MMA

Sylvester Stallone says Conor McGregor "absolutely" deserves an ownership stake in the UFC -- and he's willing to work with the Irishman to make it happen.

Now, how serious is Stallone? Hard to tell ... but we do know Sly really does care about the guy and thinks he's a special fighter.

We also know Conor is dead serious about his demands for shares in the UFC -- despite Dana White repeatedly saying it ain't gonna happen.

Back in 2016, Mark Wahlberg made a very REAL offer to Conor -- saying he'd sell him some of his ownership ... but Conor needed to "cut the check."

Just this week, Conan O'Brien joked that Conor would need to fight him for his piece of the UFC.

But, Conor ain't kidding around -- making his demands clear back in March.

"Give me my rightful shares in the UFC company," Conor said ... "That’s all I ask."

9:40 AM PT -- CoCo's in trouble ... 'cause Conor's taken notice, saying he's totally down for a fight ... and even threw Mark Wahlberg into the mix as well!!!

"Challenge accepted Conan!" Conor tweeted. "I'll whoop you and Walhberg (sic) in the same night."

"Double shares for the Double Champ!"

If Conor McGregor REALLY wants a piece of the UFC, he's gonna have to get through Conan O'Brien first!!

CoCo was leaving UCLA on Wednesday after participating in a college signing day event with Michelle Obama when we brought up the fact he happens to be a minority owner of the UFC.

And, with Conor making so much noise about wanting an ownership stake in the company, we asked Conan if he would follow Mark Wahlberg's lead and offer to sell Conor a piece of his share.

"I will fight him for his [share]," Conan joked ... "If he can take me in the Octagon!"

O'Brien continued to tease ... saying he'd have to look at the paperwork before making any serious deal with Conor.

Look, he's obviously joking the whole way through -- but Conor wasn't kidding when he demanded ownership.

In fact, Conor still isn't signed on to take another fight in the Octagon after retiring via social media earlier this year.

Brock Lesnar was submitted to official PED testing just WEEKS before he told Dana White he was retiring from MMA for good, TMZ Sports has learned.

We spoke with a rep for the United States Anti-Doping Agency which performs all of the testings on UFC fighters and confirmed Lesnar has not only been in the testing pool, but submitted 9 samples over the past year.

In fact, Lesnar submitted two tests in 2019 -- once in the 1st quarter (January through March) and at least once in April.

USADA confirms Lesnar was tested once between April 1 and April 18. We're checking to see if he was tested after April 18.

USADA would not disclose the results of Lesnar's recent tests.

Lesnar has had problems with USADA in the past -- he tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene after his UFC 200 victory over Mark Hunt. That victory was later overturned and Lesnar was suspended for a year because of the positive test.

Of course, the UFC had been gunning to book Lesnar for a title fight with heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier.

Lesnar famously stormed the Octagon back in July 2018 and shoved Cormier in what appeared to be an obvious publicity stunt to drive interest in the fight.

Both Dana White and Cormier have talked openly about wanting to make the fight happen.

But this week, White told ESPN the Lesnar fight is off because Brock informed him he is retiring from MMA.

Legendary announcer Bruce Buffer was front and center when the UFC made 12 Make-A-Wish dreams come true ... and he says it's a moment he'll remember for the rest of his life!!

Dana White and his org teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant 12 Las Vegas kids their biggest dreams on Monday -- from trips to Disneyland and Disney World to Europe and more!!

TMZ Sports spoke with "The Veteran Voice of the Octagon" -- who used his famous chops for the big reveal to the kids ... and he says it was one of the most emotional experiences of his life.

Buffer revealed it was a local record for Make-A-Wish giveaways ... and admits it was tough not to get emotional during the touching event.

"It was a beautiful event. It was great to see those kids," Buffer says.

UFC star Al Iaquinta wants to prove he's worthy of another fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov -- saying he's convinced he can beat the Dagestani if he gets more than 1 day to prepare.

Remember, Al stepped as a last-minute replacement for Max Holloway at UFC 223 in April 2018 ... and survived all 5 rounds with Khabib, despite zero preparation for one of the scariest guys in MMA.

Since that fight, Al beat up Kevin Lee and has lined up a big fight with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at 'UFC Fight Night' on May 4.

Al tells TMZ Sports he wants to make a statement in the Cowboy fight to show everyone he's the real deal -- and deserves a second crack at Khabib.

"I fought Khabib not only on a day's notice but also after fighting 90 seconds in 3 years," Iaquinta says ... "So it was short notice and a huge layoff."

Al -- the #4 ranked lightweight in the UFC -- says he knows he needs to have a "great performance" against Cowboy ... and seems more motivated than ever.

We spoke with Al after the first fight with Khabib and even though he was bruised up, he never lacked confidence.

As for Khabib, Dana White has said his next fight will be against interim champ Dustin Poirier -- and they're gunning for a Sept. fight date.

But as Al knows ... if Dustin gets hurt and Dana needs a replacement, he could be the guy who gets the call.

You're looking at "Iranian Hulk" Sajad Gharibi -- a powerlifter who's become a social media sensation -- and he's about to try his hand in MMA.

The good news ... UFC star Brian Ortega is offering up some advice for the massive 27-year-old -- but that advice comes with a serious warning!

Long story short ... Ortega is 100% confident he would destroy Gharibi in a fight -- despite weighing roughly 250 POUNDS less!!!!

"I would just gas him out, piss him off," Ortega tells TMZ Sports.

For the record, Ortega is 5'8", 145 ... Gharibi (from the info we've found) is 6'2", 385.

"Of course, you're gonna see me just get mauled up like a damn little chihuahua in the beginning," Ortega says ... "but just when I ride that wave out, it's a done deal man. He'll gas out and he'll be mine."

Gharibi says he's dead serious about taking a real MMA fight -- telling reporter Chamatkar Sandhu he's already accepted a fight against a Brazilian opponent.

Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis ... get ready -- 'cause Greg Hardy says he's coming!!!

"They're not in my mind," the ex-NFL star says of the UFC heavyweight beasts ... "They're in my sights, brother. They're locked in."

Of course, Hardy ain't sure exactly when those fights will go down ... he tells TMZ Sports, after being DQ'd in his first-ever UFC fight -- he's got a lot to learn before he steps in the Octagon with the superstars.

But, he says guys like Stipe and The Black Beast are still the goal ... telling us, "When I go there and I do fight these guys -- hopefully soon enough when I do elevate and graduate -- it's going to be Goliath vs. Goliath."

Hardy's first step in that plan? A bout with Dmitrii Smoliakov in the co-main event of Saturday night's ESPN+ Fight Night 150.

Greg says he's more prepared for this UFC tilt than his first one -- the one he lost after he illegally kneed Allen Crowder back in January.

Hardy tells us he was "overwhelmed" by the stage in that fight ... but he's learned from it -- and says he's ready to kick some ass Saturday!!!

The Uber driver accused of killing former UFC fighter Rodrigo de Lima during an altercation in Brazil on Sunday has been fired by the rideshare company ... an Uber spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old MMA fighter was a passenger in an Uber in Belem, Brazil with friends when he allegedly got into a verbal altercation with the driver.

The driver, later identified as Jefferson Roger Maciel, reportedly kicked Rodrigo out the car -- and despite initially driving away from the scene, turned around and smashed into Rodrigo from behind.

Rodrigo died from his injuries. He's survived by a wife and 2 young children.

A rep fro Uber confirmed Maciel was working for them at the time of the incident.

Uber says allegations are "horrible" -- adding, "As soon as we learned of this incident we immediately removed the driver’s access to the app and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."

On Monday, cops said they were still searching for Maciel -- no word if they've located him yet.

De Lima was 9-3-1 as a pro -- and earned the nickname "Monstro" (which means monster) -- due to his fighting style.

A former UFC fighter was hit by a car and killed in Brazil after officials say he got into an argument with his rideshare driver.

The fighter is 26-year-old Rodrigo de Lima -- who fought Neil Magny in 2014 and Efrain Escudero in 2015 during his stint in the UFC. He lost both of those fights.

Rodrigo was a passenger in a car in Belem, Brazil when he got into an argument with the driver. According to reports, the driver stopped the car and booted de Lima from the vehicle.

Once outside the car, the driver allegedly drove away from the scene -- then turned around and struck de Lima from behind, killing the fighter.

There are reports the driver was working for Uber at the time of the incident. We've called Uber to confirm but so far, no word back.

Officials are currently on the hunt for the driver. De Lima is survived by his wife and two young children.

De Lima was 9-3-1 as a pro -- and earned the nickname "Monstro" (which means monster) -- due to his fighting style.

A Brazilian MMA fighter says she was forced to stop a sexy beach photoshoot this month -- when she saw some creepo rear-naked chokin' his own chicken while watching her from the bushes.

Oh, and then she proceeded to BEAT HIS ASS!!

The woman is Joyce Vieira -- a 27-year-old amateur fighter and swimsuit enthusiast from Brazil. Her IG page is FIRE.

Vieira claims she was posing for pics with her photog crew when noticed a guy watching her nearby -- and when she approached him, Joyce claims his penis was out and it was obvious he was pleasuring himself.

Vieira reportedly told Brazilian news outlets the guy was making noises and groaning -- and when she told him to cut it out he replied, "Why? You don't like it? Come here!"

So, she punched him.

Vieira reportedly filed a police report -- and when cops spoke with the alleged whackjob, he claimed he was NOT doing the ol' 5-knuckle shuffle ... but rather innocently peeing in the bushes.

The case is reportedly still open and cops are continuing the investigation.

TMZ Sports has obtained police body cam footage showing Conor McGregor being handcuffed and arrested at a private home by Miami Beach PD over the cell phone smashing incident.

The footage was shot on March 11 ... hours after Conor got into it with Ahmed Abdirzak outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.

As we previously reported, McGregor went after Abdirzak around 5:21 AM -- snatching the guy's phone and then stomping it multiple times. McGregor eventually left the premises with Abdirzak's phone.

Abdirzak filed a police report and the Miami Beach PD tracked down McGregor at a private residence nearby -- eventually arresting him just before 10 AM.

In the footage, McGregor is cooperative and quiet as cops instruct him to place his hands behind his back while they place him in handcuffs and put him into a squad car to be transported to jail.

McGregor has since been charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 6 years in prison.

Conor has pled not guilty on all charges. A trial is scheduled to begin in May.

UFC star Dustin Poirier says when it comes to Khabib Nurmagomedov there's no need for trash talk ... telling TMZ Sports, "He knows what’s up. I know what’s up. Let’s f*cking fight."

Poirier is still sporting bruises from his 5-round war with Max Holloway at UFC 236 on Saturday -- but he's already looking forward to his next challenge ... a lightweight unification fight with Khabib.

Dana White has previously told us he's targeting a Sept. fight date -- and Poirier says the timing couldn't be better.

"I think Sept. is perfect for this fight," Poirier said ... "I believe that's when [Khabib's] suspension is over. That will give me plenty of time to decompress and get back into training camp. It's perfect."

Of course, Khabib is 27-0 as a pro -- and most famously smashed Conor McGregor at UFC 229 back in October. Dustin clearly respects the guy but he's confident he can serve Khabib his first loss.

"Mixed martial arts is a crazy, crazy thing to do man. There are lots of variables and lots of ways to lose. To go [undefeated] ...That’s impressive. Of course, I'm impressed by him."

30-year-old Poirier is on a pretty impressive run in the UFC right now himself ... with huge wins over studs like Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis.

Poirier fought Conor back in 2014 and lost -- so we asked if he'd be down to run that back at some point in his career. You'll want to hear his answer.

Dustin shouted out all of his supporters who have stuck with him over the years -- and tells us why he's so happy his young daughter gets to see his UFC championship belt!!!

Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... the winner of the Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier fight this weekend will be rewarded with a shot at Khabib Nurmagomodov in Sept.

In other words ... UFC 236 on ESPN+ PPV is the KHABIB-BOWL!!!

Of course, Conor McGregor was hoping to get a 2nd crack at Khabib as soon as possible after The Eagle wiped the floor with him at UFC 229 back in October.

But, he'll have to get in line -- because Dana says the winner of Max vs. Dustin will be the interim lightweight champion ... "and the next fight is Khabib."

It's a big deal because Khabib has become an international superstar since the Conor fight -- and it would seem whoever fights him next could cash a HUGE payday.

There's more ... Dana is also fired up for Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title -- and warns Israel that people have been underestimating Gastelum for years.

But, there's a huge upside for Israel too -- because Dana says he'd also like to see Israel fight Jon Jones ... and if he beats Kelvin, that fight could happen sooner than later.

Luke Rockhold's firing back at Anthony Smith ... a fighter he says is a soft, talent-less bitch who'd get OWNED in a fight with the former UFC champ.

TMZ Sports talked to Luke after he was BLASTED by Smith at a UFC press conference ... where Anthony called him "a f**king piece of sh*t" and promised to "beat that dude's f**king ass.”

Smith hates Luke's guts ... and the feeling's mutual.

"I don't think much of Anthony Smith. I don't think he's very tough, technical, talented. He ain't got what it takes."

Rockhold thinks Smith sucks as a fighter, but he's still down to fight him ... especially after Smith said he'd "drill a hole thru Luke Rockhold’s f**king face."

Luke's response ... "He's not gonna be drilling nothing. I will own that kid from start to finish, anywhere he wants to go."

Both guys have fights booked this summer (Luke's fighting Jan Błachowicz at UFC 239) -- and seem to be on a collision course with each other -- but Rockhold says Smith should talk less about him and concentrate on his opponent, Alexander Gustafsson.

"He better focus on the fight coming up, cause my opinion is he's about to get his ass kicked," Rockhold says ... "So go out there go take your ass-whoopin', and come talk to me afterwards."

Here's a video that could finally set up a boxing superfight EVERYONE wants -- with Vasyl Lomachenko calling out Gervonta "Tank" Davis right on camera.

"Let's do this! Let's do this," Loma said to TMZ Sports ... knowing full well there's a TON of interest in seeing Floyd Mayweather's prodigy step in the ring with "High Tech."

Lomachenko is 13-1 -- and has earned the nickname "No Mas Chenko" because he's made guys straight up quit in the ring.

Davis is 21-0 and he's the reigning WBA super featherweight champ.

There's one issue according to Loma -- boxing politics -- because Vasyl's promoter is Bob Arum and Tank is with Al Haymon ... two guys who don't exactly get along.

There is one thing both sides can agree on ... THEY ALL LIKE MONEY -- and if there's enough of it, we can finally get the fight we want.

Vasyl wants it -- and he's challenging Tank to talk to his people to get them on board.

In the meantime, Loma is fighting Anthony Crolla on Friday night -- but he's a MASSIVE favorite and should slice through Crolla with ease.

Davis just fought -- and destroyed Hugo Ruiz -- ending the fight in the 1st-round.

UFC superstar Jon Jones is firing back at Israel Adesanya -- saying he would DESTROY the 29-year-old so badly when they fight down the road ... "I’ll make you call me daddy by the third [round]."

Jon is responding to comments Israel made during an interview with TMZ Sports, when Adesanya told us a fight with Jones "tickles my loins" ... and added, "I already killed one G.O.A.T. and I'm hunting the next."

The "G.O.A.T." Adesanya says he killed is Anderson Silva -- who Israel defeated in a 3-round unanimous decision back in February.

Just a few weeks ago, Jones told us he thinks a fight with Israel is on the horizon -- and after seeing Adesanya's "G.O.A.T." comments, Jon is clearly fired up about the possible match up.

"If you think you killed 44 yr old Anderson, you didn’t," Jones tweeted out ... "I’m not really sure what fight you’ve been watching."

"You got past the legendary GOAT, now come f*ck with the King of the jungle. I’ll make you call me daddy by the third."

Before he can focus on Jones, Adesanya is fighting Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title at UFC 236 on Saturday ... a massive fight on ESPN+ PPV (click here to order).

Adesanya told us he's laser focused on Kelvin -- and will deal with Jones after he gets his "W."