The Inner Circle 25 arrives on Friday, August 7, featuring a stacked card that guarantees high-stakes martial arts action from top to bottom. Broadcasting live in Asia primetime from Bangkok's historic Lumpinee Stadium, the blockbuster event streams exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com.
A bantamweight Muay Thai World ******* le eliminator will determine who faces the divisional king next, the highly anticipated ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament roars to life with a clash between two elite strikers, and one of the most debated results of the year gets its definitive answer in a monumental rematch.
Here are three compelling reasons The Inner Circle 25 is absolutely unmissable this Friday.
Former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane and three-division Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Suakim PongSuphan PK will clash in a massive World ******* le eliminator. The victor earns the coveted right to challenge reigning divisional king Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon.
Anane's remarkable journey through ONE Championship has been nothing short of extraordinary. The towering 6-foot-4 Algerian-Thai striker arrived as the youngest-ever WBC Muay Thai World Champion. After an initial setback against "The Kicking Machine" Superlek in his debut, he returned with unmatched focus, systematically clearing out top contenders before defeating Nico "King of the North" Carrillo to claim interim gold in 2025.

#muay #inner #circle #stadium

Reports have claimed that Bayern Munich are set to sign Bara Sapoko Ndiaye permanently from Gambinos Stars, but the move has yet to be officially announced.
Asked for an update on Bayern's pursuit of the 18-year-old, board member for sport Max Eberl confirmed that the deal is nearing completion.
"It's becoming increasingly likely and shouldn't take much longer," Eberl told reporters during Bayern's Asia Tour.
After spending the second half of last season on loan at Bayern, Ndiaye is expected to join the club permanently for a fee "significantly below" €5 million, according to German media reports.

#eberl #reports #permanently #gambinos

Gianni Infantino's position as Fifa president is growing increasingly untenable with Wales and England set to withdraw their support in the Swiss-Italian after he scrapped his controversial plan to sell off stakes of the World Cup to private investors.
Uefa was among numerous footballing bodies to say it had lost confidence in Infantino after its 55 member ****** ociations insisted they would not participate in any Fifa tournament until plans for the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) were withdrawn, confirming they would even have boycotted the next World Cup - which eventually forced Infantino's climbdown late on Friday evening.
Concacaf, the governing body for North America and the Caribbean, reiterated their own concerns over the lack of consultation and rejected the proposal, as did the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) who called for an "urgent review of its governance" at Fifa – piling more pressure on Infantino.
As once-loyal strongholds begin to turn on him less than a year out from the next Fifa presidential election in March 2027, could this be the end of Infantino?
Here are six candidates that could challenge Infantino for Fifa's presidency:

#wales #england

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The head of U.S. Pacific Command said Monday that coercive actions by China and other actors are challenging regional stability, warning the United States will not allow any nation to dominate the Indo-Pacific.
Admiral Samuel Paparo said some actors were using "false claims of legitimacy" to justify intimidation and coercion.
"That's not the rule of law. That's the rule by law. That distinction between law as a tool of order versus law as a weapon of raw power, is the defining fault line of our time," he said via video link at a regional security conference in Malaysia organized by the U.S. Pacific Command.
Paparo's remarks come as tensions remain high in the South China Sea, where China's expansive maritime claims overlap with those of several Southeast Asian nations. The Philippines has been at the center of a series of confrontations with China, particularly around a disputed shoal, where Chinese and Philippine vessels have repeatedly faced off.
Manila has accused Beijing of dangerous maneuvers, water cannon attacks and attempts to block Philippine resupply missions. China has rejected those accusations and maintains its territorial claims in the disputed waterway.

#pacific #rule

FC Barcelona is set to adopt a transfer policy of bitter rival Real Madrid moving forward, as explained by Cadena SER.
FC Barcelona is set to adopt a transfer policy of bitter rival Real Madrid moving forward as explained by Cadena SER, which cited anonymous sources.
Fans of La Liga's two behemoths have plenty to bicker about, and one common topic of disagreement is which has the superior youth academy.
There's no denying that with products such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi to name five of many, La Masia does an excellent job of transforming young talent into elite superstars.
On the other hand, La Fabrica is just that. A factory with a non-stop production line where the youngsters that fall off it are sold around Europe for premiums each transfer window.

#Barcelona #adopt #policy

Reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion "The Kicking Machine" Superlek has a debt to settle with Abdulla "Smash Boy" Dayakaev, and the time to collect is finally here.
Eager to avenge a razor-thin split-decision loss, the Thai megastar gets his shot at redemption in a thrilling bantamweight Muay Thai rematch at The Inner Circle 25. The highly anticipated bout goes down live in Asia primetime on Friday, August 7, exclusively for subscribers at live.onefc.com.
Their first meeting at The Inner Circle 14 this past May began the exact way most Superlek fights do. The 30-year-old muay femur stylist moved with methodical precision, processing every movement like a supercomputer calibrating its target.
However, one explosive burst from the Russian standout completely disrupted that rhythm. A disorienting right hand landed flush around the ear and temple, surprisingly sending Superlek to the canvas. The sheer impact tested his equilibrium so severely that standing steady, let alone gauging incoming strikes, became nearly impossible for the Thai icon.
The Superlek Muay Thai founder recalled:

#thai #inner #kickboxing

Asian Legends League 2026 schedule: Fixtures, score, format, squads and live streaming for season 2 matches originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Asian Legends League Season 2 runs from July 30 to August 10, 2026.
It comprises of six teams competing across 19 T20 matches in Zambia.
League stage followed by Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and Final
The second season of the Asian Legends League promises to feature some of the best retired cricket players in Asia for almost two weeks of T20 cricket games between July 30 and August 10.

#asian #august #fixtures

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST) just announced a 2-for-1 stock split, set to take effect in mid-August, the latest in a long line of splits for one of the market's great long-term winners.
With about $200, you can easily own shares. But a split is never the real reason to buy a stock. The business behind it is, and Monster's is as strong as ever.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Monster is the energy drink powerhouse behind Monster Energy, and its secret weapon is a partnership most casual observers have forgotten. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) owns roughly a fifth of the company and distributes Monster through its vast worldwide bottling network. That gives a mid-sized beverage company the global reach of a giant. Monster is using that muscle to expand aggressively into Southeast Asia, China, India, and other fast-growing markets, and international sales now make up nearly half of its business. For a brand once seen as an American phenomenon, that runway abroad is enormous.
What keeps Monster fresh is a nonstop stream of new products. The company rolls out new flavors and zero-sugar variants constantly, from limited-edition cans to region-specific launches, keeping fans engaged and shelves turning. Its marketing leans into motorsports, gaming, and action sports, cementing a rebellious, high-energy identity that money alone cannot buy.

#flashing #long

Bayern Munich got a warm welcome as they arrived on the South Korean island of Jeju on Sunday for the first part of their pre-season trip to Asia.
Captain Manuel Neuer, Bayern's South Korea international Kim Minjae, Germany captain Joshua Kimmich and other players tirelessly signed shirts and other objects for the excited local fans and were available for selfies.
A first training session was also scheduled for Sunday as the Bundesliga and German Cup champions are set to play K-League side Jeju on Tuesday in Seogwipo and will then fly to Hong Kong for a match on Friday against England's Aston Villa.
"Everywhere we train and play, wherever fans are present, we will go and sign autographs," Neuer was quoted by the club website as telling South Korean media.
"But even though we really appreciate that, we're not doing the tour just for the fans. We're also doing it for ourselves because we're in pre-season preparing for the season. We also have important matches against Jeju and later in Hong Kong against Aston Villa. We approach this with 100% commitment and discipline."

#south #sunday #neuer #kong

Adrian E. Allison, chief relationship officer at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is a proud graduate of the Canton City School District. He would later become the youngest superintendent and the first African American to serve in that role.
Allison, 54, and his family now reside in Jackson Township. He has been married for 28 years to his college sweetheart, Krista. They have two daughters, both of whom are McKinley High School and The Ohio State University graduates: Averi (who also earned her master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University) and Anastasia.
He graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University and then followed his girlfriend (now his wife) to law school at Case Western Reserve University. Allison began his career as an Ohio ******* istant attorney general, then served as an executive at the Ohio Department of Education and eventually joined the Canton City School District before becoming superintendent in 2013. He joined the Hall of Fame in 2019.
"No matter where I travel in this country, I proudly wear Hall of Fame apparel," Allison said. "In every community I visit, people immediately recognize the iconic logo and know exactly where it belongs: Canton, Ohio. That recognition is something I never take for granted. I am honored to be ******* ociated with an institution that has become synonymous with excellence. And the link to Stark County can never be separated.
"Working for the Hall is especially meaningful because I have the privilege of representing our community, my community, which has embraced and sustained the Hall for more than six decades."

#ohio #school

Bayern Munich got a warm welcome as they arrived on the South Korean island of Jeju on Sunday for the first part of their pre-season trip to Asia.
Captain Manuel Neuer, Bayern's South Korea international Kim Minjae, Germany captain Joshua Kimmich and other players tirelessly signed shirts and other objects for the excited local fans and were available for selfies.
The Bundesliga and German Cup champions are set to play K-League side Jeju on Tuesday in Seogwipo and will then fly to Hong Kong for a match on Friday against England's Aston Villa.
"Everywhere we train and play, wherever fans are present, we will go and sign autographs," Neuer was quoted by the club website as telling South Korean media.
"But even though we really appreciate that, we're not doing the tour just for the fans. We're also doing it for ourselves because we're in pre-season preparing for the season. We also have important matches against Jeju and later in Hong Kong against Aston Villa. We approach this with 100% commitment and discipline."

#neuer

Cristian Chivu has made it clear that he still wants another winger or wing-back before the end of the summer transfer window, but says that he is pleased with what he saw from the Inter squad after defeating Manchester City in a pre-season friendly earlier this weekend.
The Nerazzurri stopped off in Hong Kong on their way over to Australia while on their summer tour, defeating Manchester City on penalties after a 1-1 draw following goals from Divin Mubama and Benjamin Pavard.
Talking to the media after full-time in South East Asia, Chivu said that the most important thing was that his players came through their test injury free, but admitted that he is still at least one new player in the wide areas.
"If you do the counting, you get the same results as us," Chivu told reporters after full-time against Man City (via La Gazzetta dello Sport).
"It depends on how you look at it. Maybe we're missing one on the left. We have three wingers at the moment, or rather three and a half because Carlos (Augusto) can play there as well. And depending on how we look at Luis Henrique, who can play on the right or left, we're still missing one. There's still a long way to go in the window, we need to be patient and choose well."

#window #full #look

As Manchester City ramp up their preparations for the 2026-27 season in Asia, it remains to be seen what changes Enzo Maresca will implement that differ from Pep Guardiola. The principles of possession football will remain at City despite Maresca replacing Guardiola in the dugout. What was worth keeping an eye out during Manchester City's first preseason friendly against Inter Milan was whether any of Enzo Maresca's tactical adjustments could be seen. Come the final whistle of Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Inter Milan and subsequent penalty shootout defeat, the answer was clear. Yes, the tactical tweaks by Maresca were evident, especially in the second half at the Kai Tak Stadium.
Manchester City made a bright start in the first half against Inter Milan. Antoine ****** yo was wreaked havoc on the left wing. It was ****** yo who created Manchester City's first goal when he surged down the left to the byline to play the ball back for Divin Mubama to open the scoring in the 14th minute.
While City took the early lead, Inter Milan did look dangerous on the break at the Kai Tak Stadium. Enzo Maresca's side employed a high four-man press which did disrupt Inter's buildup play. However, when Inter did play through the press they did have ****** e to drive at Manchester City's defence. Tijjani Reijnders and Mateo Kovacic were tasked with playing in midfield to shield City's backline. It isn't a role that either player is particularly suited to which was impossible to ignore. Speaking after the match, Maresca said: "We struggled a bit in the first-half and we know the reason why, but we were much better in the second-half. We will get better and better."
You do wonder if Maresca's comments were about how Manchester City's midfield was bypassed in the opening half-hour of yesterday's match.
Also, Rico Lewis and Stephen Mfuni were caught out by Inter Milan's overlapping wing-backs and by the flighted ball from midfield to either flank. Enzo Maresca wants one, or both, of his full-backs to invert into midfield and this was exploited by Inter Milan in the opening 45 minutes.

#Inter #maresca #half

Bayern Munich set off for their pre-season tour of Asia on Saturday without several high-profile first-team players.
As previously agreed, World Cup semi-finalists Harry Kane, Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise didn't travel, as they are still on vacation.
Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, new signing Ismael Saibari, Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl were also absent, having remained in Munich to continue their respective recovery programmes.
Meanwhile, the available German World Cup participants, including captain Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich, were part of the travelling squad.
Bayern have also taken several highly-rated academy prospects, including 16-year-old striker Bastian ***** omo, 16-year-old centre-back Filip Pavic, 19-year-old midfielder Guido Della Rovere, 17-year-old winger Maycon Cardozo and 19-year-old midfielder Felipe Chavez.

#year #bayern #munich #harry

For three-time Glory Kickboxing World Champion Marat Grigorian, an illustrious martial arts career has unlocked doors he never could have imagined while growing up.
That incredible journey continues next week as the 35-year-old superstar returns to action against Russian standout Mamuka Usubyan. The two will meet in a highly anticipated first round of the eight-man ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament at The Inner Circle 25.
The star-studded card broadcasts live in Asia primetime from Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, August 7, exclusively available to subscribers at live.onefc.com.
Intense training camps and the heavy demands of competing on the global stage may dominate his calendar, but the Armenian athlete has found a way to carve out something just as meaningful in the ****** es between them: a genuine, deep-rooted passion for exploring the world.
Grigorian's decorated kickboxing career has taken him across the globe, and it is a distinct privilege he certainly does not take for granted.

#glory #mamuka

Most people know the general gist of Maycon Cardozo's rise through the ranks of Bayern Munich so far, but it is worth repeating how rapidly the pint sized magician has overcome every challenge thus far. Picked as part of the 2024 Bayern World Squad edition, the Brazilian impressed the likes of Roy Makaay and his fellow World Squad coaches so much that they unanimously agreed to recommend Bayern to sign the youngster from the Sports Thai Bavaria Academy in Thailand. He duly joined the U17s in January 2025, moved up to the U-19s in the summer, made it to the U-23s by January 2026 and made his first team debut under Vincent Kompany in March 2026 in a 4-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Now two 2026/27 preseason games are gone and Cardozo has passed his next challenge. Moved all over the pitch to unfamiliar positions, including on the right flank against Rottach-Egern, he nevertheless impressed. Nor are just his performances on the pitch impressive, multiple coaches have been impressed by the youngster's work ethic. Bildreports (as captured by iMiaSanMia) that Cardozo has an outside chance at a role with the first team for the 2026/27 season:
Maycon Cardozo has emerged as one of the winners of the first part of pre-season. The 17-year old Brazilian stood out in training with his work ethic and attacking drive, receiving recognition from Vincent Kompany. Cardozo also left a good impression in yesterday's friendly and is increasingly making a strong case for himself to be permanently included in the first team
FCB II head coach Dante was also impressed: "Maycon always gives it his all – always. I even had to stop him once and tell him he shouldn't always be sprinting. He is always motivated and focused, always thinking about the next ball. That's a great quality. With his attitude, he's a role model for our team."
Because of this commitment and performances, Cardozo will be included in the squad for the Asia tour, and could get game time in the friendlies there. After the tour, it will become clearer whether Cardozo has a realistic chance of playing a role for the first team this season.

#first #bayern #impressed

Alexandra Eala stunned former world number one Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the women's final of the WTA and ATP Washington Open, where she will face third-ranked Jessica Pegula.
The 21-year-old Philippines left-hander delivered an impressive victory over the four-time Grand Slam winner from ******* an to reach her second career WTA final, having dropped the first last year at Eastbourne.
"I'm super proud of my performance," Eala said. "I played really well and I had a great mentality and I stayed locked in until the end."
Eala, set to jump to a career-best 24th in the world rankings, had previously ousted second seed Elina Svitolina for her sixth top-10 victory of the year after dethroning 2025 Washington champion Leylah Fernandez.
It was the first meeting of the Asian stars, Eala facing one of the idols of her youth.

#year #World

Five months of mostly closed Strait of Hormuz have not sent oil prices spiking to $150 or $200 per barrel, as many ******* ysts had warned in March.
Even as more than 10% of global crude oil supply suddenly disappeared from the market, oil didn't hit record high levels. Crude oil prices haven't even stayed permanently above $100 per barrel.
Three key drivers have kept oil prices from surging to never-before-seen highs. First, governments started tapping strategic reserves, including as part of the IEA-coordinated 400-million-barrel stocks release, to offset the 1 billion barrels of crude that never made it out of the Gulf in the first three months of the conflict. Next, Asia slashed consumption with fuel-saving measures and reduced refinery throughput.
Crash in China's Crude Imports Kept Prices Capped
Arguably, the biggest cushion the market has had was China's crude oil import behavior. The world's largest crude oil importer had amassed an estimated up to 1.4 billion barrels of crude in commercial and strategic stockpiles before the Iran war. The huge cushion allowed it to slash imports when the Strait of Hormuz closed, and prices spiked.

#first

The Inner Circle 24 ignited Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium with another heart-racing Asia primetime event packed with explosive finishes and unforgettable performances this past Friday, July 31.
This members-only card featured four high-octane Muay Thai and MMA bouts, which streamed exclusively on live.onefc.com from "The Madison Square Garden of the East." With three of the four bouts ending in highlight-reel fashion, the show delivered non-stop thrills from beginning to end.
A new bantamweight MMA king was crowned in the main event, as Azerbaijani-Russian destroyer Elbek Alyshov turned off Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu's lights in the second round.
Alyshov dropped the Mongolian ******* leholder with a thunderous uppercut in the clinch, and then he followed up with relentless ground-and-pound to force the referee to wave off the contest. That spectacular performance earned him the ONE Bantamweight MMA World ******* le, as well as a US$50,000 performance bonus.
The co-main event featured another impressive display, as 19-year-old Lebanese sensation Ramadan "The Scorpion" Ondash continued his meteoric rise. Ondash edged out fellow teen star Johan "Jojo" Ghazali in a razor-close flyweight Muay Thai battle to claim a hard-fought split-decision victory.

#four #bouts

Fifa has scrapped its plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, after widespread backlash and threats of a boycott.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino proposed the controversial plan in July, declaring that a vote would determine whether or not it would go ahead, but there was anger and concern from many voices in the footballing world.
European football's governing body Uefa even confirmed a boycott of the World Cup and other Fifa competitions, saying its member nations would not take part if Infantino's plan was voted through.
The Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, which represents 41 nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean, backed Uefa in their stance.
Despite Fifa hitting back in a statement that insisted "nobody is selling football", the sport's world governing body ultimately backed down.

#fifa

FIFA on Friday said it would not move forward with a plan to create a $20 billion commercial arm of soccer's world governing body by selling stakes in the World Cup and other events to private investors.
The proposal had been met by a wave of criticism by several soccer confederations from the time it was proposed just days ago, with major groups repping Europe, Asia and the Americas condemning the plan that would have radically restructured the global non-profit organization.
More from Deadline
FIFA Set To Lose Vote Over Controversial Private Investment Plan After Europe, Asia & Americas Reject Proposal
Donald Trump, As Expected, Awarded New FIFA Peace Prize At World Cup Draw

#Europe #asia #americas #deadline

Can the world's newest technology give a boost to one of transportation's oldest? A plan by leading Asia companies wants to find out.
Nvidia and Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced a joint effort to build a "next‑generation digital shipyard" at Kawasaki's Sakaide Works in ****** an.
The core of the deal is co‑development of AI‑powered robots for shipbuilding tasks such as welding, painting, inspection, and material handling.
Kawasaki (OTC: KWHIY) will contribute decades of shipbuilding data, production know‑how, and its own robotics capabilities. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) will contribute its AI and simulation stack, including products for applications in digital twins, robotics, vision/AI, and edge AI, which applies AI models and algorithms directly to devices such as sensors, cameras, robots, vehicles, or industrial controllers.
One report notes Nvidia making a $5 million investment connected to this 1990s‑era Kawasaki shipbuilding business as part of the arrangement, though the main value is technology integration rather than large equity stakes in shipyards.

#NVIDIA #shipbuilding #technology #heavy

MILAN — The Prada Group reported robust growth in the first half of 2026, boosted by a solid performance in the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
In the six months ended June 30, revenues rose 11 percent to 3.05 billion euros compared with 2.74 billion euros in the first half last year. At constant exchange rates, sales were up 16 percent and, excluding Versace, whose acquisition was officially completed last December, they rose 5 percent.
More from WWD
Boot Barn Beats Q1 Guidance But Sees Trends 'Moderating' Amid 'Challenging' Comparisons
Altra Is One of VF's Biggest Growth Stories: Here's Why

#percent #rose #euros

According to Abendzeitung journalist Maximilian Koch, Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies could miss the team's tour of Asia.
Davies, who missed a chunk of last season due to recovery from his ACL tear has been battling a muscular issue for months. The injury limited Davies' participation at the World Cup and still appears to be a major issue for the Canadian star:
Alphonso Davies, der erst in dieser Woche ins Mannschaftstraining zurückgekehrt ist, fehlt heute im Aufgebot. Ob er mit auf die Asien-Tour geht, wird noch entschieden. #FCBayern Abendzeitung pic.twitter.com/QRDBMZRSkg
Alphonso Davies, who only returned to team training this week, is absent from the squad today. Whether he will join the Asia tour is yet to be decided. #FCBayern
Abendzeitung
Davies' injury history seems to be a point of frustration for the Bavarians, who were wary enough of it to go out and buy former Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown earlier this summer.

#abendzeitung

An elegant evening celebrating Inter's international presence marked the Club's stay in Hong Kong during the opening leg of the Internazionale Summer Tour. Within one of Asia's most dynamic cities, the Club brought together representatives from local institutions, partners, media and the cultural community for an exclusive event inspired by the values that have defined Inter since its foundation.
Hosted at Cardinal Point, the spectacular Sky Terrace on the 45th floor of the Landmark skyscraper, the event treated guests to breathtaking views of Hong Kong's skyline and Victoria Harbour. It provided the perfect setting to celebrate Inter's international presence, surrounded by the colours that have represented the Club since 1908: "Black as the night, blue as the sky."
At the heart of the evening was an opportunity to enjoy a traditional aperitivo with the local community, designed to bring together people from different cultures and backgrounds. Guests experienced an authentic Milanese aperitivo – one of the city's most iconic social traditions – while embracing the spirit of openness, exchange and dialogue that has always been central to Inter's identity as Internazionale.
The event welcomed leading representatives from local institutions, Club partners, members of the media, content creators and prominent figures from across Hong Kong, creating a unique opportunity for networking and collaboration where sport, culture and business came together.
The evening opened with a special welcome from Nerazzurri legend Christian Vieri, who took to the stage alongside host Sze Nga and Rivista Undici journalist Jay Ganglani, whose publication partnered with the event. Their conversation explored football's role as a global cultural phenomenon and Inter's evolution into an international brand capable of connecting with different markets, cultures and communities around the world.

#local #guests

Three-time ISKA Kickboxing World Champion Akram "La Pepite" Hamidi made sure his hotly anticipated return to the global stage was one to remember, as he outpointed Watcharaphon Laochokcharoen in the headline attraction of ONE Friday Fights 164.
Their three-round battle capped a massive double-header Asia primetime weekend for ONE Championship, which also saw undefeated star Elbek Alyshov claim the ONE Bantamweight MMA World ******* le in the main event of The Inner Circle 24.
Action erupted almost immediately when Watcharaphon dropped the returning French-Algerian striker with a sharp left hook. The Thai, who vowed to tap into his trademark finishing power for this clash, kept his fists loaded while the referee initiated the count.
However, "La Pepite" quickly regained his footing and answered in kind, flooring the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym athlete with a right hook of his own to level the contest during a frantic opening round. With momentum on his side, Hamidi took the opportunity to display his full ******* nal in the second frame.
The French-Algerian warrior disrupted Watcharaphon's rhythm with slick sweeps, spearing knees, and well-timed teeps, while his opponent continued relying on heavy boxing. Those diverse attacks made the Team Valente representative increasingly difficult to read, and he punctuated one exchange by landing a right hand behind a knee.

#pepite #watcharaphon

Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has become the second senior governing body official to put Gianni Infantino on blast after claiming he "deceived" staff in going ahead with plans to sell off the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino has faced staunch opposition to his Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) - the name for the commercial entity - with Uefa confirming they will boycott Fifa competitions, including the next World Cup, if plans go ahead.
Concacaf, the confederation of North America and the Caribbean, as well as the Asian Football Confederation have joined Uefa in officially rejecting the proposal, before Infantino's senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro resigned from his post.
Lamour has now given a statement to The **** ociated Press outlining that Fifa staff "deserve better than contempt and intimidation" after being left in the dark about Infantino's privatisation scheme.
"What has been announced in recent days and what has been happening behind the scenes in recent months defies belief and imagination," Lamour said, who has worked closely with Infantino at both Fifa and Uefa.

#fifa #confederation

The Tour de France Femmes begins on Saturday with possibly the most difficult route yet for women's cycling's flagship race.
This year the peloton will tackle the infamous Mont Ventoux on a gruelling stage seven, the queen stage of the nine-day race, but the battle for the general classification could go right down to the wire with four summits of the Col d'Eze, outside Nice, crammed into less than 100km in an explosive final stage.
Dutchwoman and 2023 champion Demi Vollering is arguably the favourite to regain her crown but will face fierce competition from reigning champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, who has had a mixed season but with everything building towards her **** le defence, and 2024 winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, who has finished on the podium in every edition.
Elsewhere Britain's Zoe Backstedt is one of the favourites to take a maiden stage win on stage four's individual time trial, as the 21-year-old makes her Tour de France debut.
Here's everything you need to know to watch the race.

#race #france #femmes

NEW YORK (AP) — Ancient mummy DNA recovered in Chile has yielded the firmest evidence yet that European colonization brought smallpox to the Americas.
Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before it was eradicated in 1980, largely thanks to vaccination. For centuries, the virus had killed about one-third of the people it infected and left most survivors with deep and sometimes disfiguring scars.
Outbreaks struck Asia and Europe and eventually spread to the Americas, where colonial writings, administrative records and missionary reports documented how it killed millions and devastated Indigenous populations who had never been exposed to the virus.
Now there's scientific evidence for the spread: An ******* ysis of Chilean mummies provides the strongest genetic link yet to the virus as it existed outside of the Americas, and provides a better picture of how it reached remote populations through colonization, said geneticist Shigeki Nakagome with Trinity College Dublin.
In the new study, Nakagome and colleagues examined 13 bone samples previously collected from an archaeological site at Camarones, in northern Chile.

#populations

In the aftermath of the World Cup, despite the many issues that had plagued the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Gianni Infantino spoke in tones that suggested he felt invincible. By delivering record revenues and the "most outstanding" World Cup ever, the Fifa president felt emboldened enough to embark on a victory lap, admonishing his critics from within the stronghold of his Fifa palace, while safe in the knowledge that the structures and mechanisms designed to keep him in power were secure.
Barely a week later, the walls around Infantino are crumbling before our eyes. In over-playing his hand and rushing through proposals to sell stakes in the World Cup and Fifa tournaments to private investors, Infantino has crossed a line from where there may not return. Uefa's extraordinary decision to boycott the World Cup should Infantino get his way has been followed by two more federations, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, rejecting his proposals. Uefa now has enough support to comfortably defeat Infantino if a vote of Fifa's 211 member **** ociations goes ahead next month.
The walls around Gianni Infantino are crumbling (Getty)
Whether Infantino's plans, understood by The Independent to have been in the works for over a year, even survive for that long is another matter. Infantino is also under mounting pressure from within Fifa itself. The president's long-time adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, described as a heavyweight figure within the organisation, resigned in protest on Friday. "Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this **** et and the consequences of giving part of it away," he said in a statement. "That is why this proposal should be rejected." If even the Fifa suits have seen enough, it tells you that Infantino has gone too far.
In their own statement in the early hours of Friday morning, Fifa provided some "clarifications" around their private investment proposals, insisting that their "planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports". But it may not stop some of Infantino's steadfast allies from switching sides. Asia will host the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia and parts of the region have benefitted greatly from Infantino's support since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but the AFC's president, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, has been Infantino's most vocal critic outside of Europe. A withering statement on Friday accused Fifa of "undermining" the World Cup and called for an "urgent review" into its governance.

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