MMA

WARNING -- this video of Brian Ortega will make your skin crawl. If you've already had your breakfast, prepare to revisit your eggs and toast ... 'cause this is gnarly.

We're not kidding. This is your last chance to look away.

For some reason, the UFC star thought it would be a great idea to show off what it looked like two pins getting yanked out of his bone and through his flesh on Thursday ... and we wish he hadn't.

Ortega broke his thumb and nose during a bloody fight against Max Holloway at UFC 231 last month ... and despite the nasty vid, the recovery seems to be going okay.

"I didn’t feel a THING," Ortega says ... as the metal pins are clamped with pliers and wrestled out of his hand.

Shockingly, not really any blood ... but it's still hard to watch.

Hope we didn't ruin your Friday.

Cris Cyborg had one helluva shoulder to cry on after she lost to Amanda Nunes on Saturday -- because Halle Berry was waiting for her in the locker room.

The UFC superstar had cameras in her locker room -- capturing the moment Halle visited her friend and gave her a big hug minutes after the brutal knockout.

It was Cyborg's first loss in 12 years ... but it seemed Halle took it harder that Cris -- with Cyborg telling her friend, "Don't cry, Halle."

Halle has been training at Cyborg's gym in Huntington Beach, CA for the past couple of months to get ready for her new MMA movie, "Bruised" ... but the two have struck up a friendship outside of the training center.

In fact, Hall was Cyborg's VIP guest at UFC 232 ... and hung out with her training team before and after the fight.

Cris was obviously sad -- but trying to stay positive ... telling Halle the loss will put "more fire in my heart."

Halle later admitted, "I was shocked [by the loss]. A lot of mixed emotions. But, she's a champion. You'll see ... she'll be back."

She added, "All champions have to face highs and lows. I've faced it in my career. We've all faced it. She'll be back."

Cyborg's friend Clarissa Shields -- a 2-time Olympic gold medalist boxer -- also spoke with Cris after the fight ... telling the UFC star she should have used her jab more often against Nunes.

Ya can't praise Jesus on one hand while popping steroids and cocaine with the other ... so says UFC fighter Corey Anderson, who says he's sick of Jon Jones pretending to be a man of God.

Anderson -- a religious man himself -- is the #6 ranked light heavyweight and angling for a title shot. He tells TMZ Sports it's not just about the belt, he wants to teach a lesson.

"He puts things, 'Oh, God this and God that,' but then goes out and does drugs. Ya popping steroids and ya failing your tests. You're hitting pregnant women and running from the scene. Ya can't sit there and mix God and still live that life."

Long story short ... Anderson thinks Jon is a phony who's been putting on an act to win over the public for years -- and says it's offensive that he would tattoo a bible verse on his chest while living an ungodly life.

"There's a lot about him that's just fake to me. The fact that he keep quoting these bible verses," Anderson says ... "I'm the type of person, I wake up in the morning and read my bible. I'm a God-fearing man."

Anderson and Jones have been trading insults on social media -- but Corey says he's not just about that talk ... he wants that action in a big way.

"Hey Jon, if you watching, let's go. All the smoke baby. You said, do I want the smoke? I want it all. Chain smoke. Cigar smoke. Weed smoke. Crack smoke. Whatever you smokin', blow it in my face. Let's get it."

Anderson fought on the undercard at UFC 232 and beat Ilir Latifi before Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson in the main event.

As we previously reported, Anthony Smith is also gunning for a shot at Jones and says he's already negotiating with UFC.

Jon Jones is one step closer to his next fight ... because Anthony Smith tells TMZ Sports his manager is already talking with the UFC to get a deal done.

30-year-old Smith has clawed his way to becoming the #3 ranked light heavyweight after taking out Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua and Volkan Oezdemir in his last 3 fights.

After Jones beat up Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on Saturday, he and Smith talked trash to each other during the post-fight show on FS1.

Now, Smith says he ain't just blowing smoke -- he wants smoke -- and his manager, Jim Walter, is already speaking with the UFC honchos to hammer out a deal.

No word on when the fight would go down but Smith says he'll brawl with Jones "any time, any place anywhere ... I'll fight Jon this weekend if he wants to."

Smith says he respects Jones as a fighter but wasn't super impressed with his 3rd-round victory over Gustafsson -- saying, "I've seen him look better."

Of course, there are other fighters angling for a shot at JJ -- including #6 ranked contender Corey Anderson ... but Smith says no one wants to see that fight because Jones will beat his ass.

We asked Smith if he had a message for Jones -- "I'm ready. I'm ready and you know it. And I know it. I'm the only one that's gonna push you."

The Conor McGregor-Khabib rematch WILL go down in 2019 -- so says Dana White ... who tells TMZ Sports it'll happen as long as everything goes according to plan.

The UFC honcho popped by the TMZ offices last week ... and told us there are still some hurdles to clear -- but he thinks Khabib-Conor II will get set sometime in the next 12 months.

"As long as everything goes right, this fight should happen."

Of course, Khabib and Conor are still facing suspensions for their roles in the brawl that broke out at UFC 229 ... and guys like Tony Ferguson and even Max Holloway could get shots at Khabib before Conor does.

But, Dana says if everything lines up the way he thinks it will ... the rematch will happen.

Khabib dominated Conor at UFC 229 on Oct 6 -- forcing the Irishman to tap out in the 4th round.

After the fight, Conor gave a round-by-round breakdown explaining why he lost the fight -- but gave credit to Khabib and vowed to return "with my confidence high."

Floyd Mayweather's fight with Tenshin Nasukawa is a complete joke and is nothing but a money grab ... so says Bob Arum, who RIPPED Floyd for even taking the fight.

"It is a non-event. It is not a sporting event," Bob tells TMZ Sports.

Arum was out at Craig's this week when he made sure to stop for our photog, to crap all over Mayweather's highly-anticipated New Year's Eve exhibition in Japan.

"That's pretty much a joke, isn't it? I think so. I think so. Because, it's not a real fight ... the people who are watching that nonsense are pretty well jerks."

In fact ... Bob tells us he thinks the ONLY reason the tilt is going down is 'cause Mayweather straight-up NEEDS the cash!!

"He needs money for Christmas and the New Year, and this is a good way for him to make some money. God knows Floyd always needs money!"

Khabib's manager tells TMZ Sports Floyd Mayweather has been texting him CONSTANTLY ... saying the boxing legend has been "begging" for a fight with Nurmagomedov!!!

"Me and him have been texting each other for the last month," Ali Abdelaziz says ... "He's very much begging for the fight."

Of course, the potential tilt has been talked about for months -- ever since Khabib and Ali called out the boxer after beating Conor McGregor back in October.

But ... seems Floyd is getting deadly serious about putting pen to paper on a contract for the scrap -- 'cause Ali says he's been blowing up his phone.

"If he say he did not, I'm going to put everything online. Don't lie, Floyd! Do not lie, Floyd!"

The holdup on Ali's end?? The money ... 'cause Abdelaziz tells us, "At the end of the day, if he want it, the fight is here. I like this fight. But, he has to come a little bit better. He knows what I'm talking about."

Andrew Berto says Tenshin Nasukawa has a huge chance ... the chance to ruin Floyd Mayweather's legacy FOREVER, all he's gotta do is go in there and beat Floyd.

Mayweather is 50-0 and has beaten everyone from Canelo Alvarez to Oscar De La Hoya ... but, according to Berto, that all goes out the window if he loses his December 31 exhibition match with Tenshin.

"It would tarnish it for sure. You cant be 50-0 fighting some of the best fighters in the world then get knocked out by some kid."

Berto faced off against Mayweather back in 2015, and says the chances that Tenshin gets the upset in Tokyo are SLIM ... but sees one strategy he can use to pull off the upset.

"Go in there and try to knock his head off, and if you throw a kick ... f**k it."

It's going down in a couple days, 3 3-minute rounds for an eight figure payday, a lot of fun, and maybe Floyd's reputation ... could it happen?

They were teammates and roommates ... but now MMA rising star Kayla Harrison says she's gunning to take Ronda Rousey's place as the greatest female fighter of all time.

"Ronda always used to call us 'Frenemies,'" Harrison tells TMZ Sports ... "I've always kinda had a chip on my shoulder. Like, anything Ronda could do, I could do better."

"She's always sorta been my motivation behind the scenes."

Kayla trained with Ronda every day for 7 years back when they were coming up in the judo world together ... but says they're very different people.

Harrison won 2 gold medals in her Olympic judo career -- one in 2012 and another in 2016. Now, the 28-year-old is focused on destroying people in MMA.

"I want to be the best fighter in the world. I want to go down in history as one of the most dominant female combat athletes there ever was."

Kayla is 2-0 as a pro MMA fighter, and takes on Moriel Charneski at the PFL 2018 World Championship on New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden.

As for her next opponent, Kayla's manager Ali Abdelaziz says he's got his sights set on Cris Cyborg.

The brutal decision wrestler Andrew Johnson was forced to make didn't have to end the way it did, because dreadlocks can be reattached ... but not in his case, because we've learned all the hair that was cut off was thrown in a dumpster.

Fact is ... dreadlocks can be reattached in a number of ways. It's a process that typically takes a few months to complete, but it's doable. Dreads can be fused together, even after some are cut off.

We're told almost immediately after the referee for Andrew's wrestling match gave him the impossible ultimatum, the dreads were swept up -- no questions asked -- and thrown in the trash.

Sources connected to Johnson's family tell TMZ, Andrew has done nothing with his hair since it was butchered at the meet. He's gotten a bunch of offers from various hair care professionals, but so far he's made no decisions.

As we reported, Andrew and his family have not decided whether to pursue legal action against the referee or the school. They're waiting for the results of the investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights.

Even the President of the United States has issues with his cable provider ...

Donald Trump has a bone to pick with DirecTV -- after he ordered a UFC fight back in July ... but didn't get to see how it ended.

According to Dana White, Trump REALLY wanted to see UFC 226 -- Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic -- and ponied up the $65 to order the pay-per-view on DirecTV.

But, Dana says some "Presidential stuff" went down during the July 7 event, and Trump had to step away from his TV.

A few days later, when Trump finally got some free time to finish the fight -- White says the fight was already gone from his DVR ... and he couldn't watch the end on demand.

"So, he said, 'If I paid for the fight, shouldn't I get to watch the rest of the fight whenever I'm ready to watch it again?'"

Dana says he sees Trump's point and thinks POTUS is probably right ... but it's a beef the President needs to settle with DirecTV.

Of course, Dana and Trump are longtime friends -- with Dana even giving a speech for Donald at the Republican National Convention back in 2016.

Jon Jones wants to see Conor McGregor get another crack at Khabib -- telling TMZ Sports he LOVED the first fight ... and really hopes Dana White locks 'em both in for a rematch.

"I would love to see that again," Jones said after the UFC 232 press conference ... "That was a great fight."

Of course, Khabib dominated Conor during the Oct. 6 bout at UFC 229 ... ultimately submitting the Irishman in the 4th round.

But, Jones believes one fight shouldn't define an athlete -- and he's confident McGregor still has the skills to compete with the best in the world.

"Wins and losses happen when you're fighting at the level that guys like Conor and I are fighting at ... it happens and it's a big part of the game but its not a race."

"As a martial artist, one fight never defines an athlete. It's a journey. It's about how you finish the race."

WWE superstar Becky Lynch is already dreaming of "WrestleMania" dominance -- telling us she's dying to "slap the head off Ronda Rousey."

Lynch was supposed to battle Rousey at "Survivor Series" back in November -- but she suffered a serious injury to her face and was pulled from the match.

But, Lynch says she still has a sense of "unfinished business" with Rousey ... and wants to settle things once and for all on April 7 at MetLife Stadium.

Despite the rivalry, Lynch praised Rousey for all that she's done for women's pro wrestling, women's judo and women's MMA ... but warns that she "just hasn't faced a real test yet!"

Meanwhile, Lynch is training her ass off -- recently hitting up Conor McGregor's famous training center in Ireland, the Straight Blast Gym ... where she worked out with Conor's trainer, John Kavanagh.

"John Kavanagh put me through the ringer," Lynch said ... "It was great."

McGregor has raved about Lynch -- praising his fellow Irish superstar publicly and telling her to call "any time you need backup."

So, will the two connect and beat some ass as the greatest Irish tag team ever? Don't rule it out ...

Alexander Gustafsson says he's "ready for war" -- telling TMZ Sports he guarantees victory over Jon Jones at UFC 232 on Saturday ... "I will dominate every round."

Alex has been cool, calm and confident despite all the drama surrounding the rematch -- and explains he wasn't surprised when Jones tested positive for PEDs again.

"This guy gets confidence by putting sh*t in his body," Alex says ... "He's always been like that, I'm not surprised."

For his part, Jones denies using steroids for the Gustafsson rematch -- and says he only tested positive for an extremely tiny amount of oral Turinabol which was still in his system from a previous incident.

Jon Jones says Daniel Cormier's attack on his wife's "flat" booty doesn't faze him at all -- telling TMZ Sports ... Cormier is right!

The UFC rivals have been going back and forth on social media -- but things got crazy personal on Dec. 23 when they brought their wives into the feud.

Jones started it ... saying to Cormier, "I could slap your wife on the ass and you could literally do nothing about it. You're my bitch D.C. that will never change."

Cormier responded ... "You couldn't do sh*t you steroid abusing junkie! I swear I would never touch your wife's flat ass lol."

So, when we saw Jones after the UFC 232 press conference on Thursday, we asked if Cormier crossed the line by going after his wife's cakes.

"He said my wife got a flat ass? She DOES have a flat ass ... but I love it!

He continued, "Oh, I love it. It's nice. It's good. I love my wife's flat ass!"

2:45 PM PT -- Dana White says the decision to move UFC 232 from Las Vegas to Los Angeles cost roughly $6 million.

White says he did NOT want to cancel the fight and worked to find a venue where it could happen when problems arose in Nevada.

White says once they found out The Forum in L.A. was available, they booked it and the rest is history.

Alexander Gustafsson just went off on Jon Jones to his face -- saying the guy is a "terrible" cheater who's spewing "bullsh*t" about his positive PED test.

The two exchanged shots at the UFC 232 press conference -- Gustafsson says he's convinced Jones is a cheater, but didn't want to back out of the Dec. 29 fight because he wants to beat the guy's ass.

"I'm here to fight," Gustafsson said ... "He will eat it Saturday night."

UFC 232 was supposed to go down in Las Vegas -- but was moved to L.A. after Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.

Jones has insisted he only had trace amounts of the PED in his system -- remnants of the last time he tested positive. He's adamant the Turinabol in his system is not new.

The UFC -- along with the California State Athletic Commission and other officials -- believe Jones, which is why the fight was greenlit in CA.

During the event, Jones doubled down on his claim that he's not a cheater and will eventually be vindicated by tested organizations.

Jones says it's "hilarious" that people think PEDs are the reason for his success.