Topuria: Makhachev fight 'has to happen' but is out of my control

Topuria returns to action against Justin Gaethje on June 11th, maintaining his focus on that fight while acknowledging the desire for the lightweight title unification.

"It is a fight that everyone wants to see... It is a fight that from my perspective has to happen," Topuria told ABC. However, he emphasized that the decision lies with the UFC, stating, "Whatever comes, I have to be prepared, and I’m focusing on the things that are under my control."

• Xabi Alonso is believed to be a contender to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City this summer
• Guardiola is yet to confirm his plans for next season despite being under contract until 2027
• City have been conducting succession planning behind the scenes for several months

Manchester City could turn to former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso to succeed Pep Guardiola, according to reports.

Guardiola is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2027 but has repeatedly deflected questions about his future in recent months, with a growing body of reporting suggesting he is increasingly likely to depart a year ahead of schedule. A decision on his plans for the 2026-27 campaign is expected to be made at the end of the current season.

City officials have been conducting succession planning behind the scenes for some time, with director of football Hugo Viana and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak understood to have assembled a shortlist of potential replacements.

Pep Guardiola delays Manchester City future decision until end of May

Enzo Maresca has been widely reported as the leading candidate following his recent availability after leaving Chelsea, though Alonso’s name has featured prominently throughout the succession conversation.

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Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January 2026 following a difficult spell in the Spanish capital, having previously been identified on Manchester City’s shortlist as club bosses draft a list of possible candidates to take over from Guardiola.

The Spaniard is currently without a club and is one of the most coveted managerial talents in world football following his historic unbeaten, title-winning 2023-24 Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen that earned him the ticket to manage his old club, Real Madrid.

Report: Alonso a contender to replace Guardiola

According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Alonso is believed to be a contender to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City if he steps down from his head coach position at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

The update adds further weight to previous reporting that City’s shortlist of potential successors extends beyond Maresca, with Alonso’s credentials as one of the game’s most innovative young coaches making him an attractive option for a club looking to maintain their standards at the summit of English and European football.

Guardiola himself has spoken warmly about Alonso on several occasions, having worked with the Spaniard during his time managing at Bayern Munich. The pair share a deep mutual respect and a broadly similar footballing philosophy, which would make any transition from one to the other a more natural process than many would suggest.

Manchester City identify potential Pep Guardiola replacement weeks after high-profile sacking

City have previously been reported to have compiled a five-candidate shortlist of replacements for Guardiola – comprising Maresca, Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Roberto De Zerbi and Andoni Iraola – with Alonso’s recent availability having only increased his stock as a candidate for one of the most coveted managerial positions in the game.

What is the wider context around Guardiola’s future?

Guardiola signed a fresh two-and-a-half year deal at Manchester City in November 2024 midway through what he described as the most difficult season of his managerial career.

However, the atmosphere around the Etihad Stadium has shifted considerably in recent months, with reliable quarters of the English press citing a growing belief among Premier League circles that Guardiola could leave Manchester City at the end of this season.

City have already won the Carabao Cup this season – their first trophy in two years – and remain in contention for a domestic treble, with an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton at Wembley to come.

Guardiola has spoken about wanting to leave the club in the best possible shape whenever he does depart – and a successful end to the campaign would provide the perfect backdrop for an exit.

Should Guardiola confirm his departure in the coming weeks, Viana will move swiftly to appoint a successor who can continue the rebuild already underway at the Etihad Stadium – with Alonso now firmly in the conversation alongside Maresca as the frontrunners to take over the reins from a manager they have both worked under.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is expected to leave the club this summer regardless of their league status, with City prepared to meet a £65 million valuation.

The Premier League champions aim to secure the deal before the World Cup to avoid a potential fee increase.

It’s that time of year again. When the door on the season closes, the window of the portal opens. So far, there’s been no official movement among the Iowa Hawkeyes, though that could change. But the current state of Iowa’s roster is … pretty good all things considered.

As JP noted, the Hawks lose 3 guys through graduation, though Tavion Banks could find another year given how juco seasons have been wiped out with court decisions. Bennett Stirtz leaves a 40 MPG hole, of course, but Brendan Hausen’s on court contributions were small. Credit to Ben McCollum’s roster building for not coming over from Drake with a rotation full of seniors which will require total replacement. So Iowa can be very selective in who they bring aboard.

Point Guard

Kael Combs was one of the unsung heroes of this season. He was among the biggest question marks I had when he came over, as he played just 13 minutes a game at Drake, which was barely a step up from his minutes at Wyoming. While his scoring was at just 6.1 PPG, he did not serve as a true shooting guard alongside Stirtz but often ran the show while Stirtz operated off ball, tallying 2.4 assists/game to 1.4 turnovers.

The biggest step forward Combs can have is simply in consistency. There’s no greater demonstration of this than how filled the gaps in the tournament. His 15 points in the opener against Clemson were perhaps the reason Iowa advanced in an absolute slog of a game. But he scored just 17 points in Iowa’s other 3 games (though he dished 13 assists to just 4 turnovers). He played excellent defense throughout.

With the loss of Stirtz, it’s natural to say this is a position of need in the portal. But where McCollum goes will give us a sense of what he’s looking for out of PG more broadly. Tyler Tachman dove deep into past point guards McCollum has had and the results are substantial. This feels a bit like a season before a season, though, with the Hawks searching for a guy with a year or maybe two who can operate alongside Combs in 26-27 as Iowa chases some of the White Whales of Hawkeye Basketball (elite PGs).

Two names have popped up: Kyan Evans of North Carolina who averaged 10.6 PPG and 3.1 APG at Colorado State in his sophomore season. Crucially, he shot 45% from deep. His production tailed off in Chapel Hill, which is to be expected. The 6’2” senior-to-be hails from Kansas City, an area McCollum knows intimately. This would make a lot of sense.

The next is Finley Bizjack from Butler. At 6’4”, 195 lbs, he’s also got just one year to play and fits more of the mold of Stirtz in terms of size. He’s also more of a scorer with 17.1 PPG on 35% shooting from deep and just 2.5 assists.

Peyton McCollum, Ben’s son, is also on the roster but will likely be a reserve after his redshirt freshman season.

Wing

After getting an Elite 8 recruiting bump with Jaidyn Coon’s commitment, Iowa is absolutely loaded here, even if Banks doesn’t return. Tate Sage, Isaia Howard, and Ethan Harris are all likely to get minutes outside the post.

The biggest questions here is: how deep does McCollum go? Are Coon & Harris quick adapters to what the Hawks want out of their guys? Tachman noted on a recent podcast that D-1 scouts are incredibly high on Coon as a defender while McCollum noted Harris’ ability to defend guards in recent media availability. That’s a quick way to the floor at Ben McCollum’s Iowa.

They’re super young here, with Howard as the old hat as the only junior. Iowa will have a lot of options, too. They can go with two PGs on the floor if they land someone in the portal or get super big by sliding Cooper Koch or Trey Thompson up to the 3.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see Sage take a huge step forward. Throughout the season, he increasingly initiated the offense and was playing his best ball in March. Also in perusing past NW Missouri State stat pages, he fits the mold (6’7”, 210 lbs) of non-PGs who led the Bearcats in scoring (2021: Ryan Hawkins at 22.6 PPG; 2019: Joey Witthus, 21.1 PPG). There’s still room on the bus for Sage and as the driver I’m not afraid to fill it past capacity.

Forward

The big question mark here is whether Alvaro Folgueiras returns. The March Madness Hero ran incredibly hot and cold throughout the season and required a lot of coaching through the media with McCollum always referencing “winning plays” specifically to how the Spaniard played. At 8.4 PPG, that’s not what one would expect from last year’s non-Drake portal win.

If he’s not back, Iowa’s still in pretty good shape with Cooper Koch, who was #2 in Iowa’s minutes this season and started every game. He has positional flexibility on defense and often slid down to guard true 5s. There’s also Trey Thompson, the redshirt freshman who missed out on summer workouts and was never able to find a place in the rotation.

No matter, in casual pictures throughout the season, Thompson regularly looked like the biggest guy in the frame. He’s running pick & roll with Sage on the 2s and is defending 1-4. The year of seasoning can only have helped as he got used to the McCollum standard and college life after reclassifying.

Center

This is almost certainly Iowa’s biggest need, as Cam Manyawu could only do so much in those games where teams could run out 7-footers. At 19.2 MPG, he is used to the timeshare and will likely be in the same position next year, no matter who is back.

If Iowa is able to get a big in the portal, it calls into question how important 6’11 Trevin Jirak is. He seemed like an ideal redshirt candidate when he committed but was called into action for 17 games. He played well and consistently received the praise of McCollum for his practicing but definitely looked the part of a heavier-footed freshman.

As for a portal candidate here… Saint Mary’s Andrew McKeever stands 7’2” and averaged 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in his sophomore season. Oh yeah, that would do.

Way too early prediction on minutes

PG: Combs 80%; Portal guard 20%
Wing: Sage 60%; Portal guard 40%
Wing: Koch 30%; Howard 40%; Coon/Harris 30%
Forward: Koch 50%, Thompson 50%
Center: Manyawu 50%, Portal center 50%

Sadly, I’m not optimistic about Folgueiras’ return. We’ll always have his March Madness run. Yet there seem to be plenty of guys in line to fill in for the departures.