7:01 AM ET Oftentimes, when a UFC champion has enjoyed the level of success that heavyweight Stipe Miocic has, the topic of motivation comes up. For instance, what keeps Miocic going, when he already has defended his title more times than any heavyweight in UFC history? What’s fueling that fire, when he already knows what
MMA
10:17 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The UFC is waiving a regulation in its anti-doping policy to make room for the return of Miesha Tate. Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s executive vice president and chief business officer, told ESPN on Friday that Tate will not have to be in the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug-testing
4:16 PM ET LAS VEGAS — A women’s strawweight fight between Hannah Goldy and Jessica Penne has been removed from Saturday’s UFC 260 card after Goldy tested positive for COVID-19. Goldy posted about the positive test Wednesday on Instagram, writing in part, “I have never felt better, stronger or more complete. I was so ready
7:29 AM ET When UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic walks to the Octagon on Saturday to face Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC 260, he’ll be accompanied by two sides of a debate that he might finally be able to settle. Is he the greatest heavyweight fighter in MMA history? The old-schoolers say
8:06 PM ET UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya acknowledged he “crossed the line” and apologized Thursday after a back-and-forth exchange on social media with fellow middleweight Kevin Holland ended with Adesanya saying he would “rape” him. Adesanya posted a video on social media earlier this week, responding to trash talk from Holland. In the video,
11:19 AM ET LAS VEGAS — UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic has a gym in the basement of his Cleveland-area home, and occasionally his 2-year-old daughter, Meelah, will walk over and hit the heavy bag a few times. “Punch, punch,” she says. That’s the extent of Meelah’s exposure to her father’s career as a professional
8:43 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Rory MacDonald‘s 2015 challenge of UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler was an absolute classic. A year and a half after Lawler had edged out MacDonald by split decision in a nontitle bout, they went at each other relentlessly for the belt for 21 bloody, bruising minutes. MacDonald wobbled Lawler with
4:12 PM ET One of the biggest stars in the history of female mixed martial arts has decided to make a comeback. Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate (18-7) told ESPN on Wednesday she has accepted a fight against Marion Reneau (9-7-1) on July 17. In a bit of irony, Reneau told ESPN she has
6:21 PM ET UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev is now targeting a return to competition in July, according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz. Chimaev (9-0) was a breakout star for the UFC in 2020, and was scheduled to face highly ranked welterweight Leon Edwards in a main event on March 13 in Las Vegas. Chimaev,
7:29 AM ET LAS VEGAS — It was Jan. 20, 2018, when Stipe Miocic outclassed Francis Ngannou to defend his UFC heavyweight title. The truth about that fight, however, was that Ngannou wasn’t ready to be a champion. Take nothing from Miocic, who was terrific that night in Boston, but Ngannou was so inexperienced, so