He told talkSPORT: “Two fractures to the cheekbone, the recovery is going to be between eight and 12 weeks.
“They told me that surgery went exactly as they wanted it to, and that it will heal stronger than before.
“A massive thank you to everyone in Saudi Arabia who looked after me, because they were unbelievable.
“My partner, she was unbelievable.
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“I’m grateful, because at the time it looked very bad for me, but I’m grateful.”
The Olympic bronze medalist also wrote off the idea that he will hang up his gloves following his “devastating” loss.
He added: “Don’t get me wrong, I was devastated at the time and my pride is still dented now
Fabio Wardley swaps jobs and holds pads for heavyweight trainer in Frazer Clarke rrmatch training session
“It is going to be a difficult road, but I will work hard – like I always have – and aim for those heights again.
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“I’m 33, but I’m in the prime of my life. I felt in my prime on that night, but it was just a great shot from Fabio and a leaky defence and switch-off from myself.
“But I’m the fittest now and the most athletic I’ve been in my whole career, so I’m not even looking for it to be over. If anything, it is just a blip in the road.
“We were so prepared for that fight. It was the best shape I had been in both mentally and physically, and I didn’t see anything but a win for myself.
“But it was a harsh reminder, especially in heavyweight boxing, that if you switch off for a second that is what can happen. And I’ve had to learn it the hard way.
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“I hold my hands up; my team did a fantastic job, it was me making the mistake, and it cost me.”
Wardley’s win over Clarke meant that he maintained his unbeaten record and ended the pair’s rivarly.
Clarke insisted that he wishes the best for the 29-year-old moving forward.
He said: “I vaguely remember saying congratulations to Fabio in the ring on the night.
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“Everything was a bit of a blur, but I vaguely remember saying well done to him, and I told anyone that would see him – including [promoter] Frank Warren – to pass on my best wishes and congratulations.”
“You’d even turn down a big fight with McGregor for [the birth of your child].
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“You’re not missing that. No panties are coming off in February.
Joshua vs Dubois fans baffled as Conor McGregor turns up at Wembley with bizarre prop to watch fight ringside
“[McGregor’s] busy, he’s got money coming out of his ears.
“If I had that amount of money in the bank, you wouldn’t see me anywhere near a fistfight.”
Former two-division champion McGregor was on course to land a bumper new deal with MMA‘s top promotion before the cancellation of his summer showdown with Chandler.
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But the Dubliner suggested talks have cooled off following the collapse of his eagerly-anticipated comeback.
He told SunSport: “You know, the fight never happened. So it’s just about getting the fight on.”
Former feather and lightweight champion McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
Alexander Volkanovski has specific criteria in mind for his next fight — he wants to return at UFC 312 in Australia and he wants gold on the line.
The former featherweight king hasn’t competed since he suffered a devastating knockout loss to Ilia Topuria back in February, which cost him the 145-pound title. With the UFC now returning to Australia on Feb. 9, Volkanovski makes it clear that he plans to fight on that card come hell or high water.
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure that I am on that card,” Volkanovski said during a local press conference announcing the event via Submission Radio. “I’ll be entertaining in Sydney in February, 100 percent.
“Whether it is for the title, an interim Alexander Volkanovski open to interim title fight against Diego Lopes at UFC 312 in Australia, lightweight title, I don’t care what it is. If for some reason I can’t get a fight, I’ll entertain on the DJ decks or something. I’ll find a way to do it.”
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Ideally, Volkanovski would like to fight the winner of the UFC 308 main event where Topuria puts his featherweight title up for grabs against Max Holloway.
But the 36-year-old former champion acknowledges that there’s all sorts of potential obstacles that could prevent the winner from fighting in late October and then competing again three months later in early February.
He hopes either Topuria or Holloway stay healthy enough to fight again that soon but that’s also why Volkanovski has the idea about introducing an interim title in their absence.
“If there’s injuries or something, I think an interim could be that might fit,” Volkanovski said. “Max, if he was to win, he obviously has the ‘BMF’ belt as well so whether he moves up to lightweight, which would mean an interim. So we’ve had these conversations and I’m really going to push for that.
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“I’m pretty sure they do both want quick turnarounds. You’ve got injuries that could get in the way, other divisions for Max. So that could mean maybe an interim title, which is fine. Anything with gold, I’ll be happy. That’ll just lock me in for whoever wins that anyways. So even if it’s interim, that’s still a big one.”
While nothing has been decided yet and probably won’t until after UFC 308 concludes, Volkanovski believes that top-ranked contender Diego Lopes is the most likely candidate for an opponent if Topuria or Holloway aren’t available.
Fresh off a win over Brian Ortega in September, Lopes is set to weigh-in as the backup fighter for the title bout in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. Volkanovski welcomes that challenge to ensure he gets to fight in Australia in February.
“I’d say it would be an exciting one with [Diego] Lopes if that was going to happen,” Volkanovski said. “If not, it’s Max or Ilia.”
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As far as who he’s picking to win at UFC 308, Volkanovski has plenty of history with both men but right now he’s leaning towards a new champion being crowned in Holloway.
“I think he’s proven himself time and time again,” Volkanovski said about Holloway. “So it looks like I might have to do No. 4 with the guy so we’ll see what happens.
:I’d probably like to compete with Ilia, get that win back, to be quite honest but I was asked the question who do I think would win, I thought it probably would be Max. But whoever it is, they’ve got the belt so that’s exciting.”
Red Bull has admitted that a device to alter its front bib height does exist but insists it cannot be used while the car is assembled.
Speculation about a team exploiting a way of lifting and lowering the height of its T-tray erupted on the eve of the United States Grand Prix when the FIA revealed that it was imposing a clampdown on the matter.
The governing body said that following concerns expressed by teams about potential exploitation by a rival of parc ferme rules to adjust its ride height between qualifying and the race, new procedures were being introduced from the Austin weekend.
One way that this could be done would be through the fitting of seals on devices that can be adjusted to alter the ride height of the front bib to ensure they cannot be moved.
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As teams gathered in Austin for this weekend’s F1 race, it became clear that the focus of the matter revolved around the Red Bull team.
Sources suggest that competitors had been alerted at the Singapore Grand Prix to speculation about the Milton Keynes-based squad having a way to adjust its front bib height through a change of settings on a component in an area accessible from the cockpit.
This was found through Red Bull having to publish design details of that element on FIA servers as part of the regulations revolving around open-source parts.
It has been suggested that this device had a range of settings that could be adjusted by a mechanic to help alter the height of the ride height.
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Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, in the pits during FP3
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Performing this action would be allowed throughout practice, so the component itself is not outside the regulations, but it would be illegal if changes were made under parc ferme conditions that begin from qualifying and last until the race.
It is understood that discussions took place between teams concerned about the matter and the FIA over the Marina Bay circuit weekend.
Following those talks, it is understood that the governing body held talks with Red Bull before the race there to ensure that it was not doing anything untoward.
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Speaking this week, the FIA said that there was no evidence that Red Bull had actually adjusted the device while the car was under parc ferme conditions.
However, from now on, monitoring of this aspect of the car would be ramped up to ensure it was an area where no one could work outside the regulations.
Red Bull has denied doing anything untoward and insists that the device that has emerged as central to this matter cannot be altered once the car is assembled.
A senior team representative said: “Yes it exists although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run.
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“In the numerous correspondence we have with the FIA, this part came up and we have agreed a plan going forward.”
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The controversy over the ride height adjustment comes ahead of what will be an intense battle between Red Bull and McLaren for the F1 title.
Both teams are keeping a close watch over what their rival is up to, with McLaren having recently been on the receiving end of a probe about the flexibility of its rear wing.
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With the way it which its upper element helped rotate back to open up the slot gap earning it the ‘mini-DRS’ tag, it agreed to make modifications following discussions with the FIA.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein will miss at least a month after sustaining a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand during a preseason game in Denver.
The Thunder said Thursday that Hartenstein, who was hurt in Tuesday’s game, will be re-evaluated in five to six weeks.
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The Thunder added the 7-foot, 250-pound Hartenstein as a free agent in the offseason to help them with rebounding and their lack of bulk, two of their few weaknesses last season as they earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. He averaged 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season for the New York Knicks.
England’s path to a possible home Rugby World Cup triumph has been mapped out with the hosts placed in a pool alongside Australia, USA, and Samoa for next summer’s tournament.
The Red Roses, runaway leaders at the top of the world rankings and on 20-match winning streak, are clear favourites to go one better than they did in New Zealand in 2022.
If the top-seeded team wins each pool, England could only meet world number twos Canada or defending champions New Zealand in the final.
Ireland, who claimed a famous upset win over New Zealand in WXV earlier this month, are grouped with the Black Ferns, Japan and Spain after failing to qualify for the previous tournament.
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England face a potential quarter-final against the runners-up from the pool containing Scotland and Wales – drawn together for the second straight tournament – Canada and Fiji.
France are England’s likeliest last-four opponents and they, who along with the Red Roses, Canada and New Zealand were top seeds, are in a group with Italy, South Africa and Brazil.
The draw was conducted on BBC’s The One Show by England’s 2014 World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi.
The tournament begins on Friday 22 August with England in action at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and culminates in the final at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium on 27 September.
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