MMA

Chuck Liddell is finally addressing what led to him going overboard on a Lamborghini yacht last month ... telling TMZ Sports it was a simple whoopsie-daisy moment.

The Iceman turned into Aquaman during a recent trip to San Diego ... falling off the side of the luxurious watercraft in front of all his peers -- requiring some serious assistance to get out of the water.

Liddell chalked the fall up to his animated hand gestures while talking ... and once he lost his balance, he only had two options -- hit the deck or aim for the H20.

Of course, Liddell chose the latter ... and in his opinion, that was the best way to avoid getting hurt.

The former UFC superstar says he's a pro when it comes to boats ... and he's pretty adventurous at sea, even doing flips off top decks of much bigger vessels in the past.

As for how he's doing, Liddell says he's completely fine ... so everyone can relax.

Kevin Holland is usually trying his darnedest to stay off his back, but the UFC star will be playing a different role Saturday night, according to Michael Page, who is making his promotion debut ... 'cause Venom tells us he's going to turn Trailblazer into a wrestler!

"Any intelligent mixed martial artist, any smart mixed martial artist, 100% we've got our egos, we've got that tough bravado, but at the same time we want to win, and if it gets further and further away from looking like you're going to win, you have to change tactics," 36-year-old Venom Page told TMZ Sports.

"So, we're prepared for [Kevin] to become a wrestler. I've turned many strikers into wrestlers before, and I'm sure at some point he's gonna want to do the same."

Of course, fans who have watched 31-year-old Holland fight throughout his MMA career know he's a dangerous striker, and his opps have done nearly everything to get him off his feet and on his back ... which is what makes MVP's prediction so bold.

It's also worth noting the UFC isn't giving Page a cupcake of a first fight ... he's going straight into the fire, and that's how he wanted it!

In fact, Michael says he met with UFC execs before signing, and he expressed a desire to fight the best straight away.

"I just want to jump right in the deep end. I've been in the game long enough now to not need warm-ups. Just let me at them and let's see if I sink or swim and we go from there."

Venom, 21-2 as a pro, counts wins over the likes of Douglas Lima, Derek Anderson, and Paul Daley.

As for what he hopes to accomplish, MVP is gunning for nothing short of a title.

Page vs. Holland is far from the only big fight on the UFC 299 card ... the event is anchored by the main event, a rematch between Marlon Vera and "Suga" Sean O'Malley.

Anthony Joshua dropped Francis Ngannou three times inside two rounds ... including a massive right hand that left The Predator out on the canvas!

The 34-year-old former 2x heavyweight champion was sharp from the very start of the bout ... putting 37-year-old Francis down in the first round with a hard straight right. Ngannou returned to his feet and even landed a hard punch towards the end of the round.

In the second, AJ again knocked Francis down ... but the former UFC champ beat the count, and the round continued.

But, just a short time later, Anthony uncorked a devastating right that landed flush to Francis' face, bending him backward (similar to the way Ngannou stopped Stipe Miocic), and immediately prompting the referee to stop the fight.

No count needed.

Ngannou, as doctors and medical professionals rushed in, remained down on the canvas for a couple of minutes ... and was even given oxygen.

Thankfully, Francis eventually got back on his feet, and appeared to be okay.

Despite less than 6 minutes of fighting, AJ encouraged Francis, who pushed Tyson Fury to the brink last year, to stick with boxing.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who has worked with many of the biggest and best in the sport, called the KO punch one of the "most destructive knockouts" he'd ever seen.

Fans and fighters alike will tell you MMA judging is largely broken ... and the solution? Some say open scoring, while others suggest turning former competitors into judges. What's the right answer? If anyone knows, it's Herb Dean.

TMZ Sports ran into the legendary referee at the airport in Los Angeles earlier this week and asked about open scoring ... which would make judge's scorecards visible to everyone in the arena, and watching at home.

Instead of finding out what the judge's scorecards look like after the bout, we'd all know in real time ... a point some argue would make fights more exciting. In other words, a fighter might've previously thought they were up on the cards, but with open scoring, that same fighter would have the benefit of knowing exactly where they stand, and what they need to do to earn a victory.

So, good idea, right? Not so fast.

"There's always an argument for [open scoring]," Dean said, before suggesting it could potentially be dangerous.

"I think there's things that could be problems with it. One, if the scoring is open, and some places where there's a heavy crowd effect, the crowd could track [the scoring], and that might be a problem."

Herb, who made his UFC debut at UFC 47 in 2004 (UFC 299 is next week!), added ... "Sometimes crowds can get violent over sports. I'm not saying that something is gonna happen, but it's something you might consider."

The longtime ref, who runs a top-notch ref/judging program, also talked about the push to bring retired fighters into the mix after they hang up the gloves ... something Herb's actively doing.

Some of his students include Joe Stevenson, John Romero, and Chris Leben ... three guys who have decided to stick around the sport in a different capacity. And there are others.

Dean, who fought back in the day, does caution simply being a fighter doesn't automatically mean you're a superior judge or ref.

"F*** you [Chito]! I'm gonna knock you out, buddy!" 😲

Time doesn't heal all wounds ... more than 3 1/2 years after fighting, Sean O'Malley still ain't fond of Marlon Vera (and the feeling's mutual), with the reigning champ telling TMZ Sports he's going to render Chito unconscious!

We talked to 29-year-old "Suga" just days before he heads to Miami for the main event fight against his 31-year-old rival ... about everything from the effect of his only loss (Vera injured O'Malley during the fight) to if he'll chase double champ status against Ilia Topuria.

On the August 2020 fight -- which Sean lost by TKO late in the first round -- O'Malley had this to say:

"I got a lot of hate for saying mentally I didn't lose that fight. I didn't feel like my skills were beat. It was a freak accident. Yeah, he threw the kid. Yeah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I've heard it all. Mentally undefeated, going in there with that mindset. Going in there with the mindset to kill this dude, and it's as simple as that," Suga told us.

We asked O'Malley, brevity of the fight aside, if he could take away anything from the first outing.

"Not really," he added. "Like you said, it was such a short fight, there really wasn't too much to take away from it. I was confident. I felt very confident in there. Even with the injury, my foot was shut off and I was still piecing him up. Dotting him up, chasing him down. I'm just very confident going into this fight."

It's Sean's first fight as defending champion ... we asked what, if anything, was unique this time around.

"Nothing's been different. My second 5 round training champ. Obviously, that last fight didn't go 5 rounds, it only went 2, 1 1/2. Nothing's really been different other than Chito, big fight, rematch. Same s***, different day. I've been doing this for 13 years."

Speaking of his belt, Sean won it with a masterful performance against Aljamain Sterling at TD Garden in Boston at UFC 292 in August 2023 ... in front of a decidedly pro-O'Malley crowd.

299 isn't in Beantown ... instead, the March 9 event will take place in sunny Miami, a city with a large Ecuadorian population. Chito was born in Chone, Ecuador.

Ex-WWE Superstar Matt Riddle is finally sharing his side of his eventful visit to JFK Airport last year ... claiming cocktails, an ear infection, and an awful travel experience sed his belligerent antics.

As we previously reported, Riddle appeared wasted before catching a flight to Orlando back in September ... grabbing a mic and shouting at passengers during a delay -- the same day he accused a Port Authority police officer of sexual assault.

The former Tag Team Champion explained he felt he was overworked at the time -- doing a four-day tour before flying to India for a one-day event and heading back to the States -- and that all "took a toll on me," he told "The MMA Hour."

On his flight back to the U.S., Riddle said he got a "really bad" ear infection ... and after a few alcoholic bevvies and flight delays, he was dealing with a "perfect storm."

Riddle is taking the whole thing in stride, though ... saying his bad time at the airport made him realize he needed to take a step back and stop working himself so much.

As for the sexual harassment accusation, Riddle also admitted alcohol played a factor ... and while he didn't wish to pursue charges, he now understands that he put himself in that situation.

Brendan Schaub flipped his truck in a terrifying off-roading crash earlier this month ... and the wild accident was all captured on video.

It happened while the former UFC fighter was trying to show off his souped-up TRX for an episode of his "Tune Town" YouTube show.

The 40-year-old took the ride to Johnson Valley, Calif. for a day of fun after getting it all tricked out ... and, initially, everything was going according to plan.

He and the vehicle were getting good shots blowing through dirt, sand and boulders -- and despite getting stuck at one point, the afternoon still appeared to be a success.

But, as he was getting set to leave, Schaub tried to spin some donuts ... and lost control.

You can see in video that Schaub posted to his social media pages, his airbag exploded as he was thrown around inside of the cab.

Thankfully, he was able to make it out of the car relatively unscathed ... though he did reveal he suffered a concussion in the wreck.

"Definitely didn't need another one," he said of the head injury. "But it could be a whole lot worse."

Schaub wrote on his YouTube page that the truck cost him in the area of $200,000.

"My favorite vehicle I've ever owned is that TRX," he said.

Brendan Schaub volcó su camión a principios de este mes y el salvaje accidente fue capturado en video.

Ocurrió mientras el ex luchador de la UFC estaba tratando de mostrar su TRX en un episodio de su programa de YouTube "Tune Town".

El ex luchador de la UFC de 40 años se fue a Johnson Valley, California, para pasar un día de diversión después de haberlo equipado todo, y al principio, todo marchaba según lo previsto.

Él y el vehículo iban de lo mejor a través de tierra, arena y rocas y a pesar de quedarse atascado en un punto, la tarde todavía parecía ser un éxito.

Pero cuando se estaba preparando para salir, Schaub trató de girar y perdió el control.

Usted puede ver en el video que Schaub publicó en sus páginas de redes sociales que su airbag explotó cuando él fue lanzado dentro de la cabina.

Afortunadamente, fue capaz de salir del coche relativamente ileso, aunque reveló que sufrió una conmoción cerebral en el accidente.

"Definitivamente, no necesitaba otro", dijo de la lesión en la cabeza. "Pero podría ser mucho peor".

Schaub escribió en su página de YouTube que el camión le costó al rededor de $200.000.

"Mi vehículo favorito que he tenido es ese TRX", dijo.

Forget Tom Cruise -- Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou are the newest big action stars on the scene ... 'cause the two boxing superstars just dropped a Hollywood-esque trailer for their upcoming fight!!

DAZN released the high-budget promo for the March 8 bout on Tuesday ... and it could easily pass as a teaser for any major entertainment studio.

The clip is titled "Knockout Chaos" ... and kicks off with Ngannou learning the news of his matchup with AJ being finalized and saying he'll take him on "anytime, anywhere."

As luck would have it, the two fighters bump into each other in the street right after ... and a crowd forms around them in anticipation of an impromptu showdown.

The trailer then channels the classic "Street Fighter" series ... and the two start duking it out, bouncing between real world and video game.

AJ and Ngannou trade vicious blows -- even getting knocked into outer space before crashing back down to earth.

The vid ends with both guys knocking each other out in the ring ... officially putting a stop to the madness after more than a minute of violence.

Sean Strickland is apparently taking on all challengers both inside and outside the Octagon these days ... getting into a scrap on Thursday with a man right on top of a mountain!!!

The impromptu wrestling match happened on a ski slope that appears to be somewhere in North America ... after a dude who Strickland may or may not have known asked him for a wrestling match amid a flurry of snow.

Of course, as one of the baddest men in the UFC -- the former middleweight champ accepted ... and seconds later, the two were locking horns.

Initially, Strickland's opponent seemed to hold his own as a group of snowboarders gathered around and cheered on the action ... but it didn't take long for the MMA star to get control.

And, after a few moments, Strickland made the guy tap. Later, he celebrated the unique win on Instagram.

"Always a good time on the mountain!!!!" the 32-year-old said. "Yall need to stop challenging me lmao!!!!!"

Strickland has made a bit of a habit of beating up non-pros lately ... he took on social media star Sneako in a sparring sesh a few days ago, and after toying with him for a few minutes -- he made the influencer bleed.

Johnny Eblen's next fight nearly came sooner than expected ... the Bellator champ found himself squarely in the sights of a popular prankster, and things got heated!

32-year-old Eblen was shopping at a local Home Depot in Florida recently when a social media prankster named ImReddttv approached Johnny and his lady friend wearing the Apple Vision Pro, and things almost instantly got off to a bad start.

"I'll tell you right now, I'm pretty sure I can bag her," Redd said, standing in front of the couple.

Credit to Johnny's spidey senses ... he seemed to instantly feel something was off, and even pointed out a guy in the cut who was surreptitiously holding a camera.

Redd brushed off the dude filming, and carried on with the prank, saying ... "What's up little man?" to the MMA champion.

He continued ... "Sweetheart, you need to be with a real big man like me," before asking Eblen if the woman was "his girl."

That's about when Johnny's patience wore out (he lasted a lot longer than most would've), saying, "If you say something disrespectful I'll f*** you up!"

Eblen and the woman started walking away, and Redd followed. Johnny then stopped and began walking toward the prankster ... and you get the feeling it was about to turn bad for the social media star.

That's when Redd revealed he'd been sent by Brian Butler-Au, Johnny's manager, to troll the fighter. Tension was instantly broken, and Johnny had a good laugh.

Not too long after the prank, Johnny hopped aboard a jet and flew across the world to Saudi Arabia ... where the Bellator middleweight champ is fighting PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay on February 24 in Riyadh.

UFC fighter Sedriques Dumas -- who just recently scored an impressive win at UFC 294 -- was arrested on Tuesday in Florida following a tense confrontation with police.

According to Escambia County jail records, the 28-year-old was booked on a charge of battery at around 6:13 AM.

Further details surrounding his arrest were not made immediately available ... although video posted to Dumas' Facebook page late Monday night/early Tuesday morning appears to show him getting into a verbal argument with several law enforcement officers just hours before he was thrown behind bars.

In the footage, it looks like Dumas was clearly upset with at least one member of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office ... who had told him they had been called out over "a disturbance."

Dumas repeatedly asked the officers questions before he told one, "I'm beyond f***ing pissed ... I'm just walking to blow off steam and she want to come at me and tell me I'm disrupting?"

The mixed martial artist and the police then went back and forth for several minutes ... before one of the officers told Dumas they had received a call regarding a woman who had said "her boyfriend was banging on the door and ringing the doorbell."

Ultimately, the video ended after it appears the officers put Dumas in handcuffs.

Dumas most recently fought on Oct. 21, 2023 in Abu Dhabi ... where he beat Abu Azaitar by unanimous decision.

Bellator champion Johnny Eblen's bank account took a big hit this weekend ... 'cause he treated an OnlyFans model to a day full of luxury shopping -- and the final price tag is wild!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the undefeated middleweight fighter's spending spree with Jessenia Rebecca -- who boasts nearly two million followers on Instagram -- and the two were clearly able to find what they wanted ... as they were both holding several bags.

We're told Eblen dropped $30,000 at Alex The Jeweler's shop, $25,000 at Dior and another $30,000 at Louis Vuitton ... totaling a staggering $85,000!!!

No word what inspired it all -- JR isn't even JE's girlfriend, but we're told he's currently in an open relationship with another lady.

Regardless, it's safe to say Jessenia was thrilled ... smiling from ear to ear as she gushed over the gesture.

If ya wanna feel even worse about yourself, Johnny and Jessenia then hop in an expensive-ass whip before driving off.

Gina Carano ha demandado a Disney por su despido de "The Mandalorian", alegando que fue castigada por no seguir la línea de un partido político... y Elon Musk la apoya.

La actriz -que fue despedida por la Casa del Ratón en 2021- justo en la crisis del COVID- acaba de presentar una demanda contra su ex empleador, alegando que fue despedida injustamente por publicar sus opiniones políticas en redes sociales, algo que ella afirma que no le pasó a sus compañeros de trabajo masculinos que hicieron publicaciones similares.

En los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Carano afirma que fue despedida por no ajustarse a la "ortodoxia progresista" de la empresa y en el público en general, especialmente en lo que respecta a las políticas del COVID en ese momento.

En concreto, Gina dice que lo que enfadó a Disney fue un mensaje que publicó y que hacía referencia a la persecución de los judíos durante el Holocausto, comparando ese escenario con lo que estaba ocurriendo con la gente que hablaba de COVID y otras posturas de tendencia conservadora.

Mientras que la compañía salió en su momento a criticarla por lo que dijeron era "denigrar a las personas en función de sus identidades culturales y religiosas", Carano dice que su publicación en las redes sociales no tenía esa intención en lo absoluto y que se perdió el contexto de lo que quería decir.

Y lo que es más importante, Gina afirma que Disney no la despidió por su rendimiento, sino simplemente por expresar opiniones políticas que se consideraban impopulares y contrarias a las de Disney... y Gina dice que eso era ilegal.

Lo que es más, Gina dice que otros coprotagonistas masculinos suyos también hicieron comentarios políticamente incendiarios en línea en ese momento -como cuando Mark Hamill fue acusado de publicar un tuit transfóbico- pero Disney aceptó sus explicaciones y siguió adelante.

En resumen, Carano afirma que su carrera se vio afectada negativamente y que perdió un montón de dinero, teniendo en cuenta que su trabajo iba viento en popa antes de que las cosas dieran un giro político. Ella está demandando por daños y perjuicios no especificados.

Gina Carano is suing Disney over her firing from "The Mandalorian" -- claiming she was punished for not toeing the political party line ... and Elon Musk's backing her.

The actress -- who got canned by the Mouse House in 2021, right in the thick of COVID -- just filed suit against her former employer ... alleging she was wrongfully terminated from her job over posting her political views on social media ... something she claims didn't happen to her male co-workers who made similar posts.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Carano claims she was fired for not conforming to "progressive orthodoxy" that was being espoused at the company and in the general public, especially as pertained to COVID policies at the time.

Specifically, Gina says a message she reposted that referenced persecution of Jews during the Holocaust -- comparing that scenario to what was going on with folks who spoke out about COVID and other conservative-leaning positions -- was what pissed Disney off.

While the company came out at the time to slam her for what they said was "denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities" ... GC says her social media post wasn't meant that way whatsoever, and that the context of what she was getting at got lost.

More importantly, Gina claims Disney didn't fire her over performance -- but simply for expressing political views that were considered unpopular and antithetical to Disney's ... and Gina says that was a legal no-no.

What's more, Gina says other male costars of hers also made politically inflammatory comments online at the time -- including when Mark Hamill was accused of liking a transphobic tweet -- but Disney accepted their explanations and moved on.

Bottom line ... Carano says her career was negatively impacted, and that she lost out on boatloads of cash considering her work was going swimmingly before things took a political turn. She's suing for unspecified damages ... but we're guessing it'll be a lot.

Kayla Harrison's opening up on all things UFC ... from her practice runs making 135 lbs. in the lead-up to her huge scrap with Holly Holm to whether she still has an interest in meeting Amanda Nunes in an Octagon!

33-year-old Harrison chopped it up with TMZ Sports ... weeks after she rocked the MMA world, moving from PFL to Dana White's promotion.

The 2x Olympic gold medalist and 2x PFL champion will fight 42-year-old Holm on the stacked UFC 300 card on April 13. We asked Kayla about signing with the UFC, and her thoughts on her legendary opponent.

"It's been amazing. Honestly, my life is so good. I really do feel like everything is happening at the right time and the right place with the right people," Harrison said.

"To be going to the Olympics of MMA on UFC 300 against Holly Holm, a legend in the sport. I'm so excited, I'm so amped. This is the s**t that gets me going, and yeah, I'm ready!"

When UFC 300 rolls around, it won't be happening at 145 or 155 lbs. ... no, Harrison is fighting at bantamweight. We asked her if she fears being able to make the weight.

"Listen there's this giant misconception about my weight, and I think people think I walk around at like 180 lbs. or something. The reality is I was fighting at 155 lbs. and I was walking into the cage at maybe 160 lbs. I don't get much bigger than 160."

Kayla continued ... "I was always the smaller fighter and usually the less experienced fighter. I don't believe in weight cutting, but now I'm going to do what everybody does and I'm gonna be in the cage and I'm gonna be the bigger, faster, stronger and more experienced fighter."

"Is it gonna suck? Yeah. I'm not gonna enjoy dieting, but it's a chosen sacrifice."

Harrison has long said she wants to be the G.O.A.T. ... a title Amanda Nunes currently lays claim to. We asked KH if she still has visions of fighting Nunes in the future.

"Listen, Amanda is the greatest of all time. That's a fact. So, of course, I would love for that to happen," Kayla told us.

"I've always said that, and not out of a place of disrespect. To me thats the highest compliment I could give her. you're the best, I want to find out what I'm made of with you.t a lot to prove. I've got a lot to do. I've got my work boots on. I'm in the gym, I'm hungry, I'm staying humble, but of course!"

"I've always said that, and not out of a place of disrespect. To me thats the highest compliment I could give her. you're the best, I want to find out what I'm made of with you."

The Lioness is still technically retired ... though it sounds like she could be gearing up for a comeback.

Retired or not, first things first ... Holly Holm, and Kayla has her hands full.