MMA

5:10 PM ET “One of the best title rounds you’ll see.” That was how UFC commentator Jon Anik described the incredible third round between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega during their featherweight showdown at UFC 266. The MMA world remains a buzz nearly three weeks on from Volkanovski’s unanimous decision win, while those who doubted

Oct 12, 2021 Aspen Ladd and Norma Dumont will meet in a hastily scheduled women’s featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The fights at UFC Apex can be seen on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET and the prelims at 4 p.m. Ladd (9-1) was

7:59 AM ET Vadim Nemkov had the biggest win of his career in April. The Bellator light heavyweight champion earned his first title defense by beating Phil Davis, the former Bellator champ and UFC stalwart at 205 pounds, via unanimous decision. It was a victory that made it impossible for the greater MMA world to

10:56 PM ET The UFC has released fighter Luis Pena following two arrests related to domestic violence since June. In a statement provided to ESPN through a spokesperson, the UFC said it is aware of the “disturbing allegations” regarding Pena’s arrest Saturday on two charges of battery and thinks that Pena’s personal and legal issues

3:50 PM ET Colorado is shaking up some of its rules for combat sports. The Colorado State Boxing Commission (CSBC) voted Tuesday to adopt open scoring for boxing and MMA bouts, according to director Tony Cummings. Kansas is the only other state to have approved such a regulation. Open scoring allows for everyone – including

12:03 PM ET UFC legend Chuck Liddell was arrested early Monday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau (SIB), officers responded to a home in Hidden Hills, California, regarding a domestic disturbance at about midnight Monday morning. After determining there had been a physical altercation, deputies

11:02 PM ET Luke Rockhold‘s return to the Octagon will have to wait. The former UFC middleweight champion said Monday night in an Instagram story that he has a herniated disk and is out of a scheduled fight with Sean Strickland at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 in New York. It would have been Rockhold’s

4:12 PM ET One of the most infamous backstage scuffles in UFC history will be revisited in December, as UFC welterweights Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal have agreed to meet inside the Octagon. Edwards and Masvidal will square off at UFC 269 on Dec. 11, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN on Thursday.

7:05 PM ET Throughout the history of combat sports there have been must-see, can’t-miss fights that were on the precipice of happening, but for one reason or another never came to fruition. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the volume of close calls and last-minute cancellations greatly over the past two years, along with the injuries

7:23 PM ET Marina Rodriguez passed another major test and stated her case as a potential future title challenger. Surviving several terrible positions on the ground, Rodriguez defeated Mackenzie Dern via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. It was a classic striker vs. grappler battle

8:18 PM ET UFC lightweight fighter Luis Pena has been arrested for the second time in five months. According to online inmate records, Pena was taken into custody on Saturday in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on charges of battery causing bodily harm and battery domestic violence. He is being held on $1,000 bond at the Broward

8:55 PM ET A future title shot could be on the line in a battle of two of the top up-and-coming female talents in the UFC. Mackenzie Dern will face Marina Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. Both are on winning streaks and are looking to gain

1:36 PM ET Phil Hawes had the possibility of two opponents this weekend, but neither bout will happen. Deron Winn, Hawes’ scheduled opponent, withdrew from the fight because of an illness, which was not weight cut- or coronavirus-related, UFC announced Friday morning. In Winn’s place, UFC signed MMA veteran Chris Curtis to fight Hawes on

2:45 PM ET The UFC is close to finalizing a barn burner of a main event between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze in January, multiple sources told ESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but the UFC is working on booking the featherweight bout as its headliner for a UFC Fight Night on Jan. 15. Kattar

7:32 AM ET When Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Mackenzie Dern made her full transition into mixed martial arts in 2016, the sheer potential of it was intoxicating. Granted, so many things need to go right for any prospect to fully realize his or her potential, but in the case of Dern, her submission grappling is

8:01 AM ET Mackenzie Dern faces Marina Rodriguez in a meeting of ranked strawweights in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The fights at UFC Apex can be seen on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 4 p.m. ET and the prelims at 1 p.m. Dern (11-1) has

4:11 PM ET UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou‘s first title defense will come against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January, Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. Contracts are not yet signed by both parties, however both sides have agreed. The fight is expected to be finalized shortly and headline a pay-per-view

11:52 PM ET Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will be back in action soon. But not in the Octagon. Dos Santos, who was released by the UFC in March, will make his professional wrestling debut next weekend with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), it was announced Wednesday on the AEW Dynamite program. The bout