11:34 PM ET Curtis Blaydes made no apologies about his strategy coming into a huge heavyweight fight with Derrick Lewis. Blaydes was going to use his dominant wrestling early and often. He told anyone who would listen. Maybe it was a decoy. But Blaydes should have stuck to his original game plan, as Lewis crushed
MMA
4:39 PM ET Two of the best heavyweights in the world will clash with title implications on the line. Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis meet Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The bout was initially scheduled for back on Nov. 28, but Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 and the
8:59 PM ET Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm will seek her third consecutive win when she faces Julianna Pena in a non-title bout in May, UFC officials said Friday. The 135-pound contest will take place on a UFC Fight Night event on May 8. The UFC has not yet announced an official location for
2:48 PM ET A UFC fighter missed weight Friday by a record amount. Rafael Alves weighed in at 157.5 pounds for a scheduled featherweight bout against Patrick Sabatini. The limit for a non-title featherweight fight in MMA is 146 pounds, so Alves weighed 11.5 pounds over the contracted mark. It was the biggest weight miss
8:10 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim The sport of mixed martial arts has evolved through the years to the point where nowadays most professional fighters, especially those at or near the top of the heap, are proficient at mixing together an array of combative styles. But when the sport was young and drawing its athletes from
12:11 PM ET The Professional Fighters League has announced its raised $65 million in new financing, approximately two months ahead of its 2021 season. In a released statement, the mixed martial arts league said the funds will “accelerate PFL’s momentum, innovation, and growth as it builds off its strong foundation as the No. 2 company
1:58 PM ET UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad is stepping in to face Leon Edwards in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on March 13, multiple sources told ESPN. Muhammad is replacing Edwards’ original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, who was forced to withdraw from the bout last week due to lingering effects from COVID-19. The
8:24 PM ET Fresh off his third UFC welterweight title defense last weekend, Kamaru Usman is keen on booking his next bout against Jorge Masvidal — and has already discussed the idea with UFC president Dana White. Usman (18-1) told ESPN on Wednesday he believes he has earned the right to pick his next opponent,
8:04 PM ET Former UFC fighter Bryan Caraway has been charged with four felonies in a 2018 case involving the alleged theft of an all-terrain vehicle belonging to his ex-girlfriend, former UFC champion Miesha Tate. Caraway was charged with fraud, first-degree attempted theft, filing a false insurance claim and making a false statement on a
10:21 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Editor’s note: This has been updated since originally running in on Nov. 25, 2020 Curtis Blaydes has won four fights in a row, two of them by knockout and the other two by thoroughly dominant beatdown. During an MMA career that spans 17 pro bouts over 6½ years, he has