MMA

7:47 AM ET The UFC certainly brought excitement to Fight Island, including a loaded UFC 251 lineup that featured three title fights and four championship bouts overall in an eight-day span. It’ll bid adieu to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday with another card that’s filled with intriguing storylines. The main

11:58 AM ET Robert Whittaker fights on Saturday for the first time since losing his UFC middleweight championship in October, taking on former welterweight Darren Till in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the fourth and final event in the UFC’s two-week run on Yas Island,

11:13 PM ET Deiveson Figueiredo left no doubt on Saturday night as to who is the top flyweight in the UFC. Figueiredo knocked down Joseph Benavidez three times in the first round and finished the fight late in the round with a rear-naked choke to capture the vacant flyweight championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab

11:25 PM ET Deiveson Figueiredo dominated Joseph Benavidez to cap off the third main event on Fight Island and become the UFC flyweight champion. The first-round finish featured a tremendous display of striking power, grappling and ultimately a successful submission. Benavidez showed incredible heart, surviving multiple rear-naked choke attempts, but he couldn’t figure out a

10:45 PM ET This time, Deiveson Figueiredo left no doubt. In a rematch of their controversial bout earlier this year, Figueiredo knocked down Joseph Benavidez three times and then choked him out at 4:48 of the first round in the main event of Sunday’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. With the win, Figueiredo claimed

Jul 18, 2020 One of the most anticipated UFC middleweight title fights has a date. Israel Adesanya will defend his 185-pound title versus Paulo Costa on Sept. 19, multiple sources said Saturday. Costa tweeted later Saturday: “The fight is on folks!” News of the fight was first reported by Combate. The fight, which will take

9:37 PM ET How excited am I for the recently booked Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa UFC middleweight title fight on Sept. 19? Let me count the ways. For starters, when it happens, it will mark just the second time in UFC history that two undefeated men will fight for a UFC title. The first

3:14 PM ET Jack Hermansson wasted no time in reasserting his place among the upper echelon of UFC middleweight contenders. The native of Sweden, who fights out of Norway, had won four in a row prior to having his momentum abruptly halted by last September’s TKO loss to Jared Cannonier. On Saturday, in the co-main

9:37 AM ET The Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez rematch is official — and this time the flyweight title will actually be on the line. Both Figueiredo and Benavidez made weight Friday in Abu Dhabi, coming in at 125 pounds. The two men will compete for the vacant UFC flyweight title at UFC Fight Night

1:12 PM ET UFC strawweight contender Rose Namajunas had successful nose surgery Friday, her team told ESPN. Namajunas told ESPN she broke her nose in the third round of her eventual split decision victory over Jessica Andrade last weekend at UFC 251. The win marked her first in over two years. Namajunas, 28, had not

Jul 15, 2020 Timothy Fiorvanti Four days removed from her victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC 251, Rose Namajunas says she is looking forward to an opportunity to fight Zhang Weili and regain the UFC strawweight championship. The fight left Namajunas, who won by split decision, with several noticeable injuries to her face, including a

7:24 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim It was looking as if Joseph Benavidez might just get the job done. Early on in his Feb. 29 fight with Deiveson Figueiredo, Benavidez looked sharp. He escaped a submission threat in the opening minutes and, after getting the fight back to standing, was landing hard, straight punches that started

11:06 AM ET Joseph Benavidez is one of the best fighters in UFC history to have never won a championship. Benavidez, who fights Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant men’s flyweight title at UFC Fight Night on Saturday on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is 15-4 inside the Octagon. Three of those losses

2:56 PM ET Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley says he is willing to face Colby Covington next but told ESPN that the current date proposed doesn’t work for him. “My answer to whether I would fight Colby is eternally yes,” Woodley wrote via text message. “At 96 years old in a nursing home it’s

1:25 AM ET There was a different feel to the second card on Fight Island. Saturday’s UFC 251 featured three title fights and star power across the card. Wednesday’s event had a must-see main event and 11 other fights that offered a true showcase on the future of the UFC. The prospects seized their moments

1:32 AM ET Calvin Kattar landed a knee, Dan Ige slipped to the canvas and Kattar got on top, throwing punches downward as hard as he could. The time on the clock expired. The fight was over. By then, Kattar had the decision in the bag. But he was still trying to finish, even in

6:39 PM ET A new featherweight title contender will emerge Wednesday night on “Fight Island.” Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The card is the second of four consecutive events the UFC has scheduled for Yas Island, which has been dubbed

9:16 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Calvin Kattar can relate to where Dan Ige stands at this point in his career. He understands the big-picture mindset of his opponent in Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night main event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Kattar has been there himself. “I think we’re similar in the fact that many