It was Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor’s first game in charge of the club in the Women’s Champions League so she was pleased to get off to a winning start.

The Frenchwoman has won the competition three times, twice as a player and once as a manager with former club Lyon.

But she said on Monday that the postponement of Chelsea’s Women’s Super League match against Manchester United – due to be played on Sunday – impacted their preparation.

They had not played a competitive fixture in 10 days when they lined up at Stamford Bridge to face Real and were hit by illness in the squad this week.

“We have to play with a lot of intensity. I don’t want to find excuses but maybe because we didn’t play for 10 days, it’s something that can help you understand why tonight we were a little bit down,” said Bompastor.

“We scored the two goals but the players were not working as hard as I wanted them to work on the pitch.

“When we had the ball we were just walking to get the ball which is not enough. If you want to possess the ball, you have to run a lot.”

Bompastor also said she wanted her side to “manage the game more” after sloppiness let Real back into the game.

“When I say manage the game, it’s not about slowing it down, but being smarter,” added Bompastor.

“When you begin the game with two goals, it’s good to keep that result. We conceded two goals where we maybe could have done better.

“We were a bit nervous about Madrid getting stronger. I would like us to manage the game better.”

Kayla Harrison entered the UFC cage for the second time this past Saturday to defeat Ketlen Vieira in Salt Lake City and move one step closer to the bantamweight title, and Larissa Pacheco disapproved the PFL social media game that day.

Harrison started her MMA career under the PFL banner in 2018 and won 15 of her 16 bouts. The lone defeat came against Pacheco, whom she beat twice before, and PFL used Harrison’s big UFC 307 clash to promote Pacheco’s upcoming fight with MMA legend Cris Cyborg on Oct. 19. PFL also posted a clip promoting Harrison later that day.

“I thought that was uncalled for, honestly,” Pacheco said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “I think [PFL] have the champion they deserve, they have a respectful champion, who has defeated Kayla, so why do that? Promote me right. Let’s promote the champion. ‘Oh, but Larissa beat Kayla.’ You don’t need that. I’ve shown [my work] with other results, I’ve proven myself, so you don’t need that.

“But anyway, that’s not on me. I have nothing to do with that. I respect Kayla. Our rivalry is over right now because she’s in another organization. Had she stayed here it would be the two of us and Cris clashing heads here, but there’s no reason to talk [about her now]. I wish her good luck. The more she wins, the bigger my win over her gets, so I’ll always cheer for her.”

UFC CEO Dana White also bashed PFL for the tweet, joking that “when you’re losing as much money as they are, f*cking go for it.”

Cyborg is a legend of the sport with titles won in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC. Pacheco looks to make history by adding the Brazilian to her list of victims after winning belts in two weight classes in the PFL.

Pacheco is riding a 10-fight winning streak and has only lost to Harrison, Germaine de Randamie and Jessica Andrade in 27 professional fights, but feels “it’s clear to everybody” that PFL has promoted Harrison differently.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m Brazilian, if it’s because I don’t speak English and don’t sell that much, but I feel the difference,” Pacheco said. “She’s not even here anymore and they still [post] a lot about her, you know? She’s gone, she’s already in another organization. I think they can look at people that are in the organization.”

Pacheco hopes the public perception — and actual PFL marketing machine — changes with a win over Cyborg in Saudi Arabia.

“I think it takes me to another level, makes me one of the greats in women’s MMA,” Pacheco said. “To beat two great athletes — one two-time Olympic champion with all the hype now in the UFC, and a legend [in Cyborg]… What else do I need to say? It will take me to another level and give me the credibility promotions still don’t give me. I miss that, I won’t deny. Even from the PFL, to treat me and give credit as their actual champion.”

“People give too much weight to the fact that I’ve lost to Kayla, but I’ve l lost in 2019, when I was broken, and people don’t take that in consideration. And I won when we were both in our primes, the peak of our performances. I’m not saying one win deserves more credit than two, but there’s a huge difference. And beating Cris now would give me the hype and credibility that I need at this stage of my career.”

Ali Abdelaziz is confident Magomed Ankalaev will be the one to take out UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) retained his light heavyweight title with a brutal fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree in Saturday’s UFC 307 main event at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Pereira plans on staying put at 205 pounds, and Abdelaziz expects Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) to cement himself as No. 1 contender if he can get past Aleksandar Rakic Oct. 26 at UFC 308. No one has had an answer for Pereira on the feet at 205 pounds, but Abdelaziz says Ankalaev has the tools to beat him at his own game.

“I truly believe I think he will knock out Alex Pereira,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “I believe he has every skill set to do it, and I believe he will do it. I didn’t know too much about Khalil before. I thought he was a 50-50 type of fighter. Yesterday, I’m a fan for life of Khalil Rountree. Khalil Rountree dropped him two times.

“I believe Ankalaev has way more precision, way smarter than both of them. I believe Alex Pereira’s chin is a little bit better at light heavyweight, but the man has been in so many wars, and I believe his chin is not there, and it’s normal. It’s not knocking on him. I don’t think his chin is there 100 percent.”

Abdelaziz dismissed the notion that the UFC is trying to protect Pereira by giving him favorable stylistic matchups, but sees Ankalaev as the more well-rounded fighter.

“I think Alex is a great champion, but I think Ankalaev is superior everywhere,” Abdelaziz said. “I believe Ankalaev will beat him in wrestling and grappling. I believe Ankalaev doesn’t get hit.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is attracting interest, Kevin de Bruyne could be set for a move to Saudi Arabia, while Liverpool are hopeful of keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, 24, is attracting interest from Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham after the Ghana attacker’s impressive start to the season. (Give Me Sport), external

Saudi club Al-Nassr are confident of signing Manchester City’s Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Team Talk), external

Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, could be convinced to run down his contract at Anfield to join Real Madrid on a free transfer by England team-mate Jude Bellingham. (Sun), external

Real Madrid are stepping up their interest in Alexander-Arnold but Liverpool are hopeful they can convince the 26-year-old to stay. (Football Insider), external

Liverpool have identified Eintracht Frankfurt’s Egypt forward Omar Marmoush, 25, and Borussia Dortmund’s Germany attacker Karim Adeyemi, 22, as potential replacements for Egypt winger Mohamed Salah, 32. (Sky Germany – in German), external

Manchester United’s hopes of signing Colombia midfielder Richard Rios have improved, with Palmeiras willing to consider selling the 24-year-old for 20m euros (£16.7m) in January. (Caught Offside), external

Arsenal and Manchester United are tracking Wigan Athletic’s 22-year-old English goalkeeper Sam Tickle as they look to bolster their goalkeeping options. (Team Talk), external

Southampton’s hierarchy are set to meet to discuss manager Russell Martin’s future at the club. (Football Insider), external

Paris St-Germain’s France striker Randal Kolo Muani, 25, could leave in January but the Ligue 1 champions want at least 70m euros (£59m) for him. (AS – in Spanish), external

Bayer Leverkusen and Germany forward Florian Wirtz, 21, is keen to join Bayern Munich next summer. (Sky Germany – in German), external

Newcastle United are continuing to monitor Lille’s Canada striker Jonathan David, 24, as a potential January transfer target. (Football Insider), external

Hugo Viana, director of football at Portuguese side Sporting, is Manchester City’s favoured candidate to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain in the same role at the Premier League champions. (Fabrizio Romano), external

If flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is looking for fresh competition to defend his title against, Tatsuro Taira thinks he will have the strongest case.

Undefeated Japanese sensation Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will look to put his resume over the top for a crack at the 125-pound belt when he takes on Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).

Pantoja has already beaten the majority of the top-ranked contenders in the division, and some of them twice over. There’s only a few new matchups for the champ, and Taira is one of them if he gets through Royval.

Amir Albazi would have a case if he beats Brandon Moreno in the UFC Fight Night 245 main event on Nov. 2. Former RIZIN FF champ Kai Asakura has also been rumored for a crack at gold in his promotional debut. Nothing is seemingly set in stone, though, and Taira aims to show the promotion he’s the guy.

“I’m very excited to see the Albazi vs. Moreno fight,” Taira told MMA Junkie through an interpreter on Tuesday. “Of course,  I’m looking forward to Kai Asakura, how he can do as well. But just thinking of the results and records that I have in UFC, I’ve been the one who has been consistently winning and showing strength. I’m pretty sure I would belong as the next title contender.”

Taira made his octagon debut in May 2022 and has already rattled off six UFC wins, with four of those coming by stoppage. The 24-year-old has three Performance of the Night bonuses to boast, as well, and as a result has positioned himself for this breakthrough opportunity against Royval.

“I wouldn’t say (my rise up the division is happening) fast, but I would say it’s a good pace,” Taira said. “It’s been working well so far. I’m ranked No. 5 now and I definitely want to show the fans that I belong here and also I belong as a champion soon and become a very strong champion.”

Taira’s desire to become UFC champion is unwavering, and he said nothing has distracted his commitment to the sport. He is determined to keep his undefeated streak going for as long as possible, because the fear of losing is also a driving force.

“If I start thinking of losing and stuff, I do get kind of scared,” Taira said. “But once the fight is coming and I start focusing, I don’t really even think about my record. I just really focus on the fight. That’s how much I love MMA. I just want to keep winning.”

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

Dustin Poirier is used to being a closing act in the UFC octagon, but on Monday night, he did so during the wildly popular Kill Tony comedy program.

During comedian William Montgomery’s set on the popular comedy show, hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe, he mentioned the former interim lightweight champion. He accused Poirier of talking trash about him and added that he could not stand the popular fighter.

As Montgomery’s voice got higher and higher, “The Diamond” showed up from the backstage area behind Montgomery on stage. After going nose-to-nose, the two hugged it out before simultaneously yelling, “We ain’t ever going to stop” to wide fanfare.

Watch the video of Poirier’s appearance above.

Poirier did his absolute best to put on a mean face, but you could tell he couldn’t hold his laughter back at moments before the friendly payoff.

Following a submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June, Poirier hinted at retirement. Since then, Poirier has teased one more fight, which has yet to be announced.