MMA

For the first time in nearly 10 years, Holly Holm is thinking about professional boxing. To be clear, Holm’s primary focus is still very much on MMA and recapturing the UFC bantamweight championship that she won in 2015 and surrendered in 2016. Holm (14-5) faces Ketlen Vieira in the main event of UFC Fight Night

The UFC has announced it will stage its first event in France on Sept. 3 at the Accor Arena in Paris after a decade-long battle with French authorities. President Dana White said on Tuesday: “I’m so excited to hold our first event in Paris this September. It will be an unbelievable night of fights and

LOS ANGELES — Baseball great Alex Rodriguez is taking a swing at mixed martial arts as an investor and board member for the Professional Fighters League. The PFL announced the addition of the former New York Yankees superstar to its board of directors Thursday. Rodriguez’s investment is part of what the PFL says is $30

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he recently texted Dana White to argue in favor of a lightweight title shot for his longtime friend and teammate Islam Makhachev — and apparently White left the retired legend on read. “Honestly, this is first time since we started talking to each other that he don’t respond to me,” a laughing

Glover Teixeira’s days competing in the Octagon seem numbered. The UFC light heavyweight champion told Globo’s Mundo de Luta podcast Wednesday that he would like to wrap up his illustrious career in the next few months and this would “probably” be his final year fighting. Teixeira, 42, will defend his light heavyweight title in the

Clay Collard will try to continue his march toward a PFL title on June 17, when he takes on Alexander Martinez in Atlanta. PFL officials announced the lightweight matchup Wednesday. The event, which takes place at OTE Arena, marks the second round of regular-season action. Collard (21-9) is on a mission in 2022, after his

With big fights happening every week and new champions being crowned along with current championship forging their legacy, it’s easy to forget that Kamaru Usman is still the pound-for-pound best in MMA today. But is it possible for Usman to catch a former pound-for-pound champ and arguably the greatest ever welterweight in UFC history in

Manel Kape is free to compete at UFC 275 following an atypical drug-test finding last month. But he will not yet be licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The NSAC ruled Tuesday at a hearing during its monthly meeting that Kape must undergo six more months of drug testing before being granted a license

Aleksandar Rakic tore the ACL in his right knee in a UFC Fight Night main event loss to Jan Blachowicz last Saturday in Las Vegas, Rakic’s manager Marcelo Brigadeiro confirmed to ESPN on Monday evening. Early in the third round, Rakic took a step back following a Blachowicz combination. When Rakic planted his right, rear

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was denied bail again Monday in his attempted murder case at a motion hearing in Santa Clara (California) County, per the court. Judge Shelyna Brown decided against allowing Velasquez bail for a second time, citing Velasquez’s “reckless disregard for human life.” Brown first denied Velasquez bail March 7, when

UFC fighter Ashlee Evans-Smith has been suspended 14 months because of a positive drug test for a steroid, it was announced Monday by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, a UFC anti-doping partner. The USADA stated in a release that Evans-Smith tested positive for the presence of an anabolic androgenic steroid of exogenous (or external) origin

UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev wants to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant title in October, and believes he will beat the Brazilian at his own game of submission grappling. Makhachev (22-1) is expected to fight Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, located in a predominantly Muslim region where he is very popular. The

Jan Blachowicz‘s journey back to the UFC title got off to an odd start. But the former champ will certainly take it. Blachowicz defeated Aleksandar Rakic via TKO at 1:11 of the third round after Rakic suffered an injury to his right knee. Blachowicz landed a combination and Rakic took a step back. When he

LONDON — Logan Storley claimed the interim Bellator Welterweight title in London on Friday with a split-decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46) victory over Michael “Venom” Page at the OVO Arena Wembley. Page was looking to become just the third-ever British fighter to become a world champion in MMA, following Michael Bisping (UFC Middleweight champion in 2016)

With UFC 274 officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time to recalibrate and reassess what’s at stake for the next few months in the sport. The lightweight division put on a show last weekend, as Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler secured big wins to keep their names front and center for wearing the belt Oliveira

The UFC has rebooked a lightweight bout between fan favorites Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Joe Lauzon for June 18, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The fight was supposed to take place last weekend, at UFC 274 in Phoenix. Both lightweights made weight on Friday, but the bout was postponed on the day of when Cerrone

UFC is moving forward with an interim flyweight title fight on July 30, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday. Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France will meet for the interim belt at UFC 277 at a location to be announced, sources said. It will mark the second time Moreno and Kara-France square off. Moreno took a

A lot happened during the 3 minutes, 22 seconds of the UFC 274 main event. Charles Oliveira had his arm raised in the end, but along the way to that big moment he got knocked down twice and bloodied by Justin Gaethje. But the biggest hit came after Oliveira finished the fight with a rear-naked