MMA news

11:29 AM ET Michael Chandler has a bold plan for his UFC run, and so far he’s executing it perfectly. The former three-time Bellator lightweight champion stormed onto the UFC scene with a first-round knockout of contender Dan Hooker at UFC 257 on Jan. 23. Chandler plans to fight twice more this year en route

The Suga Show will kick off its 2021 season on March 27 when Sean O’Malley returns to face Thomas Almeida at UFC 260. UFC 260 has added its first bantamweight fight to its lineup when “Suga” Sean O’Malley faces Thomas Almeida. Sean O’Malley made the announcement himself via his YouTube channel on Tuesday. Sean O’Malley

Bellator European Series 9 took place October 3, 2020 at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. The venue became a “Fight Island” of sorts featuring multiple international events in a short time span. That included the ES 9 card where “Strabanimal” James Gallagher faced Cal Ellenor in the main event, but the opening contest proved

Nate Diaz doesn’t want a fight at lightweight, but wants Dustin Poirier Nate Diaz has been teasing a return to the Octagon, but all signs point to him wanting to compete at 170 pounds. He also appears to want a fight with Dustin Poirier, who recently knocked out Conor McGregor at UFC 257 on Fight

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and PFL star Lance Palmer are among the class of the PFL season-three 155lbs and 145lbs roster. After taking 2020 off due to COVID-19 concerns, PFL is set to kick off its third season this April. The promotion promised that the roster would be completely overhauled heading into this

Justin Gaethje did not hold back one ounce when discussing the current state of the UFC’s lightweight division. It isn’t only inside the Octagon where Justin Gaethje doesn’t hold back. He launches from the hip just as hard with his words outside of competition as he does when racking up performance bonuses. And in a

Tito Ortiz is, and will remain, Mayor Pro Tem of Huntington Beach, California. The decision to vote him out of office, following complaints of “unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement,” was shelved after fellow council members gave the retired UFC “Bad Boy” an opportunity to address the public’s concerns. As well as their own. “I want

Not ready for Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns? Maybe this UFC 258 promo will help. [embedded content] Dominant UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will face one of his toughest tests to date on Feb. 13, as he meets former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 258. On a 16-fight winning streak, Usman

Justin Gaethje has shared an interesting theory as to why Dustin Poirier won’t fight fellow UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler. The former interim UFC lightweight champion, Gaethje (22-3 MMA), believes ‘The Diamond’ is taking a stance against Dana White in order to bring integrity back to the sport. “The reason why this is happening with

3:08 PM ET Just a little more than a week after his career-defining win over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier has not yet decided on his next move. There is one thing that is paramount in his mind over all else, though: becoming the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. Poirier is a former interim UFC lightweight champion.

According to a very reliable source, Justin Gaethje was not happy to watch Conor McGregor lose to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. Dustin Poirier scored one of the first major upsets of the year and certainly the highest in profile when he defeated Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 257. One of the

Bellator 247 “Jackson vs. Kielholtz” took place October 1, 2020 at Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. Two Flyweight contenders were set to meet in the main event as“Miss Dynamite” Denise Kielholtz (5-2) faced English star Kate Jackson (11-4-1). Also set for the main card that evening were up and coming Middleweight fighters in the form

Dana White Lookin’ For a Fight with Khabib on UFC Fight Island [embedded content] Matt Serra and Din Thomas tour the desert outside Abu Dhabi on camelback, ATVs and sand surfboards. They join Dana White and Khabib Nurmagomedov at a local MMA event, where they discover multiple athletes… plus announcer and chef talent to boot.

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has opened up on his loss to Michael Chandler, and revealed why he removed his gloves in the Octagon post-fight. Hooker met Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 257 last month. The bout was Chandler’s first in the UFC after a prolonged stint in Bellator, and Hooker was viewed

7:14 AM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi All eyes are on the UFC lightweight division, where many of the biggest names in MMA reside, and where many of the biggest question marks are fueling heated debates. The

Kamaru Usman doesn’t believe there are any clear contenders after Gilbert Burns. In the main event of UFC 258, Usman is set to defend his welterweight title against Burns. Although “The Nigerian Nightmare” only has two title defenses, he has already beaten Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Leon Edwards so he doesn’t know who he

Longtime lightweight contender Dan Hooker, responsible for some of the most action-packed wars in the 155-pound division over the last few years, was popped and dropped by Michael Chandler at the UFC 257 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Abu Dhabi. Four months of preparation for two-and-a-half minutes of work. The knockout loss cost “The Hangman” two

Though he was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime when he was signed to the UFC in 2020, light heavyweight Ike Villanueva was unable to capitalize on that opportunity, going winless in his two bouts for the company last year. It was with the motivation to remain with the promotion, along with controversy surrounding