7:29 PM ET When Ben Askren retired from MMA last year as the ONE welterweight champion, he didn’t completely rule out an eventual return to the mat. The UFC was on his mind, especially for the right opponent, but he wasn’t optimistic it was in the cards. That changed in the past week as the
MMA
2:16 AM ET Anthony Smith continued his surge in the light heavyweight division, choking out former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir at 4:26 of the third round via rear-naked choke on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. A former middleweight, Smith (30-13) moved to 3-0 in the past
Oct 25, 2018 The best advice Anthony Smith has ever received came from an “old man” he used to train with in Omaha, Nebraska — more than 10 years ago. Smith, 30, was barely an amateur at the time. He had very little training and was mostly accepting bouts just so he could get into
4:37 PM ET The first major trade in MMA history is a done deal. The UFC has officially agreed to release former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson from his contract in order to allow him to sign with ONE Championship, sources told ESPN on Saturday. In return, ONE has agreed to release their former welterweight champion
10:37 PM ET UFC featherweight contender Frankie Edgar has been forced to pull out of a scheduled main event against Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 10 because of an injury, and the UFC has booked Yair Rodriguez as a short-notice replacement. The UFC Fight Night event is scheduled to take place
12:52 PM ET Trades in MMA? What never felt possible might actually occur, as the UFC and ONE Championship are set to swap fighters in Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. It’s not a “trade,” per se, as both will be released and then freed to join new organizations. But it’s about as close as we’ll
10:18 AM ET The UFC and One Championship are on the verge of a “trade” that will ultimately send Demetrious Johnson, the UFC’s longest-reigning champion of all time, to One in exchange for undefeated welterweight Ben Askren. Askren (18-0) is a former NCAA Division I national champion wrestler at University of Missouri. A former Bellator
2:51 PM ET The MMA community was shook up Wednesday afternoon when ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC and ONE Championship were close to finalizing a deal to essentially swap Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. No “trade” like this has ever taken place in the sport, and now it is happening with one of
5:44 PM ET The MMA community was shook up Wednesday afternoon when ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC and ONE Championship were close to finalizing a deal to essentially swap Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. No “trade” like this has ever taken place in the sport, and now it is happening with one of
6:12 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Dana White once famously tweeted about Ben Askren, “When Ambien can’t sleep, it takes Ben Askren.” The UFC president actually had it backward. Yes, he was slinging an insult Askren’s way for his smothering fight style, characterizing it as sleep-inducing to watch. But in reality, the experience of watching “Funky