MMA

9:01 AM ET Ten days after suffering a compound fracture of his right leg, Chris Weidman was at home in New York and preparing for a long road to recovery, saying the pain was unlike anything he had felt in a career that has had its fair share of injuries. “I’ve had 10 knee surgeries,

10:41 PM ET Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has a new, short-notice opponent for his welterweight bout this weekend. The popular UFC veteran will take on Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday night. The bout will be the co-main event of the card. Mexican journalist C.

5:22 PM ET The Florida State Boxing Commission has made a major change to its policy regarding cannabis. At a meeting Tuesday, the commission voted to essentially eliminate marijuana from its prohibited drug list, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation spokesperson Patrick Fargason told ESPN on Tuesday. Previously in Florida, even trace amounts of

3:09 PM ET The UFC finally has an official main event for this coming weekend. Marina Rodriguez will meet the popular Michelle Waterson in the UFC Fight Night headliner Saturday in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Tuesday. The originally scheduled main event between former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and top contender Cory Sandhagen was postponed

10:00 AM ET For the first time ever, the UFC has published an official concussion protocol for fighters. The UFC Performance Institute released Tuesday a robust digital journal entitled “A Cross-Sectional Performance Analysis and Projection of the UFC Athlete.” The 484-page study uses data collected between 2017 and 2019 as reference material for mixed martial

11:49 PM ET The anticipated bout between Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz has a new date and location. Diaz has a minor, undisclosed injury and his welterweight fight with Edwards will no longer take place as the co-main event of UFC 262 on May 15 in Houston, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday night. Edwards-Diaz

6:53 AM ET In Jon Jones‘ absence, the UFC’s light heavyweight title picture is quickly shaping up into one of the most competitive and intriguing across the entire promotion. Jan Blachowicz looked dominant against Israel Adesanya and faces another daunting challenger in Glover Teixeira later this year. But on Saturday, Jiri Prochazka threw his name

1:44 AM ET Jiri Prochazka has arrived. The native of the Republic of Georgia established himself as a legitimate UFC light heavyweight contender Saturday night by knocking out Dominick Reyes with a spinning elbow. It was the most impressive performance on a card with several ranked fighters competing. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Marc Raimondi and Jeff

12:53 AM ET A new star might have just been born in one of the UFC’s premier divisions. Jiri Prochazka knocked out Dominick Reyes with a spinning back elbow at 4 minutes, 29 seconds of the second round Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. It was only the

12:56 AM ET After just two fights in the UFC, Jiri Prochazka has captured the attention of the fighting world. The light heavyweight former Muay Thai kickboxer thoroughly dominated Dominick Reyes and ended Saturday’s Fight Night main event with a spinning back elbow KO to put an exclamation mark on a statement win. Reyes was

9:00 AM ET Eric GomezMexico writer Dominick Reyes wasn’t used to losing. He began 2020 with a 12-0 MMA record and the light heavyweight belt in his sights. But a series of setbacks left him doubting his future in the UFC and his love for the sport. In February of last year, Reyes dropped a

7:22 AM ET Going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event, it’s not unfair to say we don’t really know who Dominick Reyes or Jiri Prochazka are. When it comes to just name value alone, we do. Reyes (12-2) fought Jon Jones for the UFC’s light heavyweight championship 14 months ago — and many observers

11:57 AM ET Endeavor Group Holdings, the media conglomerate and ownership company of UFC, launched an initial public offering Thursday. Executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, as well as UFC president Dana White, were all in appearance in New York, where Endeavor stock began trading at $24 per share. “It’s official,” White wrote on Instagram.

1:42 AM ET Diego Sanchez, one of the longest-tenured athletes in UFC history, is officially no longer with the promotion. The UFC terminated Sanchez’s contract Tuesday, according to UFC president Dana White. Sanchez, 39, basically announced the split on Thursday, as he posted “Free at last” on his personal Instagram. Sanchez was scheduled to face

12:20 AM ET Yoel Romero is out of the most anticipated first-round matchup in Bellator’s big 2021 tournament — and arguably one of the promotion’s biggest fights in recent memory. The former UFC middleweight title challenger didn’t clear pre-fight medical screening and is out of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix, promotion officials confirmed

6:45 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Rory MacDonald came within a round of being UFC welterweight champion. He later did win a Bellator championship. And on Thursday night, he will begin a quest to capture the PFL welterweight championship and the $1 million prize that comes with it — and it’ll take four fights to get

8:39 AM ET Rose Namajunas did not move very far, but her climb was tremendous. She entered last Saturday’s UFC 261 as the No. 2 strawweight in the ESPN divisional MMA rankings. Now she is just one spot higher at No. 1 — but she’s also once again a UFC champion, after knocking out Zhang

7:00 AM ET Former All-Pro NFL running back Marshawn Lynch has joined the PFL as an investor and brand ambassador, the promotion announced Thursday. Lynch, whose fandom of MMA is well known, is the latest celebrity to partner with the league. He joins a list that includes comedian Kevin Hart and music artist Wiz Khalifa.