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Oscar De La Hoya praises UFC 306, still mocks ‘errand boy’ Dana White and Canelo Alvarez

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Oscar De La Hoya praises UFC 306, still mocks ‘errand boy’ Dana White and Canelo Alvarez

Oscar De La Hoya enjoyed UFC 306, but that didn’t change his mind about Dana White.

For the past several years, De La Hoya and White have taken shots at one another through the media over all manner of things. However, if there’s one person in combat sports De La Hoya is on worse terms with, it’s his former fighter Canelo Alvarez. So this past weekend, when Alvarez fought Edgar Berlanga, going head-to-head with “Noche UFC” in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day weekend, the boxing Hall of Famer declared he would attend UFC 306 instead of the boxing event.

Apparently De La Hoya did just that, and rather enjoyed himself at Sphere.

“UFC Noche. I was true to my word,” De La Hoya said on Instagram. “I did attend last Saturday. I sat in [Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority] Turki [Alalshikh’s] box upstairs and I have to be honest with you, it was beautiful. It was spectacular. It looked really cool. The production value was there, everything was amazing. The fights were actually really good. So congratulations to Turki for footing the bill on this and making this celebration of the Mexican culture come to life.

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“And Dana, I know this wasn’t your idea or vision. Nothing ever is at the UFC. You’re the Fertitta’s errand boy. But I’m always honest and fair, and I want to praise the production. UFC Noche was a good time and I really enjoyed it.”

Part of the production involved in UFC 306 was telling the history of Mexico through several vignettes played on Sphere’s screens. One chapter focused on Mexico’s history in combat sports, which even included De La Hoya.

But while De La Hoya enjoyed UFC 306, the same can’t be said for the Canelo vs. Berlanga fight. The bout received substantial criticism beforehand as Canelo was a massive favorite, and that bore out on Saturday night as Canelo won a wide unanimous decision, even dropping Berlanga in the third round.

Because Canelo was unable to finish Berlanga despite the perceived gap between them, De La Hoya excoriated the pound-for-pound standout.

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“As far as the action, I called it in advance. Another fight that went the distance without any truly exciting moments,” De La Hoya said. “Berlanga didn’t win one round! He was never remotely in the fight from the first bell. Is this where boxing is going? The bar has been set so low that fans are just happy to see fighters last 12 rounds? What? Fighters are getting praised for simply going the distance with a 35-year-old Canelo who hasn’t knocked anybody out since 2021. Don’t you all want to see knockouts?

“I’m from a different time in this sport when fighters went to war in the ring. We wanted to destroy our opponents. I still took the [Manny] Pacquiao fight knowing my body was broken and old and I couldn’t beat him, but I was a warrior. I wanted to be a legend. It’s a different mentality, a champion’s mentality. Canelo wants to get paid. He avoids [Joseph] Benavidez and [Dmitry] Bivol who schooled him just like [Floyd] Mayweather. He wants to cruise easily into retirement.

“Where are the fighters who have balls? Don’t we want to see the best fight the best? Why are we, as boxing fans, accepting this low level competition and entertainment?”

De La Hoya previously promoted Alvarez until Canelo left Golden Boy Promotions in 2020. Earlier this year, Alvarez claimed De La Hoya stole money from his fighters which led De La Hoya to threaten legal action in return.

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UFC 308 poster released featuring Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway title clash, return of Khamzat Chimaev

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September 21, 2024

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UFC 308 poster released featuring Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway title clash, return of Khamzat Chimaev

Ilia Topuria faces off with a legend this October.

The official fight poster has been released for UFC 308, which takes place Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi. In the main event, Topuria puts his featherweight title on the line for the first time when he defends against “BMF” champion Max Holloway.

See the poster below.

The undefeated Topuria won the 145-pound title with a thudding knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 this past February. He became the first fighter to defeat Volkanovski in a featherweight bout and his profile has continued to soar in his dual homes of Spain and Georgia.

Holloway, a former featherweight titleholder, added the BMF belt to his collection at UFC 300 after flattening fellow fan favorite Justin Gaethje. He has won three straight fights since losing a trilogy bout to Volkanovski.

In the UFC 308 co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker takes on the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Whittaker aims for another shot at gold, while Chimaev looks to cement himself as the No. 1 contender despite fighting just four times in the past three years.

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See the UFC 308 lineup below.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov

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Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige

Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki

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Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Justin Tafa

Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira

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Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira

Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos

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Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois weigh-ins

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42 mins ago

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September 21, 2024

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Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois weigh-ins


Check out these photos from the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois weigh-ins ahead of the boxing event taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. (Photos by Richard Pelham, Getty Images)

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Football

Inter Milan vs AC Milan, Harry Kane hunts another record and 100% records across European leagues

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59 mins ago

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September 21, 2024

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Inter Milan vs AC Milan, Harry Kane hunts another record and 100% records across European leagues


The Derby della Madonnina is the pick of the weekend’s action as Inter host stuttering rivals AC Milan at a sold-out San Siro on Sunday – and it is a match that could have big consequences.

New Milan boss Paulo Fonseca has won just one of his first four Serie A games – a 4-0 thumping of bottom-placed Venezia last week – and is coming under increasing scrutiny in the Italian press.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported the relationship between Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was brought back to the club as a senior advisor in December, is “delicate”.

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It comes from a mixture of underwhelming early results, including the Champions League defeat by Liverpool on Tuesday, and Ibrahimovic’s comments in the press.

“I am the boss and I am in charge, all the others work for me,” Ibrahimovic told Sky Sports Italia earlier this week.

But Italian football expert James Horncastle told BBC Euro Leagues podcast that many people are unsure exactly what Ibrahimovic’s role at the club is.

“He’s not employed by the club, he’s employed by the owner and that’s across RedBird Capital Partners’ media and entertainment businesses,” said Horncastle.

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“But Zlatan only seems to be interested in AC Milan, and living in Milan, showing up at training and unveiling players they’ve signed.

“Are you the CEO? A sporting director? A technical director? What decisions do you make and what responsibilities do you have? If you tell us, we can judge you.

“It’s difficult for Paulo Fonseca to be given time and patience by the fans and by the media – people look at the club and there are all these ambiguities. People look at the club and say ‘who’s calling the shots here?’ And ‘should we trust them?’

“It makes Paulo Fonseca’s job all that harder when you don’t know exactly how the club is run.”

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Milan sit 10th but are just three points behind third-placed Inter, who have won two and drawn two of their opening four games and head into the derby on the back of an encouraging goalless draw with Manchester City.

“It will be a derby. We all know what it means for the club and our fans,” said Inter boss Simone Inzaghi. “We’ll face a team of great value.”

Before that, Antonio Conte has the chance to take his Napoli side top of the table on Saturday when they visit Juventus, where Conte won five Serie A titles as a player and another three as manager.

Napoli are eyeing a fourth successive win, following their opening-day defeat at Hellas Verona, and have Romelu Lukaku on form with two goals and two assists in just two games since completing a move from Chelsea before deadline day.

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However, it is Udinese who are the surprise Serie A leaders after four games, having narrowly avoided relegation last season.

On Sunday they visit Roma, who on Wednesday made Daniele de Rossi the first managerial casualty in the Italian top flight this season after failing to win any of the club’s opening four league games.



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PFL MENA 3: Playoffs: Best photos from Riyadh

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1 hour ago

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September 21, 2024

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PFL MENA 3: Playoffs: Best photos from Riyadh


Check out these photos from the fights at PFL MENA 3: Playoffs, which took place at Boulevard City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA)

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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MMA

Belal Muhammad Day declared in UFC champion’s hometown of Chicago

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September 21, 2024

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Belal Muhammad Day declared in UFC champion’s hometown of Chicago

Belal Muhammad will forever be remembered by the city he calls home.

The recently crowned UFC welterweight champion was honored by the city of Chicago, where the fighter was born and raised, at a ceremony on Friday at Harold Washington Library Center. Mayor Brandon Johnson proudly declared Sept. 20 to be Belal Muhammad Day, two months after “Remember The Name” defeated Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 304 to earn his world title.

Muhammad shared a friend’s video of the ceremony on his Instagram Stories. Watch the footage below (re-uploaded by Championship Rounds).

“We do hereby proclaim Sept. 20, 2024, Belal Muhammad Day,” Johnson said.

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Muhammad also uploaded a photos from the occasion to his social media.

It’s been a long road to prominence for the 36-year-old Muhammad, who had to go on a 10-fight unbeaten streak before earning his shot at UFC gold. Muhammad scored notable wins over top-10 contenders, including Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady, Vicente Luque, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, and Demian Maia before finally being granted a crack at Edwards this past July.

The new champion is yet to book his first title defense, though he has no shortage of challengers. Undefeated Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov and former champion Kamaru Usman have made their case to be chosen for the opportunity, while others like Brady, Jack Della Maddalena, and Ian Machado Garry are also jockeying for position in the intriguing welterweight division.

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Marcus Rashford: Manchester United forward back on form after ‘taking control’ says Erik ten Hag

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2 hours ago

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September 20, 2024

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Marcus Rashford: Manchester United forward back on form after 'taking control' says Erik ten Hag


Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is returning to his best form after taking control of his career, manager Erik ten Hag says.

After hitting a personal best 30 goals in his first season under Ten Hag, Rashford’s form collapsed last term.

The 26-year-old scored just eight times and lost his place in Gareth Southgate’s European Championship squad.

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In addition, Rashford was dropped for the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Newport in January as a disciplinary measure after going out without permission on a trip to Belfast.

“I think he is on the way back,” said Ten Hag.

“He always knew, and every player knows, when your lifestyle is not right, you can’t perform. You don’t get the right levels when you don’t have a good and disciplined life away from [United’s training ground] Carrington.”

Rashford scored twice in the midweek EFL Cup hammering of Barnsley to take his seasonal tally to three. It was the end of December before he reached the same mark last season.

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The return of legendary former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who became part of Ten Hag’s coaching team this summer, has helped. But Ten Hag feels Rashford is responsible for his own performance and putting himself in the right condition to play.

“In this club, you definitely need some resilience,” he said.

“No football career is only up. You always go down. You have to deal with it. He took control of it and I think he is on the way back.

“Probably he needed some help but at the end of the day, he has to do it by himself.

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“He has to set his life right, his training attitude right, his match attitude right. When he sets his professionalism he will perform because he is a class player.”

England’s new interim manager Lee Carsley left Rashford out of his squad for the recent Nations League victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

However, there are more rounds of fixtures in October and November and Ten Hag feels Rashford, who has 60 full caps, will not be on the outside of the international scene for long.

“It is not up to me but I think he will always be an option for every manager.”

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