MMA

1:50 PM ET Leon Edwards started his MMA career by fighting his first nine bouts in his adopted home country of England. And in the time since Edwards, who was born in Jamaica and moved with his family to Birmingham when he was 9, joined the UFC in 2014, he has competed four more times

7:39 PM ET Every weight class in the UFC has its intrigue, but nowhere are the twists and turns as dramatic and volatile at the top as they are in men’s bantamweight. Merab Dvalishvili put on a historic performance in winning a lopsided unanimous decision over former champion Petr Yan in the main event of

9:32 PM ET LAS VEGAS — They truly do not call Merab Dvalishvili “The Machine” for nothing. Dvalishvili (16-4) earned the biggest win of his career on Saturday, as he dominated former champion Petr Yan (16-5) in a five-round unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels. All three judges scored

Mar 10, 2023 Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou says he has “made amends” with his split from the promotion earlier this year and is focused on booking his professional boxing debut in 2023. Ngannou, 36, was essentially stripped of the UFC heavyweight title in January, when the company said it had failed to come

12:09 AM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired from fighting and coaching. But the Nurmagomedov family name is in more than good hands in MMA. Usman Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s younger cousin, stopped former UFC champion Benson Henderson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2 minutes, 37 seconds of the first round Friday night in the main event of

9:44 PM ET After some starts and stops, the UFC 288 main event is now official. Aljamain Sterling will defend his UFC bantamweight title against former champ Henry Cejudo on May 6 in Newark, New Jersey, the promotion officially announced Friday. Cejudo is making his return from retirement after three years away. While both men

7:00 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith 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 NFL and

3:26 PM ET ESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print Former UFC men’s bantamweight champion Petr Yan meets hot contender Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The fights at the Theater at Virgin Hotels are on ESPN+, with the 6 p.m. ET main card preceded

9:09 AM ET There are 12 weight classes in the UFC. Only three of them have title fights booked. There’s a lot of “TBD” going on at the moment at the very top of MMA’s leading promotion. However, there are plenty of big-stakes fights either on the books, in the works or worth considering as

Mar 5, 2023 LAS VEGAS — The UFC has already crowned three Mexican-born champions in 2023 — and the loudest of the three came at UFC 285 on Saturday. Alexa Grasso (16-3) shocked the world at UFC 286, as she submitted seven-time defending flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (23-4) at the 4:34 mark of the fourth

12:53 AM ET LAS VEGAS — In mixed martial arts, there has been Jon Jones and then everyone else for more than a decade. After a move up in weight and three years away, absolutely nothing has changed. Jones defeated Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke at 2 minutes, 4 seconds of the first round

1:22 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi UFC 285 delivered. From the dominant return of Jon Jones to the shocking upset victory for Alexa Grasso, the fight night in Las Vegas was electric Saturday. The

2:42 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN It was inevitable that Jon Jones would end up as the heavyweight champion of the world. When Jones choked out Ciryl Gane in just 2 minutes and 4 seconds on Saturday in Las Vegas to capture the vacant UFC belt, it fulfilled a prophecy — right? Long ago, a foreshadowing

8:03 PM ET LAS VEGAS – It’s time for the long-awaited return of Jon Jones. After more than three years away from the Octagon, the former light heavyweight champion will come back Saturday and face Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. The fight will headline UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena. On Friday, the

10:38 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The most successful heavyweight fighter in UFC history will be waiting in the wings for the winner of this weekend’s title bout. Stipe Miocic, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, will get the next heavyweight title shot, UFC president Dana White told reporters Friday. Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane

2:01 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Jon Jones spent more than two years packing on the pounds, prepping for his move up to heavyweight. The result: The former longtime UFC light heavyweight champion actually weighed more than his opponent Friday morning. Jones hit the scale at 248 pounds, which is 43 more pounds than he

6:02 PM ET Darren Till fully intends to fight in the UFC again, despite his recent request for the company to sever his contract. Till, 30, told ESPN on Thursday that he asked the UFC to release him earlier this year so he could focus on his health and entertain options away from the Octagon.

8:07 AM ET ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — JON JONES was giddy entering the Zia Strength Systems gym one afternoon last summer. Jones could not wait to tell Jordan Chavez, his strength and conditioning coach, the good news. Jones had fought the entirety of his accolade-filled career at light heavyweight — 205 pounds. Before cutting to that