MMA

Aug 14, 2024, 04:18 AM ET Open Extended Reactions South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis takes on Nigerian-New Zealander Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on August 17/18 [depending on where you are in the world]. ‘Stillknocks’, the current middleweight champion, spoke to ESPN about his gym in Pretoria, his love for his country, and why he

Not that they ever knew it, but there was at least one time where the oddsmakers might have been right to doubt UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. That time was just a little over a year ago, back when he was getting ready to fight former UFC champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. At

. LAS VEGAS – Youssef Zalal beat Jarno Errens with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 61 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Take a look inside the fight with Zalal, who picked up a $50,000 bonus with one of just three finishes on the card. Youssef Zalal

Jan 22, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Francis Ngannou (red gloves) celebrates after the fight against Ciryl Gane (blue gloves) during UFC 270 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is on the verge of making his PFL debut, and after everything he’s been through outside of combat sports, Xtreme Couture

A general view of the Octagon during the most recent UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena on Aug. 3, 2024, in Abu Dhabi. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) How much should a UFC pay-per-view cost? Say, for the sake of argument, that it’s a pretty good one. Not spectacular, but not

Aug 9, 2024, 09:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Nothing thrills MMA fans more than watching two fighters clinching against the cage, sweaty arms wrapped around each other’s sweaty backs for minutes at a time, right? If we can’t watch a fight unfold in that manner, how about the joy found in round after round

Associated Press Aug 7, 2024, 09:39 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is set to return to MMA when he makes his Professional Fighters League debut in October, stepping back inside the cage after a pair of high-profile paydays in boxing. Ngannou fights 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira on

. A key featherweight bout will go down at UFC 306 when former title challenger [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and rising star [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] meet in the cage. Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes preview Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) first were set to meet in June at UFC 303, but the

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 3, 2024, 06:50 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions In his first UFC main event, Umar Nurmagomedov soundly defeated Cory Sandhagen over the course of 25 minutes, and he didn’t even really need to wrestle to

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 2: Terence Crawford (L), a welterweight undisputed champion, poses on the scale after his official weigh-in at LA Live on August 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Crawford and Madrimov will fight for the super-welterweight title on Saturday August 3, 2024 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 2, 2024, 08:53 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions The UFC’s event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday on ABC has been a bit overshadowed by last weekend’s festivities in Manchester, which featured two title fights at

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Mackenzie Dern celebrates her victory by decision against Amanda Lemos during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports UFC on ABC 7 per UFC stats she received praise Related Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298: Best photos Jessica Andrade def. Mackenzie Dern

Jon Jones quipped about “supply and demand” after Tom Aspinall’s victory at UFC 304, amid increased calls for the pair to fight each other. On Saturday (27 July), Aspinall knocked out Curtis Blaydes in one minute exactly to retain the interim heavyweight title. With that win in Manchester, the Wigan fighter moved a step closer

Andreas Hale, ESPNJul 28, 2024, 01:35 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Belal Muhammad‘s nickname is “Remember the Name.” After Saturday night’s victory, they won’t forget it. Muhammad stunned Leon Edwards with an authoritative performance that mixed stifling grappling and much-improved striking to win the welterweight championship by unanimous decision Saturday in the main event of

Jul 28, 2024, 02:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions A 14-fight card at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, was headlined by a pair of title bout rematches. Belal Muhammad dethroned Leon Edwards to become the new welterweight champion. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall made quick work of Curtis Blaydes, leaving no doubt that he’s

Tom Aspinall made quick work of Curtis Blaydes, then called out UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) If politeness counts for anything, Tom Aspinall should get his wish. The UFC interim heavyweight champion went out there in the UFC 304 co-main event and dusted Curtis Blaydes in just

Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvilli will square off in their bantamweight title fight on Sept. 14. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The Sphere in Las Vegas now officially has two title fights set for this fall. UFC CEO Dana White announced the full fight card for Sept. 14 at UFC 306, which will be

UFC 304 heads to Manchester, England, on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV). It then continues in Manchester, England, well into Sunday morning, thanks to an unconventional start time that may have fighters rubbing the sleep from their eyes before stepping into the cage. Local fans may not love the idea of showing up for