6:16 PM ET Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns have faced off hundreds of times with each other in practice. On Saturday, they’ll do it for real. Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title against Burns, his former sparring partner, in the main event of UFC 258 in Las Vegas. “I know a lot about Kamaru,”
MMA
6:46 AM ET It’s one of the most intriguing prefight storylines in combat sports. Teammate versus teammate. Friends turned foes. In MMA, there’s a pretty common stance on teammates fighting each other: They typically refuse to do it — unless a championship belt is at stake. Well, there will be a belt on the line
3:06 PM ET The first heavyweight fight of Jon Jones‘ storied MMA career will have a UFC championship on the line. UFC president Dana White told TMZ this week that Jones (26-1) will face the winner of a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, which is scheduled to headline UFC 260 on
12:51 PM ET Two former teammates will clash for the UFC welterweight title. And now that bout is official. Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns both weighed in successfully Friday morning for their UFC 258 main event. Usman weighed 170 pounds and Burns also was at 170. Usman will defend his welterweight belt against Burns on
6:55 AM ET IT WAS SEPTEMBER 2020, and UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman raised some eyebrows as he entered the Sanford MMA gym in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It was his first visit since he changed teams in the spring. There was talk of Usman defending his title in December against former training partner and current
9:18 PM ET UFC president Dana White is refusing to throw in the towel on Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s retirement, even though the undefeated champion continues to state he’ll never fight again. Speaking to ESPN on Thursday, White said he has a meeting scheduled with Nurmagomedov at the end of the month in Las Vegas. Regardless of
6:37 PM ET The UFC’s highly anticipated welterweight matchup between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev on March 13 is off. Again. UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Thursday that Chimaev was forced to withdraw from the bout due to lingering physical effects caused by COVID-19. This is the third time the bout has fallen
8:06 AM ET UFC 258 kicks off a six-week stretch with three major pay-per-view events, which could leave the promotion’s hierarchy in a much different place by the end of March. Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns square off Saturday in the first of six title fights, and the backdrop is an intriguing one as the
8:53 PM ET Khasan Magomedsharipov, the younger brother of UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov, has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator MMA. Khasan’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, confirmed the signing to ESPN on Wednesday, following an initial report by MMAJunkie.com. Bellator has not yet announced the signing, or indicated when Khasan will make his promotional debut.
2:10 PM ET UFC 258 has lost a key main-card fight. A scheduled bantamweight contender bout Saturday between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera has been canceled due to a coronavirus-related issue, the UFC announced Wednesday. Sources said the promotion is attempting to rebook the matchup as soon as later this month. In its place, Andre