MMA

Leon Edwards’ last-minute, out-of-nowhere head-kick KO of Kamaru Usman in a fight he was about to lose is the stuff that happens once every two or three decades. Rarely in professional sports does an athlete or a team turn a certain loss into an emphatic win the way Edwards did Saturday at Vivint Arena in

Leon Edwards waited until the very last minute of a fight he was losing to unleash a perfectly placed head kick to knock out Kamaru Usman and lift the UFC welterweight title. Edwards’ stunning last-minute victory at UFC 278 on Saturday in Salt Lake City ended Usman’s 19-fight winning streak. [Full recap.] UFC 278 live

By all rights, Jared Gordon shouldn’t be in Salt Lake City this week, putting his body through torture to sweat it down to no more than 156 pounds by Friday morning so that on Saturday, he can fight Leonardo Santos at Vivint Arena as part of the UFC 278 card. The fact that he’s alive

In 2006, I received a phone call from a very prominent UFC fighter. He was in the midst of final preparations for a big fight, but was also in the midst of marital turmoil. The fighter begged and pleaded with me not to include his purse in the story I was working on. He didn’t

Kamaru Usman is on the cusp of tying the UFC’s greatest record. Anderson Silva won 16 fights in a row in the UFC, beginning with a 49-second knockout of Chris Leben on June 28, 2006, and concluding with a mauling of Stephan Bonnar in the first round on Oct. 13, 2012. Usman, the UFC’s welterweight

Getty Images Kamaru Usman will make the sixth defense of his welterweight title on Saturday in the main event of UFC 278 against No. 2-ranked contender Leon Edwards. Their title fight tops the main UFC 278 fight card (10 p.m. ET) from Vivint Arena in Utah. The combatants met nearly seven years ago, with Usman

Aug 15, 2022 The California State Athletic Commission wants Tyson Nam to move up in weight after the UFC fighter violated the board’s fight-night weight regulations Saturday at UFC San Diego. Nam weighed 126 pounds Friday at the weigh-ins, successfully making the nontitle flyweight limit. But on fight night, the CSAC weighed Nam again and

In an interview with GQ last week, UFC president Dana White remained adamant that fighters under his promotional banner will continue to earn what they earn as long he’s running the show. “It’s never gonna happen while I’m here, believe me. These guys get paid what they’re supposed to get paid,” White replied when asked

Getty Images Marlon Vera hit a home run at UFC Fight Night in San Diego. Vera uncorked a nasty head kick that sent Dominick Cruz crashing into the canvas on Saturday night in the main event from the Pechanga Arena. Cruz and Vera fought true to expectations. Cruz perplexed his opponent with boxing combinations, kicks

Marlon Vera remains the UFC’s top knockout artist in the bantamweight division. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) For three and a half rounds, Dominick Cruz looked like the Dominick Cruz of old, the man who dominated the bantamweight division for years. As he said all week, Marlon Vera didn’t give a f***. One of the

12:19 PM ET UFC flyweight Molly McCann will look to continue her breakout year in 2022, when she takes on Erin Blanchfield in November. The UFC has added a 125-pound contest between McCann (13-4) and Blanchfield (9-1) to its UFC 281 lineup on Nov. 12 in Madison Square Garden. Both flyweights announced the bout on

Dominick Cruz was only 5 years old when his parents’ marriage dissolved. Divorce is almost always a painful and difficult time for all members of a family, but particularly for younger people who can’t comprehend the sudden changes they’re facing. Before his father left the home, he had a talk with young Dominick. Dominick was

Getty Images UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman looks to continue his run of dominance in the 170-pound division when he defends his title against Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 278. The event takes place Aug. 20 from Vivant Arena in Salt Lake City. Usman and Edwards both bring lengthy winning streaks to

9:35 AM ET Two of the more unheralded UFC weight classes had a chance to show out last month. In the main event of UFC 277 on July 30, Julianna Peña and Amanda Nunes had their rematch for the UFC women’s bantamweight title, following Peña’s huge upset over Nunes at UFC 269 last December. Former

On a night when not one of the 10 fights went to the scorecards, it seems somehow appropriate that one of the stars of the night was a guy with the last name Usman. Kamaru Usman is the UFC’s welterweight champion, the pound-for-pound top fighter in the world and one of the greatest MMA fighters

Getty Images Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill meet at the busy intersection of the UFC light heavyweight top 10 on Saturday night. Santos vs. Hill headlines UFC Fight Night as the promotion returns to its home base at the Apex in Las Vegas. It was only three years ago that Santos (22-10) nearly dethroned the

Israel Adesanya’s credentials are already set. If he retired today, he’s done enough to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He’s 23-1 in his MMA career, and he’s closing in on all sorts of records. In just over four years in the UFC, he’s gone 12-1, with eight of those 13 fights being

12:06 PM ET UFC star Conor McGregor will make his first foray into feature films with a role in a remake of “Road House,” McGregor’s spokesperson Karen J. Kessler confirmed to ESPN. Jake Gyllenhaal will star in the movie, which is a new take on the classic 1980s cult hit that starred Patrick Swayze. Amazon