MMA

6:37 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Friday’s PFL featherweight semifinal between Brendan Loughnane and Movlid Khaybulaev isn’t a $1 million fight, but it has a championship feeling to it. Loughnane is anxious to sweep his infamous appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, in which he won but didn’t close out the fight seeking a

3:34 PM ET The UFC is targeting a bantamweight matchup between Frankie Edgar and Marlon “Chito” Vera for UFC 268 on Nov. 6, multiple sources have told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but both sides have verbally agreed to the matchup. The pay-per-view event is expected to take place at New York’s Madison Square

Aug 27, 2021 Junior Tafa has been surrounded by UFC athletes throughout his combat sports career and he has at last been given a shot to put his own name up in lights via Dana White’s Contender Series. Tafa will be the second Australian to fight in the upcoming season when he enters the Octagon

7:50 AM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze is a genuine, well-deserved, undisputable fire emoji. When the UFC first announced this 145-pound pairing, fight nerds around the world rejoiced on social media. It features world-class technique, skill, athleticism and power. There can be only one dark horse in

4:08 PM ET CLEVELAND — Tensions were already high this week between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley, and on Thursday things boiled over. After the Paul vs. Woodley news conference at the Hilton, Woodley heard a member of Paul’s team talking trash to Woodley’s mother, Deborah, who was sitting in the crowd of media and

7:00 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith THE GOLF CART is already moving when the driver, Ben Askren, waves his hand for me to get in. The tour of the Funky Farms ranch has begun. It’s a wild, rocky ride over 11 acres of property 20 miles east of Milwaukee. Funky Farms is tucked into a suburban

7:33 AM ET The 29th season of The Ultimate Fighter will officially come to its conclusion on Saturday, at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Bantamweight finalists Ricky Turcios (10-2) and Brady Hiestand (5-1) and middleweight finalists Bryan Battle (5-1) and Gilbert Urbina (6-1) will square up with a guaranteed UFC contract on the line.

10:45 PM ET CLEVELAND — Jake Paul is taking aim at a former ally. The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter blasted UFC star Jorge Masvidal in a media scrum Wednesday following Paul’s workout here at Public Square and said he wants to fight him in the future. Paul takes on former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a boxing

2:03 PM ET CLEVELAND — Stipe Miocic just wanted a call, a nod that he was at least in the conversation. The most successful UFC heavyweight champion of all time told ESPN on Wednesday that the UFC never contacted him to offer an opportunity at the interim heavyweight title earlier this month. Instead, Ciryl Gane

8:02 AM ET It’s been 26 months since Brendan Loughnane fought in the UFC’s Contender Series in Las Vegas. But even two years later, that night continues to define his career. Loughnane (21-3) faces Movlid Khaybulaev (17-0-1) in a PFL featherweight semifinal on Friday in Hollywood, Florida. The 31-year-old is riding a seven-fight win streak

7:30 AM ET The future of the UFC’s middleweight division seemed a bit hazy beyond the presumed next title fight — a rematch between champion Israel Adesanya and the man he beat for that title, Robert Whittaker. But on Saturday, Jared Cannonier put himself at the top of the list to be the next man

1:47 AM ET Jared Cannonier has been in the UFC for six years, competing in three different weight divisions. He’s closer to 40 years old than 30. Yet, on Saturday night, the former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee put forth perhaps his most impressive performance in the Octagon. Cannonier bested Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision

6:30 PM ET Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images The UFC Fight Night main event between Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday night in Las Vegas is a pivotal one in the 185-pound division. The winner will remain a top contender, while the loser will slide down the rankings. ESPN has Cannonier ranked No.

10:32 PM ET CM Punk is back in professional wrestling. But not with WWE. After seven years away from the ring, Punk returned Friday night with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), appearing on its television show “Rampage” in his hometown of Chicago. The promotion announced Punk, one of the most popular stars in pro wrestling through

7:32 PM ET Saul Soliz, a mixed martial arts pioneer who trained some of the biggest names in the history of MMA and helped get the sport off the ground in Texas, died Tuesday morning due to complications from COVID-19, according to his wife, Toi. He was 55. Soliz, whom many have dubbed “The Godfather

7:30 AM ET It’s time for Jared Cannonier to show us who he is. Just 10 months ago, everything was laid out for Cannonier (13-5). He was 3-0 as a UFC middleweight, and the defending champion of his division, Israel Adesanya, was saying his name — instead of the other way around. Adesanya wanted to

6:22 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim As the PFL playoffs continue with semifinals in two weight classes on Thursday in Hollywood, Florida (live on ESPN+; 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+), the emerging narrative could be that a dominant champion remains in the driver’s seat. Or it could be that someone new is about to take the

11:58 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Kayla Harrison made it look easy once again on Thursday night, moving one final step away from her second straight $1 million championship in the PFL playoffs. The two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka remained undefeated in MMA with a first-round TKO of Genah Fabian in the women’s lightweight semifinal in