MMA

5:04 PM ET Three weeks ago, I wrote that the current featherweight division is the most interesting weight class in the UFC — and after another thrilling event in Jacksonville, Florida, I stand by that. Alexander Volkanovski (24-1) has elevated himself into must-see TV. He has always been a good fighter, as he has just

9:59 PM ET One of the only double champions in UFC history seems on his way back to the Octagon. Henry Cejudo will re-enter himself into the USADA drug-testing pool Monday, his manager Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA told ESPN on Sunday. That signifies that Cejudo, a former Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, is on

2:10 AM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Khamzat Chimaev stole the show, as expected, at UFC 273 on Saturday night with a unanimous-decision win over Gilbert Burns in what Dana White called one of the greatest fights he’s ever seen. Featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski put on a show of his own with a fourth-round stoppage of

2:46 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim The screeching sound you may have heard late Saturday night if you were anywhere near Jacksonville, Florida, was the Khamzat Chimaev hype train slowing its roll. Gilbert Burns was the one applying the brakes. Burns had been bloodied and beaten down in a brutal opening round, but he had survived.

2:34 AM ET Alexander Volkanovski said he felt better than ever. He said his self-belief was at an all-time high. He said he would stop Chan Sung Jung. And so it proved on Saturday night in Jacksonville. The Australian turned in a thoroughly dominant display, feeding Jung with a series of heavy shots to the

6:30 PM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Chan Sung Jung knows this might be his last chance. “The Korean Zombie” first challenged for the UFC featherweight title in 2013. On Saturday, Jung will be back with a chance at the belt against champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial

1:45 AM ET Arguably the greatest fight in women’s MMA history will be run back later this spring. Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, both former UFC women’s strawweight champions, have verbally agreed to a rematch at UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN on Saturday. Bout agreements

9:24 AM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Alexander Volkanovski‘s latest featherweight title defense is official. Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie,” both weighed in Friday at 144.5 pounds. Volkanovski will defend his UFC featherweight belt against Jung in the main event of UFC 273 on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

4:09 PM ET A heavyweight bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura has been removed from the UFC 273 card because of an illness by Tybura, the UFC announced Friday. Tybura was the second-to-last fighter to weigh in Friday morning, but he was well within the 266-pound, nontitle heavyweight limit, weighing 253 pounds. The UFC

11:20 AM ET Conor McGregor has been charged with six offenses stemming from a driving-related incident last month in Ireland. The UFC star appeared Thursday in Blanchardstown District Court and was informed he is being charged with two counts of dangerous driving, driving without a license, failure to produce a license, driving without insurance and

8:40 AM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The UFC will be giving out more fight night bonuses to athletes beginning this weekend — with some added wrinkles. Fans will get to vote on their favorite fighter of the card online starting Saturday at UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the UFC announced Thursday. The three

3:48 PM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gilbert Burns has had a surprising presence in his training camp ahead of a pivotal matchup with Khamzat Chimaev. UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has been helping Burns, his former opponent and training partner, prepare for Chimaev ahead of UFC 273 on Saturday night here at VyStar Veterans Memorial

1:01 PM ET Paula Lavigne Close ESPN Staff Writer Data analyst and reporter for ESPN’s Enterprise and Investigative Unit. Winner, 2014 Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award; finalist, 2012 IRE broadcast award; winner, 2011 Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism; Emmy nominated, 2009. David Purdum Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2014

7:53 AM ET WHEN ALJAMAIN STERLING finally arrived home from the biggest night of his professional career, the first thing he did was apologize to his friends and family. The second thing he did was throw up. It was early morning on March 7, 2021, and Sterling was still dealing with the signs and symptoms

8:00 AM ET IT’S A SATURDAY morning in one of the final weeks of winter, and I’m standing in Allstars Training Center for precisely one reason. I have traveled all this way because I need to see it for myself. I’ve heard the stories. It feels like everyone has, at this point. Tales of a

8:00 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim A championship prizefight makes a Saturday night feel special. And when there are two tussles for titles on the fight card, that doubles the big-event exhilaration. This weekend’s UFC 273 (Saturday, 10 p.m., on ESPN+ PPV) offers all that and more. The 13-fight event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in

12:31 PM ET UFC 273 is a fight card that keeps on giving. The April 9 pay-per-view event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, will be headlined by a men’s featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung. For Jung, whom the UFC bills by his nickname, “The Korean Zombie,”

11:58 AM ET UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum will not fight at UFC 273 on April 9 because of an undisclosed injury. Gastelum (17-8) was forced to withdraw from a bout against Dricus du Plessis (16-2) scheduled next weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, per UFC officials. Additional sources told ESPN that du Plessis, of South Africa, is