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Kamaru Usman and Dricus du Plessis Predict Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland
The blockbuster match-up between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland at UFC 328 has already been previewed by the only two men to have stepped into the Octagon with both fighters.
Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman have fought both the holder of the middleweight title and the potential challenger, with their fight now confirmed by UFC president Dana White.
The card is set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on the 9th of May, with Chimaev set to defend his title and undefeated record for the first time since beating Du Plessis at UFC 319.
Dricus du Plessis Predicts UFC 328
Dricus du Plessis has a strong record against the challenging Strickland, beating him twice over his career, most recently at UFC 312 in February 2025.
Despite the South African having the number over Strickland, and comfortably losing to Chimaev, he believes the former is capable of stopping the dominance of the Russian.
He said on The Ariel Helwani show: “I do think Strickland will do great against Khamzat. I honestly do. Just his style, I think he would.
“Did you see what Strickland did to Imavov? The striking, of course. The other thing, Strickland’s ability to get back to his feet when you take him down. He does a very good job at that. When I fought him the first and second time, he was really good at that.
“Strickland is stronger than people think on a physical level, and his technique to get back to his feet is very good.”
DDP has himself not fought since losing the middleweight belt to Chimaev, with his comeback fight at UFC 327 cancelled due to injury.
Kamaru Usman Analyses UFC 328 Main Event
Usman, meanwhile, hasn’t faced Strickland since UFC 210 back in May 2017, when the Nigerian came out on top. Six years later, at UFC 294, he met Chimaev and became one of the 15 men to suffer defeat, with no one yet to get the better of him.
Usman has declared his excitement for the fight on his Pound4Pound podcast, saying: “Khamzat has this one tool that he uses, and he can just dominate everybody. When he focuses on just using that tool, and it doesn’t work, he looks bad in other places. Khamzat has really good striking.
“If he can switch the mentality to be a free mixed martial artist, to where it’s not just ‘I have to get this guy down, or I might lose this’, I think we really start to see that arsenal. I think this might be the fight to make that happen.
“I think it’s a very intriguing fight. I love it. I don’t mind seeing it.”
Manchester United have been given fresh hope of landing one of their dream transfer targets this summer, The Red Devils have a few needs this summer as they look to build on the momentum from last season, with Michael Carrick having led them to a top three finish.
But there is no need more glaring than the one at the heart of United’s midfield, with Casemiro’s departure leaving a big hole. Ederson is to be brought in from Atalanta, at least if he passes a new medical, and Carrick wants another midfielder.
Real Madrid superstar Aurelien Tchouameni is said to be the dream target, and there is a fresh claim on that front.
Tchouameni could now leave Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde
According to a report from Spanish outlet Bernabeu Digital, Real Madrid are willing to sell Tchouameni this summer if the money is right and the player wants to leave. Real Madrid have been heavily linked with Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez this summer, but they now say they will not pursue him. Instead, their attention is said to be on Manchester City and Spain star Rodri, who is again having a fine World Cup campaign. The 30-year-old is in the final year of his contract at City, and the Citizens have just signed Elliot Anderson for £116million, meaning they have cover in that holding midfield spot.
The report claims Real Madrid will leave it down to Tchouameni to decide whether he wants to leave or not, but they will pursue a top new holding midfielder regardless, with José Mourinho wanting to strengthen the position.
Several reports suggest United see Tchouameni as their ideal target, and that they are ready to push for a move if they get a green light from Los Blancos.
Ferdinand backs Tchouameni switch
United legend Rio Ferdinand has been praising Tchouameni for years, saying back in 2022: “Listen, Tchouameni is a young kid, he’s going to make mistakes but he’s a superb talent, he produces moments out of nowhere, incredible player. Replacing Pogba in a France XI is not an easy task, but so far, Tchouaméni has been superb. Tchouameni showed why he plays for Real Madrid. He has the patience, talent, control, he has everything you need.”
Backing the midfielder to join United this summer, Ferdinand added: “Do you know what? I know I’ve been sitting here saying that Jose is going to be the man to reintegrate Tchouameni and Valverde together and keep them at Real Madrid.
“But I’ve got to say, if Tchouameni has a half a sniff of getting out of that club, Man Utd have to be the first team at the door knocking and make sure he can’t even talk to anybody else. Get him signed, sealed, delivered.”
With Tottenham strengthening significantly in the summer transfer window, we could see a number of players head through the exit door.
The Spurs will be without European football heading into next season after they finished 17th in the Premier League table.
As a result, some of Tottenham’s key players will be looking for new challenges as they aim to play in the Champions League.
Thankfully for Spurs, they’ve already recruited significantly in the summer transfer window, confirming six new additions.
A big rebuild in the summer is likely for Tottenham, and it could be something that is hugely beneficial for them after such a difficult few years.
Roberto De Zerbi has shown signs of turning things around for Spurs, and the club are clearly looking to back him in the transfer market.
Tottenham star has strong chance of leaving
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Cristian Romero has a serious possibility of leaving the club in the summer transfer window.
The reliable journalist confirms that Romero wants to be playing European football next season, while he would also like to experience playing in La Liga.
“Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero, at the moment, from Tottenham Hotspur, the view is clear, they have Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Senesi, they have plenty of centre-backs. Also, not playing European football this season, the idea of parting ways with Cuti Romero is still a serious possibility. So, there is still a strong chances for Romero to leave Tottenham this summer. Despite rumours from Italy that keep arriving with Romero, my understanding is that Romero would really like to have a new experience in LaLiga. So, Cuti Romero would like to have a new experience in LaLiga if the right opportunity arrives for him and for Tottenham.”
Romero adds that could mean playing for Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, but it is currently unclear where he will end up.
“That could be an option for Barcelona, it could be an option for Atletico Madrid, we will see, but Romero would like to go to LaLiga and try an experience in Spain. We will see what arrives for Romero because he signed a contract only a year ago, the season was not easy, but at the same time, there could be movement also because Tottenham already signed several centre-backs, and they feel well-covered in that situation, so it’s going to be a situation to watch.”
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Tottenham can afford to lose Romero
Romero, who has been described as ‘world-class’ by Spurs team-mate Micky van de Ven, has been a key player for Tottenham over the years, but considering their recent struggles, they shouldn’t be overly against selling anyone this summer.
A rebuild is exactly what they need to start heading back in the right direction. With Jan-Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi already arriving through the door, there’s no reason why Romero should be untouchable.
If Tottenham can receive a huge fee from a club in La Liga, it makes sense for them to cash in, especially as they are spending significantly in the summer transfer window.
Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Enzo Fernandez situation amid the Argentine’s links with a Chelsea exit. The midfielder became the centre of one of the early transfer sagas this summer after requesting to leave amid interest from Real Madrid, but the World Cup has since taken centre stage.
Fernandez is currently in North America with Argentina, and he is playing a central role, scoring to complete a comeback win over Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday night. The World Cup champions came back from two goals down in the second half to keep their dream of retaining the World Cup alive.
In the meantime, Fernandez continues to be linked with a move away from Chelsea.
Romano issues fresh Fernandez update
According to transfer guru Fabriio Romano, Fernandez is not going to be going anywhere until at least after the World Cup, and even then there will be talks with Chelsea before any kind of transfer progresses.
“Talking about Enzo, the situation will be discussed after the World Cup,” Romano said on his YouTube show. “Nothing will change during the World Cup. The agent of the player, Javier Pastore will talk to Chelsea after the World Cup to try to understand which one will be the best solution for all parties.
“Remember, this story started because Enzo Fernandez and Chelsea were not able to reach an agreement on the contract since the end of November or start of December, so the contract is still a problem between Enzo Fernandez and Chelsea. Then, let me tell you, after the Real Madrid statement, I saw some stories about Man City, but what I am aware, Man City are not in active talks to sign Enzo Fernandez at this stage.”
Chelsea to offload young forward
Meanwhile, Chelsea will be loaning out young talent Jesse Derry, with the young forward set to continue his development at a big club in Sporting CP.
Romano posted on X: “Jesse Derry to Sporting, here we go! Deal done on loan until June 2027, salary covered and no buy option. Chelsea got new deal done for Derry this week and now allow him to leave on loan to Sporting. Derry will return to #CFC in June 2027.”
Derry is a 19-year-old forward who has been impressing with the youth setup, and he has even made a senior appearance. The youngster is the son of former Crystal Palace defender Shaun Derry.
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