Liverpool defender Gemma Bonner says there is “no reason why we can’t aim” to challenge for a Women’s Champions League spot.

Matt Beard’s side finished fourth in the Women’s Super League table last season, one place below the European qualification spots.

They beat Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal during the campaign, their second back in the top tier following promotion.

They have five points from their opening three games this season but will face their biggest challenge yet on Sunday, at Anfield against league leaders Manchester City, fresh from a 2-0 win over European champions Barcelona.

“In the last few years we have shown we can compete with these teams. We have beaten Manchester City, we have beaten Chelsea, we have beaten Arsenal,” Bonner told BBC Sport.

“The key is the consistency. City are always up there in the Champions League places because they do everything consistently, whether that be in training or performing in the games.

“Of course the game is still growing but we can go to that next level with consistency. For so long, the top three has been set but now we’re waiting to break that.

“Everyone is pushing to get better. Why not aim for Champions League? I’d love nothing more than to get back there.

“We have shown we can do more than compete, we can beat these teams. But we have to do it every single week.”

Bonner says Liverpool “have to be realistic” about their ambitions but the potential they showed last season gives them plenty of optimism.

While other clubs around them – including Manchester United, Brighton and Aston Villa – spent significantly in the summer, Liverpool were fairly quiet.

They did, though, add club record signing Olivia Smith, who has impressed early on.

“We don’t go out and spend fortunes on players,” Bonner said. “But the strength we have is already there. We will grow together and that is what makes you successful.

“We are ambitious, we want to improve. We know we’re still young and have a lot of learning to do but if we can keep going and develop in the way we did last year, we can use those experiences.

“It will be tough because we’re maybe not the surprise package that we were last season and teams will be more prepared. That throws more challenges at us.

“We will let other teams recruit and we can focus on ourselves and keep growing.”

Brandon Royval dug deep in the fifth round to outlast a gritty Tatsuro Taira.

The flyweights battled in the main event of UFC Vegas 98, and delivered a Fight of the Year contender in the process. With the fight seemingly on the line, Royval was able to deliver in the deciding round to pick up his second straight headlining win.

Two of the judges saw it for Royval, while one scored it for Taira, who drops to 16-1 as a pro.

The first round was all Royval, as the fight was mainly contested on the feet. “Raw Dawg” left Taira with damage on his face early and often. In the second round, the tides turned, as Taira landed a takedown and controlled Royval in a dominant position for most of the round.

In Rounds 3 and 4, it was almost a sequel to the first two rounds, with Royval finding success in the odd stanza, while Taira was masterful in the grappling department in the even round.

Round 5 saw Taira land a takedown after taking some big shots from his opponent, but Royval was able to get back up and then thwart the subsequent attempts from Taira to get it to the mat. The one-time title challenger nearly submitted Taira late in the round, but the horn sounded to end an instant classic.

After being announced the split decision (48-47 x2, 47-47( winner, Royval said he would be up for being the backup fighter for the UFC Edmonton main event between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi.

Watch Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira full fight video highlights from their main event showdown Saturday at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, courtesy of UFC.

The flyweight contender showdown headlined UFC Vegas 98 and the highly anticipated matchup between Royval, a recent title challenger, and the undefeated Taira lived up to the hype and then some. For five rounds, Royval and Taira battled each other tooth-and-claw on the feet and on the ground, with both threatening to finish the fight at any given moment.

Though the fighters were clearly reaching deep into their energy reserves by the final round, neither was willing to give an inch, and the outcome was in doubt until the final bell, when Royval was finally able to assert himself on the mat. Royval’s efforts were enough for him to eke out a split decision win.

Check out the best highlights from the Fight of the Year candidate below.

Both Junior Tafa and Sean Sharaf were utterly exhausted.

The lone heavyweight bout on the UFC Fight Night 244 card was a short-notice replacement bout, as the original opponent for Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Chris Barnett, had to pull out of the fight due to hurricane damage at home. Sharaf (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) stepped up for his debut on just a few days’ notice, but was stopped at 2:15 of Round 2.

Sharaf nearly found a stoppage himself at the end of Round 1. He mounted Tafa, poured on ground and pound until the horn, but referee Mark Smith didn’t see a need to stop the fight.

The fight continued into Round 2, where neither fighter had much energy. At one point, they both decided to just stand there and catch their breath while Smith called for them to fight. Tafa found home for a few strikes, putting Sharaf on wobbly legs, but struggled to finish the fight.

If this fight were in a video game, their stamina bars would have been completely depleted and blinking red. Somehow, Tafa found enough energy for a few more punches, and the referee mercifully stopped the fight, completing Tafa’s comeback win.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

WHAT A COMEBACK WIN FOR JUNIOR TAFA 👏 #UFCVegas98 pic.twitter.com/OkMLpb9qzm

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 12, 2024

Tafa returns to the win column for the first time since Aug. 26, 2023, when he defeated Parker Porter. By handing Sharaf his first professional loss, Tafa ended a two-fight skid.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 244 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira delivered the goods in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 98 event at the APEX, and while Taira proved he belongs at the top of the flyweight division, it was the wily veteran who got his hand raised at the end of the night.

Following the latest UFC Fight Night event, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to Royval’s split decision win over Taira in the incredible headliner, the one scorecard for Taira, what we learned about both fighters, and where both go following the five-round classic. Additionally, they discuss Grant Dawson’s fantastic night at the office — both in his fight and the post-fight interview — who got bonuses, other standout moments from the event, and much more.

Catch the UFC Vegas 98 post-fight show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.