MMA

Feb 6, 2022 There are a number of bigger names competing at UFC 271 in Houston (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV), but no name is more intriguing than the one which will appear in the opening fight of the night. While the MMA world waits in earnest for the rematch between Israel Adesanya

7:49 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim After Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa finish flinging menacing leather in each other’s direction on Saturday night in Houston, in the co-main event of UFC 271, it will be time for the real show. That’s not a reference to the main event between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former

10:44 PM ET The controversial Sean Strickland continues his rise in the UFC’s middleweight division. Strickland defeated Jack Hermansson via split decision (49-46, 47-48, 49-46) Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Strickland used his jab to keep Hermansson at bay the entire fight. Hermansson did not succeed on any

12:33 PM ET Max Holloway has been medically cleared to resume training and has offered to serve as a backup for the featherweight division’s next title fight, sources close to Holloway told ESPN. The former champion received medical clearance on Thursday, sources said. Holloway, of Waianae, Hawai’i, was briefly scheduled to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for

7:12 PM ET The rivalry between Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes is just getting started. Peña, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, and Nunes, the woman whom Peña beat for the title, will coach against one another on the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, it was announced Friday. Peña and Nunes will then

1:38 PM ET Two title fights are now official for UFC 273. Alexander Volkanovski will defend his UFC featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung, “The Korean Zombie,” in the main event of the pay-per-view card April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell confirmed to ESPN on Friday. The co-main event will

8:36 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Conor McGregor is the biggest star in combat sports. Francis Ngannou is the baddest man on the planet. Nate Diaz is one of the UFC’s most beloved needle movers. Every

7:39 PM ET Australian fighter Tai Tuivasa said his heavyweight bout with Derrick Lewis is a fantastic opportunity, even if he agreed to the UFC 271 showdown against the American while “pissed.” Riding a four-fight win streak after a bumper 2021 that saw him defeat Harry Hunsucker, Greg Hardy and Augusto Sakai, Tuivasa has solidified

3:39 PM ET Associated Press CONCORD, N.C. — UFC president Dana White has struck a partnership deal with the Pitbull-owned NASCAR team Trackhouse Racing, starting this week at the exhibition Clash in Los Angeles. White’s Howler Head Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will serve as primary sponsor of Ross Chastain‘s No. 1 Chevrolet in Sunday’s race

6:54 PM ET Kevin Holland called an online troll’s bluff by choking him out in a grappling match. Holland, the loquacious UFC fighter nicknamed “Big Mouth,” said he had been getting messages from a guy on social media for months with the man, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, claiming he could submit Holland. So Holland took

1:14 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Ryan Bader is back at home and still on top. Defending his heavyweight championship for the first time in 2½ years, Ryan Bader picked up where he left off by grinding out a tight but unanimous decision over Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 273 on Saturday night

8:51 PM ET The UFC is close to finalizing a lightweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon in April, multiple sources told ESPN. The 155-pound fight would take place on a UFC Fight Night event on April 30. The UFC has not announced an official venue for the card. Cerrone (36-16) has not fought

8:00 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim At first, Ryan Bader wondered if he belonged. By using a relative colossus and a stoic legend as springboards, he came to recognize he most definitely did. The self-reflection by Bellator’s light heavyweight champion occurred as the promotion put a new challenge in front of him in 2018. Bader had

3:35 PM ET UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will seek his second title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Wednesday. The UFC is working on finalizing the 155-pound title fight shortly. The pay-per-view event now includes two title fights. Brazilian light heavyweight champion Glover

9:59 PM ET UFC president Dana White says him not putting the heavyweight title belt on Francis Ngannou after UFC 270 last weekend had nothing to do with “disrespect.” White addressed the postfight situation in a fan Q&A on Wednesday night with interviewer Laura Sanko on ESPN+. White did not put the belt on Ngannou

2:36 PM ET UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will have to undergo knee surgery before he is able to train or compete again, his manager, Marquel Martin, told ESPN on Wednesday. Ngannou (17-3) unified the UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Ciryl Gane (10-1) by unanimous decision at UFC 270 last weekend in Anaheim, California. Immediately

7:30 AM ET Francis Ngannou had a lot stacked against him at UFC 270. The heavyweight champion entered his Jan. 22 title defense with a severely compromised right knee. His challenger, Ciryl Gane, was coached by Ngannou’s own first MMA coach, from whom Ngannou was estranged. And the champ, competing in the final fight on

7:59 PM ET A welterweight matchup between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad will headline a UFC event in April, multiple sources told ESPN. The 170-pound contest will serve as the main event of UFC Fight Night on April 16. The promotion has not yet announced an official venue for the event. Luque and Muhammad are