MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 25, 2023, 06:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Justin Gaethje believes the only unfinished business he has right now at lightweight is a title shot. The former UFC interim lightweight champion and BMF champion told ESPN on Wednesday that he will wait for as long as he has to if

Oct 25, 2023, 03:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions For the second straight month, the UFC is shuffling its pay-per-view deck due to injury. This particular instance hits hard, too, given the names involved and the circumstances. Jon Jones tore his pectoral tendon and is out of his scheduled UFC heavyweight title defense against Stipe

Teddy Atlas, ESPN Boxing Ringside AnalystOct 25, 2023, 07:50 AM ET Close Teddy Atlas joined ESPN in September 1998 to serve as ringside analyst for ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, the weekly series, which premiered October 3, 1998. He handles a similar role for ESPN Boxing Specials, and frequently contributes analysis to SportsCenter and ESPNEWS. Open

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 25, 2023, 01:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Jon Jones is out of his highly anticipated heavyweight title fight against Stipe Miocic, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday on social media. Jones was supposed to defend the UFC heavyweight title against Miocic, the former champ, in the main event of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 24, 2023, 02:16 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC has signed a new partnership with Anheuser-Busch that makes Bud Light once again the official beer of the promotion, officials told ESPN on Tuesday. Sources told ESPN that it’s the biggest sponsorship deal in UFC history. Terms were not disclosed.

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 23, 2023, 09:24 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tyson Fury, the greatest heavyweight boxer in the world, will step in the ring on Saturday (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV) for a meeting with the other greatest heavyweight in the world, Francis Ngannou. But to portray this matchup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 21, 2023, 05:50 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions ABU DHABI — UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman via majority decision at UFC 294 on Saturday inside Etihad Arena, but he might have suffered a

Marc Raimondi Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Oct 21, 2023, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 294 ended quickly with a head kick from Islam Makhachev to Alexander Volkanovski. Prior to that fight, Kamaru Usman put up

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 21, 2023, 04:36 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions ABU DHABI — The first fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski in February was a classic, five-round affair that saw both men enjoy a lot of

Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Oct 21, 2023, 09:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Less than two weeks ago, the UFC was forced to shuffle its lineup for Saturday’s UFC 294 pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi.

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 20, 2023, 07:57 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS – HUNTER CAMPBELL WAS in Sydney, Australia, last month for UFC 293. On his final day in the city before heading back to the United States, the UFC’s chief business officer sat down for drinks with Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 20, 2023, 12:26 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Khamzat Chimaev, one of the UFC’s budding superstars, has signed a new long-term contract with the promotion. Chimaev’s manager, Majdi Shammas, told ESPN that Chimaev (12-0) signed

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 18, 2023, 03:39 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC is continuing to add to its year-end pay-per-view card. Josh Emmett will face Giga Chikadze in a featherweight contender bout at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Wednesday. The UFC also announced that Irene Aldana

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 18, 2023, 09:13 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun UFC star Conor McGregor reportedly will not face criminal charges stemming from an accusation of sexual assault at an NBA Finals game earlier this year in Miami. TMZ Sports reported

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2023, 03:06 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Alexander Volkanovski was more than 25 pounds over the contract weight the day before he accepted to fight in the UFC main event this weekend. Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, will fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in a rematch at

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2023, 03:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended UFC women’s bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva and two other UFC fighters Tuesday for positive drug tests. Bueno Silva was suspended for 4½ months and her July win over Holly Holm was overturned to a

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2023, 09:31 AM ET Open Extended Reactions One of the biggest storylines in the UFC this year has been the question of when Conor McGregor would reenter the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency testing pool, the first step for the UFC’s biggest star to return to the Octagon. The news that

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 16, 2023, 09:28 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Maybe every major UFC card should be left blank until a couple of weeks before fight night. Last-minute matchmaking sure has worked wonders for UFC 294. For months, the promotion had been building a potent lineup for Saturday’s return to Abu Dhabi, United Arab