MMA

10:27 AM ET The UFC has a new main event for its card next week. A scheduled bantamweight bout between Song Yadong and Ricky Simon will take the headlining spot of UFC Fight Night on April 29 in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Monday night. Song vs. Simon was originally scheduled for the UFC Fight

9:24 AM ET It’s already April and much has gone on in the world of mixed martial arts in 2023. The sport saw, likely, the truest version of a pound-for-pound championship fight in February, between UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Makhachev prevailed, but the fight was so good, we might

12:19 AM ET Max Holloway is still one of the best featherweight fighters in the world, which has been the case for the better part of a decade. The former UFC featherweight champion beat Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) in the main event of UFC Kansas City on Saturday. It was a

12:43 AM ET The next UFC heavyweight title fight could be headed to the Big Apple. The UFC wants heavyweight champion Jon Jones to defend his title against former champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in New York, UFC president Dana White said Saturday at the UFC Kansas City postfight news conference. The UFC’s

9:50 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Defending PFL lightweight champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier spoiled the PFL debut of 2022 free agent signee Shane Burgos to earn three regular-season points late Friday night. Aubin-Mercier (18-5) defeated Burgos (15-4) via unanimous decision inside The Theater at Virgin Hotel. The 2022 finalist used a well-rounded plan to keep Burgos

Apr 13, 2023 The UFC has lost a five-round lightweight main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Renato Moicano after Moicano was forced to withdraw from the event due to an undisclosed injury, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. The UFC has not announced the withdrawal or commented on Tsarukyan’s status on the card. The UFC

11:52 PM ET Carlos Contreras Legaspi The lightweight co-main event between former champion Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, scheduled for UFC 288 on May 10, has been postponed after Oliveira suffered an undisclosed injury, sources told ESPN. According to a source, Oliveira has been forced to limit his training for the past few weeks due

7:40 AM ET Max Holloway still believes he’s a better mixed martial artist than Alexander Volkanovski. That’s a pretty simple, straightforward statement, but it answers the potentially difficult question facing Holloway. He is only 31 years old and undoubtedly one of the top featherweights in the world. But he’s also 0-3 in UFC title fights

11:07 AM ET Former UFC middleweight champion and multidivision kickboxing champion Alex Pereira is moving up in weight after his knockout loss to Israel Adesanya last weekend. Pereira, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, formally announced the news Thursday on his YouTube channel. Pereira won the UFC’s 185-pound championship by knocking out Adesanya in the fifth round

7:57 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN “This is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” That’s a sentiment one might expect from a fighter who has worked his way up from lower-tier MMA promotions and is about to debut among the sport’s elite in the UFC. But the career journey of Shane Burgos is

12:45 PM ET Two of the biggest personalities in combat sports will clash this summer. YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul and ex-UFC bad boy Nate Diaz will compete in a boxing match Aug. 5 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, officials told ESPN on Wednesday. The bout will be contested at 185 pounds and is contracted for

11:15 AM ET Later this year, Brandon Moreno will look to avenge two previous losses. The two-time, reigning UFC flyweight champion will defend his title against old rival Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell confirmed Wednesday to ESPN. It is expected to be the

7:51 AM ET MIAMI – Israel Adesanya tweeted a pro wrestling promo from 2001 on April 1, one week before his UFC middleweight title main event against Alex Pereira. The promo, one of the most famous in WWE (then WWF) history, featured The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin ahead of their WrestleMania 17 match

6:18 PM ET While this weekend gave UFC fans plenty to talk about and look forward to, the UFC 287 main event left us with one important question: Where does Israel Adesanya‘s middleweight championship win over Alex Pereira place him among the top pound-for-pound fighters? Beyond last weekend’s card, two upcoming fight announcements also sparked

11:22 PM ET Robbie Lawler‘s UFC welterweight title defense against Rory MacDonald in July 2015 is widely considered one of the best fights in mixed martial arts history. The UFC will honor it as such when it inducts the bout into its Hall of Fame this summer. The UFC announced Saturday the 170-pound title bout,

6:34 PM ET MIAMI — A heavyweight bout has been removed from the UFC’s prelim card Saturday. Chase Sherman has a medical issue and is out of a scheduled matchup with Karl Williams at UFC 287 here at Kaseya Center, the UFC announced at the start of the broadcast. Editor’s Picks Sherman (16-11) has dropped

5:29 PM ET The UFC is targeting a featherweight title unification bout for its annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas. According to multiple sources, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim champion Yair Rodriguez have verbally agreed to square off at UFC 290 on July 8. Contracts have not been issued or signed. The 145-pound

3:57 PM ET Middleweight super prospect Bo Nickal has booked his next assignment in the UFC. Nickal (4-0) will face Tresean Gore at UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas. Nickal announced the fight with one of his sponsors, betr. Gore has also referenced the matchup on social media. A three-time NCAA Division I