MMA

Luke Rockhold says his boy, Daniel Cormier, WILL DEFEAT Jon Jones at UFC 214 this weekend -- but it'll be a war.

"I just think they beat the living crap out of each other for 5 rounds," Rockhold tells TMZ Sports ... "and I think we can come out on top."

Yeah, he's a little biased -- the two are extremely close and have been for years.

"Me and D.C. have been together from the beginning," Rockhold says ... "Living in my manager's house. I'm living in the garage and he's living in the shanty house in front in Gilroy, CA."

"Rags to riches. It's been a long road."

We also spoke with D.C.'s boxing coach Rosendo Sanchez who tells us the beef with Jon Jones couldn't be more real.

Before he hits the MMA gym, Wiz Khalifa hits the bong ... or the joint or the vaporizer or whatever else gets him high on weed.

The rapper/extreme pot enthusiast was leaving Warwick in Hollywood Wednesday night when we asked if he took a break from the green stuff when he gets in fight mode.

"I smoke every day," Wiz said ... "It's good for you."

As we previously reported, Wiz has been getting pretty serious about MMA training -- working with real deal UFC stars at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in L.A. for the past several months.

The cocaine insults were flying at the UFC 214 media event today -- with Jon Jones saying Daniel Cormier looks like a crackhead.

Cormier shot back -- "I can look like a crackhead, but I've never been a crackhead like you, though."

That was just the beginning ... Cormier accused Jones of being on steroids for most of his UFC career. Jones denied the allegations and flexed his 6-pack.

Wiz Khalifa's next big show could be in the Octagon because the superstar rapper -- who's known as a smoker, not a fighter -- has been busting his ass doing MMA training.

TMZ Sports got this video of Wiz hitting the mitts with FOX's Jay Glazer, and working on his kicks with UFC star Cat Zingano. Pretty clear from the video ... he's taking it seriously, and we hear he's been at it like this for about 3 months at Unbreakable Gym on Sunset.

What's most impressive about this workout sesh is Wiz was on vacay! He was in Napa for a wine tasting trip -- with his gf, Izabela Guedes, Michael Strahan and Glazer -- but brought his gear to do some training ... in between sipping cabs and zins.

Wine tasting and MMA? Just when ya think ya know a guy.

Chris Weidman knows it's do-or-die time when he fights Kelvin Gastelum this weekend ... and told us he's gonna shut up all the haters who say he's washed up.

Weidman's had a rough go as of late -- going from undefeated champion to losing his last 3 fights -- and some people are questioning whether he's still got it.

Chris told TMZ Sports those haters are in for a violent awakening ... 'cause he's about to put a hurtin' on Gastelum -- and prove the champ is BACK.

Alberto Del Rio is tappin' out on his day job as president of the MMA org. Combate Americas after an alleged domestic incident last week involving his WWE superstar fiancee Paige.

A rep for Combate -- a promotion featuring Latin fighters -- confirms to TMZ Sports that ADR is "stepping down" from the helm of the company.

We broke the story ... Alberto and Paige got into an altercation at an Orlando airport last Sunday. Police investigated, and have recommended that Paige face charges. Del Rio is still under investigation.

Alberto was appointed C.A. prez in October 2016 -- and once described himself as the Dana White of the company.

Now he's out of a job ... but won't have to hit the unemployment line. He's still employed by Global Force wrestling -- though he's currently suspended.

Snoop Dogg -- UFC broadcasting GOAT?

Here's video of Snoop going CRAZY for fighter Sean O'Malley on "Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series" ... after O'Malley 1-punch KOs his opponent.

Seriously ... Snoop absolutely loses his mind -- and it's amazing. His line right before the KO was epic too.

Dana rewarded S.O. with a UFC contract, but O'Malley's real prize came after the show ... when Snoop hooked him up with what looks like a victory blunt!!

FYI, this is only the 2nd episode of Dana's new Fight Pass series -- which features "Snoopcast" every week.

Can't wait for episode 3.

Michael Irvin just caught a HUGE break in his dream to become an MMA fighter ... 'cause UFC superstar Tyron Woodley says he's down to help kick-start the Hall of Famer's career in the cage!!

The 51-year-old told us last week that he's been training MMA and wants to take a real-deal fight ... but his wife's fears of injury have kept him from hittin' the mat.

We spoke to Woodley about Irvin's fightin' ambitions ... and the Chosen One says he's totally down to help the Cowboys legend out, saying he's gonna personally hit up #88 for some 1-on-1 training!!

The champ says he's had celebs and athletes like Wiz Khalifa and Devonta Freeman hit him up to work together on their MMA skills, and even hints he could start a fighting circuit for A-listers.

We also spoke to Woodley about his television special, 'In the Clinch,' airing on FS1 Tuesday night ... and T-Wood won't give out any spoilers, but says he's excited for fans to see how he evolved from a gangster to champion athlete.

Here's a video of terrifying UFC destroyer Khabib Nurmagomedov punching an average dude in the stomach super freakin' hard ... but don't worry, the guy actually ASKED him to.

Now, why this dude wanted to get popped in the guts by a guy who wrestles bears for fun is beyond us, but it 100% happened when Khabib was messing around with some fans in Tajikistan.

We don't know what Khabib says to the guy before the punch happens, but he seems to be telling him how the shot is going to rearrange his organs before he hits him.

Good news? After he delivers the dragon punch to the dude's stomach the two men hug, which is great, but watching the whole thing made us happy we give hugs to bond on this side of the pond.

51-year-old Michael Irvin says he's itchin' for a fight -- a real MMA match -- telling TMZ Sports, "I would whoop somebody up!"

Nate Diaz is firing shots at Conor McGregor and Dana White -- mocking the UFC duo on social media while proclaiming HIMSELF the real champ.

"There's 1 boss here," Diaz wrote under a picture of him busting out the Stockton Slap on both guys.

That's not all ... Nate also ripped into the photo Conor and Dana took together on Sunday after landing in L.A. for their Mayweather fight media tour.

"Little bitches," Diaz wrote ... "Got your ass beat. You lost bitch. Im the champ..."

Diaz hasn't stepped inside the Octagon since losing to McGregor in their rematch at UFC 202 back in August 2016.

White has told TMZ Sports he TRIED to make deals with Nate and his bro, Nick Diaz, to book them in other events ... but they flat-out refused every offer the UFC made.

Neither Dana nor Conor have responded to Diaz's comments -- yet -- but with the Mayweather media tour launching Tuesday, you can bet they'll have some thoughts on this dude.

UFC star Max Holloway is calling for a tag team match -- a 2-on-1 meg-brawl with Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar ... and let's be honest, THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Holloway about the next man on his hit list -- and he told us he's ready to fight both dudes ... even if it's at the same time.

Yeah, we know it ain't gonna happen -- but we can dream, right?

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson has a message for the UFC -- vacate Conor McGregor's belt already!!

"Who knows when he's gonna come back?" Johnson told TMZ Sports. "As I look at the division, I don't see a champion right now."

FYI -- McGregor hasn't defended his 155-pound title since winning it way back in November. Clearly, Johnson's not convinced Conor will return to the octagon after making BANK boxing Mayweather.

As for Johnson ... he's fighting an undefeated Justin Gaethje in the main event of Friday night's "The Ultimate Fighter" finale -- looking to move one step closer to Conor's gold with a W.

Gaethje's a scary dude -- seriously, go watch his highlights -- but MJ says he's shook ... and promises to wreck the UFC newcomer for talkin' smack.

If the sight of blood makes you sick ... it's probably too late.

Here's UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov bleeding more than he ever has in a cage ... giving up his back to the medieval practice of wet cupping (aka "Hijama").

FYI, cupping's a form of Eastern medicine that's meant to detoxify blood ... but it's rare you see a celeb messing with Hijama -- which involves making actual incisions.

It's not the most visually appealing process, but Khabib -- a practicing Muslim -- says it's the medicine of the prophet Muhammad (according to the Google translation of his Instagram caption).

Ronda Rousey says some "little punks" with a death wish broke into her home a few months ago and jacked everything from guns to Olympic rings and jewelry ... but her fiance tracked down the perps.

Aaron Rajman, a teammate of several UFC superstars at the American Top Team (ATT) gym, was murdered during a home invasion in Boca Raton, Florida ... local authorities announced on Tuesday.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office say several men got into an argument with Rajman after entering the fighter's house late Monday night ... firing at least one shot before fleeing the scene. Rajman, who just turned 25, passed away the next day.

Detectives told the Sun Sentinel they're treating this as a homicide. There are currently no motives or suspects in the case.

Rajman was famous for being one of the few orthodox Jews in MMA. He often talked about his religion publicly -- though it's unclear if he was targeted for that reason.

A local fight promoter says Rajman's teammates at ATT are in shock.

UFC champions Amanda Nunes and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as well as former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos, are some of the gym's higher-profile members.