MMA

8:00 AM ET Ian ParkerESPN The PFL’s lightweights and light heavyweights finalized their playoff positioning a week ago, and now it’s the turn of the heavyweights and featherweights on Friday at PFL 5 (ESPN and ESPN+, main card at 8 p.m. ET and prelims at 6 p.m.). The main event at Overtime Elite Arena in

2:06 PM ET Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has agreed to face Jim Miller at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas, according to UFC officials. The short-notice bout is the latest turn of events in a wild month for Cerrone (36-16), who is replacing Miller’s original opponent Bobby Green. The fight will take place at

9:24 AM ET ATLANTA — Right now, there is an unmistakable buzz going on behind the scenes at the PFL. It’s a buzz that has nothing to do with the promotion’s most established, recognizable talent. It’s independent of anything to do with Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonald or fan favorite Clay Collard. And it

6:26 PM ET Ongoing contract discussions between the UFC and Nate Diaz, one of the promotion’s biggest stars, spilled into the public Tuesday when both Diaz and president Dana White commented on the situation. On Monday, Diaz (20-13) asked the UFC to either release him from his contract or book him a fight by August.

10:22 AM ET Coming off a sellout UFC Fight Night in Texas this past weekend, the UFC’s summer schedule is heating up. As the promotion returns to the APEX this week, the main event features Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot. This was not the original No. 1 fight on the card, but I love that

11:07 PM ET Fight fans in Austin were treated to an absolute show on Saturday night. The 12-match fight card delivered eight knockouts, tying six other events for the most KO’s during a single event in the modern era. Rising stars like Joaquin Buckley, Gregory Rodrigues and Adrian Yanez made statements with finishes and put

10:33 PM ET Josh Emmett‘s case for a UFC featherweight title shot got a lot stronger on Saturday, as he picked up a split decision over Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Austin, Texas. Emmett (18-2) attacked Kattar (23-6) with winging right hands and body shots over the course of

1:53 PM ET The fight between a pair of UFC lightweight luminaries seems to be cursed. For the second time, Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon has been canceled the day of the planned bout, UFC officials confirmed Saturday with ESPN. Lauzon had to withdraw because of a non-weight-cut-related medical issue, the promotion said. The contest

3:37 PM ET On Wednesday, Calvin Kattar shared his thoughts on how his upcoming UFC Fight Night bout with Josh Emmett might play out. “Either one of us gets it done early and make it look easy, or it’s gonna be a five-round banger,” he said. With two of the best strikers in the featherweight

12:43 AM ET ATLANTA — The 2022 playoffs are nearly set for PFL’s lightweight and light heavyweight divisions — and they both feature plenty of familiar names. At light heavyweight, 2021 champion Antonio Carlos Jr. (15-5) secured the No. 3 seed, with a decision win over Bruce Souto at PFL 4 on Friday. He will

4:01 PM ET The UFC has another significant bantamweight fight on tap. Top contender Cory Sandhagen and rising prospect Song Yadong will headline a UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 17 at a location to be determined, sources confirmed to ESPN. Bout agreements have been sent to both sides, sources said. The fight was first

8:30 AM ET JOSH EMMETT WOKE up with his wife, Vanessa, looking at him four years ago in the bedroom of their Northern California home. The couple were high school sweethearts and have been together for nearly two decades. They are inseparable. Even when the slightest thing might be wrong with Emmett, Vanessa will notice

3:30 PM ET One of the greatest former champions in UFC history will take on a surging contender this summer. Jose Aldo, the former longtime UFC featherweight champion, and Merab Dvalishvili have verbally agreed to a bantamweight fight at UFC 278 on Aug. 20 in Salt Lake City, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. MMA

12:19 PM ET Zabit Magomedsharipov, one of the UFC’s most promising contenders, says he is retiring from the sport, stating on social media Thursday that he doesn’t “feel the way I used to” in regards to MMA competition. Magomedsharipov (18-1), a 31-year-old from Russia, hadn’t fought since November 2019, but there was still hope among

12:18 PM ET Former NFL defensive end and UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy has signed an agreement to bare-knuckle box. Hardy, 33, has signed a multifight deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the promotion announced Wednesday. It is Hardy’s first move in combat sports since the UFC opted not to re-sign him after a three-year run.

12:02 AM ET TJ Dillashaw will look to become a three-time UFC champion later this year. A bantamweight title fight between champion Aljamain Sterling and Dillashaw, the former champ, is being targeted for UFC 279 on Sept. 10 at a location to be determined, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday night. Dillashaw’s manager, Tiki Ghosn,

7:58 AM ET Anitta, one of the hottest female pop stars in the world, posted a video on her Instagram story the morning of April 3. In the clip, Anitta was in a bed, still wearing the same outfit she wore the night before at her exclusive birthday party in Las Vegas. Talking into her

4:57 AM ET A recharged Tai Tuivasa says he is ready to upset the world again and earn a crack at the UFC heavyweight title in the process when he heads to France to fight the division’s No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane in September. The UFC Fight Night Paris showdown between the big-swinging duo was