List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

UFC President Dana White has seemingly quashed rumours that Conor McGregor would make his return to the Octagon in December at UFC 296. “Notorious” hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, but had seemed confident he would make his return at the end of this year against Michael Chandler. White did not include McGregor, however, when he announced the headline bout for the upcoming UFC 296 event in December, although he did say that more fights were to be announced. In a video on social media, White confirmed that Britain’s Leon Edwards will defend the welterweight title against Colby Covington in the UFC 296 main event in Las Vegas. Covington is a former interim champion. He also revealed that Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka will be the co-main event for UFC 295 in New York in November, as the pair clash over the vacant light-heavyweight title. Pereira is a former middleweight champion, while Prochazka won the light-heavyweight title in 2021 but vacated it due to injury later that year. Irishman McGregor missed the deadline for re-enrollment into the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) testing pool in July, which made his return this year questionable, given fighters must be in this pool for a minimum of six months before they can fight. Brock Lesnar was famously given an exemption to this rule in 2016 when he returned for UFC 200, but the official UFC-Usada policy states this can only be for “exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete”. It now looks like McGregor’s long-awaited return will have to wait until 2024, when his fight with Chandler may precede bouts against Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz. The 35 year-old’s current gap between fights is the longest since he made his UFC debut in 2013. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Khabib coach predicts Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler outcome When is the next UFC event?

If TikTok is to be believed, American men are absolutely obsessed with ancient Rome – and now a historian has explained why. The trend: “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” has swept the social media platform in recent weeks. Scores of women have posted about how often their husbands or boyfriends said they think about it. More often than not, it’s more than once a day. But why the fascination? Historian Tom Holland could have the answer – and it doesn’t reflect well on America. Firstly, he writes in Time magazine, it is likely to be something more “visceral” than the great orators and writers like Cicero and Ovid, whose work still gets academics excited 2,000 years later. Instead, he says, it is because the Roman empire was “the apex predator of antiquity: powerful, terrifying, box-office”. Not only this, he adds, but the fact that it was so long ago means modern audiences don’t feel as uncomfortable with the cruel and violent acts of the Roman Empire as with more recent examples. “The Romans, much like the dinosaurs, are not merely glamorous—they are also safely extinct.” However, writes Holland, an author and co-host of podcast The Rest Is History, there is more to it than that: “Romans, more than any other ancient people, seem to offer America a distorted reflection of itself.” @theyaresam_ the roman empire is actually fascinating “Just as American conservatives today look back wistfully to the Founding Fathers as patrons of an age of rugged independence and virtue, so did the Founding Fathers look back with an equal wistfulness to the early years of Rome. “There, for any infant republic victorious in a war against a great monarchy, was a morality tale to be found that could hardly help but serve as inspiration. “The Romans, like the Americans, had originally been ruled by a king; then, resolved no longer to live in servitude, they had dared all in a heroic and ultimately successful campaign to expel him.” The picture gets less rosy when you look to 21st century comparisons, he continues. Both the US and Rome suffered from from wars in Iraq, the rise of rival superpowers, “political vendettas pursued in the law courts” and “the emergence of radicals preaching that the last will be first, and the first will be last, to the excitement of many, and the consternation of others”. When Americans think of Rome, Holland concludes, they are thinking of a civilisation that is both “strange and familiar; terrifying and glamorous; safely extinct and the image of themselves”. Let's just hope the US doesn't suffer the same fate as the Roman Empire any time soon. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Lara Arias is a rare female golf course superintendent and she's in charge at the Marco Simone club outside Rome that will host the Ryder Cup next week

Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Canada in his latest North American visit to shore up support from Western allies against Russia’s continuing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian president reached Canada late on Thursday for an unannounced visit shortly after he left Washington and concluded meetings with US president Joe Biden and lawmakers in Washington. He also addressed the UN annual meeting in New York on Wednesday. Mr Zelensky was received by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on the tarmac of the Ottawa airport, marking his first visit to the country since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Visuals showed the Ukrainian leader and the country’s first lady Olena Zelenska being warmly greeted by Mr Trudeau as the three shook hands. Mr Zelensky will address the Canadian parliament on Friday as part of his campaign. The war-time president will be joined by Mr Trudeau, who will also deliver a speech. After delivering their speeches, Mr Zelensky and Mr Trudeau are expected to visit Toronto to meet with the local Ukrainian community. The North American nation is home to about 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent, close to four per cent of their population. Mr Zelensky had previously addressed the Canadian parliament virtually in March 2022 after the invasion began and visited Canada only once before that in 2019. It is important for the Ukrainian leader to see the extent to which Canada supports Kyiv in the war, UN envoy Bob Rae said. “We have done a lot to help him and we need to do more. We are going to continue to do everything we can to support the Ukrainian people,” he said. Despite being under its own duress of military spending, Canada has offered more than 8.9bn Canadian dollars (£5.3bn) to Ukraine during the course of conflict. It is the Trudeau administration’s highest per-capita direct financial aid to Ukraine in the coalition of G7 industrial nations. Security preparations were underway in Canada days before, even as the visit remained unannounced, according to a report by public broadcaster CBC News. Mr Zelensky will likely ask for additional military support during this visit, the report said. Unconditional support for Ukraine has started to thin out as the country heads into another fall and winter of war, but its allies are now forced to debate how many resources they can spare. In Washington, Mr Zelensky had to make a hard pitch for aid, stating that lack of support will result in Ukraine’s loss against Russian forces invading the country. The counteroffensive has seen mixed results in the past few weeks, with slower gains and experts suggest the progress in the next few months can prove to be critical. The battlefield will see rains and turn the ground muddy, making it difficult for tanks to move and ultimately slow down the pace of battle further before a gruelling winter begins. Read More Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kyiv tanks break through gap in Putin’s final line of defence near Verbove Zelensky makes passionate plea to US lawmakers on key Washington visit Zelenskyy to speak before Canadian Parliament in his campaign to shore up support for Ukraine Zelensky says he had ‘very strong dialogue with senators’ after closed-door meeting over Ukraine aid What are Abrams tanks and why is the US sending them to Ukraine?

Kid Rock and Donald Trump have appeared to be of a similar height in certain photos

Martin Odegaard has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.

India won the toss and decided to field in the first one-day international against Australia just two weeks ahead of the Cricket World Cup

Martin Odegaard insists it was a “no-brainer” to become the latest Arsenal player to commit his future to the club and is now dreaming of leading his team-mates to trophy success. The 24-year-old Arsenal skipper has signed a new contract until 2028 as he follows in the footsteps of the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba in extending his Emirates Stadium deal. Odegaard has been pivotal to the club’s transformation into Premier League title challengers, leading by example with 15 goals and seven assists as the Gunners finished second to Manchester City last term. He has three goals in six appearances already this season and the club announced on Friday that the reward for such fine form was a new five-year deal. “It was an easy decision for me. As I said many times, I felt connected and I felt at home here since the first day,” said Odegaard, who initially joined on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021 before making the move permanent that summer. “Also I was moving around a lot and struggling to really settle down, so I felt like I needed a place to come and settle down and to kind of find a home. “That’s what I did here and I felt it from the first day, so it was easy for me to commit. I’m also excited for what we’re doing now and for the future, so I’m really happy.” Asked about several key players signing contract extensions in recent months, the Norway international added: “It just shows what we’re doing as a club. People want to be here as part of the project. “What we’re doing is really special and the players see what the manager wants to do and how the club is progressing, the connection we now have with the fans. “I think it’s a no-brainer for the players to be part of that. With so many hungry young players, it’s a great place to be. “Of course it’s a good thing. You see the players around you want to be a part of what we’re doing and it shows just how connected we are as a team. “All the players want the same thing, they want to stay for a long time and really fight for the club and win things together. It shows the family feeling we have.” While Arsenal topped the table for much of last season before ultimately being pipped by City, the need to win major silverware with such a talented squad is clear. Mikel Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season at the helm and Odegaard knows more is expected of the squad in the coming years. “I think you can see that now – even though we’re a young team, you can see the quality, the responsibility the players take,” he added. “Experience is not just about age. It’s also about what you’ve done. I think the young players we have already have a lot of experience. Of course we need to improve all the time. “But I’m sure with the mentality of all the team, the players, coaching staff, I’m sure we’re just going to get better and better. And I want to be part of that. It just shows what we’re doing as a club. People want to be here as part of the project Martin Odegaard “We have a bigger squad with more depth, we can play different ways and we will need the whole squad with so many competitions this season. I’m very confident in what we’re doing. “Of course I am thinking about it (lifting trophies as Arsenal captain). That is the big dream, the big goal, to win things with the club. “That’s why I have signed here as well, because I believe we can achieve some great things. That’s the big goal and I am sure if we work hard, we can get to something really nice.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Drive to increase women in golf remains in full swing Beth Potter on brink of Olympic dream after embracing ‘bonkers’ triathlon switch Fabian Edwards expects to shed ‘a little tear’ if Bellator title bid succeeds

The White House is considering formal defense treaties with Saudi Arabia and Israel as part of its plan

Josh Allen became the first quarterback in the National Football League to score a touchdown on each of his team's offensive possessions

A “fired-up” Max Verstappen sent a warning to the rest of the grid that Red Bull are back on form as he set a searing pace to top the first two practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to a shuddering halt last weekend in Singapore, where the team admitted they did not understand their struggles with the car’s set-up around the street circuit. The 25-year-old was confident of a return to form around the high-speed corner track at Suzuka, where Lewis Hamilton predicted the Red Bull would be “phenomenal”, but all eyes were on the Dutchman who is closing in on a hat-trick of world titles. His response to the struggles of Singapore was immediate and emphatic, finishing 0.626 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz in P1 before beating Charles Leclerc by 0.320sec in P2. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “He dealt with (Singapore) very maturely. “It was a difficult weekend but he raced very hard. It was what it was. He knew at some point we were going to get beaten and he dealt with the situation well. “He has certainly come here pretty fired up as you could see from his outlap in P1 today. “Max knew it was always going to come to an end at some point. That 10th victory meant a lot to him and certainly to the team so I’m glad Singapore wasn’t the 10th in that succession of races. I think he has just shown great leadership and great maturity.” The second session was red-flagged with a little over two minutes remaining when Pierre Gasly crashed heavily into the barriers at Degner Two, bringing a premature end to the session. McLaren had been tipped to be the closest challengers to Red Bull and Verstappen this weekend, with Mercedes’ George Russell even suggesting the British team could be favourites. Lando Norris showed strong pace to finish the day third, albeit 0.464sec off the pace, while Oscar Piastri, who signed a contract extension earlier this week, claimed eighth in the second McLaren. Red Bull will almost certainly clinch the Constructors’ Championship this weekend at the home race for their engine supplier Honda. But Sergio Perez was over a second off the pace of his team-mate, finishing 11th in P1 and ninth in P2. Fernando Alonso claimed sixth for Aston Martin ahead of the Williams of Alex Albon. Mercedes pair Russell and Hamilton struggled in the opening session, finishing a lowly 13th and 16th respectively, with chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin admitting the team had work to do on the car setup. Russell claimed fifth in P2 but Hamilton was only 14th, with the seven-time world champion a huge 1.141sec adrift off the pace. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

The Catholic Church says the Vatican has shared with police findings of an internal investigation of a former Australian bishop over child sex abuse allegations and will fully cooperate with criminal investigators