MMA

Megan Anderson Mar 29, 2024, 09:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The women’s flyweight division will have a new No. 1 contender this weekend. MMA’s best young prospect, Erin Blanchfield, will face fellow title contender Manon Fiorot in the main event at UFC Fight Night on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+). Blanchfield, No. 1

Open Extended Reactions UFC, together with the Western Australian Government, today announced a multiyear partnership in which UFC will return to Perth with two blockbuster events starting with UFC 305 at RAC Arena on Sunday, August 18. UFC 305 marks the third time Perth has hosted a UFC Pay-Per-View event following the success of UFC

Mar 28, 2024, 01:18 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC will put on its first event in Saudi Arabia on June 22 with a card headlined by a middleweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker, Dana White, the promotion’s president, announced Wednesday night. The UFC Fight Night card will air for free on

Mar 27, 2024, 08:43 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The NCAA tournament has taken over the sports world, as it tends to do every spring. It’s hard to open an internet browser or social media app without immediately getting hit by an image of a bracket. You can’t fight it, so just embrace it. Historically,

Jeff Wagenheim Mar 26, 2024, 04:52 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Bruno Cappelozza, the 2021 PFL heavyweight champion, no longer will compete on the season-opening fight card April 4, the promotion announced on social media Tuesday. Cappelozza was scheduled to fight Sergey Bilostenniy on the main card in San Antonio, but the PFL posted on

Ian Parker, ESPNMar 25, 2024, 09:26 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Following a busy year for the promotion, the PFL returns for its 2024 regular season next week (April 4, 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+/ESPN2). After acquiring Bellator MMA just days before the 2023 Championship finals, PFL got to work making big changes across both

Jeff Wagenheim Mar 24, 2024, 01:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Rose Namajunas took her first step in a quest to reach the top of the flyweight division, outpointing Amanda Ribas (13-5) by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Namajunas (12-6), a two-time UFC champion at strawweight, ended

Jeff Wagenheim Mar 23, 2024, 09:06 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Igor Severino‘s UFC career lasted barely a round and a half on Saturday night before he was disqualified for biting his opponent and subsequently released from the fight promotion. The 20-year-old Brazilian fighter, making his Octagon debut at a UFC Fight Night event in

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 22, 2024, 07:27 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions At long last, Corey Anderson can officially call himself a champion. Anderson (18-6) claimed the vacant Bellator MMA light heavyweight title on Friday, defeating Irish challenger Karl

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 21, 2024, 02:28 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Ronda Rousey, one of the most influential stars in UFC history, revealed this week that she retired from mixed martial arts primarily because of a history of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMar 21, 2024, 01:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris has been suspended four years for testing positive for multiple steroids, the UFC announced Wednesday. Harris, 40, tested positive for drostanolone, its metabolite and testosterone of exogenous origin in samples collected June 24, 2023 and July 12,

Mar 19, 2024, 04:10 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Amanda Ribas meets former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in the women’s flyweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The main card at UFC Apex will be on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 20, 2024, 09:09 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says his recent social media post on mental health was part of a longtime “merry-go-round” with personal struggles, and he chose to share it

Dotun Akintoye, ESPN.comMar 20, 2024, 03:09 PM ET Open Extended Reactions TKO Holdings, the parent company for the UFC, has reached a $335 million settlement in two class-action antitrust lawsuits filed by fighters seeking better pay. The settlement was agreed to on March 13, a little more than a month before a trial was set

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNMar 20, 2024, 08:36 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Once again, it’s back to the starting line for Bellator MMA. The second-fiddle fight promotion seems to always be starting over, redefining itself or making a comeback. Friday will bring the latest incarnation at Bellator Belfast, with the fight card in the Northern Ireland

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMar 19, 2024, 06:19 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor could be making a return to the Octagon relatively soon after his feature film debut. The former UFC double champion and biggest star in the history of the sport told ESPN on Tuesday that he will be coming back to

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 19, 2024, 12:07 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Petr Yan will undergo surgery on a torn ACL on Tuesday, the former UFC bantamweight champion announced on social media. Yan (17-5) revealed multiple injuries in a

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 18, 2024, 09:21 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s heavyweight division has always been one of its most popular. At the moment, it’s also one of its most confusing. The big boys have enjoyed