2:36 PM ET UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will have to undergo knee surgery before he is able to train or compete again, his manager, Marquel Martin, told ESPN on Wednesday. Ngannou (17-3) unified the UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Ciryl Gane (10-1) by unanimous decision at UFC 270 last weekend in Anaheim, California. Immediately

9:59 PM ET UFC president Dana White said his not putting the heavyweight title belt on Francis Ngannou after UFC 270 last weekend had nothing to do with “disrespect.” White addressed the postfight situation in a fan Q&A on Wednesday night with interviewer Laura Sanko on ESPN+. White did not put the belt on Ngannou

3:35 PM ET UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will seek his second title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Wednesday. The UFC is working on finalizing the 155-pound title fight shortly. The pay-per-view event now includes two title fights. Brazilian light heavyweight champion Glover

7:30 AM ET Francis Ngannou had a lot stacked against him at UFC 270. The heavyweight champion entered his Jan. 22 title defense with a severely compromised right knee. His challenger, Ciryl Gane, was coached by Ngannou’s own first MMA coach, from whom Ngannou was estranged. And the champ, competing in the final fight on

7:59 PM ET A welterweight matchup between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad will headline a UFC event in April, multiple sources told ESPN. The 170-pound contest will serve as the main event of UFC Fight Night on April 16. The promotion has not yet announced an official venue for the event. Luque and Muhammad are

7:35 AM ET Associated Press The Professional Fighters League agreed to a multiyear deal and an expanded platform with ESPN — and the MMA entity expects to have undefeated champion Kayla Harrison along for the ride. PFL CEO Peter Murray told The Associated Press he is “confident” that Harrison — the two-time Olympic gold medalist

1:30 PM ET Former UFC lightweight contender and fan favorite Dan Hooker will make his featherweight return against Arnold Allen on March 19, officials announced on Monday. The 145-pound contest, which will mark Hooker’s first fight at that weight in over five years, will take place at UFC Fight Night in London. Hooker (21-11), of

12:57 PM ET Former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw‘s recovery from knee surgery is taking longer than expected, although he anticipates returning to the Octagon around midyear — in a title fight. Dillashaw, 35, underwent surgery on his left knee last August to repair a torn PCL and damaged meniscus. He suffered the injuries during the

7:50 PM ET The UFC threatened to sue Francis Ngannou‘s agent just hours before Ngannou was set to compete in a heavyweight title fight Saturday night, Ngannou said Monday on “The MMA Hour.” Ngannou said he was getting dressed in preparation to go to Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday when his agent, Marquel

11:12 PM ET 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