MMA

Aug 13, 2019 Editor’s note: This story was originally posted ahead of UFC 241 where Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier by TKO to reclaim the UFC heavyweight title. He faces Cormier at third time at UFC 252 on Aug. 15. VALLEY VIEW, OHIO — Stipe Miocic gets out of his Dodge Rebel pickup, opens the

5:14 PM ET One of the most popular fighters in the heavyweight division has a chance to get closer to another title shot. Derrick Lewis meets Aleksei Oleinik in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas in a battle of two streaking contenders. The bout will take place at the

12:40 AM ET For a mixed martial arts fighter, there’s no better way to go into free agency than with a big knockout. And that’s exactly what Michael Chandler did. In the final fight on his Bellator contract, Chandler stopped former UFC champ Benson Henderson with a left-hand KO at 2:09 of the first round

12:22 PM ET UFC has booked a pair of flyweight championship fights for its UFC 255 pay-per-view event on Nov. 21, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Friday. Men’s flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will take on former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, and women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will seek her fourth title defense against

1:27 PM ET One week before the UFC’s heavyweight title trilogy will be decided, a new divisional contender will emerge. And that fight is now official. Derrick Lewis (265 pounds) and Aleksei Oleinik (227) both weighed in successfully Friday morning in Las Vegas. The two men will meet in the UFC Fight Night headliner Saturday

7:08 AM ET It is not uncommon for a UFC Fight Night’s main event to eclipse all that is scheduled to come before on that evening, at least in the anticipation for the fights. That is not the case for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night headliner inside the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. Now, that’s

7:03 PM ET UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not intend to travel to the U.S. to prepare for his title unification bout against Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Nurmagomedov (28-0), who lives in Dagestan, has held all of his fight camps at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose,

Aug 3, 2020 For the second straight week, ONE Championship has fortified its heavyweight division. The Asian MMA promotion signed former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Amir Aliakbari to a contract Monday, Aliakbari’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN. The plan is for Aliakbari to debut in ONE at the end of October, Abdelaziz said. Aliakbari (10-1)

9:02 AM ET Let’s make something clear right off the bat: Considering the times we are living in, this has been a phenomenal year for the UFC. Before the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 started incredibly strong. There was the return of Conor McGregor in January, a razor-thin fight between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes in February,

1:20 PM ET Four UFC fighters had temporary suspensions extended Wednesday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Jamahal Hill, Tim Elliott, Luis Pena and Marc-Andre Barriault failed in-competition drug tests in relation to their last fights in Nevada. Upon the results coming back, the four fighters were temporarily suspended. On Wednesday, the commission extended

Aug 3, 2020 Several UFC fighters are facing suspensions and fines in Nevada. Tim Elliott, a popular flyweight fighter and former title challenger, and undefeated light heavyweight prospect Jamahal Hill both tested positive for marijuana in in-competition drug tests in relation to their respective fights May 30 in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN. The Nevada

11:23 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim “Wow!” Dana White said, and that was all the UFC president needed to say. He was being interviewed in order to reveal if any of the eight fighters who competed in Tuesday’s opening episode of Season 4 of “Dana White’s Contender Series” were going to be awarded UFC contracts. Through

10:56 PM ET The planned main event for UFC Fight Night on Aug. 29 has taken a hit. Yair Rodriguez was forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight versus Zabit Magomedsharipov because of an ankle injury, UFC president Dana White confirmed Tuesday. Rodriguez’s manager, Abraham Kawa, also confirmed the injury to ESPN. According to sources,

2:14 PM ET A UFC fighter says a heart issue is the main cause of a fainting spell prior to his scheduled fight over the weekend. Trevin Giles said Monday in an Instagram video that doctors informed him he had “irregularities” in his heart and said he is seeking an appointment with a cardiologist. Giles

8:21 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi When “Dana White’s Contender Series” launches its fourth season at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the show will be seeking to build upon its past successes. The season begins

10:37 PM ET Dana White does not expect Conor McGregor to return to the Octagon this year. The UFC president said Monday in an interview with Barstool Sports that there are no plans for McGregor to fight in the UFC again in 2020. White said he considers McGregor retired ever since McGregor tweeted about retirement

5:06 PM ET Kevin Holland‘s fight last weekend was canceled just before he was set to walk out. Now, the middleweight prospect has a new opponent and a new date. Holland will meet UFC newcomer Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik on Saturday in Las Vegas, sources confirmed to ESPN. MMA Junkie

7:49 AM ET Derrick Lewis, one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, will take center stage in the Fight Night main event on Saturday as he tries to climb back into the heavyweight title picture at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. But Lewis will be in for a potentially difficult battle —