MMA

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNJan 31, 2024, 09:20 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It was a momentous November night in 1993 when Royce Gracie made his way toward an ominous, octagonal cage at old McNichols Sports Arena in Denver to show a motley assemblage of fighters how to really fight. This first Ultimate Fighting Championship event (watch

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 30, 2024, 03:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC veteran Corey Anderson will face Karl Moore for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title on March 22 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, sources confirmed with ESPN on Tuesday. MMA reporter Ariel Helwani was the first to report the news. The March

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 30, 2024, 11:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Professional Fighters League (PFL) has penned a deal with Saudi Arabian-born fighter Hattan Alsaif, making her the first female athlete from the country to sign with a major global MMA promotion, officials told ESPN on Monday. Alsaif, 22, comes from a Muay

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 29, 2024, 09:20 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Like every sport, mixed martial arts has a relatively established list of stars. Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, for instance — UFC champions and the status quo

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 23, 2024, 11:56 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Holly Holm and Kayla Harrison, two of the most accomplished athletes in women’s combat sports history, will meet at UFC 300. The UFC has signed Harrison, a

ESPN.com staff Jan 23, 2024, 04:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2024 MMA calendar is officially underway, as the UFC and ONE have major cards booked in January. Moreover, PFL’s acquisition of Bellator should make for an interesting schedule mix for fight fans to enjoy. As the year rolls forward, news and rumors will

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 23, 2024, 06:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions “The Rock” is going to need some new custom business suits for his well-muscled 6-foot-5 frame. Dwayne Johnson, the actor, former WWE star and most followed American man on social media platforms in the world, was appointed Tuesday to the board of

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 22, 2024, 02:51 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Undefeated UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev said he saw “nothing special” during Saturday’s title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland and is ready to take the

Jan 21, 2024, 02:35 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s first pay-per-view of 2024 featured a brutal middleweight title fight and put a spotlight on some of Canada’s top MMA stars. Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi offer their thoughts on the biggest moments of the night. Does Dricus Du

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 21, 2024, 01:55 AM ET Open Extended Reactions TORONTO — The UFC has its first champion from South Africa. Dricus Du Plessis dethroned Sean Strickland in an entertaining, bloody, back-and-forth fight Saturday night in the main event of UFC 297 here at Scotiabank Arena. The final result was a split

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 21, 2024, 01:04 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions TORONTO — Nearly six years after suffering a demoralizing defeat to Amanda Nunes in her first UFC title appearance, Raquel Pennington has finally climbed to the top

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 20, 2024, 10:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions TORONTO — Frankie Edgar, known for epic comebacks and persevering time and time again against the odds, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this year, the promotion announced Saturday night during the UFC 297 broadcast. Edgar, who is the

Jan 20, 2024, 08:10 PM ET Open Extended Reactions TORONTO — Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis got into a fight in the crowd last month in Las Vegas. This weekend, they step into the Octagon against one another in earnest. Strickland will defend his UFC middleweight title against Du Plessis in the main event

Jan 19, 2024, 08:09 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2024 MMA calendar is off and rolling with big events on the immediate horizon. The UFC will host its first pay-per-view of the year in Toronto with UFC 297. The first joint event between the PFL and Bellator will follow in February with a fascinating

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 18, 2024, 04:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Higher education and combat sports will come together this fall. UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber and Sacramento State are launching what is believed to be the first university-backed combat sports development program, Faber and Sacramento State president J. Luke Wood told

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 17, 2024, 12:46 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Tatiana Suarez’s UFC journey has been hit with another obstacle. The top UFC women’s strawweight fighter is injured and out of her scheduled contender fight against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California, UFC officials confirmed with ESPN

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 16, 2024, 01:18 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The PFL will kick off its 2024 calendar with a pay-per-view event on Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring landmark matchups between its 2023 PFL champions

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJan 16, 2024, 08:07 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland warned Dricus Du Plessis not to cross the line ahead of their title bout this week in Toronto, saying that referencing the