Ulster's Nick Williams during the Captain's Run at Ravenhill earlier. Presseye / Jonathan Porter/INPHO Presseye / Jonathan Porter/INPHO / Jonathan Porter/INPHO

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• Cork City have completed the resigning of midfielder Gearoid Morrissey from Cambridge United but Dan Murray has announced his retirement. 
• Dublin will host the Women’s Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament next summer while Monaco will stage the Men’s event.
• Conor McGregor believes that victory at UFC 194 will prove that he’s the best fighter in the world.
• Rory Best returns to the Ulster team for their crunch European tie against Toulouse on Friday evening.
• Pat Lam has made 10 changes to his Connacht side for their Challenge Cup game against Newcastle Falcons.
• Galway‘s participation in the Leinster hurling championship has been cast into doubt.
• Cricket Ireland have announced that the ODI series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan next summer will take place at Malahide.

Peter Chase, Andy McBrine, Ed Joyce and Craig Young launch Cricket Ireland's season tickets for 2016. SPORTSFILE SPORTSFILE

Away

• Man United have been dealt another setback with the news that Bastian Schweinsteiger has been handed a three-game ban by the Football Association. 
• Karim Benzema has been suspended by the French Football Federation for his alleged involvement in a sex-tape blackmail plot.

The Best Thing We Shared

As the countdown to UFC 194 continues, a new documentary on MMA’s rise in Ireland airs tonight on RTÉ 2. Here’s a teaser…

Where We Were Today

Murray Kinsella was at the Aviva Stadium to speak to Paul Wallace, Victor Costello and Malcolm O’Kelly ahead of Leinster’s do-or-die game in Toulon on Sunday.

Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO

On The Record

“His qualities are all in the middle and for me when he’s in that form he’s the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League.”

Steven Gerrard heaps praise on Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

The Fixture List

• In the European Champions Cup, Ulster welcome French giants Toulouse to Belfast. 
• Meanwhile in the Challenge Cup, Connacht face Newcastle, Cardiff host Montpellier and La Rochelle take on Zebre.
• There are two games in the SkyBet Championship as Blackburn play Rotherham and Wolves entertain Notts Forest.
• It’s the penultimate weekend of the National Boxing Championships at the National Stadium with the first bouts on Friday.

Showbiz, Baby!

Footballers can often be painted with the same brush but they’re not all motivated by money and flash cars. Steven Naismith once again showed why he’s one of football’s nice guys by paying for Christmas dinner for the homeless in Glasgow.

The Big Issue / Twitter The Big Issue / Twitter / Twitter

Where are the best places to watch McGregor’s title fight at UFC 194 in Ireland?

Euro 2016 draw: We rank the teams in Pot 2