MMA

Jun 19, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Robert Whittaker meets Ikram Aliskerov in the middleweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main card at Kingdom Arena is on ABC and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ at noon. Whittaker (26-7), a

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 18, 2024, 01:59 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions A pair of Bellator MMA title fights will headline two separate events in the month of September, promotion officials announced Tuesday. Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0) will

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 17, 2024, 01:43 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya announced on social media that he will return from his self-imposed hiatus to face current champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, which takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. “Never stole shine, never lost mine,”

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auJun 15, 2024, 11:28 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Jun 16, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tatsuro Taira continues to impress as he recorded another victory in his bout against Alex Perez in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. Taira (16-0) won by taking Perez (25-9) down with a unique body triangle while on his back,

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 16, 2024, 01:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — The undefeated Tatsuro Taira earned the biggest win of his UFC career with a second-round stoppage of Alex Perez in the main event of UFC on ESPN 58 at the UFC Apex. The fight certainly didn’t end the way Taira would

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 15, 2024, 01:24 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor expressed confidence Saturday that he will still face Michael Chandler in the Octagon at some point, although he did not provide any indication as to

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 15, 2024, 11:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 303 underwent a major overhaul once it was revealed that Conor McGregor had sustained injuries that would not allow him to face Michael Chandler. But he wasn’t the only fighter dealing with injuries as former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was also

Jun 13, 2024, 11:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions And just like that, we have a new main and co-main event at UFC 303. Out are Conor McGregor and Jamahal Hill, as both have been ruled out of the June 29 card due to injuries. The new main event is a light heavyweight title fight

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 13, 2024, 10:57 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor will no longer fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Thursday night. McGregor (22-6) was

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 13, 2024, 07:22 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The highly anticipated return of Khamzat Chimaev will have to wait. The undefeated fighter was set to headline the UFC’s first event in Saudi Arabia on June 22 against former champion Robert Whittaker. However, UFC president Dana White announced Thursday that Chimaev has been

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 12, 2024, 08:01 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The most exciting stretch of the PFL season starts Thursday in Uncasville, Connecticut, as the promotion returns for the second half of the season. In most other

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 10, 2024, 08:26 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dustin Poirier didn’t get a chance to finish his story at UFC 302 when he fell short against Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship. Following the loss, Poirier said he had been mulling the possibility of retirement. However, had he achieved his dream

Jun 10, 2024, 10:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions After a sold-out UFC Fight Night in Louisville, Kentucky, the UFC looks ahead to what could be the biggest fight card of the year later this month as Conor McGregor is set to make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler in the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 9, 2024, 04:03 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Kai Asakura has vacated his 135-pound Rizin championship to sign an exclusive deal with the UFC, the Japanese bantamweight announced Sunday. Asakura (21-4) broke the news during

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 8, 2024, 11:34 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Nassourdine Imavov earned the biggest win of his UFC career on Saturday, defeating former title challenger Jared Cannonier by TKO in the fourth round. Imavov (14-4) finished

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 5, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dustin Poirier is still deciding whether he will continue his MMA career following his fifth-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. But given his list of injuries suffered in a grueling lightweight championship fight, it appears that he’ll be spending a decent

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 4, 2024, 11:11 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will headline the UFC’s return to Denver on July 13 when she faces Maycee Barber in a flyweight fight with championship implications. UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday the two will clash at Ball Arena for