1:12 PM ET LAS VEGAS — There’s a story involving Rafael dos Anjos and Kamaru Usman from 2011 that’s probably appropriate to revisit this week. Dos Anjos (28-10) and Usman (13-1) will square off in a marquee welterweight fight on Friday at The Ultimate Fighter Finale at The Palms in Las Vegas. This week will
MMA
2:10 AM ET Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell will face Rizin Fighting Federation’s Kyoji Horiguchi in a cross-promotional arrangement on Dec. 31 in Saitama, Japan, the two promotions announced Wednesday. Caldwell (13-1) and Horiguchi (25-2) will compete for Rizin’s inaugural 135-pound championship. Caldwell’s Bellator title will not be on the line. “Bellator wants to
11:49 AM ET UFC featherweight Renato Moicano will serve as a backup to the main event at UFC 231 next weekend in Toronto, the promotion announced Wednesday. Moicano (13-1-1), of Brazil, was supposed to fight Mirsad Bektic at UFC 231, however Bektic withdrew due to injury. Rather than pull Moicano off the card, the UFC
12:31 PM ET UFC star Conor McGregor has been banned from driving for six months after pleading guilty to speeding. McGregor, 30, admitted to driving his Range Rover at 154kph (96mph) in a 100kph (60mph) zone in October 2017 in Co. Kildare, Ireland. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion was also fined €1,000 (£880).
6:54 PM ET A flyweight bout between Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich is back on for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 19, after it was initially canceled due to injuries Ostovich had suffered. Ostovich, 27, suffered a fractured orbital bone during an alleged attack by her husband, professional MMA fighter Arnold Berdon, earlier this month
2:27 PM ET UFC president Dana White on Tuesday blasted Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions and the California State Athletic Commission for their roles in last weekend’s trilogy bout between formerly retired UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Liddell, 48, came out of a nearly eight-year retirement to face his old rival
9:46 AM ET Everyone knows it has been a forgettable year for UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. After claiming the 145-pound title and defending it once in 2017, Holloway (19-3) has failed to even make it to competition this year. He was pulled from a short-notice lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov in April, due
3:48 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Tito Ortiz is a former UFC light heavyweight champion whose 21-year career as an MMA icon saw many high points. Prior to this past weekend, however, there was one mountain he had not climbed: He had fought Chuck Liddell twice and been knocked out both times. On Saturday, Ortiz finally
Monday marks another star-studded edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. The show, aired live on Twitter, will feature current and former champions, as well as multiple rising stars in the sport. Following the show, the entirety can be viewed on ESPN’s YouTube page and listened to via the ESPN podcast center. Here’s the lineup: •
1:41 PM ET Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones reiterated his stance that he “never cheated the sport” during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday. “I’ve been able to do great things in this sport,” Jones said. “Unfortunately I had a hiccup with this steroid situation. I’m grateful [the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency]