Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 18, 2023, 11:58 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun LAS VEGAS — ALJAMAIN STERLING, arguably the best bantamweight in UFC history, casually walks into a downtown apartment complex in phenomenal spirits. He’s about to engage in one of his
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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 10:25 PM ET Daniel Rodriguez has withdrawn from a scheduled bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas due to an atypical finding in a USADA drug test, he announced Thursday night on Instagram. Rodriguez wrote that he tested positive in an out-of-competition
Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 17, 2023, 02:55 PM ET The PFL once again faces the potential for a bizarre conclusion to its playoffs, after one of its competitors for Friday’s semifinals in New York missed weight on Thursday. That sets up a circumstance in which a fighter can lose a semifinal but nonetheless advance to the
Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 05:01 PM ET Raul Rosas Jr. will try to get back on track at the UFC’s Mexican Independence Day show. Rosas Jr., a Mexican-American bantamweight, will face Terrence Mitchell at Noche UFC on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN on Thursday. ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi
Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2023, 12:23 PM ET BOSTON — Chris Weidman is poised to complete a return after one of the most devastating in-cage injuries in UFC history. The former UFC middleweight champion will face Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on Saturday at TD Garden. It will be the first time Weidman
Jeff Wagenheim, ESPNAug 16, 2023, 10:10 AM ET When Larissa Pacheco throws her first punch on Friday, she will be aiming at two opponents. The recipient of her heavy leather inside the cage will be Olena Kolesnyk, as part of a PFL fight card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Andres Waters Aug 15, 2023, 11:00 PM ET Cody Gibson picked up another first-round finish to secure the last spot in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 finale. Gibson, coached by Michael Chandler, capitalized on a mistake by Rico DiSciullo, coached by Conor McGregor, and got the submission win to earn the right to face former
Aug 14, 2023, 09:00 AM ET The UFC returns to New England this weekend as the promotion hosts UFC 292 in Boston on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN+). The fight card will be headlined with a bantamweight title fight as Aljamain Sterling looks to set
Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 12, 2023, 10:52 PM ET Vicente Luque returned to the cage Saturday and pulled out his first victory since suffering a brain hemorrhage in a knockout loss in 2022. Luque defeated Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) in the welterweight main event of UFC Fight Night in
Aug 12, 2023, 09:38 PM ET Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has pulled out of his UFC 292 bout against Mario Bautista because of an undisclosed injury, it was announced during Saturday’s UFC Fight Night broadcast on ESPN. According to the broadcast, Garbrandt was injured while training for the fight, which was scheduled for Aug.