MMA

Feb 17, 2024, 06:10 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ANAHEIM, Calif. – Alexander Volkanovski played up his age this week, wearing clothes befitting a grandpa, old-man glasses and pretending to fall asleep at the prefight news conference. Volkanovski is not actually old. He’s just 35. But, technically, that is an advanced age for a UFC

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 16, 2024, 02:23 PM ET Open Extended Reactions IRVINE, Calif. — Go, brother. Junior Tafa will step in on just one-day notice to fight Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a heavyweight bout at UFC 298 on Saturday. The man Tafa is replacing? His own brother Justin Tafa, who withdrew from

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 16, 2024, 08:15 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI STILL LAUGHS about the time in 2019 when he was explicitly told not to get a haircut during fight week. Volkanovski was in Rio de

Carlos Contreras Legaspi Feb 16, 2024, 08:43 AM ET Open Extended Reactions ALICANTE, Spain — Of the 40 Olympic medals Georgia has won since its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991, 19 were earned in wrestling. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are parts of the country’s fabric and a source of pride for the

Jeff Wagenheim Feb 15, 2024, 11:51 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot is a pivotal matchup in the UFC women’s flyweight division. Now it is being treated like one. The UFC announced Thursday that the previously announced bout between Blanchfield (12-1) and Fiorot (11-1) has been elevated to the headline spot

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 15, 2024, 09:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions ANAHEIM, Calif. — The UFC and WWE merged last year into one company, the publicly traded TKO Group owned by Hollywood talent agency Endeavor. And now, some of the effects of that merger are coming to light. The UFC and WWE have

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 14, 2024, 05:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions IRVINE, Calif. – The career of one of the most accomplished athletes in UFC history could be coming to a close. Again. Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo said Wednesday that he’ll retire if he loses Saturday at UFC 298.

Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.auFeb 12, 2024, 07:43 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

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNFeb 12, 2024, 09:23 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Few fighters in combat sports truly live up to their nicknames. “The Korean Zombie” did plod forward unfazed by whatever was in his path, but Chan Sung Jung was neither undead nor mythological. “The Axe Murderer,” as fierce as Wanderlei Silva was, never chopped

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 10, 2024, 10:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jack Hermansson put forth a performance befitting the veteran he is, stymying the streak of a top prospect in the process. “The Joker” rallied after a slow start to defeat knockout artist Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) on Saturday

Feb 9, 2024, 09:12 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The next few months will be a fun stretch for fight fans. The UFC has a pay-per-view in Anaheim (UFC 298 on ESPN+) this month and Fight Night cards in Las Vegas and Mexico City. Plus, the clash of PFL and Bellator champions is set to

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNFeb 5, 2024, 11:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The Bellator fight card in March, the promotion’s first since being bought by the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in November, will launch an eight-event Bellator Champions Series, with each card headlined by a title fight, the PFL announced on Monday. There will be a

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 5, 2024, 09:24 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tom Aspinall knocked Sergei Pavlovich out with punches to win the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November. Since then, all he has been able to do is throw shots via social media. Aspinall is asking — begging, in some

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 3, 2024, 10:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Nassourdine Imavov, once considered one of the top prospects in the UFC middleweight division, had a disappointing 2023. He started the campaign with a loss and his only other outing resulted in a no contest. The Paris-based fighter got a measure of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 2, 2024, 08:31 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Themba Gorimbo sat on a stool in the middle of a cage at MMA Masters gym in Miami. He wore a red shirt with the word “Zimbabwe” on it, a shoutout to his home country 8,000 miles from where he sat. A

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 1, 2024, 01:18 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier says he will no longer be fighting Benoit Saint-Denis after failing to come to financial terms for the bout with the UFC. Poirier

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 1, 2024, 06:37 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC is seeking a new main event for its return to the Jersey Shore. Sean Brady is injured and out of the planned welterweight headliner against Vicente Luque on March 30 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, sources confirmed with ESPN on

Dan Hajducky, ESPNJan 31, 2024, 10:00 AM ET Close Hajducky is an associate editor for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities. Open Extended Reactions UFC and Fanatics Collectibles have entered into a multiyear partnership granting Fanatics