MMA

Mar 5, 2023 LAS VEGAS — The UFC has already crowned three Mexican-born champions in 2023 — and the loudest of the three came at UFC 285 on Saturday. Alexa Grasso (16-3) shocked the world at UFC 286, as she submitted seven-time defending flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (23-4) at the 4:34 mark of the fourth

12:53 AM ET LAS VEGAS — In mixed martial arts, there has been Jon Jones and then everyone else for more than a decade. After a move up in weight and three years away, absolutely nothing has changed. Jones defeated Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke at 2 minutes, 4 seconds of the first round

1:22 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi UFC 285 delivered. From the dominant return of Jon Jones to the shocking upset victory for Alexa Grasso, the fight night in Las Vegas was electric Saturday. The

2:42 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN It was inevitable that Jon Jones would end up as the heavyweight champion of the world. When Jones choked out Ciryl Gane in just 2 minutes and 4 seconds on Saturday in Las Vegas to capture the vacant UFC belt, it fulfilled a prophecy — right? Long ago, a foreshadowing

9:03 PM ET LAS VEGAS – It’s time for the long-awaited return of Jon Jones. After more than three years away from the Octagon, the former light heavyweight champion will come back Saturday and face Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. The fight will headline UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena. On Friday, the

10:38 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The most successful heavyweight fighter in UFC history will be waiting in the wings for the winner of this weekend’s title bout. Stipe Miocic, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, will get the next heavyweight title shot, UFC president Dana White told reporters Friday. Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane

2:01 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Jon Jones spent more than two years packing on the pounds, prepping for his move up to heavyweight. The result: The former longtime UFC light heavyweight champion actually weighed more than his opponent Friday morning. Jones hit the scale at 248 pounds, which is 43 more pounds than he

6:02 PM ET Darren Till fully intends to fight in the UFC again, despite his recent request for the company to sever his contract. Till, 30, told ESPN on Thursday that he asked the UFC to release him earlier this year so he could focus on his health and entertain options away from the Octagon.

11:07 AM ET ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — JON JONES was giddy entering the Zia Strength Systems gym one afternoon last summer. Jones could not wait to tell Jordan Chavez, his strength and conditioning coach, the good news. Jones had fought the entirety of his accolade-filled career at light heavyweight — 205 pounds. Before cutting to that

8:47 AM ET Andres Waters Valentina Shevchenko will make her first Octagon appearance of 2023 at UFC 285 on Saturday. The UFC women’s flyweight champion will put her title on the line against Alexa Grasso in the co-main event (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m ET). Shevchenko has been one of the most dominant fighters in the

10:27 AM ET The UFC has released former title challenger Darren Till from his exclusive contract. Till, 30, confirmed his release from the UFC on social media Wednesday. According to Till, the UFC severed his contract at his request. “What’s happening everyone,” he wrote on Twitter. “Me, [UFC president Dana White and UFC Chief Business

2:28 PM ET The UFC has rebooked a light heavyweight fight between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann for March 11, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday. The 205-pound bout was supposed to headline UFC Fight Night last Saturday in Las Vegas, but was canceled just hours before it was scheduled after Krylov fell ill. The

12:30 PM ET One of the top fighters in the world outside the UFC will make his debut on United States soil later this year. Roberto Soldic, a former KSW double champion, will fight Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes 3 on May 5 in Broomfield, Colorado, promotion officials told ESPN

9:18 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Jon Jones returns this weekend. Allow me to repeat that with appropriate emphasis and enthusiasm: Jon Jones! Returns! This weekend! I had to resist the urge to go all caps there, because this is BIG. Jones will be fighting for the first time in over three years when he steps

8:23 PM ET The UFC lost a light heavyweight main event between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann on Saturday after Krylov was forced to pull out of the bout because of illness just hours before it was scheduled to take place. UFC officials announced Krylov’s withdrawal at the start of the main card of UFC

7:46 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Yaroslav Amosov had not competed inside the Bellator MMA cage since the summer of 2021. He had been busy with a more consequential fight. Amosov, the welterweight champion from Ukraine who stepped away from MMA over a year ago to help defend his country against the Russian invasion, returned on

6:41 PM ET Jim Miller‘s goal of competing at UFC 300 is undeterred despite an alarming injury. Miller, a lightweight veteran who has the most wins (24) and fights (41) in UFC history, announced Thursday on Instagram that he suffered a traumatic cataract in his right eye in his fight last weekend with Alexander Hernandez,

8:44 AM ET The UFC schedule is about to enter a monster stretch, with marquee pay-per-view events in Las Vegas and London within the next three weeks. UFC 285, March 4: Jon Jones at heavyweight, finally. UFC 286, March 18: Leon Edwards–Kamaru Usman trilogy bout — in London! There are other fantastic fights on those