UFC

Cain Velasquez, on behalf of his 4-year-old son, is suing Harry Goularte -- the man who allegedly molested Cain's young boy from 2021 to 2022.

The plaintiff -- identified only as the guardian of "C.V., Jr." -- claims that "on numerous occasions," Goularte "sexually abused, molested, touched and harassed C.V."

Goularte was an employee at Patty's Childcare in San Martin, California, and was supposed to be caring for the young boy.

In addition to Goularte, the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, names Goularte’s mother and stepfather as defendants, asserting that they owned and operated Patty’s Childcare, and they "fostered, maintained, and allowed an environment for its attendees to fall victim to sexual abuse at the hands of Harry."

As we reported, Harry has already been charged with one felony count of a lewd and lascivious act for allegedly molesting the boy.

Velasquez -- a UFC legend -- was arrested on February 28, 2022 after he allegedly tried to shoot Harry outside his San Martin home.

If it were up to Dana White, a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor would never go down again ... with the UFC honcho telling TMZ Sports, "I have less than zero interest in seeing that again."

Of course, Conor made it seem like a May-Pac run-back could be on the horizon ... after he posted a photo on his Instagram earlier this month of him boxing Mayweather with the caption "I accept."

Dana, though, tells us he hasn't heard anything about the possibility of the two squaring up again in a ring -- and he sounded hopeful it stays that way going forward.

"I didn't even know that," White said. "I haven't seen it."

Mayweather and McGregor made a ton of cash the first time the two boxed back in August 2017 -- it reportedly had more than 4 MILLION pay-per-view buys -- but the two are in vastly different places in their careers now.

Floyd is 45 and has only fought in exhibitions since. Conor, meanwhile, is 33 and is coming off not only a serious leg injury, but losses in 3 of his last 4 UFC fights.

Dana made it clear he'd much rather see McGregor make his return to combat sports in the octagon ... telling us a scrap against Michael Chandler is a fight he still likes.

Unclear when McGregor will be able to return from his broken leg ... the timetable he was given in July 2021 was about one year.

MMA fans, we have a target date for Francis Ngannou's Octagon return ... with the UFC's heavyweight champ telling TMZ Sports he expects to be back by early 2023, at the latest!

Of course, Francis last fought in January ... when he beat interim champ, undefeated fighter Ciryl Gane to unify the belts.

In March, about 6 weeks after the unanimous decision win, Ngannou was forced to undergo surgery to repair serious damage to his knee, including ACL reconstruction and MCL repair, which were sustained before and during the fight.

So, when we ran into the 35-year-old star outside Avra in Beverly Hills, we asked Francis how his knee was feeling.

"It's getting better," Ngannou told us, adding, "It's been only 3 months, so yeah, I'm still doing physical therapy."

Now for the question on the mind of all Ngannou fans ... when will you fight??

"If everything goes well I'll be ready by the end of the year because it's gonna be 9 months. So, let's say late December or early next year."

As for Francis' preferred opponent ... he opted not to call anyone out.

"You know, as for now let's fight for the situation and get everything squared up, and then when I will be close to the return, we will see where the landscape is at 'cause a lot of things can happen."

There have been a lot of rumored opponents for Ngannou ... including Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic and even Tyson Fury.

But, first things first ... get healthy!

Adrian Yanez wants to fight Sean O'Malley ... and if the rising UFC star from Texas is right about the kind of crazy entertaining fight it'd be -- we should all hope Dana White makes this fight!

"It would definitely be Sean O'Malley. That's the fight. That's the fight," Yanez told TMZ Sports when we recently asked if Suga, the 13th ranked bantamweight, was his main target.

We then asked Yanez, who just broke into the rankings, how a fight with O'Malley would look.

"For me, this is the way I picture it, it would be almost like a Hagler-Hearns type of deal, and I'm Hagler."

Of course, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, fought at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 15, 1985 ... in what would later be referred to as "The War."

Though the fight didn't even make it through 3 full rounds, it was one of the most violent 7 minutes and change in fight history ... and it was incredible.

Round 1 is considered by many to be the greatest round in boxing history.

Hagler, the undisputed champion, won by TKO. It was just Hearns' 2nd loss in 42 fights.

And, Yanez believes that's the kind of fight he and Sean would produce.

Yanez just beat controversial fighter Tony Kelley at UFC Fight Night on June 18 ... winning by 1st round knockout.

He's now 16-3 ... and in the midst of a 9-fight win streak.

O"Malley, 15-1, is facing #10 ranked Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 on July 2 ... part of a stacked card.

Adrian believes with another quality dub, a fight between him and Sean could be in the works.

But, if it doesn't happen, Yanez has another opponent in mind.

Undefeated fighter Johnny Eblen is fighting MMA legend Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator world championship Friday night ... but the 11-0 fighter ain't content with just one belt in the trophy case -- he also wants UFC gold.

First things first, 30-year-old Eblen, a 6'3" rising star in the middleweight division, has his hands full against 36-year-old Mousasi. The men are scheduled to fight at Bellator 282 on Friday for the 185-pound belt.

"I've been preparing for moments like this my entire life," Eblen told TMZ Sports, adding ... "I'm ready to show up and show out and have fun out there."

But, during our convo it became clear Eblen's goal isn't just to be Bellator champ -- as impressive a feat as that is -- 'cause he also wants to be a champ in Dana White's organization.

"I want to be a champion in Bellator. I want to stay in Bellator for a little bit longer, make money here. And eventually, if the cards line up correctly, I want to make the switch and I want to be the best middleweight in the world. And, you have to go do that in the UFC now."

FYI, being both UFC and Bellator champion -- regarded by most as the two top MMA promotions -- is rarified air. In fact, only Eddie Alvarez and Cris "Cyborg" Justino have been the top dog in both orgs.

Of course, just beating Mousasi is an incredibly tall task. He's 49-7 ... and has beaten Austin Vanderford, John Salter, Douglas Lima, and Lyoto Machida in his last four fights. GM has been fighting professionally since 2003.

Like Eblen, the current #1 ranked contender, Austin was undefeated at 11-0 before running into a Mousasi buzzsaw.

But, Johnny doesn't see himself losing that "0" Friday night.

"At the end of the day, everybody's human. So, you just gotta remind yourself that. Obviously, he's a legend of the sport. But, this is what I signed up to do. I want to fight people like Mousasi. I want to fight people who are the best in the world to solidify my name, my skillset, and who I am."

Calvin Kattar's looking forward to Saturday night -- not just because he's headlining a major UFC card -- the MMA star's planning to hit up a delicious BBQ restaurant right after his fight.

"Excited to be out here. Texas is awesome," Kattar told TMZ Sports ... "Looking forward to getting some barbeque after the fight."

Kattar, the 34-year-old, #4 ranked UFC featherweight is one half of the Fight Night card Saturday night in Austin ... where he'll take on 37-year-old title contender Josh Emmett.

The featherweight weight limit is 145 pounds ... very light for a muscular, 5'11" fighter like Calvin.

So, no brisket before the weigh-in and fight (easier said than done in a place like Texas) -- but that doesn't mean his friends aren't indulging in the local fare -- something you'd think Kattar would NOT want his boys to do in front of him while he's cutting weight.

But, Calvin -- who has wins over Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige, and Jeremy Stephens -- isn't just a savage in Octagon.

"I have them bring [BBQ] home, eat it in front of me, I like to smell it. I'm sick, man. I like to watch them enjoy themselves. You know, we're only out here for so long, so if I can't take it in, I want them to."

(Calvin's clearly an awesome friend)

As for where a win leaves him in the division, Kattar isn't sure ... but he knows a win continues the momentum in the right direction.

"It's always one step closer with a win, that's all I know."

CK added ... "That's out of my control. Only thing that is in my control is the fight Saturday night and that's where my focus will be."

We also talked to Emmett (more fighting talk, less food). Josh is ranked 7 in the division ... and believes an (impressive) win could set him up for a title shot against either Alex Volkanovski or Max Holloway.

BREAKING!!!! DEVASTATING HAIR NEWS!!!!

UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has chopped off his AWESOME hair in favor of a .... buzz cut.

It's hard to describe the hairstyle pre-cut ... but it was long, high, and pretty damn cool. Sometimes he wore it in a bun.

Why'd he do it?! Jiri told Ariel Helwani it was about a new beginning.

“I cut my hair because I needed to end one chapter of my life. So now I can start with new energy, new wave. Honestly.”

Of course, Jiri just beat then-LHW champ Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 ... forcing the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to tap with less than 30 seconds left in the fight.

Prochazka was losing the fight ... but none of that mattered after the rear-naked choke.

Asked if he'd grow back the luscious locks, Jiri was indecisive.

UFC star Zabit Magomedsharipov -- considered one of the best 145 lb.'ers in the world -- is retiring from fighting at just 31 years old, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Zabit, who has a professional record of 18-1, last fought in November 2019 at UFC Fight Night 163. He beat fellow UFC star, and current 4th ranked featherweight Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision.

Obviously, Zabit hasn't been active ... and the reason why isn't entirely clear.

In fact, Magomedsharipov was once ranked in the top 5 ... but the UFC removed him because of inactivity.

Its tough news for MMA fans 'cause Zabit was one of the most exciting fighters to watch perform in the Octagon.

Aside from beating Kattar (who fighting Josh Emmett this Saturday), Zabit also beat Jeremy Stephens and Brandon Davis.

As for Zabit's plans for the future ... that's currently unclear.

Jiri Prochazka made history Saturday night -- becoming the first Czech fighter to win a UFC championship -- and thousands of delirious fans showed up to greet the home country hero on Monday.

29-year-old Prochazka was losing his UFC 275 title fight with Glover Teixeira ... but somehow, someway managed to get the 42-year-old champ's neck and force the tap-out with 28 seconds left in the 5-round fight.

The win made Jiri the first Czech-born champ ... and when the newly crowned champ arrived back in his hometown in Brno, there was a huge crowd waiting to give him a hero's welcome!

What's more impressive ... this was only Prochazka's 3rd fight in the UFC. He previously beat Volkan Oezdemir (July 2020) and Dominick Reyes (May 2021).

But, he's been fighting MMA (and other combat forms) for a long time ... going back professionally to 2012. Jiri's overall record is 29-3.

Two months after he went to battle with Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns is ready to return to the Octagon ... and he knows who he wants to face -- Jorge Masvidal!

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Burns -- who lost a (somewhat controversial) unanimous decision to Borz at UFC 273 on April 9 -- and Gilbert says he's dying to get back in the cage.

"It's been too much [time] already. I kind of start itching a little bit to be back in there and then we kind of see the possibilities and I think Jorge Masvidal is one of the possibilities and he's already shown a lot of interest and I got nothing but respect for the guy but its competitive feeling."

Burns says a scrap with Masvidal just makes sense ... he's ranked and very popular.

"I think Jorge Masvidal, he's a big name, he's the name that I'm looking forward to and I think we'll put on a show. UFC is interested, he's interested, I am. I think he got a little injury so we wait for him to get a little bit more recovery and we'll move forward."

Jorge's definitely interested, too.

In fact, when Durinho recently Tweeted a photo of Masvidal, Jorge responded with "Sounds good to me. Let's see."

We asked Burns how the fight with Gamebred -- who's on a three-fight losing streak would look ... and let's just say he's pretty confident he'll get the win.

"I'm gonna finish it. I don't care -- whatever it takes."

"I like that feeling that I had in the last fight like man, the guy's tough, the guy's coming to finish, the guy has all the hype and I think Masvidal kind of gonna bring a little bit of the same," GB says, adding, "That's the fight that I want, you know, a guy that I know is a BMF guy, coming hungry."

Masvidal is coming off three consecutive losses -- albeit against the top two ranked fighters in the division.

Colby Covington beat Jorge at UFC 272 in March 2022. Kamaru Usman twice defeated Masvidal ... at UFC 251 (July 2020) and UFC 261 (April 2021).

Despite the recent losses, JM has some great wins. He's beaten Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till, amongst many more.

Get this ... Burns, a jiujitsu black belt, says he's willing to agree to no takedowns in the fight ... so, strictly stand up, which is Masvidal's strength.

In closing, we asked Gilbert if he had a message for Jorge.

"Florida makes a lot of sense. I live here, he lives here. I do believe we can sell out any arena here and it's gonna be a show bro. I signed the dotted line. No takedowns. We gonna go to war."

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is one big step closer to becoming a reality ... 'cause "Iron" Mike tells TMZ Sports he'd absolutely love to fight the Irish superstar.

"Obviously, there's a lot of big fights that Conor could take. A lot of big names, and I'd love to be the other guy on the other side of the Octagon when that cage door closes, and then go out there and make something special," Chandler says.

Of course, earlier this week, Dana White told us he "really likes" the idea of pitting CM and MC against each other when Conor returns to fighting.

Chandler, 36-years-old, is the #5 UFC lightweight ... and is coming off a devastating knockout of future Hall of Famer Tony Ferguson.

33-year-old Conor, he hasn't fought since July ... when he gruesomely snapped his leg while fighting Dustin Poirier.

It's a fight that Chandler has wanted for some time ... but don't expect a whole lot of trash talk coming from the former Bellator champ -- Michael has a lot of respect for McGregor.

"We may never see another talent, another combat sport like Conor McGregor, and not just until when I retire, we're talking about the next couple of decades."

And, Michael isn't looking for an easy fight with Conor ... he wants him at his absolute best.

"I want him at his biggest, his baddest, his best, and his most dangerous."

As for the weight class where the fight would take place ... Chandler's open to moving up from 155 pounds, where both fighters now fight.

"Looking at him, he's looking big, he's looking beefy, he's looking strong, he's looking fast as he always is at 180 pounds, so let's do it at 170. If not, I can always make 155," Michael tells us.

Before we hung up with Mike, we asked him if he had a message for Conor. Here's what he said.

"Number one, I want the opportunity to compete against you. There's no ill-will. There's a ton of respect. The sport of mixed martial arts is a better place when Conor McGregor is a part of it and when you can put yourself in a position to be his opponent, to be his dance partner in the build-up, the lead up, the hype and then the actual contest, its a dream come true for mixed martial artist."

Here's a peek into the mind of Dana White ... we asked the UFC president if Conor McGregor could fight Jorge Masvidal when he returns to the Octagon, and while DW didn't seem into that fight, there is an opponent he likes for The Notorious.

"I really like Chandler vs. Conor after Chandler's last fight. There's plenty of fights to make. I don't know if that's the one. We'll see what the landscape looks like when Conor gets back."

Of course, Chandler's last fight was at UFC 274 last month ... when Iron Mike knocked out Tony Ferguson with a front kick 17 seconds into the 2nd round. It was one of the most brutal KOs ever.

Conor hasn't fought since UFC 264 in July 2021 ... when he gruesomely broke his leg while fighting Dustin Poirier.

"I'm just saying after his last [Octagon] interview, his last fight, Conor's ranked number 8. [Michael's] ranked number 5. It makes a lot of sense right now," Dana said.

As for a timeline for McGregor's return, Dana says he's getting closer, day by day.

"I think he's getting better. He's starting to ramp up his training, and I'm hoping the end of this year, early next year."

We also talked to the UFC boss (and future UFC Hall of Famer, Valentina Shevchenko) about UFC 275 ... where Valentina is fighting 19-1 Taila Santos in the co-main event.

Shevchenko hasn't lost in 5.5 years ... and Dana says she's arguably the greatest female fighter of all time.

If Valentina wins (she's a huge favorite), White says he's open to making Shevchenko-Nunes 3 (that loss in 2017 was to Amanda).

As for the main event ... 42-year-old light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira is fighting 29-year-old rising star Jiri Prochazka.

The card also features a rematch of a fight many people believe to be the greatest women's MMA scrap ever ... Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Weili Zhang.

Their first fight was March 2020 ... a knockdown, drag-out, 5-round war which Weili ultimately won by split decision.

But, many fans felt Joanna should've been the victor.

That was the last time Jedrzejczyk stepped foot in the Octagon.

More details are emerging about the burglary at Tito Ortiz's Southern California home ... cops say people at his residence claimed thieves "ransacked" the UFC legend's house, and stole a safe.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, a caller reached the Huntington Beach Police Dept. at around 9:54 AM on Friday ... claiming Ortiz's home had been burglarized.

The docs show the person alleged the home was "ransacked" and that a "safe is missing." The person also said a window on Ortiz's balcony had been broken.

As we reported, multiple officers were seen at Ortiz's Huntington Beach home for hours on Friday investigating the scene.

No word yet on if any arrests have been made -- but we're told Ortiz was not home at the time of the incident, and is safe.

In the documents, cops say Ortiz's neighbors told them they would review their surveillance cameras with the hopes of helping them catch the culprits.

Ortiz -- who grew up in Huntington Beach and fought in the UFC under the nickname "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" -- provided us a short and sweet comment on the situation.

Multiple officers spent hours at Tito Ortiz's home in Southern California on Friday ... after police tell TMZ Sports they're investigating a burglary at the UFC legend's place.

According to a Huntington Beach Police Department spokesperson, officers responded to a call for service at Ortiz's home early Friday morning, after an alleged theft had taken place there.

We're told Ortiz was not home at the time of the incident and is safe.

It's unclear what was said to be taken from Ortiz's home ... an investigation, according to cops, is ongoing.

Of course, Ortiz is one of Huntington Beach's most famous residents ... he grew up there and later fought in the UFC under the nickname "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy."

Ortiz was also elected Mayor pro tempore of the city back in December 2020 ... though he resigned from the position just six months later in June 2021, saying, "this job isn't working for me."

Jon Jones' first fight at heavyweight should NOT be for an interim title ... UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik adamantly tells TMZ Sports 'cause it just ain't fair!

We asked 34-year-old, 6'3", 255 lb. fighter -- ranked 8th in the division -- about the possibility 34-year-old Bones Jones gets a crack at an interim belt ... a fight that would be his first in the division.

"I'm hearing people calling for an interim title. What is fair, what is unfair, who is gonna fight for it?" Jairzinho asked.

"And, then I heard names like Stipe [Miocic] and Jon Jones. I still think that's unfair to put them in an interim fight instead of real fighters who are keeping the division up and running."

Of course, Jones hasn't fought since beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020. Jon's plan was to move up a weight class and fight champion Francis Ngannou, but the parties couldn't agree on money.

Instead, Ngannou fought and beat former training partner Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, Francis hurt his leg in the lead up to the fight (and 5 rounds with Gane didn't help), and now needs surgery on his leg.

Often, a UFC interim belt is created when a champ is injured for an extended period.

Dana White was asked in March whether Jon could lock down a fight with Stipe for the title, and the UFC honcho responded ... "I haven’t thought about it at all, but yeah, it sounds like something we would do.”

FYI, Stipe hasn't fought since losing to Francis in March 2021.

We also asked Rozenstruik -- who has only 3 career professional losses -- about his clash with #7 ranked contender, Alexander Volkov, at UFC Fight Night Saturday night. Jairzinho has some advice ... don't blink.

"I definitely think it's a first-round, second-round fight. I definitely think it's a first-round, second-round fight."

Rozenstruik also talked about the prospect of him fighting Jones ... though, he doesn't believe it makes sense for Jon due to Jairzinho's awesome power.

And, down the line, JR, who lost to Ngannou just 20 seconds into their UFC 249 fight, would like to make things right with the Predator.

Paulo Costa is breaking his silence on the allegations that he attacked a nurse in Brazil earlier this week ... saying in a statement on Wednesday the claims are "reckless and inconsistent."

The UFC star, according to Brazilian media outlet Globo.com, was accused of hitting a nurse with his elbow following an argument over a COVID vaccine card in Belo Horizonte.

The outlet reported that Costa told nurses he wanted a vaccination. But, according to the report, Costa backed out of getting the shots, yet still wanted the filled-out vaccine card.

Globo.com reported when a female nurse tried to stop him from leaving with the card, the 31-year-old hit her with an elbow. She reportedly complained of swelling in her lips.

On his Instagram page Wednesday, Costa opened up about the allegations ... saying in a statement, "The accusations and facts narrated do not reflect the reality of what happened."

"The fact will be carefully investigated and the appropriate legal measures for their perfect clarification will be taken."

He added in the press release, "this kind of allegations are completely incompatible with his history and way of life."

It's unclear if Costa is currently under police investigation.