UFC

Barbaric, overly violent ... just some of the words used to describe slap fighting, much like MMA back in the day. But, cage fighting exploded in popularity, and now an undefeated slap fighting champ tells us he believes the sport is about to blow up.

"For us to be doing this at the Arnold, it kind of speaks volumes to where the sport is gonna be in the future, and I believe it's gonna be a thing how like the MMA scene, and the UFC started and was looked at as a brutal sport. Slap fighting is just that, but a little less brutal," Koa "Da Crazy Hawaiian" Viernes, an undefeated slap fighter told TMZ Sports.

Koa -- a 6'2", 378 lb., 9-0 slap fighter from Hawaii -- is competing in the Slap Fighting Championship Super Heavyweight World Championship this Saturday at the Arnold Sports Festival.

The comp is being hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger AND Logan Paul ... and will pit Koa against fellow undefeated champ (16-0), Dawid "Zales" Zalewski.

We asked Koa -- who grew up boxing -- what it feels like to be slapped ... and he says it hurts way more than being punched.

"If you've gotten punched in the face, it's completely different. When you get slapped, your fingers ricochet off the skin, the whole open hand, it hurts a lot more."

FYI, back in the mid and late '90s, MMA promoters had nearly an impossible job when it came to finding a venue to hold their events. In fact, MMA wasn't legal in all 50 states until 2016, when New York reversed a ban that disallowed mixed martial arts competition.

Now, the UFC -- and MMA as a whole -- is insanely popular ... and promotions routinely host hugely popular events at some of the biggest and most famous arenas around the world.

Can Slap Fighting become the next UFC? Koa thinks so ... and we're certainly not gonna tell him no.

UFC superstar Israel Adesanya says he still wants to fight Jon Jones ... but, he doesn't need it to cement himself as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time.

The 32-year-old martial artist and middleweight champ stopped by the TMZ offices Thursday ... and talked about everything from his rivalry with Jones, Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington, whether he has a future in acting, his rise to superstardom and the money and fame that comes along with it, his awesome walk-out before the first Robert Whittaker fight, and so much more.

(Check out the full interview with Stylebender ⬇️)

On 34-year-old Jones ... we asked Adesanya if he still wanted to fight him, despite Jon moving to heavyweight and not having fought in over 2 years.

"We'll see. Time will tell," Israel told Babcock.

"I don't need it, but I do want it. I don't need it, though. People think I need it for my legacy."

You may remember ... in 2019, Jon commented he believed he would eventually fight Izzy. The men then went back and forth, igniting a rivalry that exists to this day.

Jones now resides in the heavyweight division (206-265 lbs.) ... while Izzy fights at middleweight (up to 185 lbs.).

We asked Israel -- who has flirted with fighting at heavyweight -- if that's the division where the fight would happen.

"Nah, I like light heavyweight. That's where he was dominant so I really wanna go light heavyweight."

Adesanya -- arguably the greatest striker in UFC history -- showed off some of his arsenal in the TMZ newsroom ... using a round kick to knock a cup off of Harvey Levin's head.

Don't worry, Israel's okay 😄😄😄

Bottom line ... Adesanya is a superstar in every sense of the word.

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME ... unless you know Harvey Levin.

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya paid a visit to the TMZ office on Thursday ... and naturally, we had to put his world-class skills to the test.

The Last Stylebender was up for the challenge ... saying he'd love to knock a cup off someone's head with a round kick -- and none other than our fearless leader, Harv, volunteered to get a front-row seat for the demo.

Worth noting -- Adesanya is the best of the best ... so we figured HL was never in any real danger. Harvey was not as convinced, which is obvious in the video.

The time came for Adesanya to show off his kick ... and thankfully, he knocked the cup off cleanly!!

The whole office cheered, while Harvey breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Now, a source -- whose name rhymes with Shmarvey -- swears Izzy's foot made contact with Harvey's head, but video doesn't support that at all. IF anything at all, HL felt the cup zooming off his head ... which just shows the kinda impact these kicks can make.

"In 2022 I'm gonna shock the world. July, International Fight Week, I'm gonna fight Leon Edwards. God willing I get through Leon Edwards, September, Mexican Independence Day, I will stop Canelo Alvarez."

That's UFC superstar Kamaru Usman -- the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport -- manifesting a super fight with the world's top boxer ... a fight the Nigerian Nightmare tells us could earn him and Canelo over $100,000,000 EACH!

34-year-old Usman hasn't lost in almost 9 years ... and has beat the very best fighters in the world in the Octagon. We're talking Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns, and Tyron Woodley, just to name a few.

Over the last two years, Usman has made it clear he wants to box Canelo ... pitting the two top P4P fighters against each other.

Until yesterday, 31-year-old Alvarez was dismissive of a fight with Usman, previously telling us he wasn't interested in the fight 'cause he didn't believe it'd add to his resume.

But, seems Canelo had a change of heart on Wednesday ... when Ariel Helwani asked boxing Kamaru, Alvarez answered, "Payday. He wants a payday, I know. But maybe, maybe, why not? You never say no, right?"

Speaking of paydays -- we asked Kamaru how much money the fighters could make ... and he believes it'd be one of the highest-paying combat events ever.

"We talking 9 figures, for sure," Usman says.

But, Usman isn't calling his shot just to inflate his bank account ... he truly believes he can and will beat Alvarez, despite knowing most people will say he can't cross sports and beat the best.

Usman doesn't care.

"Absolutely I see myself winning the fight," Kamaru says, later adding ..."Everything can't be done until it's done."

Canelo has a fight on May 7 against Dmitry Bivol. There's also reportedly talk about a third fight with Gennady Golovkin that would take place in September.

The GGG fight would obviously throw a wrench in Usman's plan to hold the boxing match in September ... but they'd simply have to pick a later date.

"Keep fighting boys! Never surrender!"

That's heavyweight champion Tyson Fury addressing Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion of Ukraine ... voicing support for star boxers like Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old boxing superstar about the unprovoked war ... and the "Gypsy King" even said if the fight came to the US or UK, he'd be right there, gun in hand.

"Two laws, love your woman and fight for your country. So they should be fighting for their country. Why not? If the war comes to the United States or United Kingdom, then I'll be joining. Don't worry about that. We all will! Why ain't we gonna defend our own land? C'mon, behave yourself."

Some people have been surprised the boxers -- who are all famous and wealthy -- have put themselves at great risk of harm or death by fighting Putin's forces.

But, Tyson makes a great point to rebut the notion the boxers are risking too much by fighting alongside the military.

"What's money got to do with it? You got no homeland to go back to, all the money in the world's no good to you. You can't spend it."

We also talked about more optimistic topics ... like Fury's return to the ring!

Of course, Tyson is just a few months removed from his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. The first fight was a draw ... and TF won the last 2 bouts by knockout.

Now, Fury is set to take on fellow UK star, Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Fighters across the UFC are throwing their support behind Cain Velasquez following his arrest on Monday ... with Derek Brunson even making "Free Cain Velasquez" shirts to try to help pay for the MMA legend's legal fees.

Brunson announced the creation of the tees and the sale on his social media page on Wednesday ... explaining 50% of the profits would go toward helping Velasquez foot his legal bills.

The shirts -- which come in white, blue, red, grey and green -- have a $27.99 price tag.

Brunson actually modeled the shirt when announcing the sale -- posting a photo of him in the tee with the caption, "We support you @cainmma."

As we reported, Cain has been hit with 10 charges -- including felony attempted murder -- after officials say he tried to shoot a man in San Jose who was accused of molesting one of Velasquez's close family members.

Velasquez has been in a jail cell since Monday evening ... though he's slated to appear in front of a judge on Wednesday afternoon and could be released following the hearing.

Cain Velasquez allegedly rammed his truck into the car of a man accused of molesting the UFC legend's family member, before allegedly firing multiple shots into the man's vehicle, striking the alleged molester's stepfather.

TMZ Sports has obtained court docs that spell out the allegations against 39-year-old Velasquez.

In the docs, officials say Velasquez followed a 43-year-old man named Harry Goularte -- who was recently charged with 1 felony count of a lewd and lascivious act for allegedly molesting Velasquez's "close relative" -- along with his mom and stepdad from their San Martin, CA home on Monday afternoon.

Velasquez, who was driving a black Ford F-250, then allegedly began shooting into the Chevy Silverado driven by Goularte's stepdad.

Authorities say Cain caught up to the car and rammed it, before eventually firing off more shots.

Cops were called, and Velasquez allegedly left the scene. Soon after, cops located Cain on the road, pulled him over and took him into custody without issue.

According to the docs, police found a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun in Cain's truck. They also noted they found two 10-bullet magazines in the vehicle, noting that 8 total bullets were missing from the mags.

Cain has been hit with 10 charges, including 1st degree attempted murder, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting an occupied motor vehicle, among others.

If he's ultimately convicted, Cain is facing decades in prison.

But, it's the circumstances surrounding the case that makes this situation unique.

Nate Diaz isn't shooting down a third fight with Conor McGregor, nor exactly is it a lock ... the UFC superstar says "The Notorious" needs to rack up a few Ws and show he isn't soft before they step in the Octagon again.

"Conor’s gonna have to get him some wins and prove he’s not so fragile first .." the UFC superstar from Stockton tweeted.

Nate's reacting to a recent TMZ Sports interview with Dana White ... where the UFC president was asked if the curtain had closed on a trilogy fight between two of the biggest UFC stars who have ever lived.

We asked the question after Diaz recently told us he had one fight left on his UFC deal ... and he intended to fight Dustin Poirier and then lay down his gloves and retire.

So, third fight? Here's Dana.

"We're still working on [the Diaz-Poirier] fight. That fight's not done yet. I wouldn't count out a Conor-Nate 3," White told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

The UFC prez added ... "Listen, I'd be shocked if that fight didn't happen again."

Of course, the guys previously fought twice -- two of the top-selling fights in UFC history -- each winning one. Diaz submitted McGregor in March 2016. Then, the Irish superstar beat the Stockton superstar by majority decision when they rematched in August 2016.

As for the third fight ... Dana's in. Nate's in (with some conditions). What's Conor say?

Colby Covington got himself a sweet pre-fight treat this week ... coppin' a $50,000 diamond chain featuring his nickname, "Chaos," before his massive scrap with Jorge Masvidal.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the MMA star hit up Boodaddy Diamonds to get the piece made prior to his headline fight at UFC 272 -- and the celeb jeweler delivered big time.

We're told the pendant features 14k solid gold, over 15 carats of VVS diamonds, and comes with a crown bale just over the "A" in CHAOS.

We're also told the tennis chain that supports the pendant has 28 carats of VVS diamonds. And, based on the pics of Colby with the chain, it's clear the dude loves it.

The drip is pretty and will look great in the pre-fight leadup ... but one thing seems for sure, his feud with his former friend-turned bitter rival is the exact opposite.

The two mixed martial artists hate each other ... and Covington told us just a few days ago the tension between him and 37-year-old Masvidal is VERY real.

In fact, Covington called it "a blood feud."

Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz -- who is fighting in 5 days -- has a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin as his troops invaded her homeland, killing soldiers and innocent people ... "F**k you, bitch! I love my country. Don't touch Ukraine!"

TMZ Sports talked to 30-year-old Moroz less than a week before she's scheduled to fight Mariya Agapova, an MMA fighter from Kazakhstan, as Ukraine is mercilessly attacked by Putin's military.

Maryna was born in Vilnohirsk, Ukraine in September 1991 ... almost exactly the time Ukraine gained its independence as the Soviet Union dissolved.

Now, that independence is threatened ... and Moroz is understandably scared/worried by what's happening back home.

"It's hard time for Ukraine. I want to support my country, my president, whole army in Ukraine, and I want to say we don't want war. I worry about my family right now."

The situation is so bad, MM says her dad has begun making explosives at home.

"My dad makes home grenades."

Despite the tragedy surrounding her, Moroz fights Agapova Saturday night at UFC 272 ... and she hopes to show how tough Ukrainians are as people.

"I will be fighting and I show that Ukraine people are strong, and my flag will be in the Octagon."

UFC legend Cain Velasquez spent Monday night in jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the 39-year-old has been arrested and booked on an attempted murder charge.

Details surrounding the specifics of his arrest are unclear -- though law enforcement sources tell us the former fighter was involved in a shooting in San Jose at around 3 PM near a local high school.

In the alleged incident, one person was shot while another was arrested. Nothing further surrounding the circumstances of the situation has been released.

Jail records show Velasquez is still in custody as of Tuesday morning ... and has a court date set for Wednesday at noon.

Velasquez -- who was born and raised in Northern California -- is one of the best heavyweight MMA fighters in the history of the sport. During his reign, Cain beat everyone from Brock Lesnar to Junior dos Santos.

After parting ways following his last loss to Francis Ngannou, Cain spent several months with WWE (he's a huge wrestling fan).

Cain trains at the famed American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym with Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, among other MMA stars.

Before getting into mixed martial arts, Velasquez was a star collegiate wrestler at Arizona State University. He was a 2x All-American.

Dana White says he'd be "shocked" if Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz didn't fight for the third time ... despite the fact the UFC superstar from Stockton recently told us he plans to fight Dustin Poirier and then retire from MMA.

"We're still working on [the Diaz-Poirier] fight. That fight's not done yet. I wouldn't count out a Conor-Nate 3," White told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Dana added ... "Listen, I'd be shocked if that fight didn't happen again."

As you know, McGregor vs. Diaz I and II were INSANE ... from the trash talk leading up to the events to the knock-down-drag-out fights the men put on.

Nate was an underdog heading into the first fight in March 2016 ... but forced Conor to tap, submitting him with a rear-naked choke.

White set up an immediate rematch later that year ... and in August, the two UFC superstars faced off again. This time, McGregor beat Diaz via majority decision (two judges scored Conor the winner, the third scored the fight a draw).

It's been 5.5 years since the last fight, but almost everyone involved agreed it was just a matter of time before the trilogy fight went down.

That was until 36-year-old Diaz recently told us he has just one fight left on his UFC deal ... and he planned to fight Poirier.

Today might not be a terrible day for Rafael dos Anjos, after all ... 'cause although his UFC 272 opponent Rafael Fiziev is out of their bout after testing positive for COVID-19, Dana White tells us they're trying to find someone to fight RDA on 5 days notice.

37-year-old dos Anjos and 28-year-old Fiziev were the co-main event (Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington is the main event) ... but the fight was scrapped on Monday after RF tested positive for coronavirus.

So, when White joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV Show (airs weekdays on FS1), we asked if he was looking for a replacement, or whether there just simply wasn't enough time.

"We're working on getting him a new opponent. We'll keep that fight. We'll get him something," Dana says.

It's not the first time RDA vs. Fiziev has been canceled. In fact, the men were initially supposed to fight on February 19 at UFC Fight Night ... but the fight was scrapped because RF had "Visa issues," according to reports.

Now the question is ... who does RDA fight?

The former lightweight champ has been going back-and-forth online with Islam Makhachev ... but the fighter from Dagestan just beat Bobby Green on Saturday (albeit only took 98 seconds).

As for Fiziev ... he says he's crushed by the latest developments.

"I’m devastated to announce that I’m out of the fight. I had a great camp and was ready to put on the show, I flew all the way to Vegas from Thailand just to get sick with covid, for 3 days I’m in hotel bed with fever, bones pain and cough."

There's much more with Dana.

If Jake Paul really wants to step into the cage, there's another org. lining up to sign him ... 'cause Bellator president Scott Coker says they're 100% interested in bringing the Problem Child to MMA.

Of course, 25-year-old Paul has voiced his interest in taking on a new combat challenge after 10 fights in the ring ... and the Bellator prez recently said he'll be patiently waiting for when that day comes.

"If Jake Paul is serious and wants to do it, we’re here," Coker said via TalkSport. "We're already talking about [it]."

Now, Jake's had a pretty successful run in boxing so far ... with huge wins over former UFC stars like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Coker says he's kept a close eye on Paul ... and the convos have already started in hopes of bringing the 5-0 fighter on board.

"You know, when I say talking about it, he’s with Showtime boxing and he did the fight with T-Wood," Coker added. "There’s dialogue."

"I think he wants to do 10 boxing fights and then come over to MMA."

This is now the second MMA promotion that has voiced interest in Paul -- as we previously reported ... Wiz Khalifa, who owns part of the Professional Fighters League, told us earlier this month he would love to add the YouTuber to its roster.

As for the UFC, well ... Dana White has made it crystal clear how he feels about Paul ... and the fighter's diss track about the honcho might have hurt his chances at landing a deal in the future.

There's beef, and then there's Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal ... who absolutely HATE each other!!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Covington, the #1 ranked welterweight fighter, ahead of his "blood feud" with 37-year-old Masvidal, the #6 ranked WW, at UFC 272 on March 4.

"This is a blood feud. This goes back to a brotherhood. We were eight years together every single day, side by side, couldn't leave each other -- best friends," Chaos told us.

"Now, we're the biggest bitter enemies. He's the one person on Earth that I don't give a s***. Anytime I see him, I want to send that guy straight to hell and luckily I get to do it in the UFC Octagon next Saturday night on Pay-Per-View and it's gonna be bad, man. I'm gonna make him pay. I'm gonna make him suffer for backstabbing me."

See ... this goes beyond the routine pre-fight trash talk.

Colby and Jorge were friends ... best friends. Unfortunately, the relationship fell apart (long story) ... and now the men are about to be locked in a steel cage together.

One of the things both guys have in common is a friendship with Donald Trump.

So, who's the former Commander-In-Chief rooting for?! We asked Colby.

"Mr. President, #45, is not torn. He knows where his loyalty stands. He knows the person that put his whole platform for him, that was sacrificing, doing everything, really showing that I'm a true supporter. George is a fake supporter. He's not a real supporter."

Then, Covington added ... "Donald Trump, you know, I talked to his family the other day, I know where his loyalty resides."

Speaking of Trump, we also asked CC whether the ex-prez would be attending the fight.

Remember, DT attended UFC 264 in July 2021 -- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 -- where he dapped up Masvidal backstage.

UFC star Islam Makhachev needed an opponent after Beneil Dariush suffered a freak injury while training ... enter MMA vet Bobby Green, who took the fight on JUST 10 days' notice.

Why take a fight against a guy who hasn't lost in 6.5 years?! TMZ Sports asked Green.

"I know, I know. It's f**king crazy. Put the weight on, take the weight off, just fought, come back and fight again. I'm f**king nuts brother, this is what I do. I try to show everybody that this is real s**t. I call it G s**t, you know, doin' things that most people won't do."

Savage.

What makes it even crazier is that Green just fought on February 12 against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 ... where he won via unanimous decision.

Now, Bobby will step into the Octagon with Makhachev, the man many believe will be champion before 2023 rolls around.

Islam has just 1 loss on his professional MMA record -- in October 2015 -- and has won 9 straight, including wins over Drew Dober and Dan Hooker, which IM made look easy.

But, Green isn't just stepping up to exchange an L for a fat paycheck ... he tells us how he's going to beat the 4th ranked lightweight.

We also talked to Islam ... who told us he actually respects Bobby for stepping up (and he tells us who turned down the fight).