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What Erling Haaland told Liverpool player before taking penalty in Man City win

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Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored a late penalty as his team came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield.

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Manchester City striker Erling Haaland told Liverpool goalscorer Dominik Szoboszlai that he didn’t want to talk to him moments before scoring the winner at Anfield. The Norwegian centre-forward had a quiet afternoon for the most part on Merseyside but with the scores level he was given the chance to win the game.

In the first minute of second half stoppage time, Matheus Nunes was brought down by Alisson to gift City a chance to win the game. Before the penalty could be taken, Nunes was receiving treatment and this gave Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister an opportunity to try and put the forward off.

Reflecting on that moment, the forward told Sky Sports: “He [Szoboszlai] started speaking with me, also Mac Allister, but I don’t remember [what he said] I was just focusing. I told him [Szoboszlai]: ‘This is the first time I don’t want to speak with you, so move away,’ but in the end I was nervous and then I am just happy that I scored.”

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Haaland and Szoboszlai would then be at the centre of VAR controversy. With Alisson at the other end of the pitch as Liverpool pushed for an equaliser, City won the ball back and Rayan Cherki looked to have scored from his own half.

Both Haaland and Szoboszlai were chasing the ball as it trickled towards the goal. VAR intervened and ruled out the goal and the makeshift full-back was sent off for fouling Haaland.

Amidst that confusion, City managed to see out the game but Haaland admitted he felt sympathy for Szoboszlai, who he played alongside at RB Salzburg. “Of course the referee has to follow the rules but this will give him three games and in the end I feel bad for him because he gets three games [ban],” Haaland said.

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Erling Haaland of Manchester City gestures during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on February 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)

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“Just give the goal, don’t give a red card. Simple as that.”

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Moments before that disallowed goal, Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a world class save to deny Mac Allister’s long range effort and Haaland reserved praise for the Italian. He concluded: “You see in the second half they managed to play good football and we managed to keep it away.

“Look at Gigi, look at the last save he made. It was incredible, the one with Mac Allister shooting. This is, for me, out of this world and it shows why he is the best in the world.”

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Drake Maye’s rise hits speed bump as Patriots QB struggles in Super Bowl LX loss

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Drake Maye’s storybook sophomore season did not feature a storybook ending.

Instead of capping off his breakout year with a Lombardi Trophy in hand, Maye walked off the field in noticeable agony as Seattle Seahawks-themed confetti rained down around him following a 29-13 thumping at Levi’s Stadium in Super Bowl LX.

Minutes after the clock hit zero, a glassy-eyed Maye stepped to the postgame podium to explain what went wrong with an offense that was shut out for the first three quarters — something that hadn’t happened in a Super Bowl since the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII (1973 season).

“It’s going to hurt and sting for a while,” Maye said, “but that’s what you sign up for.”

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Maye completed 27 of 43 pass attempts in Super Bowl LX for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. However, the bulk of that production came in garbage time as New England desperately tried to claw back into the contest. Excluding the final frame, Maye was 8 of 18 (44.4%) for 60 yards.

“Yeah, I think there are plays that I’ll think about for the next probably seven months until we’re back in September playing the first one,” he said, reliving the worst defeat of his young career moments after it happened.

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When Maye and the Patriots finally found a spark in the fourth quarter — scoring their first touchdown on a 35-yard pass to Mack Hollins — they couldn’t sustain the momentum. After New England’s defense forced a Seahawks punt, Maye and the offense had an opportunity to cut the deficit to within a touchdown with just over 10 minutes to play.

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Instead, Maye threw interceptions on the next two possessions, including a pick-six.

“Those plays that can change the game matter,” Maye said. “If you make them, you’re celebrating. If not, you’re sitting here, you know, crying at a podium. That’s part of it. I know the postseason is what you play for, and I know we’ll be back — we’ll be back in the postseason.”

The postseason proved to be a different animal for Maye and the Patriots. Throughout the regular season, the young quarterback was superb, putting himself in the MVP conversation after leading the league in completion percentage, passer rating and yards per attempt. In the playoffs, those numbers dipped considerably, most notably with his completion rate falling to 58.3%.


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Part of that decline could be attributed to Maye not being 100% healthy, as he had been nursing a right shoulder injury entering the Super Bowl. Maye told reporters that “we shot it up” before the game to make it more manageable, but added that he doesn’t believe the injury affected his performance.

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“I think it would be hard to say that,” he said when asked if his shoulder limited him. “It feels good enough to be out there. … Just didn’t make plays tonight.”

Maye was clearly crushed by the loss, especially given his role in the defeat with subpar play on the game’s biggest stage. Still, he was quick to frame the moment as fuel to get New England back to the postseason — and next time, finish the job.

“The losses, they hurt,” he said. “I think you try to learn when you win and remember this feeling when you lose. I know there’s a lot of things that you wish you had back, but it will only make you stronger in the end.”

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Five years of Hollywood: Wrexham’s transformation under Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac

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Wrexham’s on field success is plain for all to see, however, background developments and groundworks are equally important to sustain Reynold’s and Mac’s ambitions for the north Wales club.

Regulars at the Stok Cae Ras – or the millions of viewers watching games on screens around the globe – will also have noticed a number of alterations to the world’s oldest international football stadium still in continuous use.

The stadium’s iconic Kop Stand was demolished in 2023 having been abandoned for 16 years.

A temporary stand, holding around 3,000 supporters, was used during the 2024-25 campaign before being removed to pave way for a new permanent stand.

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Work on the stand – which will hold 7,500 fans in total, taking the overall capacity at Stok Cae Ras to 18,000 – started early on in the 2025-26 season and is due to be completed in early 2027.

As they do not own their Colliers Park training complex, Wrexham are regularly required to train elsewhere, including at Carden Park or at The Rock – now owned by the club.

But even other aspects including catering and travel arrangements – which include flying to some away matches to help aid recovery – have been tweaked to improve performance.

“The difference is massive,” said former club captain Ben Tozer, who made 136 appearances and won back-to-back promotions with Wrexham.

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“Even though some of the really big changes might not have happened – like we still don’t have our own training ground – the infrastructure has improved every year.

“The players always felt looked after, but the levels have gone up.”

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Super Bowl 2026 MVP: Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker III wins award vs. Patriots

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For the first time this century, a running back has been named Super Bowl MVP. The award went to Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III following his performance in a 29-13 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

Walker is the first running back to win the award since former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXII. Davis’ performance led the Broncos to a 31-24 upset win over the defending champion Green Bay Packers that snapped the NFC’s 13-year winning streak in the big game. He earned MVP honors despite missing nearly the entire second quarter with a migraine.

The 25-year-old Walker has joined an exclusive fraternity of running backs that includes six Pro Football Hall of Famers.

Running backs who have won Super Bowl MVP 

** — Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame 

Super Bowl Player Stats
LX (2026) Kenneth Walker, Seahawks 27 carries, 135 yards 
XXXII (1998) **Terrell Davis, Broncos 30 carries, 157 yards, 3 TDs
XXVIII (1994) **Emmitt Smith, Cowboys 30 carries, 132 yards, 2 TDs
XXV (1991) Ottis Anderson, Giants 21 carries, 102 yards, TD
XVIII (1984) **Marcus Allen, Raiders 21 carries, 191 yards, 2 TDs
XVII (1983) **John Riggins, Washington 38 carries, 166 yards, TD
IX (1975) **Franco Harris, Steelers 34 carries, 158 yards, TD
VIII (1974) **Larry Csonka, Dolphins 33 carries, 145 yards, 2 TDs

That list does not include former Washington running back Timmy Smith, whose 204 rushing yards in Super Bowl XXII remain the single-game record. It also does not include former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, who likely would have won MVP of Super Bowl XXV if Scott Norwood had converted his 47-yard field goal attempt in the game’s final seconds. Thomas rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown and totaled 190 all-purpose yards in Buffalo’s 20-19 loss to the Giants.

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The award instead went to the 34-year-old Anderson, a former All-Pro who became the oldest player to win Super Bowl MVP. He remains the oldest non-quarterback to earn the honor.

Like the other seven running backs to win Super Bowl MVP, Walker’s performance helped lead his team to victory. Walker’s 94 rushing yards in the first half was the second-most in Super Bowl history behind only Smith’s 131. His runs of 29 and 30 yards on Seattle’s fourth drive helped set up Jason Myers‘ second field goal of the night while extending the Seahawks’ lead to 6-0. 

Walker became the first player in the Super Bowl to record two runs of at least 20 yards on one drive.  

While he was less productive in the second half, his 20-yard catch-and-run on the Seahawks’ first drive of the second half set up Myers’ fourth field goal. Walker and Myers were complemented by a Seattle defense that dominated the Patriots’ offense all night. The Seahawks kept the Patriots off the scoreboard through three quarters and essentially put the game away when Uchenna Nwosu recorded a 45-yard pick-six with 4:27 left. 

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The Seahawks have now won two Super Bowls and evened their overall record in the big game at 2-2. Seattle’s win on Sunday night also avenged its last-minute loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.

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How the Seahawks blueprint won the Super Bowl – and proved the NFL wrong

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If you had to choose a defining moment in a Super Bowl of very few standout moments, it would probably be Uchenna Nwosu scooping up the ball in the wake of a Drake Maye sack to put the cherry on top of a Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl win that may not necessarily live long in the memory.

As it happened, the most unlikely of Super Bowls produced the most likely of outcomes, as Seattle torched the Patriots 29-13, a scoreline that might not even reflect the gulf between the teams. The game followed two weeks in which both sides were given a chance to make their case to win the biggest game of all, having entered the campaign without even a mention of being in this position.

Seattle’s argument was that they were simply a better team in all three phases, the NFC champions had vanquished far more challenging foes, and, despite going against modern NFL team-building by being a defence-first outfit, they had more than enough credentials to back them up as big favourites, and their reclamation project quarterback, Sam Darnold, had flourished to turn them into a true contender.

On the way to their AFC championship the New England Patriots had enjoyed a friendly schedule, it formed much of the debate between their quarterback Drake Maye and the Rams passer Matthew Stafford, who would eventually win out, for the regular season MVP award.

But New England’s strong defensive unit complemented their ascendant quarterback, despite falling a vote or two short of the landmark prize.“You talk about a group of guys who battle every day, who believe in each other, believe in their coach,” star cornerback Devon Witherspoon remarked afterwards. “I mean, you can’t describe this group no better. It’s just a one-of-a kind feeling.”

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Uchenna Nwosu scores a touchdown during Super Bowl LX

Uchenna Nwosu scores a touchdown during Super Bowl LX (AFP via Getty Images)
Seattle Seahawks' Uchenna Nwosu celebrates scoring

Seattle Seahawks’ Uchenna Nwosu celebrates scoring (REUTERS)

While the modest Darnold rightfully switched focus away from his own redemption arc, back to the more imposing side of the football. “It’s unbelievable. I’m so proud of our guys. our defense, I mean I can’t say enough good things about our defense, our special teams. I know we won the Super Bowl, but we could’ve been a little better on offense, but I don’t care about that right now. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

When we look back at this trouncing in Santa Clara, it might be for the best that the NFL had not crowned Maye as the league’s newest superstar mere days before he struggled to move the ball in the biggest game of his life, only scoring the Pats’ first touchdown in the fourth quarter when the game already seemed far beyond an overmatched New England team.

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Unfortunately, one of the realities of football at this level is that you have to be battle-tested. In a season where so many of the established elite fell early, first Patrick Mahomes to a season-ending injury, then Lamar Jackson to niggling knocks and then Josh Allen to a substandard roster, the path was open for a surprise Super Bowl winner. As it happened, the lack of star QBs only served to highlight the importance of roster depth and strength.

Maye got to the Super Bowl by the skin of his teeth as the Pats’ offense laboured through the post-season, while Seattle had beaten the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers, not only divisional foes but two of the stronger all-around teams in the game. Indeed, the Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan lauded Seattle’s defense as one of just two, alongside the Texans, who could win the Super Bowl almost without the help of their offense.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and quarterback Sam Darnold, left, hold the Lombardi Trophy

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and quarterback Sam Darnold, left, hold the Lombardi Trophy (AP)
Devon Witherspoon clatters into Patriots quarterback Drake Maye

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Devon Witherspoon clatters into Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (AP)

As the Patriots struggled to get anything going against a defensive unit coached to perfection by Mike Macdonald, Darnold didn’t even need to provide an explosive play to increase Seattle’s lead. Chipping away with field goals was not necessarily the entertainment America wanted in the biggest entertainment event of the year, and the same could probably be said for Bad Bunny, but both got the job done in the light of gritty but ultimately helpless opposition.

As the clock wound into the fourth quarter and the Seahawks throttled New England, Maye needed to find an answer. The Patriots had to score a touchdown.

Maye’s pass only found Seahawk hands and the game, as a spectacle at least, was over.

When Nwosu ran the ball in a few minutes later to lend some mathematical certainty to the result, it was more in celebration than competition, but a Seahawks defender taking home the points probably made more sense in a matchup that neutrals won’t have loved, but that reminds us how the orthodoxy of NFL decision-making is always ready to be challenged.

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“This has been one of the most brilliant performances I have ever seen in the National Football League,” NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth remarked, almost drooling at their brilliance. “This defensive performance is as good as I’ve seen.”

Darnold with the MVP Ken Walker

Darnold with the MVP Ken Walker (AP)
Mike Macdonald has defied the NFL trend of offense-heavy gameplans

Mike Macdonald has defied the NFL trend of offense-heavy gameplans (Associated Press)

For years now, it has felt like you couldn’t possibly compete if you didn’t draft an elite QB prospect and blow teams away with explosive offense. Two years ago, the Seahawks rebuilt on the fly with a defensive head coach, they added a reclamation project at quarterback less than a year ago and now they are the world champions.

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As Nwosu ran the ball in and Seattle’s overwhelming fan army celebrated inside Levi’s Stadium, the NFL was reminded there is more than one way to do this.

The Seahawks did it their way.

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US wins 2nd straight team figure skating gold over Japan, Italy

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The U.S. figure skating team celebrates its gold medals at the Milan Cortina OlympicsGold medalists Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam, Danny O’Shea, Madison Chock, Evan Bates and Alysa Liu of the United States celebrate on the podium after winning the team figure skating event

MILAN, Italy — “Quad God” Ilia Malinin vaulted the United States above Japan and to the top of the podium at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday to cap a thrilling team competition that saw host Italy seize bronze.

With the U.S. and Japan tied going into the men’s free skate, the 21-year-old Malinin met the moment even though he wasn’t at his best to lead the U.S. to a second successive Olympic team title.

“I’m proud of myself,” Malinin told reporters.

“I’m proud of my team for all the work they’ve put into this event, without each other it wouldn’t have happened.”

Malinin had been expected to perform seven quads in his free skate but ended up attempting only five, and even those were not flawless as he stumbled out of his quad Lutz. He turned two planned quads – including the quad Axel – into triples.

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But he salvaged his program with a huge quad toeloop followed up by a quad Salchow, both in combinations.

He also landed a backflip on one leg to the delight of a packed crowd, which included a large number of vocal Americans at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

His score of 200.03 was almost 40 points less than his season’s best but still good enough to defeat Japan’s Shun Sato, who skated cleanly after Malinin but was unable to match his rival’s technical ability.

“Honestly, the moment has still not settled in yet. I still haven’t really figured out that I’m wearing a gold medal from the Olympics,” Malinin said.

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“It’s honestly just such an unreal feeling. But overall, I’m just so excited. This brings me so much joy and energy, and of course, the confidence and the motivation leading up to my individual event.”

The U.S. finished with 69 points, one more than Japan, while Italy took bronze with 60 points. Malinin remains the runaway favorite to win gold in the individual event at his first Olympic Games.

The U.S. team included the veteran ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the pair of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, and Alysa Liu.

Chock and Bates got the chance to savor the gold medal on the night unlike in Beijing 2022, where a failed drug test by a Russian skater changed the team results and the U.S. athletes did not receive their medals until more than two years later.

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JAPAN FIGHT BACK

Japan came into the final day of the team competition trailing the U.S. by five points but their gold medal hopes were given new life with stunning performances from Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara in the pairs and Kaori Sakamoto in the women’s free skate — leaving them tied with the U.S heading into the final men’s free skate.

The Japanese pairs world champions opened with a triple twist lift and Miura was left punching the air in delight as the duo closed their program with Kihara lifting her above him into their final pose — a performance that earned them a season’s best 155.55 from the judges.

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“We were trying to aim for about 145 or a little bit higher, and when we saw that it was 155, there was so much joy… we were overwhelmed with emotions,” a teary-eyed Miura told reporters following the rousing performance which left Japan trailing the U.S. by just two points with two segments to go.

Japan pulled into a tie with the U.S. when Sakamoto delivered a spellbinding performance that earned her top place in the women’s free skate with 148.62 points.

American Amber Glenn had to settle for third behind Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova after she endured two botched landings at the start of her routine – a result which wiped out the United States’ lead heading into men’s free skate.

“I just physically didn’t feel great,” Glenn said.

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“My legs were feeling heavy, I was tired. I just didn’t feel my best.”

U.S. hopes of defending their gold medal from Beijing then rested on the shoulders of Malinin, who made up for his disappointing short program on Saturday by winning the point America needed to top the podium.

Japan held their heads high after pushing the heavily favored U.S. team to the limit.

“Everybody has done a gold-medal performance,” Sakamoto, a three-time world champion, said.

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“So it really doesn’t matter what color medal we get.”

ITALY SHINE

In the battle for bronze, Italy’s Matteo Rizzo delivered the performance of his life to keep his team ahead of Canada and Georgia after solid skates by Lara Naki Gutmann and the duo of Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii.

The Italian team shouted “bronze! bronze!” as Rizzo went through the final moments of his performance, drawing a huge roar from the crowd as he finished and knelt with his forehead on the ground, hiding his tears.

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Rizzo smiled and slid on his knees over to his delirious teammates in his box when it was clear Italy would be taking home its first Olympic medal in figure skating since 2014.

“I have no words to describe the feeling of staying on the Olympic ice with the crowd cheering while you’re skating the best program of your life.

“I couldn’t hear the music anymore, I could just hear the screaming of the people, the screaming of my teammates.”

Paris Olympic tennis gold medalist Novak Djokovic, NBA Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, and eight-time Olympic medallist in short track American Apolo Ohno were among the notable names in attendance at the arena on the outskirts of Milan.

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–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

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ONE Fight Night 40: “No bad words to say”

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ONE interim featherweight Muay Thai world title challenger, Nico Carrillo of Scotland, says it’s all business heading into his showdown with Shadow Singha Mawynn.

The ‘King of the North’ will get a second stab at 26 pounds of gold against the Thai brawler in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 40 on February 13 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

While Carrillo will unload his full arsenal on Shadow once the bell rings, he admits some adulation for his upcoming opponent.

The 27-year-old knockout artist respects Shadow’s impressive credentials and similar rise through the unforgiving 155-pound Muay Thai ranks.

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Carrillo shared in his pre-event interview with ONE Championship:

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“Shadow’s just all-round good. He’s good at everything. He was obviously a Rajadamnern Champion before he came to ONE. So, he’s very accomplished.”

The Deachkalek Muay Thai Academy affiliate continued:

“He had a bit of a rocky start when he came to ONE Championship, and then found his feet, and he’s just been on the same kind of trajectory as myself. So, yeah, no bad words to say about Shadow.”

ONE Fight Night 40 will air live in U.S. Primetime free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.


Nico Carrillo looks back at second chance in new division

Nico Carrillo saw his world crumble after losing to Nabil Anane in their interim bantamweight Muay Thai world title match last year.

After licking his wounds, the Scotsman chose to start over, taking his talents to the featherweight Muay Thai ranks.

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A rejuvenated Carrillo displayed an even deadlier form in his new weight class and notched back-to-back stoppage victories over Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Luke Lessei.

“The World Title represents what I stand for, and that’s hard work. That’s what this journey’s been. It’s been nothing easy. It’s been difficult. And when I get the gold over my shoulder, it’s a message to everybody and anybody that hard work pays off,” he told ONE Championship.