MMA

11:52 AM ET Tony Ferguson‘s return to the cage is imminent. UFC president Dana White said Saturday night that Ferguson will face Li Jingliang at UFC 279 on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas. Sources told ESPN that bout agreements have not yet been signed, but there is a verbal agreement in place. Ferguson will move

2:17 AM ET What were the biggest moments at UFC 278? Megan Anderson, Jeff Wagenheim, Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto offer their takeaways from UFC’s return to Salt Lake City. There was less than a minute remaining in Round 5 of the main event at UFC 278 and Leon Edwards was looking like a lifeless

9:13 PM ET SALT LAKE CITY — Kamaru Usman is already being asked about Khamzat Chimaev as a future contender. He has bandied about the idea of moving up two divisions to light heavyweight and challenging for that title. UFC president Dana White wants to put Usman in the greatest of all time conversation. But

11:45 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world will be back in the Octagon this weekend. Kamaru Usman and challenger Leon Edwards successfully made weight Friday morning — both at exactly 170 pounds — for their welterweight title fight in the main event of UFC 278 on Saturday at

8:00 AM ET WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman hasn’t fought in nearly 10 months. Usually, those who follow this sport refer to that amount of time between fights as a “layoff” — but nothing about how Usman chose to spend those 10 months sounds like much of a break. “Everyone says,

9:26 PM ET For the second straight year, Zhang Weili will get a title opportunity at Madison Square Garden. A UFC women’s strawweight title fight between champion Carla Esparza and Zhang, the former champ, has been verbally agreed to for UFC 281 on Nov. 12 in New York, multiple sources confirmed with ESPN. The fight

9:22 AM ET Ian ParkerESPN The final event of the first round of the PFL playoffs will take place this Saturday, as the featherweight and women’s lightweight divisions have their semifinal matchups at Copper Box Arena in London (ESPN and ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET, prelims on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.). The main event will

5:02 PM ET The California State Athletic Commission wants Tyson Nam to move up in weight after the UFC fighter violated the board’s fight-night weight regulations Saturday at UFC San Diego. Nam weighed 126 pounds Friday at the weigh-ins, successfully making the nontitle flyweight limit. But on fight night, the CSAC weighed Nam again and

1:56 PM ET Shane Burgos is leaving the UFC and signing with PFL, the popular featherweight fighter announced Monday on “The MMA Hour.” Burgos fought out his UFC contract with his win over Charles Jourdain on July 16, becoming a free agent. He said he will likely compete in PFL before the end of the

9:04 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim For sports fans, there’s nothing more exhilarating than watching the best of the best perform. Whether it’s LeBron James or Lionel Messi, Serena Williams or Tom Brady, the greats of every sport elevate the viewing experience. So, MMA fans, welcome to UFC 278, a showcase for the pound-for-pound No. 1