MMA

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 10, 2024, 07:57 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It would be lazy to simplify Derrick Lewis‘ journey to the UFC as the clichéd tale of the Black kid who had to fight his way out of the impoverished confines of New Orleans to escape the fate of incarceration or an early grave.

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auMay 9, 2024, 07:24 PM ET Close Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage. Open Extended

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 9, 2024, 05:25 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has made it clear that he wants to face former champion Stipe Miocic next and has dismissed a unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall. “I’m in the middle of a pretty clear decision,” Jones said on X. “Stick

Ryan HockensmithMay 9, 2024, 01:01 PM ET Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 8, 2024, 01:12 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is willing to do whatever it takes to land a fight with Conor McGregor in what could be one of the biggest fights in UFC history. O’Malley appeared on Bradley Martyn’s “Raw Talk” podcast and revealed that he would

Mike Coppinger, ESPNMay 7, 2024, 09:06 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced Tuesday the signing of a “strategic agreement” between Riyadh Season and the UFC that extends their partnership. Alalshikh told ESPN there are plans to stage a major UFC event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 6, 2024, 11:24 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC has rebooked a bantamweight matchup between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov for its next trip to Abu Dhabi. The 135-pound bout will headline UFC Fight

May 6, 2024, 07:20 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 301 came and went, leaving us with some special moments and memories, including Alexandre Pantoja‘s impressive title defense and Jose Aldo returning to the UFC as the “King of Rio.” Now it’s time to look ahead to the biggest questions heading into the summer, including

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 5, 2024, 01:31 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Alexandre Pantoja turned back a formidable challenge from Steve Erceg to earn a unanimous decision and retain the UFC flyweight championship in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday night. Fighting in front of his fellow countrymen at the Farmasi Arena in Rio

May 5, 2024, 02:03 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 301 was an action-packed affair, with the 13-fight card in Rio de Janeiro delivering an epic flyweight title bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg. Jose Aldo returned to the UFC after a two-year hiatus and reminded fight fans why he’s one of the best

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 4, 2024, 11:03 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC will induct Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, one of the most lethal knockout artists of all time, into its Hall of Fame later this year. Rua, of

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 4, 2024, 01:14 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC welterweight Matt Brown is retiring from mixed martial arts after nearly 19 years in the sport and 30 Octagon appearances. Brown, who turned 43 in January, announced his departure from the sport on X. “Not doing it again. I’m out,” said Brown. “That’s

May 4, 2024, 05:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight championship against Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday, May 4, in Rio de Janeiro. The main card at Farmasi Arena will be on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN and

Andreas Hale, ESPNMay 3, 2024, 07:53 AM ET Open Extended Reactions “Who is this guy?” When it was announced that Steve Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) would challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the men’s flyweight championship at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, the overwhelming number of comments on social media were similar to the aforementioned

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 1, 2024, 01:32 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions SCOTT MORTON HAS been watching Anthony Smith fight for the last 17 years, but on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas, he was certain that he never wanted

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 29, 2024, 05:58 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC heavyweight champion and professional boxer Francis Ngannou publicly mourned the death of his 15-month-old son on Monday. Ngannou, 37, wrote a tribute to his son, Kobe, on all

Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Andreas Hale Apr 29, 2024, 09:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC heads back to Brazil on Saturday night to follow up on the wildly successful UFC 300 card. Although UFC 301

Andreas Hale, ESPNApr 28, 2024, 01:20 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor‘s empire is expanding. The former two-division UFC champion is now a part-owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, he announced during the BKFC KnuckleMania 4 card Saturday night. “‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor here,” McGregor said in a video that aired before the evening’s