8:00 AM ET Scott Coker took the reins of Bellator MMA in 2014 with a firm plan for growth. The longtime combat sports promoter was going to apply some of the principles that worked well when he ran Strikeforce, from its first MMA event in March 2006 until it was acquired by the UFC’s parent
MMA
6:59 PM ET The UFC has had to make several changes to its Fight Night card for Saturday in Las Vegas. The scheduled co-main event pitting rising heavyweights Shamil Abdurakhimov and Chris Daukaus was removed from the card due to COVID-19 protocols involving Daukaus’ camp, UFC officials told ESPN on Tuesday. In addition, a welterweight
4:58 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Vitor Belfort says he is already in talks about his future in boxing, even before his foray into the ring against Oscar De La Hoya in September. Belfort, one of the most accomplished knockout artists in UFC history, told ESPN on Tuesday that he is planning a boxing match
4:52 PM ET A rematch of one of the best title fights in UFC welterweight history is on deck. Kamaru Usman, ranked as ESPN’s top pound-for-pound MMA fighter, will defend his UFC welterweight title in a second fight with Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 268 in November, UFC president Dana White told
7:44 AM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main card featured close calls throughout, with a pair of split decisions and a majority decision in the last five fights of the night. The judges had a tough job, but did they get the biggest fight of the night — the high-stakes bantamweight clash between TJ Dillashaw
12:17 AM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen lived up to the lofty expectations surrounding one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Dillashaw emerged victorious by split decision, potentially setting himself up for a future shot to reclaim a title he never lost inside the cage.
10:20 PM ET Any questions about TJ Dillashaw‘s standing in the bantamweight division after a long layoff have been answered — emphatically. Dillashaw, the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, defeated Sandhagen via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) in a bloody, back-and-forth fight Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Sandhagen
3:38 PM ET Marc Raimondi Mike Coppinger Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has had several huge moments throughout his career, but Saturday’s Fight Night main event against Cory Sandhagen might be the biggest fight of his career — at least in terms of perception. Dillashaw (16-4) returns to competition for the first time in
2:44 AM ET An important women’s bantamweight fight is off this weekend’s UFC card. The scheduled co-main event bout between Aspen Ladd and Macy Chiasson has been canceled because of an undisclosed Chiasson injury, UFC officials told ESPN on Thursday. The Saturday event in Las Vegas will go on with 11 fights. 1 Related ESPN
8:00 AM ET All things considered, Saturday’s main event between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen is the best UFC Fight Night headliner so far this year. For me, there are only two others that even come close in terms of significance, stylistic matchup and prefight narrative: Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum in April and Max