MMA

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 12, 2024, 02:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Belal Muhammad (24-3) will make the first defense of the welterweight championship against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Muhammad, 36, recently won the 170-pound title by defeating Leon Edwards

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 10, 2024, 05:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor has already started mapping out his return to the UFC in 2025. After being forced out of his June matchup with Michael Chandler because of an injured toe, the former two-division champion has been chomping at the bit for his opportunity to

ESPN Oct 9, 2024, 10:47 AM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions Undefeated Tatsuro Taira meets onetime title challenger Brandon Royval in the men’s flyweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. All of the fights at UFC Apex are on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET,

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 8, 2024, 05:22 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Michael Chandler waited two years to fight Conor McGregor. Although he has now moved on to a fight with Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16, Chandler has “no doubt” that a fight with McGregor will come to fruition in 2025. “I’ve made a pivot from

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 6, 2024, 08:27 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s latest venture to Salt Lake City didn’t disappoint. By the end of UFC 307, fans witnessed another exhilarating knockout finish by light heavyweight champion Alex

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 6, 2024, 01:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions One of the most remarkable runs in UFC history continues, but after much more difficulty than expected. Alex Pereira methodically broke down a game Khalil Rountree Jr. and used a bruising sequence of body punches to retain his light heavyweight championship with a fourth-round

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 6, 2024, 12:47 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions SALT LAKE CITY — Julianna Peña became just the second two-time champion in UFC women’s bantamweight history Saturday, but did so by the narrowest of decisions. Peña

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 5, 2024, 07:50 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s first women’s strawweight champion is calling it a career. Following a unanimous decision loss to Tecia Pennington at UFC 307 on Saturday, Carla Esparza retired from mixed martial arts, saying she wants to focus on her family. It was a close fight

Andreas Hale Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Oct 6, 2024, 02:55 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 12-fight card at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City was headlined by two title fights. In the co-main event, Julianna Peña

Oct 5, 2024, 07:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight championship against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of two-title-fight UFC 307 on Saturday in Salt Lake City. The other title bout at Delta Center pits women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington against former champ Julianna Peña. Saturday’s main card

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 4, 2024, 07:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions ON SATURDAY MORNING, Raquel and Tecia Pennington will start their day as normal by having breakfast with their 16-month-old daughter, Alayah, and focusing on their parental duties, ranging from playing games to nap time in their Salt Lake City hotel. However, the rest of

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 2, 2024, 09:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Boxing superstar Terence Crawford said he rejected a deal to fight UFC great Conor McGregor because he didn’t want to participate in a mixed martial arts fight. In separate interviews, both Crawford and McGregor revealed that Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 2, 2024, 07:49 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions SIX YEARS AGO, analysts Joe Rogan and Dominick Cruz were seated at the commentary table for the opening fight of the UFC 226 main card in Las

Jeff Wagenheim Sep 30, 2024, 01:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions When Alex Pereira defends his UFC light heavyweight championship for the third time on Saturday, it will have been just 99 days since he made his second title defense in late June. Pereira, who faces Khalil Rountree Jr. in the UFC 307 main event

Andreas Hale, ESPNSep 28, 2024, 07:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Behind a savage first-round beating, Renato Moicano defeated Benoît Saint Denis by doctor’s stoppage after two rounds Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Paris. Moicano denied the rabid fans at the Accor Arena a reason to celebrate, ravaging Saint Denis

Andreas Hale, ESPNSep 27, 2024, 09:46 PM ET Open Extended Reactions When Alex Pereira steps into the Octagon to defend the light heavyweight championship against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 on Oct. 5, it will be his third title fight in under six months. That pace might be stunning to most — in fact, it

Andreas Hale, ESPNSep 26, 2024, 10:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC reached a new settlement in one of its antitrust lawsuits Thursday and hopes a judge will green-light it. TKO Group — the UFC’s parent company — reached an agreement with the plaintiffs of Le v. Zuffa that will pay $375 million in

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auSep 25, 2024, 10:18 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