2:51 PM ET The MMA community was shook up Wednesday afternoon when ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC and ONE Championship were close to finalizing a deal to essentially swap Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. No “trade” like this has ever taken place in the sport, and now it is happening with one of

5:44 PM ET The MMA community was shook up Wednesday afternoon when ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC and ONE Championship were close to finalizing a deal to essentially swap Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. No “trade” like this has ever taken place in the sport, and now it is happening with one of

6:12 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Dana White once famously tweeted about Ben Askren, “When Ambien can’t sleep, it takes Ben Askren.” The UFC president actually had it backward. Yes, he was slinging an insult Askren’s way for his smothering fight style, characterizing it as sleep-inducing to watch. But in reality, the experience of watching “Funky

1:24 PM ET The UFC and ONE Championship are close to finalizing what could be considered the first major trade in mixed martial arts history. According to multiple sources, there is a proposed deal on the table for the UFC to release former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson from his contract in order to allow him

1:53 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to extend its temporary suspensions of UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor for their postfight actions at UFC 229 on Oct. 6 at T-Mobile Arena. The NSAC placed Nurmagomedov (27-0) and McGregor (21-4) on 10-day suspensions Oct. 15 —

8:37 PM ET The UFC is close to finalizing a welterweight bout between Gunnar Nelson and Alex Oliveira for UFC 231 on Dec. 8 in Toronto, sources told ESPN. The pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Nelson (16-3-1) hasn’t fought since a first-round knockout loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio in

1:24 PM ET If you thought the feud between the teams of Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov was over, think again. In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Monday, Artem Lobov — McGregor’s friend and longtime teammate — vowed to leave the UFC if the promotion cuts Zubaira Tukhugov, because he hopes to

1:17 AM ET Conor McGregor intends to return to the UFC’s Octagon with his “confidence high” and is apparently willing to do so against someone other than Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a rare public comment on social media, McGregor (21-4) said he was beaten “fair and square” by Nurmagomedov on Oct. 6 at UFC 229, but

7:06 PM ET Eddie Alvarez says his decision to leave the UFC and sign with One Championship last week wasn’t too difficult. Not when the contract is, he says, a guaranteed eight-figure deal. “When I left the table at the UFC and said I wanted to go and explore, this is the deal I had

3:22 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim Chris Weidman will get a shot at the UFC middleweight championship if he wins on Nov. 3 in New York, the former champ said the promotion told him when he agreed to face replacement opponent Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the co-main event of UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden. “I