MMA

Jun 10, 2024, 10:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions After a sold-out UFC Fight Night in Louisville, Kentucky, the UFC looks ahead to what could be the biggest fight card of the year later this month as Conor McGregor is set to make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler in the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 9, 2024, 04:03 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Kai Asakura has vacated his 135-pound Rizin championship to sign an exclusive deal with the UFC, the Japanese bantamweight announced Sunday. Asakura (21-4) broke the news during

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 8, 2024, 11:34 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Nassourdine Imavov earned the biggest win of his UFC career on Saturday, defeating former title challenger Jared Cannonier by TKO in the fourth round. Imavov (14-4) finished

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 5, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dustin Poirier is still deciding whether he will continue his MMA career following his fifth-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. But given his list of injuries suffered in a grueling lightweight championship fight, it appears that he’ll be spending a decent

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 4, 2024, 11:11 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will headline the UFC’s return to Denver on July 13 when she faces Maycee Barber in a flyweight fight with championship implications. UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday the two will clash at Ball Arena for

Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterJun 5, 2024, 02:58 AM ET Close Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He has been with ESPN for 10 years and works as a Senior Writer, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Open Extended Reactions

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 3, 2024, 11:00 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions It was an important and emotional experience for the UFC’s lightweight division in Newark, New Jersey, this past weekend. Islam Makhachev defended the 155-pound throne against Dustin

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 3, 2024, 05:50 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are set to fight on June 29. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images The UFC announced on Monday it had postponed a news

Andreas Hale Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Jun 2, 2024, 03:03 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 12-fight UFC 302 card in Newark, New Jersey, was headlined by a riveting title fight performance from Islam Makhachev and Dustin

Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 2, 2024, 01:12 AM ET Open Extended Reactions NEWARK, N.J. — Dustin Poirier is widely recognized as the greatest UFC fighter to never hold undisputed championship gold, and Islam Makhachev made sure that remained true Saturday night, submitting him in the fifth round to retain the lightweight title during UFC 302 at

Jun 1, 2024, 05:50 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight championship against third-time title challenger Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302 on Saturday, June 1, in Newark, New Jersey. In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland will look to get back on the title track

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 30, 2024, 07:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions IN ‘FIGHTVILLE,’ THE documentary about the Louisiana MMA scene filmed in 2009, a then-20-year-old Dustin Poirier stares into the camera and states in no uncertain terms that he will be the best 155-pound fighter in the world. For a high school dropout from Lafayette,

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 29, 2024, 02:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jack Della Maddalena looked forward to competing in his hometown of Perth, Australia, at UFC 305. Unfortunately, complications from arm surgery stemming from an injury suffered at UFC 299 will prevent him from competing on the card on Aug. 17 at the RAC Arena.

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 29, 2024, 11:44 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Nick Diaz, one of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts history, will return to the UFC in August. Diaz (26-10) will face Vicente Luque (22-10-1)

May 29, 2024, 11:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions After what may have been the biggest season in the history of “The Ultimate Fighter” — as Conor McGregor, MMA’s biggest star, made his second run as a coach — the show is back for Season 32 in June. TUF was instrumental in the UFC’s explosion

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNMay 28, 2024, 07:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A little over a month ago, fans witnessed one of the most dynamic fight cards in the history of mixed martial arts. That festive night was a hard act to follow, so it’s fair to say the sport has been experiencing a bit of

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 24, 2024, 05:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 303 has added another marquee fight. A welterweight showdown between the undefeated Ian Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Michael “Venom” Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was announced Friday by UFC president Dana White. Garry, 26, is the UFC’s No. 7-ranked welterweight and

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 23, 2024, 04:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The PFL has released former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi just one day after the fighter criticized the promotion as “the worst organization” in an interview. “Bellator has released Gegard Mousasi from his agreement,” PFL head of fighter operations Mike Kogan said in a