Sports

After a series of plot twists befitting a Broadway production, the UFC had hoped to bring clarity to its disorderly lightweight division with Saturday’s UFC 223 fight card in Brooklyn, but it will be overshadowed by one man not on it — Conor McGregor.

The Irish fighter gate-crashed a media day on Thursday and caused chaos with his entourage when he attacked a bus ferrying fighters in the venue’s loading bay, an assault that led to injuries to some of those aboard the vehicle.

McGregor appeared in court in New York on Friday charged with assault and criminal mischief.

Fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg were pulled from the card by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) after sustaining injuries, and McGregor’s stable mate Artem Lobov was kicked off the bill for his part in the chaos.

In another twist, lightweight challenger Max Holloway was declared “medically unfit” to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov by NYSAC as he struggled to shed weight and make the 70-kilogramme limit. He has been replaced by American Al Iaquinta in the title match.

Ever since the 29-year-old McGregor became the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously, the promotion has struggled to ensure its hugely popular “bad boy” followed by the rules.

By the time Russia’s Nurmagomedov and Iaquinta face off across the Octagon in Brooklyn, 511 days will have passed since McGregor won the title from Eddie Alvarez at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan in November 2016.

However, the Irishman was first stripped of the featherweight title he claimed in 2015 and he has never managed to defended either crown after winning them.

Instead, he took up boxing and enticed retired great Floyd Mayweather back into the ring for a huge payday, in a bout he lost, with American Tony Ferguson stepping in and winning the interim UFC lightweight belt by overcoming Kevin Lee.

Asked at a news conference on Friday whether he could foresee McGregor ever fighting in the UFC again, the organisation’s President Dana White said he was not sure.

“This thing is so crazy. He is being arraigned right now and dealing with what he has to deal with. We’re dealing with this fight,” White said.

“Next week I’m going to go home and figure out how this whole thing plays out,” he added.

“It’s a very unique situation that we’re in. It’s never happened in nearly 20 years of doing this so we’ll see.”

Fighter merry-go-round

Ferguson was originally scheduled to face Nurmagomedov in a highly anticipated showdown, but the contest had to be cancelled for a fourth time when the American suffered a freak knee injury last week.

Holloway stepped up at very short notice, but could not shed the weight, opening the door for the 30-year-old Iaquinta to save the main event.

With his ability to smother opponents using his powerful wrestling skills, the undefeated Nurmagomedov is the promotion’s rising star, but Iaquinta is an excellent grappler and will provide a tough test.

As Iaquinta came in slightly over the weight, only Nurmagomedov can win the belt.

The other highlight on Saturday’s card is a women’s straw-weight title rematch between champion Rose Namajunas and Poland’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk, whom the American knocked out in stunning fashion in the first round to win the belt in November.

However, anyone expecting to grab any of the limelight from McGregor is mistaken.

Emboldened by his money from the Mayweather fight, he has become a law unto himself, but his latest misstep has seriously tested the patience of White, who has excused plenty of bad behaviour in the past.

However, with the promotion quickly tiring of his antics, the Irishman may find that while he might well be able to win back a belt in the future, winning back fans may prove a lot more difficult.

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Tiger Woods grabbed the spotlight but playing partner Marc Leishman snatched the early first-round lead at the US Masters on Thursday with a bogey-free front nine including three birdies.

When Woods teed off on a cool sunny day at Augusta National the other two members of his threesome, Australian Leishman and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, were the invisible men as the massive galleries gathered round to catch a glimpse of just one player.

But as the trio made the turn, Leishman had caught everyone's attention by surging to the top of the leaderboard, one shot clear of Fijian Vijay Singh and Swede Henrik Stenson.

Leishman, who missed the 2015 Masters to be with his wife who was battling a life-threatening illness, was not rated among the favourites for the Green Jacket having missed the cut in three of his five previous visits to Augusta National.

But the Australian finished tied fourth in 2013 and once again showed he can navigate his way around one of the world's most famous and trickiest layouts.

The man of the moment, however, was Woods who was making an Augusta National homecoming of sorts in his first Masters since 2015.

Dressed entirely in black, Woods, bidding for a fifth Green Jacket, got his day off to a wobbly start when he sent his opening tee shot deep left into the pines but he was unrattled and recovered to make par.

Although Woods was playing his first Masters in three years the former world number one looked right at home, rolling in a 10-footer at the par-four third to collect his first birdie and draw a roar from the crowd.

But still on the comeback trail following spinal fusion surgery last April, Woods showed a touch of competitive rust by carding back-to-back bogeys at the fourth and fifth holes to reach the turn at one over par.

Fans were treated to a trip down Memory Lane not Magnolia Lane as Singh, the 2000 Masters champion, set the early pace with three birdies in his opening four holes.

The trip, however, was a quick one as the 55-year-old Fijian slipped back into the pack with bogeys at six and seven before getting one back with a birdie at the 11th.

The crowds will be in for a full day of drama, with many of the late starters also expected to mount Masters challenges.

Among them are Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who is bidding to complete the career grand slam and join Woods, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player in that elite club.

The last group out could also shake up the leaderboard with world number one Dustin Johnson and Englishman Justin Rose, runner-up in two of the last three years, bringing the curtain down on day one.

AMMAN — While the battle for the title is nearly clear, Faisali boosted their chances after two postponed matches were completed this week.

Former champs Faisali beat Hussein 1-0 to climb to second while Jazira dropped to fourth after holding Ahli 0-0. Ramtha and Jazira have lost any chances for the title after Jazira led in earlier stages and Ramtha were among the top three most of the season but have now allowed Faisali to move to runner up.

Wihdat are close to their 16th all time title and need four points from their remaining three matches to regain the title. 

The struggle at the other end of standings is also closely contested as Week 20 of the Pro Football League resumes on April 26. During the current break, the national squad held Vietnam 1-1 in their final return leg 2019 Asian Cup qualifier. Jordan’s performance was below par but enough to qualify for the Asian Cup finals after topping Group C, eliminating relatively unknown teams in the Asian continent.

The Kingdom beat Cambodia 7-0, Afghanistan 4-1, and were held 0-0 with Vietnam. In the return leg, Jordan managed a 3-3 draw with Afghanistan and beat Cambodia 1-0 to qualify alongside second place Vietnam. The top two teams from each group move to the Asian Cup finals set for the UAE in 2019.

Next week, Jazira and Faisali resume their 15th Asian Football Confederation Cup matches. Faisali play Syria’s Wihdeh while Jazira play the Iraqi Air Force Club on April 9 and 10. 

In the last round, Jazira repeated their win over Oman’s Suweiq 4-0 after earlier winning 3-2 while Faisali lost 1-0 to Oman’s Dhofar. Both teams still lead groups A and C in the second-tier Asian club competition. 

Earlier, Jazira held Iraqi Air Force Club 2-2 and beat Bahrain’s Malikieh 1-0, while Faisali held Syria’s Wihdeh 2-2 and upset Lebanon’s Ansar 3-1.

So far this season, reigning League and Jordan Cup champs Faisali beat Jazira to win the 35th Jordan Super Cup. Wihdat beat Jazira to win the Jordan Football Association Shield. In the Jordan Cup, Jazira ousted Faisali while Shabab Urdun eliminated Wihdat to reach the final.

Last year, Faisali won their 33rd league title after a four year break and combined it with the Jordan Cup. Ahli beat reigning league champs Wihdat to win the Super Cup, Shabab Urdun beat Faisali to win their second Shield title after they first won in 2007. Sarih and Sahab were relegated and replaced by Aqaba and Yarmouk from the First Division.

TURIN, Italy — Juventus were left to pick up the pieces on Wednesday after being stunned by Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead goal in their Champions League clash against Real Madrid, with questions aimed at their stalwart defenders and playmaker Paulo Dybala.

Utterly dominant in Serie A, where they are on course for a seventh successive title, the Turin side have been found wanting in their most recent meetings with Europe’s elite clubs.

They were hammered 4-1 by Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League final, beaten 3-0 at Barcelona in the group stage this season and then lost by the same score to Real on Tuesday in their usually impregnable Allianz Stadium.

Juventus fans have been left wondering whether their team were just the victims of Ronaldo’s brilliance or if the Turin side have been flattered all along by their Serie A results.

Juve played well for about an hour of Tuesday’s quarter-final first leg, when only a Keylor Navas reflex save denied them an equaliser, but they were ultimately outclassed and grateful to be spared more humiliation in the final 10 minutes.

Perhaps the biggest question mark concerns playmaker Paulo Dybala, who was sent off for a high challenge.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri had promised a “great performance” from the Argentine but, not for the first time, the 24-year-old known as “The Jewel” did not quite live up to his billing, despite a lively and confident start.

He sent two free kicks into the Real wall and squandered a Juve counterattack by kicking the ball out because Real’s Dani Carvajal was apparently injured, even though the referee did not stop play.

Serious consequences

Dybala also reacted to the slightest touches by tumbling dramatically to the turf, an unfortunate aspect of his game which tends to go unpunished in Serie A but which had serious consequences on Tuesday.

A studs-up challenge on Carvajal just after Real’s second goal saw Dybala given his marching orders after he picked up a booking for a dive in the penalty area in the first half.

Striker Gonzalo Higuain, often criticised for faltering in big games, was largely blameless but the much-lauded Juve defence, which seemed to revel under pressure against Tottenham Hotspur in the previous round, suddenly looked vulnerable.

Real scored their first goal with nonchalant ease when Ronaldo was left unmarked in the penalty area and defender Andrea Barzagli, 36, acknowledged it was his mistake.

Ronaldo’s overhead masterpiece would not have happened without an awful mix-up between talismanic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini, both part of the Italy team which astonishingly failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup.

Buffon rushed off his line but Chiellini touched the ball away from him, allowing Ronaldo to intercept and start the move that ended with his amazing bicycle kick goal.

Buffon has kept the public guessing over whether he will continue playing after this season but doubts are beginning to creep in over the form of the 40-year-old, and there are suggestions he should stop while the going is good.

Second-choice Wojciech Szczesny has arguably looked more solid than Buffon when he has stepped in recently.

“I don’t know when Buffon will stop but, for sure, a champion must leave when he has no more passion for what he does, when he cannot improve or when he does not play,” said former Juventus and Italy forward Alessandro Del Piero.

AMMAN — The Jordan Rally will kickstart the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) for the first time on April 26-28, a statement from the Jordan Rally media service said on Wednesday.

Organised by Jordan Motorsport, the event has switched from its traditional date at the start of May and will now run a week earlier over 15 special stages through the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas.

With the Qatar International Rally switching to a new date in November, the spotlight will firmly be on the Kingdom to see who will be hoping to topple multiple champion Nasser Al Attiyah at the top of the championship standings in 2018.

Attiyah has won the last six Jordan rallies and taken 11 wins in total on his way to 13 MERC titles. “We are delighted to announce another challenging route for the Jordan Rally and are proud to have been chosen to open this year’s prestigious regional FIA rally championship,” said Othman Nassif, chairman of the organising committee.

Jordan Motorsport has laid on 234.20 competitive kilometres in a compact route of 504.27km. The event gets under way with a timed super special stage of 2 kilometres on the shores of the Dead Sea from 4:24pm on April 26.

The second day, April 27, features two runs through the Mahes (20km), Palms (36km) and Baptism Site (8.55km) special stages; the action concludes on April 28 with two runs through the Suwayma, Rawda, Amar and Ma’in specials, according to the statement.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Captain Joe Root believes England has a better idea of the direction they it is are heading after the long tour Down Under came to a disappointing conclusion with the side failing to secure a victory in seven Tests against Australia and New Zealand.

A defiant rearguard action by New Zealand prevented the tourists from converting a promising position into a win in the second Test on Tuesday, the draw in Christchurch giving the hosts their first series win over England since 1999.

That followed a chastening 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia and extended England's run to 13 matches without an overseas Test triumph since they beat Bangladesh in October 2016.

"You want to play in big series and we've had the opportunity to do that this winter," Root said in the on-pitch presentation ceremony at Hagley Oval after England fell two wickets short of victory.

"Unfortunately, it's not gone as well as we'd liked. But we have to pick ourselves up and make sure that when we come to the start of the summer, we're all switched on and we take the good stuff we've done this week into it."

England's hopes of winning the series were all but undone when they were bundled out for 58 in the first innings of the day-night opening Test in Auckland as the frailties of their batting was exposed. They lost by an innings and 49 runs.

"Bar that first innings, we've played some good cricket and especially in this game, I think we showed what we are about," he added.

A better start in Christchurch put them in a position to finally end their winless streak on Tuesday, but they were unable to dismiss New Zealand after starting the last day by taking two wickets in as many balls.

"I'm very proud of the  way we went about it," Root added.

"We did throw absolutely everything at New Zealand, tried a number of different things, few balls just out of reach towards the back end and you need a bit of luck sometimes and unfortunately it wasn't there for us today."

Despite England's already long tour, Root said he would have been happier had the series against New Zealand been decided over three Tests.

"I thought this was a great advert for Test cricket, these five days," he said.

"Coming down to this morning and every result was possible and obviously at the end there, that made for great viewing.”

"It's a shame, but that's the way it is."