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John McGinn: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is incomparable

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John McGinn: Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is incomparable

Captain John McGinn says he has never met anyone else like Unai Emery and that the Spaniard’s place among the legendary figures in Aston Villa’s history is already assured.

Villa’s impressive start to the season continued with a 2-0 victory over Bologna as they went top of the Champions League table.

Emery, who celebrates two years in charge at Villa Park on Thursday, has also guided the side to fourth in this season’s Premier League, four points behind leaders Liverpool.

The 52-year-old has yet to win a trophy with the club but McGinn believes his place in Villa history is safe.

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“No matter what happens until now and whenever he leaves – we hope it’s never – he will certainly go down as one of our club’s greatest managers,” McGinn said.

“You feed off your leader. He is our leader and we feed off that. No-one can question what he puts in, the effort – and everything which comes his way and our way is on the back of hard work.

“He is just so driven. I have never met anyone like him,” added the 30-year-old.

McGinn acknowledged Emery has been the “only person” who has not been excited by Villa’s early season form, with the ex-Arsenal boss instead concentrating on his job.

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“He just focuses his full energy all the time,” added the Scotland midfielder.

“He does not let us take our foot off the gas so we can use all our energy and enthusiasm, and the excitement we have. His determination and intensity is unmatched.”

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England v New Zealand: Henry Slade to prove fitness with Exeter ahead of All Blacks game

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England v New Zealand: Henry Slade to prove fitness with Exeter ahead of All Blacks game

England centre Henry Slade will play for Exeter this weekend in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of the autumn opener against New Zealand on 2 November.

The 31-year-old had shoulder surgery over the summer and has yet to feature for his club this season.

But he will fly back early from England’s training camp in Girona to prepare to face Harlequins in the Premiership on Sunday.

“He wanted some rugby, we wanted him to get some rugby, so he’s going to get some rugby,” said senior England assistant Richard Wigglesworth.

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Slade, who has been capped 65 times, established himself as one of Steve Borthwick’s key players over the past year, having been a shock omission from the Rugby World Cup squad.

He has started all of England’s eight Test matches in 2024, partnering Ollie Lawrence in midfield for the last six.

That centre combination now looks likely to face the All Blacks provided Slade is able to pick up some match sharpness with the Chiefs.

“We’ll see what he looks like in training today [Wednesday], does he get through everything and is he really happy,” Wigglesworth told BBC Sport.

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“Same the next couple of days for Exeter, then he plays and we will make a decision Monday or Tuesday.

“It’s missing one training session for us versus going and playing some minutes for Exeter.”

Meanwhile, Sale fly-half George Ford is nearing a return to full training after a quad injury and remains in contention for next weekend.

“George is at the last stage of his rehabilitation,” Wigglesworth added. “He is probably ahead of schedule and is in a fair bit of rugby this week.”

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UFC 308 loses bantamweight fight days before event

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UFC 308 loses bantamweight fight days before event

UFC 308 fight week began with one more fight than it has now.

The bantamweight bout between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos has been canceled, the promotion confirmed Wednesday. The card will continue with 13 bouts, which take place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

Santos (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was “removed” from the bout according to the UFC, though no specific reason for the removal was cited. It’s Santos’ second-straight withdrawal.

Though he hasn’t competed since June 2023, Santos currently rides a two-fight winning streak consisting of victories over John Castaneda and Johnny Munoz.

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Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has not competed since October 2023 when he bounced back into the win column with a 73-second submission victory over Muin Gafurov.

With the removal, the UFC 308 fight card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)

  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
  • Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos
  • Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
  • Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
  • Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
  • Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Mike Tyson sends sparring partner crumbling to floor after brutal left hook in training for Jake Paul fight

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Mike Tyson sends sparring partner crumbling to floor after brutal left hook in training for Jake Paul fight

MIKE TYSON sent a sparring partner crumbling to floor after brutal left – before firing a fierce warning to Jake Paul.

The heavyweight icon faces YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on November 15 in a bout widely slammed over the 30-year age gap.

Mike Tyson dropped his sparring partner

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Mike Tyson dropped his sparring partnerCredit: @miketyson
A brutal left hook dropped the sparring partner

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A brutal left hook dropped the sparring partnerCredit: @miketyson

And fans recently voiced their concerns over Tyson’s carefully crafted training montages.

But in a newly released clip, it was Iron Mike’s sparring partner who supporters were left feeling sorry for.

In the footage, Tyson backs his sparring partner up to the ropes and unleashes a trademark left hook.

The poor training partner sinks to the floor as Tyson roared: “I’ve got a lot in me. I’m just getting started.”

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And one fan said: “He’s looking scary boys.”

Another added: “When you hear Mike say I’m just getting started you better run the other way.”

It comes after Paul also released sparring footage dropping a heavyweight with an overhand right.

The already controversial clash was further scrutinised when Tyson was forced to pull out of the initial July 20 date.

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He suffered an ulcer flare up in his stomach but has since been deemed medically fit to continue training.

Tyson is also required to undergo additional brain and hearts checks ahead of his fight along with pre-bout drug testing alongside Paul.

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Paul, 27, has ten wins and only one loss in the boxing ring, losing a 2023 split-decision to Tommy Fury, 25.

Tyson meanwhile returns for his first pro fight since 2005 despite facing Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout in 2020.

Mike Tyson looks ripped at 58 as former heavyweight champ shows off impressive physique before Jake Paul fight

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Aleksandar Rakic can’t hardly wait to fight Magomed Ankalaev

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Aleksandar Rakic can’t hardly wait to fight Magomed Ankalaev

ABU DHABI – Aleksandar Rakic relishes the opportunity to fight Magomed Ankalaev.

Rakic (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 308 main card at Etihad Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN+).

Rakic is aware of what’s at stake with a win. Many think Ankalaev is the rightful No. 1 contender who was passed up by Khalil Rountree for a shot at light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

“What makes me really happy is that the UFC gave me Ankalaev, and I honestly believe that if I didn’t put a good fight at UFC 300 – it doesn’t matter the result, I would never get that fight,” Rakic told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 308 media day.

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“When I got the fight against Ankalaev, the name, I immediately said yes because he’s No. 2 ranked behind Jiri Prochazka, who lost twice to Pereira, so this is the best matchup for me. Stylistically it’s going to be a better matchup for me than Jiri Prochazka.”

Although Rakic is coming off back-to-back losses to Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka, Chael Sonnen thinks Rakic is a dangerous fight for Ankalaev. According to DraftKings, Rakic is a +285 underdog, and the 32-year-old is ready to play spoiler.

“It’s time to remind the fans, the people, and the UFC who ‘The Rocket’ is back in the days,” Rakic said. “I’m ready to crash the party on Saturday and to mix things up.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Geoff Capes: British shot put record holder dies aged 75

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Geoff Capes: British shot put record holder dies aged 75

Geoff Capes, British shot put record holder and two-time world’s strongest man, has died aged 75.

Capes set the record for the furthest shot put throw by a British man with a distance of 21.68m in 1980.

In a statement, Capes’ family said: “The family of Geoffrey Capes would like to announce his sad passing today, 23rd October.

“Britain’s finest shot putter and twice world’s strongest man.”

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Town Hall Q&A with PFL’s Donn Davis

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Town Hall Q&A with PFL’s Donn Davis

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis joins a special town hall with the MMA Fighting community.

Following Saturday’s PFL Battle of the Giants event in Saudi Arabia — which saw Francis Ngannou close the show with a ferocious first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira — joins MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck as he answers question live from the viewers.

Join the show live Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. You can begin submitting your questions in the video link above.

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