Bellator MMABellator 257 media day features some of the top fighters on Friday’s card, and they will each answer some questions Wednesday afternoon. The Bellator 257 media day video is expected to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET. The following fighters are scheduled to attend media day: Vadim NemkovPhil DavisCorey AndersonDovletdzhan YagshimuradovPaul Daley Sabah HomasiMads Burnell Lance Gibson Jr.Julia Budd

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCLight heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz will look to make the next defense of his title against Glover Teixeira at UFC 266, which is currently scheduled for Sept. 4. Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday after UFC president Dana White first mentioned the booking to ESPN. Hard work pays off I’m so happy and ready September 4 UFC light heavy weight champion— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira) April 14, 2021 Blachowicz will make his return after earning a unanimous decision victory over reigning UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya in a rare champion versus champion fight back in March. That served as Blachowicz’s first title defense after he knocked out Dominick Reyes to become

Esther Lin, MMA FightingEddie Alvarez’s streak of unfortunate luck seems to have changed rather quickly. The former UFC lightweight champion recently suffered a controversial disqualification loss to Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT 1 this past Wednesday after the referee deemed punches landed from Alvarez landed to the back of the head of his opponent. While Alvarez was left visibly heartbroken by the result, it appears former world champion boxer Oscar De La Hoya has circled the name of “The Underground Kid” as a potential opponent for his return fight in July. In a recent interview with ESPN, Alvarez confirmed that is the case. “Recently we’ve been hearing from Oscar De La Hoya’s guys,” Alvarez said. “Look, I’m fixated on the ONE

Photo by Edward Diller/Getty ImagesBoxing champion and Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields has officially booked her first fight in mixed martial arts as she squares off against Brittney Elkin as part of the upcoming PFL card on June 10. Promotion officials announced the news on Wednesday. Shields’ debut will take place as part of the card that will also kick off the second half of the upcoming season airing on ESPN2. “I am very excited to cement my legacy as the greatest woman of all time,” Shields said in a statement. “I cannot wait to step into the PFL cage for the first time on June 10 and show the world that I never back down from a challenge. I have shown I

ONE ChampionshipONE lightweight champion Christian Lee could be described as many things but cocky isn’t one of them. After turning pro when he was barely old enough to drive a car, Lee has developed into one of the promotion’s premiere talents after competing at featherweight to start his career and then eventually becoming lightweight champion. At 22, Lee has already accomplished a lot but as he prepares for his first headlining event with the upcoming ONE on TNT 2 card set for primetime broadcast in the United States, he’s ready to introduce himself to a whole new audience. In fact while Lee seems almost allergic to trash talk, he’s confident enough to say without reservation that many Americans are about to witness

Retired UFC fighter Ben Askren will crossover to boxing on Saturday night to battle YouTube celebrity Jake Paul in a showdown on Triller pay-per-view. Ahead of the highly anticipated showdown, some of the best and brightest from mixed martial arts including Daniel Cormier, Miesha Tate, Anthony Pettis and numerous others offer their picks, predictions and expectations for the upcoming Askren vs. Paul fight.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCThe UFC is bringing fans back to Las Vegas this summer. On Tuesday morning, UFC president Dana White took to social media to announce that UFC 264 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena “at full capacity,” and tickets will go on sale this week. Vegas is OPEN!!! Poirier vs McGregor July 10th. tix on sale this week pic.twitter.com/F2VZ0APzrw— danawhite (@danawhite) April 14, 2021 White also stated that the event, which takes place July 10, will officially be headlined by the highly anticipated trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. While the two fighters have been at odds recently over a promised donation from McGregor to Poirier’s charity The Good Fight Foundation—and with McGregor stating earlier

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson | Zuffa LLCStephen Thompson has been training in martial arts since he was a child, so you can understand if he’s a little put off by the recent trend of celebrities trying their hand at combat sports. This weekend, YouTube star Jake Paul welcomes former UFC standout Ben Askren to the world of boxing when they headline a Triller Fight Club event this Saturday in Atlanta. The crossover clash has received plenty of mainstream attention with Paul coming off of a viral KO of NBA veteran Nate Robinson and Askren competing for the first time since he retired from MMA in 2019 following a decorated career that included winning welterweight titles in Bellator and ONE Championship. Paul’s antics have

ONE ChampionshipLast Wednesday, ONE Championship made their debut on TNT which saw flyweight champion Adriano Moraes upset former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, knocking “Mighty Mouse” down with an uppercut and then finishing off the legend with a brutal knee to the head. The KO, which was entirely legal under the ONE Championship ruleset, was the biggest win of Moraes’ career and cemented his hold on the flyweight title. And even though the outcome was without controversy, Moraes says he’s willing to Johnson another shot at the belt, considering all he’s done for the sport. “I know Demetrious Johnson is the GOAT, the greatest of all time,” Moraes told MMAJunkie. “I think if the company thinks he deserves a rematch, of

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCThis is The A-Side Live Chat. For this episode, José Youngs, Mike Heck, and E. Casey Leydon react to some of the biggest news in MMA. Some POSSIBLE topics include the charity drama surrounding the planned rubber match between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor at UFC 264, Jimmy Flick’s recent retirement, and more. The three will also look ahead to the upcoming UFC Vegas 24 card, featuring Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum, ONE on TNT 2, headlined by Christian Lee vs. Timofey Nastyukhin, Bellator 257, featuring the rematch between Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis, and Ben Askren’s upcoming boxing match against Jake Paul. There’s plenty to talk about, so join us at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m.