Mark McLaughlin

NCTJ-accredited journalist with degree in MA Sports Journalism, actively looking for work.

MMA UK •

Islam Makhachev Vs. Ilia Topuria: The biggest fight the UFC can make?

After Ilia Topuria’s stunning knockout of future UFC hall-of-famer Max Holloway at UFC 308, Topuria has cemented his name one of the most dangerous fighters on the roster. Topuria is the first fighter to ever finish Holloway and has one of the most impressive back-to-back wins in UFC history, after winning the featherweight belt against Alexander Volkanovski back in February.
The question for Ilia now is who he should fight next. Many names at featherweight will be looking to be the first to def...
Sports News •

Jurgen Klopp positive about potential new manager Arne Slot

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was complimentary of Arne Slot as the current Feyenoord boss confirmed his interest in taking over at Anfield.
Slot is the frontrunner to replace Klopp who is set to step down as the Liverpool manager in the summer.
Klopp told the media today: “I didn’t read anything but Arne Slot has said something. I am not involved club-wise.”
Liverpool’s manager added: “If he is the one, I like his team’s style, all I hear about him is a good guy. A good coach.”
Speaking to ESP...
Sports News •

Jurgen Klopp praises West Ham ahead of London Stadium clash

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was complementary of West Ham United ahead of his side clash against the Irons.
Liverpool lost their last game 2-0 against Merseyside rivals Everton in midweek as they slipped to third place in the league.
His side come into this game three points behind Arsenal and two behind Man City who have a game in hand.
Klopp was complimentary towards West Ham manager David Moyes ahead of the game.
The German said: “I don’t have time to speak to David Moyes too much but we s...
Sports News •

Cricket funding aimed at diverse groups on Merseyside

Diverse groups will get more opportunities to play cricket on Merseyside after a £35 million Government investment for the grassroots game.
The funding, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced to get more young people active by 2030, has been welcomed in the region.
It will be used to extend England and Wales Cricket Board’s school programmes for primary and secondary students.
It aims to get 900,000 young people playing cricket over the next five years, with 80,000 of these being children wi...
Sports News •

Top 10 Merseyside derby Premier League goals of all time - Sports News

With relegation candidates Everton set to face off against rivals and title-chasers Liverpool, here’s a list of the top ten goals scored in the derby between these two sides in the premier league.
Number Ten – Steven Gerrard, 2012 (Liverpool 3-0 Everton)
Gerrard has plenty of great moments against Everton, but this goal was special.
After a defensive error, the ball landed to Gerrard on the edge of the box, before Gerrard chipped the goalkeeper with his left foot for the first of his hattrick....
Sports News •

Everton Vs Liverpool: Everton’s chance to secure survival?

Everton host title-chasing Liverpool tonight at Goodison Park in a key game for both sides.
Liverpool sit in second place with a game in hand over Arsenal who are three points clear.
For Everton, they have been dragged into a relegation battle after being deducted eight points in total this season for breaching Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
Everton currently sit in 16th place, five points ahead of Luton who sit in 18th.
A good result in this game may mean that Everton...
Sports News •

Diogo Jota: Liverpool’s solution to their scoring problem? - Sports News

After Liverpool’s 0-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace at the weekend, more questions surrounding Liverpool forward’s finishing have been raised.
It has been a major issue for Liverpool in the last few weeks, as the Reds aim to win both the Europa League and the Premier League in Jurgen Klopp’s farewell season.
Whilst the Europa League has seemingly slipped through Klopp’s fingers following his side’s 0-3 home loss last Thursday in the quarter-final first leg, the Premier League is still attaina...

Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill: UFC 300 Betting Odds & Prediction

(Featured image: Alamy Images)Written by: Mark McLaughlinUFC Light-Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his belt for the first time against former champion Jamahal Hill in the milestone UFC 300 event.
Hill will be looking to regain his belt after vacating the title following an ankle injury back in July. Pereira secured his name as just the tenth fighter in UFC history to have titles in two weight divisions in November. 
This card is stacked from top-to-bottom, with the co-main ev...

Charles Oliveira vs Arman Tsarukyan: UFC300 Betting Odds & Prediction

(Featured image: Alamy Images)Written by: Mark McLaughlinFormer UFC Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will face-off against up-and-coming prospect Arman Tsarukyan on the main card of UFC 300. Both fighters will feel that a win could propel themselves towards a title shot.
The card is stacked top-to-bottom with Alex Pereira defending the light-heavyweight belt against Jamahal Hill, as well as the first all-Chinese title fight in the women’s strawweight division between Weili Zhang and Yan Xia...

Brendan Allen vs Chris Curtis 2: Betting Odds & Prediction

(Featured image: Alamy Images)Written by: Mark McLaughlinBrendan Allen and Chris Curtis are set to face-off in the middleweight division for the second time in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday night at the UFC Apex. Their last fight saw Curtis win via KO in the second round back in 2021.
The card will also see a number of key matchups, including the co-main event which will see featherweights Alexander Hernandez and Damon Jackson collide. The pre-lims are set to begin at 8 pm UK tim...
Sports News •

St Helens Women travel to Bradford Bulls in Challenge Cup

St Helens Women will travel to Bradford Bulls Women this Saturday (March 23) in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup.
The game will be St Helens’ second game of the group stage, with group stages taking place before the start of their league season.

The game comes after their dominant 64-0 victory against London Broncos Ladies last weekend.
Both Emily Rudge and Phoebe Hook produced impressive performances, scoring three tries each.
Matty Smith’s side have won the Challenge Cup for the last three s...
Sports News •

St Helens travel to Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Challenge Cup

St Helens travel to Leeds Rhinos on Friday night in the sixth round of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
The game will begin at 8.p.m UK time and will be broadcast on the BBC.
St Helens return to Leeds after a victory in the league last Friday against the Rhinos, which saw them come from 8-0 down to win 8-18.
The game saw tries from Waqa Blake, Jon Bennison and Moses Mbye, with Jonny Lomax converting three from three.
The Saints, who sit in third in the league, have had a relatively strong start to the...

Tai Tuivasa vs Marcin Tybura: Betting Odds & Prediction

(Featured image: Alamy Images)Written by: Mark McLaughlinTai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura are set to showdown in a heavyweight clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night this weekend.
Tuivasa and Tybura are ranked at Number 9 and Number 10 in the UFC Heavyweight Rankings heading into the clash.
The Australian brawler is looking to turn his fortunes around in the UFC following a three-fight losing streak. Those losses came against top heavyweight talents, with Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexan...

Tai Tuivasa vs Marcin Tybura: Betting Odds & Prediction

(Featured image: Alamy Images)Written by: Mark McLaughlinTai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura are set to showdown in a heavyweight clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night this weekend.
Tuivasa and Tybura are ranked at Number 9 and Number 10 in the UFC Heavyweight Rankings heading into the clash.
The Australian brawler is looking to turn his fortunes around in the UFC following a three-fight losing streak. Those losses came against top heavyweight talents, with Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexan...

Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint-Denis: Betting Odds & Prediction

Featured image: Alamy ImagesWritten by: Mark McLaughlinUFC veteran Dustin Poirier is set to take on Benoit Saint-Denis in the lightweight division in the UFC 299 co-main event on Saturday. The fight will have heavy implications on the lightweight division with Saint-Denis looking to break into the UFC top five at 155lbs. 
The main card is stacked with talent and is headlined by UFC Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who defends for the first time in a rematch with Chito Vera.
In his last outin...

Kevin Holland vs Michael Page: UFC299 Betting Odds & Prediction

Featured image: Alamy ImagesWritten by: Mark McLaughlinKevin Holland is set to take on UFC debutant Micheal ‘Venom’ Page in a welterweight bout in a star-studded UFC 299 card. Page finally makes his debut with the sport’s premier promotion and knows that a win against the established Holland could open the door for some intriguing matchups against the division’s top ten.
The card will be headlined by Sean O’Malley, who will make his first defence of his Bantamweight title in a rematch against Ch...

Gasiev vs Rozenstruik: How to Watch, Betting Odds & Prediction

(Featured image: Alamy Images)Written by: Mark McLaughlinUndefeated heayweight Shamil Gaziev takes on No.13 ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik in what is sure to be an explosive contest at the UFC's Apex Centre on Saturday.
The full card will be shown live on TNT Sports with coverage set to begin at 6:30pm. 
Bahrain's Gaziev will look to break into the top 15 of the UFC heavyweight rankings against heavy-hitter Rozenstruik. 
The latter  will be looking to get back to winning ways following his first-r...