MMA

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 9, 2023, 06:38 PM ET The plaintiffs seemingly earned a strategic victory in an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC in 2020. Nearly three years later, that win has been made official. Federal judge Richard F. Boulware granted the plaintiffs class certification on Wednesday, according to a document from the U.S.

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 9, 2023, 03:37 PM ET Bellator is stacking the deck for a landmark show coming this fall. Ryan Bader will defend his Bellator heavyweight title against Linton Vassell in the main event of Bellator 300 on Oct. 7 in San Diego, one of four title fights on the historic card,

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 9, 2023, 10:39 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Claressa Shields, widely considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound female boxer on the planet, is going back to MMA in 2024. Shields, 28, has signed a new multiyear deal to compete

Andres Waters Aug 8, 2023, 11:00 PM ET Ahead of this week’s “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 lightweight matchup, coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler competed in the traditional coaches challenge. This season, the coaches went head-to-head in a UFC trivia game, but with an added twist: taking an ice bath in 39-degree water the

Aug 8, 2023, 09:05 AM ET “Dana White’s Contender Series” returns this week for Season 7. The show has been the path for many of the talented fighters on the UFC’s roster today, including former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, “Suga” Sean O’Malley, who will challenge Aljamain Sterling for the men’s bantamweight belt at

Aug 7, 2023, 08:33 AM ET The UFC always looks for fresh faces, and “Dana White’s Contender Series” is the promotion’s most reliable vehicle for identifying them. Whereas “The Ultimate Fighter” has produced several UFC stars, including some champions, the show’s format removes prospects from their regular training routine and asks them to make weight

Marc Raimondi Michael Rothstein Close Michael Rothstein ESPN Staff Writer Michael Rothstein is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Rothstein covers the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein. Aug 6, 2023, 02:40 AM ET The Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz rivalry isn’t over. That much was clear following Paul’s unanimous decision

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 6, 2023, 12:20 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun It wasn’t a fan-friendly performance, but UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen made Rob Font‘s life absolutely miserable for 25 minutes in their main-event matchup Saturday. Sandhagen (17-4) picked up his third

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 5, 2023, 12:03 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun A pair of light heavyweights emphatically punched their way into the 2023 PFL finals Friday — but the big story was 27-year-old featherweight Jesus Pinedo. Pinedo (22-6-1), who is from

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 3, 2023, 09:51 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou will have Mike Tyson, one of the greatest and most feared heavyweight boxers of all time, in his corner when he faces Tyson Fury in