MMA

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

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2024, 03:35 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Former Bellator MMA champion Gegard Mousasi has filed a lawsuit against his former promotion in U.S. District Court seeking damages of at least $15 million. The lawsuit,

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 16, 2024, 04:53 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 16, 2024, 06:27 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 16, 2024, 05:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC fighter and current Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship “King of Violence” Mike Perry was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing to sign a citation requiring a court appearance in his home state of Florida over the weekend.

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 16, 2024, 07:48 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions BATIÉ, Cameroon — IT’S A COLD, foggy morning in August, which is the middle of the rainy season in Central Africa. Francis Ngannou and I are standing

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 15, 2024, 12:36 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is coming out of retirement to seek a landmark 50 combined fights in the UFC and WEC, the 41-year-old said Tuesday. Cerrone (36-17) retired

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 14, 2024, 10:36 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 14, 2024, 07:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Two of the PFL’s best fighters will look to establish themselves as being worthy of a place in the top tier of mixed martial arts Saturday. So will the fight company itself. Renan Ferreira won the 2023 PFL heavyweight championship last November, and on

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 12, 2024, 02:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Belal Muhammad (24-3) will make the first defense of the welterweight championship against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Muhammad, 36, recently won the 170-pound title by defeating Leon Edwards

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 10, 2024, 05:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor has already started mapping out his return to the UFC in 2025. After being forced out of his June matchup with Michael Chandler because of an injured toe, the former two-division champion has been chomping at the bit for his opportunity to

ESPN Oct 9, 2024, 10:47 AM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions Undefeated Tatsuro Taira meets onetime title challenger Brandon Royval in the men’s flyweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. All of the fights at UFC Apex are on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET,

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 8, 2024, 05:22 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Michael Chandler waited two years to fight Conor McGregor. Although he has now moved on to a fight with Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16, Chandler has “no doubt” that a fight with McGregor will come to fruition in 2025. “I’ve made a pivot from

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 6, 2024, 08:27 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s latest venture to Salt Lake City didn’t disappoint. By the end of UFC 307, fans witnessed another exhilarating knockout finish by light heavyweight champion Alex