7:23 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim The main event will transform one of the most decorated champions in sports into a fresh-faced neophyte. Claressa Shields, the undefeated two-division boxing champion, will make her mixed martial arts debut in the PFL main event on Thursday in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But Shields’ lightweight bout against Brittney Elkin
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8:23 AM ET Saturday’s UFC 263 main event in Glendale, Arizona will feature middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, defending his belt against Marvin Vettori. It is a rematch of a non-title bout that took place in April 2018, coincidentally, in Glendale. Adesanya (20-1) defeated Vettori (17-3-1) via split decision in a three-round fight in which Adesanya
5:45 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Anthony Pettis was scheduled to fight for his PFL season on Thursday night. Now the former UFC lightweight champion’s last-ditch effort to make the playoffs will have to wait two weeks. Pettis is among four fighters whose bouts have been rescheduled for June 25, the PFL announced Wednesday. The promotion
7:47 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Late in the evening of March 19, 2019, there was a defining moment for a pair of fighters, both already well established in their careers. It happened at a UFC event in London, but the two men were not fighting each other. At least not officially. Leon Edwards had done
8:35 AM ET UFC 263 kicks off a busy summer Saturday with a pair of title fights between familiar foes. Three years ago, Israel Adesanya squeezed out the only split decision win of his career against Marvin Vettori. Adesanya went on to win the UFC middleweight championship, and Vettori has won five straight fights. Could
11:22 AM ET Alistair Overeem is returning to his kickboxing roots. The former UFC heavyweight title contender, as well as former Strikeforce and DREAM champion, has signed a multifight deal with the Glory Kickboxing promotion, his management team told ESPN on Tuesday. Overeem is considered one of the greatest heavyweight MMA fighters of all time
7:35 PM ET CLARESSA SHIELDS RETURNED to JacksonWink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late March, fresh off making boxing history by becoming the first two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Time was running low, though, with Shields scheduled to make her MMA debut in the Professional Fighters League on June 10. The only
10:59 PM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card was built around heavyweights looking to build (or rebuild) momentum, and it delivered for first-round winners Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura in their TKO victories
10:31 PM ET Jairzinho Rozenstruik has a knack for getting finishes right before the bell. Less than two years after he earned the latest finish in UFC heavyweight history, Rozenstruik uncorked another buzzer beater Saturday. The kickboxing standout stopped Augusto Sakai via TKO with punches at 4:59 of the first round in the main event
7:58 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann to headline an event in September. Smith (35-16) announced the fight himself this week, and sources close to Spann told ESPN he has also agreed. The 205-pound contest will serve as the main event of UFC Fight Night