MMA

8:05 AM ET Randy Couture made his UFC debut on May 30, 1997, at UFC 13. UFC held the card in front of just more than 5,000 people in Augusta, Georgia. There was no regulation for the event; the rules changed from card to card to accommodate local fighting commissions or avoid political scorn. It

12:27 AM ET LAS VEGAS — The UFC inducted MMA’s version of “The Odd Couple” into its Hall of Fame on Thursday, as former titleholders Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov officially joined its Modern Wing. Cormier and Nurmagomedov were both in attendance on Thursday inside T-Mobile Arena. Cormier, 43, is a former two-weight champion in

4:59 PM ET Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cain Velasquez, the former UFC heavyweight champion accused of trying to kill the man he claims molested his 4-year-old son, is suing the man and his family who own a day care where the alleged molestation occurred. Velasquez was arrested in San Jose, California, last February

2:45 PM ET Valerie Loureda, a top women’s MMA prospect with Bellator, has signed a multiyear contract with WWE, she told ESPN on Wednesday. Loureda, 23, said she’ll move to Orlando from Miami and report to the WWE Performance Center on July 19. She’ll remain under contract with Bellator, the promotion told ESPN in a

10:00 AM ET Ian ParkerESPN With the playoff seeding set for four of the six weight classes in the PFL, all eyes turn to welterweight and women’s lightweight divisions. Both weight classes will have their second and final regular-season fights of the year this Friday at PFL 6 (main card on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m.

12:35 AM ET Teammates, friends — champions. Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski are the headline events at UFC 276 Saturday in Las Vegas on Saturday (10 p.m. on ESPN+ PPV, Sunday afternoon AEST), the duo defending their middleweight and featherweight crowns against Jared Cannonier and Max Holloway respectively. It is also a huge night for

Jun 28, 2022 ESPN staff The 2022 ESPYS presented by Capital One are finally here. It’s time to decide which of your favorite athletes will win the show’s biggest awards. Here are the nominees for Best MMA Fighter: Alexander Volkanovski Charles Oliveira Kamaru Usman Kayla Harrison Cast your vote now and tune in to the

9:00 AM ET With two title fights and a slew of rising stars on the main card, UFC 276 could be the year’s biggest event. And with the stakes being what they are, there’s a good chance it lives up to the hype. Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight title for a sixth consecutive time

2:21 AM ET IT HAS BEEN almost a year since South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis (16-2), entered the Octagon — a successful UFC 264 outing last July that only lasted two rounds, knocking out Trevin Giles. But his quest to return has been a prolonged battle, complete with injury, opponent changes, fight cancellations and incredible

9:06 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim A pay-per-view event headlined by two championship bouts used to be a special occasion. Now it’s practically a business model. UFC 276, which takes place Saturday in Las Vegas (10 p.m. on ESPN+ PPV), will be the company’s fourth straight PPV with a pair of fights with belts on the

1:48 PM ET A scheduled women’s flyweight contender bout between Miesha Tate and Lauren Murphy has been moved to UFC Long Island on July 16, the UFC announced Monday. The bout was moved from UFC 276 on Saturday, the UFC said, due to COVID-19 protocols. Murphy wrote Sunday on Twitter that she tested positive for

12:18 AM ET UFC women’s flyweight contender Lauren Murphy had to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Miesha Tate at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas for undisclosed reasons, sources told ESPN. The UFC is seeking a new, short-notice opponent for Tate, sources said, but it’s unclear if she’ll compete on the card.

12:30 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Max Holloway should be under a lot of pressure. It’s Saturday, June 25, seven days before he is set to face Alexander Volkanovski for the third time at UFC 276 and Holloway (23-6) is sitting inside T-Mobile Arena for the first time since December 2019, when he surrendered the

1:45 AM ET If Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot was a look into the future of the UFC lightweight division, then that future looks awfully bright. Gamrot beat Tsarukyan by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. But the result could have gone either

11:46 PM ET ATLANTA — Stevie Ray needed to finish former UFC champion Anthony Pettis on Friday in order to make the 2022 PFL playoffs. Well, mission accomplished for the 32-year-old veteran. Ray (24-10) punched his ticket to the PFL playoffs with a rare finishing move against Pettis. The Scottish fighter tapped Pettis via modified

12:29 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Johnny Eblen was undefeated coming in but really outdid himself Friday night, dominating Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi over five rounds to take away the belt in the main event of Bellator 282 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Eblen (12-0) used his strong wrestling to control long stretches on the canvas, but

8:26 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Gegard Mousasi put on a dazzling show four months ago in Dublin. That it was not an epic-length performance made it all the more magnificent. The Bellator MMA middleweight champion needed less than a minute and a half to lay waste to an undefeated challenger in the Bellator 275 main

8:47 PM ET A scheduled battle between a former Bellator champion and a defending PFL champ will have to wait. Former Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd is out of a planned July 1 bout against Kayla Harrison in PFL due to an undisclosed injury, sources told ESPN. In Budd’s place will step women’s MMA