MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJun 17, 2023, 12:21 AM ET The story going into the fight was all about Patricio Freire. “Pitbull” is the best fighter in Bellator history, the only athlete on the roster to have four different championship reigns across two weight classes. On Friday night, Freire was trying to make history by

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 15, 2023, 07:33 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun A massive heavyweight fight between Ciryl Gane and Serghei Spivac will headline UFC Fight Night on Sept. 2 in Paris, the UFC announced on Thursday. Gane (11-2), who is from

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJun 16, 2023, 08:48 AM ET Patricio “Pitbull” Freire had just regained his Bellator featherweight title a few minutes earlier when he approached Scott Coker in the bowels of SAP Center in San Jose, California. “Pitbull,” Bellator’s franchise star, had a proposal for Coker, the promotion’s president, that night in April

Jun 14, 2023, 11:22 PM ET Marvin Vettori meets Jared Cannonier in the middleweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The main card at the UFC Apex is on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET, preceded by prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. Vettori (19-6-1) has alternated

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 15, 2023, 07:31 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun The UFC has booked a bantamweight main event between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov to headline a UFC Fight Night on Aug. 5 in Nashville, the promotion announced on Thursday.

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNJun 15, 2023, 09:10 AM ET Ante Delija headlines Friday’s PFL Regular Season: Heavyweights and Women’s Featherweights in Atlanta, and Larissa Pacheco fights in the co-main event. Both are 2022 champions, and both are familiar faces to fans who have followed the fight promotion’s last couple of seasons. But both Delija and Pacheco

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJun 14, 2023, 12:27 PM ET A major welterweight bout is set for Beantown. Perennial contender Geoff Neal will face the undefeated, up-and-coming Ian Machado Garry at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 in Boston, Garry announced via Instagram. Sources confirmed the matchup to ESPN on Wednesday. Neal is currently No. 9

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 14, 2023, 09:00 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun UFC president Dana White has become extremely committed to being non-committal on future matchups the night of an event. These days, when White gets asked about a division’s landscape, the

Andres Waters Jun 13, 2023, 11:07 PM ET We’re three weeks into ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 31, and Michael Chandler‘s team has gotten the better of the team coached by Conor McGregor for the third week in a row. Team Chandler’s Austin Hubbard followed up back-to-back first-round knockouts by his teammates Roosevelt Roberts and Cody

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJun 13, 2023, 06:21 PM ET Rob Wilkinson, the PFL’s light heavyweight champion last year, has been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), according to a meeting agenda posted Tuesday on the commission’s website. No reason for Wilkinson’s suspension was given. He will have his temporary suspension extended or

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 13, 2023, 01:50 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Henry Cejudo willingly relinquished the UFC’s bantamweight title three years ago. Now, it appears he’s prepared to do anything to get it back. Cejudo (16-3) is one month removed from

Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Jun 12, 2023, 09:32 AM ET Amanda Nunes sat on the postfight news conference dais for one last time with her two belts on either side of her Saturday night in

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJun 11, 2023, 01:14 AM ET Amanda Nunes laid her two UFC championship belts on the Octagon mat and had the cutman remove her gloves. She put the gloves in the middle of the two titles, kneeled down and cried into the canvas. On Saturday, after one of her most dominant

Jun 11, 2023, 02:19 AM ET What were the biggest moments from the first UFC pay-per-view in Canada in nearly four years? Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim and Andres Waters offer up their final thoughts after an 11-fight card in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wagenheim: Nunes is the gold standard Amanda Nunes went out like

Jun 10, 2023, 08:05 PM ET Amanda Nunes defends her bantamweight championship against Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC 289 on Saturday night in Vancouver, British Columbia. The main card at Rogers Center will be on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJun 9, 2023, 04:35 PM ET Two women’s flyweight fighters on the verge of title contention are set to meet Down Under, as Casey O’Neill will take on Viviane Araujo at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Araujo is ranked No. 10 and O’Neill

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNJun 9, 2023, 08:19 AM ET It’s a rare treat to witness a performance by the greatest in a sport’s history. It is especially rare in the case of Amanda Nunes. The GOAT of women’s MMA will be making her first appearance of 2023 when she headlines UFC 289 on Saturday in Vancouver,

Jeff Wagenheim Jun 9, 2023, 12:56 AM ET Brendan Loughnane won last year’s PFL men’s featherweight championship by rolling to four straight victories. In 2021, the season champion was Movlid Khaybulaev, who defeated Loughnane along the way. On Thursday night, the two champs were in position to set up a rematch in the 2023 playoffs,