Andres Waters May 30, 2023, 11:30 PM ET ESPN’s “The Ultimate Fighter” is back, as the reality show returned in dramatic fashion with two polarizing fighters in the sport, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, taking over to coach the two teams for Season 31. (Watch the replay of the first episode of TUF 31 on

May 29, 2023, 09:00 AM ET For the entirety of its era-bridging run as a reality TV show — 30 seasons over 18 years — “The Ultimate Fighter” has served dual purposes. Ostensibly, it is a talent search, sorting out mostly up-and-coming fighters in order to freshen the UFC roster and perhaps unearth a gem.

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterMay 27, 2023, 06:11 AM ET Former Bellator champions AJ McKee and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire will compete in the Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals July 30 at the storied Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo in one of the headlining fights for a card billed as Bellator x Rizin 2, it

Reed Kuhn Close Reed Kuhn 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 May 25, 2023, 09:26 AM ET

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 23, 2023, 09:33 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun WHEN FRANCIS NGANNOU officially announced he’d signed with the PFL earlier this month, he promised the deal would allow the next chapter of his career to be “tremendous.” Under the

Jeff Wagenheim May 20, 2023, 10:36 PM ET Mackenzie Dern did not add to her record number of submissions, but showed off a different dimension of dangerousness in dominating Angela Hill in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. Dern (13-3), a two-time jiu-jitsu world champion whose four submission wins

May 19, 2023, 09:27 AM ET It’s been a massive week of breaking news in mixed martial arts, as the last five days have included the end of Francis Ngannou‘s free agency and the return of the UFC’s notorious BMF title. Ngannou (17-3) sent a shockwave through the sport Tuesday when he announced he’d signed

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 18, 2023, 03:29 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun If Sean O’Malley is to become the UFC’s bantamweight champion this summer, he’ll have to defeat the most dangerous bantamweight in the history of the sport — at least in

Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior WriterMay 17, 2023, 08:14 PM ET Close Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He has been with ESPN for 10 years and works as a Senior Writer, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Sydney has struck

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterMay 17, 2023, 04:45 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun The Nevada State Athletic Commission has officially acknowledged nine PFL fighters tested positive for banned substances last month, during the promotion’s opening round of matchups for its 2023 season. Last