MMA

9:35 PM ET Jamahal Hill‘s nickname is “Sweet Dreams.” It’s not because of his propensity for singing lullabies. The top light heavyweight prospect put another highlight-reel finish on his résumé Saturday night after putting Johnny Walker to sleep with a knockout punch at 2:55 of the first round in the main event of UFC Fight

9:00 AM ET They are two of the most exciting words in mixed martial arts: Fresh blood. Like in any sport, it’s not unusual for the same handful of names to dominate the top of a division in MMA. The best are the best, and usually they’re the best for a decent amount of time.

11:42 AM ET A highly anticipated featherweight title rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire has been booked for April 15, Bellator officials announced Wednesday. The 145-pound championship bout will headline Bellator 277 at SAP Center in San Jose, California. Additionally, that event will feature a light heavyweight title fight between defending champion Vadim

8:38 PM ET UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush has been forced out of a main event slot against Islam Makhachev on Feb. 26 due to injury, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Dariush (21-4-1) was scheduled to face Makhachev (21-1) in a 155-pound bout that might have produced a future title challenger, but withdrew Tuesday after

7:30 AM ET Israel Adesanya showed he belongs among the top pound-for-pound fighters in MMA when he defended his UFC middleweight championship against a fellow top-10 fighter, ex-champ Robert Whittaker, and won a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 271. The problem for Adesanya, who was No. 2 in the ESPN rankings going

6:32 PM ET A pair of interesting bouts have been added to Eagle FC’s return to the United States. Former UFC title challenger Ray Borg will take on Ricky Bandejas in a bantamweight bout and Rizvan Kuniev will defend his heavyweight title against UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton at Eagle FC 46 on March 11 in

8:42 PM ET COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Kayla Harrison says she does not yet know where she’ll end up fighting this year, but she’s leaving her options open. And those options are broader than expected. The former two-time Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight champion told ESPN on Monday that she is “considering” a future move

8:03 AM ET UFC 271 culminated with Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight title in convincing fashion with a second victory over Robert Whittaker. Rising stars Jared Cannonier and Tai Tuivasa both earned major victories in Houston as well, and set themselves up for major fights and potential title shots late this year. Thus far, 2022

2:37 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Now that Israel Adesanya has nudged Robert Whittaker out of his path, the UFC middleweight champion can set his sights on his ultimate destination: surpassing Anderson Silva. Adesanya, the Nigeria-born New Zealander’s tight but unanimous decision victory over Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271 on Saturday night in

1:26 AM ET Israel Adesanya continued his dominance over the UFC’s middleweight division with another convincing win over Robert Whittaker in Houston, Texas at UFC 271. Adesanya stifled Whittaker’s offense in the rematch affair to earn his fourth successful title defense. With Whittaker finally removed from the title picture, who will get the next shot

12:56 AM ET HOUSTON — Israel Adesanya was the story all week. His new, lucrative contract with the UFC. His teammates from City Kickboxing fighting on the same card. His current future stardom. It felt like no one here was talking about Robert Whittaker, the challenger and former champ who talks no trash and draws

8:35 PM ET HOUSTON — Israel Adesanya wore a gold chain around his neck Thursday at the UFC 271 news conference. Hanging from the chain was a medallion with a digital screen showing an NFT video of Adesanya’s knockout of Robert Whittaker on a loop. A day earlier, Adesanya admitted he changed his hair to

3:59 PM ET A scheduled upcoming UFC Fight Night main event will be repurposed on the promotion’s next pay-per-view card. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will now take on Rafael Fiziev in the lightweight co-main event of UFC 272 on March 5 in Las Vegas, sources confirmed Friday with ESPN. Dos Anjos vs.

10:24 AM ET HOUSTON — One of the most anticipated rematches in UFC middleweight history is now official. Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker both weighed 184 pounds Friday morning for their title fight Saturday night. Adesanya will defend his belt against Whittaker, the former champ, in the main event of UFC 271 here at Toyota

7:50 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Anderson Silva stands alone among middleweights in the history of mixed martial arts. You can carve that into granite. If one were to mimic the sculptural design of Mount Rushmore,

10:56 PM ET The UFC’s first Fight Night card on the road since 2020 has its new main event. Curtis Blaydes will meet Chris Daukaus in the heavyweight contender headliner of UFC Columbus on March 26 in Ohio, sources confirmed Thursday with ESPN. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was the first to report the news. ESPN

10:37 AM ET Yoel Romero will look to pick up his first Bellator win when he takes on MMA veteran Melvin Manhoef in the co-main event on May 6 in Paris, the promotion announced Thursday. The bout will be contested at light heavyweight. Romero is a former UFC title challenger. The main event will feature

8:36 PM ET Just over two months out from his rematch with Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker is pounding away on the pads during a striking session at his sprawling new gym in Sydney’s south western suburbs. With the mercury already nudging 30 degrees Celsius outside, a gigantic ceiling fan is doing its best to disperse