UFC

Conor McGregor is now part owner of BKFC, and star bare-knuckle fighter Ben Rothwell couldn't be more excited ... telling TMZ Sports the move is a huge coup for the promotion!

42-year-old Rothwell, 3-0 in BKFC, had no idea the huge announcement was coming, saying, "I got told with all of you and I was just excited. I'm more excited, I think, than most people. It was awesome to see all the media and everything talked about. It was all BKFC, Conor McGregor. It's awesome for us."

Ben continued ... "For me, I know what this means. I know where we're going to go with this. And I just couldn't be more excited to be a part of this right now."

12:58 PM PT -- Francis Ngannou released a statement on the loss ... and it's incredibly emotional.

"Too soon to leave but yet he's gone," he said. "My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he's laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he's not responding."

Ngannou added Kobe made him his "best self" ... and he's now lost without him.

La superestrella de los deportes de combate Francis Ngannou está de luto por el trágico fallecimiento de su hijo de 18 meses esta semana, expresando su dolor desgarrador en redes sociales.

"¿Cuál es el propósito de la vida si lo que estamos luchando con uñas y dientes para alejarnos es lo que finalmente nos golpea más fuerte?". Ngannou publicó en X el lunes. "¿Por qué la vida es tan injusta y despiadada?".

"¿Por qué la vida siempre nos quita lo que más queremos? Estoy jodidamente cansado".

Islam Makhachev is putting his lightweight title on the line at UFC 302 ... but, it's a low-risk fight according to the champ, who tells us he's an awful stylistic matchup for Dustin Poirier.

"[Dustin's] problem is his style. That's one problem the guy has. His weak point is wrestling and grappling," 32-year-old Makhachev told TMZ Sports, adding, I have the key for the easy fight. And I think if I follow the plan, I can beat him easy."

Poirier is regarded as a well-rounded fighter who is a great striker, and solid on the ground ... which happens to be the area where Makhachev excels.

Paddy "The Baddy" is now a daddy (say that five times fast) ... 'cause the UFC star and his wife just welcomed twin girls -- and they are adorable!!!

The 21-3 lightweight MMA fighter introduced his baby girls to the world on Instagram, announcing April 17th was the day he and Laura Gregory's lives changed.

"All worth it for you 2 perfect little girls Betsy and Margot Pimblett ❤️," Paddy wrote on Instagram.

Talk about messing with the wrong person ... a woman in Southern California nearly picked a fight with one of the baddest women on the planet, UFC star Maycee Barber -- and it's all on video!

TMZ Sports talked to 25-year-old Barber, the 4th ranked flyweight, and YouTuber/social media star Demi Bagby ... where the two athletes recounted the entire crazy incident.

Check out the clip for the full story, and what was going through Barber's mind (like how she'd have to call Dana White were she arrested) ... but the cliff notes go like this!

El debut de Kayla Harrison en la UFC no podría haber sido mejor: dominó a una leyenda de las MMA, ¡y ahora la luchadora estrella nos dice a quién quiere enfrentarse a continuación!

Harrison, de 33 años, estuvo con Babcock en el programa de TV TMZ Sports (que se emite de lunes a viernes, por la noche, en FS1), donde habló de todo, desde la estrategia de Holly Holm en comparación con la suya hasta su gran pérdida de peso y su próxima oponente.

“Escuché que [la campeona de peso gallo] Raquel [Pennington] no se siente muy bien y no puede pelear. Así que si ella no puede defender el título, me encantaría pelear contra Juliana [Pena] o quien sea, no me importa. Me encantaría pelear por ese cinturón”, dijo Harrison.

Kayla Harrison's UFC debut couldn't have possibly gone any better ... she dominated an MMA legend, and now the star fighter is telling us who she wants next!

33-year-old Harrison joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where she discussed everything from Holly Holm's strategy vs. her, to her big weight cut, and her next opponent.

"I heard that [Bantamweight champion] Raquel [Pennington] is feeling a little under the weather, not able to fight. So if she can't fight for the title, I would love to fight Juliana [Pena], whoever, I don't care. I would love to fight for that belt," Harrison said.

Justin Gaethje's UFC career is chock full of big fights, but he says none more important than his UFC 300 scrap with Max Holloway!

There's that much on the line.

"This is the biggest fight of my career," 35-year-old Gaethje, the #2 ranked lightweight, told TMZ Sports of Saturday's contest, continuing, "a loss here definitely takes away those aspirations of fighting for the gold. You know, a win here definitely solidifies that."

32-year-old Holloway, who is going up to 155 for the scrap, isn't ranked at lightweight ... but is the #2-ranked featherweight.

FYI, Justin is coming off an impressive win over star Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, and Rafael Fiziev before. JG's also beaten the likes of Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza, and Cowboy Cerrone in the UFC.

Max defeated "Korean Zombie" in August, and Arnold Allen in April 2023. Mas has beaten Frankie Edgar, Brian Ortega, Anthony Pettis, and Jose Aldo (twice).

Justin, a slight favorite Saturday, believes a dub gets him a title shot against champ Islam Makhachev.

"I think I win this fight and my goal is to fight the champion at Madison Square Garden," Gaethje says.

We also talked to Justin about fighting on the historic card. UFC 1 was in November 1993 ... and now 30 years later, Gaethje is one of the premiere fights on the stacked card.

He talked about what it means to him.

"It's just a testament to what I've done here," Gaethje said.

"My first interaction with the UFC fans at a press conference, I said 'I'm the most violent lightweight on the planet and the most exciting,' and I think I've lived up to that. I've spoken it into reality. I'm the most consistent guy. I think that's why we're kind of the people's main event, because they know they're going to get a show."

It's a busy time for the Denver Nuggets ... the defending champs, on a quest to go back-to-back, are fighting for the number one seed in the West -- but that's not going to stop the defending champs from having a UFC 300 watch party, according to star Jamal Murray!

27-year-old Murray, a huge MMA fan, joined Babcock on TMZ Sports, and chopped it up while previewing the historic card ... which is going down Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately for the NBA star, Jamal won't be able to attend the fights in person at T-Mobile Arena 'cause the Nuggets play the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Friday and the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee on Sunday.

But, Murray has a Plan B.

"We'll do a little watch party," Jamal said, adding, "I think we got a little conference room set up in Memphis for the fights. I mean, the cards will be going on all day. So, yeah, some great fights, man. Some great fights!"

UFC 300 is a big deal for Dana White's organization ... and as you'd expect, the card's stacked! One of the big fights is Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. We asked Jamal about the scrap.

"Justin, Max Holloway, that's going to be a very, very interesting fight because it can go so many different ways," the former 7th overall draft pick told us.

"I think Max is going to have to pull out all the tools to beat Gaethje, whereas Gaethje, he can more stand in the pocket and rely on his chin and his punches to win the fight at that weight. Whereas Max is going to have to be more technical and probably get some ground control, more knees, you know, just a little more tighter."

It seems everyone's accepted Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired for good ... the MMA legend's manager says the UFC didn't even reach out about a possible return to the Octagon as Dana White's promotion put together one of their biggest events ever!

UFC 300 is going down Saturday, April 13 in Las Vegas ... and it's a landmark event (UFC 1 was in 1993!). The card's stacked -- from the early prelims through the main event, Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill -- with 13 strong fights!

For months, fans wondered who would be a part of the card ... and with White's org obviously looking to put their best foot forward, we asked Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, if he received a call from the UFC in an attempt to lure the 29-0 superstar.

"Even if [UFC] asked me to call Khabib, I'm not even gonna call Khabib. I'm not. I'm not gonna call Khabib to fight," Abdelaziz told us.

"His legacy moves on to other people like Islam, Usman, Umar, Gaethje, his team. He's a guy who created opportunities for all those guys coming up. He created an opportunity himself with myself. He brought up the whole team and now just create an opportunity for other people. That's what he's doing right now."

Of course, Nurmagomedov, who is still just 35 years old, retired after beating Justin Gaethje by submission at UFC 254 in late 2020 ... following the tragic death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap.

Khabib was inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame in 2022.

There was a time when the UFC tried to lure Khabib back to the cage ... but listening to Ali, it's clear that's now stopped.

"Dana tried for years but Dana understands now. I think Khabib retired early too, I agree with Dana, but his father situation, the trauma he went through, the promises he made, and honestly, now, at this point, I don't wanna see Khabib come back."

"He undefeated, on top, he's the greatest of all time. I agree with Dana White on everything. This one I don't agree with him on. [Khabib's] the greatest, he's the GOAT," Nurmaogmedov's longtime manager said.

There's a bunch more with Ali ... on his many star clients who ARE fighting this Saturday, including the aforementioned Gaethje, the #2 ranked lightweight, who is fighting fellow legend Max Holloway.

The former 145 lb. champ, still ranked #2 at featherweight, is moving up a weight class for the scrap. What would a win mean for JG and his title hopes? We asked Ali.

We also talked to AA about client Kayla Harrison ... who is making her UFC debut against Holly Holm.

It's fair to say Abdelaziz sees big things coming for the Olympic gold medalist.

4/8 8 AM PT -- Jones is further clearing the air regarding his interaction with the drug tester ... saying he was NOT arrested over the incident.

"I must admit, it's disappointing to have to clarify these things again, but I understand that I may be an easy target given some of my past issues," Jones said. "It's important to set the record straight and make sure the truth is told."

Jones reiterated he was upset when the tester showed up to his home ... and he was "caught off guard" as he was taking a nap at the time. Jones admitted to using profanity after growing frustrated with the administrator's "unprofessionalism and protocol," but other than that ... he claims he did nothing wrong.

"It's unfortunate that false news has been spread without proper fact-checking," he added. "I want to assure you that I will vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations. The truth is, the incident simply did not occur."

UFC champion Jon Jones is adamantly denying any wrongdoing after a drug tester showed up at his place unannounced ... saying the whole interaction was as cordial as could be.

Jones -- a 36-year-old fighter -- claims he was at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico last weekend ... when out of nowhere, a UFC-certified official showed up to test his blood while he was celebrating a birthday.

In a police report filed by the alleged tester, Jones is accused of grabbing the official's phone and threatening to kill her ... but he says there's video to prove there was no bad blood.

Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill are technically the headliners of UFC 300 ... but, they're NOT "The People's Main Event!"

No, that title belongs to Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje, according to "Blessed" himself, who says fight fans can look forward to VIOLENCE!!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 32-year-old ... where the former featherweight champion previewed the highly anticipated scrap.

Sean O'Malley's proving it pays to be one of the UFC's biggest stars ... especially when you've got friends like Adin Ross, who just hooked the MMA champ up with a custom "Suga" candy paint low rider!

The streamer surprised the bantamweight title holder weeks after Sean defended his belt against 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299, his 18th win as a professional.

When it came time to gift O'Malley the whip, he was in pure shock when he removed the blindfold, revealing the hot pink 1975 Chevy Caprice, and he (justifiedly) went crazy!

"No way!" O'Malley yelled. "What?! Bro! Haha! That's crazy!"

O'Malley took the car for a spin straight away ... moments after he secured the keys and got a tutorial on how to raise and lower the ride with the hydraulic suspension.

The car's sick ... from the deep, rich, metallic paint to the chromed-out suspension.

Of course, the low rider -- from the High Class Car Club in Glendale -- fits O'Malley's personality perfectly ... as he's known for his vibrant hair color and style.

Ross -- who went forward with the gift despite receiving an ass whoopin' in the cage during a sparring sesh earlier in the day -- also said he has an Audemars Piguet luxury watch for Sean.

Jake Gyllenhaal y Conor McGregor podrían ser el próximo dúo dinámico de Hollywood, porque su reboot de "Road House" acaba de hacer historia con 50 millones de visitas desde su debut, un nuevo récord para Prime Video.

Los números fueron compartidos una semana después del estreno de la película, y los funcionarios aseguran que fue todo un éxito.

50 millones es una cifra récord para el debut de una película en Prime Video y McGregor estaba emocionado por el logro.