Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez has finally been booked. After months of talks that the UFC was targeting the featherweight fight, the promotion announced on Twitter on Thursday that Ortega vs. Rodriguez is set to headline a Fight Night card on July 16. The event will also take place at the UBS Arena on Long
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Welcome to Midnight Mania! It’s might just be impossible to make everyone happy. Kevin Holland has an outspoken personality, so perhaps it makes sense that he’s not every fight fan’s cup of tea — the man is named “Bigmouth,” after all. However, it’s hard to knock Holland for routinely solving crimes and potentially saving lives!
Paddy Pimblett vs. Jordan Leavitt set for next UFC London card The UFC is looking to mimic the success it found with its first UFC London card in 2022 with another jam-packed event featuring two of England’s biggest stars – Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann. McCann had been previously announced for the card and many
Karate instructor and YouTuber Jesse Enkamp has taken on a pro MMA fighter after just 30 days of training. The self-styled “Karate Nerd,” who boasts Hollywood action hero Steven Seagal as a former training partner, fast-tracked his MMA development with the help of his brother, Bellator welterweight Oliver Enkamp. In his first week of training,
5:47 PM ET Two of the most exciting featherweight fighters in the world will meet this summer. Multiple-time former title challenger Brian Ortega takes on Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight Night on July 16 on Long Island in New York, the UFC announced Thursday. It will be the UFC’s first visit
Daniel Cormier believes former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will fight Michael Chandler next. The Irishman has been out of action since his fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor broke his leg in the first round of the contest, handing him the loss. Due to the injury, he’s been forced
Frankie Edgar remains undecided about his mixed martial arts (MMA) future and “The Answer” doesn’t know when he’ll make his decision to retire. The former Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC) lightweight king has fallen on tough times inside of the Octagon. Edgar has lost his last three trips to the cage and four out of his
Dustin Poirier shades Michael Chandler: ‘I’m not talking trash, I’m stating facts’ Two men at the top of the lightweight division Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler are having a war with words via the media and it’s getting pretty heated. Earlier this month Chandler says he wasn’t interested in fighting Poirier, due to him not
UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori doesn’t expect the return of Luke Rockhold to end well for the former champion. After three years away from action, Rockhold is set to make a comeback this summer. When he does, the 37-year-old, who briefly held the 185-pound gold after dethroning Chris Weidman in 2015, will be looking to
9:39 AM ET Bruno Cappelozza is arguably PFL’s most fearsome fighter. And he’ll get his second straight headlining nod next month. Cappelozza, PFL’s defending heavyweight champion, will meet Matheus Scheffel in the main event of PFL 5 on June 24 in Atlanta, officials told ESPN. Cappelozza is currently in third place (six points) in the
Charles Oliveira vs. Conor McGregor Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has his thoughts on Conor McGregor not agreeing to fight him. The Brazilian is fresh off a victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 275 earlier this month. However, the win came a day after a defeat. Oliveira was famously stripped of his lightweight title
Welcome to Midnight Mania! Fortunes change quickly inside the Octagon. Shahbazyan entered 2020 undefeated at 11-0 while riding a four-fight UFC win streak and having recently broken into the rankings. Just 22 years of age, Shahbazyan was seen as one of the best young prospects in the sport thanks to his terrific finish wins over
Dominick Cruz says UFC title shots are about ‘ticket sales and storylines’ Former two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is making his way back to a title fight but believes title fights aren’t always granted based on achievement. Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling successfully defended his title against former titleholder Petr Yan at UFC 273 in
UFC welterweight contender Michel Pereira nearly found himself in a physical altercation with heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Pereira is fresh off his win over Santiago Ponzinibbio in the UFC Vegas 55 co-headliner. He earned the victory via a split decision and has now won five in a row over the likes of Niko Price and
8:00 AM ET Reed Kuhn Close Special to ESPN.com Reed Kuhn is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and strategy and analytics consultant. He is the author of “Fightnomics: The Hidden Numbers and Science in Mixed Martial Arts,” the first book to quantify drivers and performance metrics in combat sports. Ian Parker The summer is filling up
Image via @titoortiz/@lukeburrett on Instagram Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has announced he’ll have one more fight. He’d also like it to be in the UFC against fellow former champion Shogun Rua. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ is currently riding a three-fight winning streak in the cage. However, his last combat sports appearance was
Sean Strickland has made it very easy to dislike him during his rise to stardom in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight division. I mean, just today (Thurs., May 26, 2022) the man got suspended from Twitter — not his first social media timeout. While “Tarzan” isn’t shy to express his feelings about anyone or
When UFC fighter Edmen Shahbazyan went on a three-fight losing streak, after being touted as one of the sport’s next prospects, there was bound to be a change in his career. “I got signed off The Contender [Series] when I was 20 and had my UFC debut 10 days after turning 21,” Shahbazyan told MMA