MMA

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

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 9, 2023, 08:00 PM ET DALLAS – Jake Paul has shaken up his coaching staff following his first career loss. The YouTube-star-turned-prizefighter told ESPN on Tuesday that he is now working with trainers Theo Chambers and legendary retired boxer “Sugar” Shane Mosley, along with his longtime coach J’Leon Love, a

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 8, 2023, 07:01 PM ET The UFC has a new main event for May 20. A women’s strawweight contender bout between Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill has been moved to the UFC Fight Night headliner in Las Vegas, sources confirmed Monday with ESPN. Dern vs. Hill was originally scheduled for

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 8, 2023, 11:01 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Two-time Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Kayla Harrison believes the chances of her ever meeting Cris “Cyborg” Justino are “slim” following Justino’s decision to re-sign with Bellator MMA last week.

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 8, 2023, 09:27 AM ET NEWARK, N.J. — Belal Muhammad doesn’t have to tell people to “Remember the name,” any longer. He’s now the bona fide top contender for the UFC welterweight title after beating Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision in Saturday’s co-main event at UFC 288. While Colby Covington

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 7, 2023, 11:06 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun UFC veteran Tony Ferguson was arrested early Sunday morning following a multi-vehicle crash in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department told ESPN. According to TMZ, Ferguson, 39, was arrested on

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 7, 2023, 01:40 AM ET NEWARK, N.J. — Aljamain Sterling won his title fight and then another almost broke out in the Octagon. Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) in the main event of UFC 288 on Saturday night here at Prudential Center. With the very