MMA

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 20, 2024, 09:19 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will defend his title against Paul Hughes on Jan. 25 in Dubai. The fight marks the first event of a new, multiyear

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 17, 2024, 07:24 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Two staples atop the MMA pound-for-pound list used UFC 309 to remind the sporting world why they’ve been among the best for so long. In the main

Nov 17, 2024, 02:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 12-fight card at UFC 309 in New York City was headlined by a heavyweight clash between current champion Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic. Jones and Charles Oliveira emerged as big winners from the night, but what do their victories mean for the bigger

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 17, 2024, 01:26 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions NEW YORK — Jon Jones looked exceptional as ever Saturday, as he knocked out Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick in the third round of their

Andreas Hale, ESPNNov 17, 2024, 02:07 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Stipe Miocic has decided to call it a career. Following his third-round stoppage loss to Jon Jones at UFC 309, Miocic announced his retirement from the sport, ending a remarkable career orchestrated by the fighter out of Euclid, OH. “I’m done,” Miocic said. “I’m

Andreas Hale, ESPNNov 16, 2024, 06:55 PM ET Open Extended Reactions NEW YORK — A middleweight bout between former champion Chris Weidman and Eryk Anders was pulled from UFC 309 on Saturday when Anders fell ill from “unspecified medical issues,” the UFC announced during the broadcast for the event. Weidman posted on X that he

Nov 16, 2024, 06:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones returns to the Octagon for what could be the final fight of his MMA career, as he takes on former titleholder Stipe Miocic in the main event at UFC 309 in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden. Jones, who beat Ciryl

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 16, 2024, 08:40 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC has added two welterweight matchups to its lineup in December, one of which includes the return of Colby Covington. UFC CEO Dana White announced Friday

Jeff Wagenheim Nov 15, 2024, 07:49 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Two weeks ago was the 50th anniversary of The Rumble in the Jungle, and all of the bouquets being laid at the feet of that classic heavyweight championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman got me thinking about — of all things

Associated Press Nov 14, 2024, 07:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jon Jones is widely considered the greatest fighter ever to strap on gloves in the UFC — and he’ll have a familiar pair for his heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic. The UFC decided ahead of Saturday’s card at Madison Square Garden to ditch

Andreas Hale, ESPNNov 14, 2024, 05:13 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC CEO Dana White says that, if heavyweight champion Jon Jones has plans to continue fighting after facing Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Saturday, there is only one option and that is against current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. White appeared on the

ESPN News Services Nov 13, 2024, 12:38 PM ET Conor McGregor denied in a Dublin court on Wednesday that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2018, saying a civil case brought against him and another man was “full of lies.” The woman alleges that McGregor sexually assaulted her on Dec. 9, 2018, and that another

Dotun Akintoye, ESPN.comNov 13, 2024, 11:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Whether Jon Jones is using the leverage of retirement to up his price for future bouts, or has run out of opponents that excite him, or is seriously contemplating the end of his career, it’s clear his heavyweight title fight against longtime former champion

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 12, 2024, 12:40 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Alexa Grasso has suffered a broken leg in training, the former UFC flyweight champion revealed on Tuesday. Grasso (16-4-1) announced the injury via Instagram. She posted a

Nov 12, 2024, 11:01 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tom Aspinall headlined the last UFC event in London. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images The UFC will return to London in 2025, with The O2 Arena hosting an event on March 22, the promotion confirmed on Tuesday. Manchester hosted the only UFC event in England in

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 12, 2024, 07:55 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Believe it or not, Michael Chandler would probably still be waiting for Conor McGregor if it weren’t for the appeal of Charles Oliveira. Chandler (23-8) is set

Nov 11, 2024, 09:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Jon Jones makes the first defense of his heavyweight championship when he faces former champ Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 on Saturday in New York. The main card at Madison Square Garden is on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with

Nov 11, 2024, 09:35 AM ET Open Extended Reactions When it comes to breaking down Saturday’s heavyweight title fight that headlines UFC 309 — one of the most anticipated matchups in the division’s history — nobody has a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be locked inside the Octagon with Jon Jones or Stipe