Zambian football is in mourning after seven players from Chavuma Town Council FC were killed in a bus crash.

The country’s football association (Faz) expressed its “deep shock” at the accident, which occurred on Saturday while the squad was travelling to a third-tier league game in the north west of the country.

“We are in touch with the football, civil and law enforcement authorities in the province to furnish us with full details,” Faz president Andrew Kamanga said.

Twelve other people were injured in the accident, and five of those have been evacuated to the capital Lusaka for treatment.

The names of those killed and injured have not been released.

Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe said he and the governing body “hope and pray” that those injured will fully recover soon.

“I convey my personal and Caf’s deepest condolences,” Motsepe added in a statement.

“May God comfort and console the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased and the Football Association of Zambia.

“May the souls of the departed players rest in eternal peace.”

Artur de Almeida e Silva, the president of the council of Southern Africa’s regional FAs, said the loss of young lives in such a manner was “truly heartbreaking”.

“Football is a sport that unites us, bringing joy and pride to communities across our region,” he said in a letter to his counterpart at Faz.

“In this tragic moment, we share in your grief and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends who are mourning this immense loss.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are still receiving treatment for their injuries.”

Liam Lawson has apologised to Sergio Perez for showing him the middle finger during their intense battle in Formula 1’s Mexico Grand Prix.

The New Zealander came to blows with his rival at Turn 4 on lap 19 where, after being pushed wide as the Red Bull attempted an overtake, he kept his foot in and the pair then collided at the following right-hander.

Perez’s car suffered damage to its floor edge and sidepod, which the team reckoned cost him around 65-points of downforce.

While the Mexican managed to stay ahead for the rest of the lap, he eventually lost out as the RB breezed past him on the main straight.

In his frustration at the situation, Lawson showed Perez the finger as he overtook – a moment that was captured on television.

Reflecting on that behaviour afterwards, Lawson said it was born out of frustration but admitted it was something that he should not have done.

Liam Lawson, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“It’s obviously one of those in the moment things,” he explained. “He spent half the lap blocking me, trying to ruin my race, so I was upset.

“But it’s not an excuse. I shouldn’t have done it, and I apologise for that.” 

Lawson’s actions, both in being aggressive with Perez and then showing him the finger, did not impress Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

Marko told ORF: “[It was] an unnecessary collision, where I see Lawson as being more to blame.”

Asked if it was good that Lawson got his elbows out, at least, Marko replied: “If it had been someone else, yes. But not the sister team.”

Lawson himself conceded that it probably was not ideal how things played out with Perez.

“I don’t think that’s what Helmut likes,” he said. “It’s not my character, not something you should be doing.”

Perez laid the blame firmly on Lawson’s shoulders for their clash at Turn 5, suggesting that the RB driver could have easily avoided the accident.

However, Lawson saw things differently and reckoned that he had been left with nowhere to go.

“I left him space into (Turn) 4 and was coming in very, very late,” he said. “Honestly, I tried to give him space.

“He drove me off the track, and then he didn’t give me space since Turn 5. So, you know, it’s unfortunate about the tension, but I don’t know where he wants me to go.” 

To be fair, it was a hugely controversial VAR call in the dying moments that handed West Ham a 2-1 win.

And the first half from the Red Devils was impressive.

Here’s how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the players…

Andre Onana – 6
Very loose with the ball at his feet early on but soon settled.

Manchester United conceded from West Ham’s first shot on target, though given Ings’ deflected strike there was little Onana could have done about it.

Diogo Dalot – 5
Delivered one of the most entertaining missed chances you will see all season – doing so well to clip the ball past Lukasz Fabianski before smashing the ball high and wide of an open goal.

Despite that, had little trouble from those in claret and blue attacking down his side until Summerville was introduced. The former Leeds man tested Dalot a number of times with his pace.

Redeemed himself a touch with the header back in ahead of Casemiro’s equaliser.

Matthijs de Ligt – 6
Hard done by in conceding the penalty for what looked a soft challenge on Hammers striker Ings.

Restricted West Ham well for the most part but United never looked entirely comfortable at the back and a more potent attack could have caused much more trouble.

Lisandro Martinez – 6
Struggled at times to deal with the strength and direct nature of Michail Antonio, who tested all across United’s back line well until he was replaced by Ings.

Noussair Mazraoui – 5
Struggled to keep a handle on both Bowen and former Manchester United man Aaron Wan-Bissaka for the most part and was thrown around by Michail Antonio at times.

Having looked soft at the back he also offered very little going forwards down the left.

Casemiro – 6
Started strongly dominating in the middle but struggled to wrestle that back when West Ham picked up.

Was denied a first half goal by Fabianski’s superb save but got one eventually as he refused to give up and made sure the ball.

Christian Eriksen – 5
Some flashes of creativity in the first half but could not help United keep control in the second after West Ham perked up.

Marcus Rashford – 4
Entirely absent throughout the hour he was on the pitch. Played down the right he was easily managed by Emerson Palmieri who had little of note to do before the winger went off.

Bruno Fernandes – 7
Caused huge problems for West Ham and created plenty of chances which his teammates put to waste.

Fernandes made a fine run to meet a Casemiro cross but headed over the bar and had to watch both Garnacho and Dalot pass up huge chances after his good work to set them up – especially the latter, a wonderful looped ball to cut out the entire West Ham defence.

Alejandro Garnacho – 5
The young winger should have had two goals inside the opening eight minutes. One chance was rattled against the bar before a poor finish sent the second wide of the far post.

He continued to cause trouble down the left but faded as the game went on and crucially gave the ball away in the build-up to Summerville’s goal.

Rasmus Hojlund – 5
Drew a couple of saves from Hammers keeper Fabianski but neither looked too difficult.

The Dane was rather comfortably dealt with by West Ham’s central defenders and never looked too much of a threat.

Substitutes
Amad Diallo – 6
Added some life and threat to a forward line which had offered little after the break and lifted a clever ball over to Dalot in the build-up to Casemiro’s goal.

Joshua Zirkzee – 5
Claimed an assist but did not know a lot about it and struggled to have an impact from there on.

Victor Lindelof – n/a

Unused subs: Altay Bayindir, Manuel Ugarte, Jonny Evans, Ethan Wheatley, Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher.

UFC 308 is in the books, and Ilia Topuria remains the featherweight champion after doing the unthinkable: knocking out Max Holloway.

This past Saturday in Abu Dhabi, Topuria scored the first title defense of his featherweight reign with a third-round stoppage of Holloway, and may have done enough to cement himself as the Fighter of the Year. On top of that, Khamzat Chimaev thrashed Robert Whittaker with a brutal first-round submission win to put himself in title contention.

So with so much to talk about plus more, let’s gather the MMA Fighting brain trust to discuss everything that happened at UFC 308.

1. What is your blurb review of UFC 308?

Heck: Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev are those guys.

Topuria knocking out Max Holloway in the way that he did was stunning. Did I see Topuria winning? I did, but certainly not in the way he confidently predicted during the entire build to the fight.

Chimaev obliterating the facial area and teeth of Robert Whittaker is just plain scary. Don’t make this too complicated, UFC: Give Chimaev the title shot, and fast.

Lee: The fighters with the most pressure on them delivered, helping not only themselves, but the UFC.

Ilia Topuria is a future legend, Khamzat Chimaev looked like the best middleweight in the world, Magomed Ankalaev held serve, and even Lerone Murphy and Shara Magomedov made an impact in their respective contenders’ lines. Now it’s on the UFC to not get cute and give these big winners the opportunities they’re entitled to.

Meshew: None of your heroes are safe from the inexorable march of this sport.

Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker are two of the most beloved fighters in the UFC. Both are former champions, both are still relatively young, and both looked incredible leading into Saturday night. Because of that, many thought — or hoped — they might fend off Father Time. Instead, Saturday gave us a harsh reminder of the reality of this sport for all our heroes.

Martin: As advertised.

Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev were both heavily favored to win at UFC 308 but actually delivering with such impressive finishes can’t be emphasized enough. Max Holloway had never been knocked out and Topuria knocked him out. Whittaker had never been submitted in the UFC and Chimaev tapped him inside five minutes. Living up to expectations is tough but Topuria and Chimaev did that and more on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

2. What’s next for Max Holloway?

Heck: So, so many options for Holloway now, it’s an embarrassment of riches for fight fans now that he’ll be a full-time lightweight. But the answer is Charles Oliveira, no matter what happens at UFC 309.

They were matched up before in a main event in 2015, and we only got a little over 90 seconds of action until Oliveira got injured. I’ve wanted to see this fight rebooked since, and now we have the best opportunity to do it. Oliveira faces Michael Chandler in a few weeks at MSG. Win or lose, give us Holloway vs. Oliveira the way it was supposed to be.

Martin: It’s rematch season and there’s no bigger fight available to him then finally running it back with Conor McGregor.

Because he’s still the “BMF” champion, Holloway has plenty of options available to him for exciting fights and a rematch with Dustin Poirier isn’t the worst idea either. But Dana White insists that McGregor is actually going to fight in 2025 and his previously scheduled opponent Michael Chandler is now tied up in a rematch with Charles Oliveira. Yes, Dan Hooker keeps pushing for that fight, but like it or not, he just doesn’t move the needle enough to warrant McGregor’s attention. Let’s not overcomplicate things here — McGregor vs. Holloway 2 would be the biggest fight the UFC could promote next year, and it’s a chance for the Irish superstar to get a belt without pissing off every contender waiting in line at lightweight or welterweight.

Lee: It’s truly a blessing – no pun intended – that one of the three best featherweights ever is now poised to close his career with a run at 155 pounds, the deepest division in MMA. There are plenty of rematches for him to pursue (or in the case of Poirier, a trilogy), but there’s also fresh blood that I’d love to see Holloway put to the test.

If I have to pick his very next fight, I’m going with neither a past Holloway for nor an up-and-comer, but rather a name I’ve already mentioned for Holloway on On to the Next One, Renato Moicano. In the past couple of years, “Money” has done as good a job as anyone of building their brand and making sure that he’s not just regarded as an also-ran in the lightweight division. He’s earned the right to fight a legend and his style matches up perfectly with Holloway. Frankly, I’ll be sad if this one never happens.

Meshew: I don’t want to poop anyone’s party, but it might not be good.

Holloway has one of the greatest chins in the history of MMA, but it just got cracked and once that happens, you can’t unring the bell. From this point forward, Holloway’s chin will never be invulnerable again, and historically, this is usually the beginning of a slow decline. Now, given how great his chin was, Holloway could still have a late career Mark Hunt “good but not impervious” chin for a few more years, but he’s also moving up to lightweight. Bigger dudes hit harder and there’s a real possibility we’ve seen the last of All-Time Great Max, which is a bummer.

But setting that aside, just about every fight at lightweight is fun as hell. No wrong way to eat that Reese’s.

3. What was the best part of UFC 308?

Meshew: Ilia Topuria! Of course it’s Ilia Topuria!

By becoming the first person to knock out Holloway, Topuria, in my mind, locked up Fighter of the Year. I know there are Alex Pereira truthers out there, and I can understand a very specific kind of argument, but the gulf between what Topuria accomplished this year and Pereira has is VAST. We’re talking about knocking out two fighters — who have never been knocked out at featherweight — that are among the 15 best fighters ever. That’s a historic achievement.

Plus, did you see that little wink Topuria threw to the camera before the fight? This man might be the sauciest fighter in the world. Long may he reign.

Heck: As you all know, I tend to be hipster-like with some of these questions, so I’ll take a road less traveled: Max Holloway.

What???

Yes, Max Holloway. I know, he lost and got knocked out, but the 32-year-old went out there, fought his ass off, looked darn good in the fight until he didn’t, and then — the biggest reason he’s my choice — he showed up to the post-fight press conference and took the loss like an absolute class act. As fans, we are truly “Blessed” that a fighter like Holloway competes in this sport. He offered no excuses, and while he didn’t want to be there to answer for the loss, he freaking did it. I respect the hell out of it, and now, lightweight Max Holloway is going to be incredibly fun.

Lee: Khamzat Chimaev! He fought! For real!

Anyone who jumped off the “Borz” bandwagon, now is the perfect time to hop back on. Chimaev supporters have had their faith sorely tested over the past few years as a variety of calamities (some self-inflicted) and a few muddy results (I still say there’s no shame in going the distance with Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns) dulled the once-blinding aura that first emanated from Fight Island. But when you massacre a former champion in Robert Whittaker, who is still one of the five best middleweights in the world, well, that’s not a bad way to remind the doubters how special of a talent you are.

Let’s just hope it’s not another 12 months before we see Chimaev fight again.

Martin: There are a few options, but it has to be Ilia Topuria.

There’s no denying his greatness now after he became the first person to knock out Max Holloway. Yes, taking out Alexander Volkanovski in similar fashion was ultra-impressive, but it’s impossible to forget that Volk took that fight just four months after he got flattened by Islam Makhachev. An argument could be made that Volkanovski came back too soon, and Topuria was the recipient of getting a win over a compromised champion.

That’s not the case with the Holloway fight. He was six months removed from arguably the greatest finish in UFC history with his jaw-dropping, last-second knockout over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Holloway looked better than ever in that fight and he started out in similar fashion at UFC 308. But what Topuria did on Saturday hasn’t been done by anybody else. Not Conor McGregor. Not Dustin Poirier. Not Gaethje or Volkanovski. There’s no more doubting Topuria. He’s the best featherweight on the planet by a wide margin, and it’s tough to see anybody beating him.

4. What was the worst part of UFC 308?

Martin: Injuries are part of the sport but watching an OG of the game like Rafael dos Anjos potentially blow his knee out on his 40th birthday is particularly rough.

This sport is cruel at times and rarely do we see legends of the game go out on top. It’s not like anybody was expecting dos Anjos to beat Geoff Neal, and then ride off into the sunset, but shredding his knee on the UFC 308 prelims was not enjoyable whatsoever. Perhaps the harder pill to swallow is that dos Anjos insists he’s coming back for more and maybe that’s not a terrible idea if the knee injury isn’t as bad as suspected. But if he’s got to undergo major knee reconstruction, and the Brazilian is out for another year. It’s tough to imagine things are going to get much better for a 41-year-old dos Anjos.

Heck: Robert Whittaker, one of the sport’s truly good guys and talented fighters, saw his championship door close and probably lock behind him. The fact that “The Reaper” was able to build his way back into that position on multiple occasions is incredible. Unfortunately, the middleweight division is only getting better — especially with guys like Caio Borralho, Anthony Hernandez, Bo Nickel, Shara ‘“Bullet,” and others on the way up. He’s been stopped by both du Plessis and Chimaev, two losses to Adesanya, and I suspect he’ll be taking a long break after Saturday.

We’ll still be able to watch Whittaker compete, and that’s great, but to feel like that championship chapter is over is kind of a bummer.

Meshew: Man, I thought Heck was going to say Shara Magomedov’s callout of Israel Adesanya! But instead he chose the only correct answer. I could get cheeky and say something like judging (not great but not as bad as many thought) or the sad reminder of our own mortality (see Question 1) but the answer is the horror movie that was Robert Whittaker’s Saturday. That photo will haunt my nightmares for years.

Lee: Hey, it’s Chris Barnett!

Oh no, Chris Barnett!

As wonderful as it was to see “Beastboy” back in action after a series of missed bookings, his return couldn’t have gone much worse. First, it looked like he busted his leg up with a characteristically overly enthusiastic entrance, then he proceeded to fight with a visible limp, and then he was battered against the fence while essentially standing on one leg.

Hey corner guys, you know you can tell the ref to stop the fight, right?

5. Did anything surprise you?

Lee: You know what’s surprising?

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

This is something that we all assumed just couldn’t be done. This was like someone flat-lining a prime B.J. Penn. Or someone submitting Khabib Nurmagomedov. Or a Diaz brother not complaining about a decision loss. Not going to happen, never going to happen.

But this happened. Topuria didn’t just catch Holloway, he emphatically took control of the fight in Round 3 and rocked Holloway before putting him down for good with that fateful combination. Max Holloway. Loss. Via KO.

I still don’t believe it.

Martin: Khamzat Chimaev finally reminding us all why there is so much hype around him.

Let’s be honest, Chimaev’s run over the past couple of years has been disappointing to say the least. Many of us (myself included) crowned him a future champion but tangling with COVID-19, continued struggles with his immune system and injuries not to mention indecision around his weight class brought this once promising career to a staggering halt. Even his return to middleweight ended with an emphatic thud after Kamaru Usman — a career welterweight taking the fight on very short notice — nearly beat Chimaev. There were so many doubts about Chimaev that Robert Whittaker became the sexy upset pick of the week.

Well it’s safe to say Chimaev silenced all doubts with his performance on Saturday and now we can only hope he remains healthy enough to book a middleweight title fight against Dricus du Plessis sooner rather than later.

Meshew: To quote one of the smartest men I know:

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY I DIDN’T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE BUT ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

Heck: Mateusz Rebecki: You, sir, are an absolute savage.

Hand up, I was very wrong about this fight with Myktybek Oralbai, and while I still believe Oralbai has a very good chance to be a top-10 guy at lightweight, Rebecki showed that if you can’t be destroyed and just hit people as hard as you possibly can at all times in a fight, it can take you far. Those two guys beat the soul out of each other, and may never be the same. But despite being a massive underdog, and coming off of a humbling defeat to Diego Ferreira, Rebecki’s superpowers only got stronger. That was wild.

6. How are we going to remember UFC 308?

Heck: It’s obviously Topuria and Chimaev, but to cast a broader net, UFC 308 was a fantastic card that delivered some of the most memorable moments of the year. While the top-to-bottom lineup got a bit of a facelift throughout the road to Etihad Arena, what we got was tremendous. The fighters brought it. Sure, there were a couple of sad moments, but when Shara Magomedov’s insane knockout is almost forgotten about, you’ve done the thing.

Lee: The night where pretty much everything went right for the UFC.

Aside from some depressing injuries and a travesty of a scorecard in the opening prelim bout (Hadi Mohamed Ali, we see you and we won’t forget), Dana White and co. couldn’t have asked for a better set of results. Not only does this show continue an excellent 2024 campaign for the promotion, they’re set for even bigger things in 2025 with Topuria and Chimaev’s eye-catching performances.

We often say that the UFC is such a well-oiled machine these days that it can only fall upwards, but in this case it deserves to reap the rewards of a crowd-pleasing show.

Martin: The torch has been passed.

Ilia Topuria promised over and over again ahead of his fight against Max Holloway that it was time to crown a new generation of fighters and he was prepared to lead that charge. Becoming the first person to knock out a legend like Holloway pretty much proved his point. The same could be said for Chimaev dispatching Whittaker, who was a former champion and perennial contender at middleweight. By all accounts, Whittaker’s championship window closed on Saturday while the door burst wide open for Chimaev. Holloway is in a better position thanks to his “BMF” title and plans to move to lightweight but it looks like his days as one of the most ferocious featherweights in the sport may be done.

A new generation indeed.

Meshew: *Takes a deep breathe*

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKED OUT MAX HOLLOWAY.

But seriously, in the short term, the thing we’ll remember from UFC 308 is the main event, but in future years, this is the event we’ll look back on when Ilia Topuria staked his claim to being the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Islam Makhachev still has claim to that title for now, but this is a 1A 1B situation.

No division in MMA history has produced more historically great champions than featherweight: Jose Aldo, Alexander Volkanovski, and Max Holloway are all top-15 fighters all-time. And at only 27 years old, there’s a very real possibility that Topuria joins them by the end of his career.

As a coach, Van Nistelrooy has retained his obsession with perfection.

The Dutchman became a coach in the PSV academy after retiring as a player at Malaga in 2013 and was promoted to first-team manager in 2022.

When he resigned in 2023, after winning the Dutch Cup and finishing second in the Eredivisie in his only season in charge, he had no shortage of offers.

Instead he took a year out to learn from other coaches around the world at clubs such as Spanish giants Real Madrid and Argentine powerhouses Boca Juniors and River Plate.

“He’s not a proud man in that way, he’s not arrogant. He wanted to bounce his own ideas off others,” Marcel van der Kraan, sports editor of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf told BBC Sport.

“On his dream football trip, he went to all the big games. He spoke to Martin Demichelis, the River Plate manager, for hours and hours about coaching.

“He also went to experience the football culture. He told me he walked through La Boca in Buenos Aires and saw ‘The eternity of Maradona’ painted on the walls in tribute to the Argentina legend, who died in 2020. He said: ‘You need to win the culture of an area.’

“At Man Utd, it’s probably more vital than at any other club in England that you know the culture of the club, of the area, and Ruud does.”

The UFC is North of the border this week for the first time since January, and in Edmonton for the first time in more than five years.

Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 246 flyweights at the top of the card at Rogers Place.

Broadcast and streaming info

Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping

UFC Fight Night 246 has a main card that begins at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ESPN+. The eight-fight preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned for more broadcast info later this week.

Main event: Brandon Moreno

Jan 21, 2023; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Brandon Moreno (blue gloves) enters the arena before the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo (red gloves) during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC
Opponent: Amir Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Deiveson Figueiredo (twice), Kai Kara-France (twice), Brandon Royval, Jussier Formiga
Misc.: Moreno is sitting on back-to-back losses for the first time in more than six years. He was supposed to fight Albazi in February, but a neck injury led to a rematch with Royval, instead – and a split decision loss.

Main event: Amir Albazi

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 03: (L-R) Amir Albazi of Iraq punches Kai Kara-France of New Zealand in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 03, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Record: 17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC
Opponent: Brandon Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Kai Kara-France, Alessandro Costa
Misc.: Albazi hasn’t fought since a split decision win over Kara-France in June 2023. He was set to return in February against Moreno, but was sidelined by a neck injury.

Co-main event: Erin Blanchfield

Mar 30, 2024; Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; Erin Blanchfield (red gloves) walks to the Octagon to fight Manon Fiorot (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC
Opponent: Rose Namajunas (13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Key wins: Taila Santos, Jessica Andrade, Molly McCann, Miranda Maverick
Misc.: Blanchfield could have been looking at a title shot right now had things gone differently for her in March. But Manon Fiorot upset her in her second main event in three fights.

Co-main event: Rose Namajunas

Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Rose Namajunas (red gloves) fights Tracy Cortez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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Record: 13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC
Opponent: Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Key wins: Tracy Cortez, Amanda Ribas, Zhang Weili (twice), Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice), Michelle Waterson-Gomez
Misc.: Former champ Namajunas rebounded from her title loss to Carla Esparza in May 2022 and follow-up loss to Manon Fiorot with consecutive wins over Ribas and Cortez earlier this year. Namajunas will fight for the third time this calendar year – something she hasn’t done in a decade.

Featured bout: Jhonata Diniz

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 10: (R-L) Jhonata Diniz of Brazil punches Karl Williams of the U.S. Virgin Islands in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC)

Record: 8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC
Opponent: Derrick Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Key wins: Karl Williams, Austen Lane
Misc.: 33-year-old Brazilian burst on the scene through Dana White’s Contender Series a year ago with a first-round knockout. His official UFC debut earlier this year was a bonus-winning knockout of Lane, and now he’ll go after a perfect 3-0 calendar year as a rookie in the promotion.

Featured bout: Derrick Lewis

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – MAY 11: (R-L) Derrick Lewis punches Rodrigo Nascimento of Brazil in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Enterprise Center on May 11, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Record: 28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC
Opponent: Jhonata Diniz (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Key wins: Rodrigo Nascimento, Curtis Blaydes, Aleksei Oleinik, Blagoy Ivanov, Alexander Volkov, Francis Ngannou
Misc.: Saturday will be six years to the weekend from Lewis’ loss to Daniel Cormier in his first shot at the UFC heavyweight title. He lost an interim title shot to Ciryl Gane a little less than three years after that, which was the start of his current 3-5 slide.

UFC Fight Night 246 main card betting odds

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Brandon Moreno -160 vs. Amir Albazi +135
• Erin Blanchfield -125 vs. Rose Namajunas +105
• Jhonata Diniz -160 vs. Derrick Lewis +135
• Caio Machado -160 vs. Brendson Ribeiro +135
• Marc-Andre Barriault -205 vs. Dustin Stoltzfus +170
• Trevin Giles +215 vs. Mike Malott -265

UFC Fight Night 246 prelim betting odds

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ariane Lipski (left) reacts after defeating Casey O’Neill (not pictured) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Pedro Munhoz -125 vs. Aiemann Zahabi +105
• Ariane da Silva +170 vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius -205
• Victor Henry -110 vs. Charles Jourdain -110
• Jack Shore +200 vs. Youssef Zalal -245
• Rodrigo Nascimento -130 vs. Alexandr Romanov +110
• Garrett Armfield +130 vs. Serhiy Sidey -155
• Chad Anheliger +145 vs. Cody Gibson -175
• Jamey-Lyn Horth -205 vs. Ivana Petrovic +170

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