MMA

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 25, 2024, 04:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Francis Ngannou is tired of listening to UFC CEO Dana White and wants to set the record straight. Ngannou, 38, successfully returned to MMA after a two-year detour in boxing — and the death of his 15-month-old son — by defeating PFL heavyweight champion

Field Level Media Oct 25, 2024, 12:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dana White recently reached out to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for help with improving the UFC rankings system, possibly using artificial intelligence. The UFC boss confirmed his conversations with the Meta CEO during an interview Thursday with TNT Sports. “I could go on

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 24, 2024, 07:33 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been bitten by the Hollywood bug. Editor’s Picks 2 Related “Poatan” is in talks to make his acting debut opposite Adria Arjona (“Blink Twice,” “Morbius”) as the villain in “Onslaught,” directed by Adam Wingard (“Godzilla vs. Kong,”

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 23, 2024, 08:11 AM ET Open Extended Reactions WHEN MAX HOLLOWAY walks to the Octagon to face Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, it will be shortly after midnight local time on Sunday. However, back in his hometown of Waianae in Hawai’i, it will be Saturday, 10

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 22, 2024, 08:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A Nevada judge has issued preliminary approval for a $375 million settlement to conclude the first of two antitrust lawsuits against the UFC. Last month, UFC’s parent company TKO Group and the plaintiffs in the Le v. Zuffa case agreed to settle a class

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 21, 2024, 10:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Newer followers of mixed martial arts often need a history lesson to fully appreciate why hardcore fans are so pumped about an upcoming fight. There’s a rivalry going back a decade. A lengthy title reign in peril. A compelling comeback story. A long-standing record

Oct 19, 2024, 08:39 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was headlined by three title fights across PFL and Bellator. Johnny Eblen successfully defended his title in a rematch against Fabian Edwards, while Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg, who were making their PFL debuts, won

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 19, 2024, 10:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Anthony Hernandez turned in a suffocating performance and beat up Michel Pereira for over 20 minutes until he earned a fifth-round stoppage in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Aside from a front

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 19, 2024, 08:06 PM ET Francis Ngannou‘s life is ripe for a Hollywood blockbuster film and the latest entry will certainly be his most heartfelt. The former UFC heavyweight champion returned to action following the heartbreaking loss of his 15-month-old son and violently dispatched of Renan Ferreira in the main event Saturday

Oct 19, 2024, 03:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants is underway at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. The fight card also features another superfight between champions, as reigning

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2024, 03:35 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Former Bellator MMA champion Gegard Mousasi has filed a lawsuit against his former promotion in U.S. District Court seeking damages of at least $15 million. The lawsuit,

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 16, 2024, 04:53 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 16, 2024, 06:27 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 16, 2024, 05:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC fighter and current Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship “King of Violence” Mike Perry was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing to sign a citation requiring a court appearance in his home state of Florida over the weekend.

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 16, 2024, 07:48 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions BATIÉ, Cameroon — IT’S A COLD, foggy morning in August, which is the middle of the rainy season in Central Africa. Francis Ngannou and I are standing

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 15, 2024, 12:36 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is coming out of retirement to seek a landmark 50 combined fights in the UFC and WEC, the 41-year-old said Tuesday. Cerrone (36-17) retired

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auOct 14, 2024, 10:36 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 14, 2024, 07:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Two of the PFL’s best fighters will look to establish themselves as being worthy of a place in the top tier of mixed martial arts Saturday. So will the fight company itself. Renan Ferreira won the 2023 PFL heavyweight championship last November, and on