Sports

7:20 AM ET After a year in which UFC legends retired, unretired, threatened retirement and changed weight classes, what can MMA fans expect in 2021? Three titles changed hands in 2020, but each of those were in fights for vacant championships. In other words, defending world champions showed why they were the ones wearing the

When Teofimo Lopez stepped into the ring to face Vasiliy Lomachenko in a lightweight title unification fight, the stakes seemed simple enough. If Lopez upset one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters, he would immediately position himself as one of the best in the 135-pound division, and one of boxing’s biggest attractions. When Lopez won

7:29 AM ET Let’s get one thing straight, now that we have said goodbye to 2020, this is not a challenge to 2021. Like saying, “Welp, it can’t be any worse, right?” (forced uncomfortable laughter) ESPN + Subscribe to ESPN+ to get access to all premium articles, Fantasy tools, plus thousands of your favorite sporting

8:00 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com After an offseason filled with more uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 tennis season is finally upon us, and the start of the Australian Open is mere weeks away. While many of the game’s perennial favorites will likely continue to dominate in the new year, the next crop

7:08 PM ET National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts expressed outrage over the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday and how it reflected on racial double standards in America. Roberts told ESPN that her contact with multiple NBA players throughout the afternoon kept returning to the contrast between the

10:16 AM ET If there was any real drama remaining for Clemson fans, Trevor Lawrence put an official end to it Wednesday, releasing a video on social media announcing he would enter the NFL draft. “My time here has been amazing, and I’ll be a Clemson Tiger forever,” Lawrence said in the video. Thank you,

7:56 PM ET The nearly three-decade drought of wide receivers failing to win the Heisman Trophy ended when Alabama senior DeVonta Smith was presented the award during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday night. Smith is the third player from Alabama to claim college football’s most prestigious award and the first receiver to win it since

11:24 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The WTA announced its latest schedule for the 2021 season through July on Tuesday. The revised calendar includes the French Open and Wimbledon in their traditional spots, with start dates of May 23 and June 28, respectively. The WTA had previously shared its calendar for the first seven weeks of

7:00 AM ET An NHL player can get a lot done in 56 games. Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenseman John Marino earned a long-term contract extension in 56 games last season. Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf tallied 61 points in 56 games in the 2017-18 season. The NHL’s 2020-21 regular season has been shortened to 56

7:00 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN Now that 2020 is (finally) behind us, baseball is entering a new year with uncertainty the only certainty across the sport, so we asked our team of MLB experts to each identify and lay out one storyline that will most define 2021 along with something they can’t wait to see

Jan 1, 2021 When Chelsea signed Timo Werner (£47.7m) and Kai Havertz (£71m) for a combined £118.7m last summer, it was clear the club were making a long-term investment in the future. At 24 and 21, respectively, the two German forwards arrived at Stamford Bridge with only bright things ahead of them, and Chelsea overcame

4:28 PM GMT The British and Irish Lions will discuss this month whether to visit South Africa as planned later in the year because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lions are scheduled to play eight matches in South Africa, including a three-Test series against world champions the Springboks, starting on July 3 in

9:04 AM ET Conor McGregor‘s 2020 fell well short of his expectations. He had planned to fight at least three times, with one of those being a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship. Instead, McGregor fought for a total of 40 seconds, which was how long he needed to beat the fading

5:55 PM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. From the moment the fight was announced, Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell was going to boil down to one major talking point: whether or not Garcia is ready to step up and prove he’s the real deal as an elite boxer and not just a social media star. But

11:23 PM ET Becky Hammon made history on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to act as head coach during an NBA regular season game. The San Antonio assistant coach filled in for head coach Gregg Popovich after he was ejected in the first half of the Spurs’ 121-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Popovich

7:25 PM ET Associated Press SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law has been suddenly retired on the advice of a veterinarian after an X-ray revealed bone bruising in the colt’s front leg. Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga Stable tweeted Wednesday: “We are beyond grateful for the time we had with him.” The