7:35 PM ET CLARESSA SHIELDS RETURNED to JacksonWink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late March, fresh off making boxing history by becoming the first two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Time was running low, though, with Shields scheduled to make her MMA debut in the Professional Fighters League on June 10. The only
MMA
10:59 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 Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card was built around heavyweights looking to build (or rebuild) momentum, and it delivered for first-round winners Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura in their TKO victories
10:31 PM ET Jairzinho Rozenstruik has a knack for getting finishes right before the bell. Less than two years after he earned the latest finish in UFC heavyweight history, Rozenstruik uncorked another buzzer beater Saturday. The kickboxing standout stopped Augusto Sakai via TKO with punches at 4:59 of the first round in the main event
7:58 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann to headline an event in September. Smith (35-16) announced the fight himself this week, and sources close to Spann told ESPN he has also agreed. The 205-pound contest will serve as the main event of UFC Fight Night
3:50 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 Jairzinho Rozenstruik was 10-0 in December 2019 following a Hail Mary knockout victory over Alistair Overeem. It seemed at the time that the accomplished kickboxer was on the precipice of
2:14 AM ET Former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa has withdrawn from a scheduled bout against Jared Cannonier in August, sources told ESPN. Costa (13-1) was scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night on Aug. 21 but will no longer appear on the card, sources said. Kelvin Gastelum (17-7) has agreed to step up in
7:44 AM ET Following a rare weekend off, the UFC is back at its Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday with a heavyweight contest between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai. If we’re being honest, this UFC Fight Night offers a redo of sorts for Rozenstruik (11-2) and Sakai (15-2-1), as they are both coming off
8:47 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim The MLB season fills a wide swath of the calendar with 162 games, an entire summertime (and beyond) of ups and downs. The NBA and NHL seasons have only half as many games, but the twists and turns keep the ride going for months. The same is true in the
10:51 AM ET Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Former mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz has resigned from his position on the City Council of Huntington Beach, California, saying he was prompted to quit because of attacks by the media. Ortiz, who was the city’s mayor pro tem, announced his resignation Tuesday night during
6:05 PM ET The Jake Paul vs. MMA (but … in a boxing match) phenomenon will roll on this summer, as the popular YouTube star will take on former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in August. There are a lot of unanswered questions around the force that Paul (3-0, 3 KOs) has become in combat sports.
7:39 AM ET Since announcing he’s retained the services of Richard Schaefer as his advisor on May 26, Jon Jones‘ social media accounts have been fairly subdued, free of any confrontational posts aimed at the UFC. Coincidence? Maybe, but make no mistake, there will be interest in seeing if Schaefer, the former boxing promoter who
10:25 AM ET Jake Paul‘s next foe will be a former UFC champion. Paul will meet Tyron Woodley in a boxing match later this summer, both Paul and Woodley told ESPN. The 190-pound match is currently slated for Aug. 28, sources say. Several host cities are still under consideration, per sources, though an official announcement
1:57 PM ET Kayla Harrison, the self-proclaimed “baddest woman” in mixed martial arts, will return to action against Cindy Dandois in the main event of PFL 6 in Atlantic City. PFL officials announced the league’s next round of heavyweight and female lightweight matchups on Tuesday, ahead of the PFL 6 event on June 25. Harrison
7:23 AM ET Following a three-year hiatus, the UFC’s reality series The Ultimate Fighter returns Tuesday night on ESPN and ESPN+. No series has had a bigger impact on the company and the sport of mixed martial arts than TUF. UFC president Dana White has repeatedly said the show saved the company when it debuted
8:34 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Clay Collard was the other guy. He was the one standing across the cage from the PFL’s prized new signee, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. It was a big moment for the emerging fight promotion, and the vibe of the introductions for this season-opening main event last month in Atlantic City, New
1:57 AM ET City Kickboxing (CKB) fighter Fau Vake, who died earlier this month, will be firmly in the thoughts of both middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and rising lightweight Brad Riddell when the duo step into the Octagon at UFC 263 next month. Vake died on May 23 in an Auckland hospital, seven days after
7:51 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim MMA is doing pretty well for a sport less than three decades old. From the UFC to Bellator to the PFL and beyond, the fight game has grown from a shady niche to the spotlit mainstream, drawing in new fans by the day. A few fighters have broken through to
9:20 PM ET The UFC is working on a featherweight matchup between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez for July, according to UFC president Dana White. Contracts have not been signed, but the UFC is close to finalizing the 145-pound contest, sources told ESPN. Once official, it is expected to headline a UFC Fight Night event