MMA

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Lauren Murphy knows she has to put a stamp on Joanne Calderwood at UFC 263 if she wants to secure the next women’s flyweight title shot. Murphy (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is currently riding a four-fight winning streak and will look to make it five on Saturday when she meets Calderwood (15-5

Getty Images A pair of title bouts sit atop the marquee along with the return of a fan favorite as UFC 263 invades Gila Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday in a star-studded pay-per-view card.  Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya returns from his first pro defeat suffered in a 205-pound title challenge when he welcomes rising

11:22 AM ET Alistair Overeem is returning to his kickboxing roots. The former UFC heavyweight title contender, as well as former Strikeforce and DREAM champion, has signed a multifight deal with the Glory Kickboxing promotion, his management team told ESPN on Tuesday. Overeem is considered one of the greatest heavyweight MMA fighters of all time

Deiveson Figueiredo scoffed at the mere mention of Brandon Moreno. When it was suggested that Moreno provided him the toughest bout of his career when they fought to a draw on Dec. 12 at UFC 256 in Las Vegas, Figueiredo was having none of it. The Moreno fight was the fourth of the year for

It was only three years ago, but it might as well be a lifetime for Marvin Vettori. On April 14, 2018, the Italian middleweight walked to the cage at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, for a bout against Israel Adesanya. Adesanya was a well-known kickboxer, but he had only one UFC fight to his

7:35 PM ET CLARESSA SHIELDS RETURNED to JacksonWink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late March, fresh off making boxing history by becoming the first two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Time was running low, though, with Shields scheduled to make her MMA debut in the Professional Fighters League on June 10. The only

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

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

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 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