A confident performance from Rob Cross gave him an emphatic 5-1 victory over Peter Wright and sealed his place in the Grand Slam of Darts last 16.

Wright has looked out of sorts during the tournament in Wolverhampton and after the opening two legs were shared, Cross then made light work of his opponent.

Cross’ victory saw him finish runner-up in Group C behind Martin Lukeman, who chalked up a 5-3 win over Leonard Gates.

“I don’t like seeing people suffering. I felt for him [Wright]. It’s great, I’m through, but he’s a great guy and deserves a lot more,” Cross told Sky Sports.

“I expected a little bit more [from him] tonight and never got it, he would probably admit that. I hope he does come back and rebuild.”

Elsewhere, James Wade produced a stylish 121 checkout to wrap up a 5-1 win over Rowby-John Rodriguez to top Group A.

Wade qualifies for the knockout phase along with Mickey Mansell, who lost 5-1 to the already eliminated Luke Humphries.

Danny Noppert progressed to the next round with a 100% record in Group B after a 5-2 win over Martin Schindler, who missed four darts to secure a third leg which would have seen him advance as runner-up. Instead Cameron Menzies advanced on legs difference despite losing his final match 5-1 to Beau Greaves.

In Group D, an 11-dart final leg gave Ross Smith a 5-0 whitewash over Connor Scutt to qualify in second behind European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, who claimed a 5-2 win over Dave Chisnall.

The remaining eight places in the last 16 will be decided at the conclusion of the group stage on Tuesday.

The first few fights booked for UFC 312 have now been revealed as the promotion plots a return to Sydney, Australia on Feb. 8.

Among the fights announced, Jimmy Crute makes his return to action for the first time in over a year as he takes on Marcin Prachnio in a light heavyweight bout.

Crute hasn’t fought since 2023 when his record fell to 0-3-1 over four fights and he decided to take an extended break from action before making his return. As for Prachnio, he also looks to bounce back from a loss in his most recent outing while trying to gain some momentum following a 4-3 run over his past seven fights in the UFC.

Undefeated prospect Rei Tsuruya also returns in Australia when he puts his perfect 10-0 record on the line against Stewart Nicoll.

Also announced for the card, local favorite Quillan Salkilld makes his octagon debut against Anshul Jubli, who looks to bounce back after suffering a loss to Mike Breeden during his most recent appearance back in October 2023.

UFC 312 goes down from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney with a main event still to be announced for the card. Several locals have called for fights in Australia including former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski as he looks to get back in the win column following his loss to Ilia Topuria this past February.

CAMERON MENZIES he will be back to work at his plumbing job during the Grand Slam of Darts.

The 35-year-old scraped through the group stage despite losing to Beau Greaves – his partner Fallon Sherrock’s big rival.

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He also lost to Danny Noppert but a 5-2 win over Martin Schindler sees Menzies progress on legs won.

Menzies will return to action in the second round on Wednesday – once he is finished with his other job.

The Scot works as a plumber and is always at work from Tuesday to Thursday, having reduced his working hours recently.

He told Sky Sports after he progressed at the Grand Slam of Darts: “I don’t work Monday and Friday’s now but I’m back to work tomorrow no matter what happens.

“It’s a bit different being here than it is being with a toolbag.

“Tuesday, Wednesday I’m in [work], hopefully depending how results go but yeah I’m in Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I’m meant to be going to a gig Thursday in Glasgow but hopefully I don’t make it.”

Menzies revealed he penned a new contract with his company that has allowed him to reduce his workload – just in time for the Grand Slam of Darts.

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He said: “I’ve just signed a new contract with them.

“I’ve changed my hours so I’m working three days a week now instead of five days which is a lot better for me.

“I asked the office and they were happy to do it – I just had to go to HR.

“They’ve been massively helpful with me.”

At last year’s world championships, Menzies played at Alexandra Palace just hours after carrying out a plumbing job.

Menzies could face partner Sherrock at the world championships next month if they are drawn together in the first round.

And a more hectic darts schedule could eventually lead to him packing in plumbing for good.

He added: “If I start doing more exhibitions and stuff I do think I might have to make a choice.”

The Chicago Bears are mulling whether to fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in the wake of another dismal outing, coach Matt Eberflus said Monday.

“The process of that, we’re going through that right now,” he said. “All those adjustments and changes and things that we’re gonna do — we’re still in the evaluation phase of that.”

Eberflus vowed to make changes following a 19-3 face-plant against the New England Patriots for Chicago’s third straight loss. He just wasn’t ready to announce them.

“I just think that right now, to come out here less than 24 hours and make all those changes or changes that you want to make and state,” Eberflus said. “When I have those answers, I’ll get them to you. I’m just not at that point right now.”

Eberflus said the decision on Waldron is “mine alone, yessir.” Chicago could strip Waldron of his play-calling duties if it doesn’t let him go.

The Bears (4-5) ranked 30th in the NFL in total offense and 24th in scoring through Sunday. Chicago has gone back-to-back games and 23 consecutive possessions without a touchdown since scoring in the final minute at Washington in Week 8, when they lost on a Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels, and the schedule is about to get much tougher. Six of the final eight games are against the NFC North, starting with Green Bay‘s visit this week.

Waldron is in his first year with the Bears after replacing the fired Luke Getsy. He spent the previous three seasons as offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll in Seattle. He helped quarterback Geno Smith go from a journeyman to AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 after passing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns.

In Chicago, players urged Waldron to coach them harder after a loss at Indianapolis in Week 3. The Bears won their next three games against struggling teams, beating the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Since then, Caleb Williams appears to be regressing. The No. 1 draft pick has completed just 48 of 95 passes during this stretch and was sacked nine times against New England, after showing signs of progress during the winning streak.

“We’ve won some games in a row so there is evidence on tape that we’ve had togetherness, complementary football, played winning football and for you to sit there and say we haven’t done that, that’s not true,” Eberflus said. “I would say that I also understand that we’ve lost three in a row and there’s an urgency there and there’s an adjustment, changes that are necessary in that process because it hasn’t worked the last three weeks, and I’m fully aware of that, too. Again, I’m not just at that point right now in terms of stating those changes because we’re in the middle of that process.”

Daryl Johnston & Kevin Kugler break down Patriots’ win over Bears | NFL on FOX

The Bears will try to stop a 10-game losing streak to Green Bay when they host the Packers on Sunday. Chicago has lost 25 of the past 28 meetings, including the NFC championship at the end of the 2010 season.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Arsenal ready to buy Mohammed Kudus, Tottenham to rebuff Cristian Romero interest, Manchester United could offload Joshua Zirkzee, plus more.

Arsenal are ready to spend £83m (100m euros) on West Ham attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus with the 24-year-old Ghana international keen to join the Gunners to play European football. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Tottenham are set to rebuff Real Madrid’s renewed interest in 26-year-old Argentina defender Cristian Romero. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United are considering offloading 23-year-old Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee in January with clubs in Serie A monitoring developments. (Calciomercato – in Italian), external

Juventus are frontrunners in the battle to sign Canada striker Jonathan David, 24, from Lille with Manchester United, Liverpool and Inter Milan also interested. (Footmercato – in French), external

Manchester City have set their sights on AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, 29. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Borussia Dortmund are considering a January move for Sunderland’s 19-year-old English midfielder Jobe Bellingham. (Alan Nixon via Newcastle Chronicle), external

Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies is open to a reunion with former boss Hansi Flick at Barcelona despite interest in the 24-year-old Canada international from Real Madrid and Manchester United. (Teamtalk), external

France midfielder Paul Pogba, 31, is close to reaching an agreement to terminate his contract with Juventus and sign for another club as a free agent once his ban concludes. (Sky Sports), external

Germany winger Leroy Sane is keen to sign a contract at Bayern Munich but the 28-year-old is still some way from reaching agreement over a deal. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Former Spain defender Sergio Ramos, 38, will not make a return to Real Madrid but they will sign a centre-back in January, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany defender Jonathan Tah, 28, having emerged as a new candidate. (Diario AS – in Spanish), external

Scouts from home and abroad are following developments with Kiano Dyer at Chelsea as the English midfielder, 17, approaches the final year of his current contract. (Mail), external

England are poised to hold more talks during the international break over trying to add Chelsea goalkeeping coach Henrique Hilario to incoming head coach Thomas Tuchel’s backroom staff. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

David Moyes is eyeing a return to Premier League management with Crystal Palace, Wolves, Southampton and Leicester all potentially interested. (Talksport), external

Frank Lampard is a candidate for the vacant manager’s job at Championship side Coventry City. (Sky Sports), external

Deontay Wilder vs. Francis Ngannou? It could happen.

Ngannou made a successful return to MMA competition this past October with a thudding first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira at PFL Battle of the Giants. It was Ngannou’s first MMA fight since January 2022 as he parted ways with the UFC in 2023, signed with PFL, and then participated in a pair of high-profile boxing bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

After defeating Ferreira, Ngannou dedicated the win to his son Kobe, who died tragically this past April. He declined to comment on what his next move would be, though boxing remains on the table and Wilder is interested in negotiating a potential matchup of heavyweight stars.

“Even since I’ve been off, there’s been a lot of offers coming in,” Wilder told TMZ Sports. “A lot of things in different countries and stuff like that. Even with Francis, hope everything is going good for you, I’m sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what it’s like to lose a child. I never hope to even feel that feeling of it. I hope life is going beautiful for you, bro.”

“That’s a conversation I’m still looking to get in there in the mix and talk about,” Wilder added when asked about fighting Ngannou.

Wilder, a former WBC titleholder, is mired in the worst slump of his career with just one win in his past five outings. This past April, he lost to Zhilei Zhang via fifth-round TKO. The 39-year-old is still highly regarded for his finishing power, with all but one of his 43 career wins coming by way of KO/TKO.

Ngannou is 0-2 as a pro, though he was widely praised for scoring a knockdown of Fury en route to a controversial split decision loss. Against Joshua, his loss was more definitive as he was knocked out in the second round.

Regardless of what the official record says, Wilder won’t overlook Ngannou if they step into the ring together.

“Any fight is competitive,” Wilder said. “When you’ve got a man that’s got two hands and two feet and he’s got a heart, that will to win, you’ve got competition. You’ve got a fight on your hands. That’s why when you get in the ring you respect every man that steps in there. You just never know what dog he may bring to the fight.”

It’s unknown when Wilder will be able to compete as he told TMZ Sports he suffered an arm injury (“two tears in my shoulder”) in November 2023 ahead of losses to Zhang and Joseph Parker. Speaking about his recovery, Wilder is optimistic that he can continue to perform at high level.

“For me, the best is yet to come,” Wilder said. “We’re still going. We’re still here. We just get things together, I’m just handling a lot of things. I had a lot of outside distractions that I had to get rid of, a lot of burden upon me. I took care of a lot of people and it just became to a point where I just couldn’t do it no more. I’ve got seven kids of my own, I can’t take care of everybody.”

“Even the closest ones to me, I’ve been betrayed by so many people. It’s been a domino effect over the last five years. If anybody knows about betrayal, it’s worse than heartbreak.”