MMA

8:04 AM ET Miguel Baeza was doing a strength-and-conditioning drill, jumping over hurdles at his gym, MMA Masters, in Miami. The up-and-coming UFC welterweight had just completed three rounds of sparring. Fatigue was setting in. On his second and third jumps over the hurdle, he touched the bar. On the fourth and fifth times, he

11:52 AM ET As we all know, there’s a big difference between negotiating a contract and not wanting to fight. The entire MMA community — including the UFC brass — knows Dustin Poirier wants the Tony Ferguson fight. To suggest otherwise is simply unfair to Poirier, a veteran who has developed a reputation as the

5:00 PM ET Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson took to social media on Monday to ask the promotion to pay Dustin Poirier more money, so the two can fight on Oct. 24. The UFC was targeting a 155-pound matchup between Ferguson (25-4) and Poirier (26-6), also a former interim champion, as its co-main

11:28 PM ET It was a relatively slow night for Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday — until the main event. For just the second time in series history, the first four fights of this week’s five-fight card went the distance inside the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. That left it up to middleweights

8:01 PM ET Daniel Cormier tested positive for COVID-19 less than six weeks before his UFC heavyweight title fight with Stipe Miocic, Cormier confirmed with ESPN on Tuesday. Cormier said one of his training partners tested positive for coronavirus on July 1, prompting the entire team to get tested. In that test, he was negative.

8:44 AM ET The first portion of the fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series comes to a close Tuesday, as the UFC heads back to Abu Dhabi later this month. So far, 23 UFC contracts have been given out through six weeks this season. There surely will be more Tuesday, with several intriguing names

9:34 AM ET If Colby Covington is able to get by Tyron Woodley in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event, he’ll be calling for another shot at the welterweight title. But would he deserve it? Kamaru Usman defended his title by stopping Covington — who argued the fight shouldn’t have been stopped — in the

8:47 AM ET If Colby Covington is able to get by Tyron Woodley in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event, he’ll be calling for another shot at the welterweight title. But would he deserve it? Kamaru Usman defended his title by stopping Covington — who argued the fight shouldn’t have been stopped — in the

4:02 PM ET Conor McGregor‘s representatives reacted angrily to a report that the UFC star has been arrested and accused of sexual assault while on a trip to Italy. On Saturday, the Agence France Press reported that a complaint was filed Thursday against McGregor in Corsica for alleged attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibitionism. The

12:52 PM ET Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov is returning to MMA. The 34-year-old Lobov (13-15-1, 1 NC) signed a one-fight deal with European-based Arena Fight Championship to fight on their Dec. 12 card in Marseille, France. Lobov will fight Ylies Drijoun (17-6). A fan favorite due to his fighting style and relationship with teammate

11:59 PM ET Michelle Waterson‘s dream of becoming the first UFC champion who is also a mother is still alive. Snapping a two-fight losing streak, Waterson gutted out a split-decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47) win over Angela Hill in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. Waterson was able to rally

1:19 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim A Bellator star was born Saturday night. And another walked off into the sunset. Juan Archuleta, who has toiled mostly under the radar during a run of success that extends back half a decade, scored his highest-profile victory in the main event of Bellator 246, defeating previously unbeaten Patchy Mix

12:42 AM ET Saturday’s Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill bout wasn’t originally scheduled to be the Fight Night main event, but a positive COVID test scrapped the original headliner and pushed the strawweight fight to the top spot. And it delivered. The veterans put on a five-round slugfest that saw Waterson earn a split-decision win

4:20 PM ET Ottman Azaitar has put the UFC’s lightweight division on notice, with a pair of first-round finishes in his first two fights. Azaitar (13-0) stunned 33-year-old veteran Khama Worthy (16-7) with a TKO finish just 93 seconds into their 155-pound contest on Saturday. The bout co-headlined UFC Fight Night, inside the UFC’s Apex

4:20 PM ET Angela Hill will continue to make history Saturday night. Hill will become the first Black American woman to headline a UFC card when she faces Michelle Waterson in the Fight Night main event in Las Vegas. Hill already was the first Black American woman to sign with the UFC, which she did

12:43 PM ET The UFC’s main event this weekend is official now that strawweights Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill made weight Friday morning. Waterson weighed in at 115 pounds and Hill was 115.5. The two will meet in the UFC Fight Night headliner Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill is the first

1:12 AM ET Phil Davis defeated Lyoto Machida in a light heavyweight rematch via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) on Friday night in the main event of Bellator 245 at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun. The victory put Davis on the short list of potential first title defenses for new Bellator 205-pound champion Vadim Nemkov. The most

2:44 PM ET Cris Cyborg is back, and her first Bellator title defense will ring in the promotion’s debut on a new network. Cyborg will put her Bellator women’s featherweight title on the line against Arlene Blencowe on Oct. 15 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, promotion officials announced Friday. The card will air in