List of All Articles with Tag 'sports'

Michael Chandler has insisted that his fight with Conor McGregor will go ahead, despite fears that the latter has missed the deadline to compete in 2023. Chandler vs McGregor was announced by the UFC in February, but no date, location or weight class has been announced for the fight, and it appears that McGregor is unable to compete until next year due to United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) rules. The former UFC champion is seemingly still absent from the Usada testing pool, and athletes must be in the pool for six months and return two negative results – and zero negatives – in order to fight in the UFC. However, Chandler has reassured fans that the fight will go ahead – regardless of when. The American, 37, told ESPN on Wednesday (28 June): “Listen, I understand everybody wants answers, they want results. With a fight of this magnitude – the most exciting guy in mixed martial arts versus the biggest superstar in mixed martial arts – people want answers, and they want them on their timeline. “Their timeline is now. ‘I want my answers yesterday.’ I’m with everybody else, of course, but just let the process play out. Just know that Michael Chandler steps in the cage against Conor McGregor, we put on an electrifying event, and I separate him from his consciousness in the second round. “If there’s one thing I know about Conor: He cares about his public persona, he cares about how people see him, he cares about where he is now and what he has become to the fans. [If you’re not coming back], you don’t do a documentary saying you’re coming back; you don’t tell everybody it’s the greatest comeback in combat-sports history; you’re not out there promoting yourself and saying, ‘This is my game forever, you’ll do what you’re told;’ and calling yourself the pound-for-pound king. “Conor’s coming back. There’s one guy he’s fighting: His name’s Michael Chandler, he’s from High Ridge, Missouri. We are gonna put butts in seats, it’s gonna be an electrifying performance, but I knock out Conor and then maybe he retires after that – we’ll see.” Chandler and McGregor are coaching opposing teams of athletes on the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, which began airing in May and will conclude in August. After five episodes, Team Chandler has a 5-0 lead over Team McGregor. This month, Irishman McGregor denied an allegation that he had sexually assaulted a woman at an NBA Finals game. McGregor, 34, was accused of assault in a bathroom at a Miami Heat fixture on 9 June. McGregor also recently released McGregor Forever, the second documentary around his career, and you can read The Independent’s review of the Netflix series here. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor doubles down on Ultimate Fighter criticism as Michael Chandler’s team dominate How to watch The Ultimate Fighter 31 in the UK Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who would win a fight between tech titans? Conor McGregor doubles down on Ultimate Fighter criticism Conor McGregor complains as his team lose yet again on The Ultimate Fighter Conor McGregor’s team fall to 0-3 on The Ultimate Fighter

Conor McGregor has reiterated his criticism of the bout structure on The Ultimate Fighter, after his team fell to a 0-5 skid against Michael Chandler’s team. McGregor’s fighters have lost every contest in the first five episodes of the new season of the UFC television show. In this week’s episode, Carlos Vera suffered a decision defeat by Brad Katona – a long-time training partner of McGregor. Katona won both rounds on the judges’ scorecards, with former UFC champion McGregor bemoaning the lack of a third round in The Ultimate Fighter’s bouts. “Tell them ‘three rounds’, yeah?” McGregor said after Vera’s loss to Katona, appearing to aim the comment at UFC president Dana White. “The fight’s not over, they’re unfinished fights,” the Irishman added in a backstage interview. “If they got unfinished fights, give them a third round. The guys are fighting for their life here. In those situations where they’re closely contested, back and forth, there should be a third round. “I mean, this guy [Katona] is in there, [saying]: ‘Yeah!’ What was done there? Nothing. I’m surprised that those two [fighters] were called at the second round to be honest.” McGregor, 34, also told Vera in the team’s locker room: “Unfinished fight, that’s it. They’re unfinished fights, man. Let them go another round. They’re three-rounders [that] we need. F*** two rounds. “That was great, that was great. That body kick was money, man – beautiful shot. He’s a solid fighter, I know; he’s trained with us a long time. So, keeping going, Carlos. Great work, my man. Proud of you, bud.” Vera, meanwhile, said in an interview on this week’s episode: “I hate to lose. It is what it is, and there’s a lot of things I have to work on, but I fought my fight. I have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be sad about. So, onto the next one.” McGregor and American Chandler are supposed to fight one another at the conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter’s run this summer, but McGregor is still not in the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. Fighters must be in the pool for six months and return at least two negative tests – and zero positives – in order to compete in the UFC, unless an exemption is granted. As such, McGregor vs Chandler is unlikely to take place in 2023. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More How to watch The Ultimate Fighter 31 in the UK Conor McGregor denies allegation he sexually assaulted a woman at NBA Finals McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Football pays tribute to Craig Brown – Monday’s sporting social Conor McGregor complains as his team lose yet again on The Ultimate Fighter

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Author Haruki Murakami says he's strongly opposed to the redevelopment of a Tokyo park district that would remove his favorite jogging path and tear down the baseball stadium where he was inspired to become a novelist

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said on social media that he expects to be released from the hospital on Sunday, two days after surgery for blood clots in his legs

It took just over three hours, and thankfully sped up a bit toward the end, but the first round of the NBA draft is complete

A person with knowledge of the sale tells The Associated Press the Qatar Investment Authority is buying a roughly 5% stake of Monumental Sports & Entertainment as part of a $4.05 billion deal

The players have arrived at Barclays Center for the NBA draft

A person with knowledge of the sale tells The Associated Press the Qatar Investment Authority is buying a roughly 5% stake of Monumental Sports & Entertainment as part of a $4.05 billion deal

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System is nearing a deal to buy 20% of a holding company that owns

A minority partner in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. is about to sell shares in a deal

Denver is hosting a conference this week that's being put on by a psychedelic advocacy group