MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 18, 2023, 10:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Ali Abdelaziz posted a few lines Dec. 10 on social media that raised the collective eyebrows of the mixed martial arts industry. The prominent MMA manager, who has helped guide the careers of all-time greats such as Khabib Nurmagomedov

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 01:17 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Leon Edwards took all of Colby Covington‘s trash talk leading into the fight, stayed composed and put together a poised performance. Edwards defeated Covington via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC 296 on Saturday

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 12:37 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Alexandre Pantoja secured the first defense of his flyweight championship on Saturday, outworking Brandon Royval in a clear decision victory in the co-main event

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 03:13 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC has signed coveted free agent Michael “Venom” Page, and he is already booked in a major fight early next year. UFC president Dana White announced the signing Saturday night at the UFC 296 postfight news conference in Las Vegas. Page,

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 01:46 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC is officially on break until 2024 and the final fight card of the year delivered some incredible knockouts, dominating performances and a fight of the

Dec 16, 2023, 06:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — The stakes were raised between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington at the prefight news conference Thursday. Covington brought up Edwards’ father, who was murdered when Edwards was a teenager. Covington said he would bring Edwards to the “seventh lair of hell” and maybe

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 15, 2023, 07:44 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A private helicopter descends on Trump International Golf Course, and Colby Covington calmly emerges in a lilac polo, khaki shorts and white

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 13, 2023, 11:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Ian Machado Garry is suffering from pneumonia and is out of his scheduled bout with Vicente Luque at UFC 296 on Saturday, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday on social media. Editor’s Picks Machado Garry missed the UFC 296

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 13, 2023, 10:41 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Professional Fighters League (PFL) will hire respected former Bellator matchmaker Mike Kogan following PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Kogan is considered an important get in the industry, as PFL attempts to integrate Bellator fighters into its roster and

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 11, 2023, 04:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Paddy Pimblett got to the Camden Centre in London early on the night of his fight for the Cage Warriors promotion on April 15, 2016. Three hours before he was set to compete, there was Pimblett in the crowd, watching the fights

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 12, 2023, 04:57 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A big heavyweight rebooking is coming in the first quarter of next year, as Curtis Blaydes will face Jailton Almeida at UFC 299, sources confirmed with ESPN on Tuesday. Sources said the bout has been signed, though the UFC has yet to

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 12, 2023, 03:51 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC has added a strawweight matchup between Tatiana Suarez and Amanda Lemos to its UFC 298 event in February, the promotion announced on Tuesday. It’s a

Dec 11, 2023, 03:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The 15th annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards will take place Thursday night at the Sahara Theatre in Las Vegas (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+). The event, which was started in 2008, recognizes fighters, coaches, gyms, personalities and media sources in and around the sport for

Jeff Wagenheim Dec 11, 2023, 09:23 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The most impactful storyline at UFC 296 will shine a spotlight on what’s right in front of our eyes, sparkling with the promise of ascendance. Behold those golden championship belts — two of them! — that will be up for grabs on Saturday at

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