MMA

Jeff Wagenheim Dec 23, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The year of the champion. That’s what 2024 has been in the UFC. How so?There were 16 title fights this year, and in 11 of those, the defending champion walked out of the cage still holding onto the belt. That might not seem so

Dec 17, 2024, 05:10 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor has not fought since a 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirer. John Locher/AP Photo Conor McGregor has said he intends to delay his return to MMA and has “agreed” to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. McGregor, a former two-weight UFC champion, has

ESPN News Services Dec 16, 2024, 11:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Colby Covington on Monday decried the fact that his UFC bout against Joaquin Buckley on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, was stopped in the third round due to excessive bleeding from a cut above his right eye. “I was just getting warmed up in

Open Extended Reactions We saw possibly the greatest knockout in MMA history — authored boldly by one fighter with the unspoken cooperation of the other — punctuate a fight for the ages. Then there was the iconic KO and celebration that helped establish a stoic UFC champion as perhaps the sport’s most revered star. And

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 15, 2024, 01:51 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions There’s a new era of welterweights taking over the UFC, and Joaquin Buckley is undeniably one of them. Buckley (21-6) extended his winning streak to six Saturday

Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 14, 2024, 11:23 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will compete in his first nontitle fight since 2019 when he faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 1. Adesanya (24-4) is coming off

Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 13, 2024, 07:49 AM ET Open Extended Reactions By the time 2024 comes to a close, there will have been 716 events in the 31 years that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has existed. But only one fight card — unless UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, this Saturday pulls off a miracle

Dec 12, 2024, 07:51 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Joaquin Buckley looks to win his sixth consecutive fight as he takes on former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington in the main event at UFC Fight Night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+, with prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPN+). Buckley (20-6), ESPN’s No. 9 ranked

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 11, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Combat sports star Nate Diaz is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Las Vegas. According to TMZ, the charge stems from an August incident in which Diaz, 39, allegedly shoved

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 9, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC 310 cemented the legitimacy of a champion and established new title contenders in two divisions. In Saturday’s main event, Alexandre Pantoja made quick work of Kai

Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 8, 2024, 01:27 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended the flyweight champion by submitting promotional newcomer Kai Asakura in the second round of their UFC 310 main event showdown at T-Mobile Arena. Pantoja neutralized the former RIZIN bantamweight champion’s explosive striking by bringing the fight to

Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 7, 2024, 11:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A pair of title fights headline the UFC’s return to Sydney, Australia on Feb. 8. Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight championship in a rematch with Sean Strickland while Zhang Weili puts her strawweight title on the line against Tatiana Suarez at UFC

Dec 8, 2024, 02:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 14-fight card at UFC 310 in Las Vegas was headlined by a unique flyweight title fight between UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja and former two-time RIZIN champion Kai Asakura. In the co-main event, Shavkat Rakhmonov earned his title shot against Belal Muhammad with his win over

ESPN Staff Dec 7, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC men’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja goes for his third title defense, as he takes on former two-time Rizin bantamweight champion Kai Asakura in the main event at UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pantoja, who beat Brandon Moreno at UFC 290

Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 6, 2024, 09:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dakota Ditcheva, who has been discussed as the best women’s fighter in the world to not compete in the UFC following her dominant PFL title win last week, revealed Friday that the UFC has made a play to acquire her through a potential trade.

Jeff Wagenheim Dec 6, 2024, 07:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC 310 main event is a mystery story, one that will play out in a narrative genre that’s not so much whodunit as who-is-it. Saturday’s fight pits a low-profile champion from a lower-profile weight class, men’s flyweight Alexandre Pantoja, against a challenger many

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 5, 2024, 06:54 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor, who was recently found liable in a sexual assault case in Ireland, was ordered by a Dublin judge on Thursday to cover the complainant’s legal

Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 4, 2024, 08:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Islam Makhachev will look to defend his belt and teammate Umar Nurmagomedov will challenge for a world title in the first UFC pay-per-view card of 2025. Makhachev, the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, will put his lightweight title on the line against the No.