MMA

8:00 AM ET UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya released a YouTube video last weekend in which he broke down Saturday’s main event fight between his “children” Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. On its face, Costa vs. Vettori is an outstanding main event featuring two of the UFC’s top middleweights. Costa and Vettori are ranked Nos.

12:34 AM ET The game of musical weights continues for this weekend’s UFC main event. Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori will now, as of Thursday night, take place at 205 pounds — the light heavyweight division, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell confirmed with ESPN on Thursday night. The fight is scheduled for Saturday night

8:00 AM ET There was a time when an appearance by Fedor Emelianenko was as big as it got in mixed martial arts. From mid-2000, when the Russian first competed as a pro, through the end of 2009, Emelianenko fought 32 times and lost only once, by a dubious doctor’s stoppage. During one stretch, mostly

8:12 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The UFC is working on finalizing a catchweight for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori, the promotion said Wednesday. The UFC didn’t reveal what weight it is pursuing for the fight. The announcement was made after Costa admitted he did not intend to

12:41 PM ET Bantamweight might be the best division in mixed martial arts and that extends to outside the UFC, as well. In a marquee matchup at 135 pounds, Sergio Pettis will defend his Bellator title in the weight class against former champion Kyoji Horiguchi on Dec. 3 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Bellator

8:03 AM ET The 2021 PFL season will come to its conclusion on Oct. 27, with a full lineup of tournament championships in six different weight classes (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+). Emerging women’s MMA superstar Kayla Harrison (11-0) will headline the event, in her lightweight final against Taylor Guardado (3-1). Arguably the most intriguing finals

7:16 PM ET UFC fighter Irwin Rivera has been granted a conditional release from custody after a judge approved his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of attempted murder. Rivera was arrested in January on the two felony charges, accused of stabbing his two sisters. A judge approved the adjudication

5:01 PM ET No charges will be filed against UFC legend Chuck Liddell after a domestic violence arrest Oct. 11, per a document obtained by ESPN from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. The listed reason for why prosecution will not be pursued was “lack of sufficient evidence,” and the comments stated that “the

7:49 AM ET Last week, the UFC announced that top-10 welterweights Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal will meet on Dec. 11. This announcement was a long time coming — as in, more than 2½ years. It was way back in March 2019 that Edwards and Masvidal had a confrontation backstage after both had won bouts

12:46 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN The question of who is the best light heavyweight in Bellator MMA might have been answered on Saturday night. That answer might or might not have come in the headlining title bout. Vadim Nemkov successfully defended his championship with a fourth-round submission of Julius Anglickas in the main event of

Oct 15, 2021 The UFC’s women’s featherweight division is in an interesting spot, in that one terrific performance at 145 pounds can catapult a fighter into title contention. That is the backdrop for Saturday’s main event, featuring Aspen Ladd (9-1) and Norma Dumont (6-1). Both Ladd and Dumont have competed in the UFC’s 135-pound division,

8:00 AM ET The UFC has several monster events on its schedule to close out 2021. Before the year is done, we will have seen six more title fights, as well as some blockbuster matchups such as Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler, Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards, Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez and Paulo Costa

1:58 PM ET Two of Bellator MMA’s top featherweight prospects have agreed to meet at Bellator 271 on Nov. 12, multiple sources told ESPN on Thursday. The promotion is finalizing a bout between Aaron Pico and Justin Gonzales for the event, which will take place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

11:02 PM ET Luke Rockhold‘s return to the Octagon will have to wait. The former UFC middleweight champion said Monday night in an Instagram story that he has a herniated disk and is out of a scheduled fight with Sean Strickland at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 in New York. It would have been Rockhold’s

3:36 PM ET Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is not currently allowed inside the confines of his longtime mixed martial arts gym following an arrest last month in Las Vegas. Jackson Wink MMA spokesperson James Hallinan wrote in a statement to ESPN that Jones is “temporarily suspended” from the Albuquerque, New Mexico, gym

5:10 PM ET “One of the best title rounds you’ll see.” That was how UFC commentator Jon Anik described the incredible third round between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega during their featherweight showdown at UFC 266. The MMA world remains a buzz nearly three weeks on from Volkanovski’s unanimous decision win, while those who doubted

Oct 12, 2021 Aspen Ladd and Norma Dumont will meet in a hastily scheduled women’s featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The fights at UFC Apex can be seen on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET and the prelims at 4 p.m. Ladd (9-1) was

7:59 AM ET Vadim Nemkov had the biggest win of his career in April. The Bellator light heavyweight champion earned his first title defense by beating Phil Davis, the former Bellator champ and UFC stalwart at 205 pounds, via unanimous decision. It was a victory that made it impossible for the greater MMA world to