MMA

7:46 AM ET The bantamweight division is perhaps the deepest and most intriguing in the UFC. Aljamain Sterling‘s recent dethroning of Petr Yan did nothing to clarify the division’s hierarchy. Yan was ahead on two scorecards in the fourth round when he landed an illegal knee to the head of a grounded Sterling, who became

6:27 PM ET One of the most notable UFC title fights to have ever been canceled has a new date. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (22-5) will face Kelvin Gastelum (17-6) in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on April 17 in Las Vegas, multiple sources told ESPN. Gastelum has agreed to replace

2:13 PM ET UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad is thankful he avoided serious injury from an inadvertent eye poke during a fight against Leon Edwards last weekend, and he is now telling ESPN he wants an immediate rematch as well as harsher penalties for eye pokes. On Saturday, the UFC Fight Night main event between Muhammad

11:26 AM ET Retired two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo is not committed to a return to competition, but says there is one name that would entice him to come back more than any other: Max Holloway. Cejudo (16-2) shocked the mixed martial arts world when he announced his retirement last May, following a 135-pound title

11:29 PM ET UFC 261 seems to be about giving people what they want. Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman wanted his next defense to be against Jorge Masvidal, and he got it. Masvidal wanted another crack at the title, and he got it. And fans wanted to return to a live UFC event, and they got

7:23 AM ET Leon Edwards‘ first fight since mid-2019 ended prematurely in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event when he accidentally poked Belal Muhammad in the eye, ending the bout in a no contest. After such a long period of inactivity, one major question hangs in the air — how far away is Edwards from

11:01 PM ET Leon Edwards had not competed in nearly two years. This was obviously not the result he hoped for in his return. Edwards accidentally poked Belal Muhammad in the right eye in the opening seconds of the second round Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Muhammad dropped

11:27 PM ET Helwani: Not the type of ending anyone wanted How depressing was that? I mean, I really can’t decide whom I feel worse for at the moment: Belal Muhammad, who just suffered what appears to be a gruesome eye injury in the biggest fight of his life, or Leon Edwards, who had his

4:40 PM ET UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards will finally step back into the cage to face Belal Muhammad in the main event of Saturday’s Fight Night in Las Vegas. Edwards has not fought since July 20, 2019, more than 19 months ago. The layoff has been due to myriad reasons, including COVID-19 lockdowns, canceled

3:00 PM ET If good things come to those who wait, both of the welterweights headlining UFC Fight Night on Saturday have a lot to look forward to. This weekend, the often-overlooked Leon Edwards (18-3) will take on the often-overshadowed Belal Muhammad (also 18-3) in the main event inside the UFC Apex facility in Las

2:03 PM ET The UFC is working on a lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Beneil Dariush on May 15, sources confirmed to ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but the bout will take place on the UFC 262 pay-per-view event once finalized. MMAJunkie first reported the pairing and date. Ferguson (25-5) is coming off

6:40 AM ET LAS VEGAS — UFC welterweight Leon Edwards has won eight consecutive fights since 2016. The last time he lost was on Dec. 19, 2015, and that was to current champion Kamaru Usman, who happens to be the only welterweight with a longer active UFC win streak — 13 straight — than Edwards.

7:42 PM ET The launch of ONE Championship’s women’s atomweight tournament will be on an all-women’s fight card. The four quarterfinal matchups of ONE’s women’s atomweight grand prix will take place May 28 in Singapore, officials told ESPN on Thursday. The event itself will be named ONE: Empower. In the main event, ONE women’s strawweight

8:44 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Anthony Pettis has been a champion in two MMA promotions, most notably the most star-studded in the world, the UFC. He has defeated many of the greatest lightweights in the sport, including others who also have worn the gold. The man has been on the cover of a Wheaties box!

Mar 7, 2021 Aljamain Sterling became UFC bantamweight champion in a shocking way Saturday in Las Vegas as an illegal knee forced a stoppage to his fight against Petr Yan. With Sterling grounded, Yan held Sterling’s arms and kneed the challenger in the face, which is an illegal strike. The fight was paused and after

11:19 AM ET Brett Okamoto UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad‘s first appearance in a main event will have to come without his longtime coach and mentor Louis Taylor, due to Taylor’s positive COVID-19 test. Muhammad (18-3) is scheduled to face Leon Edwards (18-3) in a five-round headliner at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.

10:32 PM ET UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling says health is his primary focus following a championship win over Petr Yan last weekend in Las Vegas — but an immediate rematch against Yan is also on the horizon. “I was doped up on morphine in the hospital, and texted [UFC president Dana White] and said,

11:00 AM ET Legendary Brazilian heavyweight Fabricio Werdum will make his PFL debut against Renan Ferreira, PFL president Ray Sefo told ESPN. A former UFC champion, Werdum (24-9-1) will headline a PFL event May 6 in Atlantic City. The card will also feature 2019 PFL champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison against Mariana