MMA

7:29 AM ET LAS VEGAS — It was Jan. 20, 2018, when Stipe Miocic outclassed Francis Ngannou to defend his UFC heavyweight title. The truth about that fight, however, was that Ngannou wasn’t ready to be a champion. Take nothing from Miocic, who was terrific that night in Boston, but Ngannou was so inexperienced, so

8:56 PM ET Boxing great Antonio Tarver is out of a scheduled matchup with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Tarver was set to meet Mir on the undercard of the boxing event headlined by Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren on April 17 in Atlanta. But Tarver, 50, did not meet the requirements to compete

7:50 AM ET Francis Ngannou, Tyron Woodley and Sean O’Malley all will be looking for redemption Saturday at UFC 260, for reasons varying from avenging a title fight loss to possibly having to hang onto a roster spot. Ngannou faces heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic in the main event, trying to avenge a 2018 unanimous decision

1:12 PM ET A popular former UFC title challenger has her next fight booked. Cat Zingano will face Olivia Parker at Bellator 256 on April 9 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, officials told ESPN on Monday. The bout will be contested at featherweight and a win could set Zingano up for a title fight with

12:55 PM ET The One Championship roster of MMA fighters has added a top name to its list of elite grapplers. Gordon Ryan, a multiple-time grappling world champion considered to be among the greatest jiu-jitsu competitors, has signed with the Singapore-based fight promotion to make his pro debut in MMA and also compete in submission

8:06 AM ET LAS VEGAS — It was early 2017, and UFC president Dana White was giving a tour of the promotion’s headquarters to Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, whose entertainment and media agency had recently purchased the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa. While walking down a second-floor hallway, the Hollywood agent turned and looked out an

1:16 AM ET There were many possible ways for the main event at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Holland to play out. The veteran — don’t call him a gatekeeper — Derek Brunson was placed in the Octagon once again to stop the rise of a star in the making. Kevin Holland, known for his

1:24 AM ET Kevin Holland talked to opponent Derek Brunson while the two were on the ground. He chatted with referee Herb Dean several times during the fight. And Holland even had a full-blown conversation in between rounds with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was watching from cageside. But while Holland was yucking it up

9:13 PM ET Alexander Volkanovski is out of his featherweight title defense against Brian Ortega at UFC 260 because of promotion COVID-19 protocols, the UFC announced Saturday night on the UFC Fight Night broadcast. Volkanovski vs. Ortega was scheduled for the co-main event March 27 in Las Vegas. Volkanovski, a native of Australia, had already

11:02 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a bantamweight main event between former champion Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font in May, multiple sources told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but the 135-pound bout will headline UFC Fight Night on May 22 once finalized. The UFC has not announced an official venue for the event.

2:21 PM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night co-main event featuring lightweights Gregor Gillespie and Brad Riddell is off due to COVID-19 protocols, the promotion announced Saturday morning. The event will continue on with 10 fights. The plan is to reschedule the lightweight bout between Gillespie and Riddell to a later date. 1 Related The Song

11:28 PM ET Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw will return to action May 8 against rising contender Cory Sandhagen, sources said. The UFC is finalizing a five-round bout between Dillashaw and Sandhagen to headline UFC Fight Night. Contracts have not been signed; however, both sides have agreed to the matchup. The UFC has not

2:59 PM ET Many fighters and fans woke up on Thursday morning to a number of major UFC announcements. Khabib Nurmagomedov was finally deemed officially retired by the UFC and his lightweight title would be up for grabs between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. It was also revealed that TJ Dillashaw would be returning from

1:31 PM ET A UFC fighter stumbled and fell attempting to weigh in Friday morning, prompting the cancellation of her bout. Julija Stoliarenko, a women’s bantamweight fighter, collapsed twice attempting to make weight for her scheduled UFC Fight Night bout Saturday with Julia Avila in Las Vegas. The bout has been canceled due to weight-cutting

7:55 AM ET UFC middleweight Kevin Holland broke out in 2020 and has a chance to break out again in 2021 — if that’s even possible. Holland (21-5) will headline his first UFC event on Saturday when he takes on Derek Brunson (21-7) at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The main card airs on

12:00 AM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, is officially retired, and even UFC president Dana White is ready to move on. White told ESPN on Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov met in Las Vegas, and the undefeated lightweight champion reiterated he does not intend to fight again. As

2:23 PM ET Junior dos Santos is no longer on the UFC roster and now he is challenging the loss that ultimately led to his release. The former UFC heavyweight champion’s team filed an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Wednesday over his second-round TKO loss to Cyril Gane at UFC 256

11:26 AM ET Retired two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo is not committed to a return to competition, but says there is one name that would entice him to come back more than any other: Max Holloway. Cejudo (16-2) shocked the mixed martial arts world when he announced his retirement last May, following a 135-pound title