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UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has revealed his favourite Premier League club and named the footballer he wants to train MMA with.

Aspinall preparing for first undisputed heavyweight title defence

Jon Jones earned a reputation as a ‘duck’ after showing little interest in defending his UFC heavyweight title, with the American ultimately opting to retire back in June rather than fight interim heavyweight champion Aspinall.

Consequently, the English fighter was named undisputed champion in anti-climactic fashion, with Dana White making the announcement after a UFC fight night in Azerbaijan.

While still a remarkable achievement, the Salford-born fighter would no doubt have been hoping to make a statement by defeating Jones for the belts, rather than simply being awarded them outside the octagon.

The whole saga has been extremely frustrating for the 32-year-old, who hasn’t fought since defeating Curtis Blaydes via a first-round knock-out way back in July 2024.

However, the Englishman is finally set to return to action this weekend, taking on French heavyweight Ciryl Gane at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, in what will be his first title defence.

The 6 ft 5 heavyweight is also a football fan, although he revealed he was a latecomer to the sport, being convinced to start following Manchester City at the age of 30, due to his son being a supporter.

Ahead of his upcoming fight against Gane, Aspinall was asked which Man City player he would choose to train MMA with at his gym, and Erling Haaland, of course, was the first name that sprang to mind.

Haaland continues to smash records at Man City

In his first season in the Premier League, Haaland broke the record number of goals in a season, scoring 36 in 35 games, and the Norwegian striker is currently in the form of his life, having found the back of the net in 12 matches on the spin.

Aspinall will no doubt be hoping City can reclaim their Premier League crown this season, having won their last three matches, and the 25-year-old, who is regarded as one of the world’s best strikers, will be key to their chances.

The centre-forward’s injury record may be a concern, having suffered ankle and knee problems last season, but if he stays fit (and avoids training in MMA!), anything is possible for Pep Guardiola’s side.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was characteristically fired up on Tuesday morning on First Take. This time it was during a discussion about MLB all-time hits leader Pete Rose, who died on Monday.

Smith was furious about the way that MLB had treated Rose, saying, "Murderers have been let off quicker than Pete Rose has!"

Smith then went off on baseball for refusing to forgive or honor Rose, despite the fact that fans once gave him a standing ovation.

"People make mistakes," said Smith. "MURDERERS have been let off quicker than Pete Rose has! And baseball want to sit up there with its high and mighty hypocritical self and literally denigrate this man. In 2016 he got a standing—I'm sorry, in 1999 he got a standing ovation. Remember that Doggie? In Atlanta during the World Series. Remember that? They gave him a standing ovation! The American public says buck all that! We want this man here! We know what he did for the game. We know he hurt himself. We know that wasn't a good look, but it shouldn't erase 23 years. And they did it anyway. Pox on all their damn houses. They better not make any mistakes. They better not make any mistakes! Don't forgive them y'all. Don't forgive anybody. Anybody in baseball who couldn't forgive Pete Rose."

Rose, who is MLB's all-time hits leader, has multiple items in the Hall of Fame and is also openly recognized as MLB's all-time hits leader.

Atalanta have confirmed the appointment of Raffaele Palladino as the club’s new head coach. The announcement follows the dismissal of Ivan Juric, who was relieved of his duties just months after taking charge. The former Roma and Southampton coach was sacked after a disappointing run of six Serie A matches without a win.

Atalanta confirms Palladino after sacking Juric

A 3-0 defeat to Sassuolo extended Atalanta’s winless run in Serie A to six games, leaving them 13th in the league table. Despite a midweek Champions League victory over Marseille, the Sassuolo loss proved too damaging, and Juric was subsequently sacked by the club on Monday. Atalanta have now officially confirmed the appointment of Palladino as their new head coach, replacing Juric. His arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter as the club aims to revive its domestic form and climb back up the Serie A standings.

The statement from Atalanta read: “Atalanta BC is pleased to announce that the role of technical director of the First Team has been entrusted to Raffaele Palladino. Palladino has signed a contract with the Nerazzurri until June 30, 2027.

“He will be followed at the Nerazzurri by Stefano Citterio (assistant coach), Federico Peluso (technical assistant), Fabio Corabi (athletic trainer), Nicola Riva (assistant athletic trainer), Andrea Ramponi (match analyst) and Mattia Casella (match analyst).” 

AdvertisementGettyEx-Juventus winger takes over in Bergamo

Palladino began his coaching career with Monza’s youth setup, working first with the Under-15 side and then the Primavera team. His impressive work at youth level earned him a promotion in 2022 to the senior side after the club dismissed Giovanni Stroppa. Palladino made an immediate impact, guiding Monza to their first-ever top-flight victory with a memorable 1-0 win over Juventus. He went on to secure Monza’s safety in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Serie A seasons, earning praise for his tactical acumen and composure under pressure.

In the 2024-25 season, Palladino took charge of Fiorentina, where he continued to impress. Under his guidance, Fiorentina finished sixth in Serie A. His side also reached the semi-finals of the Conference League, where they were eventually eliminated by Real Betis. After a successful season, Palladino parted ways with Fiorentina at the end of the campaign. Across his managerial career so far, he has recorded 51 wins and 35 draws in 126 matches.

Juric's torrid time at Atalanta

Atalanta’s 3-0 defeat to Sassuolo summed up their struggles under Juric, as the club managed just one win in their last nine matches across all competitions, including six winless games in Serie A. The team’s biggest issue has been their lack of goals, having scored only four times in their last seven league outings. This poor run has left Atalanta nine points adrift of the top four and just six points clear of the relegation zone. Coach Juric appeared unable to inspire his players, many of whom looked disinterested and unmotivated during the Sassuolo defeat. Reports also suggest growing tensions in the dressing room, with key players such as Ademola Lookman and Marco Carnesecchi no longer on good terms with the tactician. The current situation marks one of Atalanta’s worst spells in the last eleven years, a sharp contrast to the high standards set during Gian Piero Gasperini’s successful tenure.

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Getty ImagesWhat comes next?

Palladino will use the international break to analyse his new Atalanta team in detail, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Adopting a system similar to Gasperini did with the Bergamo team, the coach who brought the best out of Atalanta over the past decade, Palladino aims to maximise the potential of the Nerazzurri squad. One player who could benefit from his arrival is USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah. The midfielder, on loan at Atalanta from AC Milan, will hope that Palladino can help him regain his place in the USMNT squad after being left out by Mauricio Pochettino.

He has been found guilty of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board anti-corruption code during the 2021 season of the Abu Dhabi T10

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2025Saliya Saman, the former Sri Lankan domestic cricketer, has been banned from all cricket for five years. An ICC anti-corruption tribunal found him guilty of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) anti-corruption code.Related

Nasir Hossain banned for two years

Bangladesh allrounder Nasir Hossain faces corruption charges

The ban is backdated to September 13, 2023, when Saman was provisionally suspended, as one of eight people – all associated with the Pune Devils franchise in the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament – charged with breaching the code. Those eight included the Bangladesh allrounder Nasir Hossain, who in January 2024 was banned for two years after being found guilty of the three charges against him.The charges against Saman relate to three articles of the ECB’s anti-corruption code. 2.1.1 – Being party to an attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly matches or aspects of matches in the Abu Dhabi T10 2021. 2.1.3 – Offering a Reward to another Participant in exchange for that player engaging in Corrupt Conduct under the Code. 2.1.4 – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1.In its final order, the three-member tribunal – comprising Nigel Peters KC, Justice Zak Yacoob and chairman Harish Salve KC – held that Saman had sought to recruit a player for the Abu Dhabi T10, offering that the player “would play all the fixtures, in two of those he would agree to do something that is commonly understood as match fixing.”The 39-year-old Saman, an allrounder who has played 101 first-class matches, 77 List A games and 47 T20s, last played a recognised fixture during the SLC Twenty20 Tournament in March 2021.

Replacing Kevin De Bruyne was always going to be hard for Manchester City. The Belgian midfielder is one of the all-time greats in Premier League history, and whilst they had Phil Foden to pick up the mantle, it was a burden which they wanted to spread out.

How on earth did they even begin their search to replace a man with 108 goals and 177 assists in 422 games for the club? De Bruyne amassed those numbers on the way to six Premier League titles and one Champions League, part of that famous treble in 2022/23.

Well, one target over the summer was Florian Wirtz.

How close Man City came to signing Wirtz

It would have been an expensive deal to do, but the Cityzens were truly interested in signing Germany international Wirtz over the summer. The 22-year-old was just coming off the back of another excellent season for Bayer Leverkusen.

In total, he made just shy of 200 appearances for the club. Wirtz racked up 197 games for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 57 goals and assisting 65 in that time.

That was enough to pique City’s interest, with reports suggesting back in April that he was being earmarked, alongside Morgan Gibbs-White, as a possible successor to De Bruyne.

Just a month later after that initial report broke, BBC Sport said that City stepped away from any potential move for the young attacking midfielder. The reason was said to be ‘the soaring costs of any deal’, which we know now were astronomical.

The German attacking midfielder joined Liverpool instead, and cost the 2024/25 Premier League champions £116m. He’s failed to live up to that price tag so far, with just three assists and no goals in 15 games.

The man City ended up signing has been far better than Wirtz this season.

The Man City star who's looking better than Wirtz

We will never know how Wirtz would have started life in the Premier League if he had moved to East Manchester rather than the Red half of Merseyside. Yet, he has certainly been underwhelming for Arne Slot’s side.

At this stage, it seems like City got the better end of the deal with Rayan Cherki. The Frenchman joined the club from Olympique Lyon, costing just £30m. It has been an excellent start to his time at the Etihad Stadium.

Injuries have unfortunately hampered Cherki this season, but when he has been available, the attacking midfielder has shone. In just eight games for the club, he’s already scored and assisted six times, averaging a goal involvement every 44 minutes.

It’s hard to pinpoint his best contribution so far because of how well he has started under Pep Guardiola. However, his goal on debut away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, which included a sharp one-two, dazzling skill and a tidy finish, was a real standout moment.

Just by seeing a goal with that quality, it is easy to see why BBC Sport analyst Umir Irfan thinks so highly of him. He described Cherki as a “genius footballer,” and with the skill he showed for that strike and in the buildup to it, the evidence is clear to see.

Indeed, Liverpool fans might have expected Wirtz to have a quick start like Cherki did for City. However, the Frenchman ranks ahead of him for several key metrics, including more chances created, with 2.8 compared to 2.4 per 90 minutes.

Goals and assists

1.8

0

Chances created

2.8

2.4

Opposition half passes completed

38.7

27.3

Fould won

1.2

0.6

Duels won

5.6

3.6

For not far off £80m less than Wirtz’s fee, it is easy to see how City fans might feel they got the best deal. Cherki is a magician with the ball at his feet, a creative force in the final third and a goal threat.

That is probably what Liverpool fans expected of Wirtz, but the German has not hit those heights yet. Citizens supporters must be delighted they got this end of the deal.

Better than Cherki: 8/10 Man City star is now as undroppable as Haaland

Manchester City confidently got the better of a tough AFC Bournemouth outfit on Sunday in a 3-1 win.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 2, 2025

Pete Crow-Armstrong is sporting a new jersey number as the Chicago Cubs take the field in spring training this week.

Set to enter his second full season in the majors, the center fielder is switching from No. 52 to No. 4. There's a great story behind Crow-Armstrong's decision to change numbers involving Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

Marquee Sports Network asked Crow-Armstrong what went into the decision, which he admitted had several factors at play. First, he said that Hoyer thought Crow-Armstrong needed a "fast-guy number."

"Jed's really good about coming down and for the lack of better terms, being one of the guys," Crow-Armstrong said. "So I've appreciated his openness to my shenanigans and the hairs and all that stuff so I appreciated that relationship."

But Crow-Armstrong said his mind was made up for him through a friendly bet with Hoyer while the Cubs shot baskets before they got back to baseball.

"We were outside, shooting hoops before stretch," Crow-Armstrong continued. "He came over and was kind of talking some crap like 'hey, you're wearing a lineman's number,' and all this stuff so he said, 'If I make this shot, you have to change your number.' And I wasn't going to say no to the boss so I went with it and he sunk it."

Hoyer's jumper brought him his wish. He won't have to look at Crow-Armstrong's offensive-lineman No. 52 any longer. Now, his center fielder is sporting a "fast-guy number" in No. 4, last worn by Christopher Morel from 2022 to '24.

Crow-Armstrong slashed .237/.286/.384 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and 27 stolen bases in 123 games last season. He is expected to be in the Cubs' Opening Day lineup as their starting center fielder this spring.

Aston Villa have recently submitted an offer for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia, and the Spanish club’s stance on sanctioning a departure has now been revealed.

Villa have stepped up their pursuit of a new centre-forward with Ollie Watkins failing to reach his usual lofty standards in the Premier League this season, netting just one goal and receiving criticism from former Arsenal striker Ian Wright back in September.

Wright said: “As a player, I think that he should be doing more for what he’s capable of doing.

“He’s a channel runner, gets in the box, he gets on the end of things. I think he could be a lot sharper with his finishing, and I thought that’s what he’d be working on.”

Fortunately, the Villans have managed to find goals from other sources, which have propelled them up the table in recent weeks, rising to sixth after a dominant 4-0 rout of AFC Bournemouth in their final match before the international break.

That said, Watkins’ poor form is likely to still be a concern for Unai Emery, and the manager has seemingly decided to bring in another striker capable of challenging for the Englishman’s place in the starting XI.

Aston Villa submit offer for Gonzalo Garcia

According to a report from Spain, Aston Villa have offered €20m (£18m) offer for Real Madrid forward Garcia, and they are looking to finalise a deal as quickly as possible, given that the Spaniard’s value could plausibly rise as the season goes on.

Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers have lodged bids of their own, so there will be competition for the 21-year-old’s signature, but a deal could be there to be done, as the Spanish club view cashing-in as an ‘attractive financial opportunity.’

As one of the first clubs to make contact with Madrid, Villa should be well-placed to get a deal done, not least because their main rivals seem to be newly-promoted Sunderland and a Wolves side at serious risk of relegation.

Hopefully, it will only be a matter of time before Watkins starts scoring again, but the 29-year-old having some healthy competition could kick him into gear, and there are signs the Real Madrid starlet could push for a starting spot.

Lauded as a “goal machine” in the media, the youngster performed remarkably well at youth level in the 2024-25 campaign, netting 26 goals in 37 games for RM Castilla, before going on to impress considerably at the Club World Cup, netting four goals for the senior side.

That said, it would be a risk to sign Garcia, given that he is yet to prove himself in the Madrid first team over a sustained period, and 21-year-old FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, who scored 19 league goals last season, could be an interesting alternative option.

Aston Villa fighting to sign Samu Aghehowa Aston Villa fighting to sign Samu Aghehowa amid interest from Tottenham and Arsenal

Recent reports have indicated that Aston Villa would be keen on signing Porto forward Samu Aghehowa.

ByJames O'Reilly Nov 5, 2025

Rishabh Pant, who hasn’t played any cricket since fracturing his foot during the Old Trafford Test, is understood to be walking comfortably now

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2025Rishabh Pant, who hasn’t played any cricket or even trained since the Old Trafford Test match against England where he fractured his right foot, is headed to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to resume his training. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Pant’s foot is not in a cast anymore and he has been walking comfortably.Pant is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket, and India’s next World Test Championship assignment is at home against West Indies in a two-Test series next month (in Ahmedabad, Oct 2-6 and in Delhi, Oct 10-14). The selection for that series is expected in the last week of September.After Pant was injured at Old Trafford, in what was the fourth Test in England, Dhruv Jurel kept wicket both in that game and at The Oval in the final game, and N Jagadeesan was flown in as back-up. In case Pant doesn’t regain full fitness in time for the Tests against West Indies, Jurel and Jagadeesan could be the frontrunners to be the wicketkeepers in the squad.Pant picked up the injury on the first day of that Old Trafford Test when he attempted a typically audacious reverse sweep off quick bowler Chris Woakes, inside-edging the ball on to his foot. He retired hurt, the fracture was confirmed not long after, and came out to bat the next day despite having arrived at the ground in the morning wearing a moonboot. He went on to add valuable runs, ending with 54 (he had retired hurt when on 37).Jurel kept wicket in both England innings in the game, and while Pant was available to bat if needed in India’s second, he wasn’t required to as Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – the last two ordinarily below Pant in the batting order – scored centuries to save the Test, which kept the series 2-1 in England’s favour. India went on to win the final Test without Pant to square the series 2-2.

Pep Guardiola cut an irate figure after Manchester City's 2-1 loss to Newcastle United at St James' Park. The former Barcelona manager got into an intense discussion with Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, the match officials, and even a cameraman on Saturday night. The result also somewhat took the wind out of City's Premier League title bid in a day to forget for the visitors.

Man City lose dramatic game

A Harvey Barnes brace, either side of Ruben Dias' strike, secured Newcastle all three points on home turf. But the game was not without controversy as City felt they should have been awarded a first-half penalty when Phil Foden went down in the box after a late tackle from Fabian Schar. And there were question marks about Barnes' second goal, as goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed he had been fouled and Bruno may have been offside in the build-up. The loss means City could fall seven points behind table-toppers Arsenal on Sunday if they beat Tottenham in the north London derby.

AdvertisementGuardiola loses his cool

At the full-time whistle, Guardiola got into a very animated chat with Bruno, with both individuals looking testy at times. The 54-year-old also appeared to argue with a cameraman as he struggled to keep his cool. 

By the time he was interviewed, the ex-Bayern Munich manager gave little away. 

When questioned on the matter, he said: "No questions, everything is fine. I said how good he [Bruno] is [but that conversation] is for private situations. Everything is fine."

Guardiola unhappy with Man City stars

Despite being the top scorers in the Premier League with 24, Guardiola believes his team have to be more clinical in front of goal. They had 68 per cent possession and 17 shots to Newcastle's nine, but only had four efforts on target. Moreover, they created an Expected Goals (xG) tally of 1.88 in a wasteful display that showed they cannot always rely on Erling Haaland, who has scored 14 of their league goals this term.

Guardiola added: "Tight game. Entertaining game. They had chances. We had chances. In the end they scored one more goal. Two or three chances that he [Haaland] always have because he is the best. And yeah, go to the next. Two or three chances that he always have because he is the best. And yeah, go to the next."

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AFPWhat comes next for Man City?

City don't have long to rest on their laurels as they host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, before entertaining lowly Leeds United in the Premier League next Saturday. 

Torpedo bats are just the beginning when it comes to the changes we'll see coming to bats in Major League Baseball.

Keenan Long of LongBall Labs joined on Thursday to discuss the new bats and what is next in the search for technology impacting offense in MLB. He first addressed one big fallacy related to bats, then went on to explain a number of issues related to torpedo bats and what the future looks like.

Ron Darling asked if there was a future where hitters change bats depending on the pitcher, and Long quickly affirmed that.

"Yes, absolutely, Jed Lowrie was one of our first clients and was doing that during his playing days," Long said. "He had a lineup of bats he was going to use for the pitchers he was going to face… So that's happening. It's happening right now."

The torpedo shape may not be the last adjustment we see to bat technology. Things are changing rapidly.