MMA

Andreas Hale Apr 14, 2024, 02:53 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight championship against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. UFC president Dana White made the announcement following UFC 300 on Saturday night. Makhachev, 32, is

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 14, 2024, 01:23 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Zhang Weili put Yan Xiaonan to sleep in the opening round of their strawweight title fight on Saturday — and still barely got away

Apr 14, 2024, 02:13 AM ET Open Extended Reactions On a historic night in MMA history, UFC 300 delivered throughout its loaded 13-fight card with big finishes, strong debuts and drama throughout the night. Alex Pereira leaves Las Vegas with no doubt as to who is the UFC’s best light heavyweight. Zhang Weili and Yan

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 14, 2024, 01:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Alex Pereira continued his run as one of UFC’s most dynamic big-fight athletes. Pereira has already won two championships at New York’s Madison Square Garden. And on Saturday, he knocked out former champ Jamahal Hill to retain the UFC

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 14, 2024, 02:25 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor‘s comeback fight is now official. UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday night that McGregor will fight Michael Chandler — long the planned matchup — in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNApr 14, 2024, 12:39 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The BMF title is not a real championship, but Max Holloway did the gimmick proud on Saturday night with an explosive last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. Holloway (26-7), a former featherweight champion competing at lightweight in this bout,

Apr 13, 2024, 05:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 300 is here. The greatest card ever assembled. Alex Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Jamahal Hill in the main event. This fight was the latest to be announced of a loaded card that includes 12 current and former UFC champions

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 13, 2024, 01:26 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — The prospects for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz trilogy are very much alive. Diaz said Friday that he believes there is no doubt he will fight McGregor one more time. The two big stars fought twice in the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 11:51 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — On paper, the PFL’s light heavyweight division looked like its marquee weight class going into the 2024 season — and it certainly did not

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A former UFC champion will compete on the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing undercard later this year. Anthony Pettis, once the UFC lightweight titleholder, will take on Diaz protégé Chris Avila at the event June 1 at The Forum in Inglewood,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 07:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions MAX HOLLOWAY AND his coaches needed a place to work out in Denver during UFC 150 fight week. It was August 2012, and Holloway, then a 20-year-old prospect, was coming off his first UFC victory two months earlier. Holloway and his team

Andreas Hale Apr 11, 2024, 10:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — UFC president Dana White confirmed Thursday that Hall of Famer Mark Coleman will present the BMF championship to the winner of the Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway fight at UFC 300 on Saturday. Coleman, 59, recently came out of a coma

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 11, 2024, 07:47 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions GUARUJA, Brazil — Charles Oliveira slowly climbs the paved steps of Morro do Maluf, a cliff overlooking the Brazilian coastal city where he grew up. He rests

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNApr 11, 2024, 07:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC is touting Saturday’s landmark fight card as a night of champions because of the dozen current and former belt-holders who will parade to the Octagon at UFC 300. One night earlier, the PFL offers up a mini-version. The second event of the

Hallie Grossman, ESPN Staff WriterApr 10, 2024, 02:30 PM ET Close Staff Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from Penn State University. Covers college football and college basketball. Open Extended Reactions EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussions of suicidal ideation. THE THERMOSTAT ON the wall reads 78 and

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 9, 2024, 11:55 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Chris Curtis suffered a torn hamstring during his Fight of the Year contender against Brendan Allen last weekend in Las Vegas. Curtis (31-11) appeared to

Andres Waters, ESPNApr 9, 2024, 08:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 300 is stacked, from the first fight of the night, which features former champs going head-to-head — Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt — to the last fight of the night, which also features a current champion vs. a champion who never lost his

Ryan HockensmithApr 9, 2024, 08:30 AM ET 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