MMA

Jul 26, 2024, 09:19 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Merab Dvalishvili memorably stole Sean O’Malley‘s jacket at UFC 288 after his teammate Aljamain Sterling had defended his bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo. O’Malley was there to greet Sterling, as “Suga” was next in line to contest the belt. A few months later, O’Malley would dethrone

Andreas Hale Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Jul 26, 2024, 07:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LONG BEFORE THE country of England could claim multiple UFC champions, there was once a time when only one English mixed martial

Andreas Hale, ESPNJul 25, 2024, 03:49 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Stakes are high for the interim heavyweight title fight between champion Tom Aspinall and challenger Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. UFC president Dana White said during Thursday news conference that the winner of that fight will face the winner of the

Jul 24, 2024, 07:51 AM ET Open Extended Reactions With two title fights, a raucous crowd and big stakes up and down a 14-fight card, UFC 304 looks to be full of drama in Manchester, England. (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV) Fellow Englishmen Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall look to defend their titles —

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 23, 2024, 09:32 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports has officially removed one of the most unpopular rules in the sport of mixed martial arts. The ABC voted

Andreas Hale, ESPNJul 23, 2024, 12:44 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Patchy Mix will return to action to defend his Bellator bantamweight championship against Leandro Higo in the main event of Bellator Champions Series: Paris at the Adidas Arena when Bellator returns to Paris on Nov. 16. Mix (20-1) is looking to bounce back after

Jul 23, 2024, 07:53 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Mixed Martial Arts spent its early years being a male-dominated sport before women transcended the industry and broke down barriers in the 21st century. The ascent of women’s MMA peaked over the last decade when women were brought into the UFC in 2013 and were allowed

Jul 22, 2024, 07:36 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Practically all of the other sports whose athletes fill the ESPN 100 have long histories, much of which had to be set aside because this survey narrows its focus to just the 21st century’s greatest performers. For mixed martial arts, though, the past 25 years encompass

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 20, 2024, 11:06 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Virna Jandiroba might have earned herself a UFC title shot Saturday night, and she looked extremely dangerous in doing so. The Brazilian strawweight submitted Amanda Lemos via

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 20, 2024, 10:01 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Nick Diaz‘s return to the UFC Octagon has been postponed due to a “travel issue,” the promotion announced Saturday. Diaz (26-10) was slated to face Vicente Luque

Jul 19, 2024, 07:53 AM ET Open Extended Reactions We have spent the last week counting down our list of the top 100 athletes of the 21st century, but what about the next generation? If we were doing another list in 2050, which current athletes who didn’t make it this time around are likely to

Andreas Hale, ESPNJul 18, 2024, 02:19 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor, who announced earlier this year that he was a co-owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, also is expressing interest in competing as a “player/manager” once his UFC contract expires. McGregor addressed his current contract situation at a news conference Thursday in Spain

Jul 18, 2024, 08:32 AM ET Open Extended Reactions We’re officially past the midway point of the 2024 calendar year, and the MMA world is plenty busy. The UFC is preparing for its next international fight card, UFC 304, in England. The PFL playoffs kick off in August and Bellator has two title fights scheduled

Associated Press Jul 17, 2024, 02:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from a drug test at his New Mexico home in which he was accused of being hostile. Jones appeared seated next to his attorney as

Andreas Hale, ESPNJul 15, 2024, 02:12 PM ET UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been charged with two misdemeanors stemming from an incident with a drug testing agent on March 30. Public records on the New Mexico Courts website show that Jones has been charged with assault and interference with communications. If convicted, Jones could

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 14, 2024, 03:35 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions 2024 is already shaping up as one of the most dramatic years in MMA history, and it’s only just halfway over. Alex Pereira has saved not one

Andreas Hale, ESPNJul 14, 2024, 01:48 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Rose Namajunas used superior striking and grappling to shut down a spirited effort from Tracy Cortez and earn a unanimous decision Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the sold-out Ball Arena in Denver. It was a home game for

ESPN News Services Jul 12, 2024, 09:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Tracy Cortez made weight for her UFC main event in an unusual way. Needing to lose roughly half a pound to get down to 126 pounds for her flyweight bout against Rose Namajunas, Cortez cut off a fistful of her hair. That did