MMA

10:05 AM ET The main event of the UFC’s first pay-per-view card in southeast Asia is official. Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka both weighed in successfully Friday for their light heavyweight title fight, each coming in at 205 pounds. Teixeira will defend his belt against Prochazka in the UFC 275 headliner Saturday in Singapore. ESPN

8:13 PM ET Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has put together one of the most unique fight bookings of the year. Bellator star Michael “Venom” Page will take on former UFC veteran Mike Perry at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 27 on Aug. 20 in London, the promotion announced Thursday. Page, a karate specialist, will remain with

1:25 PM ET He may only be one fight into his UFC career proper, but Jack Della Maddalena says he is ready to emerge as the next star MMA athlete from Oceania and follow the path being forged by Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. Della Maddalena gets his first taste of a UFC

8:04 AM ET JIRI PROCHAZKA PUT his arms at his side and curled his lanky, 6-foot-4 frame into a bow. In front of him was a Shinto priest, wearing a white robe and traditional black cap, called a tate-eboshi. It was October 2019, just days after Prochazka had knocked out Fabio Maldonado on a Rizin

7:03 PM ET Two of the best bantamweights in the world will face off this summer. A bout between former champion Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera is being targeted for a UFC Fight Night headliner, UFC president Dana White confirmed Tuesday to Barstool Sports. The bout is scheduled for Aug. 13, and White said the

9:17 AM ET Kelsey Puckett LAS VEGAS — It’s Dec. 28, 2020, and UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is invited to a Roaring ’20s-themed party to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Kyrgyzstan. “I’m like, oh my god, it’s three days before the New Year and I don’t have a dress,” Shevchenko recalled to ESPN two

9:04 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN We often hear fighters say that it’s the punch you don’t see coming that knocks you out. It makes sense. Fighters train for months ahead of a bout to tune up their skills and prepare for their opponent’s tendencies. So when something unexpected comes flying in, it can be a

6:52 PM ET Alexander Volkov landed a big straight hand, then another. He followed with a massive left hook that sent Jairzinho Rozenstruik‘s mouthpiece flying from his jaw to the Octagon canvas. Volkov kept pumping that long punching combination until referee Herb Dean put a stop to things. The TKO finish for the 6-foot-7 heavyweight

1:31 PM ET Demetrious Johnson gets a chance at revenge — and a second opportunity for gold — this summer. Johnson, one of the best MMA fighters of all time, will have a rematch with Adriano Moraes for the ONE Championship 135-pound title Aug. 27 in Singapore, the promotion announced Friday. Moraes knocked out Johnson

May 31, 2022 Less than 2½ years ago, Jairzinho Rozenstruik was an undefeated UFC heavyweight on the rise. At that same time, Alexander Volkov was on a hot run during which he won seven of eight fights. Since then, both have lost several bouts against the division’s top contenders. They each are coming off a

9:51 AM ET Two-time defending PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will face the toughest challenge of her career when she takes on former Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd in the main event of PFL 6 on July 1 in Atlanta, officials told ESPN on Wednesday. In the co-main event, former Bellator welterweight champion

1:03 PM ET UFC’s first trip to France has added a major middleweight bout, as former champion Robert Whittaker will take on Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris on Sept. 3, the promotion announced Tuesday. This bout was originally scheduled for UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore but was postponed due to a Whittaker injury.

9:00 AM ET One of the most anticipated fights — and the one most often asked about — continues to be Conor McGregor’s next match. McGregor has been adamant that he will return from his broken left leg in 2022. But as the months go by, that seems up in the air. And then there’s

8:00 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN “If I was in my 20s, man, I would be all over this.” That’s Randy Couture speaking about the PFL and its season format, in which fighters must compete four times over six months to earn a $1 million prize. Couture is not in his 20s though. He’s a 58-year-old

9:39 AM ET Bruno Cappelozza is arguably PFL’s most fearsome fighter. And he’ll get his second straight headlining nod next month. Cappelozza, PFL’s defending heavyweight champion, will meet Matheus Scheffel in the main event of PFL 5 on June 24 in Atlanta, officials told ESPN. Cappelozza is currently in third place (six points) in the

5:47 PM ET Two of the most exciting featherweight fighters in the world will meet this summer. Multiple-time former title challenger Brian Ortega takes on Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight Night on July 16 on Long Island in New York, the UFC announced Thursday. It will be the UFC’s first visit

8:00 AM ET Reed Kuhn Close Special to ESPN.com Reed Kuhn is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and strategy and analytics consultant. He is the author of “Fightnomics: The Hidden Numbers and Science in Mixed Martial Arts,” the first book to quantify drivers and performance metrics in combat sports. Ian Parker The summer is filling up

8:00 AM ET As we gear up for this UFC main event on Saturday between … between … hold up. Am I seeing this right? No UFC this weekend? For the first time since April 2, the UFC does not have an event this week. That won’t be the case again for a while, as