MMA

7:20 AM ET After a year in which UFC legends retired, unretired, threatened retirement and changed weight classes, what can MMA fans expect in 2021? Three titles changed hands in 2020, but each of those were in fights for vacant championships. In other words, defending world champions showed why they were the ones wearing the

8:37 PM ET UFC fighter Irwin Rivera was arrested Thursday on two counts of attempted murder, according to an incident report obtained by ESPN. He was booked just after Noon local time after being apprehended by the Boynton Beach Police Department and is being held without bail, per online jail records. Boynton Beach Police Department

7:11 PM ET UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan will seek the first defense of his 135-pound title when he meets Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 on March 6, sources confirmed to ESPN. Both sides have agreed to the matchup, which was originally scheduled for UFC 256 on Dec. 12, but Yan was forced to withdraw

4:24 PM ET Remember how exciting the beginning of 2020 felt? The return of Conor McGregor? The buzz in Las Vegas reminiscent of his early rise in the UFC? What a way to start a new decade. Heck, the first quarter of 2020 was phenomenal too. We got a classic from Jon Jones and Dominick

7:15 AM ET Every time Conor McGregor fights, he creates a buzz that no other UFC fighter can come close to reaching. And as he prepares for his UFC 257 main event on Jan. 23 against Dustin Poirier, part of that buzz is centered around how strong McGregor has looked in some of his social

6:29 PM ET Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis has a new date. The heavyweight fight, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 28, will headline the UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 20, according to sources. The fight was canceled on Nov. 27 after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. Blaydes vs. Lewis could produce the next

11:59 AM ET The UFC is returning to network television. The UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar main card will air Jan. 16 on ABC, ESPN announced Monday. Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar will headline the event in a pivotal 145-pound contender clash from Abu Dhabi. The main card on ABC

8:31 PM ET The highly anticipated UFC welterweight title bout between champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns appears set to headline UFC 258 on Feb. 13. This is the third time the promotion has booked this fight. The UFC had to cancel their bout at UFC 251 in July after Burns tested positive for COVID-19.

5:44 PM ET UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will defend his 170-pound title against former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 258 in February, according to multiple sources. Contracts have not been signed yet, but both sides have agreed to the five-round bout. UFC 258 takes place on Feb. 13. The promotion

7:36 AM ET I always love the sense of optimism heading into a new year, but this is a whole new feeling going into 2021. MMA found a way to keep the show going in 2020 and we’re thankful for that, but let’s not kid ourselves: We are all looking forward to what will hopefully

5:45 PM ET Former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Michael Chandler will finally make his UFC debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 on Jan. 23, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN. The 155-pound fight will serve as the co-main event on the pay-per-view card, which is headlined by a lightweight rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin

3:23 PM ET Two of the best, young prospects in the UFC’s light heavyweight division have agreed to square off in early 2021. The UFC has booked a 205-pound contest between Australia’s Jimmy Crute (12-1) and Brazil’s Johnny Walker (18-5) for an unannounced card on March 27, sources told ESPN on Saturday. The location has

9:04 AM ET Conor McGregor‘s 2020 fell well short of his expectations. He had planned to fight at least three times, with one of those being a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship. Instead, McGregor fought for a total of 40 seconds, which was how long he needed to beat the fading

10:25 PM ET UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has long targeted 2021 as the year he would move up and try to become a double champion, but the plan was always to challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title. But with Jones pursuing his first heavyweight bout, Adesanya will instead take on Jan Blachowicz

1:37 PM ET A high-profile middleweight tilt between 2020 breakout Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson will headline UFC Fight Night on March 20, sources told ESPN. Contracts have not yet been signed, but both sides have agreed to the five-round headliner. The UFC has not yet announced a location for the event. Holland (21-5) is

9:23 PM ET UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will attempt to become a two-weight champion on March 6, when he moves up in weight to challenge light heavyweight title-holder Jan Blachowicz. UFC president Dana White broke the news to ESPN on Wednesday. The 205-pound title fight will take place at UFC 259. The promotion has

9:00 AM ET Mike Brown had a decision to make. In early November, the Japanese government announced that select noncitizens could enter the country for business purposes if they quarantined for two weeks before mixing with the general population. That meant Brown, one of American Top Team’s main coaches, would be able to corner one

7:19 AM ET Canceled cards, fights that never materialized and careers put on hold punctuated what UFC president Dana White described as his most challenging year. And while White was able to navigate the UFC through the pandemic with surprising success, several of his fighters will be looking at 2021 as a chance to put