL Africa, which will be the leading MMA organisation on the continent, providing great African fighters the opportunity to compete on a global platform.” Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC grew fractious in recent years, with the company unwilling to entertain his wishes to box, according to the Cameroonian. Ngannou last fought in January 2022, retaining the UFC heavyweight title against then-interim champion and former teammate Ciryl Gane. The result marked the first decision win of Ngannou’s career, in which his professional record stands at 17-3. Twelve of Ngannou’s wins have come via knockout, with eight of them taking place in Round 1 and three of them occurring inside the first minute. Ngannou won the UFC heavyweight title by knocking out Stipe Miocic in 2021. Miocic, seen by many as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, previously retained the title against Ngannou by outpointing “The Predator” in 2018. In March, UFC light-heavyweight great Jon Jones won the title vacated by Ngannou. Jones submitted Gane in the first round and is expected to fight Miocic next. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Jon Jones hints Stipe Miocic fight will be his last in the UFC Jon Jones submits Ciryl Gane in first round to win heavyweight title at UFC 285 When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year UFC London ticket prices as July fights are announced

Raphinha again plays down talk of a move away from Barcelona, hinting at the club's La Liga celebrations that he wants to experience winning more trophies at Camp Nou. The 26-year-old has been linked to Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle.

New York Red Bulls were victorious in the New York derby over rivals NYCFC, winning 1-0.

Atlanta United suffered defeat for the fourth straight time in all competitions after losing 3-1 to Charlotte FC Saturday night.

FC Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira scored in the 89th minute to lift his side to victory over in-state rivals Austin FC.

Major League Soccer Players of the Week 12 ranked.

Major League Soccer Game of the Matchdate week twelve ranked.