1:06 AM ET Justin Gaethje defeated Tony Ferguson by TKO in the fifth round to claim the UFC interim lightweight championship Saturday night in the main event of UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida. In a brilliant performance, Gaethje dominated Ferguson throughout, with the stoppage coming at 3 minutes, 39 seconds. Saturday’s card, which was originally
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4:26 PM ET Marc Raimondi Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun UFC president Dana White has made good on his promise to be the first sport back in action in the United States, as UFC 249 is officially upon us at
10:09 PM ET Ronaldo “J’acare” Souza, who was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 249 on Saturday, has tested positive for coronavirus. While Souza will not fight, the UFC 249 card will go on as planned, Hunter Campbell, excecutive vice president and chief business officer of UFC told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on Friday.
7:12 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Years ago, UFC events were not just numbered, but also titled. The promotion doesn’t do that anymore, but if the practice were still in place, Saturday’s fight card in Jacksonville, Florida — the promotion’s first since March 14 — might be called UFC 249: The Return of Fighting. The story
9:35 AM ET The main event of the UFC’s first card in nearly two months is now official. Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje both made weight Friday morning in Jacksonville, Florida, for their UFC 249 interim lightweight title bout. Both fighters weighed in at 155 pounds. The card is scheduled for Saturday night in front
3:24 PM ET Conor McGregor will be watching UFC 249 on Saturday night — for more reasons than you might think. According to his manager, Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports Management, McGregor has been training and staying in shape since the coronavirus pandemic hit Ireland almost two months ago. As seen on his social media,
1:44 PM ET Mulitple Contributors Dan Lambert sits at the front desk of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, waiting for law enforcement to walk through its doors. Although it’s not open to the public, the MMA gym has its share of activity as fighters prepare for their upcoming bouts. “I probably get it
3:19 PM ET Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is recovering from a knee procedure he had Wednesday in Los Angeles. According to his manager, Jorge Guimaraes, Silva underwent a regenerative stem cell procedure on his right knee, which had been planned with his medical team for a while. According to his team, Silva, 45,
10:59 PM ET UFC 249 won’t look quite like the typical fight card put on by the promotion. In addition to no fans being present at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, there will be other changes noticeable to the viewers at home, according to UFC executive vice president of operation and
2:11 PM ET UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic says he is more than willing to finish his trilogy against Daniel Cormier in 2020, provided he gets a full training camp to do so. Miocic (19-3) reclaimed his heavyweight title during their second fight by knocking out Cormier (22-2) in the fourth round at UFC 241