MMA

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 28, 2024, 09:30 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions UFC 308 marked the end of an era as two former champions were on the wrong end of marquee matchups against younger stars. In the main event,

. [embedded content] ABU DHABI – Khamzat Chimaev has no doubt he would slice through UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis on the ground. Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) quickly submitted Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) with a face crank in the first round of their middleweight bout Saturday, which co-headlined UFC 308 at

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 23, 2024, 08:11 AM ET Open Extended Reactions WHEN MAX HOLLOWAY walks to the Octagon to face Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, it will be shortly after midnight local time on Sunday. However, back in his hometown of Waianae in Hawai’i, it will be Saturday, 10

May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights Jamie Mullarkey (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports The sage of booking Mauricio Ruffy’s second UFC appearance continues. Ruffy (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is once again opponent-less for UFC 309 after Charlie Campbell (9-2

Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNOct 21, 2024, 10:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Newer followers of mixed martial arts often need a history lesson to fully appreciate why hardcore fans are so pumped about an upcoming fight. There’s a rivalry going back a decade. A lengthy title reign in peril. A compelling comeback story. A long-standing record

. LAS VEGAS – Cameron Smotherman was in Saudi Arabia to corner a teammate when he got a call that changed his life. Just a few days ahead of UFC Fight Night 245, Smotherman (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) received a call from his manager asking him about his weight because Jake Hadley’s original opponent, Brady

Oct 19, 2024, 03:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants is underway at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira. The fight card also features another superfight between champions, as reigning

Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Khalil Rountree Jr. (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Jamahal Hill takes umbrage with those who think Khalil Rountree can beat him. Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) put

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 16, 2024, 07:48 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions BATIÉ, Cameroon — IT’S A COLD, foggy morning in August, which is the middle of the rainy season in Central Africa. Francis Ngannou and I are standing

. Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms. Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of X, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 12, 2024, 02:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Belal Muhammad (24-3) will make the first defense of the welterweight championship against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Muhammad, 36, recently won the 170-pound title by defeating Leon Edwards

ESPN Oct 9, 2024, 10:47 AM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions Undefeated Tatsuro Taira meets onetime title challenger Brandon Royval in the men’s flyweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. All of the fights at UFC Apex are on ESPN+, with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET,

Ian Machado Garry has eight stoppages in 15 wins in MMA [Getty Images] UFC president Dana White says Irishman Ian Machado Garry could fight Colby Covington in his next fight. Machado Garry, 26, beat Briton Michael Page last June in the biggest win of his UFC career to date. The Dubliner is number seven in

Andreas Hale, ESPNOct 8, 2024, 05:22 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Michael Chandler waited two years to fight Conor McGregor. Although he has now moved on to a fight with Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16, Chandler has “no doubt” that a fight with McGregor will come to fruition in 2025. “I’ve made a pivot from

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well. See what the fighters from UFC 307 went with as their backing tracks in Salt Lake City. (fighters listed alphabetically).

Oct 5, 2024, 07:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight championship against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of two-title-fight UFC 307 on Saturday in Salt Lake City. The other title bout at Delta Center pits women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington against former champ Julianna Peña. Saturday’s main card

The UFC 307 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event in the video above. The press conference takes place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, which also hosts Saturday’s fight card, which airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+. UFC 307 is

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterOct 2, 2024, 07:49 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions SIX YEARS AGO, analysts Joe Rogan and Dominick Cruz were seated at the commentary table for the opening fight of the UFC 226 main card in Las