MMA

Aug 9, 2024, 09:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Nothing thrills MMA fans more than watching two fighters clinching against the cage, sweaty arms wrapped around each other’s sweaty backs for minutes at a time, right? If we can’t watch a fight unfold in that manner, how about the joy found in round after round

Aug 7, 2024, 10:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Finally, Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg will make their PFL debuts. On Oct. 19, two of the best fighters in MMA history will have their first matches in the promotion. Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, will face 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in the

Associated Press Aug 7, 2024, 09:39 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is set to return to MMA when he makes his Professional Fighters League debut in October, stepping back inside the cage after a pair of high-profile paydays in boxing. Ngannou fights 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira on

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 4, 2024, 01:30 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC Abu Dhabi was a display for rising stars and a former champion, all ready for bigger and better things in their respective divisions. In the main

Aug 3, 2024, 01:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Ilia Topuria seized the moment at UFC 298 when he faced one of the featherweight GOATs, Alexander Volkanovski. Topuria dethroned Volkanovski in February and became the 145-pound champion. Eight months later, Topuria will now take on arguably the other featherweight GOAT, as Max Holloway will look

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 3, 2024, 06:50 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions In his first UFC main event, Umar Nurmagomedov soundly defeated Cory Sandhagen over the course of 25 minutes, and he didn’t even really need to wrestle to

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 3, 2024, 05:35 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Former UFC interim champion Tony Ferguson has set a new record for consecutive defeats in the Octagon. Ferguson (25-10) suffered a submission loss to Michael Chiesa in

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 3, 2024, 11:01 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Coming off arguably the greatest knockout in UFC history, Max Holloway will try to regain his featherweight championship when he challenges Ilia Topuria in October. A featherweight

Aug 3, 2024, 06:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Umar Nurmagomedov continued his winning ways as he defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision on Saturday night. Nurmagomedov (18-0) is now on a six-fight winning streak in the UFC, and with the win over ESPN’s No. 3 ranked bantamweight in Sandhagen (17-5), “Young Eagle” will likely

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 2, 2024, 11:32 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Dakota Ditcheva is erasing any doubts around her overall skill level in mixed martial arts, one sensational knockout at a time. Ditcheva (13-0) punched her way to

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 1, 2024, 07:33 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC star Conor McGregor received a two-year road ban in Irish courts on Wednesday, over charges stemming from a dangerous driving incident in 2022. McGregor, 36, was

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 2, 2024, 08:53 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday on ABC has been a bit overshadowed by last weekend’s festivities in Manchester, which featured two title fights at

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 1, 2024, 09:00 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Kayla Harrison has booked her second UFC appearance, a non-title bantamweight matchup against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in October. Both fighters confirmed the matchup via social

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 1, 2024, 04:46 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Liz Carmouche missed the flyweight limit for Friday’s PFL playoff semifinal bout with Taila Santos, and it complicates her bid to advance to the final. Carmouche, who is also the Bellator MMA champion, tipped the scale at 127 pounds — two pounds over the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 31, 2024, 01:18 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware denied a preliminary approval for settlement in the UFC antitrust lawsuit Tuesday, an agreement that would have seen the UFC pay out

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 29, 2024, 07:13 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC 304 in Manchester, England, was a roller coaster of emotions for U.K. fight fans. They experienced the highs of watching Tom Aspinall stake his claim as

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 28, 2024, 12:34 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Officially, Tom Aspinall is the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion. Unofficially, he’s probably the best heavyweight in the world — and maybe the division’s hardest hitter. Aspinall (15-3)

Jul 28, 2024, 02:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 14-fight card at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, was headlined by a pair of title bout rematches. Belal Muhammad dethroned Leon Edwards to become the new welterweight champion. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall made quick work of Curtis Blaydes, leaving no doubt that he’s