MMA

8:40 PM ET The UFC has released two of its most popular heavyweight fighters. Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos were recently informed by the promotion that they were being released, sources confirmed with ESPN. Dos Santos broke the news himself on his Instagram account, while MMA Junkie first reported Overeem’s release. UFC officials subsequently

8:00 AM ET DOROTA JURKOWSKA WAS sitting in her home in Warsaw, Poland, in the middle of the night on April 8, 2017, her face illuminated by the glow of a computer screen. She was nervous, nearly to the point of feeling ill, and wouldn’t sleep at all until the following day. She had just

11:14 AM ET The Professional Fighters League has announced all of its opening welterweight and light heavyweight matchups for the 2021 season, including Rory MacDonald’s PFL debut. MacDonald (21-6-1) was the company’s top free agent acquisition in 2020, but his debut was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a year away from

2:04 PM ET Israel Adesanya was always going to be the smaller man moving up a division to fight Jan Blachowicz. But the UFC middleweight champion might be even lighter than many expected. Adesanya told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani in an interview that published Tuesday that he is currently walking around at less than 200 pounds

2:52 PM ET UFC featherweights Edson Barboza and Shane Burgos have agreed to meet in May, both sides confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday. The 145-pound bout will take place at UFC 262 on May 15. The UFC has not announced an official venue for the pay-per-view event. In addition to the bout, Barboza (21-9) has

7:20 AM ET UFC 259 represents a milestone during a stretch of fights that will have major consequences for the rest of the year. Three title bouts will shape the future of four divisions, with the card in Las Vegas headlined by a champion-vs.-champion clash between light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz and middleweight Israel Adesanya. If

Feb 14, 2021 Kamaru Usman accomplished much on Saturday night at UFC 258 in Las Vegas. He won his 13th straight UFC welterweight fight, which broke Georges St-Pierre‘s record for most victories at 170 pounds. Usman also tied the great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the second-most wins in a row to start a UFC career, and

6:54 AM ET IT WAS OCT. 25, 2020, and Daniel Cormier was in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, talking to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had shocked the MMA world the previous night by tearfully announcing his retirement in the Octagon after defeating Justin Gaethje. There was plenty for the old friends to talk

11:37 PM ET Ciryl Gane, the UFC heavyweight contender, picked up a critical notch in his belt. Ciryl Gane the budding UFC star? Maybe not so much. Gane completely controlled Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a one-sided, unanimous decision win (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. But

12:00 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim: A win is a win for Ciryl Gane UFC matchmakers have prepared a seasonal tasting menu of heavyweight fighting for your dining pleasure. The main course, a championship bout at UFC 260 between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, is still a month away from coming to the table. But Saturday

1:13 PM ET Angela Hill and Ashley Yoder agreed to fight just last week. Now, the fight will no longer be happening Saturday. The women’s strawweight bout between Hill and Yoder was removed from UFC Fight Night just hours before start of the event due to COVID-19 protocols, the promotion announced Saturday. Yoder said in

7:08 PM ET The UFC is targeting a second women’s title fight for its April pay-per-view event. Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas for the strawweight title is in the works for UFC 261 on April 24, sources told ESPN. While the fight isn’t finalized yet, April 24 is the date the promotion and both fighters

2:14 PM ET The UFC has lost a fight from its card this weekend on weigh-in day. Ramazan Kuramagomedov fell ill and was deemed medically unfit to compete at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas, UFC officials confirmed with ESPN on Friday. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news. The illness is not

7:49 AM ET You’re only as good as your last fight in mixed martial arts. Or, in the case of UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik, you’re only as good as your last year. Rozenstruik (11-1) faces Ciryl Gane (7-0) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas (ESPN+, prelims at 5

9:46 PM ET Former two-division boxing champ Antonio Tarver will return to the ring to fight former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir on April 17, sources confirmed with ESPN on Thursday. Tarver, 52, will box Mir, 41, on the undercard of a pay-per-view event headlined by a boxing match between former MMA champion Ben Askren

8:44 AM ET The UFC flyweight title rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno is scheduled for June 12, sources told ESPN on Thursday. A location for the event, which is expected to be UFC 263, isn’t set yet. In December, Figueiredo (20-1-1) and Moreno (18-5-2) fought to an exhilarating draw that was considered one

10:05 AM ET Former MMA super prospect Sage Northcutt is returning to action in April. Northcutt will face Shinya Aoki on April 28 at ONE on TNT IV, ONE officials told ESPN. Northcutt also confirmed the news on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. The fight will be contested in the promotion’s lightweight division, which is 170

11:39 AM ET UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 261, UFC president Dana White told ESPN. The 125-pound title fight will take place at the April 24 pay-per-view event, for which the UFC has not yet finalized a location. It will mark Shevchenko’s fifth