MMA

Getty Images UFC is ready for its next PPV — and in front of a live audience. UFC 263 heads to Glendale, Arizona on Saturday night with a loaded fight card for the occasion. A middleweight title fight sits at the top with champion Israel Adesanya taking on challenger Marvin Vettori. The pair met once

3:50 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 Jairzinho Rozenstruik was 10-0 in December 2019 following a Hail Mary knockout victory over Alistair Overeem. It seemed at the time that the accomplished kickboxer was on the precipice of

Jairzinho Rozenstruik only committed to being a full-time mixed martial arts fighter in 2018. He was a high-level kickboxer who put together a 76-8-1 record with 64 knockouts before turning to MMA. In three years, he’s already just about at the top of his profession, but only is now coming into his own. The Surinamese

Everything that is great about heavyweight fighting and everything that is wrong with it was on display in the opening five minutes of the main event of UFC Vegas 28 on Saturday between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai. For more than four minutes at Apex, the two big men circled each other cautiously, their right

Getty Images Very little happened for nearly the entirety of the opening round in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai. But heavyweights — especially those with Rozenstruik’s heavy hands — only need one moment to change a fight. That’s exactly what happened when Rozenstruik connected with a left hand

Getty Images On Saturday night in Las Vegas, two heavyweights in need of a win will clash when Jairzinho Rozenstruik takes on Augusto Sakai in the main event of UFC Fight Night. A victory by either man keeps them on the fringe of the muddy heavyweight title picture. Rozenstruik is one of the most feared

Reuters Are YouTubers ruining boxing? Sport’s biggest names not so sure With a fight between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and YouTube star Logan Paul looming, some fans are asking whether the increasing number of celebrity exhibition bouts is reducing the sport to a carnival-style sideshow. Sunday’s bout in Miami is expected to be a one-sided

10:25 AM ET Jake Paul‘s next foe will be a former UFC champion. Paul will meet Tyron Woodley in a boxing match later this summer, both Paul and Woodley told ESPN. The 190-pound match is currently slated for Aug. 28, sources say. Several host cities are still under consideration, per sources, though an official announcement

LAS VEGAS — The odds of Jairzinho Rozenstruik becoming the UFC heavyweight champion are long, and it has nothing to do with the Surinamese star. It’s because the odds of any one fighter ascending to the top of the sport’s glamor division are so long. But is there a scenario in which Rozenstruik, the loser

7:39 AM ET Since announcing he’s retained the services of Richard Schaefer as his advisor on May 26, Jon Jones‘ social media accounts have been fairly subdued, free of any confrontational posts aimed at the UFC. Coincidence? Maybe, but make no mistake, there will be interest in seeing if Schaefer, the former boxing promoter who

Tito Ortiz’s time in public office in Southern California has come to an end. Ortiz officially resigned from his post on the Huntington Beach City Council and as the mayor pro tem on Tuesday night, according to the OC Register’s Susan Golding. The UFC Hall of Famer cited leaks at City Hall and character assassination

The Telegraph Croatia Euro 2021 squad list, fixtures and latest team news Striker Bruno Petkovic is expected to fill Mario Mandzukic’s big boots at Euro 2020 as Croatia aim to reach the last 16. Mandzukic, who scored an extra time winner in a 2-1 victory over England in their 2018 World Cup semi-final, is one

UFC Fight Night 189 is days away and it features a main event matchup between two of the promotion’s largest athletes. The event takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+. Despite recent losses by both men, “the dream is still the same,” as one-half of the heavyweight

2:09 PM ET Former UFC champion Jon Jones has enlisted veteran boxing promoter Richard Schaefer as a representative, he announced via social media on Wednesday. Jones, 33, is one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history, although he has not fought since February 2020. A former light heavyweight champion, Jones vacated his UFC title

Getty Images Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is walking again. A little over a month after having his leg snapped while throwing a kick to open his bout with Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, Weidman walked on his own in the living room of his house in a video he shared

UFC fighter Chris Weidman continues his unbelievable recovery from a broken leg. Weidman took another major step in his recovery Saturday, posting video in which he’s already walking on his surgically-repaired leg. The clip lasts just 10 seconds, but shows Weidman fully supporting himself while taking a couple steps. In the caption, Weidman thanks fans

8:34 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Clay Collard was the other guy. He was the one standing across the cage from the PFL’s prized new signee, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. It was a big moment for the emerging fight promotion, and the vibe of the introductions for this season-opening main event last month in Atlantic City, New

Associated Press Tour, players react to Osaka: Talking to media part of job Naomi Osaka’s declaration that she won’t participate in news conferences during the French Open was a natural, if slightly awkward, topic for discussion on a tournament media day already awkward by nature because it was conducted via video conference. “Me, I have