NBA legend Michael Jordan certainly knows how to travel in style.

The Chicago Bulls icon, who has a net worth of $3.5bn, has splashed out $70m on a custom-built Gulfstream 650ER private jet.

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Jordan forked out a further $500m on the custom wrapped paint job.

The 61-year-old chose a silver and black elephant theme to customise his new lavish plane and pay homage to his iconic sneakers.

Jordan’s iconic Jumpman logo has been added to the rear’s exterior in a huge white print.

The carefully-chosen tail number N236MJ incorporates Jordan’s jersey number (23) and the number of championship rings which he won throughout his career before his initals.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s database, the jet was registered last Tuesday to a firm called MJ Air LLC.

The G650ER holds the record for the farthest fastest flight in business aviation history, according to its website.

It has a maximum speed of 0.925 Mach and comes with two Rolls-Royce BR725 engines.

The 100-foot-long aircraft has a capacity for 19 passengers, along with four crew.

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Jordan has extensively modified the jet to improve its performance, with up to 13 hours of cruising available without refuelling.

Inside the plane, the level of luxury is consistent with Jordan’s status as one of the world’s richest athletes.

Each member of MJ’s party will travel in the ultimate comfort with giant leather recliners at each window.

There is a separate dining space for meal times, as well as a fully-stocked bar that comes decked out with LEDs and folds out from the furniture.

And when Jordan wants to settle in for a lengthy journey, he can bed down for the night in a plush private bedroom.

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The GOAT is no stranger to travelling in style, and also likes to charter a super yacht called Joy.

Jordan is a billionaire thanks to his global basketball fame and savvy business deals.

He retains a minority stake in the Charlotte Hornets after selling his majority shares for $3bn last year.

The six-time finals champ is a co-owner of NASCAR team 23XI and has a stake in the betting company DraftKings.

How much does Jordan’s new private jet cost to run?

But the costs will keep going up as the maintenance is set at $1,860,909 per year for 200 hours of flying.

That includes items such as fuel ($727,338), crew ($343,964), engine overhaul ($191,670) and insurance ($56,987).

Those costs all double to a total of $2,995,763 for 400 hours of flying.

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Alexander Volkanovski’s alter ego is back.

With plenty of time on his hands as he awaits his next fight, the former featherweight champion has kept himself busy filming another “Old Man Volk” sketch that was uploaded Tuesday by sponsor Sportsbet.com.au. Volkanovski’s aged character now finds himself invested in an independent pasta sauce business, with an old rival still breathing down his neck.

Watch the video below.

In the sketch, Volkanovski, who turned a spry 36 in September, makes several cheeky references to his fighting career, at one point telling a customer that wants to pay by card that “he never taps” and then assuring another that he plans to continue fighting (though this is actually a segue into his ongoing beef with neighbor Beverly, last seen terrorizing Volkanovski in the original Old Man Volk clip.)

Volkanovski has gotten plenty of mileage out of his comedic character, even showing up as Old Man Volk at a press conference ahead of his fight with Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 this past February. That bout didn’t go so well for Volkanovski, as he suffered his first loss at 145 pounds and lost his featherweight title to Topuria via knockout.

Let’s hope for Volkanovski’s sake that this time the skit is a more positive omen.

That mutual support was necessary during their teenage years when their parents, who have always backed their football dreams, divorced.

While living with their father they were forced to use their initiative on the streets of Freetown to make ends meet.

“Things were hard for us at some points,” Alusine said.

“My brother and I decided to do something just to survive while going to school.

“We were fetching water, putting it into jerrycans and selling it to people in our community. We were also going around collecting used [scrap] iron and sold it.”

According to Alhassan, their bond has been key to their football careers – which were largely spent together until Alhassan moved to a Qatari club last year.

“We love each other so much that we never wanted to be separated,” he explained.

“When a Spanish club, Real Balompedica Linense, wanted to sign me in 2019 I told them that I would only accept their offer on the condition that they also signed my twin brother.

“They told me to sign the contract and assured me that my brother would join me in Spain a few months later – which he did.”

Key moments in their careers have been shared, with the brothers making their first senior appearances, top-flight bows and international debuts in the same games.

Years of playing together has forged an innate understanding on the pitch.

“I can read his mind and he can read mine,” insisted Alusine.

“When I have the ball my brother knows what I’ll do with it and what he should do, so the first person I look out for to give a pass is him.

“We’re protective of each other too. When one is fouled by an opponent the other gets concerned.

“We’ve been fighting for each other since childhood and the pitch is not an exception.”

Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2024) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the five-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.

With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

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Sean Gauci

Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich – DWCS 75

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Weight class: Flyweight
Result: Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B

Summary: Setting the tone for the night was a technical scrap between Sean Gauci and Anthony Drilich.

I’m not beyond rewarding fighters who go to a decision with an A, but there wasn’t enough output and action to get there for me. That said, it was a shame that Gauci didn’t get consideration come contract time given that he was one of the most complete fighters to compete on the entire card.

I know Dana White has gotten everyone (including myself when it comes to winner grades) to associate quick finishes with good performances, but those two things are far from mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately for Gauci, he claimed to have broken his hand early in the second frame and couldn’t make a case as strong as he would like.

It’s a shame that the UFC flew out two Australian talents who could’ve just fought on the regionals (especially given the flyweight grading curb), but I hope that Gauci and Drilich get serious consideration from the UFC matchmakers down the road.

Islam Dulatov

Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes – DWCS 75

Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 2:44
Grade: A

Summary: After turning the cage into a cartoon dust storm, it was hard to deny Islam Dulatov anything short of an A for his knockout over Vanilto Antunes.

As his record indicates, Dulatov is a fighter accustomed to getting things done early.

Dulatov, like other fast starters, such as Conor McGregor, appears to have the ability to lock in straight out of the gate regarding his reads on distance and openings.

Although it can be hard to tell given his enthusiasm and work rate, Dulatov appears to have solid technique and a diverse striking arsenal from which to draw. Dulatov also owns multiple submissions on his record, so I’m curious to see more of him against stiffer competition.

Signing the Chechnya-born German was a no-brainer for Dana White, so don’t be surprised to see Dulatov featured on an international card early next year.

I’m not sure who they’ll book Dulatov with, but I suspect he’d be the perfect dance partner for someone like Danny Barlow.

Mario Pinto

Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho – DWCS 75

Weight class: Heavyweight
Result: Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho via knockout (left hook) – Round 1,
Grade: A

Summary: Even though it was a quick outing, it’s difficult to deny Mario Pinto an easy A for his knockout over Lucas Comacho.

Both men seemed to be somewhat shakey at first given the height and length parity at play, but Pinto was able to be the more composed of the two by staying behind his lead hand. And once Pinto was able to establish his range, the native of Portugal smartly hooked off his jab to catch Camacho coming in.

I obviously want to see way more of Pinto before making any bold declarations, but not even I can argue with a heavyweight who actually jabs.

Considering Dane White’s Vince McMahon-like adulation for huge men, seeing Pinto get promptly signed came as no surprise to me. As far as his first assignment goes, I think Thomas “Jefferson” Peterson would be the perfect matchup to test Pinto in his promotional debut.

Kody Steele

Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair – DWCS 75

Weight class: Lightweight
Result: Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07
Grade: A

Summary: Bodyshot stoppages equal instant A’s for me, so it should be no surprise that Kody Steele gets the proverbial rubber stamp from myself and the UFC brass alike.

Looking like the second coming of Rick Story, Steele – who comes from a grappling base – showed steady pressure and bodywork en route to wearing down Blair.

In Blair’s defense, he did take the fight on a short turnaround from a fight he won in late September, so I hope to see him again on a full camp.

Steele appears ready to meet the usual standard signed for this show, but I can’t help but worry about his propensity to keep his head upright and on center in exchanges. That said, I expect solid fight-to-fight improvements from Steele, given his age and the camp he trains at.

I’m happy to see Steele get signed considering the fallout he endured during this season and wouldn’t be shocked to see him paired with someone like Mitch Ramirez for his first UFC assignment.

Artem Vakhitov

Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf – DWCS 75

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Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:23
Grade: A

Summary: Despite starting off a bit shaky, I felt like Artem Vakhitov showed enough in his first-round finish over Islem Masraf to earn an A from me.

When you consider that Vakhitov only recently came over from kickboxing (only having two professional MMA fights prior to this), then I feel like we should temper our expectations when it comes to both the Russian’s style and ceiling.

The clinch is quietly the most important space for strikers coming into this sport, so seeing Vakhitov gravitate toward this phase of the fight isn’t the worst thing in the world (although I suspect he was only doing it to quiet the chaos and reduce win conditions for his opponent).

So long as Vakhitov can avoid pulling his opponent on top of him like he briefly did in this bout, then I expect his competence in closed quarters to only improve from fight to fight. That said, I suspect that the UFC will be careful with how they book Vakhitov, considering his history with Alex Pereira (who apparently played a role in his former foe’s signing).

I feel bad for Yousri Belgouri, who now trains with Pereira and still didn’t get this treatment in his two swings at bat on the Contender Series, but I wasn’t surprised to see Vakhitov get the nod from Dana White and company. For my money, don’t be shocked to see Vakhitov paired up with someone like Ivan Erslan for his UFC debut.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 74.

CHELSEA could be set for a second chance at signing Victor Osimhen in January, according to reports.

The Blues were strongly linked with a move for the striker throughout the summer.

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However, they ultimately missed out on a deal after Al-Ahli agreed a fee with Napoli on Deadline Day.

The Saudi Pro League side then opted to sign Ivan Toney instead, leaving Osimhen in limbo.

He later joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan, with his £109million release clause expiring in the process.

According to Corrierre dello Sport, Osimhen remains interested in joining Chelsea when the window re-opens in January.

He is even considering the possibility of moving to West London if given the chance.

The report adds that Galatasaray are also keen to make his loan permanent, with a £68million release clause becoming active in the New Year.

That clause will then drop to £63million next summer once he returns to Napoli.

In a further boost to the Blues, the January release clause is not valid to clubs in Serie A.

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Osimhen has already scored two goals and provided four assists in four appearances since moving to Turkey.

Meanwhile, he has less than two years remaining on his deal with Napoli, which expires in the summer of 2026.

Chelsea would add to their already impressive attacking options at Stamford Bridge by signing Osimhen.

Enzo Maresca can currently call upon Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and youngster Marc Guiu to lead the line.

Nkunku and Jackson alone have scored 11 goals between them so far this season.

The Blues sit fourth in the Premier League, four points behind leaders Liverpool and unbeaten in their last six league matches.

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