Dec 23, 2019 Over the past decade, mixed martial arts grew more than it had in all of the previous ones combined. The UFC purchased some of its biggest competitors, expanded internationally, signed multimillion-dollar broadcast deals with major outlets, and then, as the decade was winding down, the promotion was purchased by Hollywood superpower Endeavor.
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Dec 22, 2019 Multiple Contributors There are fighters who found success in the Octagon, and there are fighters whose success transcended the Octagon. The latter group featured superstars whose contributions weren’t necessarily defined by their records. They didn’t just excel in the sport, they changed it. Over the past decade, three such athletes stood out
2:24 PM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Ronaldo Souza will drop back down to middleweight with a compelling matchup waiting for him. “Jacare” and Uriah Hall have verbally agreed to a 185-pound fight at UFC 249 on
8:00 AM ET Danny Roberts will take on Nicolas Dalby in a welterweight bout on March 21, 2020 at the O2 Arena, it has been announced. It is the first fight to be announced at one of the most eagerly anticipated UFC events next year. Roberts (17-5) responded from back-to-back defeats with victory over Zelim
1:51 AM ET Two fights in her hometown of Honolulu. Two impressive title defenses for Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. Macfarlane beat Kate Jackson by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-44) to retain her Bellator women’s flyweight title Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 236 at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. The native Hawai’ian was dominant in every
9:17 AM ET BUSAN, South Korea — The UFC’s last card of the decade showcased an exciting South Korean in his native country against one of the sport’s legends in Frankie Edgar. When it was all said and done, it was Chan Sung Jung who took advantage of the opportunity. Jung, known by the nickname
8:18 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Chan Sung Jung had not competed on South Korean soil in over 11 years. He made a triumphant homecoming on Saturday. The featherweight from Seoul known as “The Korean Zombie” put Frankie Edgar in trouble right from the get-go, dropping him with a left hand in one of their first
3:51 AM ET Liz Carmouche did not spend too long on the free-agent market. The women’s mixed martial arts pioneer has signed a multi-year, multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA, the promotion announced Saturday. Carmouche was informed of her release from the UFC on Dec. 6 after more than six years with the promotion. Carmouche competed
2:53 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Josh Barnett was scheduled to make his Bellator debut in Friday’s main event in Honolulu, but the former UFC heavyweight champion fell ill and the athletic commission in Hawai’i would not clear the 42-year-old to compete. His bout with Ronny Markes was canceled. “Today was a travesty, and you won’t
4:33 PM ET A highly significant middleweight bout has been booked for the first quarter of 2020. Former champion Robert Whittaker will meet contender Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 on March 8 in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Friday. In his last fight, Whittaker lost the title to Israel Adesanya. ESPN has him ranked No.