They are led by a Euro 2016 hero, have a Giggs in their starting line-up, and boast a goalscorer who is exciting many at Manchester United.

While Wales’ new era continues under Craig Bellamy, the country’s next generation is making a significant step in Scotland this week.

Containing some names that are already familiar to many and some that could yet prove to be household ones of the future, Wales Under-19s have begun their latest European qualifiers.

Managed by 109-cap defender Chris Gunter, their campaign started with a win against the hosts in Stirling.

They clearly impressed former Scotland midfielder Nigel Quashie – whose son, Arsenal’s Brayden Clarke, played at centre-back in the 1-0 win.

“This Wales squad showed signs that this group of players are only going to better,” he posted on X , externalof a team, many of whom – including Clarke – reached the Under-17s Euros finals last summer.

Clarke is not the only former professional’s offspring in the side; Zach Giggs had a hand setting up Wales’ only goal as he donned the same dragon worn 64 times by his father, Manchester United great Ryan.

But, as Wales look ahead to games against France (Saturday, 16 November) and Liechtenstein (Tuesday, 19 November) seeking to progress to the elite round qualifiers in spring and then possibly the first major finals at this age grade, they are not the only youngsters that Welsh football bosses are hoping could be senior stars in the not too distant future.

If Jon Jones plans to fight again after facing Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, he only has one option and that’s a showdown with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who responded to Jones’ comments leading up to his fight on Saturday where he’s repeatedly shut down a potential fight against Aspinall and instead favored a matchup with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Jones even went as far as saying Aspinall is “such an assh*le that I don’t want to do business with him.”

“He’s not fighting Pereira,” White told Jim Rome when asked about Jones’ plans for the future. “[Pereira] was a middleweight that moved up to light heavyweight. He’s also a kickboxer who has done very, very well in MMA. His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones and Jon Jones is way bigger than him.

“If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.”

That’s great news for Aspinall, who is currently in New York to play the backup for the fight between Jones and Miocic on Saturday,

Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight title almost exactly one year ago after Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle that forced him to delay the fight against Miocic. In the meantime, Aspinall defended his interim belt with a stunning first-round knockout over Curtis Blaydes back in July.

Since then, Aspinall has repeatedly called for the fight against Jones while stating that he’s facing Miocic for the “most disputed title” in the UFC.

Everything Aspinall said has only caused Jones to dig in his heels that much more whenever he addresses the potential fight but White says that’s the only matchup he’s willing to make.

“Jon’s weird in how he deals with this type of stuff,” White said. “Like he’ll show up for a fight like this, he’ll be prepared mentally, physically, and everything else and then when the fight’s over, he sort of goes and disappears and he wants to challenge himself again and Tom Aspinall is there. He’s doing the whole ‘he doesn’t deserve it’ … but Jon when was 23 years old and he became the youngest champion ever, somebody gave him the opportunity for greatness. I think Jon will eventually come back and face Tom Aspinall.

“But if he decides Saturday night that’s it, it’s over, it’s his right to make that decision. What this guy has accomplished, nobody else has even come close to accomplishing and he’s the greatest of all time. So we’ll see.”

White is rather adamant when addressing Jones either taking the Aspinall fight or calling it a career but he refuses to believe that the reigning UFC heavyweight champion is actually ducking anybody.

That narrative has plagued Jones in the days leading up to his fight against Miocic but White promises that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“For anybody to say he’s ducking anybody, Jon Jones is like 37, 38 years old, he’s fought everybody,” White said. “He’s fought all the best in the world, in their prime, been doing it since he was 23 years old. He doesn’t duck. And he’s undefeated, he’s never lost a fight, which is unbelievable in like 16 years.”

For all the ways Jones has refused to even acknowledge Aspinall as a potential opponent, White won’t close the door on that fight actually happening down the road.

If Jones wins on Saturday, White expects him to take some time off before deciding whether or not he wants to compete again. Assuming Jones wants to return for another fight, White is confident he’ll take on Aspinall.

“That is classic Jon Jones right there. Classic Jon Jones,” White said. “Jon will do what he does on Saturday, if he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and then that competitive spirit will start bubbling up again and then money will talk. If he doesn’t decide to retire, he absolutely, positively fights Aspinall.

When Jon Jones steps into the cage Saturday at UFC 309, it’ll mark more than 16 years that he’s competed as a professional fighter.

The UFC snagged him within his first year of competition. He fought six times regionally before the promotion came calling. All eight of those bouts occurred between April and July 2008.

One of those fights was against fellow future UFC fighter Parker Porter in Wilmington, Mass., for World Championship Fighting (now Combat FC). Jones, then 20, would sign with the UFC one win later.

Up until now, the only footage that existed in the public forum was a grainy handheld angle from cageside. However, promoter Joe Cavallaro released professional footage of the fight Thursday for all to enjoy – for as long as it lasted.

Ahead of UFC 309, check out the previously unreleased video of Jones vs. Porter in the video above.

Fighters competing at UFC 309 are set to wear older versions of gloves, which were initially replaced by a new design that debuted back in June.

No one was happier than heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Jones returns to action in the main event Saturday night against Stipe Miocic. The bout marks Jones’ first fight since March 2023 so his latest appearance was the first opportunity he had to use the new gloves. It turns out Jones wasn’t a fan of the re-design after receiving a pair of gloves to break in and use in the weeks leading up to his fight in New York.

“I’m really excited about the old gloves,” Jones said during UFC 309 media day. “I got sent a pair of the new gloves several weeks ago. I tried them on and I thought they were tight. I used to fit in XL and in the new glove I had to put on a 3XL. The shape, curving your hands like that, they very uncomfortable for me.

“I was actually really stressed thinking about how I’m going to go into fight week wearing these gloves that I don’t even want to train in.”

The UFC ultimately decided to lessen Jones’ burden after he received a call from UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell to inform him that the old gloves would be employed for his fight against Miocic.

While promotion officials previously confirmed to MMA Fighting that the old gloves would return for UFC 309, it’s unclear if there are plans to return to the new gloves for future events.

Either way, Jones was happy to find out he’d still be using the same gloves that the UFC employed throughout his whole career.

“I got a phone call recently, Hunter [Campbell] said, ‘Everyone on this card are veterans, why put a bunch of vets in the new gloves? Let’s give you guys all what you’re used to,’” Jones ssif.

“It was a major relief to my coach Brandon [Gibson], who wraps my hands. It was a major relief to me as well.”

UFC CEO Dana White has been good friends with Mike Tyson for a long time and is concerned for his health ahead of his return to the boxing ring.

Friday, Tyson (50-6) will step through the ropes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in an eight-round professional bout, which serves as the main event of the first live sporting event to stream on Netflix.

The matchup has drawn criticism due to the age difference, as Tyson, who is 58, will square off with a much younger Paul (10-1), who is 27. When asked about the fight, White refrained from talking down on the fight and instead offered concerns about Tyson’s health.

“I will not say anything bad about this fight because I love Mike Tyson,” White said on “The Jim Rome Show.” “The only thing that I hope is that Mike comes out of this fight healthy.

“… I just hope he does. At 58 years old, I mean, I’m 55, and obviously, I’ve never been the level of athlete that Mike Tyson is, but 27 vs. 58? It’s hard to consistently work out at that age just for health purposes and not get hurt. To train for something like this? It’s just – I love Mike. I hope he makes a bunch of money on Friday, and I hope he comes out healthy.”

Tyson was last in action four years ago in an exhibition boxing bout against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. It was a fight in which clearly both fighters were not trying to hurt each other that resulted in a draw. Tyson’s last professional bout was in June 2005 against Kevin McBride. Tyson lost the fight by TKO in the sixth round.

In the late 1980s, Tyson became a legendary force in the world of boxing as the WBC and IBF heavyweight champion. He was a crossover superstar who created viral moments way before the existence of social media. However, the days of Tyson’s prime in the ring are well behind him, and White understands why it would be difficult to turn down a lucrative offer to fight Paul.

“When you’ve accomplished what Mike Tyson has accomplished, and that type of money is offered to you, it’s hard to not,” White said. “It’s about Mike having money issues or anything like that. Mike does fine. Mike does well, but when you have that type of money waved in front of you – I’ve told this story, it’s been told a million times. When Mike was going to fight before, I said, ‘Mike, don’t do this.’ So, I put him on Shark Week. I get a deal done for him to do Shark Week. He’s like, ‘Oh you care about me? I’ve been fighting since I was 12, but you want to throw me in the water with sharks? You’re an idiot.’ And I can’t disagree with him. He’s absolutely right.

“… At the end of the day, it’s none of our business, it’s Mike Tyson’s business. He’s a grown man, he does what he wants to do, and I love him and I just want the best for him.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Paul vs. Tyson.