MMA

Open Extended Reactions Rafael Fiziev will replace Dan Hooker on short notice to face Justin Gaethje in the co-main event of UFC 313 on March 8. UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight Wednesday on Instagram Live. Hooker was originally set to face Gaethje (25-5) in a five-round co-main event at UFC 313 in Las

When Diego Lopes made his UFC debut in May 2023, losing a unanimous decision to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288, few thought they were looking at a man who was less than two years away from a UFC featherweight title shot. But with reigning UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria vacating his title to move up

Brett OkamotoFeb 23, 2025, 12:21 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions A key bantamweight matchup between Song Yadong and Henry Cejudo came to an unfortunate conclusion Saturday, one that might require the UFC to book an immediate rematch. Yadong (22-8-1) defeated

Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong face off in a bantamweight fight in the main event of UFC Seattle. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Uncrowned has UFC Seattle results, live round-by-round updates, start time and highlights for the Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong fight card on Saturday at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. Former two-division champion

Merab Dvalishvili’s journey took him from working in construction to becoming a UFC world champion. – Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters Merab Dvalishvili is most known for his nonstop cardio and vivid smile inside the octagon. While other fighters might say that the moments before a fight are a nerve-wracking experience, it’s a peaceful time

Open Extended Reactions The UFC was busy announcing big fights Wednesday night, unveiling the main and co-main events for both UFC 314 in April and UFC 315 in May. The fight bookings, which CEO Dana White announced on Instagram Live, answered many lingering questions and raised new questions. With former champion Alexander Volkanovski set to

Belal Muhammad’s first defense of his UFC welterweight title is back on the books. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) UFC returns to Canada with two big title fights on May 10 inside Montreal’s Bell Centre for UFC 315 — though one matchup is far more surprising than the other. UFC CEO Dana White announced

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 15: (R-L) Youssef Zalal of Morocco punches Calvin Kattar in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) UFC Fight Night 251 took place this past Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas,

Brett OkamotoFeb 17, 2025, 03:49 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Conor McGregor is appealing the verdict found against him in a sexual assault lawsuit in Dublin last year. According to the BBC, McGregor filed the appeal Friday. A jury found the UFC star

Francis Ngannou is weighing his options across the combat sports landscape. (REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed) Francis Ngannou still looms large over boxing’s heavyweight division. When Ngannou returned to MMA this past October after nearly three years away, he wasted little time reaffirming his place as one of the best heavyweights in the world, smashing through Renan

. The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card, but snubbed a rare finish on the prelims. After UFC Fight Night 251, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below. Performance of the Night: Gabriel Bonfim Gabriel Bonfim def. Khaos Williams via technical submission

Feb 12, 2025, 10:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, upset with his longtime coach’s public criticism of his performance at UFC 312, said Wednesday that Eric Nicksick will “probably not” be back in his corner again. In a lengthy video posted on social media, Strickland said he felt compelled

Early on in the first season of “Kingdom,” there’s a scene that tells you that you’re watching something made by people who know the fight game. In it, the character of Jay Kulina, played by Jonathan Tucker, is telling his brother, played by Nick Jonas, about a fight he’s just agreed to. It’s in a

. LAS VEGAS – Youssef Zalal appreciates where he’s at. Just like many others, he’s baffled by what he’s been able to accomplish in the past 12 months. One year ago, Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) wasn’t on the UFC roster. Saturday, he co-headlines UFC Fight Night 251 vs. perennial contender Calvin Kattar (23-8 MMA,

Brett OkamotoFeb 9, 2025, 01:35 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Dricus Du Plessis already had a win over Sean Strickland going into UFC 312. What he wanted was an exclamation point over him — and that’s what he got. Du

Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman are both glad to run back their December 2015 encounter. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Luke Rockhold is already on the move with Global Fight League (GFL). When GFL unveiled complete rosters for each of its six teams. Rockhold was drafted as a middleweight for Team

May 9, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Dominick Cruz (blue gloves) with Dana White (right) during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports UFC CEO Dana White fully supports Dominick Cruz’s decision to retire from MMA. Former UFC and WEC champion Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was scheduled to compete

Open Extended Reactions UFC pay-per-view action returns on Saturday night as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and strawweight champion Zhang Weili put their titles on the line at UFC 312. Du Plessis will face Sean Strickland in the main event, a rematch of their January 2024 title fight which Du Plessis won by split decision.