[ad_1] It's Monday, time for another edition of Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, which airs live starting at 1 p.m. ET on Twitter and YouTube. After it ends, you can listen to the entire show via the ESPN podcast center.The UFC has a rare weekend off coming up, which is especially strange because there always used to be a major Las Vegas event during Memorial Day weekend (more on that later).Nevertheless,
[ad_1] Saturday's UFC Fight Night in Rochester, New York, saw Rafael dos Anjos pick up his first win since 2017 -- at the expense of Kevin Lee in his welterweight debut.There were a number of standout performances this weekend in the Octagon, including several rising title contenders still in their 20s.What's next for dos Anjos, Lee, and the other top names of UFC Fight Night? Here is ESPN's take.Rafael dos
[ad_1] 5:07 PM ETMarc RaimondiESPN The days of Rafael dos Anjos' reign atop the UFC's lightweight division seem long ago. Even his initial winning streak after moving up to welterweight is far back in the rearview mirror.But dos Anjos, the gritty veteran, is still here, winning important fights in the UFC. "RDA" defeated Kevin Lee by arm triangle choke submission at 3:47 of the fourth round Saturday night in the
[ad_1] Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event has been a long time coming for 26-year-old Kevin Lee.A lightweight for his entire career thus far, Lee (17-4) will make his welterweight debut against Rafael dos Anjos (28-11) inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. The move to 170 pounds could have happened even sooner for Lee because he has struggled to make the cut to 155 in recent years.It's interesting
[ad_1] If there is one downside to being a young, physically tenacious MMA prospect, it's usually a lack of maturity. That is something generally gained only with time.It's probably impossible to have the best of both worlds -- youth and experience. But the MMA Gold Fight Team in Northern California believes it has the closest thing in 24-year-old bantamweight Aspen Ladd (7-0), who faces Sijara Eubanks (4-2) at UFC Fight
[ad_1] 8:32 AM ETMarc RaimondiESPN Megan Anderson was the last person to step on the scale to weigh in for UFC 232. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) was giving fighters a three-hour window to hit their respective mark, and Anderson used nearly every minute of it.The 6-foot Anderson's weight cut is hard enough -- a gradual drop from 170 to 146 pounds -- but that week was particularly arduous.The
[ad_1] Which MMA fighter is the best, regardless of weight division or fight promotion?ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Ariel Helwani and Jeff Wagenheim provide their top-10 picks, and their votes produce our consensus men's and women's pound-for-pound lists.(You can find Okamoto's division-by-division rankings here.)Note: Rankings were updated May 14.Men's pound-for-pound rankings1. Jon JonesRecord: 24-1, 1 NCWeight class: Light heavyweightLast: W (UD) Anthony Smith, March 2Next: July 6 vs. Thiago Santos2.
[ad_1] UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will aim to defend his featherweight belt for the third time when he faces former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar on July 27 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It's a matchup that has been made on two previous occasions, once in December 2017 (Edgar pulled out with an injury) and later in March 2018 (Holloway pulled out with an injury). Edgar has won three of his
[ad_1] Following an upset defeat against Al Iaquinta, Kevin Lee decided to make the move up to the UFC's welterweight division. In his first fight at 170 pounds, Lee gets Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night card in Rochester -- a former lightweight champion who made a similar transition to welterweight in 2017.At lightweight, Lee relied on his physical wrestling style to control fights,
[ad_1] It's Monday, time for another edition of Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, which airs live starting at 1 p.m. ET on Twitter and YouTube. After it ends, you can listen to the entire show via the ESPN podcast center.Let's get this out of the way right off the top: Jessica Andrade is the rightful owner of the UFC strawweight title. She won that fight fair and square. Even though it
