MMA

8:21 AM ET So much goes into a “breakout season” in mixed martial arts. One could argue, more so than in any other sport. A breakout season in MMA requires skill and preparation, but it also involves timing, health, luck and maybe a viral moment here and there. If you want to break out in

7:42 PM ET Associated Press MEXICO CITY — Former mixed martial arts fighter Phil Baroni has been arrested in Mexico for allegedly killing his girlfriend, the prosecutors’ office in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit said Wednesday. The office said a woman was found dead on Sunday in the beach town of San Fernando, just

10:47 AM ET The UFC has rebooked a welterweight matchup between Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov for UFC 285 on March 4, multiple sources told ESPN. The 170-pound bout will take place in Las Vegas. It was originally scheduled for a UFC Fight Night on Jan. 14, but Neal was forced to withdraw due to

8:34 AM ET SAITAMA, JAPAN — MANNY PACQUIAO, flanked by family and security, came out of an elevator and passed through a holding area for MMA fighters before they made their ring walk. To the boxing legend’s right, former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was on a knee, trying to help Bellator’s AJ McKee put

9:14 PM ET UFC president Dana White issued a public apology Monday for a physical altercation between him and his wife that was captured on video during their New Year’s Eve celebration in Cabo, Mexico. The video, published by TMZ, shows White, 53, and his wife, Anne, in a VIP area of a nightclub. Dana

3:07 AM ET All right, here we go. One of my favorite pieces of the year: the fights I would love to see most in 2023. I’ve done this annual piece for years at ESPN. You can find last year’s list here, and we did see a few (most of the ones we did see,

10:11 AM ET SAITAMA, Japan — AJ McKee felt a bit of pressure heading to the ring Saturday night. And it wasn’t just the weight of the black samurai costume he wore for his elaborate walk out. With a McKee win, his Bellator promotion would sweep its competition with Japan’s Rizin. On top of that,

7:43 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Seven appears to be the lucky number. Or unlucky, depending on whether or not you start the year with a UFC championship belt wrapped around your waist. Exactly a year ago, I made predictions for ESPN on what fighter would be champion at the end of 2022 in each of

7:50 AM ET Bob Sapp crouched down on the ramp with his team behind him — torches brimming with fire on either side. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound former NFL lineman exploded his torso upright, sending his green robe off him into the waiting arms of a coach. It was Dec. 31, 2003, and the Nagoya Dome

5:12 PM ET A middleweight contest between Derek Brunson and Dricus Du Plessis has been booked for the UFC 285 pay-per-view on March 4, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Contracts have not been signed but the bout is expected to be finalized shortly, sources told ESPN. UFC 285 is scheduled to take place in Las