8:00 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim “Family.” That was the only word in the Instagram post, followed by a couple of hashtags. There was also a photo of three UFC fighters in an embrace, identified in those hashtags as #FutureChampions. “Family” was an accurate encapsulation of the rapport between the athletes who were training together at
MMA
2:32 AM ET Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov said Saturday he will stay in his native Ukraine and “defend this country as best I can” against Russia’s invasion. Amosov, Bellator’s welterweight title-holder, said in a video posted to Instagram that he took his family to a “safe zone,” but has now returned to Ukraine, where he
10:08 PM ET The knock on Islam Makhachev used to be that he lacked finishing instinct and was susceptible to getting caught. Adriano Martins knocked Makhachev out in Makhachev’s second UFC fight, back in 2015, at UFC 192. Makhachev quickly patched up some of those defensive holes, and he has not lost since fighting Martins,
8:51 PM ET Glover Teixeira will have to wait a little longer for his first title defense. Originally scheduled for UFC 274, Teixeira will now face Jiri Prochazka in a UFC light heavyweight title fight at UFC 275 in June, sources confirmed Saturday with ESPN. Teixeira discussed the new date earlier Saturday in an interview
9:49 PM ET No, it was not the signature win over a fellow contender like he and his team had hoped. But Islam Makhachev made a statement that was necessary to peg himself as the next UFC lightweight title contender. Makhachev dominated Bobby Green, finishing with a ground-and-pound TKO at 3 minutes, 23 seconds of
7:05 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Gegard Mousasi extended his second reign as Bellator middleweight champion in style on Friday, stunning previously undefeated Austin Vanderford early with a 1-2 punch combination before taking the fight to the ground and finishing off a first-round TKO knockout in the main event of Bellator 275 in Dublin. Mousasi (49-7-2),
8:02 AM ET There is a saying mixed martial arts manager Jason House often turns to during conversations with the athletes he represents. “I always tell them, ‘It’s not about who’s good,'” House says. “‘It’s about who’s left.'” In a sport full of potential pitfalls, UFC lightweight Bobby Green (29-12-1) has always found a way
8:30 PM ET Robert Whittaker sees no ceiling on his MMA career despite the loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 271, saying he left Houston believing he is the “best middleweight in the world.” And the Australian hopes to be back in the Octagon as soon as possible, eager to continue the journey to get
2:14 PM ET The Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation has medically suspended Adam Piccolotti for six months after the Bellator fighter posted an Instagram video of himself vomiting during his weight cut last week, director Mike Mazzulli said Wednesday. Piccolotti wrote on social media that he had thrown up “20-plus times” during the weight
5:08 PM ET A lightweight fight between Donald ”Cowboy” Cerrone and Joe Lauzon on April 30 has shifted to May 7, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. The 155-pound bout was originally supposed to take place at a UFC Fight Night, most likely in Las Vegas, but will now take place on a UFC 274