MMA

Paulo Costa is breaking his silence on the allegations that he attacked a nurse in Brazil earlier this week ... saying in a statement on Wednesday the claims are "reckless and inconsistent."

The UFC star, according to Brazilian media outlet Globo.com, was accused of hitting a nurse with his elbow following an argument over a COVID vaccine card in Belo Horizonte.

The outlet reported that Costa told nurses he wanted a vaccination. But, according to the report, Costa backed out of getting the shots, yet still wanted the filled-out vaccine card.

Globo.com reported when a female nurse tried to stop him from leaving with the card, the 31-year-old hit her with an elbow. She reportedly complained of swelling in her lips.

On his Instagram page Wednesday, Costa opened up about the allegations ... saying in a statement, "The accusations and facts narrated do not reflect the reality of what happened."

"The fact will be carefully investigated and the appropriate legal measures for their perfect clarification will be taken."

He added in the press release, "this kind of allegations are completely incompatible with his history and way of life."

It's unclear if Costa is currently under police investigation.

Nick Diaz ain't done yet ... the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to return to the Octagon this year, and he's looking to challenge the very best in the world, Kamaru Usman.

We recently talked to 38-year-old Nick at Represent HQ in SoCal ... and asked the older Diaz bro -- who has fought once since the beginning of 2015 -- if, and when, he wanted to fight.

"We're working on the end of the year," Diaz says.

Nick told us he's "focused on my training right now" ... but made it clear he isn't interested in fighting his way up the rankings against fighters looking to make a name for themselves.

"I don't need to go in there and get my ass whooped by one of them young guys anyway, and it's not that I won't win," Nick says, admitting, "It's just I'm not motivated."

It makes sense ... Nick's been in the sport for over two decades, and has shared the Octagon with everyone from Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, and Robbie Lawler.

FYI, Ruthless' was Nick's last fight ... a loss by TKO at UFC 266 in September 2021. Before and after the bout, Diaz talked about being unhappy with how the fight was scheduled. However, Nick made no excuses for the actual outcome.

As for who he does want to fight, Nick has someone in mind.

"I wanna fight for the title. I don't wanna do all this -- I'm 38 years old."

Of course, the titleholder is also the top pound-for-pound fighter in the MMA world ... Kamaru Usman. The Nigerian Nightmare hasn't lost since May 2013.

How would Nick fare against the world's top pound-for-pound fighter?

Chuck Liddell says Brendan Langley should turn his crummy situation into potential cash ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the ex-NFL player should try pro fighting after his wild brawl with an airline employee last week.

The UFC star watched the vid of Langley and a United Airlines worker duking it out while at LAX on Tuesday ... and it wasn't hard to tell, despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the fistfight, the Iceman was impressed with Langley's power.

So much so, Chuck said he believes Langley -- a former Denver Broncos third-round pick -- should seriously consider trying to make a career out of throwing his hands going forward.

"Those fights are doing well," Liddell said of amateurs, viral video stars and celebs getting in the ring. "Turn him into a fighter. Have him fight somebody!"

Liddell says a YouTuber would make sense as a potential opponent for the 27-year-old.

Langley, meanwhile, could be looking for the work ... the Calgary Stampeders announced Tuesday afternoon that they have suspended their wide receiver indefinitely after the fight.

Mark Munoz -- a former UFC fighter who beat Demian Maia in 2011 -- has been placed on administrative leave from his high school wrestling coach job ... after he let quarreling students box each other, TMZ Sports has learned.

Munoz accepted a job to be the H.S. wrestling coach at Fairmont Private Schools in Anaheim, Calif. back in Sept. 2020 -- but we're told things at the gig went awry just recently.

According to sources close to Munoz, two students got into an argument on the playground ... and then went to Munoz -- who we're told was not made aware of the tiff -- to ask if they could put on boxing gloves and settle things.

The 44-year-old, per our sources, allowed the scrap to happen -- but we're told the ex-UFC fighter believed the impromptu boxing match was more jovial than violent.

We're told, however, one of the boys' parents was outraged about the scrap -- and went to administration over it all.

A school spokesperson declined to get into the specifics of the allegations against Munoz, but did confirm the coach has been placed on administrative leave through the end of this school year and will not have his contract picked up once it ends.

"[He] will not be returning to campus," the spokesperson said.

The school had previously been thrilled to add Munoz to its staff -- saying in a statement following his hiring that he has a resume that "reads like a 'Who's Who' in the sport."

Add Khabib Nurmagomedov to the ever-growing list of people outraged Cain Velsaquez remains in a northern Cali cell ... with the undefeated fighter telling TMZ Sports he feels so bad for the former heavyweight champ, he's visiting him in jail next week.

"Yesterday, I was talking with coach. I tell him any chance or is it possible to go and see him in jail? In Russia, we can go and see anybody like I asked him because I don't know the law here in the U.S. I really wanna go to see him. After a couple of days, I'm gonna be in San Jose. I wanna go to see him, shake his hand, give him good energy."

33-year-old Khabib has been friends and gym mates at AKA with 39-year-old Velasquez ... who's been locked up since February 28 ... on an attempted murder charge.

But, that doesn't even begin to tell the whole story ... 'cause the person Cain allegedly tried to take out is accused of doing something very bad to a family member.

In an effort to protect the alleged victim in Velasquez's family, we are not identifying the person.

There's been a ton of support from everyone from Dana White, Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, amongst many others.

"Anybody in the world who respects himself, who loves his family -- he's gonna do same thing," Khabib passionately said.

"C'mon, nobody gonna think about law or something when you have something about your family. You have to protect your family."

Nurmagomedov, like many, can't understand why Cain's behind bars, but the man accused of the heinous act against CV's family member is free.

"This is not fair to sit in jail and other guy, he's outside. What about other guy? Put this guy in jail, too! He's more dangerous for people than Cain Velasquez."

"Never in his life, he's 40-years-old, never in his life did he have a problem in social, you know, outside with people. He's the most respectful guy I've ever seen in my life. I was training with him more than 10 years, I know his family, everybody."

Still, despite the outpouring of support, and his attorney's fighting for his freedom, the judge and prosecutor have refused to allow bail.

Velasquez, if convicted, is facing many years in prison.

Cain is back in court June 10 ... where it's possible he could be released while he awaits his trial.

Rolando "Rollie" Romero will have the Royal Badness on his side when he faces Gervonta Davis next weekend ... 'cause the boxer just copped some "Purple Rain" boxing shoes -- complete with a portrait of Prince!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 14-0 boxer hit up Houston artist Aztek Kustoms to get custom-made kicks for his WBA lightweight title match against Tank.

Now, Rollie is a HUGE Prince fan ... so it was only right to pay homage to one of the greatest musicians of all time during the huge event -- and, what better song than "Purple Rain"?!?

Aztek used extra rhinestones and bright colors to create the "Purple Rain" theme ... and Prince's iconic symbol and portrait are etched on the sides of the shoes.

We're told it took eight hours to complete ... and Aztek is super hyped to see the 26-year-old wear 'em in the ring at the Barclays Center in New York on May 28.

"It's pretty exciting," Aztek said. "it'll be my first pair of shoes being worn in a major fight!"

This ain't the first time Rollie got customs kicks featuring Prince ... last year, Aztek painted the cover of the 1984 song, "Erotic City", on his Air Force 1s.

Prince -- who sold over 150 million records worldwide -- would be proud. RIP!

Newly retired Tyson Fury might be done throwing his hands ... but he's clearly not opposed to still using his feet -- 'cause the star boxer attempted to kick a cabbie's car after an apparent altercation with the driver in France.

The incident went down sometime Wednesday ... when Fury seemed to be roaming the streets of Cannes after having just a little too much to drink.

In video shot by a bystander, Fury -- wearing a white shirt and dark-colored shorts -- can be seen needing some assistance as he stumbled to a cab in the middle of the road.

But, even though Tyson and his entourage were attempting to get a lift from the cabbie, it seemed the driver wanted no part of it -- because the guy was continuously waving them off.

Eventually, the driver pulled away from the pugilist and his buddies -- and that's when the 33-year-old fight attempted to stick his boot into the car's bumper.

You can see in the video, Fury appeared to just barely miss. Fury's friend, meanwhile, also seemed to throw a kick at the ride too.

Thankfully, it doesn't seem the altercation escalated any further -- and Fury appeared to joke about his level of intoxication in an IG post on Thursday morning.

"Strong beer!" Fury said while on a run with his father.

Fury -- who retired after beating Dillian Whyte last month -- has been in France for the last several days enjoying his newfound time off ... being spotted on a yacht as well as at different restaurants and watering holes in the country.

Khabib Nurmagomedov -- arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time -- tells TMZ Sports his friend and protégé, Islam Makhachev, could ultimately be a better fighter!

"Definitely, it's possible. You know, right now it's like this is a legacy fight for Islam. Why I really want him to fight vs. Charles Oliveira, because he had 11 win streak and UFC never make like this fight. 11 win streak vs. 10 win streak. It's supposed to be me versus Tony [Ferguson]. Ok, it never happened. Now we have Islam vs. Charles. Let these guys fight."

"If Islam beat Charles and then he beats new blood like from young generation, we have a lot of young fighters in lightweight division ranking. Beneil [Dariush], Islam beat Charles, Islam beat three more fighters, he can become the greatest lightweight ever. He has this potential. He's only 30 years old, but UFC has to give him chance."

That was the undefeated (29-0) UFC legends' answer when we asked if 30-year-old Makhachev could be the superior mixed martial artist.

Islam is the #4 ranked UFC lightweight ... and has been absolutely unstoppable since his one and only professional loss way back in 2015.

Makhachev has racked up 10 wins in a row ... beating guys like Dan Hooker and Drew Dober along the way.

We said Islam was Khabib's friend ... but that doesn't really do their relationship justice. The men have been close since childhood, and are more like brothers. They also train together at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) in northern California.

Of course, Nurmagomedov's resume is well-known. 33-year-old Khabib, who is no longer fighting, beat everyone from Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier to Conor McGregor and just about every other badass 155-pound fighter on the UFC roster.

There's more.

While Khabib may be retired from fighting, he's anything but retired from working. In fact, his Eagle FC MMA promotion has a huge card Friday night featuring a few MMA legends.

Junior dos Santos is fighting Yorgan De Castro ... and Thiago Silva is fighting Hector Lombard.

"Definitely this is biggest card in Eagle FC history," Khabib told us.

"I'm very excited about this!"

Lerone Murphy -- an unbeaten UFC fighter -- says he nearly died on Tuesday ... after he suffered a "nasty head wound" in a terrifying bicycle accident.

Murphy says he was pedaling on the road when an oncoming car didn't see him and suddenly made a right turn -- causing a bad accident at a relatively high rate of speed.

Murphy says he injured his head in the collision ... and was bleeding profusely. In fact, the 30-year-old says the wound was so bad -- he "nearly" bled out on the scene.

Thankfully, medical personnel eventually arrived and rushed Murphy to the hospital, where he ultimately survived and took a selfie from his bed.

"Im here still breathing for a greater purpose clearly 🙏🏾💫" Murphy said Wednesday in a social media post.

Of course, this is not the first time Murphy has defied death. The featherweight was shot in the face and neck after leaving a barbershop in the UK in 2013.

Murphy heroically battled back from those injuries -- and earned the nickname "The Miracle" in fighting circles.

UFC legend Rashad Evans will be in the ring next month ... not to fight, but to serve as referee in the celebrity boxing match between Blac Chyna and Alysia Magen.

The mixed martial artist -- who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019 -- made the IG announcement on Tuesday with a clip of Chyna and Magen's first face-off ... where things got a little heated.

"I'll be ref' at this event," RE said with a bunch of fire emojis.

The bout will go down at the Charles Dodge Center in Pembroke Pines, FL on June 11 ... and the winner between Chyna and the Air Force vet will take home the Women's Celebrity Boxing title.

And there's a good cause ... Chyna says the money she raises will go to a non-profit in California.

"I am fighting to raise money for the Pasadena Humane Society," Chyna said last week.

Of course, Evans ain't the first UFC great to ref a celebrity match -- last June, Chuck Liddell had the gig for the Lamar Odom and Aaron Carter fight at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City.

Liddell told us -- before Odom KO'd Carter -- he was gonna let the two fight despite it being a celebrity match.

"People are paying to watch you fight. You're getting paid to fight. You wanna make some money, you gotta fight."

UFC fighter Carla Esparza was rockin' more than just a ring at her wedding ceremony over the weekend -- she threw on her new championship belt as she walked down the aisle!!

Carla -- AKA the "Cookie Monster" -- won the title at UFC 274 last week ... when she defeated 29-year-old Rose Namajunas via split decision.

The 34-year-old improved her career record to 20-6-0 with the dub -- and the timing couldn't have been better ... as her wedding day was approaching.

Esparza wore a beautiful white dress for the ceremony -- in addition to the shiny new title -- and was all smiles as those in attendance cheered for her special moment.

In video from the ceremony, you can see fellow fighter Felice Herrig place the title around Carla's waist as she prepares to walk down the aisle ... with the crowd cheering for the champ.

Carla said that fans gave her the idea to wear the belt if she was victorious against Rose ... and she did just that!!

All in all ... it was a joyous day for the 2-time strawweight champion -- she got married to her husband, Matt, in front of her manager Brian Butler-Au, who officiated the ceremony.

UFC legend Cain Velasquez was just denied bail again ... after the man he's accused of shooting back in February claimed he suffered serious injuries in the alleged attack.

A Santa Clara County judge denied Velaquez's request for bail in a courtroom on Monday ... following a nearly one-hour-long hearing.

During the proceedings, Velasquez's attorneys argued -- according to reporter Nolan King -- that the 39-year-old should be granted bail ... and said the former fighter would be willing to post $1 mil as well as have full-time supervision and/or electronic monitoring while out from behind bars.

But, prosecutors claimed Velasquez shouldn't be granted it ... saying Cain is still a threat to the alleged victims in the case.

Later during the hearing, one of the alleged victims, Paul Bender -- the stepfather of Harry Goularte, who's accused of molesting one of Velasquez's family members -- claimed he suffered nerve damage and more after Cain shot at him while he and Goularte were driving on the road.

Bender -- appearing via a video conference call -- claimed a bullet injured him so badly, he has damage to his fingers and can no longer work.

"I am fearful for my life as well as the lives of my family," Bender told the courtroom, according to King.

Ultimately, following the testimony, the judge at the hearing denied Velasquez's request for bail. Cain is now slated to remain behind bars until at least June 10.

As we reported, Velasquez -- who was also previously denied bail at a hearing in March -- has been in jail since he was arrested for allegedly firing multiple rounds at Goularte and Bender in a fit of anger.

If you're waiting for Shawn Porter to unretire, you can stop right now ... 'cause the ex-boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's hung up his boots for good.

Remember, the former 2x welterweight champ retired after his bout with Terence Crawford last November, ending his career with a 31-4-1 (17 KOs) record.

But, since it's been some time since he called it quits, we had to ask the 34-year-old if he's beginning to get the itch to come back.

"Nope! I'm good, man," Porter said with a laugh this week. "I was able to do everything I wanted to do by the time I was 34 in the sport of boxing."

"With that being said, I'm ready to move forward and conquer some other things out there in the world."

SP added, "Boxing is not it anymore for me."

Of course, Porter took his talents from the ring to the broadcasting industry as a boxing analyst ... and he's been super successful there.

Jan Blachowicz says he forgot to bring his "legendary Polish power" with him last time he stepped foot in the Octagon ... something he says will NOT happen when he fights UFC star Aleksandar Rakic Saturday in Las Vegas, telling TMZ Sports he's gunning for a knockout.

We talked to the 39-year-old former light heavyweight champ -- now the #1 ranked contender -- just days before his scrap with 30-year-old Rakic, the #3 ranked fighter. A win could earn either fighter a title shot, and Jan knows it.

"I'm very hungry, you know, because I lost something I love. I lost my treasure and I want to get this belt back," Blachowicz said ... "I need to. I want to defeat Aleksandar and be the next contender for the title. First of all, Saturday, Aleksandar, his chin and that's it."

Of course, Jan was defeated by now champ Glover Teixeira via rear-naked choke at UFC 267 in October 2021. It was a difficult pill to swallow for Jan, who never really got going in the fight.

But, the man known for his knockout-inducing power is ready to show he still packs a punch in the cage.

"I see my punches they are clean, they are powerful that I knock him out. This is what I see, this is what I want to do. I want to knock him out. I want to punch him with all my legendary Polish power out on him. This time I won't forget my legendary Polish power."

Jan knows Aleksandar -- who has only lost one time since 2012 -- is a very tough opponent.

"He tough guy, young guy, powerful with dynamic style, powerful kicks, good wrestling, good control on ground, so it's gonna be tough fight. I'm ready for tough fight."

Now, as you'd expect, Rakic has a different vision of how the fight will play out.

The 14-2 star says he plans to beat Jan, and then fight the winner of Glover and Jiri Prochazka ... who are set to fight on June 11 at UFC 275.

Jorge Masvidal will be allowed to inspect Colby Covington's watch to see if it's a phony Rolex ... the UFC star's attorney tells TMZ Sports a judge just granted their motion to see the timepiece up close.

Covington had alleged Masvidal banged up the watch -- which Colby says is worth around $95K -- during an attack in Miami last month ... but Jorge and his legal team say they have doubts it's a real Rolly.

In fact, Masvidal and his attorney, Bradford Cohen, were so skeptical ... they filed a motion earlier this month asking a judge to allow them to closely view it.

In the docs, Cohen said he believed the watch was a "Folex" composed of aftermarket and fraudulent parts -- and wasn't worth anywhere close to the $95K Colby said it was.

According to Cohen, a judge just granted the motion at a hearing on Thursday morning ... paving the way for Masvidal and the legal team to look at it soon.

As for the other motion, Cohen filed earlier this month -- the one in which they asked a judge to order Colby to submit to a physical exam following claims he suffered a "brain injury" in the alleged attack -- Cohen tells us a hearing regarding that motion has been set for a later date.

As we reported, Masvidal is facing felony charges of aggravated battery and criminal mischief after Covington told cops he injured him and scratched up his Rolex outside of Papi Steak on March 21.

MMA light heavyweight Joel Bauman might be the most honest person on the planet -- the fighter made a jaw-dropping revelation in an interview this weekend ... blaming a recent loss on herpes and NFTs.

"King Bau" was inside the cage after a win at Fury FC 61 on Sunday ... when he opened up about a fight that didn't go his way earlier this year.

"Last fight I was tired, I was exhausted," he told the reporter.

Bauman said an NFT project he has been working on was to blame for the exhaustion ... and claimed he pulled 30 all-nighters before his fight against Josh Fremd, which he lost via submission.

But it's what Bauman said after that had people turning their heads.

"I had herpes before that fight, two outbreaks in the span of a week," Bauman said.

Worth noting -- Bauman seemed genuine with his words ... and it didn't come across like he was trying to be funny. Regardless of his intent, the clip of his interview quickly made rounds on social media.

Don't worry, though -- Bauman seemed fully recovered against Reese Forest at Bert Ogden Arena in Texas, winning via TKO.