MMA

2:01 PM ET Editor’s note: This piece originally ran June 17, 2019, and some content has been updated. Yoder will face Miranda Granger on Saturday night. SAN DIEGO — Ashley Yoder was a 20-year-old undergrad at Indiana University studying criminal justice. She had an internship at the Monroe County (Indiana) prosecutor’s office. Before that, she

11:51 PM ET The UFC added three new athletes to its active roster on Tuesday, including an undefeated Israeli featherweight who accepted a fight this week on just five days’ notice. UFC president Dana White signed featherweight Natan Levy, lightweight Nikolas Motta, and strawweight Luana Pinheiro to exclusive contracts on Tuesday, during Dana White’s Contender

1:03 PM ET The Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch is inching closer to reality. Poirier has signed a bout agreement to fight in the Jan. 23 main event of UFC 257 versus McGregor, per multiple sources. The fight would take place at 155 pounds. McGregor, per sources, hasn’t signed a bout agreement yet, however,

1:41 PM ET Kayla Harrison is in for a change of scenery. At least temporarily. The PFL women’s lightweight champion will compete at Invicta FC 43 on Nov. 20 in Kansas City, Kansas, PFL announced Monday. The opponent will be Courtney King and Harrison will move down to featherweight — 145 pounds — to fight

12:50 PM ET Editor’s note: This story was originally published ahead of Paul Felder’s bout against Dan Hooker on Feb. 22. Some content has been updated. IT WAS LATE summer 2009, and Paul Felder was at a party with his theater friends. Felder had graduated from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts the previous year, and

9:28 AM ET It will be hard for Dana White’s Contender Series to top last week. In the eighth episode of the show’s fourth season, all four fights ended in KO/TKOs and every winner won a UFC contract. The athletes on Tuesday’s edition of DWCS will attempt to continue that run. With just one episode

5:38 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 The UFC has found a dance partner for former champion Rafael dos Anjos this weekend. Paul Felder, one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division, will step in

1:55 PM ET Two-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes has withdrawn from her featherweight title defense against Megan Anderson next month for undisclosed reasons, according to multiple sources. Nunes (20-4) was scheduled to defend her 145-pound title against Anderson (10-4) in the main event of UFC 256 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. The UFC has

7:57 AM ET UFC fans are anxiously awaiting Conor McGregor‘s Octagon return, which is expected to be Jan. 23 vs. Dustin Poirier. But until bout agreements are signed, it’s not a done deal, and according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, this fight is not yet a done deal. So what happens if it falls through? And

7:18 PM ET Islam Makhachev‘s first appearance in a UFC main event will have to wait, as the lightweight has withdrawn from Saturday’s headliner with an undisclosed injury. Makhachev (18-1) was scheduled to face former champion Rafael dos Anjos (29-13) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas but was forced to withdraw on

4:08 PM ET A fight is off Saturday’s UFC card due to a positive test for coronavirus. A middleweight bout between Ian Heinisch and Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Teixeira has been canceled Saturday afternoon, the UFC announced. The scrapping of the bout is due to a positive COVID-19 test “involving” Heinisch,

2:03 AM ET ESPN’s panel of Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim break down the biggest stories coming out of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card, including a look at Glover Teixeira‘s third-round submission of Thiago Santos and what it means. Eight or so days ago, if you would have asked me who

1:09 AM ET Glover Teixeira is on the wrong side of 40 years old. He hasn’t fought for a title in more than five years. Yet, one of the most durable veterans in UFC history continues to put up victories against elite light heavyweights. Teixeira submitted Thiago Santos via rear-naked choke at 1:49 of the

5:44 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Two former UFC title challengers will look to strengthen their cases for a second championship attempt when light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira collide at UFC Fight Night on Saturday at the Apex. Santos (21-7) will be making his first appearance since he came up short in a

9:08 PM ET There was a time, not that long ago, when Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira looked like a No. 1 contender bout. That time, unfortunately, has passed. UFC president Dana White recently ended any speculation as to who will challenge light heavyweight champion Jan

1:00 PM ET A key bout canceled twice due to COVID-19 is now finally official. Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira both weighed in successfully Friday in Las Vegas for their light heavyweight contender bout. Santos and Teixeira each weighed 205.5 pounds, within the 206-pound non-title limit in the division. The two will meet in the

4:05 PM ET UFC middleweight Darren Till has withdrawn from his scheduled UFC Fight Night main event against Jack Hermansson on Dec. 5 due to injury and had been replaced by surging contender Kevin Holland. An undisclosed injury officially knocked Till, of Liverpool, out of the 185-pound contest this week. All parties involved have already

7:50 AM ET On July 6, 2019, Thiago Santos came closer than anyone else in the history of the UFC to legitimately defeating Jon Jones. Yes, Vitor Belfort had Jones in trouble with a submission attempt in 2012. Alexander Gustafsson beat him up pretty good in a unanimous-decision loss in 2013. And there are a