LAS VEGAS – Junior Tafa beat Sean Sharaf with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Tafa, who struggled in the first, but came on in the second to spoil Sharaf’s short-notice UFC debut.

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf

Junior Tafa

Result: Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:15
Updated records: Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Sharaf (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Tafa stuffed seven of Sharaf’s eight takedown attempts.

Tafa on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (R-L) Junior Tafa of Australia punches Sean Sharaf in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I was really quite excited to have someone who’s going to trade off standing up – we can entertain the fans and get a better chance of winning that bonus, so it was quite freaking annoying when he started shooting on me.”

Tafa on two late changes

“I only got called up for this fight as a replacement fighter. I was actually on vacation with my family and my kids when I got told about this fight, and I ended up having like a week’s worth of training to coming in here. We had a game plan for Chris Barnett, and then they switched up fight week for a new opponent – which then, the game plan switches again. It just became fight whatever is in front of you. The game plan switched that quick. ”

Tafa on what he wants next

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf, UFC Fight Night 244

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“My name is ‘Mr. Anytime.’ Give me a call and I’m there. This is my second late-notice fight this year. I took a fight in Anaheim (Calif.) in March on less than 24 hours’ notice. I’m here less than a week’s notice (opponent), so it’s like you can call me ‘Mr. Anytime’ now … ‘Mr. Anytime, Anywhere.’”

To hear more from Tafa, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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

There is uncertainty over whether Northern Ireland’s Nations League match at home to Belarus in November will take place at Windsor Park.

A decision has yet to be taken whether Belarus players and staff will be granted visas to play in the match by the UK government.

Belarus was included in the UK’s sanctions against Russia, as the country has allowed its territory to be used by Russia’s army to launch attacks into northern Ukraine.

Saturday’s away fixture was played behind closed doors in Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary, because of European governing body Uefa’s restrictions on Belarus.

“It is longstanding government policy that we do not routinely comment on individual cases,” the Home Office said on Monday.

“We are unable to confirm if all members of the Belarus national football team will be denied entry to the UK without details on each individual.”

While Uefa’s restrictions would not impact the return fixture, a venue in Europe would have to be secured if permission is not granted by the UK government for the game to take place in Belfast.

The ZTE Arena, where Saturday’s goalless draw took place, is one option if the match is moved.

A spoksesperson for the Irish Football Association said it is “in contact with appropriate Uefa and government officials on this matter.”

Wales manager Craig Bellamy was full of praise for Harry Wilson, whose penalty gave Wales a 1-0 win over Montenegro in the Nations League.

It was the third game in a row in which Wilson scored for Wales.

Read more: Nations League can boost World Cup hopes – Bellamy

DEAN HENDERSON has revealed the joy, pain and frustration of his long journey that led him back into the England team.

The Crystal Palace keeper made his second appearance for the Three Lions in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Finland  —  four years after his debut against Ireland.

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Henderson, 27, was only told by interim manager Lee Carsley on Saturday he was being handed a long-awaited return, leaving his family in a race to dash out to Helsinki for the big occasion.

Yet the delight was mixed with sadness.

The one person Henderson would have dearly loved to be in the stands at the Olympic Stadium was his dad, Dougie, who passed away in the summer.

And he is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of pal George Baldock, 31, who died in Greece last week. The pair played together while Henderson was on loan at Sheffield United from Manchester United.

So while Henderson spoke with pride about a first ever start for England, it was understandable that on a couple of occasions his voice cracked and he was close to tears.

He said: “It has been four years since I played my last game for England.

“It just shows you can never give up and you’ve got to bounce back and be resilient.

“And I’m proud to have done that because it’s been really difficult at times.

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“I found out on Saturday during training that I was playing so it was a bit of a mad one. I wanted my mum, Yvonne, and my missus, Millie, to come out. So we were trying to do last-minute flights to get them here.

“I had to go all out and get them on a charter plane. But I did it because I knew that it was such a big thing for the family. My brother also came and my missus’ father, so it was nice.”

Asked who helped him through the dark times over the last few years, Henderson added: “My old man. Unfortunately, we lost him in the summer. It’d have been great for him to be here to watch me, so it’s been emotional.

“He didn’t miss any game. The journey that we went on was  phenomenal. And I’ve just got to make sure it continues.”

Ahead of Thursday’s shock 2-1 Nations League loss to Greece at Wembley, there was a minute’s silence for Panathinaikos defender Baldock, who was found dead in a swimming pool at his villa in Athens.

Henderson, whose wife is also close friends with Baldock’s fiancee, Annabel Dignam, said: “I cannot believe it. I’m still numb from that.

“He was part of the group of lads we had at Sheffield United and he was a big character. So to lose him just out of the blue was such a shock.

“I am thinking about Annabel, his poor missus, and his young boy, Brodie. It’s such a shame. I don’t even know what to say. I’m lost for words.”

Those two personal losses for Henderson obviously put football into perspective.

Yet on the pitch, it had been a turbulent week for the England team and the uncertainty over Carsley, who cannot seem to make his mind up whether he wants the job full-time.

But Henderson insisted: “He’s fantastic. He wants us to play football, he wants us to play with confidence. He wants to control games of football.

“The boys are buying into that. Obviously, we weren’t at our best the other night — and even in some cases against Finland.

“But we have got to take responsibility and we’ve got to puff our chests out and show the confidence to get on the ball.

“He wants us to play out from the back, which is not something I do massively at club level.

“But you have got to flick  the switch and obviously do well for him.”

Henderson also believes Carsley was right to be brave at Wembley and experiment by playing without a No 9 in a bid to cram in all his attacking midfielders  — even though it was a disaster.

He said: “At the Euros, people were asking for that team. You’ve got to be ballsy and you’ve got to just give it a shot.”

Pep Guardiola sounded out by Football Association for England job, Spaniard also considering one-year contract extension with Manchester City, Lee Carsley has been told he will not be appointed Three Lions boss permanently.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, 53, has been sounded out by the Football Association about becoming England’s next manager and is expected to decide on his future in the coming weeks. (Times), external

Spaniard Guardiola is also considering signing a one-year contract extension to stay at City. (Telegraph), external

Interim England boss Lee Carsley has been told he will not get the Three Lions job permanently. (Sun), external

Newcastle United are planning to accept an offer for Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron, 30, in January in an attempt to raise funds for reinvestment in their squad. (Football Insider), external

Liverpool are interested in defender Loic Bade as a replacement for their Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, 33. However, Sevilla will not listen to offers below 20m euros for the 24-year-old Frenchman. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Manchester United have been closely monitoring Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze, 26, with the club’s scouting department keeping tabs on the England international throughout last season. (Football Transfers), external

United could re-sign Spain Under-21 left-back Alvaro Carreras, 21, who left Old Trafford for Benfica in the summer. (Mirror), external

Raufeon Stots expects his fight with Marcos Breno to serve as an appetizer for the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event.

Bantamweights Stots (20-2) and Breno (15-3) throw down in Saturday’s featured prelim at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the main card on ESPN+/DAZN pay-per-view.

Having fought the likes of Patchy Mix, Danny Sabatello, and Juan Archuleta, Breno is a far less notable name for Stots. However, the 35-year-old is fully aware of the scenario that could play out, so he won’t underestimate him.

“I think he sees this as a big opportunity to make a name for himself right away and to erase that stink from his last performance off,” Stots told MMA Junkie Radio on Breno. “I think the trash talk kind of got the best of him this last fight, so I think he’s going to come in guns blazing. He’s got power in his hands. He’s a Brazilian (jiu-jitsu) black belt. He’s just a guy that hasn’t been around as long.”

Stots thinks his fight with Breno is the featured prelim for a reason. He plans on getting the fans excited for the main card, and give them a small preview of the night’s main event between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira.

“If you look at the fight, the fight is kind of a Temu version of the main event fight with Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira,” Stots said. “I’m a veteran African like Francis, and he’s a young, powerhouse Brazilian.

“So I think that’s why they wanted me on that featured prelim. They wanted me to showcase and get the people interested and be like, ‘It’s going to be a big barnburner.’ They’re the big giants, we’re the little giants.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.