MMA

Jeff Wagenheim Jul 30, 2023, 01:50 AM ET Bellator MMA took to a grand stage on Saturday with plans to crown an inaugural men’s flyweight champion, but the bout between Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Shinryu was waved off after just 25 seconds as a no contest after an accidental eye poke, leaving the title vacant

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJul 28, 2023, 06:59 PM ET SALT LAKE CITY — An anticipated welterweight fight between Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Michel Pereira has been pulled from Saturday’s UFC 291 card, the promotion announced Friday. Pereira missed weight by three pounds Friday morning, coming in at 174 pounds. The non-title welterweight limit is

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJul 27, 2023, 02:03 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun The UFC is finalizing a lightweight main event between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot in September, UFC president Dana White told ESPN Thursday. The 155-pound contest will headline UFC Fight

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJul 26, 2023, 01:03 AM ET Bellator’s franchise fighter, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, will fight this weekend on short notice as part of the Bellator-Rizin co-promotional card at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, it was announced Wednesday. Freire, the Bellator featherweight champion, will face Japanese kickboxer Chihiro Suzuki at a 154-pound catchweight

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJul 20, 2023, 03:36 PM ET UFC bantamweight contender Rob Font will replace the injured Umar Nurmagomedov and fight Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Nashville on Aug. 5, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Sandhagen vs. Font will take place at a catchweight of 140 pounds rather than the

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJul 19, 2023, 11:23 PM ET Islam Makhachev’s next title defense is no longer a mystery. The UFC lightweight champion will defend his belt against former champ Charles Oliveira in a rematch in the main event of UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJul 19, 2023, 11:38 PM ET Two of the most popular fighters in the UFC middleweight division will face off this fall. Undefeated Khamzat Chimaev will return to the Octagon at 185 pounds and fight Paulo Costa at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, UFC president

Andres Waters Jul 24, 2023, 04:01 PM ET After a near-clean sweep of the quarterfinals of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31, the remaining members of Michael Chandler’s team were offered a chance to train with Conor McGregor’s team ahead of their semifinal matchups. Brad Katona, who trains at SBG Ireland with McGregor and Lee Hammond,

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 15, 2023, 07:33 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun A massive heavyweight fight between Ciryl Gane and Serghei Spivac will headline UFC Fight Night on Sept. 2 in Paris, the UFC announced on Thursday. Gane (11-2), who is from

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterJun 18, 2023, 01:47 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC title challenger Jared Cannonier turned in one of the top performances in middleweight history on Saturday, as he set a new divisional record for strikes landed in a