MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 20, 2023, 01:27 AM ET BOSTON — Sean O’Malley climbed out of the Octagon, spread his arms wide and took a beer from a fan. He chugged it as the TD Garden rocked with cheering fans. The UFC has a new superstar. Welcome to the “Suga” era. O’Malley, the Gen

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 20, 2023, 12:55 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Chinese strawweight champion Zhang Weili turned in a near-flawless performance at UFC 292 — and that’s considering the impossibly high standards she’s come to be judged by. Zhang (24-3) dominated

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 19, 2023, 08:47 PM ET BOSTON — There is still a possibility for Conor McGregor‘s return to the UFC before the end of the year. Michael Chandler, McGregor’s would-be opponent in his comeback, said Saturday that he has spoken to the UFC twice in the past two days and that

Marc Raimondi Brett Okamoto Close Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Aug 19, 2023, 07:06 PM ET BOSTON — Aljamain Sterling‘s swan song at bantamweight could be Sean O’Malley‘s crowning moment and the birth of a new UFC superstar. Sterling will defend

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 12:23 PM ET BOSTON — Chris Weidman is poised to complete a return after one of the most devastating in-cage injuries in UFC history. The former UFC middleweight champion will face Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on Saturday at TD Garden. It will be the first time Weidman

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 18, 2023, 11:52 PM ET Larissa Pacheco is one step — or maybe one punch? — away from becoming the first two-division PFL champion after a lightning-fast brutalization of Olena Kolesnyk in a women’s featherweight playoff semifinal Friday in New York. Pacheco (22-4), who won the 2022 championship when the PFL women’s

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 18, 2023, 10:42 AM ET Kevin Holland remains one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster and he’ll be back again less than two months after his last bout. The popular Holland will face top prospect Jack Della Maddalena at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas,

LAS VEGAS — ALJAMAIN STERLING, arguably the best bantamweight in UFC history, casually walks into a downtown apartment complex in phenomenal spirits. He’s about to engage in one of his favorite pastimes — an activity that challenges his mind and resolve unlike anything else. It can play tricks on him, give him a sense of

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 10:25 PM ET Daniel Rodriguez has withdrawn from a scheduled bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas due to an atypical finding in a USADA drug test, he announced Thursday night on Instagram. Rodriguez wrote that he tested positive in an out-of-competition

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 05:01 PM ET Raul Rosas Jr. will try to get back on track at the UFC’s Mexican Independence Day show. Rosas Jr., a Mexican-American bantamweight, will face Terrence Mitchell at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN on Thursday. ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi