8:11 PM ET The first fight of Bellator’s upcoming featherweight tournament is booked, and it involves the promotion’s current 145-pound champion. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Juan Archuleta for the Bellator featherweight title is set for Sept. 28 at the Forum in Inglewood, California, sources told ESPN. The fight will be one of eight first-round tournament
MMA
5:32 PM ET Marc RaimondiESPN Two fighters missed weight at PFL 4 weigh-ins Wednesday morning, leading to a pair of cancelled bouts and one expelled fighter. Zane Kamaka and Roberta Samad each missed weight ahead of their second fights of the PFL 2019 season. Kamaka weighed in at 171.8 points, .8 over the welterweight limit.
11:20 PM ET Marc RaimondiESPN Dana White’s Contender Series history was made Tuesday. For the first time in the show’s three-year history, every single winner earned a UFC contract from White, the promotion president. The five fighters who will be signed: Jonathan Pearce, Maki Pitolo, Hunter Azure, Antonio Trocoli and Joseph Solecki. “Tonight is what
9:24 PM ET Three-time UFC title challenger Chad Mendes has officially retired from mixed martial arts. Mendes, 34, announced his retirement to ESPN on Tuesday. Unconfirmed reports of the California native’s decision to step away have circulated since his most recent appearance in December, a knockout loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 232. Mendes, however,
9:36 AM ET Marc RaimondiESPN Jonathan Pearce had a spiritual experience four years ago that has fueled his MMA career. It happened not in a church, not even in a gym during an especially transcendent workout. It occurred in an ambulance. Pearce had been training at his gym in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and saw a man
8:36 PM ET Marc RaimondiESPN It didn’t take long for John Lineker to find a new home. Just six days after news broke that Lineker had been released by the UFC, the Brazilian bantamweight has signed with Asia’s ONE Championship, his manager, Alex Davis, confirmed to ESPN on Monday. MMA Fighting was first to report
6:01 AM ET Marc RaimondiESPN Thiago Santos fought most of his light heavyweight title bout with Jon Jones on essentially one leg. Santos tore the ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus of his left knee in the UFC 239 main event Saturday night in Las Vegas, his manager Alex Davis confirmed with ESPN. Tests came back
4:51 PM ET Marc RaimondiESPN Ben Askren says he has no outstanding health issues following a brutal knockout over the weekend. Jorge Masvidal landed a running knee to Askren’s head just after the opening bell of their UFC 239 fight Saturday night in Las Vegas. The bout was ruled a five-second KO, the quickest in
5:34 PM ET UFC 239 on Saturday in Las Vegas witnessed the fastest knockout in company history, the closest five-round fight of Jon Jones‘ career and yet another dominant performance by Amanda Nunes. What’s next for Jones, Nunes, Holly Holm, Jorge Masvidal and others from UFC 239? Here’s ESPN’s take. Jon Jones, light heavyweight Result:
6:03 PM ET Marc RaimondiESPN LAS VEGAS — Luke Rockhold‘s debut at light heavyweight was an absolute disaster. Jan Blachowicz knocked out the popular former middleweight champion with a vicious, right-left punch combination coming out of a clinch. The knockout finish came at 1 minute, 39 seconds of the second round Saturday night at UFC