MMA

How good is #5 ranked UFC Lightweight, Islam Makhachev? His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes he could be one of the most dominant fighters of all time.

"I think [Islam's] gonna be one of the greatest fights ever. I think he's a better version than Khabib. I truly believe he is. He's not now, but he can be. He's a future world champion, for sure," Ali tells TMZ Sports.

Obviously, Nurmagomedov (literally) NEVER lost ... finishing his legendary career with a 29-0 record. He beat Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor.

If you're not familiar with 30-year-old Makhachev ... he's a beast. Islam's 20-1 ... with his sole defeat coming in his 2nd UFC fight way back in 2015.

Ever since ... he's dominated.

Next on the agenda is #6 ranked Dan Hooker at UFC 267 on October 30 ... a fight Abdelaziz says Hangman can only win with a fluke punch.

"Dan Hooker, great fighter, great guy, he's showing up for a paycheck. The only way he can win is a lucky punch."

Ali says he's personally witnessed Makhachev beat much bigger UFC stars in the gym.

"Let me tell you something, Islam Makhachev, I see him in the gym beating D.C. (Cormier), beating Luke Rockhold, beating some of my guys who's top 5 middleweight. Beating guys in the top 5 at welterweight."

S.F. fans might be hurting right now, but there's something to look forward to for next season ... 'cause UFC star Nate Diaz says he wants to throw out the first pitch at a Giants game -- and put Conor McGregor's toss to shame!!

Of course, Diaz's nemesis had one of the worst ceremonial first pitches EVER back in September ... chucking the ball wide right of the plate, but claiming it was actually great.

So, when we spoke with the 36-year-old at the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight last weekend -- before the Giants' heartbreaking exit from the postseason -- we asked if he was gonna try to get the same honor at Oracle Park.

Diaz disses McGregor with his response -- saying if he does get the opportunity, he's gonna hit the target!!

When we asked if his pitch will be better than Conor's, Diaz made it clear he'd look like Logan Webb out there on the mound.

Chuck Liddell has filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years ... just days after the UFC legend was arrested for domestic violence in Los Angeles, TMZ Sports has learned.

51-year-old Liddell filed for "dissolution w/ minor children" from his wife Heidi on Friday at a courthouse in L.A.

We broke the story ... Chuck was arrested early Monday morning at his Hidden Hills home after police responded to a call for a domestic disturbance.

When cops arrived, they spoke to Chuck and Heidi ... and determined a verbal argument turned physical.

While Chuck was taken to jail ... he's adamant he was actually the victim, and volunteered to go with cops so Heidi could remain at their home with a minor child who was in the house.

"I was the victim of the incident last night at our family home, as details of the case will reveal," Liddell said in a statement the day after the arrest.

"The deputies informed me that my wife would be arrested, as I did not respond to her assault while I sustained bruising and lacerations. I volunteered to go in her place."

Heidi was cited on the scene, but not taken into custody.

Conor McGregor found a fan in Italy this week who had tatted the UFC star's face on his arm -- and he absolutely bro'd down with the guy to celebrate!!!

The clip -- which McGregor filmed himself -- is awesome ... the fighter looked the ink over up-and-down and praised it relentlessly.

"This is probably the best version, the best version of me," McGregor said, adding, "My man! Thank you, brother!"

The artwork featured a bearded McGregor surrounded by money signs ... and Conor loved it so much, he then threw his arm around the dude and took a selfie video.

The guys cheered and smiled ... and it seems like it was a blast for all involved.

Of course, Conor is a huge fan of body ink ... he's got some of the most recognizable tats in the world -- but as far as we know, there are no portraits of himself on the bod yet.

This is one of the most brutal head kick knockouts you'll ever see -- courtesy of combat sports star Superbon Banchamek -- who starched opponent Giorgio Petrosyan with a perfectly placed strike, to win the ONE Championship title.

31-year-old, #2 ranked Superbon fought 35-year-old, #1 ranked Petrosyan Friday in Singapore for the inaugural ONE Championship Featherweight Kickboxing Championship.

The knockout happened in the 2nd round of a scheduled 5-round fight ... with 2:35 minutes remaining.

Just beating Petrosyan, one of the best kickboxers in the world, is an awesome accomplishment ... he's got a pro kickboxing record of 104-3-2.

If you're not familiar with Superbon ... he signed with ONE in 2020. He made his debut with the promotion last July, beating Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

Daniel Cormier is speaking out on his nemesis Jon Jones' recent arrest ... telling the UFC superstar to look deep within himself and straight-up "get your s*** right."

DC shared his thoughts on Jones' September domestic violence arrest in a YouTube video on Thursday ... saying this is an important moment for him to figure out how to move forward in a positive way.

"It makes me sad that his daughter said, 'Call the police,'" DC said. "That’s the thing that saddens you."

"All those little things you’ve got to think that it doesn’t matter who you are, what type of person you are, those things have to really make you look within yourself and make a decision."

"Because no one’s perfect, but at a point, you’ve got to make a decision for not only you – for your daughters, for your fiancée, for your family, for everything. I think right now is that time."

The message comes on the heels of Jones' longtime coach, Mike Winkeljohn, banning him from the Jackson Wink MMA gym ... a decision DC applauds.

"Coach Winkeljohn’s decision shows what type of man he is, willing to step away from the money in order to stand on the grounds of what he believes," Cormier says.

He added ... "You would think that for a young man like this, that would be a wake-up call. Those are your allies, your greatest allies. Even your greatest allies start to turn their back."

DC notes his heated rivalry with Jones ... but says this isn't about fighting, it's about caring for a human being.

"When a man's down, you don't kick him. You wait until he's back on his feet. Right now, he's the furthest thing from his feet. This is a bad place for Jon Jones, especially as the allies start to drop off."

As for Jones' recent tweets denying fault in the incident, DC says he needs to think twice before he hits the "send" button.

"Conor McGregor, a guy who can't even beat guys in the UFC, went 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather. You have to tell me Kamaru cannot go 12 rounds with Canelo and beat him?"

That's Ali Abdelaziz, Kamaru Usman's manager, telling TMZ Sports he wants to answer the question, who's really the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, by boxing Canelo Alvarez, the best pugilist in the world.

And, he believes his guy can, and will, win.

The 34-year-old welterweight champ is rematching Colby Covington at UFC 268 in November, but after that fight, Ali has his sights set on 31-year-old Alvarez.

"Let's get the pound-for-pound king in boxing vs. the pound-for-pound king in MMA. We're not into this fake fight, gimme fight," Abdelaziz says.

"If you think you're the pound-for-pound king, Kamaru is the pound-for-pound king. Let's have 2 kings fight each other. No takedowns allowed."

FYI, Canelo-- the super middleweight champ -- hasn't lost in 8 years ... since his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2013.

But, beating Alvarez isn't all Ali has planned ... he says he then wants his fighter to go to 185 lbs. (from 170 lbs.) and fight Israel Adesanya.

"After [Canelo,] I've always said it, I want Kamaru to go up a weight class and fight for Middleweight title. I believe that today Kamaru can go up and be 2 division champion."

It's a tricky fight to make ... Usman and Adesanya have been resistant to even talking about a fight against each other because of their shared connection to Africa. Both men were born in Nigeria.

Luis Pena's girlfriend claims the UFC fighter, known by many fans as "Violent Bob Ross," choked and punched her in the face before being arrested for domestic violence ... in a 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports.

"I wasn't trying to snitch, but since my boyfriend wants to be an asshole, he put his hands on me, and he's got to go," Pena's GF told an emergency dispatcher.

28-year-old Pena -- 9-3 in professional MMA (5-3 in the UFC) -- was arrested Saturday in Broward County, Florida after allegedly getting physical with his girlfriend.

According to legal docs, Luis is also accused of assaulting another woman who attempted to intervene after Pena allegedly got physical with his GF.

When asked by the 911 operator, Pena's GF said the fighter got physical with her, hitting her.

"He punched me in the face. But, he did this also 2 days ago, I have the mark, I have a band-aid on my back. I have everything to prove it, so I would like the police to come and remove him, so I can get my things and go the f*** home."

The woman tells the operator police previously responded to the residence over a call for the same incident, but she admitted she wasn't initially helpful.

"[Cops] were mad because I wouldn't cooperate because I didn't wanna snitch on him, but unfortunately, I have to now. I would like them to come back."

FYI, it's not the first time Pena has been in trouble with the law. Back in June he was arrested for robbery (this charge was later dropped) and battery after an alleged incident with his GF.

Regarding the alleged incident on Saturday, Pena is also accused of getting physical with a second woman who told police she was trying to help Luis' GF after she witnessed him hit her, according to legal docs.

During the 911 call, the GF referred to a restraining order that bars her and Pena from cohabitating together ... and with despair in her voice, she pleads for help.

"We have a no contact order, so technically we shouldn't even be living together. I really need the cops to come and get him out now., I have scratches and bruises all over me from him, I need him gone."

Mackenzie Dern wants to be UFC champion ... showing women can give birth AND kick ass in the Octagon -- proving you can be both an athlete and mom.

"I'm really just hoping that they have more mom champs. If I'm the first, you know that gave birth, I think it would be a big inspiration for a lot of people," Dern tells TMZ Sports.

We talked to 28-year-old Dern -- the 4th ranked strawweight -- days before her fight against 5th ranked Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

Remember, Dern returned to the Octagon ONLY 4 months after giving birth to her adorable daughter, Moa. She lost the fight to Amanda Ribas ... but the feat was still incredible.

Since, Dern's won 4 straight ... and a win tonight could propel her into a title fight with the winner of Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili (they're fighting in November.)

Mackenzie says she faced some unforeseen consequences after getting pregnant ... so becoming champ would be extra special.

"I lost sponsors, I lost fans, I lost a lot of things. People were like, you're not gonna come back," Dern says.

"Just to show that a mom can be at the highest level of mixed martial arts, ya know? This is not amateur fighting. This is the best of the best. I'll feel more like everything happened for a reason."

Of course, there have been mom champs in the past, including the greatest female fighter ever, Amanda Nunes. The Lioness' wife, UFC fighter Nina Nunes carried the couple's baby.

Tragic news ... MMA fighter, Justin Thornton, has died at 38 years old, just weeks after he was violently knocked out in an August fight.

Thornton was seriously hurt after Dillon Cleckler KO'ed him during a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event on Aug. 20.

The scene in the ring was very scary ... after taking multiple punches to the face, Thornton crashed headfirst into the mat and didn't move for several minutes.

BKFC officials confirmed Monday that Thornton -- who had reportedly been battling serious injuries from the fight -- has died.

It's unclear, however, if the KO had anything to do with the passing, as a cause of death has yet to be revealed.

"This morning we were very saddened to be notified of the passing of one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, who competed at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021," BKFC president Dave Feldman said in a statement.

"We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."

Thornton had been professionally fighting for over a decade ... compiling a 6-18 record.

Who says Kevin Holland can't wrestle?!

The MMA star thwarted an alleged carjacking Monday morning -- just 2 days after the wild ending at UFC Fight Night -- tracking down the accused thief in his car, and holding him down until police in Saginaw, TX arrived on the scene.

TMZ Sports talked to the 28-year-old fighter ... and he gave us a play-by-play of the crazy scene.

Holland details how he immediately sprang into action after being flagged down by the guy whose car was allegedly taken, and found himself in the middle of a wild chase.

It's a crazy story made even crazier by the timing ... Holland was just involved in a controversial fight Saturday night against Kyle Daukaus.

Less than 3 minutes into the fight, Holland and Daukaus accidentally clashed heads, briefly knocking Kevin out.

He quickly regained consciousness, but the brief moment Kevin was out allowed Kyle to get his neck, ultimately choking KH out, forcing him to tap.

Referee Dan Miragliotta consulted with fellow ref Herb Dean, the Nevada Athletic Commission, and UFC officials before deciding to declare the fight a no contest.

Despite the wild past few days, Holland is in good spirits, and gives a hysterical breakdown of the situation.

Claressa Shields says a knockout isn't enough for her 2nd MMA fight ... she's trying to BREAK BONES, telling TMZ Sports she's been putting in a ridiculous amount of work in the gym, and is ready to go!

26-year-old Shields -- regarded by many as the greatest female boxer in the world -- is set to return to the cage for her 2nd MMA fight on October 27 at a big PFL event in Hollywood, FL ... taking on 21-year-old Abigail Montes.

"She a decorated amateur kickboxer. Even though she only has 2 fights in MMA, she's been kickboxing for I don't know how many years in Mexico," Claressa says.

"She comes forward with a lot of punches, so, we're definitely gonna see a very, very entertaining fight and I know I'm gonna handle business and I'm trying to break Abigail's jaw, for sure."

😲😲😲😲😲😲

Shields flashed potential in her first MMA fight against Brittney Elkin in June ... winning via 3rd round TKO. However, she faced adversity ... repeatedly being taken down by the more experienced MMA fighter.

We asked Claressa how much time she's spent defending the takedowns ... and lets just say she's really been bustin' her ass.

"Every day. Every day. That's something we work on every single day, and I've gotten very good at it. Very good."

But, Shields isn't just working on her defense ... she tells us she's also drilled her takedown offense AND kick game.

"If I can stop the takedown, a lot of people's in trouble. If I can go for the takedown, people are in trouble. When I start adding those kicks to my punches, people are in trouble."

Big trouble.

Jon Jones and his fiancée have seemingly kissed and made up following his domestic violence arrest -- the UFC star just posted a video of the couple sharing a smooch on Friday ... and if the video is recent, it's clear they're moving on from the incident.

Jones shared the romantic moment to his Instagram page minutes ago ... with the song, "Stay With You" by John Legend (which we've muted for copyright reasons) accompanying the video.

Jones and Jessie Moses appear deeply in love ... smiling for the camera after the kiss.

The song is pretty symbolic, too -- with the lyrics, "Oh, I will stay with you through the ups and the downs. Oh, I will stay with you when no one else is around."

As we previously reported, the UFC light heavyweight champ was arrested early last Friday morning for domestic violence and damaging a cop car ... after allegedly getting physical with his fiancée and then headbutting a squad car.

Jones -- who's facing a misdemeanor (domestic battery) and a felony (tampering w/ a vehicle over $5,000 damage) -- was taken to Clark County Jail.

Days after the arrest, Jones  -- who has 3 children with his longtime fiancée -- declared on social media he was swearing off booze, writing ... "I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol, my brain simply can't handle it anymore."

Jon also vowed to come back bigger and better.

Claressa Shields isn't playin' around when it comes to Jake Paul ... the boxing and MMA superstar is throwing down the gauntlet, challenging The Problem Child to a fight, and promising to beat his ass.

TMZ Sports talked to the 26-year-old 2x Olympic gold medalist who just recently vowed to NEVER fight on a Paul undercard, claiming it'd be disrespectful to her incredible career.

"I wasn't talking s**t about Jake Paul yesterday. What I was speaking was facts. Jake Paul gets inside a boxing ring with me, he's getting his ass whooped!"

And, Shields is down to put her money where her mouth is ... and if the YouTuber turned boxer doesn't want to a real, sanctioned fight -- Claressa is down to spar and let his cameras roll the entire time.

"I bet you Jake Paul would get hurt, he probably get dropped, he would have a newfound respect for me if we spar or fight," Shields says.

"I'm not calling Jake Paul out because I know how the world looks at women fighting men, they look at it like 'oh no, ew' but I spar men daily and that's the truth."

Claressa -- the only fighter, male or female, to hold all 4 major titles in multiple weight classes -- also took issue with Paul addressing female boxing star Amanda Serrano -- who he just signed to his MVP promotions -- as the greatest female fighter ever.

"I'm the motherf***kin' GWOAT! I saw him make that post today with Amanda Serrano. He needs to know that I'm the GWOAT."

(BTW, there's ZERO beef between Claressa and Amanda. In fact, Shields says she has "love and respect" for Serrano.)

Bottom line, Shields -- who returns to the PFL MMA cage October 27 -- has a message for Jake ... and anyone else who thinks she can't handle herself in the ring because she's a woman.

"Cut the s**t! Don't disrespect my skills. Look, just because a man is a man and he's in boxing doesn't mean that they can beat me and there's a lot of guys who's been in boxing for years who cannot do nothing with me, let alone Jake Paul".

Alexander Volkanovski says he was only moments away from losing consciousness when Brian Ortega had him in a guillotine at UFC 266, telling TMZ Sports there were 2 options -- get out or go out.

... 'cause he was NEVER gonna tap.

We talked to the UFC featherweight champ following his dominating win over Brian Ortega ... and although AV won via unanimous decision, things got dicey in the 3rd round when Ortega had Volkanovski in a choke so tight that Alex's surroundings literally started to change colors.

"It was getting close where I couldn't breathe," Volkanovski says.

"It was definitely close. But, again, I was never going to stop trying to get out of it and I was never going to tap."

Then, almost out of a movie scene, Volkanovski says he imagined going home to his family without his championship belt.

"I remember I had like a moment, it was weird 'cause I was literally thinking of my family, and I was like man, I might not be taking this belt home to my family. You can't let it end like this."

"I literally had a moment like that, like s*** you see in the movies."

Bottom line, if you thought Alex wasn't in trouble, you're wrong ... 'cause "mate, it was deep. It was deep."

We also talked to Alex about the controversy in between the 3rd and 4th rounds ... when Volkanovski believes Ortega was incorrectly provided precious time to recover, while Herb Dean and the doctor attempted to determine if T-City was fit to continue fighting.

AV says the fight should've been stopped right there.

"[Brian] was stumbling when they were asking him to move. They definitely should've ... I didn't even realize his corner picked him up and put him on the stool, which you're not allowed to do. You hear things like that and you're like, 'I'm surprised that they didn't stop it.' But, all good."

Matter of fact, Alex says he's sorta happy the fight wasn't stopped ... because fans got a helluva 5-round fight.

So, what's next for the featherweight champ? He's got options.

Conor McGregor tweeted about Volkanovski following the fight, writing ... "Not a bad fight. Congrats shartsy"

Is Alex interested in a fight at 155 pounds with The Notorious? We asked him.

"Of course you'd want that."

In fact, Alex says because Max Holloway (#1) and Yair Rodriguez (#3) aren't fighting until the end of the year (the winner likely being his next opponent in the featherweight division) ... he's got some time to kill.

And, a big money fight with McGregor, in AV's words, "sounds like a good time."

(Worth noting, Conor broke his leg only 80 days ago, and won't be ready to fight until sometime next year.)

Then there's Henry Cejudo ... who just told us he wanted to fight Alex at 145 lbs., and become the first UFC fighter to hold belts in 3 divisions.

Unfortunately for the man on a quest to become Quadruple C, Alex says he isn't interested.

"Nah, there's no point even wasting energy with it."

Forget a bottle, get Alex Volkanovski a shoe ... 'cause that's what the UFC star was chuggin' champagne out of at the Raiders game, celebrating his win over Brian Ortega.

And, we got it all on video!

The 32-year-old Aussie fighter hit up the Dolphins vs. Raiders game on Sunday -- after his crazy unanimous decision victory the night before at UFC 266 -- and the football game was LIT!

Check out this clip ... you can clearly see AV enjoyin' himself in Allegiant Stadium's "Wynn Field Club," watching the game with his UFC belt and a crowd of people.

That's when Alex really starts to party -- in the most Australian way -- by chuggin' some bubbly outta somebody's shoe!

And, get this, it wasn't Volkanovski's sneaker ... it was some dude's navy Vans.

One drink wasn't enough ... the champ yelled 'give me some more!' -- and promptly got a shoe refill.

FYI, there's a name for this sorta thing -- a "shoey" -- a popular way to drink beer in the Land Down Under. Alex subbed champagne for beer ... he was celebrating, after all.

Of course, Volkanovski wasn't the only one in Vegas who got a W -- the Raiders secured an overtime victory, and are 3-0.

Now, who's thirsty?!?