MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2023, 03:06 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Alexander Volkanovski was more than 25 pounds over the contract weight the day before he accepted to fight in the UFC main event this weekend. Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, will fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in a rematch at

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2023, 03:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended UFC women’s bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva and two other UFC fighters Tuesday for positive drug tests. Bueno Silva was suspended for 4½ months and her July win over Holly Holm was overturned to a

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2023, 09:31 AM ET Open Extended Reactions One of the biggest storylines in the UFC this year has been the question of when Conor McGregor would reenter the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency testing pool, the first step for the UFC’s biggest star to return to the Octagon. The news that

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 16, 2023, 09:28 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Maybe every major UFC card should be left blank until a couple of weeks before fight night. Last-minute matchmaking sure has worked wonders for UFC 294. For months, the promotion had been building a potent lineup for Saturday’s return to Abu Dhabi, United Arab

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 14, 2023, 10:11 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Sodiq Yusuff absolutely pummeled Edson Barboza throughout the first round of their featherweight main event on Saturday in Las Vegas. Unfortunately for Yusuff, it wasn’t a one-round

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 13, 2023, 04:33 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Israel Adesanya‘s UFC career is seemingly on hold. The former UFC middleweight champion doesn’t plan to fight for a “long time,” he said Thursday on New Zealand’s “The Rock” radio show. Adesanya is coming off an upset loss last month to Sean

Alexander Volkanovski says he’s in a “no pressure headspace” ahead of his unexpectedly early re-match against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The Australian was vaulted into the main event at UFC 294 after Charles Oliveira‘s decision to withdraw from his fight against Makhachev (24-1), after suffering lacerations above his right eye in the final stages of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 12, 2023, 08:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — The UFC has threatened legal action against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency following a statement USADA made Wednesday announcing an end to the partnership between the two organizations. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell said at a news conference Thursday

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 10, 2023, 08:23 PM ET A first-of-its-kind retirement fund for MMA fighters was signed into law Sunday in California by Gov. Gavin Newsom, per a news release Tuesday. The new law will go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2024, according to California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive officer Andy Foster.

Oct 10, 2023, 10:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Sodiq Yusuff meets Edson Barboza in the men’s featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The fights at UFC Apex are on ESPN+, with the 7 p.m. ET main card preceded by prelims at 4 p.m. Yusuff (13-2) last fought just

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2023, 09:39 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Wednesday that UFC fighter Conor McGregor has officially returned to the drug-testing pool, the next step ahead of a potential return fight. But CEO Travis Tygart’s statement in an accompanying news release came with a caveat: USADA’s

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2023, 01:40 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC will hold its first-ever event in Saudi Arabia on March 2, 2024, officials told ESPN on Wednesday. The card will be a Fight Night in conjunction with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season festival. According to a release, UFC president Dana White

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2023, 04:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 294 has another major change — with another high-profile replacement stepping in. Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will now fight Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of the card Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2023, 12:28 AM ET When one rematch falls, another one rises. Alexander Volkanovski will step in for Charles Oliveira to face current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Oliveira, who first fought Makhachev and lost at UFC 280 last year, was

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterOct 10, 2023, 11:12 PM ET The UFC’s next pay-per-view main event fell apart Tuesday, only for the promotion to put together arguably an even bigger fight. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is injured and out of the UFC lightweight title main event at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 10, 2023, 12:20 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis has signed to replace Curtis Blaydes in a main event fight against Jailton Almeida, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday. Lewis (27-11) just signed a new

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 9, 2023, 01:58 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun UFC middleweight Paulo Costa underwent surgery to treat an infected bursa on his right elbow three weeks ago, ahead of his high-profile bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 on

Oct 8, 2023, 06:31 PM ET Three champions put their titles on the line at Bellator 300 on Saturday. Three champions dominated. The event at Pechanga Arena in San Diego showed off some high-level command from two champs and a little workmanlike mastery from the third. Lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov did the improbable in the