2:59 PM ET Many fighters and fans woke up on Thursday morning to a number of major UFC announcements. Khabib Nurmagomedov was finally deemed officially retired by the UFC and his lightweight title would be up for grabs between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. It was also revealed that TJ Dillashaw would be returning from
MMA
1:31 PM ET A UFC fighter stumbled and fell attempting to weigh in Friday morning, prompting the cancellation of her bout. Julija Stoliarenko, a women’s bantamweight fighter, collapsed twice attempting to make weight for her scheduled UFC Fight Night bout Saturday with Julia Avila in Las Vegas. The bout has been canceled due to weight-cutting
11:28 PM ET Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw will return to action May 8 against rising contender Cory Sandhagen, sources said. The UFC is finalizing a five-round bout between Dillashaw and Sandhagen to headline UFC Fight Night. Contracts have not been signed; however, both sides have agreed to the matchup. The UFC has not
7:55 AM ET UFC middleweight Kevin Holland broke out in 2020 and has a chance to break out again in 2021 — if that’s even possible. Holland (21-5) will headline his first UFC event on Saturday when he takes on Derek Brunson (21-7) at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The main card airs on
12:00 AM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, is officially retired, and even UFC president Dana White is ready to move on. White told ESPN on Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov met in Las Vegas, and the undefeated lightweight champion reiterated he does not intend to fight again. As
9:34 PM ET Australian Robert Whittaker admits Paulo Costa’s withdrawal from their UFC middleweight showdown “played with his OCD” but says that he has since reconciled himself to the change and is primed for a physical encounter with replacement Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker (22-5) also says he has a couple of things “up his sleeve” should
2:23 PM ET Junior dos Santos is no longer on the UFC roster and now he is challenging the loss that ultimately led to his release. The former UFC heavyweight champion’s team filed an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Wednesday over his second-round TKO loss to Cyril Gane at UFC 256
8:58 PM ET The UFC will be running its first show in front of a full crowd in more than a year. And the promotion will do so with a huge main event. Kamaru Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title in a rematch against Jorge Masvidal in the headliner of UFC 261 on April
7:46 AM ET The bantamweight division is perhaps the deepest and most intriguing in the UFC. Aljamain Sterling‘s recent dethroning of Petr Yan did nothing to clarify the division’s hierarchy. Yan was ahead on two scorecards in the fourth round when he landed an illegal knee to the head of a grounded Sterling, who became
6:27 PM ET One of the most notable UFC title fights to have ever been canceled has a new date. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (22-5) will face Kelvin Gastelum (17-6) in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on April 17 in Las Vegas, multiple sources told ESPN. Gastelum has agreed to replace