Dustin Poirier has backed Conor McGregor to stop Michael Chandler inside two rounds, provided that the Irishman is ‘100 percent dedicated and focused’. McGregor and Chandler, both of whom have fought Poirier before, are set to square off later this year, though no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for the UFC bout. Poirier suffered a TKO loss to McGregor in 2014, but the American exacted his revenge in January 2021 with a knockout win, before their trilogy fight six months later ended with McGregor suffering a broken leg. That contest went down as a TKO victory for Poirier, who submitted Chandler in each man’s most recent fight, in November 2022. Poirier discussed McGregor vs Chandler on The MMA Hour this week, saying: “I think that if Conor comes back anything like he was, with his timing and rhythm, with the injury that he had and this long of a lay-off – and we’re not getting any younger either... if he comes back similar to who he was before he left, I think he stops Michael Chandler. “If Conor is who he was before the injury and stuff, I think two rounds; I think the fight’s over in two rounds. “If anybody can [dial back the clock], I think it would be [McGregor]. If he’s 100 percent dedicated and focused, and [he can] put the blinders on and really go at this with all of himself, I think he can. But we’ll see, man. That’s what makes it so interesting.” McGregor’s 2014 victory over Poirier was a key moment on the Irishman’s journey to winning the UFC featherweight title, which he secured in 2015. A year later, McGregor claimed the lightweight belt to become the first dual-weight champion in UFC history. Meanwhile, Poirier is a former interim lightweight champion who has twice failed to win the undisputed belt. Compatriot Chandler is a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, who has also unsuccessfully challenged for the UFC lightweight title. McGregor’s back-to-back bouts with Poirier in 2021 feature heavily in McGregor Forever, the second documentary covering the 34-year-old’s career. The four-part series was released on Netflix this month, and you can read The Independent’s review here. Poirier is due to return to the ring in July, taking on Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 291. The vacant ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title will be on the line in the all-American clash, which is a rematch of a 2018 bout won by Poirier. Poirier stopped Gaethje, a fellow former interim lightweight champion, in the fourth round. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had ‘friendly row’ after KO of Irish boxer Gary Cully Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones The night Conor McGregor became ‘Mystic Mac’ Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had 'friendly row' after KO of Irish boxer Conor McGregor reveals how he scored Katie Taylor fight from ringside

Amy Dowden has shared “the hardest step” of her cancer journey with fans as she shaved her head. The Welsh dancer, who has competed on Strictly Come Dancing since 2017, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy. Dowden, 33, has been documenting the journey for her fans, and recently described in a candid video how she “cries every day” as her hair falls out due to treatment. On Thursday (21 September), with Dowden over halfway through her chemotherapy, the dancer made the brave decision to “take control” and shave her head. In a montage shared on Instagram, Dowden was shown dabbing at her eyes while her “loved ones” cut off chunks of her hair down to a short, cropped style. The remaining hair was then shaved off, with the Strictly star growing more emotional and pausing to cover her face with her hands. However, she was in the end shown admiring the end results in the m “This too shall pass,” Dowden wrote, before describing the haircut as “the hardest step so far”. “I tried my best to save it. I know it’s only hair but these past few months I’ve had what feels like so much taken away from me that has made me not feel like Amy. I’m missing every possible aspect of dancing. I just wanted to keep my identity with my hair and I tried telling myself it wouldn’t go. But I would dread the pain of waking up to the shredding everyday.” She continued: “I’ve not been able to take control of this journey so far, but as you can see with some of my loved ones I took the courage and CONTROL. “It’s going to take some time to get use to and learn to love and embrace but, I’m now focusing – not on the hair I’m losing but the hair I’m going to get back and the happy dancing, tea lover who talks way to fast whilst rolling every rrrrr who is still there inside with or without hair!” Dowden said that she could now “see the finish line” after shaving her head, explaining: “This for me was a hurdle I couldn’t even bring myself to think or speak about. I’ve done it and I’ve also crossed the halfway chemo line! I’m feeling empowered and positive!” Dowden’s fellow Strictly pro Dianne Buswell commented: You are still all the things you were before, just with added courage, strength and determination. One thing about you is that you don’t let anything take over! “I cannot wait to have you back on the dancefloor with us chatting away, making endless cups of tea! We all love you so much and I’m such a proud friend.” Due to her treatment, Dowden has not been given a professional partner during this series of Strictly Come Dancing. However, the team paid tribute to Dowden during Saturday (16 September) night’s launch show. Host Tess Daly called Dowden their “Welsh dragon” and explained that she would be missing “the start of the series”. Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 23 September at 6.15pm on BBC One. Read More Strictly’s Bobby Brazier: ‘I don’t think happiness or fulfilment lies in what TV show I’m gonna do’ Strictly’s Amy Dowden says she ‘cries every day’ as she opens up on losing her hair during cancer treatment Strictly Come Dancing’s biggest stars this year are 50 plus – it’s refreshing to see Stacey Solomon leads tributes to cancer campaigner Nicky Newman who has died aged 35 Yoghurt could be the cure for bad garlic breath, study finds Teenager’s death after drinking too much water was ‘preventable’

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Pep Guardiola paid tribute to Brighton after his Manchester City side held on for a slender 2-1 win over the Seagulls in the Premier League on Saturday. The champions looked be cruising to victory as Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland struck inside the opening 19 minutes at the Etihad Stadium but the visitors responded after the break. Substitute Ansu Fati set up a nervy finish when he pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute and City were left clinging on when Manuel Akanji was sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time. The victory stopped the rot after for City after successive league defeats prior to the international break. “Against Brighton it’s impossible to control the game for 90, 95 minutes – no team in the world can do that,” said City manager Guardiola. “I’m surprised that we did it for 55, 60 minutes. “We played an exceptional first half. We had more chances, we were aggressive in the link with the strikers. “In the second half they closed the space. They are really good and when they have the ball it is almost impossible to take it. We suffered for 10, 15, 20, 25 minutes and then there was a period at the end of the game as well. “After two defeats the performance was important but I give credit to Roberto (De Zerbi). When you see their games, his team is exceptional. They have a lot of injuries and that’s why I have pride in the team for the victory.” To compound their defeat, Brighton saw their lengthy casualty list added to as Danny Welbeck and Solly March were forced off with muscular and knee problems respectively. Manager De Zerbi admitted his side’s extra workload this season due to their involvement in the Europa League was taking its toll. He said: “This is the worst thing today. We can lose Solly March for a long time and Welbeck I don’t know. “We are playing a different sport this season. We are losing too many players. I think we are not ready to compete in this competition and we are adapting.” De Zerbi felt his team gave a good account of themselves after a difficult start. The Italian said: “We can speak of two parts of the game. The first part – there wasn’t the chance to play, because when City play like they do in first half it is not just very tough for Brighton but for everyone. “But second half we played better, with more energy, courage and personality. We kept order on the pitch, especially without the ball and we had two or three chances to score again. That improvement is important.” Read More Thomas Frank: Five-year anniversary meal will taste better after Brentford win Rob Edwards salutes Luton super-sub Elijah Adebayo after equaliser at Forest England skipper Jos Buttler questions his decision to field first in latest loss Skipper Rob du Preez gives Sale deserved win against Leicester A true gentleman – David Beckham pays tribute to ‘national hero’ Bobby Charlton Luton fight back to stun Nottingham Forest and earn a point

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Liverpool take on Brentford this afternoon in their bid to maintain a challenge towards the top of the Premier League table. The Reds are three points behind leaders Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola’s men face Chelsea in Sunday’s late kick off. Still, three points for Liverpool will add a bit of pressure to City’s trip to Stamford Bridge and Jurgen Klopp will want his team to get back to winning ways today. Klopp’s men suffered a setback against Luton in their last league outing, with Luis Diaz’s stoppage time goal rescuing a point at Kenilworth Road. Defeat to Toulouse in the Europa League continued Liverpool’s downward trend and they will want to turn around the form that has seen them take only eight points from their last five league games. In contrast Brentford are in fine shape. Thomas Frank’s men have won each of their last three fixtures after a slow start to the season and are now up to ninth in the table. A win at Anfield would be another impressive results and give the Bees a realistic sense that they can compete to get into Europe during this campaign. Follow the action from Anfield below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

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After 16 days and a group stage that was full of twists and turns, the state of play at the Women’s World Cup remains largely as it was before the start of the tournament: there is no standout favourite. Despite the shock exits of Germany, Brazil, and Canada, the tournament remains open to a number of teams and the list of contenders grew as the group stage progressed. No one is ruling out anyone, though as ever when it comes to teams punching above their weight, the question at this point in the World Cup is how long they can sustain their momentum. One of the differences between this year’s last-16 to four years ago and previous tournaments is there are more games than usual at this stage where there is a clear underdog. That, of course, is a result of a group phase like no other in Australia and New Zealand and its string of high-profile shocks. South Africa-Netherlands, Nigeria-England, Morocco-France, and even Jamaica-Colombia, all carry the edge of potential surprises. England will be the side that either succumbs to it or who put their foot down and break the spell of the upsets deeper into the World Cup. Sarina Wiegman’s team can benefit from the draw landing in their favour, even though the lesson from the group stage is that no side in their section can be taken lightly. With Nigeria to play and one of Colombia and Jamaica to potentially follow, it couldn’t have worked out any better when the alternative in the knockouts was facing Australia and then one of France or Germany. But England’s growing optimism is also down to how they have improved their own chances. The Lionesses have been on a strange journey since winning the Euros, where injuries to key players took away a lot of the confidence becoming European champions gave them, only for much of it to return thanks to one performance against China where Wiegman produced a new formation and with it, created a new favourite all over again. England’s greatest strength, apart from Lauren James, is suddenly their unpredictability after Wiegman changed her plans and landed upon a formation that worked to not only exploit China but bring the best out of her remaining players, following the injury to Keira Walsh. What is encouraging for England is their performance against China was reminiscent of one of their displays during the Euros, even with a line-up that is completely different to the team that started throughout last summer. England are a ball-dominant side, only Spain had more possession and completed more passes during the group stage, yet they can also mix up their play through long balls, switches of play, and attack through a variety of angles. The formation change released those aspects of England’s play, while it also helped break an over-reliance on crossing from wide areas. The goals are also back; James has shown she can score from anywhere, but it was important that Alessia Russo, Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly all found the target before the knockouts as well. The draw appears stronger in the opposite half to the Lionesses, which is the reverse of how many thought it would play out pre-tournament. The emergence of Japan as a contender has contributed to that. The 2011 champions were considered to be a side in transition but have so far played the best football of the tournament. They have a clear tactical plan and Japan’s players are well drilled in the system they have chosen to play. Japan finished the group stage with the most goals and expected goals (xG) of any team at the tournament, but it’s about the only statistical category in which they do dominate. Japan aren’t near the top when it comes to passes, possession, or even shots. Everything is instead built on efficiency and maximising the quality of their goal-scoring opportunities. Japan’s shape, with wing-backs and two No 10s, has allowed this, while the outstanding service from Yui Hasegawa and Jun Endo feeds the players who have taken their chances. All of this could change the second Japan face a side who are able to counter their system. Japan’s 4-0 win over Spain was the statement result of the group stage, but it came as they produced the perfect game plan to exploit Spain’s high line and the space their possession-based style leaves in behind. That said, it was still a closer game than the scoreline suggested, with Japan taking their chances while absorbing all of their European opponents’ possession and pressure. Everything has gone right so far for Japan, but the high-pressure environment of a knockout game is a different test. Could Norway be the opponent to properly challenge them? It’s been a chaotic tournament for Hege Riise’s side and the staggering absence of any cohesion in their opening defeat to New Zealand and subsequent draw against Switzerland suggests they will struggle against an opposition that operates as smoothly as Japan. Japan, meanwhile, highlighted the pieces missing from Spain’s side that they ultimately could do without in the thrashings of Costa Rica and Zambia but were glaring absences in the 4-0 defeat. Defender Mapi Leon and goalkeeper Sandra Panos, two of the 15 players who made themselves unavailable for international selection last September as they criticised a lack of support from the Spanish Football Federation, are key parts of the high defensive line that has looked creaky at the best of times under head coach Jorge Vilda. The way Japan took it apart despite having so little possession could impact Spain’s confidence in their system, although Switzerland, their opponents in the last-16, do not carry the same pace or individual threats on the counter-attack. In the same half of the draw, the USA may be having their own crisis of confidence, given the sense that their reign as two-time champions is drawing to a close and a fan base that is close to meltdown back home. Having narrowly avoided a group stage exit against Portugal, coach Vlatko Andonovski has drawn much of the heat for the USA’s insipid performances. The debate off the pitch over what has gone wrong has been fierce, yet the team’s displays have so far lacked any of that same emotion. Andonovski’s side showed some glaring flaws against the Netherlands and Portugal, with no control in midfield and no sense of how to press or create chances, After finishing runner-up in Group E, the USA will face a Sweden side who are organised, defensively sound, and confident at keeping the ball – essentially everything the USA are not. Along with Japan, Sweden have been one of the most efficient teams in front of goal at the World Cup, but a key difference is much of their threat has come from set-pieces and the deliveries from Jonna Andersson, with Amanda Ilestedt a frequent target at the front post, leading to three goals already. Sweden thrashed the USA 3-0 when they met in the group stages of the Olympics two years ago: a repeat would be a hugely humbling way for the defending champion’s dominant run at the World Cup to end, albeit an inevitable one given their run so far. Meanwhile, South Africa, Jamaica and Morocco are all looking to extend theirs, having already broken new ground at the World Cup. South Africa and Nigeria, who have reached the quarter-finals before but will be underdogs against England in the last 16, are naturally more dependent on scoring goals than keeping them out; South Africa have been inspired by their brilliant forwards Thembi Kgatlana and Hildah Magaia, who have acted decisively to be central to their big moments, while Nigeria’s inspiration is led by Asisat Oshoala. South Africa, in particular, appear to have a good match-up with the Netherlands, who build play slowly from the back and have defenders who could be susceptible to the counter-attack. Jamaica’s historic progress has been built on a resilient defence that is yet to concede a goal at the World Cup. Lorne Donaldson’s side have needed to be secure as they do not create many chances, even if they have a striker in Khadija Shaw who is clinical when they arrive. That Colombia go into their tie as favourites to win is interesting, after shocking Germany and topping Group H. While they have an absolute star in Linda Caicedo, Colombia’s best results have come when they have been able to be the underdog. Both of their wins, against Germany and South Korea, also came from Colombia outperforming their xG, with Caicedo’s brilliance helping to explain that. Although they were already through when they played Morocco, Colombia’s display in the 1-0 defeat was hardly convincing. Morocco, through so unexpectedly at Germany’s expense, despite losing 6-0 to them in their opening fixture, may have exceeded their ceiling. France have struggled a bit for rhythm, but that is a fixture where they should be able to play in a manner that suits them. Australia may await in the quarter-finals, but the big question around the co-hosts remains the fitness of Sam Kerr. Ironically, it comes after the Matildas found a system that worked without Kerr in the 4-0 destruction of Canada, but the return of their captain and star striker could even elevate that and give Australia a fresh boost for the knockout stages. They could be the team with momentum behind them should Kerr return to inspire the hosts all over again. Denmark are dangerous opposition in the last 16: their defensive, counter-attacking system is unlikely to win them the World Cup but it is enough to pull off a shock. It’s what has defined the World Cup already and now the stage is set for plenty more. Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest news and updates as England prepare for last-16 clash with Nigeria Mary Earps insists fearless England ready to avoid World Cup banana skin Sarina Wiegman: The Lionesses’s all-conquering coach in profile How the Women’s World Cup delivered its greatest ever group stage — against all the odds Mary Earps insists fearless England ready to avoid World Cup banana skin Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest news and updates as England prepare for last-16 Zambia Women’s coach accused of rubbing player’s chest at World Cup