EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – UFC exec Dave Shaw revealed a roadblock stopping the UFC from returning to Ireland.

The UFC hasn’t hosted an event in Ireland since Conor McGregor knocked out Diego Brandao in July 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46 from 3Arena in Dublin. The attendance for that event was 9,500, and according to the 3Arena official website, the venue can host up to 13,000 fans.

UFC CEO Dana White attended Callum Walsh’s boxing match in September at 3Arena, but Shaw said the venue’s capacity isn’t sufficient for a UFC event.

“Great venue – but a small venue,” Shaw said after UFC Fight Night 246. “Could we take our show to that arena? It would be challenging. It’s not an insurmountable challenge – we’d be able to do it. But we’d be having a small event. It’s a small arena. It doesn’t have the space that we need necessarily.”

While Dublin could be a challenge, Shaw confirmed that the UFC plans on returning to the United Kingdom in 2025.

“Are there more plans? Yes,” Shaw said. “We’re going to be back in the U.K. next year. Whether that’s Dublin, (it’s) probably London for us next year, and then as we get through next year, which is the last year of our current media deal in the U.S., and we start to plan out what we want to do in 2026 and beyond in terms of the number of international events that we can have, the intention is to be able to go back to Europe more often.”

Check out Shaw’s full post-event news conference in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.

Hiromitsu Miura has died at 43 years old.

On Tueday, Miura’s family released a statement on social media revealing that the former WEC welterweight title challenger passed away on Oct. 26 following a battle with acute leukemia.

“Hiromitsu Miura passed away suddenly on October 26, 2024 at the age of 43 after fighting acute leukemia since mid-September.

“We should have informed you of his death earlier, but we sincerely apologize for the delay in notifying you.

“The funeral was attended only by his immediate family.

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“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the kindness you extended to the deceased during his lifetime.

“Sincerely, Miura Family.

Born in Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan, Miura made his MMA debut in 2004 at 22 years old, competing as a middleweight. After going 7-3 to start his career, Miura signed with the WEC where he would eventually drop down to welterweight. Miura is best-known in MMA for his four-round war with Carlos Condit for the WEC welterweight title at WEC 35, that Condit won by stoppage.

After his time in WEC, Miura left MMA to pursue boxing where he won his first nine fights before challenging for the OPFB super middleweight title against Yuzo Kiyota. Miura lost that fight by TKO and then returned to MMA a few years later, spending the final years of his career competing in Pancrase where he won the welterweight title by beating Akihiro Murayama in 2016.

It’s UFC Fight Night 247 fight week, but the lineup has been hit with a change.

Days prior to the event, Nicolas Dalby is out of his welterweight bout vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, who now faces Zach Scroggin.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the change Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

It’s unclear why Dalby (23-5-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) withdrew from the bout.

Dos Santos (28-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) looks to get in the win column for the first time in three appearances. After a draw vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov in November 2023, dos Santos lost by unanimous decision to Randy Brown in June.

Scroggin (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the Fighting Alliance Championship (FAC) welterweight champion. In seven pro fights, he has seven wins and five finishes.

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

• Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns
• Denise Gomes vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
• Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios
• Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Zach Scroggin
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Charlie Radtke vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Stamann
• Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Sygula
• Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious
• Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.

Edu was also heavily involved in bringing Arteta in as Arsenal manager in 2019, with the club going on to win the FA Cup at the end of his first season in charge.

“From day one, we’ve been together and I’m very grateful personally for everything he’s done for me and the amazing work he’s done for the football club,” Arteta added.

“We both had this special chemistry working together.

“I’m very blessed that he’s been part of my life in such a beautiful place, managing this incredible club. He’s been a massive part of that.

“He’s had an amazing opportunity now to do something else in a different role. He believes that’s the right professional move for him. We have to respect that. From that bottom of my heart, I think everybody feels that we want the best for him.”

Edu’s departure comes on the back of Arsenal losing two of their past three Premier League games, drawing the other, to fall seven points behind leaders Liverpool.

However, they go into their Champions League match at Inter Milan unbeaten in the competition, with two wins from their opening three matches.

“With everything that we’ve been through these last four or five years – what a great place we are in,” Arteta said.

“There have been problems of all kinds at this football club for many years but we are in an incredible moment right now. We are blessed to be where we are.”

Elizeu Zaleski’s rematch with Nicolas Dalby is off.

The UFC announced Tuesday that Dalby has been forced out of a scheduled welterweight bout with Zaleski that was to take place Saturday at UFC Vegas 100. Stepping in for Dalby on just days’ notice is UFC newcomer Zach Scroggin.

Dalby’s withdrawal was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Zaleski and Dalby previously fought in May 2015 at an event in Brazil that served as the debut for both fighters. It was Dalby who was victorious on that day, leaving the octagon with a split decision victory in hand. There is no word yet on whether the rematch is being considered for a re-booking in the future.

Saturday’s bout is a pivotal one for Zaleski (24-8-1), who turns 38 this month. The Brazilian veteran is winless in his past two bouts, a loss to Randy Brown and a majority draw against Rinat Fakhretdinov.

Scroggins, 28, is undefeated in seven pro bouts. He has spent his entire career competing for Missouri’s Fighting Alliance Championship and in his most recent outing, he won a vacant welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over former Bellator and Strikeforce fighter Zak Bucia.