MMA

Feb 8, 2023 Jeff WagenheimESPN When an athlete wins a championship, those watching from the stands tend to view the achievement as an arrival at the ultimate destination. Some champions themselves even see it that way. They’ve elevated themselves above the masses, and their reign on higher ground is what will define their legacy. But

Getty Images The evolution of mixed martial arts has taken the sport to every corner of the globe and Mexico is primed for a breakout year. Yair Rodriguez could cement himself as the country’s second UFC champion in as many pay-per-views by defeating Josh Emmett at UFC 284. The two battle in the co-main event

8:35 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Rankings are opinions. Opinions are debatable. Except for this one: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski is the No. 1 fight to watch at this weekend’s UFC 284. There’s simply no other way to stack up the event in Perth, Australia. Makhachev, 23-1 and a winner of his past 21 fights,

Islam Makhachev faces Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 284. (REUTERS/Christopher Pike) Plan your fight nights ahead with our UFC fight schedule. Included below are all of the UFC’s upcoming Fight Night cards and pay-per-events with announced bouts. We’ll also include any odds that are posted at BetMGM. Check back often as this

Fedor Emelianenko takes a photo with MMA pioneers after his loss to Ryan Bader. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) There were so many legends of MMA in the cage who traveled to Inglewood, California, from every corner of the country who knew exactly the feeling Fedor Emelianenko had on

USATSI Heavyweight prospect Sergey Spivak headlines for the first time in his career Saturday when takes on rugged veteran contender Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac. The battle of ranked fighters will anchor the main UFC Fight Night card (1 a.m. ET) from the Apex facility in Las

Feb 1, 2023 Jeff Wagenheim Mixed martial arts is not what it used to be. In its early days, the sport was widely dismissed as a cringey toughman sideshow and relegated to the outcast fringe. For years, MMA was sustained by an obsessive and faithful fan base that mined fight clips from dingy corners of

Legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko will retire after fighting Ryan Bader Saturday in Inglewood, California, in the main event of Bellator 290. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage) The Pride Fighting Championship was founded in 1997, a month shy of four years after the UFC opened for business. The newcomer organization, based in Japan, quickly overtook the UFC

Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Conor McGregor had been selling a lot of pay-per-views before they fought each other, which made their fight make business sense. (AP Photo/John Locher) As a sporting event, the idea of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor fighting each other was a bad one. McGregor, who in 2017 had never

Jan 27, 2023 Israel Adesanya will attempt to get his title back in a fourth fight against rival Alex Pereira this spring. Pereira will defend the middleweight championship against Adesanya in the co-main event of UFC 287 on April 8, UFC president Dana White announced Friday. Jorge Masvidal will return against Gilbert Burns in the

The UFC middleweight title rematch everyone was expecting is coming in April. New UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will face Israel Adesanya, whom he beat for the belt by TKO in November, at UFC 287 on April 8, UFC president Dana White announced Friday. The venue for the event remains unannounced. Pereira captured the title

Getty Images Israel Adesanya won’t have to wait long before getting a shot to regain his middleweight championship. Adesanya will rematch new champion Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 287 on April 8, UFC president Dana White announced on Friday. The location for the event is still to be determined. Pereira (7-1) and

Getty Images Fighters entering bouts with undisclosed injuries is nothing new, but it isn’t always the case that their opponents stumble upon the injury so soon. Brandon Moreno fought at UFC 283 with a compromised knee — the same knee that Deiveson Figueiredo attacked in the opening round. Moreno emerged victorious in UFC’s first quadrilogy,

Jamahal Hill won the UFC light heavyweight title in dominant fashion Saturday in Brazil. (Photo by Leandro Bernardes/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Jamahal Hill was told that winning a UFC championship is a life-changing event. The new light heavyweight title holder hasn’t really seen his life changed too dramatically just yet, though his reign is

8:00 AM ET Two new champions were crowned at UFC 283 on Saturday. One of them earned a place in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings. But it was a different winner from last weekend who made the biggest move. Jessica Andrade, who smashed fellow ranked flyweight Lauren Murphy on Saturday for her third straight victory, climbed

Getty Images Jamahal Hill is the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, but the shadow of Jiri Prochazka looms over him. There are many worthwhile fights to consider in the aftermath of UFC 283, including Hill vs. Prochazka. Hill was something of an unproven commodity when he was abruptly inserted into the title picture at 205

There probably was no one outside of his coaching staff, his immediate family, his best friends and a diehard fan or two who would have called Jamahal Hill a great fighter prior to Saturday night. Good? Undoubtedly. Outstanding prospect? No question. Potential champion? Of course. He was favored at BetMGM to defeat Glover Teixeira on

12:39 AM ET The first tetralogy in UFC history came to a close on Saturday, as Brandon Moreno finished Deiveson Figueiredo in their fourth meeting in a span of 25 months. A cageside physician waved off the flyweight title fight before the start of the fourth round, after Figueiredo’s right eye closed from swelling caused