MMA

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNDec 27, 2023, 09:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions In 2023, UFC champions put their belts up for grabs 16 times, and on six of those occasions the challenger walked out of the cage with the gold. If you add in the three bouts for vacant titles it becomes clear how turbulent the

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 21, 2023, 10:28 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 300 has its first three official fights. UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday night on social media that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka will face Aleksandar Rakic and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will move up to featherweight to

Dec 21, 2023, 09:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions 2024 is shaping up to be a fascinating year in MMA. The UFC will celebrate its’ 300th pay-per-view event in April, Francis Ngannou — the “baddest man on the planet” — will make his debut in PFL (though we don’t know if it’ll be MMA or

Editor’s note: Watch Stephania Bell’s documentary on Chris Weidman’s recovery on ESPN+. Chris Weidman lay face down in the Octagon, writhing in pain and trying to understand the severity of his injury. The former UFC middleweight champion was just 17 seconds into his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, on April

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 18, 2023, 10:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Ali Abdelaziz posted a few lines Dec. 10 on social media that raised the collective eyebrows of the mixed martial arts industry. The prominent MMA manager, who has helped guide the careers of all-time greats such as Khabib Nurmagomedov

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 03:13 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC has signed coveted free agent Michael “Venom” Page, and he is already booked in a major fight early next year. UFC president Dana White announced the signing Saturday night at the UFC 296 postfight news conference in Las Vegas. Page,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 01:17 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Leon Edwards took all of Colby Covington‘s trash talk leading into the fight, stayed composed and put together a poised performance. Edwards defeated Covington via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC 296 on Saturday

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 12:37 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Alexandre Pantoja secured the first defense of his flyweight championship on Saturday, outworking Brandon Royval in a clear decision victory in the co-main event

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 01:46 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC is officially on break until 2024 and the final fight card of the year delivered some incredible knockouts, dominating performances and a fight of the

Dec 16, 2023, 06:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — The stakes were raised between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington at the prefight news conference Thursday. Covington brought up Edwards’ father, who was murdered when Edwards was a teenager. Covington said he would bring Edwards to the “seventh lair of hell” and maybe

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 15, 2023, 07:44 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A private helicopter descends on Trump International Golf Course, and Colby Covington calmly emerges in a lilac polo, khaki shorts and white

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 13, 2023, 11:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Ian Machado Garry is suffering from pneumonia and is out of his scheduled bout with Vicente Luque at UFC 296 on Saturday, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday on social media. Editor’s Picks Machado Garry missed the UFC 296

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 13, 2023, 10:41 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Professional Fighters League (PFL) will hire respected former Bellator matchmaker Mike Kogan following PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Kogan is considered an important get in the industry, as PFL attempts to integrate Bellator fighters into its roster and

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 11, 2023, 04:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Paddy Pimblett got to the Camden Centre in London early on the night of his fight for the Cage Warriors promotion on April 15, 2016. Three hours before he was set to compete, there was Pimblett in the crowd, watching the fights

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 12, 2023, 04:57 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A big heavyweight rebooking is coming in the first quarter of next year, as Curtis Blaydes will face Jailton Almeida at UFC 299, sources confirmed with ESPN on Tuesday. Sources said the bout has been signed, though the UFC has yet to

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 12, 2023, 03:51 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC has added a strawweight matchup between Tatiana Suarez and Amanda Lemos to its UFC 298 event in February, the promotion announced on Tuesday. It’s a

Dec 11, 2023, 03:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The 15th annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards will take place Thursday night at the Sahara Theatre in Las Vegas (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+). The event, which was started in 2008, recognizes fighters, coaches, gyms, personalities and media sources in and around the sport for

Jeff Wagenheim Dec 11, 2023, 09:23 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The most impactful storyline at UFC 296 will shine a spotlight on what’s right in front of our eyes, sparkling with the promise of ascendance. Behold those golden championship belts — two of them! — that will be up for grabs on Saturday at