MMA

So much for a BMF2 ...

Seems Nate Diaz has changed his mind about running it back with Jorge Masvidal -- saying, "F*ck a rematch."

Remember, Diaz lost the first-ever Bad Mother F*cker match at Madison Square Garden on Saturday ... when the doctor stopped the fight after the 3rd round due to bad cuts on Nate's face.

At the time, both Nate and Jorge declared a rematch WOULD happen -- with Nate saying, "I would love to run it back. That's the only thing I want to do."

But, Diaz has had a change of heart ... and posted the update on IG on Wednesday night.

"F*ck a rematch this shit was over before it started. I’m goin on out on tour. Peace out fight game."

Jon Jones says he's FINALLY decided on his next opponent -- revealing his sights are now set on Dominick Reyes instead of Corey Anderson ... and he's looking to make a statement.

"Just finished a coaches meeting studying Dominick and Cory‘s careers. Established Dominicks definitely the more dangerous fighter. Beating his ass next."

Jones had been debating between the two UFC fighters after they both SHOWED OUT in recent fights -- Reyes KO'd Chris Weidman and Anderson beat up Johnny Walker.

Both men have been calling for a fight with Jon for a while -- with Reyes telling us Jones was ducking him.

"I got these hands. I got this heart. I'm Mexican. He's never fought a Mexican. I'm tough as s**t and I'm never gonna stop!"

32-year-old Jones tweeted that he just wasn't interested in 29-year-old Reyes ... but clearly, something's changed.

Recently Dana White told us Reyes was the fight to make but the deal wasn't done yet.

Now, it seems Jones is laser-focused on Reyes ... and barring an injury, this one looks like it'll happen soon.

So, where does this leave Corey Anderson? Great question ... dude's been on a tear lately and recently cracked the Top 5 rankings in the UFC's light heavyweight division.

Colby Covington's support for President Trump has turned into an all-out bromance with POTUS' son ... 'cause Donald Trump Jr. says he considers the UFC star a good friend!!

Of course, the Trump family has been frequenting UFC events lately -- Trump Jr. and Eric were Covington's personal guests to his fight against Robbie Lawler in Aug. ... and they both attended UFC 244 last weekend with #45 himself.

As for Colby, he's been invited to 1600 Penn ... and even snapped a pic with Trump in the Oval Office.

So, when we saw DTJ out in NYC on Tuesday, we had to ask about the UFC megafight -- and if he'd ever consider walking a fighter out to the Octagon.

"I'd go out with Colby," Trump Jr. told us ... "He's become a good friend. There's a lot of great fighters out there but Colby's become a friend."

He might get his wish soon ... Colby is set to fight Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 245 on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

In fact, Colby put Don Jr.'s new book "Triggered" front and center at the official UFC 245 press conference last week to announce the fight. He also rocked his signature red MAGA hat.

Dana White is a HUGE fan of boxing superstar Tyson Fury -- but tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Gypsy King would get "smashed" if he's serious about fighting in the UFC.

Fury has been very vocal lately about wanting to take a stab at MMA -- and says Conor McGregor has personally offered to train him up.

So, when we spoke with UFC honcho Dana White, we asked if there was a possibility the two could work out a deal to get Fury in the Octagon.

"Listen, anything's possible," White tells us ... "If Tyson Fury wants to fight in MMA, I've got a ton of guys that would love to fight him. I just don't know why."

White says Fury is an "incredible fighter" -- but he's one of the top heavyweight boxers in the world and should stick with that sport to make as much money as possible.

"Promoted the right way. [Fury] could be a part of 3 or 4 of the biggest fights in heavyweight [boxing] history. Why come over and get smashed when you could stay there?"

But, there is ONE boxing champ White says he'd love to see in the UFC -- Claressa Shields.

Shields is undefeated and has WRECKED every woman who has stepped in the ring with her. She recently told us she's begun MMA training and wants to take a fight in 2020.

"I understand Shields wanting to come over here," White said ... noting top female UFC fighter are making way more money than top female boxers.

"Yes, I'm definitely interested in that. If you look at [Shields], she's the best in boxing and I have the G.O.A.T. I have the greatest female fighter of all time right now in Amanda Nunes."

Claressa has said she'd LOVE a superfight with Nunes -- but needs time to work on her ground game first.

UFC star Kevin Lee says he's not ready to sit back and enjoy his VIOLENT victory over Gregor Gillespie ... he wants another fight ASAP, and he's looking for a big-name opponent.

27-year-old Lee -- the #10 ranked lightweight -- says he wants to fight again as early as December ... and he's naming some of the biggest names in the sport.

"If I had my pick, it would be somebody like Conor," Lee says ... also mentioning guys like Anthony Pettis, Tony Ferguson and, of course, the champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Lee knows he's gotta wait for his title shot -- but he's willing to put in the work and take out whoever the UFC puts in front of him to climb his way to the top.

But, for now, Lee says he's happy he was able to earn such an impressive victory over an undefeated 13-0 opponent at one of the biggest UFC events of all time!

"The President was in the building! The President was watching the fight and I guarantee you he remembered me after that night," Lee said.

He's probably right ... Lee's crushing head kick KO earned him "Performance of the Night" honors, which comes with a $50,000 bonus!

Remember, Lee fought Ferguson back in Oct. 2017 -- and lost via submission in the 3rd-round. It was a pretty solid fight.

UFC star Corey Anderson says his utter destruction of Johnny Walker at UFC 244 proves he's more than worthy of a Jon Jones fight and he's got a message for Bones -- "Just sign the dotted line."

Anderson was phenomenal against Walker at Madison Square Garden on Saturday -- earning a 1st round stoppage against an impressive opponent many have hailed as the next big thing in MMA.

"I made magic happen, I guess you could say," Corey tells TMZ Sports ... "Everybody was dick riding him saying he was the one."

"He let it get to his head and he looked past me. I had to go out there and show him."

Now, Anderson says he's 100% confident he deserves a title shot -- with 4 big victories in a row over guys like Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi.

Plus, Anderson says he's been trying to get a fight with top challenges like Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith, but they keep coming up with excuses.

So, the next logical opponent -- according to Anderson -- is the champ Jon Jones.

"I beat the one they wanted to fight Jon Jones next ... I proved my point and I proved my worth."

Corey says he's sick of the smack talk, he's sick of the games -- he just wants to fight already.

UFC star Johnny Walker was still walking around NYC with his head held high after losing to Corey Anderson at UFC 244 ... telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "I'll be back!"

The 27-year-old Brazilian -- one of the hottest rising stars in MMA -- took a beating Saturday night, with the ref stopping the fight in the 1st round.

When our photog saw 6'5", 205-pound Walker strolling around Manhattan the next day, Johnny didn't seem fazed at all.

"I'm good, I'm good," Walker said with a smirk ... "I'm ready to go again. I'm ready to fight as soon as possible."

Walker said he's expecting a 45-day medical suspension to allow his eye to heal up -- but he's excited to show people he can come back from a loss like a champ.

"My eye's okay. I'll be back in either January or February."

Walker says he realizes the mistakes he made during the Anderson fight -- he hesitated and thought too much during the scrap -- and says it won't happen again.

"[Saturday] is no 'lose' ... just one lesson," Walker said.

With Chuck Liddell still debating on whether or not to return to the Octagon and fight again ... his friend, Dana White, has a message for the UFC legend -- please don't.

If you saw the new "ESPN 30 for 30: Chuck & Tito," you probably noticed the final graphic at the end of the show said, "[Chuck] is undecided about his future as a fighter."

In other words, he's still contemplating taking another fight, despite losing 6 of his last 7 fights ... including a brutal 1st-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz in 2018.

So, we asked Dana White how he felt about Chuck contemplating a comeback ... and White made it clear he hopes the Iceman stays out of the cage for good.

"Chuck is [about to turn] 50 years old and should not be fighting," White said.

It's abundantly clear in our video Dana cares about Chuck as a fighter and as a friend -- and doesn't want to see anything bad happen to him.

"Chuck Liddell is one of the greatest people you could ever meet. He's a good person. He's a good guy."

White knows Liddell is a "fighter to the core" -- and says it's up to regulatory bodies to protect fighters like Chuck from themselves.

So, even if Chuck wants to fight again, White hopes no state athletic commission will license the fight ... which will hopefully deter Chuck from taking another bout.

Donald Trump just tweeted that being at Madison Square Garden Saturday night was "a little bit like walking into a Trump rally" ... which means he was impervious to the boos as he entered the arena.

Trump had to know the venue would be as polarized as the U.S. Capitol ... just by the demonstration outside MSG as he arrived. Donald Trump Jr., who accompanied his dad, called reports of booing "bullsh*t." He noted UFC Prez Dana White called the President's entrance electrifying. Eric Trump was also on hand for the fight.

The Rock also made a special appearance. He presented a 'BMF' -- baddest motherf***er -- belt to Jorge Masvidal, who beat Nate Diaz, but it was a little bit of an underwhelming victory -- doctors stopped the fight after round 3 because Diaz's face was messed up. The Rock said before the fight he was super pumped about presenting the award.

Conor McGregor just showed up in court in Ireland where his lawyer told the judge the UFC star will plead GUILTY in his pub attack case.

The UFC superstar is facing one charge of assault after he socked a man in the face at the Marble Arch Pub in Dublin back on April 6, in footage obtained by TMZ Sports.

The charge carries a maximum punishment of 6 months behind bars.

McGregor showed up to court Friday in a fancy suit ... but he wasn't smiling and goofing around. Instead, he was clasping his hands and had his game face on as he walked into the building.

Inside the courtroom, McGregor's attorney told the court his client will be pleading guilty -- but  it's not over yet. The court is on a short recess and will resume at 7 AM PT.

The victim in the incident did NOT show up to the hearing and chose not to submit a victim impact statement, according to local reports.

Prosecutors are lobbying to screen the attack video in court before sentencing this afternoon, but Conor's side is trying to block that.

The decision will ultimately be made when court resumes after the break.

McGregor has previously admitted to ESPN he was "in the wrong" for punching the man at the bar ... saying, "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did."

"I tried to make amends and I made amends back then. But, it doesn't matter. I was in the wrong."

Seems like now he's worked out a plea deal with prosecutors. We'll find out soon how this whole thing will play out.

Stay tuned ...

Israel Adesanya, one of the UFC's brightest stars, says he's excited the President of the United States will be at UFC 244 in NYC this weekend ... and doesn't think there will be any drama.

As we previously reported, President Trump is scheduled to attend the fights at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. He's had a close relationship with the UFC for decades.

But, after Trump was booed at Game 5 of the World Series, some people are concerned he'll get a similar response from fighters and fans when they show his face on the big screen.

"I don't think anyone cares," Adesanya told TMZ Sports outside of Marquee nightclub in New York ... "It's gonna be cool just having the President of the United States."

Jorge Masvidal, who's fighting Nate Diaz in the main event, had a similar opinion when we spoke with him earlier this week.

Bottom line ... doesn't seem like fighters are looking to make a political statement at UFC 244 -- but you never know what's gonna happen when someone gets the mic in their hand.

Derrick Lewis says he's heard all the trash talk; Greg Hardy has been saying about him -- and now he's ready finally settle their beef in the octagon ... with one HUGE caveat.

Hardy is fighting Alexander Volkov in Russia next weekend -- his first fight against a ranked opponent. When we spoke with Greg about it, he told us if Derrick "Pillow Hands" Lewis could knock out AV, he'll be able to do it too.

Hardy also called Lewis "soft."

Obviously, Lewis wasn't amused with Greg's insults -- and fired back ... calling him a woman beater and mocked him for using an inhaler during his last fight.

"I'm guessing he doesn't have that much oxygen in his head," Lewis said.

But, then he issued this challenge ...

"If he can get through Volkov, which I don't think he would, then for sure I would like to fight him next."

Derrick says he's 100% confident he'd smash Hardy in the Octagon and win by knockout.

But, first Lewis has a big fight at UFC 244 this weekend -- taking on Blagoy Ivanov, the #8 ranked heavyweight.

Here's ex-UFC champ Eddie Alvarez breaking down Wednesday's big 76ers vs. Timberwolves NBA brawl ... and it's pretty great.

Alvarez -- who was the lightweight champ in UFC and Bellator -- LOVED the way Ben Simmons applied a perfect rear-naked choke on Karl-Anthony Towns ... but thinks there's room for improvement.

So, the Philly native tells TMZ Sports he reached out to Simmons and the two will connect in the next few days for some real MMA training so the team can step up their fight game.

Eddie also has some advice for Karl-Anthony, too -- pointing out the MAJOR mistake Towns made during the brawl that left him fully exposed.

Bottom line, Eddie says he was super IMPRESSED with Ben's fight skills -- same with Joel Embiid -- and he cant wait to hit the mats with the guys.

Benson Henderson is the ONLY pro MMA fighter with wins over both Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal ... so, naturally, we asked him for his prediction on the 1st ever 'BMF' main event!

First off, Benson LOVES the whole "Bad Mother F*cker" belt concept -- praising the UFC for a "great marketing ploy." He also has a lot of respect for both fighters.

Benson famously defended the UFC lightweight title against Nate back in 2012 -- and won that 5-round fight via unanimous decision.

Then in 2015, Henderson took on Mavidal at "UFC Fight Night" in South Korea and won that fight via split decision.

So, who wins when Diaz takes on Masvidal at UFC 244 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden???

Benson says there's one guy who clearly has the edge if they fight a traditional MMA fight.

But, if these guys REALLY want to prove who's the baddest MOFO around -- and they stand toe-to-toe and slug it out for 5 rounds -- Benson says that changes everything!

Henderson ultimately makes his official prediction. Watch the clip, it's great stuff.

As for Benson's fighting career, the 35-year-old is coming off 4 straight wins in Bellator -- and is scheduled to take on Michael Chandler in Japan on Dec. 28.

Justin Gaethje is sick and tired of playing the waiting game with Conor McGregor -- and tells TMZ Sports his new #1 target is Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Conor has said he was scheduled to fight Gaethje before injuring his hand earlier this year ... and recently, there were rumblings Justin was in the mix to be Conor's mystery opponent for his Jan. 18 comeback fight.

But, Dana White just told us he's gunning for Cowboy Cerrone now ... which leaves Justin without an opponent. Justin says Conor only wants Cowboy because he's looking for a "sure win."

The good news ... Gaethje is such a monster, he's down to fight ANYONE -- and explains why his dream matchup is against the guy who SMASHED Conor.

"I want to fight Khabib, I gotta fight Khabib before he goes away," Justin says.

In fact, Justin points out that Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson isn't a done deal yet either -- and he wants the UFC to know he's ready to step up and fill in if Tony can't go.

As for Conor, Justin isn't completely giving up hope on that fight ... and describes in graphic detail what he would do to the Irishman if he actually steps into the Octagon.

UFC star Derrick Lewis says he doesn't mind watching men bleed in the Octagon -- but he gets squeamish when it comes to bloody women because it makes him think of messy periods.

The 34-year-old heavyweight spelled it all out on "Bernie & Sid in the Morning" -- saying, "I really don't like watching women fights."

When pressed on the issue, Lewis explained ... "Last week, I finally had thought I forgot they had periods. I wonder if they still fight on their period?"

Lewis continued ... "You would think they get cut in the face, something like that [and] they're bleeding and stuff like that ... but no, it's from them being on their period."

"So, I don't like watching women fight."

For the record, this has NEVER been an issue in the UFC or any other pro-MMA or combat sports organization, as far as we know.