9:17 AM ET Kelsey Puckett LAS VEGAS — It’s Dec. 28, 2020, and UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is invited to a Roaring ’20s-themed party to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Kyrgyzstan. “I’m like, oh my god, it’s three days before the New Year and I don’t have a dress,” Shevchenko recalled to ESPN two

9:04 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN We often hear fighters say that it’s the punch you don’t see coming that knocks you out. It makes sense. Fighters train for months ahead of a bout to tune up their skills and prepare for their opponent’s tendencies. So when something unexpected comes flying in, it can be a

6:52 PM ET Alexander Volkov landed a big straight hand, then another. He followed with a massive left hook that sent Jairzinho Rozenstruik‘s mouthpiece flying from his jaw to the Octagon canvas. Volkov kept pumping that long punching combination until referee Herb Dean put a stop to the fight. The TKO finish for the 6-foot-7

1:31 PM ET Demetrious Johnson gets a chance at revenge — and a second opportunity for gold — this summer. Johnson, one of the best MMA fighters of all time, will have a rematch with Adriano Moraes for the ONE Championship 135-pound title Aug. 27 in Singapore, the promotion announced Friday. Moraes knocked out Johnson

May 31, 2022 Less than 2½ years ago, Jairzinho Rozenstruik was an undefeated UFC heavyweight on the rise. At that same time, Alexander Volkov was on a hot run during which he won seven of eight fights. Since then, both have lost several bouts against the division’s top contenders. They each are coming off a

9:51 AM ET Two-time defending PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will face the toughest challenge of her career when she takes on former Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd in the main event of PFL 6 on July 1 in Atlanta, officials told ESPN on Wednesday. In the co-main event, former Bellator welterweight champion

1:03 PM ET UFC’s first trip to France has added a major middleweight bout, as former champion Robert Whittaker will take on Marvin Vettori at UFC Paris on Sept. 3, the promotion announced Tuesday. This bout was originally scheduled for UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore but was postponed due to a Whittaker injury.

9:00 AM ET One of the most anticipated fights — and the one most often asked about — continues to be Conor McGregor’s next match. McGregor has been adamant that he will return from his broken left leg in 2022. But as the months go by, that seems up in the air. And then there’s

9:35 AM ET Paddy Pimblett will fight again at UFC London against Jordan Leavitt on July 23 as the event returns to the city for the second time this year, the promotion announced on Friday. The UFC previously staged an event in London in March, returning to the U.K. for the first time in three