5:24 PM ET LAS VEGAS — When asked about Jorge Masvidal over the past few months, Kamaru Usman is prone to smiling and making a joke. Or laughing and saying “Who?” Not so much anymore. Usman, the UFC welterweight champion, told ESPN on Saturday that Masvidal is definitely the opponent he’d like next. It’s just

3:08 AM ET Mike Rothstein KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kay Hansen celebrated at the end of her fight, raising her arms in the air. Yes, she won her strawweight fight over Liana Piorsin to open Friday night’s Invicta Phoenix Series 3 card, but in doing so, she also made history: Hansen became the first fighter

5:08 PM ET UFC fighter Abdul Razak Alhassan has been found not guilty of sexual assault by a jury in Tarrant County, Texas, his attorney confirmed to ESPN on Friday. In 2018, Alhassan was accused of raping two women at one of the women’s homes following a party at a bar. The trial had started

4:15 PM ET A women’s MMA pioneer is set for her Bellator debut. Liz Carmouche, who fought Ronda Rousey in the first UFC women’s bout in 2013, will face Mandy Bohm on May 29 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, Bellator announced Friday. The UFC surprisingly released Carmouche (13-7) in December, just four months

8:00 AM ET Truth be told, UFC 248 will not be the company’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year when it’s all said and done. Not with Conor McGregor teasing the possibility of three fights, and 2019 breakout Jorge Masvidal on the cusp of his first UFC title shot. Not with a Stipe Miocic, Daniel

6:19 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Two weeks after former boxing champion Deontay Wilder stirred controversy with a heavy walkout costume he said contributed to his defeat, Israel Adesanya is staying quiet on what kind of entrance he’ll make Saturday at UFC 248. “We’ll see,” Adesanya said Wednesday after open workouts at MGM Grand. “I

4:07 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The UFC’s double champion Amanda Nunes will defend her featherweight title against Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 in Brazil, according to UFC president Dana White. Contracts have not been signed, but verbal agreements are in place, White and additional sources told ESPN. The 145-pound title fight will serve as

10:20 PM ET Josh Barnett‘s Bellator debut has been pushed back yet again. The former UFC heavyweight champion is out of his Bellator 241 fight against Ronny Markes because of what Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation director Mike Mazzulli described Wednesday as a failed medical test. Mazzulli declined to elaborate. UFC veteran Matt Mitrione

6:07 PM ET “The Canadian Gangster” has found a new home. Former UFC veteran Olivier Aubin-Mercier has signed with the Professional Fighters League, he said on Wednesday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. Aubin-Mercier (11-5) last competed in July, when he lost a unanimous decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 240 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

10:26 AM ET GLENDALE, ARIZONA — IT was March 2018, shortly before Sean O’Malley‘s first appearance on a UFC pay-per-view card, when he got a small, fake tattoo of a star just below his left eye. A star, because that’s what O’Malley believes he’ll be when it’s all said and done. And fake, because, you