2:31 PM ET The UFC has added an accomplished name to its heavyweight division. Philipe Lins, the former PFL champion, has signed a deal with the promotion and he will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC Oklahoma City on May 2, sources confirmed with ESPN. The Oklahoman was first to report the
MMA
9:00 AM ET This weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Auckland will mark the company’s third trip to New Zealand, but this one undoubtedly has a different feel than the previous two. The UFC visited Auckland in 2014 and 2017. New Zealand native James Te Huna headlined the inaugural card. Another Kiwi, heavyweight Mark Hunt, headlined
1:29 AM ET Dan Hooker and Paul Felder wasted no time making their main-event fight official. Hooker and Felder were the first and second fighters on the scale, respectively, at the UFC Auckland official weigh-ins Friday. Both made weight for their pivotal lightweight matchup, which acts as the card’s headliner. Hooker came in at 156
5:42 PM ET An intriguing middleweight bout is getting uprooted and placed on a new card. The bout between top prospect Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson will be moving from UFC 248 to UFC Portland, UFC officials confirmed with ESPN on Thursday. Shahbazyan had tweeted about a potential relocation earlier in the day. UFC Portland
3:33 PM ET Brazilian light heavyweights Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will meet for the third time at UFC 250 on May 9 in Brazil, UFC president Dana White told ESPN. The UFC 250 pay-per-view is scheduled to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, inside Ginasio do Ibirapuera. The UFC has not yet
12:25 PM ET The UFC is targeting a middleweight bout between former champion Chris Weidman and Jack Hermansson to headline UFC Fight Night on May 2, multiple sources told ESPN. Bout agreements have not been signed, but the UFC is working on finalizing the fight, sources said. The UFC Fight Night event is scheduled to
7:12 AM ET IT WAS LATE summer 2009, and Paul Felder was at a party with his theater friends. Felder had graduated from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts the previous year, and he was revealing his new passion in life. It wasn’t what they were expecting. “They were like, ‘Wow, that was insane. That was
10:50 PM ET AUCKLAND, New Zealand — UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski laughed off Henry Cejudo‘s comments about a potential title showdown, saying Wednesday he would “squash” the current bantamweight title holder. Cejudo (15-2) last week called out Brazilian veteran Jose Aldo and Volkanovski as the fighters on his wish list for 2020, despite the
12:05 PM ET Tyrell Fortune Undefeated MMA heavyweight Tyrell Fortune faces the stiffest test of his career on Friday, when he meets 10-year veteran Timothy Johnson at Bellator 239 in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Fortune, 29, is one of Bellator’s most promising prospects. A former NCAA Division II national champion wrestler at Grand Canyon University, Fortune (8-0)
12:05 PM ET Tyrell Fortune Undefeated MMA heavyweight Tyrell Fortune faces the stiffest test of his career on Friday, when he meets 10-year veteran Timothy Johnson at Bellator 239 in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Fortune, 29, is one of Bellator’s most promising prospects. A former NCAA Division II national champion wrestler at Grand Canyon University, Fortune (8-0)
7:40 AM ET Conor McGregor vs. Diego Sanchez. When McGregor tweeted that Saturday night during the UFC Rio Rancho card, I could feel a collective groan from the MMA community. “Oh, there he goes talking about nonsense fights again,” is what I imagined most people were thinking. Does he really want to fight Sanchez next?
5:36 PM ET The top mixed martial arts promotion in Asia will run its next major event with no fans in attendance. ONE Championship fighters competing at ONE: King of the Jungle on Feb. 28 in Singapore will do so in an empty arena, company CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced Monday on Facebook. The decision is
3:04 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Jan Blachowicz believes he earned a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship with his first-round knockout of fellow top-10 contender Corey Anderson over the weekend. On Monday, he told ESPN he will accept no other fight until he gets his hands on champion Jon Jones. Blachowicz (26-8), No. 6
10:43 AM ET Much of the sports world will focus its attention on Las Vegas on Saturday night for a heavyweight boxing rematch between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Both fighters are undefeated, with their first bout ending in a draw in December 2018. Fury will join Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday to discuss
9:46 AM ET Aljamain Sterling made his intentions known for the near future. While the UFC bantamweight contender said he’s aiming for a return to the Octagon in May or June as he recovers from two wrist surgeries, he has his sights set on stopping “the boogeyman.” That would be Petr Yan, who seems to
6:27 PM ET Aljamain Sterling made his intentions known for the near future. While the UFC bantamweight contender said he’s aiming for a return to the Octagon in May or June as he recovers from two wrist surgeries, he has his sights set on stopping “the boogeyman.” That would be Petr Yan, who seems to
12:34 AM ET Polish light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz needed a signature win at UFC Fight Night on Saturday inside the Santa Ana Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and he ended up getting it in the form of a devastating first-round knockout of Corey Anderson. The win improved Blachowicz’s UFC record to 9-5, and not
8:37 AM ET Polish light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz needed a signature win at UFC Fight Night on Saturday inside the Santa Ana Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and he ended up getting it in the form of a devastating first-round knockout of Corey Anderson. The win improved Blachowicz’s UFC record to 9-5, and not