MMA

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNNov 10, 2023, 07:36 AM ET Open Extended Reactions In the 30 years since it burst onto the sports scene with fists flying, the UFC has presented several hundred events all around the world. In all, the Octagon has been home to more than 7,000 fights. So, in celebration of the promotion’s three

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 9, 2023, 04:16 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Kayla Harrison has a new opponent for her return to competition later this month. Harrison (15-1) will now face Aspen Ladd on Nov. 24 inside The Anthem

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 8, 2023, 08:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Cris Cyborg‘s next professional fight will be in boxing, and her opponent will be Kelsey Wickstrum, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Cyborg, the Bellator women’s featherweight champion and one of the greatest women’s fighters in MMA history, will face Wickstrum in a

Andres Waters Nov 8, 2023, 08:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions After injuries created major short-notice shake-ups on last month’s UFC 294 fight card, the theme continued with this weekend’s pay-per-view. And once again both the main event and the future of the division are involved. Following the announcement that heavyweight champion Jon Jones had

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 7, 2023, 05:06 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s return to China will be headlined by one of the best Chinese MMA fighters in the world. Song Yadong will face Chris Gutierrez in the UFC Shanghai main event Dec. 9, sources confirmed with ESPN on Tuesday. MagicM_MMABets on X

Ryan HockensmithNov 7, 2023, 07:00 AM ET Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 6, 2023, 03:11 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland will defend his title against Dricus Du Plessis in January, UFC CEO Dana White announced on Monday. Strickland (28-5) will be seeking

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 6, 2023, 03:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Sean O’Malley, one of the UFC’s top up-and-coming stars, will return to the Octagon in March. And the promotion has another big main event scheduled for February. CEO Dana White announced Monday on social media that O’Malley will defend his bantamweight title

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 6, 2023, 01:43 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jorge Masvidal pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge Monday in a case stemming from an alleged attack on his former friend and UFC rival Colby Covington in March 2022, Masvidal’s attorney Saam Zangeneh confirmed with ESPN. The two felony charges

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 5, 2023, 12:29 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Jailton Almeida was giving up about 30 pounds against Derrick Lewis, who cuts weight to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit. And the surging Almeida was still able to manhandle the knockout artist. Almeida defeated Lewis via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45) in

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 4, 2023, 12:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva will fight for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto, sources confirmed Friday night with ESPN. The title was vacated by Amanda Nunes, regarded as the greatest women’s MMA

Nov 2, 2023, 08:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions In a few weeks, the UFC will celebrate 30 years as an MMA promotion, helping drive the sport to new heights while introducing waves of future stars turned world champions to fight fans around the world. When ESPN did this project six years ago, our experts

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 1, 2023, 06:18 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Popular former UFC fighter and television analyst Paul Felder has re-enrolled in the USADA drug-testing pool, though that does not necessarily mean he will compete again. Felder was recently tested by USADA and that test was published on the agency’s website Wednesday,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 31, 2023, 08:34 PM ET UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis was arrested last Wednesday in Texas on suspicion of reckless driving, a misdemeanor charge, according to Harris County court records. According to the complaint, Lewis allegedly “unlawfully, recklessly” drove his car in “willful and wanton disregard for the safety of persons

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 31, 2023, 01:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A key lightweight contender fight will headline the UFC’s return to Texas. Veteran Beneil Dariush will face the up-and-coming Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC Austin main event Dec. 2, UFC CEO Dana White announced early Tuesday on social media. In the co-main

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 30, 2023, 09:21 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions After this past weekend, Francis Ngannou might be the most interesting athlete in the world. There is nothing like Ngannou in sports right now. He left the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 29, 2023, 03:12 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev suffered a torn ligament in his right hand during a victory over Kamaru Usman earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Marc Raimondi Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Oct 28, 2023, 03:16 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Tyson Fury kept his undefeated record intact, but the star of the show on Saturday night was Francis Ngannou. The MMA heavyweight,