MMA

1:36 PM ET UFC lightweight Michael Chandler might have lost to Justin Gaethje last weekend in New York — but he appears to have caught Conor McGregor‘s attention in doing so. Chandler (22-7) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Gaethje at UFC 268 on Saturday in a three-round bout that is the likely front-runner for

9:30 AM ET Going into his UFC 268 main event against Colby Covington, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman already was No. 1 in the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings. There was no room for upward movement. However, Usman’s strong performance at Madison Square Garden did earn him the backing of the last holdout on our voting panel.

1:46 AM ET The night ended with Kamaru Usman outlasting Colby Covington in another epic five-round fight, but there was no shortage of action throughout UFC 268. Rose Namajunas successfully defended her strawweight title, Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler did not disappoint and Marlon Vera finished Frankie Edgar with a highlight-reel kick that may have

1:54 AM ET NEW YORK — Kamaru Usman has said repeatedly that he dislikes Colby Covington more than any other opponent he has ever faced. But after their 10th round in the cage together, Usman and Covington could do nothing except embrace. Usman beat Covington via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the main event

Nov 7, 2021 NEW YORK — Rose Namajunas successfully defended her strawweight crown on Saturday against Zhang Weili — the same woman she took the belt from back in April. Saturday’s rematch, however, was a much different fight than the first. Namajunas (11-4) edged Zhang (21-3) by the slimmest of margins, as she earned a

2:22 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim NEW YORK — A pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter steps into the cage with the second-best fighter in his weight class and makes him look second rate. That was the narrative early on in the UFC 268 main event, as welterweight champion Kamaru Usman bloodied Colby Covington in the first round

1:01 AM ET NEW YORK — Kamaru Usman got the job done at UFC 268, stopping the late surge of Colby Covington to retain the UFC welterweight championship. Usman scored two knockdowns in the second round which nearly put Covington away, but there would be no finish in the rematch and the scorecards were read.

5:42 PM ET NEW YORK – Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington went back and forth Thursday during a heated news conference, fueled by a crowd starved for conflict. Usman shoved Covington during the staredown, sending the fans to another level of raucousness. There has not been a major MMA show in New York City in

7:47 AM ET NEW YORK — To say the UFC is ending 2021 with a bang is an understatement. The UFC has two pay-per-view events left, and each could be considered the best card of the year. But for my money, nothing beats the UFC 268 main card this Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Two

9:41 AM ET NEW YORK — One of the most anticipated title rematches in UFC history is official, as Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington both weighed in successfully Friday morning. Usman, who was first to the scale, weighed in at 169 pounds, and Covington was 169.4 pounds. Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title against

8:00 AM ET SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It’s a Saturday morning in October and Zhang Weili is in MMA gloves and her workout gear, walking to the mat at Fight Ready MMA & Fitness. A YouTube video with the sound of fans loudly booing at a sporting event is being broadcast over the gym’s speakers. Coaches

7:37 AM ET Morgan Mularski DENVER — Trevor Wittman starts off every morning reciting five things for which he’s grateful. Then he repeats the mantra “externalize the internal champion,” a saying he lives by and aims to instill in others. Wittman encourages those in his life to embrace their inner being and passions. Wittman has

7:30 AM ET Kamaru Usman will defend his welterweight championship in a rematch with Colby Covington on Saturday in the main event of UFC 268. That fight is just one of two title bouts on the card at Madison Square Garden in New York. In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas will defend her strawweight belt

4:09 PM ET NEW YORK — Justin Gaethje expects to get the nod for a title shot if he takes care of business this weekend. And he’s hoping that opportunity will come against an old rival. Gaethje fights Michael Chandler at UFC 268 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. With a victory, Gaethje said he

7:48 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN On Saturday, we’re set to see arguably the biggest fight night of the year. Canelo Alvarez, the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, looks to become an undisputed world champion for the first time in his career as he faces Caleb Plant in a super middleweight unification fight at

7:42 AM ET HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Colby Covington didn’t talk — publicly — for nearly two months after his failed UFC welterweight title bid against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 in December 2019. From the outside, it was easy to assume reasons why. Covington (16-2), who will challenge Usman for the second time at UFC

8:00 AM ET Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defends his UFC title against Colby Covington, in a rematch of their tremendous 2019 fight, which Usman won by fifth-round TKO. The bout on Saturday headlines a packed UFC 268 card that also includes another title rematch, a must-see lightweight fight and an opportunity for a few fighters

3:35 PM ET Glover Teixeira finally did it. At 42, the perennial light heavyweight contender defeated Jan Blachowicz by second round submission via rear naked choke in the main event of UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Saturday. Teixeira became the 14th undisputed UFC champion in the division and the oldest first-time