MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 6, 2023, 03:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Sean O’Malley, one of the UFC’s top up-and-coming stars, will return to the Octagon in March. And the promotion has another big main event scheduled for February. CEO Dana White announced Monday on social media that O’Malley will defend his bantamweight title

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 6, 2023, 01:43 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jorge Masvidal pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge Monday in a case stemming from an alleged attack on his former friend and UFC rival Colby Covington in March 2022, Masvidal’s attorney Saam Zangeneh confirmed with ESPN. The two felony charges

Mike Coppinger, ESPNNov 6, 2023, 09:54 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Francis Ngannou danced as he looked down at Tyson Fury and declared, “You’re a bad professor, motherf—er. … Who is taking who to school?'” That moment — really, any Ngannou success — was unimaginably hard to fathom during the buildup to the event last

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 5, 2023, 12:29 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Jailton Almeida was giving up about 30 pounds against Derrick Lewis, who cuts weight to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit. And the surging Almeida was still able to manhandle the knockout artist. Almeida defeated Lewis via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45) in

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 4, 2023, 12:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva will fight for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto, sources confirmed Friday night with ESPN. The title was vacated by Amanda Nunes, regarded as the greatest women’s MMA

Nov 2, 2023, 08:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions In a few weeks, the UFC will celebrate 30 years as an MMA promotion, helping drive the sport to new heights while introducing waves of future stars turned world champions to fight fans around the world. When ESPN did this project six years ago, our experts

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 1, 2023, 06:18 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Popular former UFC fighter and television analyst Paul Felder has re-enrolled in the USADA drug-testing pool, though that does not necessarily mean he will compete again. Felder was recently tested by USADA and that test was published on the agency’s website Wednesday,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 31, 2023, 08:34 PM ET UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis was arrested last Wednesday in Texas on suspicion of reckless driving, a misdemeanor charge, according to Harris County court records. According to the complaint, Lewis allegedly “unlawfully, recklessly” drove his car in “willful and wanton disregard for the safety of persons

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 31, 2023, 01:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A key lightweight contender fight will headline the UFC’s return to Texas. Veteran Beneil Dariush will face the up-and-coming Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC Austin main event Dec. 2, UFC CEO Dana White announced early Tuesday on social media. In the co-main

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 30, 2023, 09:21 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions After this past weekend, Francis Ngannou might be the most interesting athlete in the world. There is nothing like Ngannou in sports right now. He left the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 29, 2023, 03:12 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev suffered a torn ligament in his right hand during a victory over Kamaru Usman earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 27, 2023, 01:41 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jon Jones apologized to Stipe Miocic in an Instagram video Thursday and said he planned to get surgery Friday for the injury that will keep him out of UFC 295. Jones was scheduled to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Miocic, the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 27, 2023, 08:19 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS AND RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — Cameras surround a ring at a gym Francis Ngannou has opened himself in Las Vegas. For years, Ngannou could be

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 26, 2023, 04:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jorge Masvidal says he will be returning to fighting relatively soon. The former UFC BMF champion and one of the biggest MMA stars of the last several years told ESPN he will fight in a boxing match “early next year.” No opponent

Open Extended Reactions Before the first punch is thrown on Saturday, everyone watching will see the evening’s narrative begin to unfold. When Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou walk to the ring, what will come into view? Fury is known for flamboyant walkouts, including one of the boldest ever by a prizefighter. Prior to his 2020

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 25, 2023, 06:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Justin Gaethje believes the only unfinished business he has right now at lightweight is a title shot. The former UFC interim lightweight champion and BMF champion told ESPN on Wednesday that he will wait for as long as he has to if

Oct 25, 2023, 03:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions For the second straight month, the UFC is shuffling its pay-per-view deck due to injury. This particular instance hits hard, too, given the names involved and the circumstances. Jon Jones tore his pectoral tendon and is out of his scheduled UFC heavyweight title defense against Stipe

Teddy Atlas, ESPN Boxing Ringside AnalystOct 25, 2023, 07:50 AM ET Close Teddy Atlas joined ESPN in September 1998 to serve as ringside analyst for ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, the weekly series, which premiered October 3, 1998. He handles a similar role for ESPN Boxing Specials, and frequently contributes analysis to SportsCenter and ESPNEWS. Open