MMA

Many athletes and celebs have stepped up in a huge way in the wake of the devastating wildfires in Maui ... and perhaps none more so than Bellator MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, who raised over $2 MILLION on Instagram!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Honolulu native this week as the area is still reeling from fires that killed at least 115 people, with hundreds still unaccounted for. The people who fortunately escaped with their lives are still dealing with property loss, in some cases everything, including their homes.

"We have hit the $2.6 million mark and this is just on Instagram alone," Macfarlane said.

"The beautiful thing that I love so much about this fundraiser is that it wasn't big corporations or big huge donors, it was literally people."

Macfarlane also gives credit to a few celebrities for sharing the fund, including Bretman Rock, Meghan Trainor, and Jason Momoa.

Now, the challenge is getting the money to those who need it ... which can be a difficult job.

"I haven't raised that much for my nonprofit before so I am collaborating with other agencies to make sure it's distributed equitably and efficiently."

Macfarlane also revealed she's teamed up with Bellator to replace gym equipment and training gear at local dojos. They're also inviting a family to Ilima-Lei's upcoming title fight in San Diego.

Speaking of her fight with mentor Liz Carmouche (Bellator 300 on October 7), Macfarlane says it's a bout she's always wanted but hasn't been able to enjoy the lead-up to the event because of the situation in Hawaii.

"It was a super scary time and it was actually weird timing because [the fires] happened the day that we announced my title fight," Macfarlane said.

"I just couldn't be happy. I couldn't be excited for this super awesome fight that I've wanted for so long just because of what was going on."

Rose Namajunas is the 2nd-ranked strawweight in the UFC, but the former 2x 115 lb. champ is moving up to fight a top flyweight, and she tells us she feels amazing and doesn't plan on going back to her old weight class.

"I'm definitely healthier," Thug Rose told TMZ Sports of the difference between making 115 and 125 lbs. ... as she preps to fight #3-ranked flyweight Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night in Paris on Saturday.

Rose hasn't fought since May 2022 ... when she lost to fellow contender, Carla Esparza, by split decision. Physically, Namajunas feels a lot better a year and change later.

"I did think the weight cut started to get a little tougher each time, even the last cut it was like my eyes were sunken in like 'Ooh this is not super healthy.' I don't think it highly affected my performance, maybe it did, maybe it didn't, I have no idea but I'm definitely super excited to feel healthy going in there and actually eating more, lifting more, just feeling strong."

As for whether she'd go back to the division where she's so highly ranked ... probably not.

"I highly doubt I would ever go back down unless there was a really good reason to. Unless I go into this fight and something totally just like, 'Oh man these flyweights are way bigger and stronger than I expected' but I highly doubt that."

Rose continued ... "I train with flyweights. I have a good feel for that. Even in my amateur career, I fought in flyweight, too. Unless it's totally a surprise and a shock to me, I see myself staying here."

Of course, if RN stays at 125, that would likely mean there won't be a third fight between her and Zhang Weili (Rose defeated the Chinese MMA star twice) ... though Namajunas didn't entirely shut the door on the trilogy.

If it does happen, it'll be down the road.

For the time being, Namajunas -- who isn't ranked in the new division -- is getting one of the best in the world in Fiorot (she hasn't lost a fight since 2018). We asked Rose if she expected a title shot straight away after a win.

"No, I'm not really putting any expectations on anything. I'm just hoping and praying for the best performance that I can give, give glory to God and just let Him do the rest. If that happens, that would be a dream come true."

If she were to get a title shot, it could mean a scrap between Rose and Valentina Shevchenko, who is fighting to win her belt back vs. Alexa Grasso in a few weeks.

UFC fighter Natan Levy is hoping bullies everywhere take serious note of his recent beatdown of an internet troll ... saying on Tuesday he wants anyone who's even thinking of spewing hate speech going forward to know "words have consequences."

Levy absolutely mauled a smack-talking social media user named Ben recently ... after the guy had defended noted antisemite Nick Fuentes in an exchange on X.

Levy, who's Jewish, met the dude at his gym and pounded on him for several minutes -- forcing the guy to tap out.

Eventually, he got Ben to say on camera following the sparring sesh that six million people were murdered in the Holocaust -- an atrocity Ben didn't previously acknowledge.

When Levy joined Harvey and Charles on Tuesday's "TMZ Live" to talk about it all ... he said he was pleased with how it turned out with Ben -- and now, he wants others to keep the incident in mind before they hit their keyboards with similar nonsense.

"The big lesson I wanted to teach this guy -- and hopefully everybody who is watching -- is words have consequences," he said. "Actions have consequences."

"If you say something, you better stand behind it," he added, "'cause this hate turns into hate in the real world. So we need to cut it off."

Conor McGregor went balls-out during his most recent training session ... putting his bulge on display as he sweated it out in a pair of Versace undies -- and it looks like a scene straight out of "American Psycho."

The Notorious posted the odd video on Tuesday ... showing him crushing it on a stationary bike as he jammed to Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible."

If the clip makes you think of Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman character from the 2000 flick, it's by design -- Conor captioned the social media post, "American Psycho II."

Of course, McGregor is getting ready for a fight against Michael Chandler ... and while he claims the bout is slated for UFC 296 in December, Dana White's organization has yet to confirm the info.

Either way, Conor clearly wants everyone to see he's busting his ass as he prepares for a return ... winking at the camera and smiling as he pedaled away on his yacht.

Conor's followers loved it ... with UFC great Urijah Faber saying, "F***ing classic," and announcer Jon Anik adding, "Let’s f***in’ go, champ."

UFC star Kamaru Usman says you'd be making a mistake to flatly count out his close friend Francis Ngannou in his fight against the world's best heavyweight boxer, Tyson Fury ... 'cause "The Predator" has that one equalizer.

His knock-your-ass unconscious power!

During a recent conversation with Usman, we asked him about the October 28th fight between Francis and Tyson ... an event many people have said Ngannou cannot win.

That's not the way the former welterweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer sees it.

"Obviously, Francis is not a full-time boxer, so it's not going to be different. The mechanics are going to be a little bit different, but the one thing Francis has, God has blessed him with power. If he touches your head anywhere in this radius right here," Usman said, pointing all around his head.

"It does not matter. If [Francis] touches you, you might not wake up. And so I give him that chance for sure. But when you're talking about a drawn-out 12-round boxing match on paper, I don't think Francis is as skilled or experienced to win that fight, but Francis has a great equalizer, and that is God-given power. If he touches you, you will go to sleep."

It's reminiscent of what Ngannou himself recently told us when we spoke with him at LAX ... when he promised Fury would touch the canvas.

Win or lose, Kamaru believes the fight has all the markings of an absolutely massive event, and he's pumped!

"If you haven't noticed it by now, Francis is blessed with all the trials and tribulations that he's gone through in his life, he is blessed to still be here standing right now, and to have a fight like this, of this magnitude, the biggest fight in the world."

A suspect is behind bars after attempting to knock down the door of Dana White's home in Maine ... and now, the UFC honcho is thanking fans for helping track down the guy.

White, 54, posted the footage of the incident to Instagram on Monday ... showing a man violently kicking his front door repeatedly.

In the clip, you can see the guy almost fall on his ass after losing his balance during the kicks (let's say he's no Israel Adesanya) ... and he ran off once he realized there was a security camera right in front of his face.

"This f***face just tried to kick my front door in Levant, Maine," White said in a photo of the alleged suspect.

"I will [give] 2500 dollars to the first person to let the police know who he is."

It must've worked ... 'cause the Penobscot Sheriff's Office told us a suspect is in custody and that "everybody is safe."

White -- who bought the UFC in 2001 -- thanked law enforcement for their fast response after the arrest was made.

Sean O'Malley is a man of his word ... "Suga" said he'd get a tattoo to commemorate winning the UFC Bantamweight title, and that's exactly what he did!

28-year-old O'Malley revealed the new ink, located on the right side of his forehead, on social media this weekend. The face tattoo reads:

CHAMP
MMXXIII

MMXXIII is the year ... M is 1000, X is 10, I is 1. 2023.

The new artwork isn't a surprise. While talking with the media afterward, Sean said ... "I might get 'CHAMP' on my face somewhere."

It's not Sean's first face tattoo. He already has his nickname, "SUGA" and a "👑" on his face.

Of course, O'Malley won the belt at UFC 292 ... when he beat Aljamain Sterling by 2nd round TKO.

TMZ Sports talked to O'Malley last week, a few days after he secured the title and just before he got the tattoo, and chopped it up about everything from his next opponent (Chito, Cejudo, Sandhagen, Merab, Pantoja) to his future in acting.

Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson doesn't want to fight Ian Machado Garry ... so, who will the rising UFC star's next scrap be against?! Welp, "The Future" says ... Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson!

"No, the 'Wonderboy' fight is gonna happen. I have 100% faith," 25-year-old Garry told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Of course, Ian absolutely decimated Neil Magny at UFC 292 ... beating him from pillar to post, and winning by unanimous decision. In fact, one of the judges scored all three rounds 10-8 for Garry, giving him a 30-24 victory. The other cards were both 30-26. Bottom line, it was pure domination.

After the fight, Rogan asked Garry, who has since moved up to 11th in the rankings, who he wanted next.

"I need to prove myself as the best striker that this division has ever seen," Ian told Joe.

"To be the best striker in the world, you need to beat the best strikers. And everybody has Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson on that list, so give me Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson whenever, wherever, for 5 rounds and I will prove to you that I'm the next generation of striker in the world."

The issue ... Dana White, while doing media after the event, told reporters Stephen wasn't interested in the fight.

FYI, Thompson is ranked 7th ... and recently told us he was interested in a fight against former champ Kamaru Usman, the first-ranked contender.

Unlike with Magny, Garry says he has zero beef with Stephen.

"I love Wonderboy. He's a friend of mine. I get along with him. He knows me. He knows my family. There's no malice towards Wonderboy."

Garry added ... "What I want to do is challenge myself against the best, and when we speak about the greatest strikers of all time, Wonderboy absolutely when it comes to the welterweight division, is that guy."

There's much more with Garry ... including when he wants to fight next, and who he wants after Thompson.

Step aside Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville -- a new crop of stuntmen has arrived ... and the dudes are so crazy, they let UFC fighter Blake Bilder beat the hell out of them on video!!

The Jackass-like guys call themselves "Mad House" -- and for one of their latest exploits ... they hit up a local gym to go toe-to-toe with a man who just fought on the UFC 289 card back in June.

Despite having little to no training whatsoever, four of the men put on boxing gloves and stepped onto the mats to go one, three-minute round with Bilder ... and, yeah, it all went exactly how you'd expect it to go.

Bilder first knocked one of the men out with a massive body shot. He then made another guy bleed after whaling on his face. Later, he put one of the dudes to sleep with a wild choke hold.

Bilder said afterward he couldn't believe any of them had the gall to actually try to fight him.

"Kid, you have no idea how much money you're gonna make."

That's what UFC president Dana White told "Suga" Sean O'Malley as the newly crowned champion stood in the Octagon with the UFC honcho after defeating the great Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

28-year-old O'Malley joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on Friday ... and chopped it up about all things Aljo, how life's changed since becoming champ, reaching Conor McGregor levels of fame, his offer to train Henry Cejudo in wrestling, and what he wants next!

"Chito was acting like he earned a title shot. I think he even tweeted he was the most exciting bantamweight which is just bonkers. I don't know how he sees that. He needs to settle down a little bit, cause I do have options.

"Henry, I pretend like is an option, realistically it's not. He lost his last fight. Alexandre Pantoja, the 125 lb. champ, throwing my name out there a little bit. That's an option. Merab's an option. I might just wait for Cory [Sandhagen] if Chito's gonna act like he earned a title shot."

FYI, Sean and Chito have history. The men fought in 2020, and Vera won. It's O'Malley's lone career loss.

(We also talked to Chito about his win over Pedro, and a possible fight with Suga.)

Sean says there's a way for Vera to lock down the fight, but it'll involve eating a little crow first and saying something along the lines of ... "Ya know what Suga, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I didn't deserve it. I didn't earn it, but I appreciate you.

"If he came at it like that I would think about it more. But the fact that he's tweeting, 'I earned that' and stuff, it's throwing me off a bit. I got options. I'm not too worried about it."

Of course, Sean dropped Aljamain with a perfectly placed straight right about 30 seconds into the second round, and after some effective ground and pound, the fight was stopped by ref Marc Goddard ... and just like that, O'Malley was Bantamweight champion.

As for how life has changed ... Sean says while he was a star before winning the title, he's now more than just a big deal amongst MMA fans.

"I kind of had everything-ish before 'champ status,' but definitely getting recognized way more in public by random people you wouldn't think were fight fans. The casuals that don't watch the fight, watched that fight," Suga said.

Speaking of fame and making money ... we also talked to Sean about acting (he's received movie offers) and whether he believes he will ever fight Aljo again.

Natan Levy says his recent beatdown of an internet troll could have been much, much more violent ... but he tells TMZ Sports he let his foot off the gas just a little bit so the guy still had "some brain left to take the lesson in."

The UFC fighter, who's Jewish, sparred the smack-talking social media user, Ben, a few days ago ... after the guy defended noted antisemite Nick Fuentes in an exchange on X.

Ben met up with Levy at his gym in Las Vegas ... and after Levy had explained why he was so furious at Ben for supporting Fuentes -- a man who the Anti-Defamation League has called "a white supremacist leader" -- the two threw on gear and stepped into the cage.

Not long after, Levy destroyed the guy.

But, Levy said it could've been worse ... explaining to us he could've sent the dude home in an ambulance -- but he held back.

"It wasn't easy," Levy said of holding back, "but again, great power comes with great responsibility and I wanted to teach him a lesson."

Seems it was effective nonetheless ... as Ben went on camera following the sparring sesh and acknowledged that six million people were murdered in the Holocaust.

Aljamain Sterling altered his strategy in the 2nd round of his title defense against Sean O'Malley after a smattering of boos in the 1st, according to UFC contender Merab Dvalishvili, who told us Aljo became more aggressive in his approach.

"Aljo always fights smart. He's so good, he can do everything he wants. But, he always fights smart. He was fighting smart. Then in the second round, the people started booing again. So Aljo tried to make an exciting fight. That's when he decided to strike more, punch more," Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports.

If you watched the fight, the crowd was firmly behind Suga ... so when Aljamain attempted to get O'Malley to the ground, the Boston fans booed.

Merab says Aljo heard the response ... "He actually said that was the main reason why he made the adjustment to step in and go to striking."

Of course, just over 30 seconds into the second round, Aljamain lunged forward, throwing a straight left that fell just short of Sean's chin. The momentum of the strike carried Sterling forward, leaving him out of position, and unable to defend himself from the incoming right.

The shot was perfectly placed, sending Aljo to the ground, and scrambling to stay alive.

About 20 seconds later, the fight was stopped by referee Marc Goddard.

Sterling, who'd won 9 fights in a row, didn't really protest the stoppage in the Octagon (and couldn't have been more graceful in defeat), though Dvalishvili believes the fight was prematurely halted.

"The referee stopped Aljo a little early, cause Aljo was fighting, he wasn't out of anything. He was defending. First, he was trying to catch the leg. Then after he made the turn, he tried to do other move to get out of the situation, and the referee just jumped, that's what Marc Goddard does. That's why I have Marc Goddard phobia."

As for what's next ... that's where things really get interesting/complicated, and Merab is very much in the mix.

O'Malley is the champ now. Aljo is the top-ranked contender and made it clear he wants a rematch.

Merab is ranked 2nd. Henry Cejudo is 3, Cory Sandhagen 4, Petr Yan 5, and "Chito" Vera, who Suga called out after the fight, is ranked 6.

We asked Dvalishvili -- who will not fight Sterling -- what he believes should happen next.

"If Aljo wants to make a comeback now and fight O'Malley for a rematch, that would be best. But, if Aljo wants to take a vacation or O'Malley don't fight him, or the UFC doesn't make this matchup, I am the next guy," Merab said.

"I am the number one contender after Aljo, and O'Malley should fight me. If he fights Chito Vera, that's a joke."

FYI, Dvalishvili's in the midst of a 9-fight win streak -- he last lost in April 2018 -- and has beaten the likes of Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. As for Marlon, he beat Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision at UFC 292, and is the only fighter to defeat O'Malley (UFC 252 in August 2020).

Things went from 100 to 100 at the KSI vs. Tommy Fury press conference on Tuesday ... 'cause the entire event was absolute chaos from start to finish -- with TNT's dad flipping tables and Logan Paul throwing cake at Dillon Danis.

The wild incident just went down minutes ago at Wembley Arena in London ... with all four fighters -- as well as John Fury -- unleashing menacing insults left and right.

But, it was John who got so fed up with the personal jabs, he decided to take action -- hurling a table upside down and kicking another in a rage.

Everyone on stage stood up and got in a scuffle ... with KSI and Tommy needing to be held back. Logan loved every second of it, hopping up on his chair to get a better view.

Danis, on the other hand, picked up a chair ... but was talked out of throwing it.

John then took his shouting fit to the crowd ... thrusting as the fans in attendance erupted in cheers.

Eventually, everyone was escorted offstage ... and we're assuming cooler heads prevailed.

Earlier in the presser, Logan said he got a birthday gift for his opponent ... revealing a customized cake in the shape of a knocked-out Danis.

Dillon -- who's posted constantly about Paul's fiancée, Nina Agdal, on his social media pages over the past week -- responded by taking yet another shot at the model ... and Logan clapped back with his own jabs.

"Run your mouth all you want, but you know damn well you ain't ever been with any girl as beautiful as my girl," Paul said.

"You've resorted to attacking a woman as your fight tactic, no wonder you're friends with Conor McGregor. Where is he, by the way?"

Eventually, Logan decided to decapitate the cake version of Danis and throw its head in his opponent's direction ... and Dillon tried to charge back, but security intervened.

UFC star Sean O'Malley delivered the goods in spectacular fashion Saturday night in Boston, knocking out Aljamain Sterling and snagging the Bantamweight title, and dude has all the makings of the next Conor McGregor.

After a slow first round, Sean delivered a crushing blow to Sterling's noggin, and then pummeled him until the ref called it a night.

Sean, sporting Pepto Bismol-colored hair, was humble after the win, telling reporters, "Honestly, this is the most nervous I've ever been for a fight. In my eyes, Aljamain Sterling is the greatest bantamweight of all time," adding, "I always say it only takes one mistake with me. I don't even know if that's a mistake. I'm just that f---ing good!"

If you expect Mark Zuckerberg to fight a professional fighter and get slaughtered, you may be in for a rude awakening ... ONE Championship star Mikey Musumeci has trained with the Meta boss on several occasions, and says Zuck would 100% win a fight.

"I was pretty shocked. [Mark's] a grinder. He has that grind in him. The second I saw that I said, 'Okay, he can be very good at MMA or jiu-jitsu' because first of all, he has the highest IQ, but he's also tough as f***!" Mikey told TMZ Sports.

It's high praise coming from Musumeci ... a 5x IBJJF world champion and current ONE Championship flyweight grappling champ. He's quite literally the best in the world!

Mikey and Mark are friends who not only train together ... but also talk when they aren't working out.

We doubled down ... asking Musumeci if he really believed Zuck could "hang with a professional fighter?"

"100%. 100%, and I think he could win."

Of course, we asked Mikey the question because all signs point to Zuckerberg, now that the Elon Musk fight is seemingly done, fighting against an actual pro fighter in a top MMA promotion.

"Not holding my breath for Elon, but I'll share details on my next fight when I'm ready," Mark said on Threads.

"When I compete, I want to do it in a way that puts a spotlight on the elite athletes at the top of the game. You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or ONE to pull this off well and create a great card."

There's more ... we also talked to ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong -- who is also friends with Mark -- about the billionaire's foray into MMA.

The bantamweights are anchoring UFC 292 Saturday night -- with Aljamain Sterling and rival "Suga" Sean O'Malley fighting -- and the greatest 135er of all-time is breaking down the matchup!

"You're looking at pure dominance in grappling as a specialist or a knockout artist in Sean O'Malley, so that's a fun fight," UFC legend Dominick Cruz told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"There's no way that this can't be fun!"

To make the fight even better, outside of the guy's incredible talents, there's also been a lot of trash talk.

"Especially because of the talking on the line. All the things O'Malley is saying, 'You're not gonna be able to hold me down. I'm gonna knock you down first,'" Dom explained.

"Well, now he has to prove that, we've all heard it. And Sterling has to prove he can get in there and not get knocked out. I mean they've all talked so much, that's what builds this thing. That's what makes this fun, and gets me excited about it."

Of course, 34-year-old Sterling is the champion, and 28-year-old O'Malley is the #2 contender, behind Merab Dvalishvili. Aljo and Suga have been talking trash to each other for years.

Sterling is in the midst of a 9-fight win streak and has beaten the likes of Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen. Some of the best fighters in the world.

Sean has only lost once in his career -- to Marlon "Chito" Vera in 2020 -- and last defeated Yan.

We also asked Dom about his future. He's injured, but not retired ... not at all. In fact, Cruz is still the 9th-ranked bantamweight and is eyeing another run at the belt once he gets healthy.