7:29 AM ET Brian Ortega earned his way to a UFC featherweight title fight in December 2018. That’s a fact. No one handed him that opportunity. He proved himself championship-worthy by winning six consecutive fights in the UFC. And at the same time, Ortega’s loss to then-champion Max Holloway at UFC 231 two years ago

7:47 AM ET Angela Hill was sitting in the second row at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 7 as Joanna Jedrzejczyk was walking out to challenge women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili in the co-main event of UFC 248. Out of the corner of her eye, Hill saw UFC featherweight Brian Ortega coming toward

Oct 15, 2020 Jeff Wagenheim Bellator MMA announced on Thursday that it will resume its featherweight grand prix next month, starting with Patricio Freire defending his 145-pound championship in a grand prix quarterfinal against Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 252 on Nov. 12. Freire, who competes under the nickname “Pitbull,” is No.

9:56 AM ET When it involves the UFC and Conor McGregor, nothing seems to come easy. Doesn’t it always feel as if we have to endure some level of drama before getting to the end result everyone wants to see, which is McGregor competing in MMA? I mean, just look at the past few months.

12:37 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim It was the same old Cyborg. It was a brand-new Cyborg. Cris Cyborg put on another dominant performance in a career full of them, and added a new twist by scoring her first submission victory in 26 pro bouts, choking out Arlene Blencowe to successfully defend her Bellator women’s featherweight

12:45 PM ET Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was the first UFC fighter to be pulled from a bout because of the coronavirus back in May. Now, he will make his Octagon return. Souza, a perennial contender, will meet surging middleweight Marvin Vettori at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, sources told ESPN. No location has been officially

9:20 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Cris “Cyborg” Justino has for years expressed a burning desire to venture beyond mixed martial arts and test herself in professional boxing. But the fact that she will be facing a two-time boxing world champion on Thursday night is not what she’s most excited about for Bellator 249. “No, it’s

1:23 PM ET A UFC title shot will officially be on the line this Saturday when featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung meet at UFC Fight Night in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Wednesday that the winner of Saturday’s main event will “absolutely” be next to challenge

6:58 PM ET Conor McGregor is in. McGregor revealed Wednesday on Twitter 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

9:03 AM ET UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier said he believes his next opponent will be Conor McGregor, who has been offered the fight but has not yet accepted. Poirier said he has returned to training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, after seeing McGregor bring coaches into his gym in Ireland. “I