MMA

12:28 AM ET Cris Cyborg‘s next fight won’t be inside an MMA cage — it’ll be in a boxing ring. Cyborg, one of the best women’s MMA fighters of all time, said on her “The Catchup” YouTube show Monday that she is in the process of finalizing a contract for her professional boxing debut. Cyborg

11:11 PM ET One of the best prospects in all of MMA is on the cusp of a UFC contract. Bo Nickal, a former three-time NCAA Division I wrestling national champion, finished Zack Borrego via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:02 of the first round Tuesday night on Dana White’s Contender Series at the UFC Apex

11:22 AM ET Bellator MMA has rebooked a featherweight matchup between Aaron Pico and Jeremy Kennedy in October, officials told ESPN on Tuesday. The 145-pound bout will take place at Bellator 286 on Oct. 1 in Long Beach, California. That event is headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (33-5) and

1:24 PM ET Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has broken bones in both hands and will require surgery, he wrote Monday on Instagram. The injuries were sustained in a unanimous decision loss to Stevie Ray in the PFL lightweight semifinals last Friday. Pettis wrote that his left hand and his right thumb are broken.

9:35 AM ET Two of the more unheralded UFC weight classes had a chance to show out last month. In the main event of UFC 277 on July 30, Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes had their rematch for the UFC women’s bantamweight title, following Peña’s huge upset over Nunes at UFC 269 last December. Former

1:29 AM ET All that was missing from Jamahal Hill‘s rise in the UFC was a signature win. He got it Saturday. Hill stopped former title challenger Thiago Santos via TKO at 2:31 of the fourth round in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill dropped Santos

4:04 PM ET UFC welterweight Josh Quinlan was pulled from his UFC Fight Night bout Saturday due to an atypical drug finding, the UFC announced. USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner, detected a trace amount of the long-term metabolite (or M3 metabolite) of the steroid dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT) in a Quinlan urine sample, the promotion said. The

9:51 PM ET NEW YORK — The PFL had high hopes for Anthony Pettis when it signed him to a multiyear deal in 2021. But for the second consecutive year, Pettis has failed to make it to the tournament finals. Pettis (25-14), a former UFC champion, dropped a unanimous decision to Stevie Ray in the

6:31 PM ET The UFC has its Madison Square Garden main event. Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title against old rival Alex Pereira in the headliner of UFC 281 on Nov. 12 in New York, Adesanya announced Friday on SportsCenter. Pereira owns two wins over Adesanya in kickboxing, including one via knockout. ESPN

3:07 PM ET Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded not guilty Friday in an attempted murder case in Santa Clara (California) County, his attorney Mark Geragos told ESPN. Velasquez, 40, is being charged with attempted murder and 10 other gun-related charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly chased down a man, Harry Goularte

7:30 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

Aug 3, 2022 Patricio “Pitbull” Freire‘s third reign as Bellator featherweight champion will begin with a title defense against Adam Borics at Bellator 286 on Oct. 1 in Long Beach, California, the promotion confirmed Wednesday with ESPN. In addition to the Freire vs. Borics main event, the card will feature former featherweight champ AJ McKee

12:06 PM ET UFC star Conor McGregor will make his first foray into feature films with a role in a remake of “Road House,” McGregor’s spokesperson Karen J. Kessler confirmed to ESPN. Jake Gyllenhaal will star in the movie, which is a new take on the classic 1980s cult hit that starred Patrick Swayze. Amazon

2:13 PM ET Tom Aspinall is scheduled to undergo knee surgery Wednesday in London, the UFC heavyweight announced on social media Wednesday. The 29-year-old also revealed the extent of the injury, which he suffered in the first round of a UFC Fight Night main event against Curtis Blaydes late last month in London. Aspinall recoiled

8:00 AM ET A familiar face is back on top. Amanda Nunes, who had occupied the No. 1 spot in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings for years prior to her being stunningly upset last December by Julianna Peña, has reclaimed her position of supremacy after taking the bantamweight title back from Peña at UFC 277

8:00 AM ET After two title fights stole the show in Dallas last weekend at UFC 277 to end the month of July, the promotion will turn the page, starting with a stacked schedule in August, which will feature two UFC Fight Nights before UFC 278 on Aug. 20. With a busy month ahead, our

1:26 AM ET In a night where two fighters reclaimed championship gold and rising stars made their cases for title shots, what were the biggest moments at UFC 277? Jeff Wagenheim, Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto offer up their takeaways from a highlight-packed event in Dallas. The world is once again steady on its axis,

12:47 AM ET DALLAS — Amanda Nunes vowed to make changes in her game. She vowed to get her belt back after shockingly losing it seven months ago to Julianna Peña. In the rematch, Nunes did exactly what she promised. With a new southpaw stance on the feet and a renewed wrestling game, Nunes defeated