MMA

Dec 1, 2023, 08:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions There are champions in MMA and there are contenders closing in on claiming belts. There are marginal contenders, gatekeepers and former greats hanging on in hope of one last moment of glory. And then there are prospects, the young fighters who serve a vital function: They

Newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has claimed Israel Adesanya’s spot in the Yahoo Sports MMA pound-for-pound rankings. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Chris Unger via Getty Images) There are so many good fighters in mixed martial arts right now that it’s hard to stop at 10 when making a

Olivier Aubin-Mercier faced Clay Collard (not pictured) in the main event of Friday’s PFL Championships at The Anthem in Washington, DC. (Cooper Neill via Getty Images) There are people who still ask for a Kleenex when what they really want is a tissue. And there are people who tell coworkers they’re heading to the Xerox

Nov 27, 2023, 09:11 AM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL will start the new year with the most talented and deepest roster outside the UFC, perhaps ever. After acquiring Bellator MMA officially last week, there is an exponential amount of potential matchups PFL can now make with all of its champions and contenders and their

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 20, 2023, 11:58 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The PFL has acquired Bellator MMA in a landmark deal for combat sports, PFL chairman Donn Davis announced Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but

Yahoo Sports Thanksgiving panic meter: Chiefs, Dolphins, Brandon Staley | Inside Coverage Jason Fitz is joined by Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Reporter Jori Epstein to go behind the scenes and get the inside scoop on the biggest NFL storylines of the week. Fitz and Jori kick things off with the New York Jets announcing that

Yahoo Sports Are the Broncos good? Lions impress, Steelers need changes | Sunday Night Blitz Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap NFL Week 11 and get ahead of the biggest storylines to come out of a bizarre Sunday slate. The dynamic duo start by highlighting a few of the bigger outcomes, including

Reed Kuhn Close Reed Kuhn Special to ESPN.com Reed Kuhn is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and strategy and analytics consultant. He is the author of “Fightnomics: The Hidden Numbers and Science in Mixed Martial Arts,” the first book to quantify drivers and performance metrics in combat sports. Ian Parker Sep 13, 2023, 08:12 AM ET

After winning his second UFC main event by stoppage, Brendan Allen wants a No. 1 contender fight next time he steps into the octagon. At the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) faced Paul Craig (17-7-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) in a key middleweight bout. The winner of the UFC Fight Night

Getty Images Brendan Allen and Paul Craig look to make a serious run towards the middleweight elite. They must first face each other in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Allen (22-5) is still pursuing a marquee win to turn heads but his output is

Jason Jackson shocked the MMA world at Bellator 301 and became champion. Considered by many as a hefty underdog, Jackson (17-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) knocked out previously unbeaten Yaroslav Amosov (27-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) to top off a dominant striking performance in Friday’s main event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The stoppage came via punches

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterNov 17, 2023, 07:25 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions Maintaining a zero in the loss column of one’s fighting record is about as prestigious of a mark one can have. It is the clearest indicator of

Getty Images Tom Aspinall says it’s time to move on from Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. The new interim heavyweight champion made a strong case for unifying the titles in the aftermath of a thrilling victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 on Saturday. It’s typical for the undisputed and interim champions to fight each

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterNov 13, 2023, 09:18 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Dana White was on a stage in Las Vegas in late 2013. The UFC had just celebrated its 20th anniversary after a successful 12-month period, one that saw women fight in the Octagon for the first time. Behind White, the UFC president

Alex Pereira is 3-0 at Madison Square Garden in New York with two of those wins coming in title bouts. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Chris Unger via Getty Images) NEW YORK — Alex Pereira’s manager probably isn’t doing his job very well if, in Pereira’s next contract with the UFC, he

Yahoo Sports Playing the blame game with Andy Behrens, Richard Sherman joins | Zero Blitz Jason Fitz is joined by fantasy expert Andy Behrens to blur the lines of fantasy and reality as they attempt to determine who’s at fault for some of the most disappointing fantasy seasons compared to expectations so far, including Calvin

Alex Pereira of Brazil punches Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic in the light heavyweight championship fight during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 11, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) NEW YORK — For the second time in a year, Alex

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Tom Aspinall of England knocks down Sergei Pavlovich of Russia in the interim UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) NEW