MMA

6:54 PM ET Stephan Bonnar, who helped launch the UFC into the mainstream with his fight against Forrest Griffin in the finals of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, died at age 45, the promotion announced Saturday. Bonnar died of presumed heart complications while at work, according to the UFC. Bonnar and

9:43 PM ET David Purdum Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2014 Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008 Marc Raimondi The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has suspended UFC fighter Jeff Molina, according to Molina’s page on official MMA online recordkeeper mixedmartialarts.com. The reason for the suspension is not listed. A source with access

12:36 PM ET Two of the best bantamweights in the world will meet early next year, potentially with a title shot on the line. Marlon “Chito” Vera will face Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced Friday on social media. Sources told ESPN

7:52 AM ET The sport of mixed martial arts is never dull and 2022 was a perfect example of that. In the span of four months, three of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world weren’t just beaten, but finished. The year started with Francis Ngannou, the hardest puncher in UFC history, using wrestling and

12:53 PM ET Taila Santos has more work to do before getting a rematch with champion Valentina Shevchenko. Santos will take on top prospect Erin Blanchfield on a UFC Fight Night card Feb. 18 in Las Vegas, multiple sources confirmed with ESPN, including Blanchfield’s rep Oren Hodak of KOReps. Blanchfield first mentioned the matchup on

3:59 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Zion Clark, a former college wrestler born with no legs, made his professional MMA debut a success Saturday. Clark, who was born with a rare disorder that affects fetal development, won a unanimous decision over nondisabled opponent Eugene Murray at an event in San Diego called Gladiator Challenge: Seasons Beatings.

2:43 PM ET A highly anticipated middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa will not happen at UFC 284 as planned, sources told ESPN. The UFC still has the 185-pound contest officially listed on its website for the UFC 284 event, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 11 in Perth, Australia, but

10:36 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The UFC’s final fight of 2022 came down to the scorecards on Saturday, as former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier defeated Sean Strickland via split decision. Cannonier (16-6) out-pointed Strickland (25-5) over the course of a five-round main event that took place almost exclusively on the feet. Judges Derek

10:35 PM ET Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm will return to the Octagon against Yana Kunitskaya on March 25, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Holm (14-6) has not fought since May because of an undisclosed injury that required surgery earlier this year. The 41-year-old former professional boxing champion told ESPN in September she expected

9:30 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the NFL and

1:18 PM ET The UFC is close to finalizing an important middleweight fight between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze in March, sources told ESPN. Both sides have agreed to the 185-pound matchup, which will take place at UFC 286 on March 18 in London. The UFC has not yet announced a main event for that

9:15 AM ET The UFC will end its year with a main event highlighting one of the promotion’s most interesting divisions. Sean Strickland will take on Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in a critical middleweight battle. Both men are coming off losses against elite fighters, and the winner

1:02 PM ET The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Wednesday extended the suspensions of MMA coach James Krause and fighter Darrick Minner, who were previously suspended after Minner’s UFC fight against Shayilan Nuerdanbieke was flagged for suspicious betting activity. The suspensions are pending further investigation and future disciplinary hearings. Krause and Minner’s NSAC suspensions

8:00 AM ET The UFC’s last fight card will feature two of the best lightweights in MMA in Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov (Saturday, 7 p.m. E.T. on ESPN+), who carry a combined record of 42-4 in their careers thus far. Neither is relatively close to contending for a title in 2023. That’s how deep

9:36 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Chuck Liddell is long retired. Same for Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. Jon Jones was last UFC light heavyweight champion over two years ago. Once the UFC’s glamour division filled

1:31 AM ET LAS VEGAS — UFC lost its light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka to injury in November. UFC 282 was supposed to crown his successor. Unfortunately, it did not. Former champion Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1) and Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1) fought to a five-round split draw in the main event Saturday inside T-Mobile Arena. Judge Mike

2:00 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Chuck Liddell. Randy Couture. Tito Ortiz. “Rampage” Jackson. Daniel Cormier. Jon Jones. The UFC light heavyweight division has been home to some of the biggest stars and best fighters in

2:27 AM ET UFC will not have a light heavyweight champion to close 2022. But the promotion is not wasting any time in trying to crown a titleholder. Following a split draw in a vacant light heavyweight title bout Saturday night at UFC 282, former champion Glover Teixeira will face Jamahal Hill for the belt