MMA

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

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

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

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

12:33 AM ET DALLAS — Brandon Moreno is once again a UFC champion. And once again, he appears to be on a collision course with Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno (20-6-2) claimed the interim 125-pound title in thrilling fashion Saturday, as he finished Kai Kara-France in the third round with a nasty left body kick followed by

5:53 PM ET DALLAS — Julianna Peña shocked the MMA world when she upset Amanda Nunes to win the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 269 last December. Nunes is the greatest women’s MMA fighter in the world and had looked nearly unbeatable before Peña dethroned her. Peña and Nunes will meet again Saturday night

12:17 PM ET DALLAS — One of the most anticipated rematches in women’s MMA history is now official. Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes both successfully made weight Friday morning ahead of their UFC women’s bantamweight title fight. Peña weighed in at 134.5 pounds, and Nunes was 135. On Saturday, Peña will defend the belt against

4:45 PM ET DALLAS — Deiveson Figueiredo says he’s almost fully healthy and is targeting a return to the Octagon this winter. Figueiredo, the UFC flyweight champion, has been out since January with injuries to both hands and a bruised knee. With him out, the UFC made an interim title bout between former champ Brandon

8:21 AM ET SUNRISE, FLA. — AMANDA NUNES SAT in a chair inside her new gym, running down all of its features like an excited real-estate agent trying to woo her first buyer. The Lioness Studio has a generous stretch of mat space for training, a full-sized cage, workout equipment and a small sauna. Upstairs

1:56 PM ET The Professional Fighters League will crown a new heavyweight champion later this year. Bruno Cappelozza, the PFL’s 2021 heavyweight title winner, is out of the promotion’s 2022 playoffs because of an undisclosed injury, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Cappelozza will be replaced by Matheus Scheffel in the semifinals against Denis Goltsov on

9:16 AM ET JULIANNA PEÑA IS one of the youngest members of a long line of Peña family members who are unbothered by judgment or criticism. Her father, Ernie, left a small agricultural village in Venezuela when he was 12 in search of better opportunities. He eventually emigrated to the U.S. through a scholarship program

10:45 AM ET The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) has passed a pair of MMA rule changes, including one that could make a major impact in fights. On Wednesday at its annual conference, the ABC approved a rule that would give fighters on the receiving end of an eye poke five minutes

7:13 AM ET KAI KARA-FRANCE WAS staying at the SO/Auckland hotel in New Zealand in the fall of 2020. The New Zealander had to quarantine there for two weeks after returning from UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. That was the reality for fighters from Australia and New Zealand for much

9:22 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Dana White’s Contender Series swaggered onto the scene five years ago dangling in front of fight fans a tantalizing promise. It was right there in the show’s name. This on-ramp for developing UFC talent wasn’t simply assuring MMA followers of an influx of new names for the prelims. No, the

6:24 PM ET LONDON — The UFC has hit a bad streak of luck as of late, with a second consecutive main event ruined on Saturday by freak injury. A highly anticipated heavyweight matchup between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall ended just 15 seconds into the first round, when Aspinall suffered a right knee injury.