Muhammad Mokaev looks to punish Charles Johnson at UFC Fight Night in London

Mokaev, “the prince” of the American Top Team stable, retains an unparalleled 23-0 amateur record. (@muhammadmokaev)
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Updated 22 July 2022
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Muhammad Mokaev looks to punish Charles Johnson at UFC Fight Night in London

  • Flyweight bout between the British and American fighters one of the more intriguing at the O2 Arena on Saturday

UFC Fight Night returns to London on Saturday, July 23 featuring a card crammed with British talent, with the bout between heavyweight contenders Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes topping the bill at the O2 Arena.

Look a bit further down the card, however, and you will find one of the most intriguing fights of the night between American newcomer Charles “InnerG” Johnson and Britain’s Muhammad “The Punisher” Mokaev in the battle of the flyweight contenders.

Johnson will be making his UFC debut, while Mokaev is coming off a masterful “club and sub” finish against Cody Durden.

Fans will look to the undefeated Mokaev — who has been unstoppable in his mixed martial arts career so far — for another virtuoso performance. However, underestimating Johnson could prove fatal for the 21-year-old’s dreams of becoming the youngest ever UFC champion.

Mokaev, “the prince” of the American Top Team stable, retains an unparalleled 23-0 amateur record and already has to his name a semifinals appearance in the 2021 U23 World Wrestling Championships.

While there was immense hype surrounding Mokaev prior to his UFC debut against Durden on March 19, his eventual 58-second finish in front of the London crowd catapulted him into the limelight as one of MMA’s most exciting prospects.

Mokaev swiftly amassed a 5-0 professional record before signing with the UFC. Durden was already a proven UFC fighter with a well-rounded skill set, and yet Mokaev made him look like a novice.

His performance sent the O2 crowd at UFC Fight Night — and the MMA community — into a frenzy, cementing him as the premier prospect in the flyweight division.

Despite Johnson’s impressive reign as Legacy Fighting Alliance champion, Moakev does not see him as a step up in competition. In an interview with Andrew Whitehall of Sportskeeda, the younger fighter proclaimed that his debut against Durden was the stiffer challenge as he believes that “if Cody Durden and Charles Johnson fight, I think Cody Durden would win.”

On the “Punching In” podcast with Dan Lambert, Mokaev stated that Johnson has a “very big problem in (the) ground game,” and that he will “take him down and finish him.”

Mokaev’s confidence can be mistaken for arrogance, but his conviction comes from training with fighters of a high caliber on a daily basis at ATT.

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi, No.13-ranked flyweight Su Mudaerji, and No. 4-ranked Alexandre Pantoja are a few of the world class fighters alongside whom Mokeav sharpens his tools.

Coming off his second successful LFA flyweight title defense against previously undefeated prospect Carlos Mota, Johnson’s signing to UFC was inevitable.

He is now on a four fight winning streak since a decision loss at LFA 48 in 2019 to now-UFC No. 5 flyweight Brandon Royval.

Johnson’s striking and general fighting has improved dramatically since gaining sponsored training at Tiger Muay Thai at their 2019 tryouts.

TMT’s impact on Johnson’s ability and style is evident, with the fighter subsequently adopting a traditional Muay Thai stance and utilizing a combination of kicks. Johnson’s clinch control is immaculate, preventing takedowns and leveraging position to fire off strikes on the break.

In an interview with James Lynch of Sportskeeda MMA, Johnson said that during his LFA fights, he held his “cards close,” having felt pressure to play it safe so as not to jeopardize a move to UFC.

Now, however, he sees no “reason to play it safe anymore. I don’t have any reason to hold anything back.”

A flaw in Johnson’s style that Mokaev could exploit is the former’s kick-heavy arsenal, which presents opponents with opportunities to take him down.

While Mokaev will look to attack Johnson’s lackluster takedown defense, Johnson is addressing this weakness by training with some of the best grapplers and wrestlers in the world. He has spent time in his latest camp training with Olympic wrestler Jordan Burroughs and three-time All-American Joey McKenna at the Pennsylvania Olympic Regional Training Center. He has received additional training at Daniel Gracie BJJ with several expert grapplers, such as the UFC’s Pat Sabatini and Sean Brady. By branching out of his home gym, Johnson has shown he is both conscious of his flaws and eager to improve upon his weaknesses.

The hype surrounding a prospect like Mokaev can overwhelm some opponents, but Johnson remains unfazed. In an interview with Lynch, Johnson expressed that this is an opportunity to seize Mokaev’s hype for himself.

The 31-year-old American understands that the spotlight is on Mokaev for a reason, saying his opponent “has been groomed since he was 12 years old” to become a champion. 

“(But) we will see what kind of adversity he’s able to deal with when things don’t go quite as easy as he thinks they will,” Johnson added.

The winner of this bout will be the man who controls where the fight takes place. Mokaev will seek to take Johnson down while Johnson will aim to fight on his feet. Will Johnson sacrifice his kicking to limit Mokaev’s takedown opportunities, or will he trust his recent grappling training to keep the fight standing? Positional advantage will be everything in London.

Vegas odds give Mokaev the edge, with an 83 percent chance of defeating Johnson, and a one in two chance at winning inside the distance.

Will Mokaev continue on his path to UFC gold, or will Johnson derail his train and spring his way up the rankings?

Those who take their seats early at O2 Arena on Saturday night are in for a rare treat.


Mbappe misses penalty as Liverpool exact revenge on Real Madrid

Updated 28 November 2024
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Mbappe misses penalty as Liverpool exact revenge on Real Madrid

LIVERPOOL: Kylian Mbappe saw a penalty saved as Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday to inflict a third Champions League defeat in five matches on the holders.
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored the goals in the second half as the Reds maintained their perfect record to return to the top of the table.
Mohamed Salah also fired wide from the spot, but it mattered little as Liverpool secured a 17th win in Arne Slot’s first 19 games in charge.
Slot has already achieved what Jurgen Klopp could not as Liverpool boss by slaying the Spanish giants.
Liverpool had a score to settle with Madrid, who were unbeaten in eight previous meetings between the sides, including Champions League finals against Klopp’s men in 2018 and 2022.
Defeat sends Carlo Ancelotti’s side tumbling down to 24th in the table.
Only the top 24 progress to the knockout stage with the top eight advancing directly to the last 16.
Liverpool are well on course to do just that and the confidence coursing through a side also eight points clear at the top of the Premier League was in evidence throughout in front of a highly-charged Anfield crowd.
Madrid were hamstrung by a lengthy injury list and made the trip to England without Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba.
Young center-back Raul Asencio has been pressed into action by those absences and he made a vital goal-line clearance on four minutes.
Darwin Nunez was sent in behind the Madrid defense by Salah and after his shot produced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, Asencio reacted smartly to prevent the rebound bouncing off him and into his own net.
Courtois was Liverpool’s scourge with a man-of-the-match performance in the final two years ago as Madrid prevailed 1-0 in Paris.
The Belgian was at his best again as he blocked another big Nunez chance from point-blank range as the Liverpool pressure built without reward before the break.
Courtois was in sparkling form again at the start of the second period to parry Conor Bradley’s downward header.
But Liverpool were not to be denied as Bradley was this time the provider for Mac Allister, who manufactured the space for a shot into the far corner on 52 minutes.
The visitors were relying on Mbappe for a moment of magic in the absence of Vinicius, but the Frenchman was well-marshalled by his international team-mate Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
His chance to silence his critics arrived on the hour mark when Andy Robertson was harshly adjudged to have tripped Lucas Vazquez inside the area.
Caoimhin Kelleher has excelled in the absence of the injured Alisson Becker and leapt to his left to save Mbappe’s spot-kick.
Salah sparked a furor ahead of the game by declaring his disappointment with Liverpool’s failure to offer him a contract renewal.
The Egyptian has been in sparkling form this season and his pace and trickery fooled Ferland Mendy into a mistimed challenge.
Salah, though, gave Madrid a lifeline by firing his penalty off the outside of the post.
Liverpool had to wait just six more minutes for the cushion of a second goal as substitute Gakpo rose highest from a corner to power a header past Courtois.


Amorim eyes victory in first Man Utd home game to kickstart new era

Updated 27 November 2024
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Amorim eyes victory in first Man Utd home game to kickstart new era

  • The former Sporting Lisbon boss admitted after the draw at the weekend that United would “suffer for a long time” as he puts his stamp on the club

LONDON: Ruben Amorim said struggling Manchester United need a win to kickstart his Old Trafford revolution as he prepares for a “special” first home match against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
United had a disappointing 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Sunday in Amorim’s first game in charge since replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag, leaving them 12th in the Premier League table.
On Thursday they face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League after one win and three draws in their opening four matches in the competition.
“It is said to me that it will be a special time,” Amorim told his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “I just want to win the game, just to give that happiness to the supporters.
“Before the match it will be like a new sensation but after the whistle it will be one more game and we want to win that match.”
Amorim, who changed United’s formation against Ipswich, said the club needed to feel “momentum.”
“It’s important when you are putting an idea,” he said. “If you win it’s a big help.”
The former Sporting Lisbon boss admitted after the draw at the weekend that United would “suffer for a long time” as he puts his stamp on the club.
And on Wednesday he admitted he did not know how long it would take players to get used to his methods, explaining it was difficult to draw parallels with his previous experiences.
“You can say that this is a different league so it’s harder than in Portugal,” he said. “But I also have more experienced players and all these guys play for national teams.
“They just need to increase their confidence and at the moment I don’t know how to answer that question. I don’t know how long.
“But I will know that with a lot of games without time to train it will be tough for me but it will be tougher for them because they are on the pitch and they will suffer a little bit.
“I will try to help and we have to manage to win some games and try to increase that idea in the team.”
Amorim said United had firepower in their ranks despite their lack of goals this season and that he would try to help out-of-form Marcus Rashford.
“We will try to find the right solution for him, as for the other players,” he said.
“He has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment. Then he will have the help of all the staff, all the club and all the fans because he’s a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first one to really want it.”


Israeli soccer team prepares for closed-door match in Hungary after attacks on fans in Amsterdam

Updated 27 November 2024
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Israeli soccer team prepares for closed-door match in Hungary after attacks on fans in Amsterdam

  • The team will face off Thursday against Turkiye’s Besiktas in an Europa League match that was relocated to Hungary
  • Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic told a news conference on Wednesday that his team was focused on its game, regardless of what tensions may exist elsewhere

DEBRECEN, Hungary: Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team returned to Europe on Wednesday for the first time since its fans were assaulted in the Netherlands earlier this month in attacks that were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Israel and across Europe.
The team will face off Thursday against Turkiye’s Besiktas in an Europa League match that was relocated to Hungary. The contest at Nagyerdei Stadium in the city of Debrecen will be played without fans due to security concerns following the violence in Amsterdam on Nov. 7 that resulted in five people being treated in hospitals and dozens of detentions.
Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic told a news conference on Wednesday that his team was focused on its game, regardless of what tensions may exist elsewhere.
“It’s not a question for me what happened outside of the stadium. We saw some videos and everything, but we really try to focus on football,” he said. “We’ll see tomorrow what is the effect.”
The violence in Amsterdam came after local authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrators from gathering outside the stadium where Maccabi was playing Dutch team Ajax.
A large crowd of Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the match, video showed. Afterward, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.
The city’s police commander said the incidents had “an antisemitic character.”
Maccabi press officer Ofer Ronen-Abels said Wednesday the events in Amsterdam “had nothing to do with football.”
Before the assaults, Besiktas had requested its home game against Maccabi, originally scheduled for Istanbul, to be moved to “neutral ground” over security concerns.
The club later said on social media that Hungary was the only country willing to host the match and that Hungarian authorities requested it be played behind closed doors.
Hungary has hosted several home games for Israel’s national team for security reasons since the war in Gaza began.
Maccabi held its final practice session at the Kiryat Shalom training complex in Tel Aviv on Wednesday before departing for Hungary, the team said on its website.


Jeddah set for Fanatec GT World Challenge race

Updated 27 November 2024
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Jeddah set for Fanatec GT World Challenge race

  • Anticipated SAL Jeddah Race, which will be held for the first time in the Kingdom on Nov. 29-30, will feature two major motorsport races and cover 1,000 km
  • Iconic manufacturers taking part include Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford

JEDDAH: Jeddah is all set for the final round of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe on Friday when a 49-car field tackles a six-hour Endurance Cup race at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The anticipated SAL Jeddah Race, which will be held for the first time in the Kingdom on Nov. 29-30, will feature two major motorsport races and cover 1,000 km, making it the longest circuit race in Saudi history.

Iconic manufacturers taking part include Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford.

The GT4 European Series, supported by RAFA Racing Club, will feature four competitive categories, promising an exciting spectacle for motorsport enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia:

Pro: A showcase for the world’s finest drivers and teams vying for top honors.

Gold: Designed to cultivate and elevate emerging driving talents.

Silver: A competitive platform featuring a mix of amateur and semi-professional drivers.

Bronze: A unique category combining experienced professionals with promising young drivers, offering a valuable learning experience.

Saudi Logistics Services, the official title sponsor for the Jeddah GT Race 2024, announced on Monday the arrival of more than 70 cars from the ports of Barcelona and Valencia in Spain to the port of Jeddah.

The SAL Jeddah GT Race is an endurance racing event that encourages drivers to push their maximum limits and test their stamina, strategy and reliability throughout the intense competition.

The event’s fan zone includes live entertainment and fun activities for families, as well as food festivals.


Messi’s son debuts at Argentina youth tournament as grandparents watch

Updated 27 November 2024
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Messi’s son debuts at Argentina youth tournament as grandparents watch

  • The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team
  • Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play

BUENOS AIRES: Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario.

The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday.

Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires.

Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend.

Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamin Suarez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, Messi’s teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami.

Messi and Suarez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami’s U13 team against Union at the same sports complex.

The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America.