MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 14, 2024, 01:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Alex Pereira continued his run as one of UFC’s most dynamic big-fight athletes. Pereira has already won two championships at New York’s Madison Square Garden. And on Saturday, he knocked out former champ Jamahal Hill to retain the UFC

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 14, 2024, 02:25 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor‘s comeback fight is now official. UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday night that McGregor will fight Michael Chandler — long the planned matchup — in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNApr 14, 2024, 12:39 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The BMF title is not a real championship, but Max Holloway did the gimmick proud on Saturday night with an explosive last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. Holloway (26-7), a former featherweight champion competing at lightweight in this bout,

Apr 13, 2024, 05:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 300 is here. The greatest card ever assembled. Alex Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Jamahal Hill in the main event. This fight was the latest to be announced of a loaded card that includes 12 current and former UFC champions

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 11:51 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — On paper, the PFL’s light heavyweight division looked like its marquee weight class going into the 2024 season — and it certainly did not

Andreas Hale Apr 12, 2024, 03:51 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — After years of criticism regarding eye pokes and hand breaks, the UFC is introducing a new glove for its fighters that is set to debut at UFC 302 on June 1 in Newark, New Jersey. At a presentation after the official

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2024, 07:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions MAX HOLLOWAY AND his coaches needed a place to work out in Denver during UFC 150 fight week. It was August 2012, and Holloway, then a 20-year-old prospect, was coming off his first UFC victory two months earlier. Holloway and his team

Andreas Hale Apr 11, 2024, 10:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — UFC president Dana White confirmed Thursday that Hall of Famer Mark Coleman will present the BMF championship to the winner of the Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway fight at UFC 300 on Saturday. Coleman, 59, recently came out of a coma

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 11, 2024, 07:47 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions GUARUJA, Brazil — Charles Oliveira slowly climbs the paved steps of Morro do Maluf, a cliff overlooking the Brazilian coastal city where he grew up. He rests

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNApr 11, 2024, 07:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC is touting Saturday’s landmark fight card as a night of champions because of the dozen current and former belt-holders who will parade to the Octagon at UFC 300. One night earlier, the PFL offers up a mini-version. The second event of the

Hallie Grossman, ESPN Staff WriterApr 10, 2024, 02:30 PM ET Close Staff Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from Penn State University. Covers college football and college basketball. Open Extended Reactions EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussions of suicidal ideation. THE THERMOSTAT ON the wall reads 78 and

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 9, 2024, 11:55 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Chris Curtis suffered a torn hamstring during his Fight of the Year contender against Brendan Allen last weekend in Las Vegas. Curtis (31-11) appeared to

Andres Waters, ESPNApr 9, 2024, 08:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 300 is stacked, from the first fight of the night, which features former champs going head-to-head — Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt — to the last fight of the night, which also features a current champion vs. a champion who never lost his

Ryan HockensmithApr 9, 2024, 08:30 AM 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

Apr 8, 2024, 08:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions UFC 100 was a remarkable night for the leading promotion in MMA. In addition to celebrating a milestone represented by a big, round number, the July 2009 event in Las Vegas put on display the greatest fighter in the sport’s history. That is not a reference

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 6, 2024, 09:19 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight Brendan Allen got his revenge over Chris Curtis on Saturday, but it took literally everything he had over the course of a 25-minute fight. Allen

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 6, 2024, 04:14 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions A testing agent for the UFC’s anti-doping program has filed a police report in Albuquerque, New Mexico, alleging heavyweight champion Jon Jones assaulted and threatened her life

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterApr 5, 2024, 12:25 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions SAN ANTONIO — The PFL’s 2024 regular season got off to a blistering start on Thursday, as four heavyweights earned bonus points via knockout. Russian heavyweight Valentin