UFC

UFC fighter Geoff Neal was arrested on Thanksgiving after cops say he was drinking and driving with a firearm ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to police records, Neal -- who's slated to fight at UFC 269 on Dec. 11 in Las Vegas -- was taken into custody at 3:47 AM on Nov. 25.

Details surrounding the stop are unclear -- we're working on it -- but records show Neal was booked on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

The records show the 31-year-old was eventually released from jail at 8:08 PM on Thanksgiving night.

Neal is set to scrap with Santiago Ponzinibbio, and, according to the UFC, the fight is still on despite the arrest.

"UFC is aware of the recent situation involving Geoff Neal," UFC officials said in a statement. "The organization has been in communication with him and is in the process of gathering more details. Neal's bout at UFC 269 on December 11th remains as scheduled."

Neal, meanwhile, has denied the allegations against him ... with his attorney telling ESPN this week that he believes bloodwork results will show the UFC fighter was not illegally drinking and driving.

"If it turns out he was not legally intoxicated -- which we expect the blood test will show -- there won't be a gun charge, either," said Brandon Barnett, who claims Neal legally had a licensed gun in his vehicle at the time of the arrest.

"I think it's somewhat premature to report on this at this point," Barnett added. "Doing what I do for a living, there's a lot of occasions where you see an arrest and then based on the evidence that comes back there's never even a case file."

Nate Diaz says he is NOT fighting Khamzat Chimaev -- regardless of who wants to see them scrap -- telling TMZ Sports the Chechen fighter is a "rookie" who flat-out just ain't on his level.

We talked to the UFC superstar at Brickhouse boxing gym in North Hollywood ... and we asked him about the potential fight with Khamzat.

"They're coming at me with [Khamzat], and I'm like, 'hold on, don't disrespect me like that, trying to offer me a fight with a rookie.' I'm cool, you got 4 fights in the UFC. Don't even talk my name," Nate told us.

FYI, 27-year-old Chimaev -- 10-0 in his short career as a fighter (4-0 in UFC) -- bursts onto the MMA scene last year ... becoming one of the biggest draws in the sport.

Khamzat last fought Li Jingliang in October ... beating the Chinese fighter less than 4 minutes into the 1st round.

36-year-old Diaz has one fight left on his UFC deal ... and Dana White told us last month the UFC planned to offer Nate a fight with Chimaev.

Something we now know Nate turned down (however, ND does suggest an opponent for Khamzat).

Chimaev's out, but there's a helluva long list of huge fights the future Hall of Famer could accept ... and Diaz says he's ready to go.

"I'm trying to fight somebody in the UFC, like ASAP, but nobody wants to fight. I've been trying to get somebody for a minute," Nate said, exasperated.

The Stockton superstar later added ... "Anybody from the top 10, I've been trying to fight, in any weight division, but they all wanna keep their mouth shut cause they're all scared."

FWIW, Conor McGregor, who says he has 2 fights left in the UFC, recently said the trilogy fight with Diaz "1 billion percent" will go down.

Of course, McGregor is still healing up from the gruesome lower leg injury he suffered against Dustin Poirier.

We also talked to 28-year-old fighter (and Nate's close friend), Chris Avila ... who is fighting Anthony Taylor on the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury card on December 18.

Taylor is the fighter who lost via decision to Fury on the Jake-Tyron Woodley card a few months ago.

Avila -- who says he's the most experienced fighter on the card -- is clearly pumped for the fight, and even knows who he wants next ... the winner of Jake and Tommy.

Former UFC champion Nicco Montano says her face was stomped on and she was repeatedly kicked in the head during a violent attack at an Austin hotel early Tuesday morning, sending her to the hospital.

Thankfully, the 32-year-old fighter appears to be okay, and is now back home in New Mexico, manager Ricky Kottenstette tells TMZ Sports.

Montano recounted the alleged attack on social media ... and it sounds terrifying.

"Tonight [he] stood on my neck and stomped my face [and then] kept kicking me and shoving my hair into his fist and the corner of the bed frame," Nicco wrote.

"I got away for a second to run down the hall (naked) screaming for my life as he tried to drag me back by my hair."

"Luckily someone from the hotel heard my screams and came to my rescue."

Kottenstette tells us the alleged attacker became jealous while having drinks at a hotel bar with Nicco ... before attacking her in their room.

FYI, Montano became the UFC's first Flyweight champion in 2017 ... after she appeared on The Ultimate Fighter. In the show's finale -- with the title on the line -- Nicco beat Roxanne Modafferi by unanimous decision.

Nico last fought in July 2019, losing a unanimous decision to Julianna Pena (who's fighting Amanda Nunes at UFC 269). NM was released by the UFC this summer.

Kottenstette tells us Nicco underwent a battery of tests at the hospital ... but says thankfully the scans came back clean. The manager also says his client spoke to police at the hospital.

We've reached out to law enforcement ... but so far, no word back.

Conor McGregor is helping a fellow Irishman and MMA fighter ... by donating $11k to a man who needs money for stem cell treatment after being paralyzed from a horrific injury during training.

The terrible incident happened in July ... when the 1-1 welterweight Ian Coughlan had a freak accident while training for an upcoming fight.

The 29-year-old fighter spent months in Ireland hospitals and rehabilitation in an effort to get back on his feet ... but was told by doctors he may never walk again.

However, another hospital in Germany -- which specializes in spinal cord injuries -- says they can help him out with their Stem Cell and HAL treatment ... but Coughlan needs $73,000 euros ($82,779 in USD) to cover it.

McGregor wasted no time stepping up to help -- sending the Irish fighter 10,000 euros ($11,339 in USD) to his GoFundMe on Thursday.

McGregor is also planning to attend a fundraiser for Coughlan with his coach John Kavanagh -- a super seminar called "Unstoppable" on Dec. 18 in Dublin.

"Guys let’s get together and support this young Irish fighter who suffered a terrible injury at a gym in Ireland," McGregor said via Twitter.

"Coach John and the team at SBG are hosting a training day and my own recovery permitting, I hope to be in attendance. There will be signed fight wear also!"

Other stars like UFC's Johnny Walker and Ultimate Fighter's Brad Katona will also be there in support.

"We’re looking forward to this," coach Kavanagh said, "The 'Unstoppable Seminar’ raising some much needed funds for the unstoppable Ian Coughlan."

"Let’s do this for him. Let’s do this for his family. Let’s show the strength of the MMA and martial arts community."

Dana White didn't make it through the Thanksgiving holiday unscathed ... 'cause the UFC boss announced he tested positive for COVID-19 -- but thankfully he says he's feelin' okay.

White broke the news during an interview with Jim Rome ... revealing his entire family caught the virus after a weekend at his house in Maine.

“We just went up to my place in Maine and for Thanksgiving, it’s tradition we go up there, and somebody had it, and we get back, and we all tested positive for COVID,” White said.

Dana says he felt fine but realized something was wrong when he couldn't smell anything.

“We got back on Saturday. On Sunday, I cold plunge and steam every day,” White continued. “So I get out of the cold plunge and steam, and I spray the eucalyptus and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ I couldn’t smell anything."

White -- who's fully vaccinated -- says aside from losing taste and smell, his symptoms were minimal.

But, who do you call when you have COVID? Joe Rogan, of course!

Of course, nothing says controversy like Rogan and COVID. The JRE host was slammed by CNN and other outlets for using Ivermectin to battle the virus.

Still, everyone from Aaron Rodgers and now the UFC prez have consulted with Joe ... who himself battled and beat COVID.

As for Dana, he says he's doing fine and is actually gunning to attend the UFC fights this weekend.

Frank Mir's daughter Isabella is an MMA fighter ... but it wasn't (only) her former UFC champion dad who inspired her to fight in a locked cage -- that honor belongs to Ronda Rousey.

TMZ Sports spoke to Frank about his 18-year-old daughter ... and while he admits to initially being hesitant to see his girl fight, he says he rather help her win, as opposed to simply being a spectator.

"She loves it. She wants to do it. I said a long time ago, I'd rather be the captain of the ship than be watching from the shoreline."

FYI, Bella is 2-0 in the cage. She had her first pro fight in 2020. She's also a badass wrestler who routinely beat boys in high school. Bella also won the SMC Girls Folkstyle National Wrestling Championships earlier this year.

Mir says years ago neither he nor his daughter believed there was a path to becoming a UFC fighter for a woman ... but Frank says that changed when Ronda burst on the scene.

Of course, Rousey was the female fighter who changed Dana White's mind ... after the UFC prez once vowed women wouldn't fight in his organization.

But, Ronda made her UFC debut in 2013 and became a global superstar ... inspiring many young girls along the way, including Bella.

Mir's daughter might be a pro fighter, but he isn't done in the cage, despite being 42 years old.

Frank, who once beat Brock Lesnar, is fighting boxer Kubrat Pulev Saturday night in Triller's new Triad Combat organization ... where MMA fighters and boxers will fight in a triangular-shaped ring.

We also talked to Rampage Jackson, captain of Mir's MMA team. He's been locked in a war of words with Shannon Briggs, the boxing team captain.

Amanda Serrano recently signed with Jake Paul's boxing promotion, and the boxing star says it was literally the best professional move she's ever made ... 'cause she's finally getting the respect she deserves.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old unified welterweight champ ... and we asked her if she's gotten more shine since signing with the Problem Child.

"Definitely! 100%! It's about time we get recognition, that I get recognition. I've been training and working so hard and all of the stuff I accomplished. With boxing, I never really been acknowledged and it's the best decision I've made."

Jake's Most Valuable Promotion is his boxing promotion organization ... and Serrano was the first fighter he signed. He previously told us he plans to sign a stable of fighters.

Despite the added attention, Amanda is still a super humble person.

"I'm still an average woman and I still have two feet that I walk on every day to the gym and work hard. It's just now it's a little more pressure. I gotta work even harder because I'm under a big platform with Jake Paul so I just want to continue to prove that I'm the best," Serrano told us.

Serrano's first test under the MVP banner is a December 18th bout with 14-1 Miriam Gutiérrez in Florida ... the card that features Jake and Tommy Fury.

Former NFL star Frank Gore and former NBA star Deron Williams are also fighting that night.

And, one thing's clear ... Serrano is looking to put on a show, and show the world why Paul locked her up.

"I'm gonna win no matter what but if it's in the first -- I have 10 rounds to do it, but I'm definitely going in there for a knockout."

Jake Paul let the verbal jabs fly during his presser with Tommy Fury on Wednesday ... and he did it from the comfort of his pool in Puerto Rico.

Jake tuned in remotely as he took on the whole Fury fam -- including heavyweight champ, Tyson -- and while he looked rested and relaxed while wearing sunglasses, a pineapple print hat and sipping on a coconut, it was far from cozy.

Tommy's dad started it off ... taking serious issue with Jake's wardrobe choice. It got so heated, John squared up with the TV that was showing Paul via live stream.

Jake said he's "pretty much on vacation" leading up to the December 18 bout ... saying he's been training non-stop much before the fight was announced.

Tommy's dad chimes in and tells Jake to take his shades off so he can "see the fear" in his eyes ... but Paul shut him down.

"Hey Tommy, Shut your bitches up for me," he said.

The focus switched to Tyson, as Jake bragged and claimed he made more money than the heavyweight champ this year.

Oscar De La Hoya, one of the greatest boxers ever, has received endless lavish and expensive gifts ... but the best present ever?? The tattoo his GF Holly Sonders just got inked on her shoulder.

TMZ Sports talked to the boxing great and his famous girlfriend ... and asked the couple about the tat.

"It actually tops everything that I've ever been given. Who can top this?" Oscar says, "I've been given everything you could possibly imagine. And a tattoo, a beautiful portrait of me looking up at the sky to my mother. The '94 Olympic Games were just incredible."

What prompted Holly to get the ink ... which she says took 2.5 hours to complete?

"There was no reason for it," Holly says, adding, "I have 3 tattoos. I've wanted a 4th for a while."

So, Sonders just wanted to show her man some love.

FYI, the tattoo was done by Oscar's brother-in-law, Esteban Camacho ... and commemorates the moment De La Hoya became The Golden Boy, winning Olympic gold at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain.

De La Hoya and Sonders started dating a few months back after they met at a boxing event where Holly was working ... and sparks flew.

They've basically been inseparable since ... hence the tattoo.

There's more ... we also talked to Holly and Oscar about Sonders' NFT drop, featuring 1,000 of her favorite hottest/sexiest photos.

The pics are fire on their own ... but Holly also told us she's raffling off a round of golf. As for Oscar ... he decided to throw in an awesome prize, too (boxing fans will like this).

Kayla Harrison is a wanted woman ... her manager Ali Abdelaziz tells TMZ Sports everyone from the UFC to WWE is gunning to sign his MMA star client.

We talked to Abdelaziz -- who was having dinner with Kamaru Usman and Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan in Beverly Hills -- about 31-year-old Harrison's fighting future.

"Everybody trying to sign Kayla. Even Walmart try to sign Kayla. The WWE been calling too but we're interested in real fighting," Ali says.

The 3x PFL tourney winner (12-0) has been DOMINANT in the cage ... and is arguably MMA's hottest free agent.

Of course, Kayla, a 2x Olympic gold medalist, wouldn't be the first MMA star to turn to pro wrestling. Her former Judo teammate, Ronda Rousey, was the WWE Raw Women's Champ.

But, Ali tells us Harrison won't be following in Rowdy Rousey's footsteps ... at least not now.

"[Kayla's] focusing on fighting right now. PFL, it doesn't matter where she gonna be -- whatever Kayla wants," Abdelaziz says.

Her manager continued ... "I think she's happy with PFL, but listen. I got great relationships with UFC, Bellator, but I have to show a little loyalty to PFL."

FYI, neither WWE nor the UFC has publicly said they intend (or don't intend) to make a run at Harrison.

Ali also addressed Twitter-gate, answering whether he was the person who fired off an anti-Justin Gaethje message from Khabib Nurmagomedov's account (he was not).

On the topic of Justin, Abdelaziz also sets the record straight on who deserves the next title shot at 155 pounds ... Islam Makhachev or Gaethje.

We also talked to Kayla, and asked her straight-up ... what's the one fight you want more than anything else?

"I think right now the fight is Cyborg. I think Amanda [Nunes] is the greatest of all time for a reason. To get to that point, I have to continue to climb, and I think Cyborg is a step on that ladder," Harrison said.

"[Cyborg's] also one of the greatest of all time. She's no slouch. And, for me, it'd be an honor for me to share the cage with her."

A fight with Cris would likely mean signing with Bellator ... where Cyborg currently fights.

Harrison is technically not a free agent yet (but she will be in a matter of days) ... question is, who will land the MMA star?

Kamaru Usman doesn't care who doubts him ... telling TMZ Sports he STILL wants to box Canelo Alvarez, and wholeheartedly believes he can beat the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.

We shot the UFC welterweight champ Thursday night at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills, and we asked the 34-year-old fighter ... "who's a name that interests you?"

"I've already said the name that interests me. Canelo. That's what interests me."

We then asked Usman about Dana White's recent comments, following Canelo's latest KO win over Caleb Plant, where the UFC president said "[Kamaru] doesn't want to fight Canelo" -- because Alvarez is so damn dangerous in the ring.

But, Usman isn't letting that stop him.

"That's Dana, but I'm fighting. Dana's boss man, but I'm the one who's fighting," Kamaru says.

Prior to that Plant fight, we recently talked to the 31-year-old, and asked the boxing superstar if he was interested in boxing the top pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world.

Canelo didn't exactly slam the door ... but told us he was focused on solidifying his resume as one of the greatest fighters ever.

If the men do fight ... make no mistake, Kamaru isn't doing it just for a paycheck. He straight up believes he can beat Alvarez.

Conor McGregor claims it wasn't Dustin Poirier who gruesomely broke his leg during their trilogy fight ... 'cause the limb was "severely damaged" heading into the scrap.

The 33-year-old former UFC double champ made the declaration in a series of tweets on Wednesday ... saying he knew the leg may give out, but he decided to continue with the fight despite the serious injury.

"In my last camp I’d a severely damaged left leg. Many of my sessions consisted of starting in open guard bottom. And staying there. Full rounds remaining on bottom. I was beating people up until they backed away from me. It then translated to the fight. True story," McGregor fired on Twitter.

In fact, Conor says he didn't have a big reaction to the painful break -- unlike Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva -- because he was well aware the leg may snap during the UFC 264 fight on July 10.

"Same leg, same spot. I attribute it to why I wasn’t in as much shock as Chris/Anderson where. I knew something may happen in advance. Chris was upset with my quote. Felt I was aiming at him. I was not. If any constellation to my reaction, It was because id a heads up it may snap."

McGregor is very much down the road to recovery ... and it's evident he's beginning to plot his return to the Octagon.

But, who will he fight?? Poirier for a 4th time? Max Holloway rematch (McGregor beat him in 2013)? Nate Diaz trilogy?

Whoever it is ... The Notorious says he'll be back and better than ever!

Khaos Williams -- rising UFC star -- says there's no (legit) controversy surrounding his UFC Fight Night KO win ... which some have argued was stopped early by the ref.

"I'm glad that he's alright, but he was asleep. It was a good stoppage. It was a good stoppage. Live to fight another day," Khaos tells TMZ Sports.

He added ... "Definitely wasn't no early stoppage."

27-year-old Williams floored Miguel Baeza in the 3rd round with a perfectly placed right hook to the chin, sending the fighter crumbling to the Octagon floor. Khaos jumped on top of Miguel, raining down a few heavy ground and pound shots before the fight was stopped.

Baeza immediately protested, and he wasn't the only one.

Even Henry Cejudo said the stoppage was early, writing on social media ... "These refs really have to get checked. If someone gets dropped it doesn't mean you call the fight off! Too many refs calling the fights early @danawhite"

FYI, Dana White said the stoppage was good.

As for what's next for the rising star, Khaos is now 13-2 (and controversy aside, just beat a guy who only has 2 career losses) ... and is looking to fight a ranked opponent.

And if/when he does, Williams tells us he'd LOVE for hip-hop star Meek Mill -- a guy he's admired for many years -- to be by his side as he walks in the Octagon.

Sorry, Tyron Woodley -- that "I love Jake Paul" tattoo was all for naught ... 'cause Jake Paul tells TMZ Sports he's officially slamming the door on giving the former UFC champ a rematch.

Of course, Woodley held up his end of a tattoo bet he made with Paul after losing the Aug. 29 bout ... getting the phrase etched on the side of his middle finger nearly a month later, but clearly, Jake thought he was too slow to getting it done.

Paul -- who's fighting Tommy Fury on Dec. 18 -- says there's no need for Woodley to wait around in hopes of getting another shot at the YouTube superstar after he's done with TNT ... and has a pretty good reason why.

"I don't think people really wanna see Tyron vs Jake Paul again," Jake tells us. "He had his chance."

As for his upcoming fight, Paul admits the 7-0 brother of Tyson Fury is his toughest opponent to date ... but he's expecting the same outcome from his first 4 fights.

"Definitely the toughest guy, but I'm coming for his head," Jake added. "He has a lot a lot to deal with and he chose the wrong time to fight me because I'm not playing around this time."

"I feel like we are in grade school and Conor McGregor is following me around trying to pick up my sloppy seconds."

That's Justin Gaethje blasting The Notorious, telling TMZ Sports Conor McGregor is attempting to fight all the dudes he's already beaten, and the UFC star thinks it's pretty comical.

"I hate to say it because it's disrespectful to the opponents that I beat," Justin says.

"I fought Cowboy [Cerrone]. Then he wants to fight Cowboy. I just beat up Chandler. Now he wants to fight Chandler. He'll never say my name. And, Ferguson is on the list now too."

Of course, Gaethje -- the #2 ranked lightweight -- beat Chandler via unanimous decision at UFC 268 ... in one of the greatest fights of all time.

And, just last year, Justin beat Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision ... which earned him a title shot against Khabib.

Over the last few weeks, Conor expressed interest in fighting both men ... Chandler and Ferguson.

Someone the Irish superstar hasn't called out (lately, at least) ... is Justin.

So, we asked Gaethje -- who has previously made it clear he wanted to mess up McGregor -- if he was still interested in the fight.

"Do I want to make [Conor's] face look like Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler's? Absolutely. Will he ever allow that? No! He has way too many smart people around this dude and he's not a dumbass."

"He might knock me out. Olivera might knock me out, Poirier might knock me out but they have to pray to God that they land that shot."

We also talked to Justin about his beef with Colby Covington (Gaethje trains with CC's rival, Kamaru Usman) ... and JG makes it known, he ain't looking for a fight in the Octagon with "Chaos."

Yair Rodriguez is literally willing to risk it all in his fight against UFC star Max Holloway ... telling TMZ Sports he's ready to die in the Octagon -- seriously.

"You gotta understand this sport is so dangerous and things can happen. You gotta accept that before you go in there," the 29-year-old, #3 ranked fighter says.

"El Pantera" is fighting the #1 ranked contender at UFC Fight Night Saturday night in Vegas ... and the winner will likely face champion Alex Volkanovski.

And, Yair knows how dangerous the sport can potentially be ... and he's okay with that.

"I just accept that it can happen," Rodriguez says.

"I'm fine with my family before the fight. I tell everybody that I love them. I try to get everything ready if anything happens. Hopefully, nothing like that happens to me or any of my co-workers."

As far as the fight ... Max vs. Yair -- who are both electric in the cage -- has the potential to be an awesome fight. Rodriguez even believes it could actually be better than Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler's UFC 268 scrap.

"I know we had pretty good fights last weekend, and I'm sure people excepting a show, so I'm expecting to bring fireworks Saturday."

Whether or not it tops Justin and Michael ... fans are all but guaranteed a kick-ass bout when these men step in the Octagon.