UFC

Alexander Volkanovski vs. ... Conor McGregor??

Maybe ... if the featherweight champ gets to call his next shot, 'cause during a recent conversation with Volkanovski, TMZ Sports asked if he was interested in a scrap with the Irish superstar.

"Oh yeah, I mean [a McGregor fight always interests me], and it's always going to interest a lot of people," Alex, who hasn't lost a fight since 2013, tells us.

"It's always going to be a big fight, there's always going to be money, there's going to be a circus, it's going to be entertaining, it's going to be fun, I'll enjoy that whole f***ing thing."

Of course, Conor hasn't fought since July 2021 ... when he snapped his leg during his third fight with Dustin Poirier.

McGregor is clearly getting closer to making his Octagon return ... and Dana White previously told us he expects the UFC superstar will fight towards the end of the year.

Regarding Conor, there are several potential opponents ... welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje, and Volkanovski.

If you've seen Conor lately, you'll know he ain't making 145 lbs. anymore ... but that might play into Alex's hands, as the champ says he wants to move up a weight class and achieve champ-champ status.

FYI, Conor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo are the only UFC fighters to hold two belts at one time.

Check out the extended cut with Alex ... where he and Babcock talk everything from the beatdown of "Korean Zombie" (warrior!) at UFC 273, a trilogy fight with Max Holloway, and whether or not AV's the greatest featherweight ever -- plus much more!

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Bare Knuckle Fighting star Joey Beltran was nearly KO'd before his Thursday night fight -- 'cause the #1 ranked heavyweight tells TMZ Sports he literally began choking at breakfast, and would probably be dead if someone didn't step in and save him.

And, guess who played hero? Bare Knuckle executive David Feldman!!

If you're a fight fan, you know 'The Mexicutioner.' Before joining BKFC (where he has a 5-2-1 record) a few years ago, Joey spent time in the UFC and Bellator.

Beltran was eating breakfast in his hotel room in Ft. Lauderdale when his coach showed him a funny internet video.

"An old school Fear Factor video or something and I started laughing," Beltran tells us.

"Next thing you know, I started choking."

The 40-year-old scrapper says he started panicking when he couldn't cough up the food -- and that's when Feldman came to the rescue.

"Of all people, the boss man had to come up and bust a Heimlich," JB said. "Couple of pumps and I spit it out and I was all good."

"So, contrary to popular people, David Feldman cares about us fighters!"

Despite the scary incident, JB is still scheduled to fight Frank Tate (1-1-1) tonight -- the main event for a loaded fight card.

It's arguably a must win for Beltran ... who's gunning for a rematch with Arnold Adams, the #3 ranked heavyweight fighter who recently beat him in a title fight.

Oscar De La Hoya is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman on two occasions ... with the former co-worker alleging the boxing star brutalized her, causing "severe physical and emotional damage" that plagues her to this day.

But, the boxing Hall of Famer is adamantly denying the claims ... accusing the woman of being nothing more than a bitter employee who was fired.

"Unfortunately, with the twenty-four-hour news cycle, we find ourselves today, more often than not, as the recipient of vindictive and unjust accusations that are interpreted and spread as truth -- without any evidence to support erroneous claims," Oscar's rep told TMZ Sports in a statement.

As for the explosive allegations ... they're part of a larger lawsuit -- initially filed by Casa Mexico Enterprises -- where 49-year-old De La Hoya is a business partner.

ODLH's accuser was sued by Casa Mexico ... before filing a countersuit where she revealed the disturbing claims.

The accuser says she was on a work trip with Oscar and others at the company distillery in Mexico in March 2020. She says while fast asleep, someone began banging on her door. She says she got up and opened the door, only to find ODLH standing there with his pants around his ankles. She claims Oscar pushed his way past her and got into her bed.

The accuser states she got Oscar out of her bed, and back into his own room ... before returning to her room for the night.

However, the next morning she claims she was tasked with waking Oscar up ... and that's when she says things took a turn for the worst.

The alleged victim says she knocked on the door, but didn't get a response. She went inside the room. Once inside, the woman claims Oscar "subsequently pulled [name withheld] into his bed, where he sexually assaulted her."

The lawsuit makes no mention of the woman going to law enforcement ... or alerting Casa Mexico execs.

Unfortunately, the woman says the abuse didn't end there.

Sometime after the Mexico trip, the woman says she went to dinner with work colleagues, including Oscar, before returning to his home after eating.

The woman claims Oscar "revealed and retrieved a sexual object from a stored collection in his house" and "forcibly inserted the sexual object into" the alleged victim's body.

At that point, the woman says she alerted Don Buccio, the Casa Mexico founder, but she says no action was taken.

Despite the serious allegations, De La Hoya believes his name will be cleared.

Bellator star Corey Anderson -- who was dominating his light heavyweight title fight before an inadvertent headbutt ended the fight without a decision -- tells TMZ Sports Vadim Nemkov's mentor and trainer, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, was talking s**t after the fight.

"When I got worked up that's cause of Fedor came in and said 'You don't win. You headbutt. You don't win.' Like motherf***er, what? Excuse my language. Like, really Fedor? You gonna say that? So you're trying to tell me I wasn't beating your guy? I wasn't winning this fight?"

32-year-old Anderson faced 29-year-old Nemkov in the finals of the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix ... with the title, and a million bucks on the line.

With 3 seconds left in the 3rd round (it was a 5 round fight), Corey accidentally headbutted the Russian fighter who was previously undefeated in Bellator's promotion.

Anderson -- who previously fought in the UFC and has beaten the likes of Glover Teixeira and Jan Blachowicz -- was clearly dominating the fight before the headbutt.

Unfortunately for Corey, the ringside doctor ruled the cut was too severe, and Nemkov couldn't continue.

Anderson says he was initially told he won the fight (they even brought in the giant $1 million check) ... before telling Corey they screwed up, and the fight would actually be ruled a "no contest."

That's when Corey says Fedor -- who coaches Nemkov -- started running his mouth.

"I even told Nemkov when I got up, I helped him up earlier, like 'Yo, my bad. That was an accident, nobody's fault.'"

"But [Fedor] came in saying 'You don't win, you only headbutt.' Like really?' Instead of just owning up saying, 'Bro, helluva fight. Sorry about the headbutt. We're running it back.' He gonna say 'You don't win, you only headbutt.'"

"Bro, I don't give a damn who you are, if you're a legend or not."

There's much more with Anderson in the extended interview below!

Dana White says he's hoping to get Jon Jones back in the Octagon this summer ... telling TMZ Sports a fight against former heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic is an obvious move.

Bones hasn't fought since February 2020, when he beat Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision at UFC 247.

We talked to the UFC boss about the superstar's future recently ... and it sounds like this year's International Fight Week is going to be an absolute banger.

"Listen, people have been talking about how awesome this card is, and I was just telling somebody the other day our lineup for this summer is incredible," White said.

"I'm hoping that Jon Jones is gonna be a part of that lineup this summer."

We followed up and asked if this meant we could see Jon take on Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic ... and fans of the former champ out of Ohio are gonna be excited.

"Yeah, Stipe makes sense."

As for another UFC legend -- Conor McGregor -- Dana says he's not going to consider giving him a fight until he's 100% and cleared ... and that hasn't happened yet.

It's been nearly four years since Cris Cyborg lost to Amanda Nunes ... but she STILL wants her revenge -- telling TMZ Sports she's still gunning for a rematch with The Lioness.

Cyborg initially lost to the UFC legend in December 2018 -- and she's clearly not over it ... explaining to us out at LAX that she'd love to get another crack.

The 36-year-old says she initially wanted to run things back right after the fight 3.5 years ago -- but wasn't able to make it happen.

Now, she tells us she's down to get it done in any way -- even if that means making the fight happen on their own.

In the meantime, Cyborg is set to square off with Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on April 23 ... and she says she's excited to try to get the win even though she's already beaten Blencowe back in Oct. 2020.

As for how much longer Cyborg plans to fight ... she tells us she's still planning to be around for a while -- hoping to get three more years in.

Well, hell has officially frozen over and pigs are flying ... 'cause the long-standing feud between Oscar De La Hoya and Dana White could be coming to an end after the boxing legend told us he wanted to patch up his relationship with the UFC president.

TMZ Sports talked to De La Hoya and his girlfriend Holly Sonders outside the Christian Louboutin store in Beverly Hills ... when the conversation turned to Las Vegas, and eventually the UFC honcho.

"I wanna fix things up with Dana."

You probably know ... Dana and Oscar pretty much hate each other's guts. They've both gone back and forth, verbally eviscerating each other in the process.

"I criticized the UFC a bit and I was wrong for it but yeah, I would love to patch things up with Dana and Mayweather."

It's gotten personal -- very personal -- between the men over the years (search YouTube) ... but it's clear Oscar had a change of heart and wants to squash the beef.

ODLH says he's building a house with Holly in Sin City (which happens to be Dana's backyard, where he lives and runs the UFC ... and actually wants to work with White as business partners.

"I have some big plans for Vegas."

As for Floyd Mayweather ... TBE and Floyd previously fought each other in 2007, where Mayweather won by split decision. Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy, Oscar's promotion, also worked together for years.

Question is ... after all the barb's back-and-forth, will Dana and/or Floyd be open to the peace talks??

UFC contender Belal Muhammad says Khamzat Chimaev proved he's the real deal in his battle with bonafide title contender Gilbert Burns ... and now the 6th ranked welterweight says he's aiming to be the man who ruins Borz's undefeated record.

"[Khamzat] fought with the #2 guy in the world in his 11th fight, so I think we learned how tough he is. I still think he's a great fighter and a great challenge for me, cause he's still undefeated now. I want to take his '0.'"

Of course, Chimaev fought Burns at UFC 273 ... and won by unanimous decision. The fight was great -- a Fight Of The Year candidate.

It was the first time Khamzat was pushed in a fight. In fact, in his first four UFC fights, Khamzat was only hit one time.

But, Burns landed over 100 strikes ... and many were big, heavy shots.

33-year-old Muhammad -- who hasn't lost since January 2019 -- is set to face #5 welterweight, Vicente Luque, Saturday at UFC Fight Night.

And, Belal says watching GB and KC perform made him want to push himself.

"That fight was amazing, it was a great back and forth war and it just made me wanna level up," Muhammad says, adding, "Later, I hopped on the treadmill, I started jogging five miles right away while the main event was still on. I was like, 'alright now I know what I need to do.'"

We also talked to Luque ... and like Belal, he says the Khamzat and Gilbert fight has him pumped up and ready to go!

Kamaru Usman -- the UFC welterweight champ and top pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world -- is breaking his silence on (likely) future opponent Khamzat ... telling TMZ Sports, he's down to fight Chimaev, but it's gonna cost him that undefeated record!

"I've never had a doubt that I can and will or would beat anyone in the world," Usman plainly told us when we asked if he had any uncertainty that he could beat Khamzat after watching the Burns fight.

It's the first time the 34-year-old star -- who hasn't lost in nearly a decade -- has talked about Chimaev, who is now the #3 ranked UFC welterweight, since UFC 273.

Prior to the fight, Khamzat had literally been hit a grand total of one time during his four UFC fights. However, that all changed when Burns put a hurtin' on Chimaev, landing over 100 strikes during their three-round brawl which KC won by unanimous decision.

We asked Usman if he saw any weaknesses he could take advantage of in Chimaev's game.

"Absolutely. That's what I'm supposed to do. That's my job. That's just how I roll, what I do. I dissect each and every situation all the time, and I definitely did in that fight. But, there were a lot of things there that I knew were present all along."

Holes in his game aside, Kamaru isn't downplaying Chimaev's accomplishments, admitting he's been pretty impressive.

"This kid has done a good job going out there and defeating the #2 guy in the division. So, yeah, if that's the next fight after Edwards, then that's the next fight. But, Edwards is our focus right now," Usman says.

FYI, Kamaru and #2 ranked Leon Edwards are supposed to fight sometime this year ... though contracts haven't yet been signed.

And, whenever the Chimaev fight makes sense, Usman is ready to roll.

"I'm just focused on the next one, and if it's Edwards, so be it, I'll be prepared, I'll be ready to go in there and do what I do best."

"If it's Chimaev, I'll be ready to do what I do best. If it's the little Irish guy [Conor McGregor], I'll be ready to do what I do. That's why you're given the title of pound-for-pound best."

Paige VanZant is super pissed at JetBlue for apparently canceling her flight without letting her know ... and the AEW star let them have it, blasting them online.

The 28-year-old fighter/wrestler ripped the airline on Thursday via Instagram -- alleging JB royally screwed her over at a Florida airport.

"F U JetBlue," VanZant said, "Just sat at my gate for over an hour waiting for my flight."

"Never got an updated gate or delay info. Went to ask where the flight is. Apparently, they changed the gate and didn't tell anymore."

Her flight was pushed to Friday, which sent PVZ through the roof when she realized other families were stranded, too.

"They will not get us on a flight until tomorrow. I'm lucky I live in Florida. What about all these other families!!!!"

"Multiple families with nowhere to sleep. JetBlue you suck."

To make matters worse, VanZant says her flight was delayed again on Friday but finally took off this morning.

We reached out to JetBlue for a comment ... but so far, no word back.

According to VanZant's IG, it looks like she's heading to LAX ... where we spoke to her last month about her new AEW deal.

Bellator champ AJ McKee says you don't have to look far to find the greatest 145-pound MMA fighter in the world 'cause ... well, it's him ... telling TMZ Sports Alex Volkanovski is good -- but he's better.

We talked to the 27-year-old undefeated fighter (18-0) at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles this week ... and asked the Bellator titleholder if he believed he was the best featherweight out of all the MMA promotions.

"Definitely. Hands down. Look at the stats. Look at the finishes. He's great," AJ tells says.

"That's one thing I will say about UFC fans. Them motherf***ers are loyal to the soil. If you ain't UFC, they ain't giving you no props. But, what they gotta understand is the fighters make the organization, not the organization making the fighters."

McKee continued ... "In that case, UFC has made [Volkanovski]. He's done great. He's earned it. He's worked his ass off. But, at the end of the day, 145-pounds, I'm the baddest man walking the planet."

Of course, Alex put on a clinic at UFC 273 Saturday night ... absolutely dominating the "Korean Zombie" (who may be the toughest guy on the roster).

AJ is fighting Patricio "Pitbull" at Bellator 277 Friday night ... in a rematch of a July 2021 fight that McKee won by submission (guillotine).

McKee doesn't know how he'll win ... but damnit, he says he knows he's winning this fight.

But, we also talked to Pitbull, and he doesn't see the fight going down like that.

In fact, Patricio tells us he's winning Friday night ... and will force a third fight with McKee to determine once and for all, who's the best Bellator 145'er.

"[A trilogy] will happen. I will beat [McKee] and we will do a third one," Pitbull says.

Whether they broke up or not, Jake Paul and Julia Rose are back together in public ... with the couple hitting up an L.A. hotspot on Wednesday.

The rumors of a potential split started swirling last month ... when Jake tweeted "Alexa, play 'I'm Single' by Jake Paul," and Julia removed all references to the boxer from her Instagram.

But, whatever happened is clearly water under the bridge ... as the duo was spotted leaving BOA Steakhouse and getting into an SUV together.

While Jake and Julia weren't saying much after the dinner, the photog congratulated the two on their rekindled romance ... with Jake replying with a short, "ayeee!!"

Of course, Jake and Julia started dating in 2020 and were damn near inseparable -- Julia was always in the Problem Child's corner (literally) and helped him train for multiple fights.

Jake and Julia also posted each other on social media Wednesday ... seemingly confirming their romance is back on.

Jake -- who was at Julia's house when speaking with TMZ Sports this week (peep the posters in the background) -- claimed in a recent interview they never broke up ... saying "that's my girl" and "we were never not together."

Julia's IG activity led folks to believe otherwise ... with the SHAGMAG founder commenting under pics of the boxer with other women, saying it made her feel better about her "decision."

The couple also sparked split rumors in early 2021 ... before coming back stronger than ever.

Jake Paul says Oscar De La Hoya is right ... he can -- and already does -- beat up world champions in the boxing ring.

TMZ Sports talked to the 25-year-old, undefeated boxer (5-0, 4 KOs) after the Golden Boy told us earlier this week that the Problem Child was the "real deal" and could "beat a lot of good champions, and even great champions."

Jake's reaction??

"To hear that from [De La Hoya] means a lot, but he's right and I've been saying it all along. I sound so cocky, 'he's right!', but it's true man. I beat world champions in the gym and sparring," Paul says.

"Two years as a professional and I'm already doing that, it's clearly a natural talent that I have, a natural power that I have and I work my ass off. People don't really see that."

Jake says his hard work isn't seen by most fans, but he's killing himself in the gym, every single day.

"They think I just go in there but I'm day in, day out twice a day, three times a day in the gym working on getting better in the sport. It is awesome to hear that and I'm gonna prove that I can beat world champions on the big stage."

Jake has clearly been stepping up the level of competition. He started with a fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib, before fighting former NBA star Nate Robinson.

Then it was time to move on to the fighters.

In his third fight, Jake boxed former MMA champ Ben Askren. He then fought future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley ... beating him twice.

Paul has made it clear he wants to go to the very top ... previously telling us he wants to box Canelo Alvarez, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

And Jake says it's clear people in the boxing world have begun to give him more and more respect.

"I think this last fight proved that people have to take me seriously and that everyone should be on high alert and I'm just getting started with what's to come."

Gilbert Burns wants a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev!

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Burns -- the first time the UFC star has broken his silence since leaving the Octagon after losing a 3-round decision at UFC 273 -- and chopped it up about everything from a rematch, what it was fighting Khamzat, to how Chimaev would fare against champ Kamaru Usman (Burns is the only person to face both).

Oh, and Gilbert is also interested in scrapping with Nate Diaz ... if that rematch with Borz isn't immediate.

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But, first ... we asked Gilbert if he won the fight (technically, all three judges scored the fight for Khamzat, but the fight was razer close), and that's when he called for the rematch.

"I believe it was super close. I don't want to take nothing away from Khamzat, he was a warrior in there, too. I just believe we are not done. We have to do this again."

Burns later continued ... "Even if I think it's fair, wasn't fair, I don't want to take no credit from those 15 minutes. It was genuine, it was a lot of heart, it was a lot of intensity, intimacy, I don't want to take nothing away from that."

"I think the judges do whatever they have to do, but I'm just thinking we aren't done. Me and Khamzat have to see each other again. Somebody gotta go down next time, I don't care how many rounds we need in there."

We also asked GB what was it like to face MMA's boogeyman ... a guy many believed was indestructible.

As you may know ... Khamzat only absorbed one "significant" shot in his first four UFC fights. But, that was before he stepped in the cage with Gilbert ... who put 119 significant shots on Chimaev (KC landed 108 significant strikes).

So, what was it like to be in there with Khamzat??

"Definitely a lot of pop in his hands. That guy hits very hard. But like I said before, I have a ton of respect for this guy, but I don't see no Super Man. I don't see no murderer, no monster. I see a guy just like me with a lot of will, a lot of heart, trying to get a finish."

The UFC rankings came out on Tuesday, and Chimaev jumped from 11 to 3 (Gilbert went from 2 to 4). Prior to the fight, UFC prez Dana White told us he was eyeing a Khamzat vs. Colby Covington fight (#1 contender).

If Chimaev was able to beat Covington, it's all but guaranteed he'd get a fight with Usman.

So, as the only UFC fighter to face both Khamzat and Kamaru, we asked Burns who'd win.

"That would be a tough fight. I still think Kamaru hits harder. Kamaru put me out, you know? [Khamzat] hit me with everything and he didn't put me out."

"The difference as of right now, for sure, after these wars, that guy's gonna get better, I believe. The IQ of Kamaru Usman, if I gotta answer that question right now, will be the difference. Kamaru is a very intelligent and tested fighter. He's been in the wars, he's been against best guys around and I think Kamaru's MMA wrestling is better than Khamzat's. That's my takeaway."

Burns knows he likely won't get an immediate rematch with Chimaev ... so he has an alternative opponent in mind.

"I want a big fight. I know Nate Diaz need an opponent. I think that will be a crazy fight. I can put in the contract 'no takedown attempts.' Just stand up," Gilbert says.

Cain Velasquez has finally broken his silence on his attempted murder case -- releasing a statement from jail on Tuesday, thanking his supporters and urging "the true victims of this case" to come forward.

Velasquez just posted the message on his social media page -- just hours before he's set to go before a judge for a hearing in the case -- saying he's grateful for all of the fighters and fans who have pleaded for his release from jail following his February arrest.

"To everyone that has expressed your support, my family and I will never be able to thank you enough," Velasquez said. "From the bottom of our hearts and the depths of our souls, we are forever grateful for your love."

The 39-year-old did not go into detail about his side of the story in the case, but he did say it's "complex and slowly unraveling as we speak."

As we reported, officials say Velasquez shot at Harry Goularte multiple times on Feb. 28 in Santa Clara County, Calif. ... after the man was accused of molesting one of Velasquez's close relatives.

Velasquez has been hit with 10 criminal charges, including one count of felony attempted murder.

In his note, Velasquez urged the "true victims of this case" -- presumably others he believes Goularte has molested -- to speak out.

"May God give you the strength to come forward," the UFC legend said. "Though it is most difficult to relive the pain that has happened to you, in speaking the truth, justice will be served and your own true healing will start."

"I will never stop helping or loving my community and all of you. Thank you for loving me."

Velasquez's hearing is slated to begin at 1:30 PM PT. There is a chance he could finally be released from jail following the court session.

Alex Volkanovski wants into the UFC's champ-champ club after his latest dominating performance ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to go up a weight class and fight the winner of Justin Gaethje vs. Charles Oliveira.

We talked to 33-year-old Volkanovski -- who was nearly flawless against the "Korean Zombie" Saturday night at UFC 273 -- and asked him, in a perfect world, what and/or who he wanted next, and without hesitation, Volk dropped this news.

"Lightweight title. Lightweight title. The timing works well cause I want to be active this year. [Gaethje and Oliveira are] fighting in a month. Winner of that title fight fights in August or something like that. That's perfect. That sounds like a great idea to me."

FYI, Alex -- who previously played rugby, weighing up to 214 lbs. -- hasn't lost a fight since May 2013 ... and it was at WELTERWEIGHT. In fact, the 5'6" star has even fought at middleweight (185 lbs.)

Point being, 155 lbs. doesn't seem crazy for the man who's held the featherweight crown since December 2019.

Volkanovski's reign at featherweight (145 lbs.) has been nothing short of dominant. Alex beat Max Holloway twice (who many believe is the featherweight G.O.A.T.), Brian Ortega, Chad Mendes, and Jose Aldo, to name just a few.

As for #1 contender, Justin Gaethje, and lightweight champ, Charles Oliveira ... they're fighting at UFC 274 on May 7.

Gaethje is coming off a win against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. Oliveira successfully defended his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

Champ-champ status is clearly something that's important to Alex ... who's been the 145 lb. champ since

"It's a goal that I'm looking for, that double champ status," Volkanovski says.

"Again, I haven't really been pushing for it. I know I've mentioned it, but I've always mentioned it as in the near future. It's only now that I'm mentioning it as in 'I think it's deserving.'"

Will Dana White give Alex a fight at 155?? And, can he join the exclusive club made up of only Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo??