MMA

May 15, 2023, 09:23 AM ET There was plenty of action across MMA over the weekend with Bellator 296 in Paris on Friday night and UFC Fight Night in Charlotte on Saturday. Rising UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida notched a first-round submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik to extend his UFC unbeaten streak to five in

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2023, 05:59 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Jailton Almeida still has a long way to reach the top of the heavyweight division, but it certainly appears he’ll be a force to reckon with

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2023, 07:07 PM ET Former UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo is now officially out of his scheduled flyweight contender bout against Manel Kape at UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Saturday at a news conference after UFC Charlotte. Figueiredo had told MMA Fighting

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 12, 2023, 07:26 PM ET Leon might not be the only Edwards family member with a championship in the future. Fabian Edwards, brother of UFC titleholder Leon Edwards, beat multiple-time former MMA champion Gegard Mousasi via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) on Friday in the main event of Bellator 296

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 12, 2023, 12:41 PM ET Nine PFL fighters have been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), forcing the promotion to make major changes to its ongoing season. Seven PFL fighters, including former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos and former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza, appeared Thursday on the

Andres Waters May 12, 2023, 08:35 AM ET Rising heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida (18-2, 4-0 UFC) is set to make his first UFC Fight Night main event appearance on Saturday night. Almeida, currently unranked in ESPN’s divisional rankings, will take on ESPN’s No. 10 ranked heavyweight, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, at UFC Fight Night in Charlotte (3

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 11, 2023, 09:14 AM ET The gravity of the situation didn’t dawn on Vijay Hanumantha Raju until hours later when he was talking with his friends. Hanumantha Raju competed Saturday in his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. His opponent was also making his competitive debut in the grappling art: Mark Zuckerberg,

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 10, 2023, 12:23 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun English heavyweight Tom Aspinall will headline a UFC Fight Night event July 22 in London against Marcin Tybura, UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday. Aspinall (12-3) will return to O2

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 10, 2023, 05:39 PM ET Professional Fighters League (PFL) has signed top kickboxer Cédric Doumbé, the promotion announced Wednesday. Doumbé, 30, had once been tied to contract talks with the UFC, but now will be plying his trade in MMA with PFL. He is a former Glory Kickboxing welterweight champion

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 10, 2023, 09:00 AM ET DALLAS — Jake Paul was answering a question about 35 minutes into the news conference when his forthcoming opponent, Nate Diaz, put his hat on backward, got up and walked off the stage. “Is this man leaving?” Paul asked. MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, who was moderating