MMA

The tears flowed immediately. Khabib Nurmagomedov had just let go of the triangle choke he used to render Justin Gaethje unconscious, and all that was left for the UFC lightweight champion was a different release, one of a painfully personal nature. As medical staff moved in to attend to Gaethje against the cage, Nurmagomedov stepped

Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s sudden retirement from mixed martial arts Saturday has left a massive void in the sport in general, and a very specific one in the lightweight division. The top of the 155-pound division goes from a dominant champion in his prime, to a vacant seat with no obvious heir. The UFC has plenty of

Henry Cejudo is retired from mixed martial arts and says he is comfortable if he never competes again. However, the former UFC double champion said he could return before the end of 2020 — for the right price. Cejudo told ESPN during a video interview Friday that he has not spoken to the UFC recently

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes will take on Rob Font at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on Dec. 19. The UFC has not officially announced the 135-pound bout, but sources confirmed to ESPN both sides have agreed to it. MMAJunkie first reported the matchup and date. It’s a quick turnaround

Conor McGregor is in. McGregor tweeted Wednesday that he has accepted a Jan. 23 fight against Dustin Poirier. However, he also said that he wants the fight to happen at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. “Jerry Jones is a friend and the stadium can hold our crowd,” McGregor said in

Saturday’s UFC main event was predictable in a way, in that the undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov won. What happened next was not. Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts, following the death of his father, Abdulmanap, in July. He revealed his mother did not even want him to compete at UFC 254,

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will look to extend his perfect record to 29-0 against Justin Gaethje on Saturday in the main event of UFC 254 on Fight Island, and the circumstances will be much different than he has ever faced before. The 32-year-old will compete in Abu Dhabi for the first time since the

One of the biggest UFC fights of the year is now official. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje successfully weighed in Friday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for their UFC lightweight title unification bout. Nurmagomedov and Gaethje each weighed right at the limit of 155 pounds. Nurmagomedov, the first fighter to hit the scale, stripped

UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov said Tuesday that Georges St-Pierre is the only person he’d be motivated to fight after Saturday’s bout against interim champ Justin Gaethje. “I really become excited when I think about Georges St-Pierre,” Nurmagomedov said on ESPN’s First Take. “I don’t know if he wants to fight with me or not,

One of my favorite things anyone has said in the buildup to the UFC 254 main event this weekend came from Khabib Nurmagomedov as he was discussing being on “Fight Island.” Nurmagomedov (28-0, 12-0 in the UFC) will be looking to unify his lightweight championship against interim belt holder Justin Gaethje (22-2, 5-2 UFC) on

UFC featherweight Brian Ortega said he didn’t even want people to recognize him on Saturday, as he came off a nearly two-year layoff from the Octagon. It’s safe to say he succeeded. Fighting for the first time since he was badly outclassed in a UFC championship fight in late 2018, Ortega (15-1) looked like a

Editor’s note: Daniel Cormier discussed his American Kickboxing Academy teammate and friend Khabib Nurmagomedov with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto earlier this year. Nurmagomedov will defend his UFC lightweight belt against Justin Gaethje on Saturday in the main event of UFC 254 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Some content has been edited for clarity and brevity.

UFC flyweight Cynthia Calvillo has been forced to withdraw from a scheduled bout against Lauren Murphy at UFC 254 next week on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and has been replaced by UFC newcomer Liliya Shakirova. Calvillo (9-1-1) was forced to pull out of the bout after testing positive for COVID-19 on

Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin and teammate of UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, will be unable to make his UFC debut Saturday because he has been hospitalized with a staph infection, according to Khabib’s Instagram post. Umar, a bantamweight who is 12-0, was set to face Sergey Morozov in the early prelims of UFC 254 on Fight

Want to know what it’s like to compete against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the Octagon? Ask someone who thought he would take it easy because he was about 70 pounds heavier — only to realize he needed to give it more gas when sparring with Nurmagomedov. Ask Daniel Cormier. “There have been times when Khabib was

The wait will soon be over for UFC fans eagerly anticipating the battle between interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and world titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov. The popular fighters are set to meet Saturday at UFC 254 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. Gaethje will rely on power strikes and athleticism in attempting to hand Nurmagomedov (28-0)