Dana White
Anthony Smith, left, looks for an opening to hit Jimmy Crute during a UFC 261 mixed martial arts bout, Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. It is the first UFC event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to feature a full crowd in attendance. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Usman tops Masvidal, UFC 261 returns sports world to normal

By Mark Long Apr. 25, 2021 12:39 AM EDT

FILE - Kamaru Usman kicks Colby Covington in a mixed martial arts welterweight championship bout at UFC 245 in Las Vegas, in this Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, file photo. UFC 261 is being touted as the first full-capacity sporting event held indoors in more than a year. The card features three title fights, highlighted by a rematch between reigning welterweight champion Kamaru “Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (18-1) and Jorge “King of Miami” Masvidal (35-14). (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
UFC returns to Florida with fans, Usman-Masvidal rematch

By Mark Long Apr. 23, 2021 04:35 PM EDT

FILE - Conor McGregor poses during a ceremonial weigh-in for the UFC 246 mixed martial arts bout in Las Vegas, in this Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, file photo. The UFC intends to welcome a capacity crowd at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on July 10, 2021, when Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor fight for the third time. UFC President Dana White announced his plan Wednesday, April 14, 2021, for the promotion's first sellout show in its hometown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/John Locher, File)
UFC plans full Vegas crowd in July at Poirier-McGregor fight

By Greg Beacham Apr. 14, 2021 01:39 PM EDT

FILE - In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Bellator President Scott Coker speaks at a news conference promoting the Bellator Spring & Summer fight cards in New York City. Bellator President Scott Coker believes he put on some of the best fight cards in his promotion's history over the past two years while building a roster and a product capable of drawing attention across the world. The first of three consecutive weekly cards in April is headlined by a featherweight grand prix semifinal between champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Emmanuel Sanchez. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
Bellator MMA gets back into US spotlight with Showtime move

By Greg Beacham Mar. 31, 2021 01:51 PM EDT

UFC intends to welcome fans next month in Jacksonville

By Greg Beacham Mar. 15, 2021 09:35 PM EDT
The UFC intends to stage a pay-per-view show in front of an arena full of fans on April 24 in Jacksonville, Florida. UFC President Dana...

Poirier knocks out Conor McGregor in 2nd round at UFC 257

Jan. 24, 2021 01:01 AM EST
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dustin Poirier stopped Conor McGregor with a flurry of punches midway through the second round Sunday, avenging his loss...

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, UFC president Dana White speaks at a news conference in New York. The first of three straight fight nights at Etihad Arena on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island kicks off Saturday, Jan. 16, when Max Holloway fights Calvin Kattar in a 145-pound bout in the main event of the first combat sports card aired on ABC since 2000. In UFC 257 on Jan. 24, Conor McGregor returns from a year-long layoff for a rematch against Dustin Poirier in the promotions's first pay-per-view of the year. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
UFC bouts return to Fight Island; McGregor back in octagon

By Dan Gelston Jan. 15, 2021 02:44 AM EST

Champ Figueiredo, Moreno fight to draw in UFC 256 thriller

By Greg Beacham Dec. 13, 2020 02:49 AM EST
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deiveson Figueiredo stepped back after the final bell and spread his arms wide. The UFC flyweight champion loosed a full-throated scream as he...

FILE - In this June 25, 2018 file photo, a group of protesters chant slogans at the main gate of the Old Grand Bazaar, in Tehran, Iran. On Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, Iran broadcast the televised confession of a wrestler facing the death penalty after a tweet from President Donald Trump criticizing the case, a segment that resembled hundreds of other suspected coerced confessions aired over the last decade in the Islamic Republic. The case of 27-year-old Navid Afkari has drawn the attention of a social media campaign that portrays him and his brothers as victims targeted over participating in protests against Iran's Shiite theocracy in 2018. (Iranian Labor News Agency via AP, File)
Iran airs televised confession of wrestler after Trump tweet

By Jon Gambrell Sep. 06, 2020 09:18 AM EDT

President Donald Trump speaks from the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Conventions highlight aggressive fact-check efforts

By David Bauder Aug. 28, 2020 02:21 PM EDT

In this image from video, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, personal attorney to President Donald Trump speaks from New York, during the fourth night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via AP)
The Latest: GOP convention wraps up with opera, fireworks

Aug. 27, 2020 03:10 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump speak at the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Trump has popped up multiple times during this week's Republican National Convention but his big moment is scheduled for Thursday night when he is to make his case for another four years in the White House. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
WHAT TO WATCH: Trump's moment, Ivanka and Rudy Giuliani

By Michelle L. Price Aug. 27, 2020 12:23 AM EDT

President Donald Trump arrives to speak to a crowd of supporters at Mariotti Building Products in Old Forge, Pa. on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. (Christopher Dolan / The Times-Tribune via AP)
Trump's vision of American greatness at center of convention

By Zeke Miller Aug. 22, 2020 10:02 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 7 2019, file photo, Russian UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, right, fights with UFC fighter Dustin Poirier, of Lafayette, La., during lightweight title mixed martial arts bout in Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has agreed to return against interim champ Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24. UFC President Dana White announced the matchup Tuesday, July 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Khaled, File)
UFC: Nurmagomedov agrees to return Oct. 24 against Gaethje

By Greg Beacham Jul. 28, 2020 04:17 PM EDT

Ex-UFC champ Whittaker back on track with decision over Till

Jul. 25, 2020 11:51 PM EDT
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker earned his first victory in two years Sunday, winning a unanimous...

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, UFC president Dana White speaks at a news conference in New York. When White first proposed holding mixed martial arts fights on an isolated island during the early weeks of the worldwide sports shutdown, fans and haters alike imagined waves lapping at an octagon perched amid palm trees on a white sand beach. A few months later, the project that came to be known as Fight Island is real, and ready for competition. And while it's not literally on a beach, the octagon at Abu Dhabi's Yas Island is inside a bubble that seems highly unlikely to burst. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
No longer Dana White's dream, UFC's Fight Island is real

By Greg Beacham Jul. 09, 2020 08:40 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2019, file photo, Kamaru Usman poses during the ceremonial weigh-in event ahead of his fight against Colby Covington in UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC revealed the location Tuesday, June 9, 2020, and announced a series of fan-free shows for Fight Island, in Abu Dhabi, starting with a card tentatively featuring three title fights at UFC 251 on July 11. The pay-per-view UFC 251 show is expected to be headlined by U.S. welterweight Kamaru Usman's title defense against Brazil's Gilbert Burns. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)
UFC 'Fight Island' revealed in Abu Dhabi, will host 4 shows

By Greg Beacham Jun. 09, 2020 03:16 PM EDT

File-This Dec. 14, 2019, file photo shows Amanda Nunes, right, hitting Germaine de Randamie in a mixed martial arts women's bantamweight championship bout at UFC 245, in Las Vegas. Nunes, the pound-for-pound superstar is an overwhelming favorite in her featherweight title defense against Canadian contender Felicia Spencer in UFC 250 scheduled for Saturday, June 6, 2020. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Amanda Nunes' power could sell a UFC 250 show light on stars

By Greg Beacham Jun. 05, 2020 06:50 PM EDT

Gilbert Burns routs Woodley in UFC's return to Las Vegas

May. 30, 2020 11:59 PM EDT
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gilbert Burns dominated former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to win a unanimous decision on Saturday night in the mixed martial arts...

Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the Juventus sport center after his first training, in Turin, Italy, May 19, 2020. Cristiano Ronaldo has reported back to Juventus’ training center after a 10-week absence. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner showed up for medical tests with the Serie A leader Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Ronaldo observed a two-week isolation period at his home in Turin after spending the lockdown period in his native Portugal. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
No universal playbook for virus testing in pro sports

By Mark Long May. 19, 2020 03:57 PM EDT