3:30 PM ET Sean O’Malley is taking a major step up in his next fight, announcing to ESPN’s Ryan Clark on Wednesday that he’ll be facing former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. O’Malley (15-1 1 NC), one of the sport’s most talented prospects, fought

8:45 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a lightweight bout between Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot for October. The 155-pound fight will take place on the Oct. 22 UFC 280 pay-per-view event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, officials told ESPN on Wednesday. Dariush (21-4-1) has been trying to figure out his

8:25 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Chris Curtis dreamed about fighting inside the Octagon for over a decade as a professional mixed martial artist. Now that his UFC debut was happening, though, it was turning nightmarish. He was in a UFC 268 prelim last November in New York, and Curtis was getting beaten to the punch

4:24 PM ET Henry Cejudo’s ultimate goal — and one of the main reasons he is coming out of retirement — is to challenge for the UFC featherweight title. But it’s more likely Cejudo returns initially at bantamweight. Cejudo told ESPN in an interview published Tuesday that he wants to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the

3:20 PM ET The UFC is finalizing a welterweight fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz to headline UFC 279 on Sept. 10, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN on Tuesday. Contracts have not been signed, but both fighters have verbally agreed to the matchup and date according to Campbell. UFC 279 will

9:00 AM ET The Professional Fighters League playoffs are set to commence on Aug. 5 in New York City with semifinals in the light heavyweight and men’s lightweight divisions. From there, the playoffs will visit Cardiff, Wales, on Aug. 13 (featuring heavyweights and welterweights) and London on Aug. 20 (featherweights, women’s lightweights) before wrapping up

8:19 AM ET Frankie Edgar, one of the best mixed martial artists of the past decade, says he intends to retire after making one final appearance in the UFC this year. Edgar told ESPN he has asked the UFC to book him one more bantamweight fight in November, on an event expected to take place

9:11 AM ET Nate Diaz is the kind of guy who makes more headlines from doing an interview than most fighters get for competing in the cage. He’s one of the most famous athletes in the history of the UFC and remains relevant in any MMA conversation despite having just one win since 2016. Diaz

3:33 PM ET What were the biggest moments at UFC Fight Night in Long Island? Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim offer up their takeaways from a fun-filled event in Elmont, New York. There is plenty to unpack from a disappointing UFC Long Island main event. How does Yair Rodriguez‘s victory following a Brian Ortega injury

4:12 PM ET In October, the UFC lightweight championship is officially up for grabs in Abu Dhabi. The vacant 155-pound title will have former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira fighting Islam Makhachev for the strap. Oliveira, who recently earned the ESPY for MMA fighter of the year, has won 11 consecutive bouts, including the past 10