5:06 PM ET Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou will face top contender Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Beijing on November 24, sources told ESPN. Both sides have verbally agreed to the bout. Ngannou (11-3) has lost his last two fights, most recently by unanimous decision to Derrick Lewis
MMA
10:56 AM ET Bellator MMA’s James Gallagher is planning a bantamweight title fight in December, in his native Ireland — and says it’s happening with or without the division’s defending champion, Darrion Caldwell. Gallagher (7-0) will make his 135-pound debut on Friday, when he meets Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
4:54 PM ET Few fighters in mixed martial arts have seen their stock rise more quickly than middleweight Israel Adesanya. The former kickboxing champion joined the UFC in February and proceeded to win three consecutive fights, two of which earned “performance of the night” bonuses. Arjan Bhullar, the first UFC fighter to ever wear a
1:56 PM ET The Shreveport Police Department in Louisiana is in the process of issuing an arrest warrant for Donny Aaron, the husband of UFC flyweight Andrea Lee. Shreveport PD spokesperson Cpl. Angie Willhite confirmed to ESPN an arrest warrant for Aaron is “forthcoming” — perhaps as soon as Wednesday afternoon. He is facing potential
12:38 PM ET Chamatkar SandhuESPN Arjan Bhullar is on the comeback trail following his first professional loss in MMA, and he’s hoping to channel the history of the Sikh community for inspiration. Bhullar (7-1) was defeated earlier this year when Adam Wieczorek (10-1) submitted him via omoplata in the second round at UFC on FOX
8:30 PM ET Benson Henderson‘s quest for a Bellator MMA championship will continue on Oct. 13, when he faces Saad Awad at Bellator 208 in Uniondale, New York. Bellator officials confirmed the 155-pound non-title fight to ESPN on Tuesday, following an initial report by MMAJunkie.com. Bellator 208 will take place at Nassau Coliseum. A Heavyweight
7:04 PM ET The main event for the UFC’s return to Sao Paulo, Brazil, has taken a hit. Glover Teixeira (27-7) was forced to withdraw from his UFC Fight Night bout against Jimi Manuwa due to a shoulder injury, sources told ESPN. There is fear that he’ll need surgery, however a final decision has yet
1:47 PM ET Australian featherweight Alex Volkanovski says he’s fully recovered from a painful rib injury suffered last month, and is ready to book his next bout. Ideally, some time in October. Preferably in the U.S. And 100 percent against a ranked opponent. Volkanovski (18-1) improved to 5-1 in the UFC last month, with a
5:26 PM ET Chamatkar SandhuESPN One of the brightest young stars in the UFC will be competing on the undercard of the fight of the year. Undefeated bantamweight Sean O’Malley (10-0) revealed on Monday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show that he will be taking on José Alberto Quiñónez (7-2) at UFC 229 on October
5:41 PM ET LAS VEGAS — UFC lightweight Kevin Lee wants a spot on the promotion’s blockbuster UFC 229 event on Oct. 6 at T-Mobile Arena, and has already asked the UFC for a specific opponent. Demetrious Johnson, the former 11-time UFC flyweight champion, said he suffered a high-grade partial tear in his LCL during