MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2023, 01:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A big bantamweight fight is coming to Southern California. Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo will face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday. Cejudo discussed the fight Sunday in a YouTube

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2023, 01:18 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Song Yadong is the youngest bantamweight contender in the UFC. He didn’t appear that way in a mature performance Saturday. The 26-year-old striker used his wrestling and grappling to gain the edge late in a five-round unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45) victory

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 6, 2023, 08:42 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC is finalizing a ranked featherweight bout between Dan Ige and Lerone Murphy in February, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The 145-pound contest will take place

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 6, 2023, 07:58 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Bryce Mitchell will step in on short notice to face Josh Emmett in a featherweight contender bout at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Wednesday. Mitchell will fill in for Giga Chikadze, who withdrew from the scheduled

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 6, 2023, 02:28 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Brandon Moreno will fight Amir Albazi in a flyweight contender bout Feb. 24 in Mexico City, the former UFC flyweight champion confirmed in an interview published Wednesday by ESPN. The bout being discussed, a five-round co-main event on the UFC Fight Night

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 5, 2023, 09:41 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev will undergo surgery in the coming weeks, he announced on his Instagram account Tuesday. Chimaev (13-0) suffered a torn ligament in his

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 5, 2023, 12:10 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze has withdrawn from his bout against Josh Emmett at UFC 296 later this month because of a torn groin, Chikadze announced on social

Dec 3, 2023, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Mixed martial arts is an unpredictable act. Look no further than UFC Fight Night last weekend in Austin. A slam knockout is one of the most rare ways for a bout to end, and yet it happened in back-to-back contests on Saturday, in nearly mirror images

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 2, 2023, 10:43 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions AUSTIN — The UFC has a new potential star emerging at 155 pounds. Georgian lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (21-3) knocked out Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) with a piston right

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2023, 03:53 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Former UFC champion Jamahal Hill was arrested this week in Michigan and charged with misdemeanor aggravated domestic violence, Kent County officials confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Hill,

Dec 1, 2023, 08:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions There are champions in MMA and there are contenders closing in on claiming belts. There are marginal contenders, gatekeepers and former greats hanging on in hope of one last moment of glory. And then there are prospects, the young fighters who serve a vital function: They

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 30, 2023, 11:15 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The Professional Fighters League has renewed its domestic media rights agreement with ESPN, officials announced Thursday. The deal will keep the PFL regular season, playoffs and world

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 29, 2023, 09:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ONE Championship will be returning to Japan with a big card. Former top UFC prospect Sage Northcutt will face MMA legend Shinya Aoki in a lightweight bout under MMA rules Jan. 28 at ONE 165 in Tokyo, sources told ESPN on Wednesday

Nov 27, 2023, 09:11 AM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL will start the new year with the most talented and deepest roster outside the UFC, perhaps ever. After acquiring Bellator MMA officially last week, there is an exponential amount of potential matchups PFL can now make with all of its champions and contenders and their

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 25, 2023, 01:01 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions WASHINGTON D.C. — A potential superfight between two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison and Bellator MMA champion Cris Cyborg has tantalized fans for years. For the first time,

Nov 24, 2023, 07:23 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2023 PFL season will come to an end this fall, as all six weight classes will crown a new champion at the 2023 PFL World Championship on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The promotion’s championship bouts will feature a mix of former

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 23, 2023, 03:54 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions A middleweight matchup between Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer will headline a UFC Fight Night event Feb. 10, UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday. The event will

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 23, 2023, 03:23 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski will defend his title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, CEO Dana