MMA

8:00 AM ET IAN GARRY WAS a student at Dublin Institute of Technology in early 2017, studying retail and service management. He was just 19 years old, but after one year in college, he knew university was not for him. The Ireland native, inspired by the exploits of Conor McGregor, knew his real vocation in

Life is good these days for Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion. He’s rich, drives a luxury car, has a family he adores and that adores him, had a pub named after him near his home in Australia and has risen to third in the UFC’s most recent pound-for-pound rankings behind only Kamaru Usman and

Associated Press White House nuptials: Biden granddaughter to wed this fall There’s going to be a rare wedding reception at the White House this fall when Naomi Biden, President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, celebrates her marriage to Peter Neal. Naomi Biden, 28, is a lawyer, and her fiance, Neal, 24, is in law school. “Peter and

Getty Images Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov opted against defending his title against Michael “Venom” Page, instead choosing to fight for his home country of Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. But while Amosov won’t be in the cage any time soon, he still claimed a championship belt under dramatic circumstances.  In a video posted to Instagram

8:30 AM ET We’re in the middle of a very rare off week in the UFC schedule — and in MMA, in general, actually — with no big fights to watch as we close out March and kick off April. That said, there is plenty to discuss and reflect on in this sport, including the

Former UFC fighter and ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen told police that he doesn’t remember the incident in a Las Vegas hotel last year that led to 11 battery charges, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Sonnen was charged with 11 counts of battery, including one felony battery by strangulation, last week after he allegedly punched

3:11 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Editor’s note: Khamzat Chimaev faces the biggest test of his career on April 9 at UFC 273, taking on top-five welterweight Gilbert Burns. This story has been updated since being published in October following Chimaev’s most recent fight. After an absence of over a year, Khamzat Chimaev returned to the

Getty Images If Curtis Blaydes was looking to prove he is still a player at the top end of the heavyweight division, he got the job done this past Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night. In the night’s main event, Blaydes scored a big TKO win over Chris Daukaus in the second

Curtis Blaydes knocked out Chris Daukaus in the second round Saturday, then immediately called for an interim title shot as soon as June. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC) There were no takedown attempts. No thoughts of slow-playing it to try to wear down his opponent. It was toe-to-toe, power-to-power, man-to-man, for Curtis Blaydes on Saturday

Nate Diaz wants out of the UFC. The longtime MMA star publicly asked the UFC and president Dana White to release him from his contract on Twitter on Saturday. I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc @danawhite @hunterI apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I

Getty Images Fans of Nick and Nate Diaz know the brothers are prone to making wild statements in tweets and interviews. And both men have certainly had their fair share of issues with the UFC brass. So, when Nate tweeted on Saturday afternoon requesting his release from the promotion, it raised eyebrows but may not

Curtis Blaydes believes whole-heartedly in the adage, “Good things come to those who wait.” Blaydes has competed in the UFC since 2016 and is 10-3 in the promotion. On Saturday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN) in Columbus, Ohio, when he fights Chris Daukaus, it will be the fourth time in his last five bouts he’s

12:00 PM ET Curtis Blaydes was riding high in the UFC’s heavyweight division a little over a year ago. He had won four fights in a row, and the only defeats of his career had come against the champion, Francis Ngannou. But then, in February 2021, Blaydes ran into a Derrick Lewis uppercut, and his

UFC star Jorge Masvidal was arrested on Wednesday night after he allegedly confronted and punched Colby Covington multiple times outside of a Miami steakhouse earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Masvidal was charged with aggravated battery with bodily harm and criminal mischief, and was being held on a $15,000 bond. Jorge Masvidal is

The UFC showed Chris Daukaus an enormous amount of respect in the aftermath of his first-round knockout loss in December to Derrick Lewis. Daukaus will return to the Octagon on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Columbus for the first time since that loss and will meet fourth-ranked Curtis Blaydes in the main event. Not

Getty Images Jorge Masvidal allegedly assaulted Colby Covington outside of a Miami Beach steakhouse. The reported physical altercation comes just weeks after Covington vs. Masvidal headlined UFC 272 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Police documents state that Masvidal attacked Covington outside of Papi Steak restaurant on Monday night. An initial report of

8:39 PM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi LONDON — After his submission victory in the main event of the UFC Fight Night card Saturday, Tom Aspinall told me he was pacing himself against Alexander Volkov, because of

In the early 1960s, four friends from England got together and captivated the world with their fabulous music. The Beatles in that decade went on to become arguably the most iconic band of all time. On Saturday at O2 Arena, four young Brits appeared on a fight card together. While it was not as history-changing