MMA

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 22, 2024, 07:27 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions At long last, Corey Anderson can officially call himself a champion. Anderson (18-6) claimed the vacant Bellator MMA light heavyweight title on Friday, defeating Irish challenger Karl

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 21, 2024, 02:28 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Ronda Rousey, one of the most influential stars in UFC history, revealed this week that she retired from mixed martial arts primarily because of a history of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMar 21, 2024, 01:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris has been suspended four years for testing positive for multiple steroids, the UFC announced Wednesday. Harris, 40, tested positive for drostanolone, its metabolite and testosterone of exogenous origin in samples collected June 24, 2023 and July 12,

Mar 19, 2024, 04:10 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Amanda Ribas meets former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in the women’s flyweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The main card at UFC Apex will be on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 20, 2024, 09:09 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says his recent social media post on mental health was part of a longtime “merry-go-round” with personal struggles, and he chose to share it

Dotun Akintoye, ESPN.comMar 20, 2024, 03:09 PM ET Open Extended Reactions TKO Holdings, the parent company for the UFC, has reached a $335 million settlement in two class-action antitrust lawsuits filed by fighters seeking better pay. The settlement was agreed to on March 13, a little more than a month before a trial was set

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNMar 20, 2024, 08:36 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Once again, it’s back to the starting line for Bellator MMA. The second-fiddle fight promotion seems to always be starting over, redefining itself or making a comeback. Friday will bring the latest incarnation at Bellator Belfast, with the fight card in the Northern Ireland

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMar 19, 2024, 06:19 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor could be making a return to the Octagon relatively soon after his feature film debut. The former UFC double champion and biggest star in the history of the sport told ESPN on Tuesday that he will be coming back to

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 19, 2024, 12:07 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Petr Yan will undergo surgery on a torn ACL on Tuesday, the former UFC bantamweight champion announced on social media. Yan (17-5) revealed multiple injuries in a

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 18, 2024, 09:21 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s heavyweight division has always been one of its most popular. At the moment, it’s also one of its most confusing. The big boys have enjoyed

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 16, 2024, 10:08 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Marcin Tybura picked up one of the fastest wins of his UFC career on Saturday as he submitted Tai Tuivasa in the first round of their heavyweight

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMar 16, 2024, 09:09 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jose Aldo, a UFC Hall of Famer and longtime former UFC featherweight champion, will come out of retirement and fight Jonathan Martinez in a bantamweight fight at UFC 301 on May 4 in Aldo’s native Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sources confirmed with

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 15, 2024, 01:21 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Chris Curtis has agreed to step into a main event bout against Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night on April 6, the promotion announced on

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 15, 2024, 06:49 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will make his second title defense against Steve Erceg at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, the promotion announced

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNMar 15, 2024, 08:37 AM ET Open Extended Reactions At the game-changing moment when a fighter locks in an inescapable submission hold or connects with a no-getting-up knockdown punch, just as the referee jumps in and the crowd erupts, the TV broadcasters at cageside always amplify the scene with a few defining words.

Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterMar 14, 2024, 04:43 PM ET Close Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He has been with ESPN for 10 years and works as a Senior Writer, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Open Extended Reactions

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMar 14, 2024, 12:54 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC legend Mark Coleman was awake and responsive Thursday after he was hospitalized Wednesday after suffering from smoke inhalation in a house fire in Toledo, Ohio. Coleman,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMar 13, 2024, 01:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A rematch of a marquee UFC headliner will happen in boxing. Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will fight again June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, in a boxing match, officials told ESPN on Wednesday. The two fought in MMA