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Conor McGregor has reiterated his desire to return to fighting after undergoing surgery on the knee injury sustained during his UFC comeback.

The 38-year-old’s return to the octagon against Max Holloway at UFC 329 last month lasted just 69 seconds because of the injury.

The Irishman’s knee appeared to give way when he missed with his first attempted roundhouse kick in the opening seconds of the fight.

“Surgery done. Knee repaired,” McGregor wrote on Instagram., external

“The doubters can keep talking. I didn’t run from the pain – I walked straight into it.

“Now the real work begins. Comeback season starts now. No shortcuts. No excuses. Just the will to rise again.”

In the video that accompanied the post, McGregor spoke of other athletes who have made successful returns from serious injuries, including two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, two-division champion Georges St-Pierre and seven-time Super Bowl-winner Tom Brady.

“These are my motivation here, especially the fighting boys,” he said. “My mindset is unstoppable, unbreakable.”

Last month’s fight, in which Holloway was declared winner by technical knockout, was McGregor’s first UFC appearance since he broke his leg in a defeat by Dustin Poirier in 2021.

Critics have questioned whether McGregor still deserves the spotlight after a series of controversies in recent years, including court cases and missed drugs tests.

In November 2024, Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her, won her claim against him for damages for assault by rape in a civil case.

Last year, McGregor also accepted an 18-month ban for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy after missing three drugs tests within a 12-month period in 2024.

The ban, which was backdated to the third missed test in September 2024, concluded in March.

NEW YORK — If LeBron James knows where he will play this coming season, he’s still not saying.

The NBA’s career scoring king and current free agent spoke publicly for the first time in weeks Thursday afternoon, though stopped short of revealing which team he’ll choose to play for this fall — despite at least one cry from someone in a jampacked room shouting for him to “pick a team.”

“It’s going to be fun wherever I land,” James said.

The four-time NBA champion was recording an episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast alongside guest co-host Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers in New York on the opening day of Fanatics Fest, a four-day event featuring dozens of athletes, celebrities and sports legends. Single-day general admission tickets were sold out, organizers said, and it’s likely that many of those patrons — there were at least several hundred there, phones out to capture the moment — were hoping to hear James’ next decision.

Not yet, he said.

“There’s no decision,” James said.

Thursday’s appearance has been planned for months; it was announced publicly in May. James playfully chided Haliburton for asking him about his future — “didn’t we talk about this in the back?” James asked, and Haliburton said he’d ”leave it alone.”

Of course, they didn’t leave it alone. James made reference to a slew of teams such as Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia and Golden State, though didn’t appear to give much in the way of hints. He did sip from a bottle of red wine that he opened and shared with Haliburton, calling it one of his podcast traditions.

And when fans shouted out suggestions for James’ next team — one even asked him to play for the New York Yankees — no clues were forthcoming.

“We’ll see,” he said.

If former Lakers forward LeBron James knows where he plans to play next season, he wasn’t sharing that news with fans on Thursday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

James is the NBA’s oldest active player at 41 and the only player in league history to have a career spanning 23 seasons; this coming season will be his 24th. Speculation has been rampant for more than two months about his future, officially starting in May when the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

At that time, James said he didn’t know what he would be doing.

And the only developments that he’s revealed since came on June 30, when he said he would play this coming season and that he was leaving the Lakers after an eight-season run highlighted by the 2020 NBA title.

For more than two weeks, the NBA has been waiting to hear what comes next. James, as he did in a social media post at the time, lauded his time with the Lakers, who also offered him well wishes as he moves forward.

“I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers,” James said.

James’ resume is beyond compare in NBA history. He’s a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP, and was a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He’s also coming off a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he’s averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.

The podcast was the first of two known speaking engagements for James in New York on Thursday.

He also has an appearance at the Game Plan Summit, an invitation-only event presented by CNBC and Boardroom. James is slated to have a conversation with Boardroom co-founder Rich Kleiman — Kevin Durant’s longtime business partner — about “how he’s built an empire beyond basketball, what’s ahead for him in business, and why the next generation of athletes is poised to wield more influence than ever before.”

James started his career in Cleveland in 2003 and spent seven seasons with the Cavaliers before heading to Miami for four seasons — where he won his first two titles. He then returned to Cleveland for four more seasons, leaving in 2018 to start an eight-season run with the Lakers.

Cleveland and Miami are believed to be on James’ radar again as he weighs this decision, as are several other teams including Philadelphia, Minnesota and Golden State.

“I’m looking forward to what comes next as I wind down my journey,” James said.

Whyno and Reynolds write for the Associated Press. Reynolds reported from Miami.

The prime minister has given a heavy hint that there will be an extra bank holiday if England win the World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel’s team will play Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday night.

The final will take place a week on Sunday, on 19 July.

It is widely expected Sir Keir Starmer will step down as prime minister the day after, to be replaced by Andy Burnham.

Should England make the final, it would be likely the prime minister would go to the game, which could briefly delay the handover of power.

As for the idea of an extra day off for people in England were the team to win the World Cup, Sir Keir said: “On the question of a bank holiday, I think I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final.”

It is understood the extra bank holiday would be on the Friday following England’s triumph – 24 July.

There is, though, the not insignificant matter of England winning a quarter-final, semi-final and final first.

PERRIE Edwards has laid bare her former heartache over her “hellish” split with boyband singer Zayn Malik.

The Little Mix alum, who started dating the One Direction star in 2012, told of her “breakdowns” following their break-up in 2015.

The pair became engaged prior to calling time on their relationship, yet things ended badly, with Perrie, 32, claiming that Zayn broke up with her via text.

Rumours were also rife that he cheated on the Black Magic singer and the popstar, who now is a mum of two and set to wed fiance Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, has again hinted at infidelity and “overlap” in a new chat on podcast Great Company.

She bravely re-visited her “hellish” heartache in the chat with Made in Chelsea alum Jamie Laing and said of her split with Zayn: “When you go through heartbreak, it is hellish.

“It’s the worst thing in the world. You can’t eat. You can’t sleep. You feel horrendous.

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“You feel abandoned and you don’t feel good enough and you feel like you’ve been left for something better or whatever it is.

“And then what makes it even worse is, I felt like the world was then looking at me, laughing at me.

‘Not my fans, my fans were like, ‘we love you, we’ll fight your corner no matter what.’ But I felt embarrassed. I felt horrified. It was awful”.

The Shout Out To My Ex hitmaker then told Jamie she didn’t stay sane in the aftermath of the split and had “serious breakdowns”.

She added: “It wasn’t just the heartbreak I was dealing with.

“I was dealing with everybody looking at me and I felt ridiculed. I just couldn’t cope with it.

“I hated it. I was breaking down in performances, which isn’t like me at all. I was breaking down. I was crying constantly. I think I was depressed.

“And I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think it was this plus, this plus, this and everything on top.

“I had to be there for the girls. I had to be switched on. I had to power through for Little Mix, but I also just wanted to be left the f**k alone. But I also was getting followed every two seconds and asked about it 24/7”.

In the lengthy chat she hinted at an “overlap” between Zayn and another of his lovers and admitted she “needed to be careful” how to phrase it.

She then referenced his music video for his debut solo single Pillowtalk, which featured supermodel Gigi Hadid, who would go on to be his girlfriend and the mother of his child.

Perrie said: “I need to be careful how I say this, but there was, let’s just say there was a bit of a… I’m just going to say it.

“So there was a bit of an overlap.

“I think when you’re moving on with somebody else you always get on better.

“When you’re the one left behind, that’s when it’s hard because it’s like, ‘Oh s**t, they’ve left me for someone more beautiful than me, someone better than me.’

‘Whatever it is, that’s how it felt at the time.

“And then you have a song that they’ve written about you, but then someone else is in the video.”

The Sun has gone to Zayn’s rep for comment.

Thankfully, Perrie’s love life is now firmly on the up.

The singer and footballer fiance Alex, both 32, announced their engagement four years ago and share children Axel, four, and Alanis, who was born in January.

Zayn and Gigi dated in 2015 and had an on-off relationship until 2021.

They share daughter Khai, who was born in 2020.

OLIVIA Attwood has hinted at trouble in paradise amid her romance with Pete Wicks – but fans appeared to spot something rather promising hidden within the snaps.

The stunning TV star shared a rather cryptic post where she appeared downcast in several snaps, pouting and looking moody.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Olivia, 35, shared a series of images with a caption that read: “Staying out of trouble,” complete with two angel emojis.

The first photo within the dump saw Olivia beaming while getting her hair and makeup done.

Looking more downcast in the next photo, Olivia pouted and didn’t look very impressed.

The images that followed were of her dogs, with another snap being of her taking a selfie in an elevator.

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More hair and makeup snaps followed, with another photo of her dog also thrilling fans.

The former Love Island star also showed off some impressive designer items within the slew of snaps.

Liv showed off a Birkin bag by Hermes, as well as a beautiful pink Chanel bag.

The 16th offering from the photo dump saw Liv snap a mirror selfie where her eyes appeared puffy and again, she pouted and looked downcast.

But despite some people alarmed by the lack of Pete appearing in the post, others spotted a sign that all might be well between the pair.

One person seemed to spot Pete’s dog in one of the snaps.

“Yay to Rodney. Was hoping to spot some subtle Pete hints and also wondered if the dogs are mates with eachother! (So invested),” one person penned.

While another added: “Yes Rodney!!!!!!!”

And a third penned: “Hard launching Rodney!”

“Stitch, Lola & Rodney,” penned another, spelling out how Olivia’s pups Stitch and Lola, were now pally with Pete’s dog Rodney.

Olivia split from husband Bradley back in January following a “breach of trust” on his part.

She then moved out of the marital home and into her own apartment in London, and has since been romantically linked to pal and radio co-host Pete.

Just the other week, eagle-eyed fans spotted a very clear sign Pete Wicks was with her on a recent luxury getaway.

The pair added fuel to the fire… literally, by sharing near-identical snaps from near-identical getaways.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday night, Olivia shared a photo dump of a very plush stay at Estelle Manor – the same place Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton headed on a secret date weekend.

Among the photos Liv shared were snaps of her rescue dogs, stunning selfies, gym workout pics, and a close up snap of a rustic fireplace.

Fans were quick to spot how not long before Liv’s dump, Pete had shared a slew of snaps himself, with one of the photos being of the exact same fireplace.

Fans rushed to the comments section to speculate that Olivia and Pete had spent time together at the stunning manor house.

“I love the subtle you & Pete posting pics of the same fire. I love you two xxx,” penned one person.

The talked-about pair reportedly begun their relationship at the Brit Awards on February 28.

A source close to the pair told us at the time that they were “dating and enjoying their time together.”

Their apparent romance heated up last month as they jetted off to St Tropez for a cosy holiday.

He was also spotted at her intimate birthday dinner earlier this month as they soft launched their relationship.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has invoked ancient Persia’s victory in the face of a failed invasion by the Roman Empire. The post suggests the US has been forced to make concessions in a deal to end its war on Iran on Tehran’s terms.

Emma Willis dropped several hints on Instagram before the official BBC Strictly Come Dancing presenter announcement – and these five telling clues show she was always destined for the role

With the news announced today (May 19) that Emma Willis is joining Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe in the ultimate Strictly hosting trio, we’ve been examining her Instagram feed for the telltale signs that this had been in the pipeline for quite some time.

Following months of wild speculation after Tess and Claudia’s emotional exit, the BBC has at last announced that Emma Willis is entering the nation’s most dazzling ballroom. Yet for devoted followers monitoring @‌emmawillisofficial, the reveal may not have been entirely unexpected, as online detectives have been doing their thing! Scrolling through her stylish Instagram profile, it appears Emma has been leaving clues about her Strictly Come Dancing fate for months.

From perfecting the quintessential presenter look to demonstrating her live broadcasting prowess, here are the subtle signals that suggested she was always destined for the ballroom.

1. The trademark ‘Claudia’ power suits

If there’s one commandment of Strictly presenting, it’s that you need an impeccable wardrobe of tailored suits—and Emma’s Instagram essentially serves as a tutorial in power dressing.

Well before the BBC’s official word, her profile has been brimming with sharp tailoring, pristine blazers, and sophisticated monochrome ensembles. Whether she’s sporting a velvet suit that channels “Movie Week” or a polished black tuxedo radiating serious Claudia Winkleman vibes, Emma has been visually campaigning for the Saturday night style icon position for years.

2. Mastering the co-host dynamic

Tess and Claudia were the ultimate television double act, meaning any successor needed to know how to share the spotlight. Fortunately, Emma’s recent social media activity has been largely centred on her effortless chemistry with her favourite co-host: her husband, Matt Willis.

Through their promotional content for Love Is Blind UK, Emma has demonstrated she is the undisputed queen of the sideways glance, the encouraging nod, and the sharp-witted ad-lib.

If she can manage emotionally volatile reality stars while bouncing off her husband, keeping Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe in check on a live Saturday night will be an absolute doddle.

3.Live TV glamour prep

You can’t simply waltz onto the Strictly set without a genuine appreciation for serious glamour, and Emma’s behind-the-scenes posts have been quietly radiating “high production value.” Her feed is scattered with backstage selfies in the makeup chair, highlighting her flawless, camera-ready look and her famously stylish, cropped hair being expertly perfected by her team of stylists.

She has a profound appreciation for the effort required to get television-ready, regularly tagging her glam squad. She’s already well-versed in spending hours in the makeup chair — now they simply need to double the hairspray and throw in a few rhinestones.

4. Ballroom-ready fitness

While she may be clutching the microphone instead of performing the Argentine Tango, presenting Strictly demands hours of standing in stilettos, racing up and down those iconic stairs, and maintaining relentless energy.

Throughout the past year, Emma’s followers will have spotted subtle hints about her remarkable fitness regimen. From Pilates classes to core-focused training, she’s been steadily developing the endurance needed to endure the demanding autumn timetable. Those stairs won’t stand a chance.

5. A secret penchant for sequins

Emma is typically recognised for her low-key, effortlessly chic style, but occasionally, her feed unveils a glimpse of pure theatricality.

A surprise appearance of a shimmering party frock here, a glittering statement piece there—these were the key subliminal hints. She’s been gradually preparing us for a universe where she can confidently stand alongside a rhumba performer draped entirely in Swarovski crystals without appearing remotely uncomfortable.

The Verdict

The BBC couldn’t have selected a superior candidate. Emma Willis’s Instagram demonstrates she holds the precise combination needed to embrace the Strictly role: she’s exceptionally stylish, genuinely compassionate, and completely unruffled by live broadcasting mayhem.

People have been leaving comments on her social media saying that she’ll be “perfect” for the role, and they can’t wait to watch the three of them in action.

As she teams up with Josh and Johannes to introduce a brand-new chapter of Saturday evening entertainment, one thing is guaranteed, and that’s that her feed is about to become considerably more dazzling.