MMA

7:31 AM ET The UFC’s lightweight division is about to embark on a new era following the retirement of undefeated former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The division endured the Conor McGregor era of 2016 to 2018, during which he essentially held the belt hostage without a single title defense for 511 days before being stripped of

Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA In the last year, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – effectively one-of-a-kind digital collectibles – have boomed in areas as varied as adult entertainment and the arts. Even sports leagues have started to take advantage of the NFT explosion. So it makes sense that the UFC, a body that has never been slow to

7:26 AM ET UFC 262 will usher in a new era in the lightweight division. It’s been more than three years since anyone other than Khabib Nurmagomedov wore the UFC lightweight belt around their waist. With the 29-0 Nurmagomedov officially retired, the impressively deep lightweight division is ready to crown a new king. Barring a

Getty Images A new lightweight champion will be crowned this week in Houston. UFC is set to welcome a new era to the 155-pound division on Saturday night when Charles Oliveira meets Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 262. The two headline UFC’s latest PPV venture that will also be the second straight

Giga Chikadze is ready to step in if any of the fights fall through at UFC 262. Chikadze (13-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is flying to Houston to support teammate Beneil Dariush, who fights Tony Ferguson in the co-main event Saturday. But if the UFC winds up needing a replacement opponent for any of the matchups

12:03 AM ET Marina Rodriguez‘s performance on short notice after travel nightmares and Donald Cerrone‘s continued decline were two of the key storylines coming out of Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, and the sustained success of Neil Magny can’t be overlooked. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim offer

11:44 PM ET Marina Rodriguez did not arrive in Las Vegas until Thursday, two days later than every other fighter on the card. The Brazil native had struggles getting a visa into the United States due to COVID-19 and spent 20 hours in travel over Wednesday and Thursday morning. None of that ended up mattering

No. 6 ranked strawweight Marina Rodriguez picked up a unanimous decision victory over no. 9 ranked Michelle Waterson in the main event of UFC Vegas 26. Throughout the fight Rodriguez successfully utilized a rapid pace, and she landed frequently. Rodriguez landed a total of 178 strikes and threw a total of 340, with 149 of

Getty Images Bellator MMA is back in a big way. The promotion returned with its debut card for 2021 on April 2 and saw two-division champion Patricio Pitbull defend his featherweight crown with a first-round submission of Emmanuel Sanchez. The win sets up a massive fight later this year against top contender AJ McKee in

BGR Anthony Mackie just hinted at a mysterious new Marvel movie Sam Wilson is Captain America — that much is clear after the Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale. The heroes know it, the villains know it, and the government knows it. Anthony Mackie is now Captain America in the real world as well. As

Getty Images Michelle Waterson says one thing her experience in the UFC has taught her is to be ready to accept an opportunity on a moment’s notice. The popular ninth-ranked strawweight didn’t hesitate when the promotion asked her to take a fight on Saturday against sixth-ranked Marina Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight

Michelle Waterson has appeared on reality television programs and already received strong reviews as a studio analyst for mixed martial arts. Even so, the ninth-ranked strawweight insists she is a fighter first, and that’s why she accepted a short-notice main event on Saturday against sixth-rated Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Waterson. Their

4:57 PM ET Bellator has introduced the first interim heavyweight title in promotion history. Timothy Johnson and Valentin Moldavsky will face off for the Bellator interim heavyweight title June 25 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, the promotion announced Friday. The card will be dubbed Bellator 261. Current heavyweight champion Ryan Bader is competing in

Bellator 258 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT). The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. In the main event, bantamweight champion Juan

NASCAR.com Where are they now? Catching up with Greg Biffle Greg Biffle isn‘t letting the grass grow under his feet in semi-retirement from NASCAR racing. But having sand in his shoes — well, that‘s an entirely different story. And while you‘re at it, throw in a few lemons (more on that in a minute). The

Getty Images Bellator MMA is back in action on Friday night. The promotion returns from a two-week hiatus to see a loaded fight card take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut with Bellator 258. The bantamweight title is on the line in the main event when champion Juan Archuleta puts his title

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 24 weigh-ins took place Friday, and MMA Junkie was on the scene for the proceedings. Among those weighing in were Marina Rodriguez (13-1-2 MMA, 3-1-2 UFC) and Michelle Waterson (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who meet in the women’s flyweight main event, and Donald Cerrone (36-15-1 MMA, 29-15-1 UFC) and

2:09 PM ET Ryan Benoit has been removed from this weekend’s UFC card after a scary scene at weigh-ins. Benoit missed weight by 3 pounds on his second attempt Friday morning, coming in at 129 pounds for a flyweight bout in Las Vegas. He was scheduled to fight Zarrukh Adashev at UFC Fight Night on