MMA

Dana White is doubling down on his claim Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon -- and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is!

"If I had to make a bet -- and I'm a betting man -- I would bet he does [return]," Dana tells TMZ Sports.

"So, yeah ... I think he will."

Of course, Khabib announced his retirement following his Oct. 24 victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... explaining he has no desire to fight anymore after the death of his father earlier this year.

But, Dana says Khabib's father is the reason he WILL return -- explaining it was his dad's dream for Khabib to finish with a 30-0 record.

So, who would be the opponent? Dana says he's NOT considering Georges St-Pierre, despite Khabib previously suggesting that's he'd be open to that opportunity.

Instead, Dana pointed to 2 upcoming fights ... Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson.

"We'll see how all these things play out here ... One of those guys would definitely be in for the fight."

There's more ... we also asked Dana about plans for Jon Jones, who appears to be bulking up for a fight at the heavyweight level.

But, White says there's nothing in the plans for a Jon Jones scrap in the near future.

"Jon Jones, I don’t know what Jon Jones is doing," White says.

"When he’s ready, all he's gotta do is let us know … but we have no inclination whatsoever that this guy is coming to fight."

Conor McGregor is officially returning to the Octagon in 2021 -- he and Dustin Poirier have signed their contracts to fight at UFC 257, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The two sides had reached a verbal agreement a while back -- with Dana White saying he was confident the UFC would be able to make a deal. But now, McGregor says the paperwork is done.

The rematch of their 2014 brawl will go down on January 23, possibly at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Conor says they will fight at lightweight (155 pounds).

McGregor commented about the upcoming fight on social media recently -- saying, "I look forward to the fresh test Dustin will bring since our first bout, while also showcasing my own incredibly deep cache of weaponry."

"Whatever tool is needed on the night will be pulled from the duffel."

McGregor has also pledged to make a donation to Dustin's charity, The Good Fight Foundation, which provides resources to underprivileged youth in Poirier's home state of Louisiana.

Conor and Dustin first clashed at UFC 178 in 2014 -- with McGregor stopping Poirier in the 1st round.

A.J. McKee is only 25 years old, and has a perfect 16-0 record ... and if that ain't scary enough, the undefeated fighter tells TMZ Sports he's recently been mentored by Floyd Mayweather.

We talked to the 145 lb. featherweight contender ... and he revealed that he's been chopping it up with Mayweather -- another guy who knows a little something about being unbeaten.

"I've spoke with Floyd, I've talked to him and I even told him, I'm the 'you' of MMA," McKee says.

"What do I gotta do to get that 'you' check? There's always knowledge and wisdom you can get from other people and that's something I was really big on when I spoke with [Floyd]."

A.J. says TBE -- 50-0 in the squared circle -- spent about a half-hour advising him ... and gave him invaluable advice.

"[Floyd] said this is me, 'this is my show.' If no one around me adding to me or pleasing or trying to help me be better and add to my empire, then why do I have them around?"

"It's selfish, but in a sport, in a fight game that we have and that we are in, I get it! We talked for a good 30 minutes. We really went in kinda deep."

“Listen I studied his every move. I knew what he was gonna do when I went in. I actually called my manager a week before the fight, and told him I was gonna have the fastest knockout in BKFC history.”

That's badass bare-knuckle fighter Uly Diaz on his record-setting, 3-second knockout of opponent Donelei Benedetto at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 14 on Saturday night.

So, yeah ... everyone else was SHOCKED at how fast Diaz ended the fight -- except Uly.

Diaz -- who says he has the prediction on video -- tells TMZ Sports he studied Benedetto, and actually had a premonition he'd immediately turn his lights off.

“I manifested this. I dreamt about this moment. Listen, it’s an amazing experience. It sounds crazy to say it, but I promise you, my hand to God, I saw all this happening before it did."

The KO's gone viral online, and Uly says he's heard from everyone from ordinary fans, to his childhood friend, Pitbull ... to freakin' Hulk Hogan!

"You know what, a lot of people have been hitting me up. But, by far I think the coolest thing for me, I freaked out when I saw it, was Hulk Hogan hit me up and told me he was a fan," Uly tells us.

"He told me to keep up the hard work. Stay focused. Listen, it’s amazing."

We also asked Diaz if his knockout was the best in combat sports in the year 2020 ... or if others like Tank Davis or Joaquin Buckley's were more impressive.

Diaz didn't mince words when he answered the question.

"If I caught Floyd with one punch -- one punch -- I would snap this f**ker in half."

That's Logan Paul GOING OFF about how he would wreck Floyd Mayweather if they ever got into a "real" fight ... while insisting he's still down to fight the G.O.A.T. in a boxing ring, too!

Paul was out at Boa Steakhouse in L.A. over the weekend when he was asked if there's been any progress in a possible Logan vs. Floyd boxing match in the near future.

As we previously reported, 43-year-old Mayweather was recently approached with the idea of having an exhibition bout with 25-year-old Paul ... but no deal has been signed.

Paul was tight-lipped about the plans when we saw him back in September, but now he's calling out Floyd publicly ... and talkin' a TON of trash in the process.

"Let me tell you this, if I caught Floyd in a real fight, street fight, whoop his ass! No question," Paul said ... "MMA? Octagon? Whoop his ass!"

"The only place I think Floyd is safe obviously is the boxing ring, but to be honest, I don't give a f*ck! I don't give a f*ck! I would fight Floyd anytime, anywhere, any place. Doesn't f*ckin' matter to me."

Paul continued, "I'm 8 inches taller, I'm 40 pounds heavier, I'm half his age, I'm 2 times as hungry and 10 times as smart. I'm used to beating up people weaker and shorter than he is. I grew up with Jake!"

When asked why Mayweather won't sign the contract, Logan offered up this explanation.

"Bro, think about it. He's got everything to lose, I've got nothing to lose. Mr. Money wants a money fight!? Let's f*ckin go."

Wanna see the aftermath of a bloody UFC brawl between two of the most badass dudes on the planet?!

Here's Paul Felder getting his face fixed up after his split-decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos on Saturday ... and it ain't for the faint of heart.

Remember, the Irish Dragon took the fight on just 5 DAYS(!!!) notice and fought like a true warrior ... going all 5 rounds with RDA.

In fact, the dude initially thought he would be the color commentator for the event ... and had to cut 22 pounds in that quick turnaround to make weight at 155.75 pounds.

While the result may have not gone in Felder's favor, the fact he even stepped up to the challenge has earned the guy some serious props in the fighting game.

Not only did Felder take it like a champ, he was even down to show off his patch-up job after the fight ... and he seemed to be in good spirits.

Aaron Pico admits he felt bad after OBLITERATING his opponent with a crushing right hand at Bellator 252 on Thursday -- and later apologized to the guy for talking trash after the knockout.

If you haven't seen the video yet ... BUCKLE UP!!

Pico just destroyed John de Jesus with an overhand right in the 2nd round of their featherweight bout -- sending his opponent crumbling to the ground, where Pico continued to fire off shot after shot until the ref stopped the fight.

In the moment after the knockout, Pico was so fired up, he started talking trash to JDJ while he was still laid out on the mat.

But, Aaron eventually cooled down and tells TMZ Sports he had a respectful conversation with JDJ after the fight.

"Yeah yeah, he said good fight, I just apologized, and said that I probably shouldn't say that after the fight, but it's over it is what it is."

"It's a fight," Pico added ...  "That's what people don't realize sometimes. There's so many emotions that go into it that you just can't explain it, especially when you knock somebody out."

"It's a feeling that you can't explain ... that seems like the best drug that you could possibly take, knocking someone out. You feel like on top of the world for a while, and then it wears off."

Aaron says the two men had been beefing all week -- which got him more hyped up than he would have liked to have been in the fight.

"I just knew I had to literally just stay calm and that was the game plan going into the fight -- that he was gonna taunt, he was gonna do a lot of things. But, my coaches just said 'just stay in the process. Be like Georges St-Pierre and don't let anything phase you.'"

Pico is now on a 3 fight win streak -- winning all of his fights in 2020.

"They put that money up, hell yeah I'll go over there and fight him!"

That's boxing superstar Terence Crawford -- arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world -- telling TMZ Sports he would seriously consider an MMA match with Conor McGregor.

So, why would the undefeated welterweight champ cross over into Conor's sport? Easy ...

Turns out, Crawford comes from a family of wrestlers and has some legit wrestling experience himself. He's very confident in his skills.

Plus, he doesn't think Conor's that big of a threat on the ground anyway!

"To keep it real, Conor's not a real good wrestler. He may kick the sh*t out of you. You gotta worry about them kicks to the head and them elbows more than him grabbing you."

"It'd be other things that you'd be having to worry about other than wrestling you."

Of course, if Conor wanted to stand up and turn it into a fistfight, the undefeated Crawford believes it would be a slaughter.

There's been talk about a possible Crawford vs. McGregor match for a while -- but Terence says he's seriously open to it.

"Conor is a big talent in the octagon and I'm a big talent in the boxing ring. Money talks. They put that money up, hell yeah I'll go over there and fight him!"

In the meantime, Crawford has a big fight coming up on Saturday -- taking on former champ Kell Brook in a WBO welterweight title bout.

Crawford is a huge favorite -- but we spoke with Kell, and he ain't about to roll over.

34-year-old Brook is 39 and 2 as a pro -- with a win over Shawn Porter in 2014.

Everyone wants to know why UFC star Paul Felder is volunteering to fight a killer like Rafael dos Anjos on just 5 days' notice.

Well, Paul just gave us the answer -- and it's about as gangster as it gets.

"This is the crazy stuff that will either set me up for a major fight and move my career forward or I'll prove that I got balls that are bigger than anybody else's in the division."

No lies detected.

Paul -- who hasn't fought since February -- stepped up to replace Islam Makhachev in the main event on Nov. 14 ... after Islam was forced to withdraw this week due to a staph infection.

Felder says UFC firmed up the fight on Monday night -- giving him less than a week to prep himself for war.

Fortunately, Felder says he's been training like a maniac recently for a triathlon -- which means his cardio is insane at the moment.

So, he weighed the pros and cons of fighting a legend like dos Anjos -- and quickly came to the decision that it's worth the risk.

"If he beats me, he's a former champion! I don't give a sh*t! It's Rafael dos Anjos!"

Felder continued, "I mean, I've got nothing to lose other than some brain cells and some broken bones and things as usual but I will heal up and I'll be fine."

Don't get it twisted, Paul says he wouldn't have taken the fight if he wasn't 100% confident he can win.

"I'm fully capable of beating him, that I will make everyone clear of! I'm not coming in here to get a payday."

Felder says there's a real chance this could be the last fight of his career -- but he's not worried about that. He's just getting himself ready to fight.

Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champ -- with signature victories over stars like Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Kevin Lee and "Cowboy" Cerrone.

UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman -- the first UFC heavyweight champ ever -- is recovering in the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The 55-year-old legend says he felt something was wrong late Tuesday -- "chest locked up my arms went numb" -- but he tried to sleep it off.

When things didn't get better after several hours, Mark hightailed it to the hospital where doctors found a "complete blockage of a major artery."

"If I [didn't go to the hospital] I’m probably not here today," Coleman posted from his hospital bed.

"I’m so glad I went I have so many things I want to do."

He added, "For the first time in a long time I am motivated I am great full and appreciate all your support. It wasn’t my time. It’s time to live."

Coleman became the first UFC heavyweight champ back in 1997 when he defeated Dan Severn in the 1st round of their fight at UFC 12.

He went on to fight some of the greatest heavyweights of all time -- like Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture.

His signature victories include wins over guys like Mauricio Rua and Stephan Bonnar.

Coleman was inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2008.

Canelo Alvarez is declaring his independence from Oscar De La Hoya -- claiming he's cut ties with Golden Boy Promotions and is now a "free agent."

Canelo had previously filed a $280 million lawsuit against Golden Boy, Oscar and DAZN claiming they're preventing him from getting back in the ring and continuing his fighting career.

The boxing superstar had famously signed an 11-fight, $365 million deal with DAZN in October 2018 -- a deal put together by Golden Boy -- but Canelo has only fought 3 times since then.

Long story short ... there have been issues about potential opponents, including a 3rd fight with Gennady Golovkin. Plus, Oscar and Canelo have been at odds for months.

It's become obvious the relationship between the two former friends is seriously damaged.

Fast-forward to Friday, when Canelo's manager, Eddy Reynoso, issued a bombshell statement claiming Alvarez is now a free agent and is working on setting up his next fight ... THIS YEAR.

"Starting today, November 6th, ‘Canelo’ becomes a free agent, so we are ready to continue with his boxing career," Reynoso says.

"All this time we have been working very hard in the gym with a lot of responsibility and discipline, to be in great physical shape and ready to fight this year and it will be!"

"We will announce date, rival and place very soon, and we will return stronger than ever to keep growing and showing that Mexican boxing is the best."

ESPN is reporting Golden Boy and DAZN have formally released Alvarez from his contract -- after days of negotiations to try and save the relationship.

Bottom line ... Canelo is set to move on.

Khabib Nurmagomedov met with another world leader this week -- the Head of Dagestan -- and it sounds like he's staying retired.

Khabib sat down with Sergei Melikov, the acting Head of the Dagestan Republic -- who praised Khabib for bringing a "great victory to our people" with his UFC 254 win over Justin Gaethje.

"Khabib, you became the pride of not just your family and your people but the pride of Dagestan," Melikov said in an interview captured by RT Sport.

"Dagestan takes your victory as its own and celebrates it as its own win."

Of course, Khabib announced his retirement from MMA in the moments after the fight -- and even left his gloves in the octagon in a symbolic gesture.

UFC president Dana White recently said he's been talking to Khabib about returning for one last fight -- but when Khabib was talking with Melikov, he didn't sound like a man contemplating a comeback.

Khabib said fighting after the death of his father was difficult -- "The emotions in this fight were completely different. Everything was completely different without my father."

"I was offered the fight [with Gaethje] right after everything happened. I had the decision to accept it or turn it down -- nobody knew about this -- or retire."

"Or I could come back, fight and then retire. Now I tell the people close to me that aren’t happy with me retiring that even if I fought 10 more times, I’d still have to face that decision."

"This decision could come up when I’m 32, 34, 35. It’s a hard decision because I’ve been fighting all my life. I’ve been on the mats for as long as I remember. It’s difficult to leave and do something else. People can’t understand it, but what can you do?”

So, what will Khabib do? His father wanted him to retire with a 30-0 record. He currently sits at 29-0.

Israel Adesanya says his wonky pec at UFC 253 was NOT due to steroids or some sort of medical issue ... rather, the MMA star says it's simply 'cause he smokes too much weed!!!

"It might have just been unhealthy living a little bit -- like, smoking weed," the 31-year-old said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show this week. "That's what the doctor from the UFC said."

If you missed it ... while Adesanya picked apart Paulo Costa on Fight Island on Sept. 26, his right pectoral muscle flopped around far lower than his left one.

Viewers were concerned something might be horribly wrong ... and critics suggested it could be "juice" related.

But, Adesanya said he got everything checked out recently -- including getting an ultrasound and a mammogram -- and he claims docs told him everything was likely due to too much devil's lettuce.

"After a performance like that, I'd think I was on steroids too," Adesanya joked.

Adesanya says docs explained the disfigurement was nothing more than "a fat deposit" ... and he added he's now feeling -- and looking -- much better.

"It calmed down," Adesanya said. "Not as sensitive."

As for Adesanya's plans for weed now ... he says docs advised him to stop -- but he's laughing about that idea.

Insane scene in a Halloween MMA match ... a fighter snapped her forearm in half -- BUT TRIED TO CONTINUE THE MATCH ANYWAY!!!

It all went down Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil at SFT MMA's Standout Fighting Tournament 22 ... when Sidy Rocha was taking on Karine Silva.

At some point during the first round ... the two fighters got on the ground -- and Silva appeared to lock Rocha's arm in a submission hold.

That's when Rocha's arm broke ... and, WARNING: THE VIDEO OF THE SCENE IS GRAPHIC!

But, to everyone's bewilderment ... Rocha tried to continue brawling -- despite the fact that her arm was hanging by nothing but skin!!

Eventually, the ref stepped in to stop the fight ... and you can see in the video, Rocha was NOT happy at all with the decision.

Docs ultimately were able to tend to Rocha's arm inside the cage ... and she'll now reportedly undergo an operation to fix the break.

ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?!?!

It hasn't even been 2 months since Randy Couture was seriously injured in an ATV crash -- but he's already cleared to start training again!

As we previously reported, the UFC Hall of Famer was pretty banged up during the Sept. 7 crash on his ranch in Flagstaff, AZ.

The 57-year-old suffered injuries to his ribs -- and underwent surgery so doctors could put two plates in his shoulder!

So, how's he feeling now?

"Everything's great. No issues," Couture tells us ... "The ribs actually healed up a lot faster than I remember healing up last time I did this sh*t."

"The shoulder was fine, they plated the shoulder, I got full range of motion. So, there's no real issues."

INCREDIBLE!

Randy says he's been cleared to do some light training -- and as soon as his ribs heal up, he'll go back to his usual full workout routine.

Couture is one the toughest guys in pro sports -- he famously walked himself to the hospital after suffering a heart attack in 2019 ... and then walked back home when he was discharged!

#Beast

Anderson Silva has some business advice for Conor McGregor -- forget about a rematch with Khabib ... and focus on getting a deal done with Manny Pacquiao!!

Remember, Silva and Conor had publicly floated the idea of fighting each other over the past year -- with Silva even consulting with doctors about cutting weight for a possible throw down.

But, 45-year-old Silva says it became clear it wasn't going to happen and he moved on -- he's now fighting Uriah Hall on Halloween night in what could be the last fight of his Hall of Fame career.

As for Conor, Silva tells TMZ Sports ... McGregor should seriously reconsider getting back in the boxing ring, since he made a life-changing paycheck from his 2017 bout with Floyd Mayweather.

"I think for Conor right now, the best fight is with Manny Pacquiao," Silva says.

"For business, I think the best fight for Conor is to take the fight with Manny Pacquiao."

Silva says Conor obviously needs more training -- but he thinks it's a very interesting fight that people would love to watch.

As for his fight with Hall -- it's dangerous. 36-year-old Hall is on a 2-fight win streak and has previously defeated tough guys like Thiago Santos and Gegard Mousasi.

Silva has said this is most likely his last fight -- but nothing's set in stone. In other words, if he mops the floor with Hall, you might see him back in the octagon one last time.

If he does retire, he's a lock for the HOF -- widely regarded as one of the best of all time ... defeating legends like Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Stephan Bonnar and more.

#Legend