MMA

UFC star Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is so obsessed with "Red Dead Redemption 2" -- he's even dressing like the characters for a little fight week inspiration.

Cerrone is fighting "Platinum" Mike Perry at UFC Fight Night 139 in Denver on Saturday -- and if he seems extra violent this week, it's because he's been murdering everyone in New Hanover.

Cowboy doesn't even consider himself a "gamer" -- but said he HAD to buy 'RDR2' because it seemed to be right up his alley ... and he was right.

The game is already a massive hit -- earning a record $750 MILLION in the first 3 days of sales. In fact, one of the plot points in this week's "South Park" episode is how everyone is obsessed with the game.

Right before we started the interview with Cerrone, he told us his outfit was inspired by Arthur Morgan -- the main character in the game.

"Not only have I been playing the game, but I pre-purchased the $100 package with the horses and the guns."

"It's Cowboy all the way. So, I love it. Yeah. It's so cool. Just how you can just kill everybody. Whatever you want. I can't go into any town without being harassed by everyone, 'cause I just murder everybody."

Conor McGregor felt Conor McGregor needed a little confidence boost Thursday morning -- so, he looked in the mirror and told himself how great he is.

Over and over and over.

With his Versace robe hanging on his bathroom door, Conor pointed at himself and repeated, "You the man. You the man. YOU are the man!"

He then cackled like a maniac.

So, why? He's Conor McGregor, that's why.

Seems to be getting over his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov -- you remember, Conor was smashed up at UFC 229 in Vegas on October 6.

It was Conor's first MMA fight in nearly 2 years -- and he didn't exactly look like the world-beater we got used to seeing against guys like Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.

Conor has said he wants a rematch with Khabib -- but has told Dana White he's willing to fight whoever it takes to get it.

Mike Tyson tells TMZ Sports he's rooting for another Floyd Mayweather comeback fight -- as long as it ain't in the Octagon!

After that whole Japan fight debacle, Floyd insists he's retired (again) ... but Iron Mike says he hopes he reconsiders because he likes watching Mayweather fight ... as a boxer.

Also worth noting ... Mike Tyson is stoned to the bejeezus in this clip.

How do we know? 'Cause Mike's out promoting his new Tyson Ranch weed brand -- and his business partner, BigMike, told us they just lit up.

In fact, Mike recently smoked out Conor McGregor -- and got the UFC star's marijuana seal of approval.

"Hey, McGregor's a good guy," Mike said ... "He liked our kush. I'm very grateful for that."

Mike's marijuana ranch is huge -- 400 acres right in the Coachella Valley in Southern California ... and Tyson tells us his goal is to take over the whole THC industry.

12:24 PM PT -- Floyd had already made up his mind to back out of the fight by Tuesday night -- because he was telling people at an L.A. nightclub that it was off.

In fact, Floyd's friend Michael Blackson -- the famous comedian -- came on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday and told us when he saw Floyd at Murano Nightclub, the boxer made it clear it wasn't happening.

Floyd Mayweather is making it clear his massive New Year's Eve fight with Tenshin Nasukawa is off -- and claims it's because he was misled by fight promoters.

It's strange considering the press conference Floyd participated in on Sunday night -- promoting the fight at RIZIN 14 in Japan -- but alas, here we are.

In short, Floyd claims he only ever agreed to fight Tenshin in a private, closed door, 3-round exhibition fight "for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee."

But, when he got to the press conference (weird that he would even agree to do a press conference for a small private event) the RIZIN promoters told the media it would be a globally televised superfight.

Floyd says he went along with the press conference because he was blindsided and didn't want to "create a disturbance."

During the press conference, Floyd was PRAISING the fight promoters and said the goal was to create a longterm relationship with RIZIN to promote more fights together in the future.

Whatever the case, seems the fight's off for good. Here's Floyd's statement in its entirety.

"Now that I am back on U.S. soil after a long and disappointing trip to Tokyo, I now have the time to address you, my fans and the media in regards to the upcoming event on December 31st that was recently announced."

"First and foremost, I want it to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never agreed to an official bout with Tenshin Nasukawa. In fact (with all due respect) I have never heard of him until this recent trip to Japan. Ultimately, I was asked to participate in a 9 minute exhibition of 3 rounds with an opponent selected by the 'Rizen Fighting Federation.'"

"What I was originally informed of by Brent Johnson of 'One Entertainment' was that this was to be an exhibition put on for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee. This exhibition was previously arranged as a "Special Bout" purely for entertainment purposes with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide."

"Once I arrived to the press conference, my team and I were completely derailed by the new direction this event was going and we should have put a stop to it immediately."

"I want to sincerely apologize to my fans for the very misleading information that was announced during this press conference and I can assure you that I too was completely blindsided by the arrangements that were being made without my consent nor approval."

"For the sake of the several fans and attendees that flew in from all parts of the world to attend this past press conference, I was hesitant to create a huge disturbance by combating what was being said and for that I am truly sorry."

"I am a retired boxer that earns an unprecedented amount of money, globally, for appearances, speaking engagements and occasional small exhibitions."

Floyd Mayweather's first order of business after announcing his big fight in Japan?? Well, he ain't sprinting to the gym just yet ... he had to check in on his L.A. Clippers first.

As we previously reported ... Floyd is going up against undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa at RIZIN 14 on Dec. 31 in what might be an MMA match (the 2 sides are still deciding on the rules).

After the surprise press conference in Japan on Sunday night, the 41-year-old returned to the States on Monday in time to catch the tip off in his usual courtside seats at Staples Center.

Floyd is famous for staying in fight shape -- even when he's not fighting -- so, it's not like 1 day off will really matter.

Then again, Mayweather claims Tenshin is super fast and motivated -- so taking the fight lightly could be a mistake.

That said, critics like 50 Cent say this Tenshin guy is like fighting an Uber driver -- so, Floyd could stuff his face with hot dogs and popcorn and still light him up.

Daniel Cormier tells TMZ Sports the fight with Brock Lesnar is 100% going to happen -- and he's already putting together a timeline to prepare his training camp.

The two have been going at each other in public for months but Brock's obligations to the WWE are an issue, especially since he's now the WWE Universal Champion.

But, Cormier says he's thinking about a March date for the Lesnar fight -- which lines up perfectly with UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas.

"My preparation for that fight won’t start until the beginning of the new year," Cormier told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

"I got the Gilroy High School wrestling season up until February (he's a coach at the high school in Northern California). So, it has to be after that. So, I’m off limits until early March."

Cormier insists he's deadly serious about walking away from fighting on his 40th birthday -- which is March 20 -- so, UFC 235 would make the most sense.

That said, Cormier's career is on fire right now -- both in and out of the Octagon. So, we asked if Dana White came to him with an 8-figure offer to fight Jon Jones for a 3rd time, would he take it?

Floyd Mayweather has signed a deal to fight on New Year's Eve in Japan -- and it might be an MMA match -- but, it ain't against Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Just like TMZ Sports told you would happen ... the 41-year-old boxing superstar announced he'll be fighting at RIZIN 14 on Dec 31, against an undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer named Tenshin Nasukawa.

We broke the story ... Floyd was in talks to get a fight done in Asia back in September. The plan is to get 2 fights under his belt ... a tune-up fight and then a bigger opponent, someone like Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd says he's still working with the promotion to decide on whether it will be boxing rules, kickboxing rules, MMA rules, etc.

Floyd says the fighting rules will be sorted out in the coming weeks. Floyd also says the two sides are still figuring out what weight the fight will be at.

Floyd held a press conference in Japan late Sunday night -- Floyd did not say how much money he expects to make for the fight.

As for Tenshin, RIZIN says he's 20-years-old and has more than 30 fights under his belt. His kickboxing record is 27-0.

The fight will go down at Saitama Super Arena -- the 3rd largest indoor arena in the world. It seats around 36,500 people.

As we previously reported, Floyd has had some MMA training in the past -- and UFC champ Tyron Woodley has offered to work with him because he believes Mayweather can really win.

Floyd says he chose to have this fight in Japan because he loves the country and the people.

As for his opponent, Floyd says the guy is in great shape -- "very young, very fast" -- and he's impressed with Tenshin's physique. Says the guy looks like a serious gym rat.

Tenshin says Floyd is taller than he looks and he believes he'll be able to "hit him" when they fight.

Floyd is 50-0 as a pro boxer -- with his last victory coming over Conor McGregor.

Mayweather has recently told us he's been itching to fight again and predicted his next bout would be a 9-figure boxing match against Khabib. Now that he's inked this deal, seems the Khabib fight will be on the backburner ... at least for now.

"I'm very happy to be back in Tokyo," Mayweather told the media ... "I look forward to coming back more often."

Move over, Floyd ... GGG says HE wants in on fighting UFC stars -- telling TMZ Sports he'll fight BOTH Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov!!!!

The MMA-boxing crossover fights are all the rage these days, after Conor-Mayweather RAKED IN cash ... and now everybody wants in on the action.

Nate Diaz called out Canelo after Alvarez signed his blockbuster $365 MILLION dollars ... and Tyron Woodley told us he's down to step in the boxing ring too.

So, will a Gennady Golovkin vs. MMA star fight actually happen? Maybe, maybe not.

We will say this ... Dana White says he met with Floyd Mayweather's camp about a possible MMA fight with Khabib -- which is how things got cooking with Conor McGregor.

The issue ... Floyd told us he would only take a boxing match. Dana is adamant it can only happen in the Octagon.

Khabib's manager tells TMZ Sports if a fight with Floyd Mayweather goes down ... it's gotta be in the boxing ring -- 'cause the UFC star would end up behind bars if the two fought MMA!!

"An MMA fight, I don't think any state athletic commission should allow that," Ali Abdelaziz tells us ... "It would be illegal. It would be voluntary manslaughter."

Of course ... a fight between Nurmagomedov and Floyd has been rumored for weeks -- with Ali telling us he's actually had conversations with Money and his team about a possible tilt.

But, Dana White told us earlier this week, if the two do square up -- it's gotta be MMA ... and that's something Ali says is a horrible idea for BOTH Floyd and Khabib.

Instead ... Ali seems much more open to the idea of a boxing match -- and says Khabib could easily win that too -- without going to jail for murder.

"Khabib is wide. When Khabib is boxing him, he will cover him. He will put his body on him, make him tired. Carry the weight and get him tired. I think 100 percent [Khabib can win]."

The problem? Khabib's manager tells us he thinks Floyd wants no part of the match -- saying Mayweather's all talk.

"I think Floyd just wants to keep his name relevant. He's 57 years old. He's almost 60 ... He can't do nothing to Khabib."

Still ... Khabib clearly wants it -- writing on his Instagram Friday, "Where are you? @floydmayweather #27vs50."

UFC badass Michelle Waterson tells TMZ Sports ... Dana White should take a page outta Vince McMahon's playbook and put together an all-female fight card!!!

"The girls can definitely hold it down," The Karate Hottie says.

Of course, the WWE just wrapped up its first-ever all-women pay-per-view event ... and it was a big-time success. Ronda Rousey said she hopes it's a game changer for all pro sports.

So, when we got Waterson out in NYC this week -- we had to ask ... could the UFC do the same??

"If they did an all-female card, that would be amazing and we could definitely hold it down. Something definitely to think of for the future."

Karate Hottie even tells us she's got the perfect headliner for the night -- HERSELF!!!

There's enough talent in the UFC's women's division for sure -- with superstars like Cris Cyborg, Amanda Nunes, Rose Namajunas, Holly Holm and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

As for Dana, he once said he'd never let women fight in the UFC -- but admits he was super wrong about that ... and now, the women are KILLING it.

UFC star Israel Adesanya is such a big anime freak, he got an INSANE stomach tattoo inspired by his favorite shows ... and he's giving TMZ Sports the breakdown!!

Adesanya -- whose nickname "The Style Bender" comes from the popular Nickelodeon series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" -- says his motivation comes from the characters in the uber-popular "Naruto" and 'Avatar.'

You can see part of Israel's stomach tat is inspired by Naruto's stomach tat from the show.

If you have no idea what the hell any of this means, click here and here and here.

Adesanya has a BUNCH of different cartoon tattoos -- he even has Deadpool!! -- and, together, they make up one unique and interesting collection.

Derrick Lewis is fighting Daniel Cormier at MSG for the UFC heavyweight championship ... but it wouldn't have been possible if he didn't spend over 3 years in prison.

"I think about my past and stuff like that," Lewis tells TMZ Sports.

"I believe that if I didn't go through stuff that I went through in my past, I wouldn't be as successful like I am now here today."

Back when he was in college, Lewis was sent to prison for 3 and a half years after violating probation stemming from a case where he beat the hell out of a Ku Klux Klan member who had a shotgun.

After prison, Lewis got work as a tow truck driver ... before being convinced to take up MMA.

Saturday night, he's fighting to become the baddest man on the planet.

"I'm an optimistic guy. But, I never imagined this was possible," Lewis told us.

Jon Jones swears he's a changed man ... and that means NO MORE PENIS ENHANCEMENT PILLS!!

The UFC superstar was asked to reflect on what he's learned during his 15-month suspension ... and that's when someone in the crowd shouted, "No more dick pills!"

Remember, Jones was busted for an illegal substance before UFC 200 back in 2016 -- and blamed it on sexual enhancement pills.

Jones later explained, "I have taken sex pills several times throughout my adult life .... highly recommend it, guys. f*cking great. It’s awesome."

So, when the heckler brought it up at the UFC 232 media event in New York on Friday afternoon, Jones actually AGREED with the guy ... saying, "No more dick pills. I'm good. More foreplay!!"

Jones eventually answered the original question -- explaining that during his suspension, he learned how to put God and family first.

There's more ... Jones also said he still wants a Brock Lesnar fight ... and he's not thinking about making a 3rd fight with Daniel Cormier.

Derek Brunson says he knows Jon Jones ... 'cause he's trained with Bones for years, and Israel Adesanya ain't no Jones.

Brunson -- the #6 ranked UFC middleweight -- is fighting Adesanya at UFC 230 this weekend ... and he told us Israel's got some talent ... but the Jon Jones comparisons are ridiculous.

"People forget, I trained with Jon Jones for years. So, I know what it's like. And, this guy don't have the wrestling pedigree. He's not Jon Jones, at all. He don't have the strength."

"I feel very good about this match up. He got a lot of hype behind him. I'm gonna put that to rest."

BTW, if you're wondering why Derek keeps lookin' away from the camera ... he was playing a video game.

"I'm playing Fortnite ... I ain't worried about ya, Israel."

Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's really sad about the arrest of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar -- saying, "He's a great dude and it's unfortunate."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Bonnar was subdued by concerned citizens in Nevada on Sunday after he was driving like a maniac 10 miles off the Vegas Strip.

When the Highway Patrol arrived, Bonnar was passed out in the front seat of his car -- and reeked of booze. He was booked on a felony DUI charge and the video of the arrest was very disturbing.

"I'm obviously sad about it because he's a guy that I care about," Dana said ... noting that he was a key part of the very first season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

"Bums me out."

We also asked Dana about the long-awaited return of Jon Jones -- who's scheduled to fight at UFC 232 in December against Alexander Gustafsson.

Dana says he just spoke with Jones the other day and he sounds focused and ready to go. Dana says he understands the concerns surrounding JJ based on his previous outside-the-Octagon problems but feels like his head is in the right place this time around.

As for Nate Diaz, we asked if he's working on scheduling another fight for him since Dustin Poirier pulled out of their scheduled UFC 230 bout with an injury.

UFC star Jimmie Rivera says he's dying to fight Cody Garbrandt -- if "No Love" would just get his balls back from Urijah Faber's purse.

Rivera is a stud -- he's the #5 ranked bantamweight who once had a crazy 20-fight win streak with victories over guys like UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

Now, Rivera is trying to claw his way back into a title shot and knows he's probably gotta go through Cody for a chance to face champ T.J. Dillashaw.

"You know, what's on my list is Cody," Jimmie says ... "If he finally answers my tweets or gets his balls from Urijah Faber's purse, we can make a fight happen early next year and I can whoop his ass and give him his 3rd loss and end his career just I like did Faber."

Rivera fought -- and beat -- Faber back in 2016, the 2nd to last fight of Faber's career.

Now, Garbrandt trains with Faber -- the two are very close friends.