MMA

5:44 PM ET Saturday’s UFC main event was predictable in a way, in that the undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov won. What happened next was not. Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts, following the death of his father, Abdulmanap, in July. He revealed his mother did not even want him to compete

9:21 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim The tears flowed immediately. Khabib Nurmagomedov had just let go of the triangle choke he used to render Justin Gaethje unconscious, and all that was left for the UFC lightweight champion was a different release, one of a painfully personal nature. As medical staff moved in to attend to Gaethje

6:31 PM ET There were so many questions surrounding Khabib Nurmagomedov heading into Saturday’s title fight, his first without his late father, Abdulmanap. Would he be as dominant? Would he care as much? Would he be too emotional? Would he win? In the end, Nurmagomedov looked better than ever. That’s not hyperbole. That’s fact. He

5:09 PM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov kneeled down and put his head in his hands. Tears streamed from his eyes. The burden he had been carrying for the last three months had been released. The typically stoic champion’s emotions got the better of him. Nurmagomedov, one of the best fighters in mixed-martial-arts history, submitted Justin Gaethje

3:18 PM ET Henry Cejudo is retired from mixed martial arts and says he is comfortable if he never competes again. However, the former UFC double champion said he could return before the end of 2020 — for the right price. Cejudo told ESPN during a video interview Friday that he has not spoken to

5:31 PM ET Leon Edwards is finally back, and his next opponent is a rising star who has taken the MMA world by storm. The UFC has booked Edwards versus Khamzat Chimaev on Dec. 19, sources said. The fight will serve as the main event of the final UFC card of 2020 and will be

7:16 AM ET One of my favorite things anyone has said in the buildup to the UFC 254 main event this weekend came from Khabib Nurmagomedov as he was discussing being on “Fight Island.” Nurmagomedov (28-0, 12-0 in the UFC) will be looking to unify his lightweight championship against interim belt holder Justin Gaethje (22-2,

1:34 AM ET One of the biggest UFC fights of the year is now official. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje successfully weighed in Friday in Abu Dhabi for their UFC lightweight title unification bout. Nurmagomedov and Gaethje each weighed in right at the limit of 155 pounds. Nurmagomedov, the first fighter to hit the scale,

8:04 AM ET Editor’s note: Some content has been edited for clarity and brevity. More than anything, Khabib Nurmagomedov and I are friends. I’ve watched this guy grow from a young, Russian kid who didn’t speak English to a global superstar. He came with a dream, not much money. American Kickboxing Academy teammate Shawn Bunch

7:49 PM ET It’s the most cursed fight in UFC history, but former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson swears the world will still see him fight Khabib Nurmagomedov one day. Ferguson (25-4) was supposed to challenge Nurmagomedov (28-0) for the 155-pound championship in April, but the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It

6:58 PM ET Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes will take on Rob Font at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on Dec. 19. The UFC has not officially announced the 135-pound bout, but sources confirmed to ESPN both sides have agreed to it. MMAJunkie first reported the matchup and date. It’s

8:01 AM ET Javier Mendez didn’t know what to expect when he flew out of San Jose, California, on Sept. 10, bound for Dubai. A five-hour flight from California to New York, then a layover in JFK Airport. Thirteen more hours in a plane would take him to the United Arab Emirates. And all the

11:52 AM ET UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov said Tuesday that Georges St-Pierre is the only person he’d be motivated to fight after Saturday’s bout against interim champ Justin Gaethje. “I really become excited when I think about Georges St-Pierre,” Nurmagomedov said on ESPN’s First Take. “I don’t know if he wants to fight with

10:44 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Bellator MMA announced on Thursday that it will resume its featherweight grand prix next month, starting with Patricio Freire defending his 145-pound championship in a grand prix quarterfinal against Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 252 on Nov. 12. Freire, who competes under the nickname “Pitbull,” is No.

7:58 AM ET Want to know what it’s like to compete against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the Octagon? Ask someone who thought he would take it easy sparring with Nurmagomedov because he was about 70 pounds heavier — only to realize he needed to give it more gas. Ask Daniel Cormier. “There have been times when

10:51 AM ET Jon Jones sat in the bowels of Houston’s Toyota Center in the early morning hours of Feb. 9, when he was asked by reporters about his controversial unanimous decision win over Dominick Reyes about 90 minutes earlier in the main event of UFC 247. The light heavyweight title fight was a close

8:10 AM ET The wait will soon be over for UFC fans eagerly anticipating the battle between interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and world titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov. The popular fighters are set to meet Saturday at UFC 254 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. Gaethje will rely on power strikes and athleticism in attempting to

10:03 PM ET UFC featherweight Brian Ortega said he didn’t even want people to recognize him on Saturday, as he came off a nearly two-year layoff from the Octagon. It’s safe to say he succeeded. Fighting for the first time since he was badly outclassed in a UFC championship fight in late 2018, Ortega (15-1)