“Tonight Africa won regardless,” said a victorious Dricus du Plessis after submitting Israel Adesanya to retain his middleweight title at UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 305 in Perth, Australia, on Sunday.

In its 31-year history, UFC has become one of the most popular sporting tickets in town. But the build-up to this contest highlighted a part of the world that has largely been ignored in its rise. Former champion Adesanya left Nigeria at the age of 10 to move to New Zealand but feels he represents both nations. That was questioned by du Plessis, of South Africa, in a fraught buildup.

“Did those belts ever go to Africa?” Du Plessis asked, also referring to fellow fighters and champions Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou, who were born in Nigeria and Cameroon but live in the USA and France, respectively.

As is often the case in combat sports, du Plessis and Adesanya were much more conciliatory after the fight.

UFC boss promises African event

“To share this octagon with a legend… this man has done so much for this sport and I’m really sorry it came across that I disrespected he was from Africa, it was never my intention,” said du Plessis.

Du Plessis walked out with South African rugby players Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi after South Africa had beaten Australia at rugby in Perth the previous day. And it appears that du Plessis’ victory could well open the door for a first fight in Africa.

“If [Du Plessus] can beat Izzy [Adesanya] and bring that belt back to South Africa, obviously we’ll do an event there,” said UFC President and CEO Dana White in the buildup.

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis lent his support to the idea, tweeting “Let’s make it happen” to White before the event and doubling down on his support afterwards.

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Like many other sports, UFC reportedly sees Africa as a significant market for expansion, with a growing audience.

A test of African appetite

“There is certainly a determination for it to happen soon. We have seen our fanbase in Africa grow over the years, with South Africa and Nigeria being two of the stand out countries,” UFC executive David Shaw said ahead of Sunday’s clash. “We’re looking forward to delivering an incredible event [in Africa] which will certainly have a significant impact on the region.”

Sunday’s fight appeared to be a test of the appetite in those two nations, with many MMA observers believing the centering of Africa in the buildup and post match reactions to be a deliberate strategy to raise interest among fans, and potential fans, in the continent.

As well as Australia, which has become a regular home of UFC fights, the organization has also visited Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East. It looks increasingly like it will be Africa’s turn next.

Teofimo Lopez had hoped to move straight into a unification bout against Ryan Garcia, but a mandatory order looks set to prevent that.

Lopez beat Rolando Romero for the WBA welterweight world title last month, and had made it clear that he was doing all he could to ignore mandatory challenger Jack Catterall to instead face the winner of Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn.

Garcia won that fight with ease, stopping the British challenger inside two rounds. Post-fight, he said that the Lopez fight was his target, too.

Catterall has been vocal since, having been guaranteed a shot for some time now. His team made it clear there would be no option to stepaside, having previously agreed to do so back in 2021 when he was WBO super-lightweight mandatory for Jose Ramirez. Josh Taylor beat Ramirez to become undisputed, and Catterall then suffered what is still regarded as one of the biggest robberies in many years against the Scotsman.

Keen to capitalise on his position with no more time wasted, Catterall lobbied the WBA and has now been officially confirmed as mandatory, meaning Lopez must face him next or risk losing his belt.

The sanctioning body released the following statement, with purse bid details should a deal not be struck.

WBA has officially ordered teofimo to face jack catterall, meaning he can’t make a Ryan Garcia unification next. I want to do an article on it, baiting the WBA’s decision. Here’s theit statement, which can be included at the end. Please do relevant background research

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championship Committee has ordered a mandatory bout between WBA Welterweight Super Champion Teófimo López and Jack Catterall, the organization’s welterweight champion.

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The decision stems from the conditions established by the Championship Committee when Rolando “Rolly” Romero was elevated to WBA Super Champion. At that time, it was determined that the winner of the WBA World Title bout between Shakhram Giyasov and Jack Catterall would subsequently face Romero, who would be permitted to make one optional defense during that period.

On August 22, 2026, Teófimo López defeated Romero by majority decision to become the WBA Super Champion. López therefore succeeded Romero as champion and assumed the obligations previously established by the Championship Committee.

As a result, the WBA has ordered the bout between López and Catterall.

The WBA has established a 30-day negotiation period, beginning on September 22, 2026, and concluding at the close of business, Eastern Time, on October 22, 2026.

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If the parties fail to reach an agreement within the established period, or if either party notifies the WBA of its decision to discontinue negotiations, the Championship Committee may, with the approval of the WBA President, order a purse bid in accordance with the organization’s rules and regulations.

Brentford defender Michael Kayode has revealed that Nigeria approached him before he accepted his first senior call-up to the Italy national team.

The 22-year-old, whose parents are Nigerian, said he never seriously considered switching from Italy despite the approach from the three-time African champions.

Kayode was named in Italy’s senior squad on September 18 after progressing through the country’s youth teams.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kayode said he only learned about his call-up after Brentford’s Premier League win over Chelsea.

“I didn’t know about the Italy call-up before the game against Chelsea. I found out at the final whistle, on my phone,” he said. “It was an incredible emotion, especially after such a big win.”

‘Nigeria Approached Me’

Kayode said his decision to continue with Italy was straightforward because of his long association with the country.

“It was a very easy decision. I went through all the youth teams here. Nigeria approached me, but I never thought about changing national teams,” he said.

“I think Italy have always been a great national team, and playing here is an honour.”

Kayode has represented Italy at several youth levels. He helped the country win the European Under-19 Championship, scoring the winning goal against Portugal in the final, before later playing for the Under-21 team.

His senior call-up therefore continues his long association with Italy.

From Gozzano To Brentford

Kayode’s career has also included a difficult period. He left Juventus at the age of 16 and joined fourth-tier side Gozzano before Fiorentina provided him with another route towards top-level football.

Brentford initially signed him on loan from Fiorentina for €500,000 in January 2025 before making the transfer permanent for €17.5 million.

The defender has since made 63 appearances for Brentford, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

His latest achievement came after Brentford’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea on September 18, when he learned of his Italy call-up at full time.

Nigeria Have Options At Right-Back

Kayode’s decision is not expected to leave Nigeria short of options at right-back.

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has several players available in the position, including experienced defenders Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Young players such as Ryan Alebiosu and Abdullahi Bewene also remain among the options for the future.

File Pic: Balraj Panwar (AP/PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Uneasiness is brewing in India’s rowing camp ahead of the start of the Asian Games competition on Wednesday, with several rowers expressing unhappiness over last-minute changes to crew combinations and event entries.Some athletes have alleged that they were shifted from their original events while reserve rowers were brought into first-team combinations following a meeting of team managers on Monday. The developments have left some members of the squad “very disturbed”, according to a rower who spoke to PTI on condition of anonymity.“Some rowers have not taken food yet as they are in a disturbed state of mind. They are not knowing what to do,” the rower told PTI on Monday.An official tracking the developments within the rowing team also confirmed that some athletes were struggling to deal with the changes.“It is very sad, but things are not rosy in the rowing team,” the official said.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal Tally

Rowers upset over last-minute changes

As per reports, the 2022 Asian Games silver medallist Arvind Singh, who was originally scheduled to compete in the single sculls, has been moved to the quadruple sculls. Balraj Panwar, who was part of the quadruple sculls combination, is set to compete in the single sculls instead.Saurav Kumar and Vipul Satish, who were to form the first-choice men’s pair, are set to be replaced by Nitin Kumar and Jaswinder Singh. Reserve rower Jasmail Singh is also set to be included in the coxless four.Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh are expected to move from the double sculls to the quadruple sculls.A senior rowing official said 50 per cent of a crew can be changed in case of a medical emergency, while athletes have questioned the scale of the changes made this time.The rowers’ frustration was still evident on Tuesday, although they eventually returned to practice ahead of the competition.“We are going by what our manager has told us. We will be giving our best when we enter the water, but they shouldn’t have done this,” one of the rowers told TOI on condition of anonymity.“It has brought a lot of pressure and anxiety. I couldn’t sleep last night, I was very disturbed. A crew combination is set for six months or one year. We have been practising for long, and when it is changed one day before such a big competition, the athlete gets disturbed mentally. Crew combination is important in rowing. Someone who is not in quad (quadruple) for six months, what is he going to achieve in one day?”

Management cites shortened programme

The rowing management, however, has defended the changes, saying they were necessitated by the shortened competition schedule after heavy rains.Antony Patterson, India’s Australian head coach, said the priority was to maximise India’s medal opportunities rather than preserve individual event combinations.“Due to the shortened regatta programme, I as the chief coach has made the decision to focus on possible medals, not individual comfort of athletes,” Patterson said on Monday.Rowing Federation of India president Balaji Maradapa also said the revised schedule made it difficult for athletes to compete in multiple events as originally planned.“Originally it was four plus one day of races. Now it is just two days and four sessions of races each day. How can you be doubling,” Balaji said.The competition, originally scheduled to begin on Monday, will now be held on Wednesday and Thursday. Balaji said all participating teams had been allowed to change their entries following the revision in schedule.

‘We will do it for the country’

Despite their frustration, the rowers have vowed to put the controversy aside once competition begins at the Nagaragawa regatta course.“But it’s okay, whatever that has happened is God’s will. Whatever event we enter, we won’t give up until we die. Which ever athlete it is, he will give his life because this chance, this platform, is not something one gets everyday, but once in four years.“But what happened was wrong,” the rower said.He also said the athletes were informed about the changes rather than consulted, adding that their position within the Army made it difficult to openly challenge the decision.“We are under the Army. We compete as a team. If there is any indiscipline, we will never be able to row again,” he said.The rower, however, insisted that the squad would give everything once on the water.“Ye Hindustan ki baat hai, Tirange ki baat hai. We have come here to achieve something big, and we will,” he said. “We will do it for the country. We won’t return home without a medal.”India’s rowing campaign begins on Wednesday, with the team hoping to put the last-minute turmoil behind it and translate its preparations into medals.

Angel Reese has completely dominated the Defensive Player of the Year conversation this season, anchoring Atlanta’s frontcourt while dropping an impressive 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals a night.

Because of those solid numbers, fans took it for granted that her name would headline ESPN’s “Chiney Today” panel. Instead, analyst Sabreena Merchant snubbed Reese, and the subtle smirk on her face while picking Sonia Citron set social media on fire.

“So this is fun because my winner is not on your list. My winner is Sonia Citron from the Washington Mystics. And I’m gonna tell you, okay. Of the players who have defended at least 100 shots against fellow All-Stars this season, Sonia Citron holds them to a lower effective field goal percentage than anybody else. She also holds them to a lower expected shot quality than anybody else. And that basically means that you’ve got a player whose job it is to guard the best player on the opposing team, and she just shuts their water off. When Citron is guarding Kelsey Mitchell, Mitchell shot one of seven. When Citron is guarding Caitlin Clark, one of three.”

Chiney Ogwumike was also shocked on-camera. Her reaction mirrored viewers’ surprise when Merchant picked Citron over the three-time WNBA All-Star. Angel Reese fans on X vented their fury over Merchant’s controversial selection without wasting any time.

‘Same idiot who voted Mack for all-star just to stop Angel from getting it. That new commissioner gonna have y’all jobless,” one user wrote.

More reactions followed.

Read more: “This is Elite Grifting”: WNBA Fans Slam Linda Cohn For Calling Out Fever Coaches Despite Caitlin Clark’s 6-For-20 Shooting Game

How Angel Reese’s production dominates conversation

Angel Reese built a massive case by setting three historic benchmarks. She became the first WNBA player to record 500 rebounds in a single season, while breaking the all-time records for most rebounds in a single game (26) and most double-doubles in a season (31). The Atlanta Dream forward also led the entire league with 3.27 defensive win shares this season, ending A’ja Wilson’s multi-year run at the top of that leaderboard.

Merchant’s argument for Sonia Citron highlights a different type of impact. The Washington Mystics guard operates as a lockdown perimeter defender who also carries offensive load, averaging 16.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals.

But the majority of the basketball community remains unconvinced that perimeter analytics outweigh Angel Reese’s historic interior production.

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