Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 11, 2023, 12:55 PM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Former UFC title challenger and fan favorite Derrick Lewis isn’t leaving the Octagon any time soon, as the 38-year-old has signed a new eight-fight deal, according to UFC officials. UFC

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 10, 2023, 01:15 PM ET Ian Garry called out Neil Magny after his last fight. Now, he’ll get his wish. The Irish welterweight prospect will face Magny at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 in Boston, the UFC announced Thursday. Garry was initially supposed to face Geoff Neal, but Neal withdrew

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 9, 2023, 03:37 PM ET Bellator is stacking the deck for a landmark show coming this fall. Ryan Bader will defend his Bellator heavyweight title against Linton Vassell in the main event of Bellator 300 on Oct. 7 in San Diego, one of four title fights on the historic card,

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 9, 2023, 06:38 PM ET The plaintiffs seemingly earned a strategic victory in an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC in 2020. Nearly three years later, that win has been made official. Federal judge Richard F. Boulware granted the plaintiffs class certification on Wednesday, according to a document from the U.S.

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterAug 9, 2023, 10:39 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Claressa Shields, widely considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound female boxer on the planet, is going back to MMA in 2024. Shields, 28, has signed a new multiyear deal to compete

Andres Waters Aug 8, 2023, 11:00 PM ET Ahead of this week’s “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 lightweight matchup, coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler competed in the traditional coaches challenge. This season, the coaches went head-to-head in a UFC trivia game, but with an added twist: taking an ice bath in 39-degree water the

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 8, 2023, 07:07 PM ET Israel Adesanya has his next challenger and the UFC has its Australia headliner. Adesanya will defend the UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney, UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday. ESPN has Adesanya ranked

Aug 8, 2023, 09:05 AM ET “Dana White’s Contender Series” returns this week for Season 7. The show has been the path for many of the talented fighters on the UFC’s roster today, including former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, “Suga” Sean O’Malley, who will challenge Aljamain Sterling for the men’s bantamweight belt at

Aug 7, 2023, 08:33 AM ET The UFC always looks for fresh faces, and “Dana White’s Contender Series” is the promotion’s most reliable vehicle for identifying them. Whereas “The Ultimate Fighter” has produced several UFC stars, including some champions, the show’s format removes prospects from their regular training routine and asks them to make weight

Marc Raimondi Michael Rothstein Close Michael Rothstein ESPN Staff Writer Michael Rothstein is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Rothstein covers the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein. Aug 6, 2023, 02:40 AM ET The Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz rivalry isn’t over. That much was clear following Paul’s unanimous decision