MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A former UFC champion will compete on the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing undercard later this year. Anthony Pettis, once the UFC lightweight titleholder, will take on Diaz protégé Chris Avila at the event June 1 at The Forum in Inglewood,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 07:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions MAX HOLLOWAY AND his coaches needed a place to work out in Denver during UFC 150 fight week. It was August 2012, and Holloway, then a 20-year-old prospect, was coming off his first UFC victory two months earlier. Holloway and his team

Andreas Hale Apr 11, 2024, 10:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — UFC president Dana White confirmed Thursday that Hall of Famer Mark Coleman will present the BMF championship to the winner of the Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway fight at UFC 300 on Saturday. Coleman, 59, recently came out of a coma

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 11, 2024, 07:47 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions GUARUJA, Brazil — Charles Oliveira slowly climbs the paved steps of Morro do Maluf, a cliff overlooking the Brazilian coastal city where he grew up. He rests

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNApr 11, 2024, 07:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC is touting Saturday’s landmark fight card as a night of champions because of the dozen current and former belt-holders who will parade to the Octagon at UFC 300. One night earlier, the PFL offers up a mini-version. The second event of the

Hallie Grossman, ESPN Staff WriterApr 10, 2024, 02:30 PM ET Close Staff Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from Penn State University. Covers college football and college basketball. Open Extended Reactions EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussions of suicidal ideation. THE THERMOSTAT ON the wall reads 78 and

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 9, 2024, 11:55 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Chris Curtis suffered a torn hamstring during his Fight of the Year contender against Brendan Allen last weekend in Las Vegas. Curtis (31-11) appeared to

Andres Waters, ESPNApr 9, 2024, 08:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 300 is stacked, from the first fight of the night, which features former champs going head-to-head — Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt — to the last fight of the night, which also features a current champion vs. a champion who never lost his

Ryan HockensmithApr 9, 2024, 08:30 AM ET Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the

Apr 8, 2024, 08:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 100 was a remarkable night for the leading promotion in MMA. In addition to celebrating a milestone represented by a big, round number, the July 2009 event in Las Vegas put on display the greatest fighter in the sport’s history. That is not a reference

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 6, 2024, 09:19 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Brendan Allen got his revenge over Chris Curtis on Saturday, but it took literally everything he had over the course of a 25-minute fight. Allen

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 6, 2024, 04:14 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions A testing agent for the UFC’s anti-doping program has filed a police report in Albuquerque, New Mexico, alleging heavyweight champion Jon Jones assaulted and threatened her life

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 5, 2024, 12:25 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions SAN ANTONIO — The PFL’s 2024 regular season got off to a blistering start on Thursday, as four heavyweights earned bonus points via knockout. Russian heavyweight Valentin

Apr 3, 2024, 12:02 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Matheus Nicolau will be looking to get back on track April 27 in the men’s flyweight main event of UFC Fight Night, but he will have to do it against a new opponent. The UFC announced Tuesday that Manel Kape has withdrawn from the fight and

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNApr 3, 2024, 09:13 AM ET Open Extended Reactions When the PFL presented its first fight card of 2024 in February, just a couple of months had passed since the company bought rival Bellator MMA. So the event unveiling a new era took on a crossover theme in its first pay-per-view event this

Mike Coppinger, ESPNApr 2, 2024, 10:21 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Savannah Marshall, the women’s super middleweight boxing champion, will make her MMA debut June 8 at PFL Europe Newcastle in England, the promotion announced Tuesday. Marshall, 32, of England, won all four belts at 168 pounds with a majority-decision victory over Franchon Crews Dezurn

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 31, 2024, 01:59 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Manon Fiorot might not be the UFC’s next flyweight title challenger, but she’s definitely on deck. Fiorot (12-1) solidified her status as the next No. 1 contender

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 29, 2024, 01:16 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Igor Severino, who was released from the UFC after biting his opponent last weekend, said there is “nothing that could justify” his actions that night. Severino, of