MMA

11:20 AM ET The UFC is working on Khamzat Chimaev‘s highly anticipated return to the Octagon — a welterweight matchup against Li Jingliang in October. Contracts have not been signed, but both sides are agreeable to the matchup, multiple sources told ESPN. The 170-pound bout is expected to take place at UFC 267 in October.

12:47 PM ET LAS VEGAS — One of the most anticipated trilogy bouts in MMA history is now official. Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor both successfully made weight Friday morning here at the UFC Apex. Poirier and McGregor both weighed in at 156 pounds. The two men will meet in the main event of UFC

6:59 AM ET On April 6, 2013, MMA coach Mark Henry was at Ericsson Global Arena in Stockholm to corner one of his fighters. It was the same card that featured the UFC debut of Conor McGregor. McGregor earned a KO-of-the-night bonus with a first-round stoppage of Marcus Brimage. Henry, watching from the locker room,

11:05 PM ET LAS VEGAS — As promised, the “old” Conor McGregor was back Thursday. At least the one outside the cage. The UFC superstar had to be held back from opponent Dustin Poirier by security right at the start of the UFC 264 prefight news conference and then kicked Poirier in the leg during

7:17 AM ET BOCA RATON, Fla. — It’s 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, and Dustin Poirier is methodically wrapping his hands at an empty boxing gym owned by his longtime coach, Dyah Davis. He is 17 days out from his lightweight trilogy fight against Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 264, and though

7:26 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor said Dustin Poirier was not his complete focus heading into UFC 257 earlier this year. In a video interview with ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith published Thursday, McGregor admitted that Poirier wasn’t the only thing on his mind before the second fight of their series back in

1:37 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The most significant regulator of combat sports has made a huge move in the way it deals with marijuana. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) voted Wednesday to no longer discipline fighters for cannabis. NSAC, which regulates some of the most high-profile boxing and MMA fights in the world,

6:46 AM ET The UFC has sold the branding rights to the uniforms worn by fighters in the Octagon, in what sources told ESPN is a long-term deal valued in the low nine figures over the length of the contract. The UFC on Wednesday morning announced a partnership with Crypto.com as the promotion’s “official fight

8:21 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim The punch exploded on the chin of Jose Aldo and reverberated across the mountaintops of mixed martial arts. When Conor McGregor knocked out the previously shatterproof UFC featherweight champion with a straight left hand just seconds into their 2015 title fight, there suddenly was a brazen 27-year-old Irishman sitting on

8:12 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor has won exactly one UFC fight in the past four years — but if he wins his next two, UFC president Dana White believes he will go down as one of the best fighters of all time. McGregor (22-5) will face the UFC’s No. 1 lightweight contender

4:28 PM ET The owner of a Florida-based chain of mixed martial arts gyms unveiled big plans Tuesday to try to help Miami Hurricanes football players take advantage of new rules that allow them to make money. Dan Lambert is the owner of American Top Team, which is the home training facility for more than

7:27 AM ET The UFC’s blockbuster fight of the summer will go down this weekend in Las Vegas, as Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor meet for a third time at UFC 264. The rivalry is tied at 1-1, with one knockout on each side. McGregor (22-5) finished Poirier in the opening round back in 2014.

10:02 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a featherweight bout between Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze as its main event for an event on Aug. 28, according to multiple sources. Once officially signed, the 145-pound contest is expected to headline UFC Fight Night at a location to be announced. 2 Related Barboza (22-9) is coming

7:14 AM ET UFC 264 is expected to produce the next challenger to lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, as Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor complete their trilogy in the main event. But could there be a wrinkle in those plans? Few doubt Poirier will pursue the title if he wins. He could already have fought for

8:01 AM ET We’re already halfway through the UFC’s 2021 schedule — a span of six months that has seen 10 championship fights. Those 10 title fights have produced some memorable moments, to say the least: Kamaru Usman‘s one-punch knockout of Jorge Masvidal; Francis Ngannou avenging his loss against Stipe Miocic to seize the heavyweight

7:43 AM ET Charles Oliveira, right, defeated Michael Chandler in a fight to remember at UFC 262 to win the UFC lightweight championship. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images There were dominant performances by champions, title-fight upsets and a surprising phenomenon that appears to be gaining momentum. About the only thing the MMA world didn’t have in the first

Jun 29, 2021 Sean O’Malley was scheduled to fight Louis Smolka at UFC 264 on July 10 in Las Vegas, but Smolka had to withdraw Monday due to a bout with a staph infection, Smolka’s manager Jason House of Iridium Sports told ESPN. Kris Moutinho will replace Smolka, Moutinho’s manager, Tyson Chartier, told ESPN on

2:59 PM ET One of the UFC’s most popular up-and-coming fighters needs a new opponent. Sean O’Malley was scheduled to fight Louis Smolka at UFC 264 on July 10 in Las Vegas, but Smolka had to withdraw Monday due to a bout with a staph infection, Smolka’s manager Jason House of Iridium Sports told ESPN.