MMA

8:17 AM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card proved a few things — most notably, that Islam Makhachev is dangerously effective, as advertised, and that Miesha Tate seems ready to step right back into the thick of it in the women’s bantamweight division despite five years out of the Octagon. But is Makhachev, fresh off

Armed with a new four-fight deal and a freshly-cut mullet, Australian Jimmy Crute has put the disappointment of a controversial TKO stoppage behind him and is reinvigorated about his prospects in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. For a brief moment earlier this year, when he struggled to process the pain of a doctor stoppage against

1:01 AM ET All eyes were on Islam Makhachev on Saturday night. Heading into his first UFC main event, those surrounding the fight game talked up the Dagestani star and pupil of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He answered all questions and thoroughly dominated Thiago Moises before ultimately submitting him in the fourth round. The top of the

1:06 AM ET Islam Makhachev‘s toughest task moving forward might be finding someone willing to fight him. Makhachev completely dominated Thiago Moises in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday in Las Vegas. Moises mounted almost no offense at all and Makhachev was able to finish him with a submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:38 of

12:20 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Miesha Tate is back — and she just might actually be better than ever. Competing for the first time since 2016, Tate (19-7) dominated Marion Reneau in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The former champion, and mother of two, finished Reneau (9-8-1)

6:36 PM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Is there a new era upon us in the UFC’s lightweight division? That’s the question ahead of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, which will feature Islam Makhachev in his first-ever main

12:11 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Juliana Velasquez retained her rare status as an undefeated MMA champion on Friday night, using a sharp jab and strong footwork to fend off Denise Kielholtz and successfully defend her flyweight title by split decision in the main event of Bellator 262 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Velasquez

6:43 AM ET The women’s bantamweight division in the UFC has been in need of new blood for some time now — but no one would have guessed Miesha Tate would be the one to fill the void. But that’s what it feels like going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, where Tate

1:08 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim It is champion vs. champion, with a twist. When unbeaten Juliana Velasquez makes the first defense of her Bellator MMA flyweight title on Friday, she will be facing a fellow Bellator flyweight champ — but one who reigns in a different fight discipline. Denise Kielholtz, the challenger in the main

1:04 PM ET Conor McGregor said he went into last weekend’s MMA trilogy against Dustin Poirier with “multiple stress fractures” in his left leg — the same leg that broke in the final seconds of the opening round. McGregor (22-6) lost to Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The official result was

6:57 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s late father, Abdulmanap, had a plan for the end of his son’s career. Abdulmanap wanted Khabib to retire with a 30-0 record, which has become common knowledge in the MMA world, but what is less known is that Abdulmanap’s plan also included Islam Makhachev. When Nurmagomedov abruptly

1:21 PM ET Rising lightweight Islam Makhachev, the protege of retired former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, faces Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The fights at UFC Apex will be on ESPN and ESPN+, with the main card starting at 10 p.m. ET and the prelims

9:41 PM ET The UFC’s September pay-per-view event — UFC 266 on Sept. 25 in Las Vegas — will officially feature two title fights, UFC president Dana White told ESPN. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will face Brian Ortega in the main event of UFC 266 inside T-Mobile Arena. In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion

7:23 PM ET Nick Diaz is officially returning to the UFC. According to his longtime attorney, Ross Goodman, Diaz, 37, signed a bout agreement Tuesday to face Robbie Lawler in UFC 266 on Sept. 25 in Las Vegas. Lawler has not signed his agreement yet, sources told ESPN, but wants the fight, and is expected

7:47 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Jake Paul had a custom gold chain made with the likeness of Conor McGregor after he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in January. The chain, which Paul dubbed “Sleepy McGregor,” will now be changing owners — to Poirier, who plans to auction it off for

8:00 AM ET Dustin Poirier had a pretty good weekend. He beat up Conor McGregor for the second time in six months in Saturday’s UFC 264 main event in Las Vegas, and beyond the big bump in his bank account that came with a night in the cage with the biggest star in MMA, Poirier

11:00 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not believe Conor McGregor will ever return to the top of mixed martial arts, and believes the sport should stop supporting his former rival after Saturday’s loss to Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov, who retired from MMA in 2020, defeated McGregor in a title

7:41 AM ET The UFC 264 main event only lasted one round, but Dustin Poirier did plenty in his victory over Conor McGregor to prove he deserves the first title shot at Charles Oliveira. Is Poirier already the best lightweight in the world? As for McGregor, the misstep that caused a serious leg injury brought