MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 21, 2023, 06:58 PM ET UFC women’s bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva, in an Instagram post Monday, said she failed a drug test taken the week of her fight against Holly Holm last month. Bueno Silva is facing discipline from the USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner, and the Nevada State

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 21, 2023, 09:17 AM ET The UFC’s bantamweight division got a fresh coat of paint Saturday night — in a shade of pink. Sean O’Malley, the cotton-candy-haired, face-tattooed Gen Z striker, knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 292 in Boston, signaling a new era

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 19, 2023, 08:47 PM ET BOSTON — There is still a possibility for Conor McGregor‘s return to the UFC before the end of the year. Michael Chandler, McGregor’s would-be opponent in his comeback, said Saturday that he has spoken to the UFC twice in the past two days and that

Aug 20, 2023, 02:12 AM ET Sean O’Malley not only changed the bantamweight division, but the entire landscape of the UFC after finishing Aljamain Sterling. Zhang Weili cruised in her title defense, while Ian Machado Garry remained undefeated. Marc Raimondi, Brett Okamoto, Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi highlight the biggest takeaways from a big

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 Aug 19, 2023, 07:06 PM ET BOSTON — Aljamain Sterling‘s swan song at bantamweight could be Sean O’Malley‘s crowning moment and the birth of a new UFC superstar. Sterling will defend

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 20, 2023, 01:27 AM ET BOSTON — Sean O’Malley climbed out of the Octagon, spread his arms wide and took a beer from a fan. He chugged it as the TD Garden rocked with cheering fans. The UFC has a new superstar. Welcome to the “Suga” era. O’Malley, the Gen

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 20, 2023, 12:55 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Chinese strawweight champion Zhang Weili turned in a near-flawless performance at UFC 292 — and that’s considering the impossibly high standards she’s come to be judged by. Zhang (24-3) dominated

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 12:23 PM ET BOSTON — Chris Weidman is poised to complete a return after one of the most devastating in-cage injuries in UFC history. The former UFC middleweight champion will face Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on Saturday at TD Garden. It will be the first time Weidman

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 18, 2023, 11:52 PM ET Larissa Pacheco is one step — or maybe one punch? — away from becoming the first two-division PFL champion after a lightning-fast brutalization of Olena Kolesnyk in a women’s featherweight playoff semifinal Friday in New York. Pacheco (22-4), who won the 2022 championship when the PFL women’s

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 05:01 PM ET Raul Rosas Jr. will try to get back on track at the UFC’s Mexican Independence Day show. Rosas Jr., a Mexican-American bantamweight, will face Terrence Mitchell at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN on Thursday. ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 18, 2023, 10:42 AM ET Kevin Holland remains one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster and he’ll be back again less than two months after his last bout. The popular Holland will face top prospect Jack Della Maddalena at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas,

LAS VEGAS — ALJAMAIN STERLING, arguably the best bantamweight in UFC history, casually walks into a downtown apartment complex in phenomenal spirits. He’s about to engage in one of his favorite pastimes — an activity that challenges his mind and resolve unlike anything else. It can play tricks on him, give him a sense of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 10:25 PM ET Daniel Rodriguez has withdrawn from a scheduled bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas due to an atypical finding in a USADA drug test, he announced Thursday night on Instagram. Rodriguez wrote that he tested positive in an out-of-competition

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 17, 2023, 02:55 PM ET The PFL once again faces the potential for a bizarre conclusion to its playoffs, after one of its competitors for Friday’s semifinals in New York missed weight on Thursday. That sets up a circumstance in which a fighter can lose a semifinal but nonetheless advance to the

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 16, 2023, 10:10 AM ET When Larissa Pacheco throws her first punch on Friday, she will be aiming at two opponents. The recipient of her heavy leather inside the cage will be Olena Kolesnyk, as part of a PFL fight card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Andres Waters Aug 15, 2023, 11:00 PM ET Cody Gibson picked up another first-round finish to secure the last spot in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 finale. Gibson, coached by Michael Chandler, capitalized on a mistake by Rico DiSciullo, coached by Conor McGregor, and got the submission win to earn the right to face former

Aug 14, 2023, 09:00 AM ET The UFC returns to New England this weekend as the promotion hosts UFC 292 in Boston on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN+). The fight card will be headlined with a bantamweight title fight as Aljamain Sterling looks to set

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 12, 2023, 10:52 PM ET Vicente Luque returned to the cage Saturday and pulled out his first victory since suffering a brain hemorrhage in a knockout loss in 2022. Luque defeated Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) in the welterweight main event of UFC Fight Night in