MMA

1:29 PM ET The UFC’s lightweight title will be unified on Oct. 24, Dana White announced on Tuesday, and compelling storylines surrounding Khabib Nurmagomedov defending his belt against interim champ Justin Gaethje serve as a backdrop for what is likely to be one of the biggest fights in UFC history. The most poignant question mark

8:05 AM ET Ronda Rousey said it’s not a matter of whether Edmen Shahbazyan will become a UFC champ — it’s just a matter of when. But that hype train has a legitimate roadblock on Saturday night in the person of Derek Brunson. The main event of the first Fight Night back in Las Vegas

9:52 PM ET If Khabib Nurmagomedov attempts to retire with a professional record of 30-0 — a feat his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, mentioned in 2019 — UFC president Dana White says he would allow the lightweight champion to choose his final opponent. Nurmagomedov (28-0) has not said much publicly since his father died earlier

5:22 PM ET After a controversial stoppage at Saturday night’s UFC event in Abu Dhabi, the referee and commentator involved in a postfight confrontation are defending themselves. After referee Herb Dean left the Octagon following a prelim bout between Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till, he appeared to get

1:50 PM ET Light heavyweight prospects Ryan Spann and Johnny Walker have agreed to meet in September, per multiple sources. The UFC 253 pay-per-view event is slated for Sept. 19, at a location to be determined. Expectations are the event will either be held at the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas or Yas Island,

Jul 25, 2020 Fight Island? How about Chimaev Island? Khamzat Chimaev, the hottest new prospect in the UFC, absolutely ran through Rhys McKee via TKO at 3 minutes, 9 seconds of the first round on the UFC Fight Night main card Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The UFC has dubbed Yas Island, where

4:08 PM ET Robert Whittaker and Darren Till have been enjoying friendly back-and-forth exchanges on social media for the better part of the year. It started with Till’s repeated question of “Rob?” on Instagram and Twitter. Then the two joked about the kind of junk food they were eating during their respective pandemic-related quarantines. In

12:54 AM ET The UFC’s stay on Fight Island is over, at least for now, but Saturday’s main event between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till was a fitting ending to a memorable and entertaining stretch of fights. Action throughout the 15-fight finale card will have far-reaching consequences across several divisions, most notably in Whittaker’s victory

11:35 PM ET The former champ is back on a winning track. Robert Whittaker edged out Darren Till via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Till dropped Whittaker in the first round, but Whittaker rallied beginning in a huge second to get the

1:08 AM ET The younger brother of a former UFC champion has begun carving out his own name in Bellator MMA. In Bellator’s return for the first time in five months, Sergio Pettis defeated Ricky Bandejas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in the bantamweight main event of Bellator 242 on Friday night. Bellator, the

12:18 AM ET Lance Palmer, a two-time PFL tournament champion and $1 million prizewinner, is officially requesting a release from the promotion. Palmer, 33, told ESPN on Friday he has asked PFL executives to release him from his exclusive contract, which he signed in December. The two-time featherweight tournament winner said the strained relationship reached

7:54 PM ET The UFC is close to finalizing a welterweight bout between Geoff Neal and Neil Magny in late August, sources told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but both sides have agreed to meet at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 29, sources said. The event is expected to take place at the UFC’s

9:15 AM ET The next middleweight title challenger could be decided on Fight Island. And that pivotal bout is now official. Former champ Robert Whittaker and Darren Till both made weight at 186 pounds on Friday in Abu Dhabi. The two will meet on Yas Island — dubbed “Fight Island” for this monthlong slate of

7:16 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Less than nine months ago, Robert Whittaker was UFC middleweight champion. That seems like a lifetime ago. Even though he is No. 2 in ESPN’s divisional rankings, right behind champion Israel Adesanya, it feels as though the weight class has moved on without Whittaker. Last weekend news broke that Adesanya,

8:12 AM ET UFC middleweight Darren Till wouldn’t reveal what he added to his fighting repertoire during the pandemic lockdown — fans will find out Saturday night when he faces Robert Whittaker on Fight Island — but there was one development in Till’s game that was impossible to ignore. The native of Liverpool, England became

1:35 PM ET The UFC has been forced to change next weekend’s main event. The Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana headliner has been canceled after Aldana was forced to withdraw. The current plan, according to sources, is to rebook Holm and Aldana for an Oct. 5. main event. As a result, the Derek Brunson vs.

1:50 AM ET Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is confident of silencing his critics this weekend when he makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon. On Saturday night (Sunday afternoon AEST), the Australian will face Britain’s Darren Till (18-2-1) — who is making just his second appearance at 185 pounds — on Fight Island

7:29 AM ET MIKE BROWN WAS sitting at a desk in Jorge Masvidal‘s Las Vegas hotel room. It was July 5, hours before Brown was scheduled to accompany Masvidal on a flight to “Fight Island” for UFC 251. While Brown, one of American Top Team’s head MMA coaches, was on his laptop, Masvidal’s manager, Abe