Open Extended Reactions Many MMA fighters had a great year in 2024. We saw some claim their first title in a major promotion. And there were those who reclaimed titles they previously held. But no MMA fighter had a better 12-month stretch than UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Pereira reeled off three successful title
MMA
Open Extended Reactions 2025 is starting out as a great year for MMA. ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev, puts his UFC lightweight title on the line against Arman Tsarukyan and bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili defends against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in Inglewood, California, on Saturday. Then February kicks off with a bang
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 11, 2025, 10:34 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC strawweight Mackenzie Dern avenged a loss from five years ago to Amanda Ribas on Saturday, as she submitted Ribas via armbar with just four seconds remaining
Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing InsiderJan 6, 2025, 06:27 PM ET Close Mike Coppinger has covered boxing since 2010 with roles at USA Today, Ring Magazine and The Athletic before he joined ESPN in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger Open Extended Reactions Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo will fight No. 8 contender Song
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 6, 2025, 09:15 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions A new year is upon us. It’s time for optimism and hope, right? I believe in both, but unfortunately, mixed martial arts has not been fantastic about
Jeff Wagenheim Dec 23, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The year of the champion. That’s what 2024 has been in the UFC. How so?There were 16 title fights this year, and in 11 of those, the defending champion walked out of the cage still holding onto the belt. That might not seem so
Dec 17, 2024, 05:10 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor has not fought since a 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirer. John Locher/AP Photo Conor McGregor has said he intends to delay his return to MMA and has “agreed” to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. McGregor, a former two-weight UFC champion, has
ESPN News Services Dec 16, 2024, 11:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Colby Covington on Monday decried the fact that his UFC bout against Joaquin Buckley on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, was stopped in the third round due to excessive bleeding from a cut above his right eye. “I was just getting warmed up in
Open Extended Reactions We saw possibly the greatest knockout in MMA history — authored boldly by one fighter with the unspoken cooperation of the other — punctuate a fight for the ages. Then there was the iconic KO and celebration that helped establish a stoic UFC champion as perhaps the sport’s most revered star. And
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 15, 2024, 01:51 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions There’s a new era of welterweights taking over the UFC, and Joaquin Buckley is undeniably one of them. Buckley (21-6) extended his winning streak to six Saturday
Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 14, 2024, 11:23 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will compete in his first nontitle fight since 2019 when he faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 1. Adesanya (24-4) is coming off
Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 13, 2024, 07:49 AM ET Open Extended Reactions By the time 2024 comes to a close, there will have been 716 events in the 31 years that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has existed. But only one fight card — unless UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, this Saturday pulls off a miracle
Dec 12, 2024, 07:51 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Joaquin Buckley looks to win his sixth consecutive fight as he takes on former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington in the main event at UFC Fight Night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+, with prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPN+). Buckley (20-6), ESPN’s No. 9 ranked
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 11, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Combat sports star Nate Diaz is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Las Vegas. According to TMZ, the charge stems from an August incident in which Diaz, 39, allegedly shoved
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 9, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC 310 cemented the legitimacy of a champion and established new title contenders in two divisions. In Saturday’s main event, Alexandre Pantoja made quick work of Kai
Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 8, 2024, 01:27 AM ET Open Extended Reactions LAS VEGAS — Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended the flyweight champion by submitting promotional newcomer Kai Asakura in the second round of their UFC 310 main event showdown at T-Mobile Arena. Pantoja neutralized the former RIZIN bantamweight champion’s explosive striking by bringing the fight to
Andreas Hale, ESPNDec 7, 2024, 11:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A pair of title fights headline the UFC’s return to Sydney, Australia on Feb. 8. Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight championship in a rematch with Sean Strickland while Zhang Weili puts her strawweight title on the line against Tatiana Suarez at UFC
Dec 8, 2024, 02:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 14-fight card at UFC 310 in Las Vegas was headlined by a unique flyweight title fight between UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja and former two-time RIZIN champion Kai Asakura. In the co-main event, Shavkat Rakhmonov earned his title shot against Belal Muhammad with his win over