MMA

Former UFC star Phil Baroni was reportedly arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Mexico over the weekend ... and the details are terrifying.

According to the Mexican outlet, Tribuna De La Bahia, police found Baroni's girlfriend naked and unresponsive in bed with a sheet covering her. The report says cops noticed bruises and markings all over her face and body ... and she showed no sign of life.

When authorities looked at Baroni's body, they reportedly noticed his hands were red. They took photographs.

As for what Phil said transpired, the retired fighter tracked down authorities and told them he got into a drunken argument with his girlfriend in their hotel room when things turned physical.

Baroni reportedly told police he was upset after finding his GF slept with another man, so he told her to take a shower -- but she refused.

Baroni claims he then grabbed the woman by her arms and forced her into the shower ... which led to her hitting her head.

The 46-year-old -- who was reportedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol -- reportedly claimed the woman couldn't get out of the tub by herself, so he assisted. She then complained of being cold, so Baroni said he took her to bed, removed her clothes and wrapped her in a blanket.

Baroni then says he went out for cigarettes and beer, per her request.

When he got back, Baroni reportedly told authorities he believed the woman was asleep. Tragically, she was deceased.

Authorities are planning to conduct an autopsy on the alleged victim to determine her cause of death.

Baroni was arrested for murder ... and is currently behind bars.

The former MMA star fought for a bunch of top promotions during his career ... including the UFC, Pride and Bellator. Baroni last fought in September 2019 ... where he lost via submission.

90 Day Fiancé star Biniyam Shibre hopes Dana White is listening ... the TV star and amateur fighter tells TMZ Sports he wants to turn pro -- and the UFC is his dream!

"It's not about money. It's not about my dream. It's my goal. I love this sport. I wanna do it," Biniyam said when we asked if he wanted to fight professionally.

For the time being, 32-year-old Biniyam -- who with his partner Ariela Weinberg, starred on the reality show -- is an amateur fighter with a 4-0 record. None of Shibre's fights have gotten out of the 2nd round.

In fact, he ended his last fight with Jorge Masvidal-type quickness ... knocking out his opponent with a perfectly placed kick just 6 seconds into the scrap.

Shibre says the ultimate goal is Dana White's promotion, telling us ... "UFC is very interesting to me. I'm not a UFC fighter, but every time I wear a UFC T-shirt, because it'd be a dream come true."

Bini says people ask him if he's a UFC fighter ... to which he responds, "I'm not, but I'm trying. It's my dream."

We also talked to the 90 Day Fiancé star about exposing the sport to his home country of Ethiopia ... where Bini believes there's a bunch of undiscovered talent.

Of course, some of the best fighters in the world -- like Francis Ngannou, Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman -- come from Africa.

Zion Clark, the former all-American wrestler born without legs, tells TMZ Sports that Conor McGregor's praise after his MMA debut victory was a surreal feeling ... while still trying to remain levelheaded because he knows there's room for improvement.

"It’s a good feeling," Clark said when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1), adding ... "I'm trying to stay humble about it because there’s a lot of work for me to do with my team and my coaches."

"But coming from Conor, it’s an honor to have his kudos and have his respect for the level of skill that I have and to have someone prove that this is legit. I’m really excited about it."

It was after the fight that McGregor took to social media, writing ... "Absolutely fascinating to hear about this man’s debut and now see it. Lighting entry on the low single. Wow! You should not connect to him in any shape or form. Frames only. Frame to strike. Fascinating! Congrats and so much respect to that man Zion Clark! MMA is the best sport!"

Clark's truly one of the most inspiring people in the world. He was born with caudal regression syndrome, a birth disorder that impairs lower body growth. Despite whatever perceived disadvantages he's faced, Zion's accomplished so much.

And, his incredible work ethic is part of the reason why he's been so successful ... and that's carrying over to MMA. Even though he won, Zion said ... "I definitely have things I can work on."

ZC also told us he's forged a relationship with Mike Tyson ... saying he recently got to meet "Uncle Mike" and "pick his brain." In fact, Clark says the boxing outfit he wore into the cage for his MMA debut was made for him by Iron Mike.

"It really meant a lot to wear that going in," Zion said, "because I was representing something bigger than myself."

Clark, who was a wrestling star at Kent State, says he releasing a memoir on his incredible life (so far) in 2023 called "Work with What You Got," which tells the story of Zion's life, highlighting his amazing journey from being born without legs, to bouncing around from home to home in the foster system, to becoming one of the greatest and most impressive athletes in the world.

UFC fighter Angela Hill's grandfather and wife claimed they were abducted in one of the most famous UFO encounters ever, and now Barack Obama and his production company are making a Netflix movie on the notorious incident.

And, Angela tells us she wants to be a part of the project!

If you're not familiar, Barney and Betty Hill claimed they were both abducted by extraterrestrials in a rural area of New Hampshire in mid-September 1961. The incident called the "Hill Abduction," was the first widely publicized abduction.

The Hills said they were driving when they witnessed a flying saucer-type object with humanoid figures inside, watching them ... which eventually shot some sort of light at their vehicle. They came to two hours later, 35 miles away from their last known location and with little recollection of anything that occurred.

Now, Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions is reportedly creating a movie titled "White Mountain" that's based on the encounter.

We asked Hill, who posted on social media earlier in the week about her desire to be a part of the project, if any reps for the former president or anyone else had reached out.

"No, no. I just put it out there because it's not the first thing I've heard," Angela said, adding, "Ever since they released those documents, the UFO documents that they were hiding for so long, ever since that, I think it was about two years ago, I've been seeing a lot of Barney and Betty Hill stuff in production."

37-year-old Hill added ... "It sucks when you see something being produced and it's already greenlit, it's ready to go and you're like man I really wish my family was part of it because we've pretty much been written out of that part of the story. I think it's one of the parts that make it more interesting."

Details outside of the Obama's involvement and name of the project are not yet known.

We also asked Hill what she'd say to the people behind the movie.

Add "Catcher" to Forrest Griffin's resume -- the UFC Hall of Famer and VP of Athlete Development has landed an important new gig -- he's the man responsible for catching Power Slap athletes as they careen towards the floor!

"I'm gonna be a head catcher," Forrest said, describing the person standing at the ready behind slap competitors, waiting to pounce when an athlete's rocked.

Dana White recently launched Power Slap -- taking slap fighting from the underground to the mainstream. The UFC honcho already locked down a TV deal for his new organization.

Power Slap hasn't debuted yet, but if social media's any indication, there's tremendous interest in PS ... teaser videos online have gone viral!

If you've never watched the sport, competitors go back and forth, slapping each other with all their might until someone quits or goes to sleep ... and when they do get knocked down or out, it's important someone's there to stop them from hitting their heads and sustaining trauma.

Enter Forrest.

"That double impact," Griffin said, explaining why the job's so important ... "You’ve taken the first trauma and when your head hits the ground, bang bang, both sides of your brain actually bounce against your skull. We want to prevent that and make it just the initial impact and have that be what causes you or not causes you to win or lose the competition."

Of course, as a fighter, Forrest was the guy doling out the knockouts, not preventing them. He has wins over all-time greats like Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua and more MMA legends. Since retiring, he's dedicated his life to the health, safety and development of the UFC's athletes.

Needless to say, Griffin is the perfect person for the job.

Forrest even showed off some head-catching skills ... on 6'2" 200 lb. Evan (he looks familiar), a Power Slap exec.

All jokes aside, Griffin's doing everything in his power to make the sport as entertaining, but also safe as possible.

You don't want to be an MMA fighter in Chechnya, especially when your opponent is the dictator's son.

There was a ridiculous "fight" between Ali Kadyrov -- the 15-year-old son of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov -- and a dude named Islam Akbarov.

Kadyrov had Akbarov on the mat after landing a blow, and as he hovered over his opponent, the dictator's son delivered feather punches that looked anything but damaging. Akbarov was defending himself well, but the ref jumped in and stopped the fight, declaring the dictator's son the winner.

Some fans were outraged, saying the fight was clearly fixed.

As if more evidence was needed, the dictator Ramzan owns the promotion that hosted the fight.

Stephan Bonnar -- a UFC Hall of Famer and legend in MMA -- has died ... this according to the MMA promotion itself.

The UFC broke the news Saturday, writing ... "The UFC family is saddened by the tragic passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar Thursday from presumed heart complications while at work." Per reports, he apparently died a couple days ago ... an official cause of death is pending.

UFC goes on to mention SB's storied career, adding ... "Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," said UFC President Dana White. "His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed."

Bonnar was an OG in UFC ... competing in the very first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' back in 2005 ... an appearance which saw him go all the way to the finale. Although he lost his Light Heavyweight fight against Forrest Griffin ... his bout ended up earning him a contract with UFC, where he went on to compete at a high level for several years.

He fought Griffin again in a rematch, and went on to fight some big names in the sport thereafter ... including Jon Jones, Mark Coleman, Krzysztof Soszynski, Igor Pokrajac, Kyle Kingsbury, Anderson Silva and others. His record with UFC was 15-9-0 ... and in 2012, he retired. The following year, Dana White announced Bonnar would be inducted into the HOF.

In addition to MMA fighting, Bonnar also wrestled professionally ... including for leagues like Impact Wrestling. He also fought with Bellator MMA post-UFC.

Bonnar's legacy will be that he was one of the catalysts to help UFC grow into what it is today ... and he goes down as one of the sport's greatest known fighters to date. He's survived by his wife, Andrea, and their son Griffin. He was 45.

A cocaine scandal that rocked the foundation of ESPN five years ago ultimately led to a HUGE windfall for the UFC ... this according to Dana White.

The boss of the fighting org. spelled out the wild tale in an interview with Grant Cardone this month ... insisting it was all "a true story."

White explained that back in 2017, the UFC's deal with Fox was running out ... and when they had initially turned to ESPN about consummating a new pact -- the org. wasn't interested.

"You ever hear of John Skipper?" White asked Cardone during the sit-down chat. "John Skipper ran ESPN. Now, I think he runs DAZN. Runs ESPN, beloved, looks like the squarest dude on the planet."

"Older guy," White continued. "Hates UFC. Hates it. Hates UFC. Big soccer guy. For whatever reason, different people like different things. And I'm not s***ing on John Skipper. But this is a fact, this happened and this is a true story."

White says Skipper essentially blocked talks on a deal from ever going through ... but suddenly, out of nowhere, the ESPN prez announced his resignation.

At the time, Skipper said it was due to a struggle with "a substance addiction." He later revealed in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he had been a user of cocaine, and that "someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me."

"They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well," Skipper said. "I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign."

White said that decision paved the way for a massive ESPN-UFC agreement ... that's now taken his company to new heights.

"John Skipper's cocaine dealer is gonna rat him out," White said. "So he has to tell Disney 'My cocaine dealer is gonna go public' or whatever, so he has to step down from ESPN, right at the time we're trying to make a new TV deal."

"Who do they put in as the new president?" White continued. "Jimmy Pitaro, who ran Yahoo! Sports for years. I've known him a long time. He's a great dude, and he loves the UFC. Now you got him, you got a guy named Kevin Mayer, who is really close to [Endeavor CEO] Ari [Emanuel], and we ended up doing the ESPN deal when our deal was up."

ESPN and UFC ended up agreeing to a 5-year, $1.5 billion deal.

Lionel Messi will attempt to win his first-ever World Cup on Sunday, but win or lose, the Argentinian soccer legend is one of the greatest athletes ever, according to fellow countryman, UFC star Santiago Ponzinibbio ... who compared him to America's most legendary athletes.

"I think it's Michael Jordan, these kind of guys. Legends of the sport, all-time. I think Messi is on this level. Michael Jordan. Tom Brady," Ponzinibbio told us, before also throwing out Muhammad Ali's name.

FYI, Santiago, who's coming off a UFC 282 win over Alex Morono, is from La Plata, Argentina ... about 200 miles from Messi's birthplace, Rosario, Argentina.

Of course, 35-year-old Messi, in his last WC, will lead Argentina when they take on Kylian Mbappe and his France squad for the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

According to the oddsmakers and experts, the game is about as close as could be ... though Santiago says he knows who's going to emerge victorious.

"Man, super, super exciting. I told you, I love soccer. Man, I really believe this team is gonna be champion of the world. They're playing so good."

Messi has accomplished nearly everything in the game. He's won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards and has been awarded about every other honor a soccer player could receive ... except that elusive World Cup.

"I think it's the only thing he needs to do to be complete," Ponzinibbio says, adding, "I think he's in the right spot to make history one more time and I'm excited. "

And, as far as worldwide popularity goes, Lionel, with 392 million, blows away some of the U.S.'s biggest and most popular athletes. LeBron James has 139 million Instagram followers. TB12 only has (relatively speaking) 13 million.

"Guerrilla warfare. I'm gonna take [Sean Strickland's] head off."

That's 38-year-old Jared Cannonier talking about his violent intentions for Saturday night ... when he and fellow middleweight contender, Strickland, 31, do battle in the main event at UFC Fight Night.

TMZ Sports talked to Cannonier -- the 3rd ranked contender at 185 lbs. -- and asked him about the matchup with Strickland ... a fight he expects to test him.

"Strickland is a dog in the cage. He'll get in your face and try and put his fist through it. And if you give him a chance, he'll talk some s**t to you as well. He's as good as anybody else in the top 10," Jared says.

"The Killa Gorilla" added ... "Like I said, he's a dog in there. If I give him the opportunity, he'll sink his teeth in and start shaking me all over the fucking cage, right? I'm ready for that. I'm ready to see somebody try to do that."

Strickland, ranked 7th, is one of the best middleweights in the world ... though he's coming off a loss to Alex Pereira. The now-champ starched Strickland in the first round of their UFC 276 scrap ... when SS made the mistake of trying to strike with Alex.

Cannonier's also coming off a loss -- a title fight at 276 -- where he lost via unanimous decision to Israel Adesanya.

Despite the L to Izzy ... Jared's on the winning side more than not. He's beaten beasts like Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum and Jack Hermansson.

As for how he expects to add Strickland's name to that list ... Jared's gunning to make Sean tap.

"I would like to have a submission. This will be my 15th fight in the UFC. Who knows I might knock him to the ground and jump on a submission or something. It's time to get a submission in the UFC."

As if making history wasn't enough for Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest UFC fighter ever tells TMZ Sports he wanted to return to the Octagon just 7 days after beating his opponent in the very first round!

Of course, at just 18 years and 63 days, Rosas Jr. etched his name in the record books when he stepped foot in the cage, becoming the youngest fighter to ever scrap in the UFC.

But, he didn't just show up ... Raul won, and needed just half a round to beat Jay Perrin, a 29-year-old full-grown adult.

And, when we asked Rosas Jr. when he wanted to fight again, it'd be an understatement to say he didn't want to wait very long.

"Thank God I was able to come out the same way I stepped in which was with no injuries. Thankfully, I feel good, and hopefully, I'm talking to my manager, seeing if I'm able to get a fight this weekend at the APEX. I know there's a show going on," Raul said.

"Hopefully I can step in there, whether it's 135 or 145. I want to step back in there as soon as possible, so hopefully I can fight this weekend, if not, we'll look at dates next year and see when I can step into the Octagon."

Rosas Jr. signed with the UFC after Dana White offered him a contract following his Contender Series fight in September ... a unanimous decision win over a 25-year-old opponent named Mando Gutierrez.

After his UFC 282 fight, Raul said he wanted to buy his mom a new van so she could drive him around.

We also talked to Raul about the van (he's getting it) and much more ... including how his friends reacted to their buddy winning in the UFC.

Dana White may just have his next big superstar ... 'cause as long as Paddy Pimblett keeps on stacking W's, the UFC honcho believes "The Baddy" could reach Conor McGregor-like status!

"He has that 'it' factor that I always talk about and you know, and obviously he's undefeated here in the UFC. If he can keep winning these key fights, this kid will be a massive superstar," White told TMZ Sports.

"The other thing is too and you know about this, the thing with his dog going to the bathroom was so unbelievably viral, it was insane. There's things that go viral on the Internet but you guys did like a 10-minute piece on that thing on TMZ and other outlets did. It was everywhere! It was really big in America, so stuff like that doesn't hurt, either."

27-year-old Pimblett -- 3-0 in the UFC (19-3 overall) -- is fighting Jared Gordon as part of the co-main event at UFC 282 ... where Paddy will look to extend his UFC unbeaten streak.

As for the comparisons to McGregor ... here's what Dana had to say.

"It's never an insult when somebody compares you to a great or one of the biggest names in the sport. I think that [Israel Adesanya] didn't like it because he doesn't like Jon Jones and Jon Jones doesn't like him. I think that's why he didn't, but it's never an insult. It's a compliment."

We also asked White about all other things 282-related (fight's going down Saturday night from Las Vegas) ... including the UFC president's feelings on Jiri Prochazka's injury, and his relinquishing of the light heavyweight title.

Dana also weighs in on former champ Glover Teixeira -- who was supposed to fight Jiri -- instead opting NOT to fight a new opponent on the card.

White actually believes it was a smart strategic move on the part of the 43-year-old fighter.

Bottom line ... with or without Prochazka and Texeira, Dana believes it's a kickass card.

Big break for Israel Adesanya ... TMZ Sports has learned the UFC star's brass knuckles case will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the foreseeable future.

According to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's Office, Adesanya's case was called on Tuesday -- and he was issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD).

Per the spokesperson, that means if Adesanya keeps his nose clean for the next six months, he will no longer be facing criminal charges.

We broke the story, Adesanya was initially arrested back on Nov. 16 -- just four days after his loss to Alex Pereira -- after authorities say he went through security at JFK airport with metal knuckles.

He was ultimately issued a desk appearance ticket -- a written notice from a police officer -- and ordered to appear in court on Tuesday.

Adesanya's manager, Tim Simpson, told us at the time of the arrest that "Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities."

UFC star Dustin Poirier provided an update on his battle with a gnarly Staph infection on Tuesday ... showing off his swollen left foot from his hospital bed.

"The Diamond" has been getting treatment all week ... and judging by his recent pic, it ain't goin' too hot for the lightweight.

"Wut da helllll," Poirier said on Twitter ... alongside a shot of the deformed foot.

Poirier is hoping to finally get out of the hospital on Wednesday ... but made the best of his stay on Monday night, when he tuned in to his New Orleans Saints' matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Unfortunately for Poirier, it wasn't too fun of an experience -- his home team ended up losing in the final seconds as Tom Brady and Co. pulled off the wild comeback.

Poirier -- who beat Michael Chandler in November -- also took advantage of his time by talking trash with Conor McGregor ... saying he's down to step in the Octagon with him for a fourth time.

Jewish UFC fighter Natan Levy says he's getting more hate -- but also a ton of support -- since calling out Kanye West for his repeated antisemitism.

Levy, who was raised in Herzliya, Israel, met with the media on Saturday in Orlando after beating Genaro Valdez by unanimous decision and issued a stern warning to Ye.

“Kanye West, if you’ve got a problem with me or my people, come see me, bro.”

On Monday, 31-year-old Levy talked to TMZ Sports about the reaction to his remarks.

"My interview, most of the comments are antisemitic. Most of the comments say, 'Hey, look, actually I think Kanye is right,'" Natan told us.

Levy says that's nothing new ... but the sheer amount of messages he's received since going at Kanye has increased.

"I'm always getting a lot of hate just for being who and what I am, which I'm fine with. It's not fun, but, right now I'm getting more."

But, it's not all bad.

"I'm also getting a lot of love. There is also a lot of positive out there. I'm getting a lot of love. A lot of reinforcement. I'm getting a lot of friends, a lot of people who speak up. Post the video and share it and saying 'stop the hate.'"

Of course, West's antisemitism has become almost routine. He's gone as far as to praise Hitler and the Nazis on Alex Jones' show last week. He's also hung out with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

"Just think about how many Jewish kids will get bullied because of [Kanye's] comments. How many Jewish people will get attacked. The hate speech, it does turn into violence."

Natan says while Ye's behavior is incredibly dangerous for reasons he just stated, he's not the only one ... but Levy's had enough of turning the other cheek.

If you've heard Stephen Thomspon speak, you know he's just about the sweetest person ever ... so, will UFC star (and fellow nice guy) Kevin Holland hesitate when it comes time to punch Wonderboy in the face?? Not at all, according to Big Mouth.

"It's simple as hell. I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna knock out the nicest man in the universe. S**t happens."

But, will you feel bad, Kevin?

"Not one bit."

30-year-old Holland and 39-year-old Thompson are fighting in the main event at UFC Fight Night Saturday night.

In fact, the men ran into each other in the hallway at the UFC hotel ... and had a funny interaction.

Wonderboy is ranked 6th in the welterweight division. Holland isn't ranked ... as he bounces back and forth between the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

We also talked to Kevin about his last fight ... where he bravely stepped up on no notice to fight Khamzat Chimaev. Holland, who had trained to fight striker Daniel Rodriguez, was submitted in the first round.

Holland addresses whether he wants a rematch.

We also spoke to Wonderboy ... who says fans are in for a treat.

"My last two guys, and even Kevin, his last opponent [Khamzat] was a heavy grappler. I know going into this fight that he's not the type of guy to try and take you down and hold you down," Wonderboy says.