8:00 AM ET We have reached the finish line of another remarkable year for the UFC. According to Dana White, 2021 was the most lucrative year in the history of the company. Saturday’s UFC Fight Night inside the Apex will be tasked with putting a bow on this very memorable year. And as we all
MMA
11:18 AM ET Former UFC champion Jon Jones has taken a plea deal in his domestic battery case in Nevada and will serve no jail time, according to online court records. Jones pleaded nolo contendere to a lesser charge, misdemeanor destroying the property of another, in Las Vegas Justice Court on Tuesday, stemming from a
1:13 PM ET The UFC is rescheduling a highly ranked middleweight contest between Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson to UFC 271 on Feb. 12, multiple sources told ESPN. The 185-pound bout was originally scheduled to.. take place at UFC 270 on Jan. 22, however the promotion wanted to have it on the same card as
12:27 PM ET As an active fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the most influential figures in mixed martial arts. It appears he will continue to be one in his retirement. Nurmagomedov, 33, announced on Wednesday that his MMA promotion, Eagle FC, has signed former UFC lightweight Kevin Lee to an exclusive contract. Nurmagomedov also
8:19 AM ET Valentina Shevchenko moved up a spot to No. 1 in the women’s rankings following the upset loss of Amanda Nunes. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Valentina Shevchenko has not fought since September, but the UFC women’s flyweight champion nonetheless has moved to the No. 1 spot in the latest ESPN pound-for-pound rankings. That’s because the
Aug 6, 2021 Editor’s note: This story originally was published in August, ahead of Derrick Lewis’s interim title bout with Ciryl Gane. Lewis lost that one and is back this Saturday, facing Chris Daukaus. It was Oct. 6, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Derrick Lewis was losing badly, on the verge of one
8:00 AM ET There’s always some fluidity in the MMA rankings, but often that movement happens at a glacier’s pace. In this latest update of the ESPN divisional rankings, however, there are two brand-new No. 1s and also the return of a former champion. Leading the way is Julianna Peña, who moves up from No.
3:46 PM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s MMA promotion Eagle FC will host its first-ever U.S. event on Jan. 28, and there has been a change to the main event. The event, Eagle FC 44, was originally supposed to feature Tyrone Spong (2-0) against Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva (19-13) in a three-round heavyweight main event. Eagle FC officials
2:03 PM ET Ryan Bader is returning to the Bellator heavyweight division — where he holds the title — for the first time in more than two years. Bader will face interim champion Valentin Moldavsky in a heavyweight title unification fight in the main event of a Bellator card Jan. 29 in Phoenix, the promotion
8:00 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Julianna Peña’s face was blank, and emotionless. She was on her knees and reached over to hug Amanda Nunes. A Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) inspector came over and pointed Peña to her corner, where a ringside physician tended to Peña’s bruised left eye. Peña had just beaten the