MMA

11:44 AM ET For years, Khabib Nurmagomedov looked at Tony Ferguson as perhaps his greatest challenge in the UFC’s lightweight division. Those days, however, have come to an end. Nurmagomedov (28-0) will defend his 155-pound championship against Justin Gaethje (22-2) at UFC 254 on Oct. 24 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. He was scheduled to

12:45 PM ET Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was the first UFC fighter to be pulled from a bout due to coronavirus back in May. Now, he will make his Octagon return. Souza, a perennial contender, will meet surging middleweight Marvin Vettori at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, sources told ESPN. No location has been officially set

7:57 PM ET Never say never in combat sports, but it appears Khabib Nurmagomedov is done with Conor McGregor. In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Nurmagomedov confirmed he nixed any plans of a reboot of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in 2021, which would have featured McGregor and him as opposing coaches. UFC president Dana

10:16 AM ET The UFC isn’t lacking intriguing main events for its remaining 2020 schedule. One of those, however, the Kamaru Usman–Gilbert Burns welterweight title fight, was recently postponed, and the UFC 256 card on Dec. 12 needs a new main event. Will the UFC turn to one of its most highly anticipated matchups —

7:44 PM ET Joaquin Buckley delivered a knockout that MMA fans won’t soon forget on Saturday. Buckley, who faced Impa Kasanganay in a middleweight bout on Yas Island — dubbed “Fight Island” by the UFC — finished it in the second round in unique fashion. Buckley threw a left high kick that Kasanganay caught with

11:46 PM ET It seemed as if Cory Sandhagen could sense that a finish was coming. The ESPN+ broadcast picked up Sandhagen shouting to his corner, “His orbital’s broke” in the second round of his fight with Marlon Moraes on Saturday. Moments later, wham! A spinning wheel kick from Sandhagen landed on the top of

4:42 PM ET The UFC bantamweight contender picture will gain some clarity Saturday night. Marlon Moraes meets Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The card will take place at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, which the UFC has dubbed “Fight Island,” the promotion’s international

10:40 PM ET Cory Sandhagen, like many other UFC fighters, wasn’t able to go to his gym early this year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the bantamweight contender was home, working striking techniques on an inanimate “body opponent bag.” One of the techniques he drilled ended up paying dividends at

7:00 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Bellator MMA made history in Paris on Saturday, but many of the local fans at Accor Arena went home disappointed. Timothy Johnson eked out a split-decision victory over Paris-born veteran heavyweight Cheick Kongo in the main event of the first major mixed martial arts card ever held in France. France,

11:55 PM ET Brian Ortega‘s most-tenured coach won’t be able to corner him for a huge fight next week. Rener Gracie, the well-known Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach and member of the world-renowned Gracie family, tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and was unable to make the trip with Ortega to Abu Dhabi, Gracie announced Friday night

2:10 PM ET Two of the best grapplers in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division will meet in December. Top prospect Mackenzie Dern and former Invicta FC champion Virna Jandiroba have verbally agreed to fight each other at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, sources confirmed to ESPN. No location has been made official yet for that

7:50 PM ET A story about former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones hiding under the cage at his gym years ago to avoid taking a drug test has been part of MMA lore for years. But it had never been verified, often chalked up to trash talk from an opponent, a tall tale that

8:19 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim You might not think so while watching a particularly brutal fight, but MMA is a pretty forgiving sport. Barely 16 months ago, Marlon Moraes was knocked out by Henry Cejudo in his bid to become UFC men’s bantamweight champion. Moraes later suffered a different sort of indignity, defeating Jose Aldo

1:22 PM ET Conor McGregor is closer to returning to the Octagon than he has been in months. McGregor said Thursday on Twitter that he “accepted the UFC offer” to fight against Dustin Poirier. Sources close to McGregor confirmed it as well. And while McGregor accepted the rematch against Poirier, whom he beat at UFC

9:58 PM ET UFC 254 is down one of its main-card matchups. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos announced Thursday on Twitter that he is out of his scheduled fight with Islam Makhachev because of a positive test for COVID-19. UFC 254 is set for Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi. “COVID19 caught me big

8:17 AM ET With a key matchup between UFC men’s bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes (23-6-1) and Cory Sandhagen (12-2) set to headline this weekend’s event on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, it feels like a good time to talk about one of the UFC’s most intriguing divisions. As far as the promotion’s

3:04 PM ET Georges St-Pierre is leaving the door slightly open for a return to UFC — and Khabib Nurmagomedov would be the only opponent he’d consider. The UFC legend told ESPN on Wednesday that he has “mixed feelings” about an Octagon comeback but would not completely rule it out. If it does happen, St-Pierre

6:04 PM ET Mark Raimondi One of the best comeback victories of the year in MMA is now null and void, at least in the official record books. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) overturned Trevin Jones‘ second-round TKO over Timur Valiev, making it a no-contest Wednesday following a Jones positive drug test for marijuana.