MMA

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 31, 2024, 11:19 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Belal Muhammad has been forced out of a welterweight title defense against Shavkhat Rakhmonov in December, the UFC champion revealed Thursday. Muhammad (24-3) was set to defend

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 30, 2024, 06:29 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis would like to face undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev next, instead of a rematch against Sean Strickland. Du Plessis (22-2) won the

Associated Press Oct 29, 2024, 12:42 PM ET ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has agreed to attend four hours of anger management classes to resolve a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a drug test at his New Mexico home in which he was accused of being hostile. A bench trial was

Open Extended Reactions Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is talking about retirement, again. In a recent exchange with a fan on X (formerly known as Twitter), McGregor responded to a message stating that he has no reason to return to MMA, that he’s done it all, go and enjoy your life. “Ya know what, you’re

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 28, 2024, 09:30 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC 308 marked the end of an era as two former champions were on the wrong end of marquee matchups against younger stars. In the main event,

Oct 26, 2024, 05:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A 13-fight card at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi was headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Ilia Topuria and former champ Max Holloway. Topuria, Khamzat Chimaev and Magomed Ankalaev emerged as big winners from the night, but what’s next for each fighter? To make

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 26, 2024, 05:03 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria emphatically delivered on his promise to knock out Max Holloway on Saturday, becoming the first person

Oct 26, 2024, 08:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Undefeated UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria makes the first defense of his title against former champ Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Topuria (15-0) won the belt in February with a second-round knockout of

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 25, 2024, 04:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Francis Ngannou is tired of listening to UFC CEO Dana White and wants to set the record straight. Ngannou, 38, successfully returned to MMA after a two-year detour in boxing — and the death of his 15-month-old son — by defeating PFL heavyweight champion

Field Level Media Oct 25, 2024, 12:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dana White recently reached out to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for help with improving the UFC rankings system, possibly using artificial intelligence. The UFC boss confirmed his conversations with the Meta CEO during an interview Thursday with TNT Sports. “I could go on

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 24, 2024, 07:33 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been bitten by the Hollywood bug. Editor’s Picks 2 Related “Poatan” is in talks to make his acting debut opposite Adria Arjona (“Blink Twice,” “Morbius”) as the villain in “Onslaught,” directed by Adam Wingard (“Godzilla vs. Kong,”

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 23, 2024, 08:11 AM ET Open Extended Reactions WHEN MAX HOLLOWAY walks to the Octagon to face Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, it will be shortly after midnight local time on Sunday. However, back in his hometown of Waianae in Hawai’i, it will be Saturday, 10

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 22, 2024, 08:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A Nevada judge has issued preliminary approval for a $375 million settlement to conclude the first of two antitrust lawsuits against the UFC. Last month, UFC’s parent company TKO Group and the plaintiffs in the Le v. Zuffa case agreed to settle a class

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 21, 2024, 10:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Newer followers of mixed martial arts often need a history lesson to fully appreciate why hardcore fans are so pumped about an upcoming fight. There’s a rivalry going back a decade. A lengthy title reign in peril. A compelling comeback story. A long-standing record

Oct 19, 2024, 08:39 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was headlined by three title fights across PFL and Bellator. Johnny Eblen successfully defended his title in a rematch against Fabian Edwards, while Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg, who were making their PFL debuts, won

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 19, 2024, 10:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Anthony Hernandez turned in a suffocating performance and beat up Michel Pereira for over 20 minutes until he earned a fifth-round stoppage in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Aside from a front

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 19, 2024, 08:06 PM ET Francis Ngannou‘s life is ripe for a Hollywood blockbuster film and the latest entry will certainly be his most heartfelt. The former UFC heavyweight champion returned to action following the heartbreaking loss of his 15-month-old son and violently dispatched of Renan Ferreira in the main event Saturday

Oct 19, 2024, 03:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants is underway at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. The fight card also features another superfight between champions, as reigning