MMA

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is one big step closer to becoming a reality ... 'cause "Iron" Mike tells TMZ Sports he'd absolutely love to fight the Irish superstar.

"Obviously, there's a lot of big fights that Conor could take. A lot of big names, and I'd love to be the other guy on the other side of the Octagon when that cage door closes, and then go out there and make something special," Chandler says.

Of course, earlier this week, Dana White told us he "really likes" the idea of pitting CM and MC against each other when Conor returns to fighting.

Chandler, 36-years-old, is the #5 UFC lightweight ... and is coming off a devastating knockout of future Hall of Famer Tony Ferguson.

33-year-old Conor, he hasn't fought since July ... when he gruesomely snapped his leg while fighting Dustin Poirier.

It's a fight that Chandler has wanted for some time ... but don't expect a whole lot of trash talk coming from the former Bellator champ -- Michael has a lot of respect for McGregor.

"We may never see another talent, another combat sport like Conor McGregor, and not just until when I retire, we're talking about the next couple of decades."

And, Michael isn't looking for an easy fight with Conor ... he wants him at his absolute best.

"I want him at his biggest, his baddest, his best, and his most dangerous."

As for the weight class where the fight would take place ... Chandler's open to moving up from 155 pounds, where both fighters now fight.

"Looking at him, he's looking big, he's looking beefy, he's looking strong, he's looking fast as he always is at 180 pounds, so let's do it at 170. If not, I can always make 155," Michael tells us.

Before we hung up with Mike, we asked him if he had a message for Conor. Here's what he said.

"Number one, I want the opportunity to compete against you. There's no ill-will. There's a ton of respect. The sport of mixed martial arts is a better place when Conor McGregor is a part of it and when you can put yourself in a position to be his opponent, to be his dance partner in the build-up, the lead up, the hype and then the actual contest, its a dream come true for mixed martial artist."

Here's a peek into the mind of Dana White ... we asked the UFC president if Conor McGregor could fight Jorge Masvidal when he returns to the Octagon, and while DW didn't seem into that fight, there is an opponent he likes for The Notorious.

"I really like Chandler vs. Conor after Chandler's last fight. There's plenty of fights to make. I don't know if that's the one. We'll see what the landscape looks like when Conor gets back."

Of course, Chandler's last fight was at UFC 274 last month ... when Iron Mike knocked out Tony Ferguson with a front kick 17 seconds into the 2nd round. It was one of the most brutal KOs ever.

Conor hasn't fought since UFC 264 in July 2021 ... when he gruesomely broke his leg while fighting Dustin Poirier.

"I'm just saying after his last [Octagon] interview, his last fight, Conor's ranked number 8. [Michael's] ranked number 5. It makes a lot of sense right now," Dana said.

As for a timeline for McGregor's return, Dana says he's getting closer, day by day.

"I think he's getting better. He's starting to ramp up his training, and I'm hoping the end of this year, early next year."

We also talked to the UFC boss (and future UFC Hall of Famer, Valentina Shevchenko) about UFC 275 ... where Valentina is fighting 19-1 Taila Santos in the co-main event.

Shevchenko hasn't lost in 5.5 years ... and Dana says she's arguably the greatest female fighter of all time.

If Valentina wins (she's a huge favorite), White says he's open to making Shevchenko-Nunes 3 (that loss in 2017 was to Amanda).

As for the main event ... 42-year-old light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira is fighting 29-year-old rising star Jiri Prochazka.

The card also features a rematch of a fight many people believe to be the greatest women's MMA scrap ever ... Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Weili Zhang.

Their first fight was March 2020 ... a knockdown, drag-out, 5-round war which Weili ultimately won by split decision.

But, many fans felt Joanna should've been the victor.

That was the last time Jedrzejczyk stepped foot in the Octagon.

More details are emerging about the burglary at Tito Ortiz's Southern California home ... cops say people at his residence claimed thieves "ransacked" the UFC legend's house, and stole a safe.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, a caller reached the Huntington Beach Police Dept. at around 9:54 AM on Friday ... claiming Ortiz's home had been burglarized.

The docs show the person alleged the home was "ransacked" and that a "safe is missing." The person also said a window on Ortiz's balcony had been broken.

As we reported, multiple officers were seen at Ortiz's Huntington Beach home for hours on Friday investigating the scene.

No word yet on if any arrests have been made -- but we're told Ortiz was not home at the time of the incident, and is safe.

In the documents, cops say Ortiz's neighbors told them they would review their surveillance cameras with the hopes of helping them catch the culprits.

Ortiz -- who grew up in Huntington Beach and fought in the UFC under the nickname "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" -- provided us a short and sweet comment on the situation.

Multiple officers spent hours at Tito Ortiz's home in Southern California on Friday ... after police tell TMZ Sports they're investigating a burglary at the UFC legend's place.

According to a Huntington Beach Police Department spokesperson, officers responded to a call for service at Ortiz's home early Friday morning, after an alleged theft had taken place there.

We're told Ortiz was not home at the time of the incident and is safe.

It's unclear what was said to be taken from Ortiz's home ... an investigation, according to cops, is ongoing.

Of course, Ortiz is one of Huntington Beach's most famous residents ... he grew up there and later fought in the UFC under the nickname "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy."

Ortiz was also elected Mayor pro tempore of the city back in December 2020 ... though he resigned from the position just six months later in June 2021, saying, "this job isn't working for me."

Jon Jones' first fight at heavyweight should NOT be for an interim title ... UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik adamantly tells TMZ Sports 'cause it just ain't fair!

We asked 34-year-old, 6'3", 255 lb. fighter -- ranked 8th in the division -- about the possibility 34-year-old Bones Jones gets a crack at an interim belt ... a fight that would be his first in the division.

"I'm hearing people calling for an interim title. What is fair, what is unfair, who is gonna fight for it?" Jairzinho asked.

"And, then I heard names like Stipe [Miocic] and Jon Jones. I still think that's unfair to put them in an interim fight instead of real fighters who are keeping the division up and running."

Of course, Jones hasn't fought since beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020. Jon's plan was to move up a weight class and fight champion Francis Ngannou, but the parties couldn't agree on money.

Instead, Ngannou fought and beat former training partner Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, Francis hurt his leg in the lead up to the fight (and 5 rounds with Gane didn't help), and now needs surgery on his leg.

Often, a UFC interim belt is created when a champ is injured for an extended period.

Dana White was asked in March whether Jon could lock down a fight with Stipe for the title, and the UFC honcho responded ... "I haven’t thought about it at all, but yeah, it sounds like something we would do.”

FYI, Stipe hasn't fought since losing to Francis in March 2021.

We also asked Rozenstruik -- who has only 3 career professional losses -- about his clash with #7 ranked contender, Alexander Volkov, at UFC Fight Night Saturday night. Jairzinho has some advice ... don't blink.

"I definitely think it's a first-round, second-round fight. I definitely think it's a first-round, second-round fight."

Rozenstruik also talked about the prospect of him fighting Jones ... though, he doesn't believe it makes sense for Jon due to Jairzinho's awesome power.

And, down the line, JR, who lost to Ngannou just 20 seconds into their UFC 249 fight, would like to make things right with the Predator.

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.