MMA

1:28 PM ET An important heavyweight bout between knockout king Derrick Lewis and the surging Sergei Pavlovich is targeted for a UFC card on July 30, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The UFC has yet to announce an event on that date, but the expectation is that it will be the UFC 277 pay-per-view event,

7:41 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Tyson Fury is the greatest heavyweight in the world. Francis Ngannou is the greatest heavyweight in the world. Those two superlatives can both be true at the same time. And there’s little chance that a boxing match between the two big men would settle anything. So why did Fury, moments

9:19 PM ET The UFC has been looking to put together a highly anticipated interim heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic in a blockbuster pay-per-view main event that would match the best light heavyweight and the best heavyweight in UFC history. However, when the fight will happen — or even if it

3:55 PM ET TJ Dillashaw intends to reclaim the UFC’s bantamweight championship in 2022 — and he does not think it will be tough to do so. In Jacksonville, Dillashaw (17-4) watched Aljamain Sterling defend the 135-pound title against Petr Yan at UFC 273 earlier this month. Speaking to ESPN on Monday, the former bantamweight

2:11 AM ET UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said he hopes to fight Tyson Fury in a crossover bout in 2023 and that there is a “70% chance” his next opponent will be the British boxer. WBC heavyweight champion Fury had suggested he would fight Ngannou when the pair spoke in the ring following the

7:53 AM ET Cris Cyborg cut John McCarthy off before he could even ask. It’s traditional in postfight, in-cage interviews for the broadcaster to ask the winning fighter what they want next. Like she has done to many opponents over the years, Cyborg beat McCarthy to the punch. “I’m just looking for the biggest fight,”

2:00 AM ET Arlene Blencowe, blood streaming down her face, pointed to the ground, signifying she wanted to finish Saturday night’s fight with Cris Cyborg in a wild exchange in the middle of the cage. A few years ago, Cyborg might have gotten roped into a brawl, like she did when she got knocked out

11:19 PM ET Welcome back to the strawweight division, Jessica Andrade. Andrade (23-9) submitted Amanda Lemos (11-2-1) via standing arm-triangle choke just 3:13 into their UFC Fight Night main event Saturday in Las Vegas. The early finish marked the first by standing arm-triangle choke in UFC history. It was also Andrade’s first appearance at 115

1:08 AM ET Liz Carmouche fought twice for a UFC title. In Strikeforce, she challenged for gold once. In each of those three opportunities, the women’s MMA pioneer came away emptyhanded. Carmouche was finally able to exorcise her championship demons Friday night. She rallied for a come-from-behind TKO victory at 4:47 of the fourth round

11:31 AM ET The UFC has announced it will stage an eight-man tournament across four men’s weight classes later this year, in the hope of signing new Asian talent. The “Road to the UFC” initiative will start on June 9 and June 10, and will take place at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The UFC is hosting

7:41 AM ET Cris Cyborg couldn’t help but smile as she heard her many accomplishments in MMA listed back to her. The Brazilian knockout artist has been a UFC champion, a Strikeforce champion and an Invicta FC champion. In 2020, she won the Bellator women’s featherweight title, making her the first fighter in mixed martial

6:28 PM ET Muhammad Mokaev, one of the UFC’s top prospects, has booked his second appearance in the Octagon. Mokaev, of Manchester, England, will meet Charles Johnson in a 125-pound contest on July 23 at a location to be determined, multiple sources told ESPN. The UFC has not officially announced an event on that date,

11:26 PM ET Robert Whittaker announced Wednesday night on social media that he is out of his scheduled UFC 275 fight against Marvin Vettori. Whittaker, the former UFC middleweight champion, wrote that he suffered an injury early in his training camp and won’t be healed in time for the bout, which was set for June

12:01 AM ET ARLINGTON, Texas — The 2022 PFL season is officially off and running. And for the second consecutive year, so is lightweight fan favorite Clay Collard. Collard (21-9) earned 3 points in the PFL lightweight standings on Wednesday, by defeating Jeremy Stephens (28-20) via unanimous decision. The 155-pound bout was incredibly entertaining, as

8:00 AM ET Ian ParkerESPN The Professional Fighters League makes its season debut on Wednesday night (6 ET on ESPN+) with some new faces and returning standouts. Lightweight Clay Collard will welcome Jeremy Stephens to the promotion in the main event. Eight lightweight fighters and 10 light heavyweights will be in action this week, highlighted

6:44 PM ET The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has suspended UFC fighter Miles Johns six months due to a positive drug test, NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen confirmed Tuesday with ESPN. Mullen said he could not reveal the name of the substance, but it was mentioned in a hearing Tuesday morning in Las Vegas

8:08 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim PFL officials speak of Kayla Harrison with reverence, as though watching her perform is the most exhilarating experience in all of MMA. Who can blame them? Harrison is 12-0 and has mauled everyone in her path to becoming a two-time champion in the PFL women’s lightweight division. She is by

3:17 PM ET Corey Anderson climbed up on the cage to celebrate. His family was going crazy in the stands. Anderson had become the Bellator light heavyweight champion, a tournament champ and the recipient of $1 million. And then, quickly, it all came crashing down Friday night at Bellator 277 in San Jose, California. Anderson