MMA

Renato Moicano says he's happy the ref didn't stop his co-main event fight with Rafael dos Anjos, despite receiving a beating for much of the UFC 272 match, 'cause he got to test himself in the harshest conditions ... and he'd do it all over again if asked!

"I'm really thankful that the judge didn't stop the fight because otherwise, I would not know what I'm made of. I always try to go forward, I always try to fight back and for me, it was perfect. The referee did his job, it was a great job."

32-year-old Moicano is a bad man. He's beaten the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson and Calvin Kattar. He stepped up to fight a 5 round fight against RDA -- a future Hall of Famer -- on 5 days' notice, and lost a unanimous decision Saturday night.

But, that doesn't tell the whole story. RDA was dominating the fight, and the commentary team and fans and fighters on social media said the fight should've been stopped.

At least twice the ringside doctor examined Moicano's eye, but told ref Marc Goddard the fight could go on. Goddard also warned Renato to pick up the pace or he was calling the fight.

"For me, the referee did his job. Was a great job," Moicano said of Marc.

About the eye -- which looked terrible during the fight -- we asked Renato if it hurt him a day and a half later.

"No, I'm not feeling pain. It's just black, you know?"

In the late stages of the final round of the fight, Moicano somehow mounted an offensive, landing heavy shots on RDA as the fight came to a close.

Renato says because of the short notice, he wasn't fully prepared for the fight. He says he was actually on vacation, eating and drinking good,

"I flew straight to Brazil, and I was enjoying my vacation. You know, drink some beers, eat some steaks. But, the opportunity shows up, and when an opportunity like that shows up you have to give it a try, and I was ready to beat him. His game plan was better than mine."

The combat sports world is rallying behind Cain Velasquez ... with huge names like Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, Rey Mysterio, and more calling on the judge in the UFC legend's case to let him out of jail.

TMZ Sports has learned over 30 people -- many famous -- penned letters to Judge Shelyna Brown asking her to let Velasquez post bail, which would allow him to mount his defense from home, not a cell.

In addition to the UFC honcho and the guys above, others like Bellator boss Scott Coker, Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader, UFC contender Kelvin Gastelum, UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev, UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez, former UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno (and many more) sent letters to Judge Brown.

Unfortunately for Velasquez -- who was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and other charges -- it doesn't seem the letters swayed the judge.

Brown denied Cain bail, saying his alleged actions were "reckless," and the "risk is too great" to allow the future UFC Hall of Famer out of county jail.

But, it's the reason behind those so-called "reckless" actions that has motivated so many people -- from stars in the MMA world to ordinary people -- to demand Cain's release.

Velasquez is accused of attempting to kill a man named Harry Goularte ... after the 43-year-old was arrested for allegedly molesting a member of Cain's family -- possibly multiple times.

Now, barring the prosecution changing its position, Velasquez will sit in a jail cell until at least April 12, when he is scheduled to again stand before the judge.

Professional Fighters League star Mark Martin says he's NOT contemplating retiring after his eye popped out during his fight last week ... telling TMZ Sports he's 100% committed to returning to the cage -- as long as he's physically able to.

"Showtime" suffered a broken orbital and blood around his retina after the first round of his bout against Dilano Taylor on Friday ... with his eye coming out of its socket after he blew his nose.

Yes, it's tough to watch.

We spoke with Martin this week about his recovery journey ... and he says he's hoping to find out more after visiting with two specialists.

Martin says he doesn't know how damaged his retina is or if he'll be able to see out of his left eye again ... and it hasn't been determined if he'll need surgery.

Despite all the uncertainty, Martin knows one thing for sure -- he's not walking away from fighting as long as he can help it.

"I mean, I'm definitely not ready to get back into the cage now," he told us. "If everything heals 100%, I'll definitely go back."

"It's not something where I will retire unless I can't see. If I can't see right, then it's time to hang it up."

Martin also shows us how his eye currently looks ... and it's MUCH better than it did a week ago.

In case you were wondering who's going to win the highly anticipated bout between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, look no further ... 'cause fellow UFC star Kamaru Usman tells TMZ Sports Covington is going to walk away with the W.

We spoke with 34-year-old Usman, and he tells us the fight on Saturday at UFC 272 is a close call, but the difference in skillset will be the reason Colby emerges victorious.

"Man, I think it's an incredible fight," Usman said. "I think both guys are skilled and both guys know each other. I just think Colby has a little bit more tools to be able to win."

Kamaru went on to say Masvidal does have an advantage in the speed department, but preceded that comment by saying Colby has the edge in wrestling, cardio, and striking.

Usman fought both Covington and Masvidal two times each on separate occasions -- scoring victories over both men -- so he knows what each guy brings to the table.

The feud between Colby and Jorge -- who used to be best friends at one point -- is well documented, with Covington going as far to call it a "blood feud."

Barbaric, overly violent ... just some of the words used to describe slap fighting, much like MMA back in the day. But, cage fighting exploded in popularity, and now an undefeated slap fighting champ tells us he believes the sport is about to blow up.

"For us to be doing this at the Arnold, it kind of speaks volumes to where the sport is gonna be in the future, and I believe it's gonna be a thing how like the MMA scene, and the UFC started and was looked at as a brutal sport. Slap fighting is just that, but a little less brutal," Koa "Da Crazy Hawaiian" Viernes, an undefeated slap fighter told TMZ Sports.

Koa -- a 6'2", 378 lb., 9-0 slap fighter from Hawaii -- is competing in the Slap Fighting Championship Super Heavyweight World Championship this Saturday at the Arnold Sports Festival.

The comp is being hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger AND Logan Paul ... and will pit Koa against fellow undefeated champ (16-0), Dawid "Zales" Zalewski.

We asked Koa -- who grew up boxing -- what it feels like to be slapped ... and he says it hurts way more than being punched.

"If you've gotten punched in the face, it's completely different. When you get slapped, your fingers ricochet off the skin, the whole open hand, it hurts a lot more."

FYI, back in the mid and late '90s, MMA promoters had nearly an impossible job when it came to finding a venue to hold their events. In fact, MMA wasn't legal in all 50 states until 2016, when New York reversed a ban that disallowed mixed martial arts competition.

Now, the UFC -- and MMA as a whole -- is insanely popular ... and promotions routinely host hugely popular events at some of the biggest and most famous arenas around the world.

Can Slap Fighting become the next UFC? Koa thinks so ... and we're certainly not gonna tell him no.

UFC superstar Israel Adesanya says he still wants to fight Jon Jones ... but, he doesn't need it to cement himself as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time.

The 32-year-old martial artist and middleweight champ stopped by the TMZ offices Thursday ... and talked about everything from his rivalry with Jones, Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington, whether he has a future in acting, his rise to superstardom and the money and fame that comes along with it, his awesome walk-out before the first Robert Whittaker fight, and so much more.

(Check out the full interview with Stylebender ⬇️)

On 34-year-old Jones ... we asked Adesanya if he still wanted to fight him, despite Jon moving to heavyweight and not having fought in over 2 years.

"We'll see. Time will tell," Israel told Babcock.

"I don't need it, but I do want it. I don't need it, though. People think I need it for my legacy."

You may remember ... in 2019, Jon commented he believed he would eventually fight Izzy. The men then went back and forth, igniting a rivalry that exists to this day.

Jones now resides in the heavyweight division (206-265 lbs.) ... while Izzy fights at middleweight (up to 185 lbs.).

We asked Israel -- who has flirted with fighting at heavyweight -- if that's the division where the fight would happen.

"Nah, I like light heavyweight. That's where he was dominant so I really wanna go light heavyweight."

Adesanya -- arguably the greatest striker in UFC history -- showed off some of his arsenal in the TMZ newsroom ... using a round kick to knock a cup off of Harvey Levin's head.

Don't worry, Israel's okay 😄😄😄

Bottom line ... Adesanya is a superstar in every sense of the word.

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME ... unless you know Harvey Levin.

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya paid a visit to the TMZ office on Thursday ... and naturally, we had to put his world-class skills to the test.

The Last Stylebender was up for the challenge ... saying he'd love to knock a cup off someone's head with a round kick -- and none other than our fearless leader, Harv, volunteered to get a front-row seat for the demo.

Worth noting -- Adesanya is the best of the best ... so we figured HL was never in any real danger. Harvey was not as convinced, which is obvious in the video.

The time came for Adesanya to show off his kick ... and thankfully, he knocked the cup off cleanly!!

The whole office cheered, while Harvey breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Now, a source -- whose name rhymes with Shmarvey -- swears Izzy's foot made contact with Harvey's head, but video doesn't support that at all. IF anything at all, HL felt the cup zooming off his head ... which just shows the kinda impact these kicks can make.

"In 2022 I'm gonna shock the world. July, International Fight Week, I'm gonna fight Leon Edwards. God willing I get through Leon Edwards, September, Mexican Independence Day, I will stop Canelo Alvarez."

That's UFC superstar Kamaru Usman -- the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport -- manifesting a super fight with the world's top boxer ... a fight the Nigerian Nightmare tells us could earn him and Canelo over $100,000,000 EACH!

34-year-old Usman hasn't lost in almost 9 years ... and has beat the very best fighters in the world in the Octagon. We're talking Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns, and Tyron Woodley, just to name a few.

Over the last two years, Usman has made it clear he wants to box Canelo ... pitting the two top P4P fighters against each other.

Until yesterday, 31-year-old Alvarez was dismissive of a fight with Usman, previously telling us he wasn't interested in the fight 'cause he didn't believe it'd add to his resume.

But, seems Canelo had a change of heart on Wednesday ... when Ariel Helwani asked boxing Kamaru, Alvarez answered, "Payday. He wants a payday, I know. But maybe, maybe, why not? You never say no, right?"

Speaking of paydays -- we asked Kamaru how much money the fighters could make ... and he believes it'd be one of the highest-paying combat events ever.

"We talking 9 figures, for sure," Usman says.

But, Usman isn't calling his shot just to inflate his bank account ... he truly believes he can and will beat Alvarez, despite knowing most people will say he can't cross sports and beat the best.

Usman doesn't care.

"Absolutely I see myself winning the fight," Kamaru says, later adding ..."Everything can't be done until it's done."

Canelo has a fight on May 7 against Dmitry Bivol. There's also reportedly talk about a third fight with Gennady Golovkin that would take place in September.

The GGG fight would obviously throw a wrench in Usman's plan to hold the boxing match in September ... but they'd simply have to pick a later date.

"Keep fighting boys! Never surrender!"

That's heavyweight champion Tyson Fury addressing Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion of Ukraine ... voicing support for star boxers like Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old boxing superstar about the unprovoked war ... and the "Gypsy King" even said if the fight came to the US or UK, he'd be right there, gun in hand.

"Two laws, love your woman and fight for your country. So they should be fighting for their country. Why not? If the war comes to the United States or United Kingdom, then I'll be joining. Don't worry about that. We all will! Why ain't we gonna defend our own land? C'mon, behave yourself."

Some people have been surprised the boxers -- who are all famous and wealthy -- have put themselves at great risk of harm or death by fighting Putin's forces.

But, Tyson makes a great point to rebut the notion the boxers are risking too much by fighting alongside the military.

"What's money got to do with it? You got no homeland to go back to, all the money in the world's no good to you. You can't spend it."

We also talked about more optimistic topics ... like Fury's return to the ring!

Of course, Tyson is just a few months removed from his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. The first fight was a draw ... and TF won the last 2 bouts by knockout.

Now, Fury is set to take on fellow UK star, Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Nate Diaz isn't shooting down a third fight with Conor McGregor, nor exactly is it a lock ... the UFC superstar says "The Notorious" needs to rack up a few Ws and show he isn't soft before they step in the Octagon again.

"Conor’s gonna have to get him some wins and prove he’s not so fragile first .." the UFC superstar from Stockton tweeted.

Nate's reacting to a recent TMZ Sports interview with Dana White ... where the UFC president was asked if the curtain had closed on a trilogy fight between two of the biggest UFC stars who have ever lived.

We asked the question after Diaz recently told us he had one fight left on his UFC deal ... and he intended to fight Dustin Poirier and then lay down his gloves and retire.

So, third fight? Here's Dana.

"We're still working on [the Diaz-Poirier] fight. That fight's not done yet. I wouldn't count out a Conor-Nate 3," White told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

The UFC prez added ... "Listen, I'd be shocked if that fight didn't happen again."

Of course, the guys previously fought twice -- two of the top-selling fights in UFC history -- each winning one. Diaz submitted McGregor in March 2016. Then, the Irish superstar beat the Stockton superstar by majority decision when they rematched in August 2016.

As for the third fight ... Dana's in. Nate's in (with some conditions). What's Conor say?

Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz -- who is fighting in 5 days -- has a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin as his troops invaded her homeland, killing soldiers and innocent people ... "F**k you, bitch! I love my country. Don't touch Ukraine!"

TMZ Sports talked to 30-year-old Moroz less than a week before she's scheduled to fight Mariya Agapova, an MMA fighter from Kazakhstan, as Ukraine is mercilessly attacked by Putin's military.

Maryna was born in Vilnohirsk, Ukraine in September 1991 ... almost exactly the time Ukraine gained its independence as the Soviet Union dissolved.

Now, that independence is threatened ... and Moroz is understandably scared/worried by what's happening back home.

"It's hard time for Ukraine. I want to support my country, my president, whole army in Ukraine, and I want to say we don't want war. I worry about my family right now."

The situation is so bad, MM says her dad has begun making explosives at home.

"My dad makes home grenades."

Despite the tragedy surrounding her, Moroz fights Agapova Saturday night at UFC 272 ... and she hopes to show how tough Ukrainians are as people.

"I will be fighting and I show that Ukraine people are strong, and my flag will be in the Octagon."

UFC legend Cain Velasquez spent Monday night in jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the 39-year-old has been arrested and booked on an attempted murder charge.

Details surrounding the specifics of his arrest are unclear -- though law enforcement sources tell us the former fighter was involved in a shooting in San Jose at around 3 PM near a local high school.

In the alleged incident, one person was shot while another was arrested. Nothing further surrounding the circumstances of the situation has been released.

Jail records show Velasquez is still in custody as of Tuesday morning ... and has a court date set for Wednesday at noon.

Velasquez -- who was born and raised in Northern California -- is one of the best heavyweight MMA fighters in the history of the sport. During his reign, Cain beat everyone from Brock Lesnar to Junior dos Santos.

After parting ways following his last loss to Francis Ngannou, Cain spent several months with WWE (he's a huge wrestling fan).

Cain trains at the famed American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym with Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, among other MMA stars.

Before getting into mixed martial arts, Velasquez was a star collegiate wrestler at Arizona State University. He was a 2x All-American.

Dana White says he'd be "shocked" if Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz didn't fight for the third time ... despite the fact the UFC superstar from Stockton recently told us he plans to fight Dustin Poirier and then retire from MMA.

"We're still working on [the Diaz-Poirier] fight. That fight's not done yet. I wouldn't count out a Conor-Nate 3," White told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Dana added ... "Listen, I'd be shocked if that fight didn't happen again."

As you know, McGregor vs. Diaz I and II were INSANE ... from the trash talk leading up to the events to the knock-down-drag-out fights the men put on.

Nate was an underdog heading into the first fight in March 2016 ... but forced Conor to tap, submitting him with a rear-naked choke.

White set up an immediate rematch later that year ... and in August, the two UFC superstars faced off again. This time, McGregor beat Diaz via majority decision (two judges scored Conor the winner, the third scored the fight a draw).

It's been 5.5 years since the last fight, but almost everyone involved agreed it was just a matter of time before the trilogy fight went down.

That was until 36-year-old Diaz recently told us he has just one fight left on his UFC deal ... and he planned to fight Poirier.

Today might not be a terrible day for Rafael dos Anjos, after all ... 'cause although his UFC 272 opponent Rafael Fiziev is out of their bout after testing positive for COVID-19, Dana White tells us they're trying to find someone to fight RDA on 5 days notice.

37-year-old dos Anjos and 28-year-old Fiziev were the co-main event (Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington is the main event) ... but the fight was scrapped on Monday after RF tested positive for coronavirus.

So, when White joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV Show (airs weekdays on FS1), we asked if he was looking for a replacement, or whether there just simply wasn't enough time.

"We're working on getting him a new opponent. We'll keep that fight. We'll get him something," Dana says.

It's not the first time RDA vs. Fiziev has been canceled. In fact, the men were initially supposed to fight on February 19 at UFC Fight Night ... but the fight was scrapped because RF had "Visa issues," according to reports.

Now the question is ... who does RDA fight?

The former lightweight champ has been going back-and-forth online with Islam Makhachev ... but the fighter from Dagestan just beat Bobby Green on Saturday (albeit only took 98 seconds).

As for Fiziev ... he says he's crushed by the latest developments.

"I’m devastated to announce that I’m out of the fight. I had a great camp and was ready to put on the show, I flew all the way to Vegas from Thailand just to get sick with covid, for 3 days I’m in hotel bed with fever, bones pain and cough."

There's much more with Dana.

If Jake Paul really wants to step into the cage, there's another org. lining up to sign him ... 'cause Bellator president Scott Coker says they're 100% interested in bringing the Problem Child to MMA.

Of course, 25-year-old Paul has voiced his interest in taking on a new combat challenge after 10 fights in the ring ... and the Bellator prez recently said he'll be patiently waiting for when that day comes.

"If Jake Paul is serious and wants to do it, we’re here," Coker said via TalkSport. "We're already talking about [it]."

Now, Jake's had a pretty successful run in boxing so far ... with huge wins over former UFC stars like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Coker says he's kept a close eye on Paul ... and the convos have already started in hopes of bringing the 5-0 fighter on board.

"You know, when I say talking about it, he’s with Showtime boxing and he did the fight with T-Wood," Coker added. "There’s dialogue."

"I think he wants to do 10 boxing fights and then come over to MMA."

This is now the second MMA promotion that has voiced interest in Paul -- as we previously reported ... Wiz Khalifa, who owns part of the Professional Fighters League, told us earlier this month he would love to add the YouTuber to its roster.

As for the UFC, well ... Dana White has made it crystal clear how he feels about Paul ... and the fighter's diss track about the honcho might have hurt his chances at landing a deal in the future.

There's beef, and then there's Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal ... who absolutely HATE each other!!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Covington, the #1 ranked welterweight fighter, ahead of his "blood feud" with 37-year-old Masvidal, the #6 ranked WW, at UFC 272 on March 4.

"This is a blood feud. This goes back to a brotherhood. We were eight years together every single day, side by side, couldn't leave each other -- best friends," Chaos told us.

"Now, we're the biggest bitter enemies. He's the one person on Earth that I don't give a s***. Anytime I see him, I want to send that guy straight to hell and luckily I get to do it in the UFC Octagon next Saturday night on Pay-Per-View and it's gonna be bad, man. I'm gonna make him pay. I'm gonna make him suffer for backstabbing me."

See ... this goes beyond the routine pre-fight trash talk.

Colby and Jorge were friends ... best friends. Unfortunately, the relationship fell apart (long story) ... and now the men are about to be locked in a steel cage together.

One of the things both guys have in common is a friendship with Donald Trump.

So, who's the former Commander-In-Chief rooting for?! We asked Colby.

"Mr. President, #45, is not torn. He knows where his loyalty stands. He knows the person that put his whole platform for him, that was sacrificing, doing everything, really showing that I'm a true supporter. George is a fake supporter. He's not a real supporter."

Then, Covington added ... "Donald Trump, you know, I talked to his family the other day, I know where his loyalty resides."

Speaking of Trump, we also asked CC whether the ex-prez would be attending the fight.

Remember, DT attended UFC 264 in July 2021 -- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 -- where he dapped up Masvidal backstage.