Sports

Jan 23, 2022 Dan Hooker says the chance for a fresh start and the opportunity to put himself back into the title mix are behind his move down to featherweight, which was officially rubber-stamped by the UFC on Monday. Hooker has been booked to fight Arnold Allen, ESPN’s 10th-ranked featherweight, for the UFC’s return to

8:46 PM ET UFC fighter Kevin Holland says he helped apprehend a man who shot a gun off at a Houston restaurant Monday night. Holland told ESPN on Tuesday that he was eating sushi with his friend, Patrick Robinson, when he heard a loud bang and saw people running away in fear. Holland said he

8:29 PM ET UFC president Dana White and some of the best fighters in the world — like UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and retired former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov — wrote letters in support of Cain Velasquez to the Santa Clara County (California) Superior Court last week. Velasquez is being charged with attempted murder

10:13 PM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov put Dagestan MMA on the map, becoming one of the greatest lightweights in the sport’s history. Islam Makhachev is on the verge of earning his own UFC lightweight title shot. Soon enough, there could be another stalwart Dagestani fighter earning an opportunity at gold in the bigger weight divisions. Magomed

5:18 PM ET Jake Paul says he would be willing to fight once in the UFC against either Conor McGregor or Jorge Masvidal — with some caveats. The YouTube influencer-turned-boxer said Saturday in a statement to ESPN that he would sign a one-fight UFC contract to compete against either McGregor or Masvidal in MMA with

6:23 PM ET UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is scheduled to undergo knee surgery on March 18, according to his manager, Marquel Martin. Ngannou (17-3), 35, is wrapping up a trip in his native Cameroon this week and is scheduled to return to the U.S. for the procedure next week. He suffered a torn MCL

9:00 AM ET The UFC spotlight will fall on its heavyweights over the next two weeks, as four fighters from the division will headline the promotion’s next two events. On Saturday, England’s Tom Aspinall (11-2) will take on Alexander Volkov (34-9) in the main event of UFC Fight Night in London (1 p.m. ET on

7:00 AM ET FLORIDA STATE DEFENSIVE end Jared Verse owes his future to the transfer portal. It is a simple but truthful statement, one that helps illustrate the positive impact the portal can have for players. “Honestly,” Verse said during a recent phone conversation, “it was life changing.” Verse is not exaggerating. In three short

9:45 PM ET Associated Press AVONDALE, Ariz. — Chase Briscoe jumped out of his car and was obviously emotional, kneeling by his No. 14 for a few seconds before a couple of voice cracks during his postrace television interview. The 27-year-old Briscoe took his lumps last season as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie. Now, he’s

9:51 AM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Boxing’s welterweight division has arguably become the most competitive weight class, and Conor Benn, another exciting contender, wants to take on the world’s best

3:01 AM ET ESPN with AAP Nick Kyrgios appears in doubt for the Australian Open after pulling out of the Sydney Tennis Classic with COVID-19, his second tournament withdrawal in the space of a week. Kyrgios was scheduled to play Italian firebrand Fabio Fognini on Monday night but his withdrawal was announced via the tournament

8:00 AM ET MAKING HIS WAY through the Golden State Warriors locker room following a preseason win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Zaza Pachulia heard the familiar sound of a ball bouncing on the organization’s practice floor. Pachulia assumed one of the Warriors’ young players was getting some extra shots in. What the longtime NBA

3:20 PM ET Turron DavenportESPN Close Covered Eagles for USA Today Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times Played college football at Cheyney University HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans have declined to activate running back Derrick Henry for the regular-season finale against the Houston Texans. Tennessee still expects Henry to be back in time for the

7:00 AM ET Aaron Murray had already committed to Georgia in 2008, but he’d never been to a game at Sanford Stadium before the Bulldogs’ regular-season showdown with Alabama that year. Murray was among the top recruits in the country, and his No. 1 priority that Saturday was convincing a few other big names to

7:00 AM ET THERE ARE OVERACHIEVERS. And then, there’s Hayley Wickenheiser. The six-time Olympian and four-time gold medalist in women’s ice hockey has barely finished her shift helping deliver babies at a downtown Toronto hospital and is already going full speed discussing her latest sports-related passion project — the “Wick Stick.” And that’s to say

7:00 AM ET The Hall of Fame has been at a crossroads for more than a decade now due to uncertainty on how to consider what I call the PED Five, which sounds like an outlaw gang that used to rob stagecoaches and saloons in Dodge City: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa

8:16 AM ET SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Max Homa was sitting on a plane, flying back to Arizona from the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Georgia, on Nov. 19, when he started to think about how to get better. It was his 31st birthday, and earlier in the day, he missed the cut by 3 strokes.

6:49 PM ET LONDON — Chelsea managers often succumb to the club’s internal politics, but after a challenging week on and off the pitch, it is difficult to imagine Thomas Tuchel emerging from the past week with more credit than this. The only disappointing aspect of Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur is that their

4:20 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The Belmont Stakes is moving to Fox Sports as part of an eight-year deal beginning in 2023. The deal announced Wednesday between Fox and the New York Racing Association includes NYRA Bets as the title sponsor of the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series. NYRA

7:46 AM ET The next 12 months could be some of the most interesting in MMA history. Conor McGregor is set to return from a broken leg. Jon Jones, who hasn’t fought since February 2020, could finally get a heavyweight title shot. Kamaru Usman is closing in on Anderson Silva‘s record of 16 straight UFC