MMA news

7:39 PM ET Every weight class in the UFC has its intrigue, but nowhere are the twists and turns as dramatic and volatile at the top as they are in men’s bantamweight. Merab Dvalishvili put on a historic performance in winning a lopsided unanimous decision over former champion Petr Yan in the main event of

LAS VEGAS – Merab Dvalishvili wants a title shot, but he’ll decline if offered. It’s an unusual predicament, one that is oftentimes considered but never actually experienced by UFC contenders. His best friend and main training partner Aljamain Sterling happens to be in the same division – and happens to be champion. With his performance

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is taking over “Sin City” by way of the UFC Las Vegas mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which takes place TONIGHT (Sat., March 11, 2023) on ESPN+ from inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Las Vegas will be headlined by former 135-pound champion Petr Yan, who

12:09 AM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired from fighting and coaching. But the Nurmagomedov family name is in more than good hands in MMA. Usman Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s younger cousin, stopped former UFC champion Benson Henderson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2 minutes, 37 seconds of the first round Friday night in the main event of

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Michael Page sees no real next option beyond a Bellator title shot – but knows it could be a matter of bad timing. Page (21-2 MMA, 17-2 BMMA) on Friday opened up the Bellator 292 main card in San Jose, Calif., with a bizarre knockout win over Goiti Yamauchi (28-6 MMA,

Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are just a couple of hours away from the UFC Las Vegas bantamweight main event, scheduled for TONIGHT (Sat., March 11, 2023) inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yan (16-4) is coming off back-to-back split decision losses to Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley and has now

9:44 PM ET After some starts and stops, the UFC 288 main event is now official. Aljamain Sterling will defend his UFC bantamweight title against former champ Henry Cejudo on May 6 in Newark, New Jersey, the promotion officially announced Friday. Cejudo is making his return from retirement after three years away. While both men

Check out these photos from the Bellator 292 main card bout between Usman Nurmagomedov and Benson Henderson, which took place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and aired on Showtime. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan and Bellator MMA) Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson Bellator 292 _8312 Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson Bellator 292

Hasbulla is known for punching and smacking unsuspecting members of the mixed martial arts (MMA) community, but the Russian social media sensation refused to strike actor Mark Wahlberg during a recent meetup at Dana White’s “Power Slap” league. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) signed Hasbulla to an exclusive five-year deal late last year that has left

7:00 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the NFL and

LAS VEGAS – The UFC Fight Night 221 main event is official after Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili made weight on Friday. Yan (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) are scheduled to meet in a bantamweight grudge match on Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels, which streams on ESPN+. It’s

LAS VEGAS – After almost two years away from the octagon, Austin Lingo is hoping for a quick night at UFC Fight Night 221. Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns against Ricardo Ramos (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+. Lingo was forced to

It doesn’t sound like Francis Ngannou will be fighting for Bellator MMA in the future. Indeed, in a new interview with promotion President, Scott Coker, it appears that “The Predator” might be pricing himself out of the mixed martial arts (MMA) league. Just a few weeks back, Coker laid out the elevator pitch on how

Jon Jones feels there might still be some bitterness between himself and Daniel Cormier after all. Ahead of Jones’ highly anticipated return against Ciryl Gane for Heavyweight gold at UFC 285 this past weekend (March 4, 2023), the now-champion noted how there was nothing but love for his old rival, Cormier. “Bones” defeated his French

Things got a bit crazy in Florida on Wednesday night after Jake Paul ran into Floyd Mayweather and his extensive entourage after a Miami Heat game. Video footage filmed by someone in Floyd’s entourage and released to TMZ show Paul running away after Mayweather and a large group of followers confront the YouTuber-turned-boxer. The man

SAN JOSE, Calif. – For his first attempt at a title defense, Bellator’s lightweight champion is a betting favorite of almost baffling proportions. Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is a 25-1 favorite against challenger Benson Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in the Bellator 292 main event, which doubles as a quarterfinal fight in the

A possible super fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou might not be completely off the table after all for a future matchup. Jones earned the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285, defeating Ciryl Gane by first-round submission. His heavyweight debut couldn’t have gone much better as he didn’t show any ring rust after a

Merab Dvalishvili is ready to get his hands on Petr Yan. Bantamweights take center stage atop UFC Las Vegas this weekend (Sat., March 11, 2023). Dvalishvili enters his first main event, riding an impressive eight-fight winning streak. On the flip side, there’s Yan who aims to snap a two-fight losing skid that started with Dvalishvili’s