MMA

May 19, 2023, 09:27 AM ET It’s been a massive week of breaking news in mixed martial arts, as the last five days have included the end of Francis Ngannou‘s free agency and the return of the UFC’s notorious BMF title. Ngannou (17-3) sent a shockwave through the sport Tuesday when he announced he’d signed

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 18, 2023, 03:29 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun If Sean O’Malley is to become the UFC’s bantamweight champion this summer, he’ll have to defeat the most dangerous bantamweight in the history of the sport — at least in

Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterMay 17, 2023, 08:14 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. Sydney has struck

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 17, 2023, 04:45 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun The Nevada State Athletic Commission has officially acknowledged nine PFL fighters tested positive for banned substances last month, during the promotion’s opening round of matchups for its 2023 season. Last

Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Jeff Wagenheim May 16, 2023, 07:02 PM ET The PFL has made it a mission to persuade the MMA public that it is the No. 2 fight promotion in the sport, behind only

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 16, 2023, 07:19 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will square off for the second time in a five-round main event at UFC 291, UFC president Dana White announced

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 16, 2023, 07:35 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun A bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley will headline UFC 292 on Aug. 19, UFC president Dana White announced on Tuesday. The pay-per-view event will take place

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 16, 2023, 05:16 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has signed an expansive, multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, he and the organization jointly announced on Tuesday. Ngannou (17-3) is expected to

Jeff Wagenheim May 15, 2023, 12:34 PM ET The Edwards family already has one MMA world champion. It could add a second in September. Bellator middleweight Fabian Edwards, fresh off a win in a No. 1 contender fight, will challenge champion Johnny Eblen in the main event of Bellator Dublin on Sept. 23 at 3Arena

May 15, 2023, 09:23 AM ET There was plenty of action across MMA over the weekend with Bellator 296 in Paris on Friday night and UFC Fight Night in Charlotte on Saturday. Rising UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida notched a first-round submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik to extend his UFC unbeaten streak to five in

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2023, 05:59 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Jailton Almeida still has a long way to reach the top of the heavyweight division, but it certainly appears he’ll be a force to reckon with

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2023, 07:07 PM ET Former UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo is now officially out of his scheduled flyweight contender bout against Manel Kape at UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Saturday at a news conference after UFC Charlotte. Figueiredo had told MMA Fighting

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 12, 2023, 07:26 PM ET Leon might not be the only Edwards family member with a championship in the future. Fabian Edwards, brother of UFC titleholder Leon Edwards, beat multiple-time former MMA champion Gegard Mousasi via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) on Friday in the main event of Bellator 296

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 12, 2023, 12:41 PM ET Nine PFL fighters have been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), forcing the promotion to make major changes to its ongoing season. Seven PFL fighters, including former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos and former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza, appeared Thursday on the

Andres Waters May 12, 2023, 08:35 AM ET Rising heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida (18-2, 4-0 UFC) is set to make his first UFC Fight Night main event appearance on Saturday night. Almeida, currently unranked in ESPN’s divisional rankings, will take on ESPN’s No. 10 ranked heavyweight, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, at UFC Fight Night in Charlotte (3

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 11, 2023, 09:14 AM ET The gravity of the situation didn’t dawn on Vijay Hanumantha Raju until hours later when he was talking with his friends. Hanumantha Raju competed Saturday in his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. His opponent was also making his competitive debut in the grappling art: Mark Zuckerberg,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 10, 2023, 05:39 PM ET Professional Fighters League (PFL) has signed top kickboxer Cédric Doumbé, the promotion announced Wednesday. Doumbé, 30, had once been tied to contract talks with the UFC, but now will be plying his trade in MMA with PFL. He is a former Glory Kickboxing welterweight champion

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 10, 2023, 12:23 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun English heavyweight Tom Aspinall will headline a UFC Fight Night event July 22 in London against Marcin Tybura, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday. Aspinall (12-3) will return to O2