Gianni Infantino says player welfare “remains a priority” for Fifa despite the top European leagues and players’ union Fifpro filing a legal complaint to the European Commission.

World football’s governing body has been accused of abusing a dominant position under EU competition law by failing to properly consult over the international fixture calendar, which included the introduction of a new 32-team Club World Cup next summer.

Unions and clubs said Fifa has harmed the economic interests of leagues and jeopardised player welfare through its “unilateral” approach.

Fifa chief Infantino posted a photo of himself on Instagram, external meeting David Aganzo, the president of the Spanish union AFE, in Miami.

Underneath it he wrote “Fifa continues to work with player bodies to ensure player welfare remains a priority. I look forward to continue working with David and everyone at AFE to achieve this goal”.

World players’ union Fifpro declined to comment, but sources told the PA news agency that Aganzo’s meeting with Infantino was a personal one.

In September, Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri joined a growing chorus of voices in the game who suggested players were “close” to going on strike if their concerns on the congested calendar were not heard.

Fifpro lodged the complaint to the European Commission on Monday alongside European Leagues, which represents 39 leagues – including the English Premier League – and 1,130 clubs across 33 countries.

A separate legal challenge has also been submitted the Belgian courts. In that case, the unions want the European Court of Justice to rule whether Fifa’s actions breach the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The scheduling of the Club World Cup in the United States is regarded as the tipping point in sparking the call for action as it will not finish until 13 July, leaving little time for an off-season break before preparations for domestic campaigns begin.

Fifa insisted the calendar agreement was the result of extensive consultation, and has accused leagues of hypocrisy because many of them, including the Premier League, have scheduled pre-season events of their own.

Add Daniel Cormier to the list of people not enthusiastic about Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone coming back to the UFC.

Earlier this week, “Cowboy” announced he intends to end his retirement and fight two more times in the UFC, hitting 50 total bouts between the UFC and WEC. The announcement received mixed reviews, with UFC CEO Dana White being among the most ardently opposed to it. But Daniel Cormier might give him a run for his money.

“The one thing about Cowboy, is that it’s very refreshing to watch how open he’s been with all of this,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He never lied. He never lied about what he was doing, what he was going to do, and how he was going to apply it to his life. And I’m all for a guy that has personal goals. And I love Cowboy… But at the end of the day, for years now, he’s been openly using steroids.”

“When you’re training, you start to feel better. You start to feel like yourself again, especially with the help. Then you go, ‘I want to fight again.’ But at the end of the day, Cowboy has been doing steroids, openly!”

Cormier is not the only fighter to raise these concerns. Cerrone himself noted he’s been taking TRT for years now along with other things and is now in the process of getting off those so he can re-enter the USADA testing pool and return to action, which is perfectly legal per the testing criteria. But Cormier believes that even if it abides by the letter of the law, it goes against the spirit of them.

“He’s not been clean,” Cormier said. “And even if he can come back, take tests, pass those tests to get back, he had to do all those things, all those enhancers to allow for him to feel like he can compete at that level again.

“So he would test clean, but isn’t that just a loophole? Isn’t it just a loophole like the guys that when they get hurt, they get out of the testing pool, then when they recover from the injury, then they re-enter the testing pool? It’s not wrong. It’s not illegal. But is it right? Because you truly have been enhanced to get to where you are and how you feel, and feel good enough to come back and fight in the elite organization of the UFC.

“To me, it doesn’t feel right.”

To add to all this, Cormier notes that the nature of Cerrone’s exit from MMA opens up even more questions for his return. Cerrone left the sport having lost six of his final seven fights, with a no-contest as the only non-loss of his final three years competing. If Cerrone comes back looking like a new man, Cormier wonders how that will look given the circumstances. So all things considered, Cormier believes the UFC shouldn’t allow this to happen.

“Remember also, Cowboy lost six fights, had one no-contest in seven fights, and the last time he fought Jim Miller and got submitted,” Cormier said. “Imagine if he comes back and he looks like a world-beater. I’m against it. I’m honestly against the idea that you could find a loophole, go in and use that loophole, feel better while using that loophole, come back and fight because you can pass a clean test.

“I like Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. I’m against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone getting to compete in the UFC after openly doing what he’s been doing for the last two and a half years.”

Lawsuit. Gegard Mousasi is suing Bellator/PFL, seeking $15 million in damages.

Interim. Alexander Volkanovski is open to an interim title fight against Diego Lopes if in Australia.

Trash talk. PFL CEO Donn Davis issued a challenge to Dana White ahead of PFL’s big event this weekend.

Return. Brendan Schaub discusses Cowboy Cerrone’s return to MMA, possible issues.

Between the Links

Full PFL Press Conference.

PFL faceoffs.

Contender Series highlights.

Max Holloway training camp.

Tom Aspinall in the WWE.

Ride for your people.

Next gen Cowboy Cerrone.

Looking for a new home.

Deep.

Georges St-Pierre has the sort of retirement we should all aspire to: just chilling.

This should be pretty simple: if you believe in drug testing, then Cerrone should be allowed to compete if he passes the tests. If you bar him from fighting despite him coming in clean, that’s pretty clearly dumb. You believe in the science or you don’t. Pick one.

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

As a part of Kody Steele’s UFC job interview process, he had to endure back-to-back weight cuts in a month’s time.

It wasn’t a planned scenario, and it certainly wasn’t what Steele (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) envisioned, but it happened when his first Dana White’s Contender Series opponent pulled out just minutes before their fight.

Steele was primed to impress Dana White and the UFC matchmakers at DWCS 71 on Sept. 10 , but his scheduled opponent, Quemuel Ottoni, didn’t allow him to fight for a contract.

Steele was invited back a month later to compete at DWCS 75 against Chasen Blair, so all hope was not lost for his shot at the UFC. But it meant a second weight cut to 155 pounds in a month, which is never ideal. However, Steele made the weight, and impressed with a second-round finish to earn a UFC contract.

It wasn’t easy, but worth it.

“It just wasn’t fun, you know?” Steele told MMA Junkie. “I feel fine. I think I lost a little bit of weight, so now I’m just going to try to lift some weights and get myself back up a little bit. Honestly, it was all mental. I went to go fight, the fight didn’t happen, and then the next day I took a break. The day after that, I was back in the gym, back in the classes, back in the grinding, back to drilling, back to diet.

“So, that was a little rough, but I was just like, it’s just mental. I’ve just got to stay strong and it’ll be good. Then, the fact that I did it, and I handled it just gives me more confidence that I can do these things. If they need me on two weeks’ notice, I’m the guy to call.”

Steele is still very young in his pro MMA career. He’s a grappler who has competed at Submission Underground, Subversiv, ADCC, and the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, among other events, but he knew fighting was in his future.

While living in Austin, Texas, Steele says he didn’t even have an MMA coach. Now, after living in Las Vegas for a few months, he’s around all of the tools he needs to become a full-fledged MMA fighter.

Even though he’s a new addition to the UFC’s roster, Steele believes we won’t see the best version of himself for a few years. As a part of that growth process, he wants to be incredibly active to the tune of three or four fights in 2025.

“I feel like I’ve gotten so much better just being out here in a short amount of time,” Steele said. “I’m still a baby in this sport. I’m only 7-0. It’s not that many fights, and I’m still learning a lot every day. I’m learning on the job. Every fight I do, I pick something new up. I say in like two more years, that’s when you’re really going to start seeing me really start to shine.”

The UFC Vegas 99 weigh-in video features 20 fighters stepping on the scale Friday morning in Las Vegas. Watch a live stream of the event above, courtesy of Ag. Fight.

In the main event, Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira have to hit the middleweight limit of 186 pounds for the non-title fight. Hernandez has won five straight fights, while Pereira has reeled off eight straight victories.

Rob Font and Kyler Phillips have to hit the 136-pound limit for the non-title bantamweight fight in the co-main event.

The UFC Vegas 99 official weigh-in video begins at 12 p.m. ET.

Check out UFC Vegas 99 weigh-in results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez (185.5) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5)

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips

Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji

Jake Hadley (135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET)

Matheus Nicolau vs. Asu Almabayev

Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto

Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal

Jessica Penne (115.5) vs. Elise Reed

Melissa Martinez vs. Alice Ardelean (115)

Austen Lane vs. Robelis Despaigne (264)

The 2024 MLB postseason has entered the American League and National League Championship Series round.

Which two squads will qualify for the World Series? 

Will there be two New York teams vying for a title? Will the Boys in Blue spoil the party? Or can the Guardians make some noise?

Check out the odds for the two best-of-seven Championship Series via DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 18.

NL CHAMPIONSHIP

New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers lead 3-1

Series winner: Dodgers -1600 favorites (bet $10 to win $10.63 total); Mets +900 underdogs (bet $10 to win $100 total)

GAME 4 (Friday @ N.Y.)
Spread: Dodgers -1.5
O/U: 7.5 total runs scored
Moneyline: Dodgers -130, Mets +110

AL CHAMPIONSHIP

Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees
Yankees lead 2-1

Series winner: Yankees -360 favorites (bet $10 to win $12.78 total); Guardians +280 underdogs (bet $10 to win $38 total)

GAME 3 (Friday @ CLE)
Spread: Yankees -1.5
O/U: 7.5 total runs scored
Moneyline: Yankees -118, Guardians -102

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