MMA

9:51 PM ET NEW YORK — The PFL had high hopes for Anthony Pettis when it signed him to a multiyear deal in 2021. But for the second consecutive year, Pettis has failed to make it to the tournament finals. Pettis (25-14), a former UFC champion, dropped a unanimous decision to Stevie Ray in the

6:31 PM ET The UFC has its Madison Square Garden main event. Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title against old rival Alex Pereira in the headliner of UFC 281 on Nov. 12 in New York, Adesanya announced Friday on SportsCenter. Pereira owns two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, including one via knockout. ESPN

3:07 PM ET Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded not guilty Friday in an attempted murder case in Santa Clara (California) County, his attorney Mark Geragos told ESPN. Velasquez, 40, is being charged with attempted murder and 10 other gun-related charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly chased down a man, Harry Goularte

Aug 3, 2022 Three years ago, Thiago Santos was challenging for the UFC light heavyweight championship, giving Jon Jones all he could handle in a fight that went the champ’s way by split decision. At the time, Jamahal Hill was just five fights into his pro career and had not yet reached the UFC. On

7:30 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the NFL and

Aug 3, 2022 Patricio “Pitbull” Freire‘s third reign as Bellator featherweight champion will begin with a title defense against Adam Borics at Bellator 286 on Oct. 1 in Long Beach, California, the promotion confirmed Wednesday with ESPN. In addition to the Freire vs. Borics main event, the card will feature former featherweight champ AJ McKee

12:06 PM ET UFC star Conor McGregor will make his first foray into feature films with a role in a remake of “Road House,” McGregor’s spokesperson Karen J. Kessler confirmed to ESPN. Jake Gyllenhaal will star in the movie, which is a new take on the classic 1980s cult hit that starred Patrick Swayze. Amazon

2:13 PM ET Tom Aspinall is scheduled to undergo knee surgery Wednesday in London, the UFC heavyweight announced on social media Wednesday. The 29-year-old also revealed the extent of the injury, which he suffered in the first round of a UFC Fight Night main event against Curtis Blaydes late last month in London. Aspinall recoiled

8:00 AM ET A familiar face is back on top. Amanda Nunes, who had occupied the No. 1 spot in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings for years prior to her being stunningly upset last December by Julianna Peña, has reclaimed her position of supremacy after taking the bantamweight title back from Peña at UFC 277

8:00 AM ET After two title fights stole the show in Dallas last weekend at UFC 277 to end the month of July, the promotion will turn the page, starting with a stacked schedule in August, which will feature two UFC Fight Nights before UFC 278 on Aug. 20. With a busy month ahead, our

1:26 AM ET In a night where two fighters reclaimed championship gold and rising stars made their cases for title shots, what were the biggest moments at UFC 277? Jeff Wagenheim, Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto offer up their takeaways from a highlight-packed event in Dallas. The world is once again steady on its axis,

12:47 AM ET DALLAS — Amanda Nunes vowed to make changes in her game. She vowed to get her belt back after shockingly losing it seven months ago to Julianna Peña. In the rematch, Nunes did exactly what she promised. With a new southpaw stance on the feet and a renewed wrestling game, Nunes defeated

Jul 31, 2022 DALLAS — Brandon Moreno is once again a UFC champion. And once again, he appears to be on a collision course with Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno (20-6-2) claimed the interim 125-pound title in thrilling fashion Saturday, as he finished Kai Kara-France in the third round with a nasty left body kick followed by

5:53 PM ET DALLAS — Julianna Peña shocked the MMA world when she upset Amanda Nunes to win the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 269 last December. Nunes is the greatest women’s MMA fighter in the world and had looked nearly unbeatable before Peña dethroned her. Peña and Nunes will meet again Saturday night

12:17 PM ET DALLAS — One of the most anticipated rematches in women’s MMA history is now official. Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes both successfully made weight Friday morning ahead of their UFC women’s bantamweight title fight. Peña weighed in at 134.5 pounds, and Nunes was 135. On Saturday, Peña will defend the belt against

4:45 PM ET DALLAS — Deiveson Figueiredo says he’s almost fully healthy and is targeting a return to the Octagon this winter. Figueiredo, the UFC flyweight champion, has been out since January with injuries to both hands and a bruised knee. With him out, the UFC made an interim title bout between former champ Brandon

8:21 AM ET SUNRISE, FLA. — AMANDA NUNES SAT in a chair inside her new gym, running down all of its features like an excited real-estate agent trying to woo her first buyer. The Lioness Studio has a generous stretch of mat space for training, a full-sized cage, workout equipment and a small sauna. Upstairs

1:56 PM ET The Professional Fighters League will crown a new heavyweight champion later this year. Bruno Cappelozza, the PFL’s 2021 heavyweight title winner, is out of the promotion’s 2022 playoffs because of an undisclosed injury, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Cappelozza will be replaced by Matheus Scheffel in the semifinals against Denis Goltsov on