MMA

9:27 AM ET The wheels kept turning last week as Dana White’s Contender Series continued to be one of the most important parts of the pandemic-mired year for the UFC. Last Tuesday, three DWCS winners were awarded UFC contracts and two others — plus one of the losing fighters — received an invitation back to

5:44 PM ET One of the best featherweight fighters in MMA over the past decade is calling it a career. Ricardo Lamas, 38, announced Monday on MMA Junkie Radio that he is retiring from mixed martial arts after 12 years as a pro. The former UFC title challenger said after his unanimous-decision win over Bill

5:31 PM ET UFC welterweight Leon Edwards has had an even more frustrating 2020 than some of his peers, but says he is still “100%” committed to taking a fight this year. Edwards (18-3), of England, was supposed to headline UFC Fight Night opposite former champion Tyron Woodley in March, inside London’s 02 Arena. The

11:01 AM ET Is Nick Diaz ready to return to the Octagon for his first UFC fight in over five years? His manager told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that Diaz is “100 percent” committed to fighting again, and the plan is for an early 2021 return. The manager, Kevin Mubenga, even provided a video of a

11:46 PM ET Alistair Overeem showed that he’s still a championship-level fighter on Saturday night. Overeem stopped up-and-comer Augusto Sakai early in the fifth round in the UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas. The win was the fourth in Overeem’s past five fights, keeping him in the hunt for the UFC heavyweight title

11:15 PM ET Alistair Overeem showed a wrinkle in his game that most UFC fans haven’t seen, using his wrestling and vicious ground-and-pound to finish Augusto Sakai by TKO in the fifth round Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The finish came at 26 seconds of the final round.

5:56 PM ET The UFC’s card this weekend has been gutted by COVID-19. Two fights were canceled and one fighter was taken off the event Saturday just hours before the start of the show for coronavirus-related reasons, UFC officials announced. The changes have left UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai with just seven fights, the

6:46 PM ET Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier battled earlier this month at UFC 252 in a fight that many felt would determine the greatest MMA heavyweight of all time. Miocic won by unanimous decision to retain the UFC heavyweight title. Alistair Overeem is also in that heavyweight GOAT conversation. The former Strikeforce and Dream

11:26 PM ET The UFC is planning a return trip to Fight Island in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi at the end of the month. Sources confirmed to ESPN multiple reports on Friday that the UFC will promote five live events in Abu Dhabi, beginning with its UFC 253 pay-per-view event on Sept. 26. The events

1:50 PM ET Marc Raimondi This weekend’s super-sized UFC main event is now official. Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai both weighed in successfully Friday morning for their heavyweight headliner. Overeem weighed 252.5 pounds and Sakai came in at 261.5. The non-title heavyweight limit is 266 pounds. Overeem and Sakai will meet Saturday night to cap

9:29 AM ET Next weekend’s UFC card has a new main event. Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill will serve as the new headliner on Sept. 12, sources say. The decision comes after the original headliner — Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos — was canceled earlier this week after Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19. That fight

8:02 AM ET What Alistair Overeem is doing — especially at this stage of his career — you just don’t see every day. Veterans of his caliber are not always willing to accept this kind of a fight. Overeem (46-18) will face Augusto Sakai (15-1-1) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday,

1:45 PM ET UFC fighters Jamahal Hill, Tim Elliott, Luis Peña and Deron Winn were all suspended and fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Thursday after recent positive drug tests. Hill, Elliott and Peña tested positive for cannabis, while Winn was for amphetamines. Hill’s first-round TKO victory over Klidson Abreu on May 30

7:58 PM ET Marc Raimondi Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun A women’s bantamweight bout between Sijara Eubanks and Karol Rosa for UFC Fight Night on Saturday has been canceled because of weight cutting issues for Rosa, UFC officials confirmed to

7:21 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi UFC president Dana White said Tuesday night that a fight against Brock Lesnar would be a good way to introduce Jon Jones to the heavyweight division. But would it be?

12:45 AM ET Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos will not be fighting next week in a key UFC light heavyweight bout after all. Teixeira has tested positive for COVID-19 and the UFC Fight Night main event bout scheduled for Sept. 12 has been rescheduled, UFC officials confirmed Wednesday to ESPN. Teixeira vs. Santos is now

4:45 PM ET If Tyron Woodley beats Colby Covington in their UFC Fight Night main event on Sept. 19, Jorge Masvidal will find more than a little satisfaction in the outcome. Turns out Masvidal has been helping Woodley train in St. Louis for three weeks in advance of the welterweight bout. “Masvidal hit me up,”

5:43 PM ET If there was one fight from 2019 that stood out because of the electricity of its crowd, it was the Nov. 2 “BMF” battle in Madison Square Garden, where President Trump, The Rock and a packed house watched Jorge Masvidal bloody and stop Nate Diaz after three rounds. The UFC is negotiating