MMA

Aug 3, 2020 For the second straight week, ONE Championship has fortified its heavyweight division. The Asian MMA promotion signed former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Amir Aliakbari to a contract Monday, Aliakbari’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN. The plan is for Aliakbari to debut in ONE at the end of October, Abdelaziz said. Aliakbari (10-1)

9:02 AM ET Let’s make something clear right off the bat: Considering the times we are living in, this has been a phenomenal year for the UFC. Before the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 started incredibly strong. There was the return of Conor McGregor in January, a razor-thin fight between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes in February,

1:20 PM ET Four UFC fighters had temporary suspensions extended Wednesday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Jamahal Hill, Tim Elliott, Luis Pena and Marc-Andre Barriault failed in-competition drug tests in relation to their last fights in Nevada. Upon the results coming back, the four fighters were temporarily suspended. On Wednesday, the commission extended

Aug 3, 2020 Several UFC fighters are facing suspensions and fines in Nevada. Tim Elliott, a popular flyweight fighter and former title challenger, and undefeated light heavyweight prospect Jamahal Hill both tested positive for marijuana in in-competition drug tests in relation to their respective fights May 30 in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN. The Nevada

11:23 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim “Wow!” Dana White said, and that was all the UFC president needed to say. He was being interviewed in order to reveal if any of the eight fighters who competed in Tuesday’s opening episode of Season 4 of “Dana White’s Contender Series” were going to be awarded UFC contracts. Through

10:56 PM ET The planned main event for UFC Fight Night on Aug. 29 has taken a hit. Yair Rodriguez was forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight versus Zabit Magomedsharipov because of an ankle injury, UFC president Dana White confirmed Tuesday. Rodriguez’s manager, Abraham Kawa, also confirmed the injury to ESPN. According to sources,

2:14 PM ET A UFC fighter says a heart issue is the main cause of a fainting spell prior to his scheduled fight over the weekend. Trevin Giles said Monday in an Instagram video that doctors informed him he had “irregularities” in his heart and said he is seeking an appointment with a cardiologist. Giles

8:21 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 When “Dana White’s Contender Series” launches its fourth season at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the show will be seeking to build upon its past successes. The season begins

10:37 PM ET Dana White does not expect Conor McGregor to return to the Octagon this year. The UFC president said Monday in an interview with Barstool Sports that there are no plans for McGregor to fight in the UFC again in 2020. White said he considers McGregor retired ever since McGregor tweeted about retirement

5:06 PM ET Kevin Holland‘s fight last weekend was canceled just before he was set to walk out. Now, the middleweight prospect has a new opponent and a new date. Holland will meet UFC newcomer Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik on Saturday in Las Vegas, sources confirmed to ESPN. MMA Junkie

7:49 AM ET Derrick Lewis, one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, will take center stage in the Fight Night main event on Saturday as he tries to climb back into the heavyweight title picture at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. But Lewis will be in for a potentially difficult battle —

12:47 AM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card was a cold dose of reality for a pair of fighters who appeared to be on the precipice of major breakthroughs. Edmen Shahbazyan ran into the stiff offense of Derek Brunson and suffered the first loss of his career, while Joanne Calderwood saw her immediate title hopes

5:55 PM ET There is plenty of talk about what Edmen Shahbazyan can do in the future. At 22 years old, the surging middleweight still has one year to become the youngest champion in UFC history, surpassing Jon Jones‘ record. Many think that could be within his reach. But Shahbazyan knows it would not be

11:43 PM ET The only way to the top of UFC’s middleweight division is through Derek Brunson. On Saturday, he slammed that door shut for a red-hot prospect. Brunson stopped Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO 26 seconds into the third round in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The previously undefeated Shahbazyan

9:43 PM ET A scheduled UFC middleweight bout between Trevin Giles and Kevin Holland was canceled Saturday night when Giles fainted backstage right before the fighters were set to walk out. Giles’ manager, Oren Hodak, told ESPN that Giles seemed fine afterward but was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. Giles was released on

6:15 PM ET Another fight on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card has been canceled. The Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert fight was a late scratch Saturday afternoon after Meerschaert tested positive for COVID-19, UFC announced. The card will now proceed with nine fights. Herman was originally supposed to fight Da Un Jung, however, Jung withdrew

1:00 AM ET The UFC is finalizing a middleweight contest between former champion Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier for its UFC 254 pay-per-view event, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Friday. UFC 254 is scheduled to take place on Oct. 24 at a location to be determined. Whittaker (21-5) is fresh off a unanimous

Jul 30, 2020 The UFC is targeting a 125-pound bout between former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and Jessica Eye for a UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 17, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The promotion has not announced the flyweight contest but is close to finalizing it, sources said. The UFC Fight Night event will