Fights

Chris Weidman says he can do what Daniel Cormier couldn't -- beat Jon Jones -- and he's telling TMZ Sports how he plans on taking down one of the greatest fighters EVER.

Of course, Weidman moved up to the light heavyweight division to fight undefeated Dominick Reyes at 'UFC on ESPN 6' in Boston on Friday -- but his goal is to smash Reyes in the hopes of getting a crack at Jones.

Weidman has spent most of his career fighting at middleweight (185 pounds), but says the weight cuts were killing him ... so he decided to move up to 205.

The former champ -- who took out Anderson Silva TWICE -- says he feels GREAT at his new weight and is already dreaming about adding another G.O.A.T. to his hit list.

Weidman knows he would be a heavy underdog in a fight with Jones -- but says he's got the skills, the size and the power to put Jon on his ass.

In fact, Chris says he's got the physical attributes that guys like Cormier didn't possess -- like a long body and long limbs -- which would give him a real advantage against Jones.

Paige VanZant has a message for the UFC -- GET ME BACK IN THE OCTAGON ALREADY!!!

The 25-year-old says she's got the green light from doctors to fight again after undergoing surgery on her right forearm back in June ... and she's DYING to test it out in combat!

Of course, Paige initially injured her arm while delivering a spinning backfist during a 2018 fight against Jessica-Rose Clark and needed surgery to fix it.

Paige returned to the Octagon in Jan. 2019 and defeated Rachael Ostovich ... but required another operation in June 2019 to get a metal rod reinserted in the arm.

Now, VanZant says she's all healed up and she's already hit up Dana White to book a match ... and she wants a fight in the next 2 months!!

"I told the UFC, actually, almost a month ago. Like 4 weeks ago. 'Hey, I'm ready to fight. Give me a fight.' And its been a month and I haven't heard anything," VanZant says.

"I'm trying to force the hand and get a fight because I've been ready this whole time and we're kinda just waiting to hear who they match me up against."

Paige had offered to step in and fight Michelle Waterson if Joanna Jedrzejczyk dropped out of their Oct. 12 main event due to weight issues. But, Joanna made weight, so no go for Paige.

VanZant says she's still down to fight Waterson when she heals up from the Joanna fight -- but if Michelle needs months to recover, Paige would rather find another opponent because she doesn't want to wait.

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz -- who reps UFC champs like Khabib, Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman -- was cited for misdemeanor battery over an altercation with a rival manger, cops tell TMZ Sports.

Abdelaziz -- who runs Dominance MMA -- got into it with Abe Kawa, Vice President of First Round Management, during a PFL event at the Mandalay Bay on Friday.

We're told ... Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. officers were on scene when the two got into a heated verbal altercation, which escalated into a physical incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us officers on scene say they witnessed Abdelaziz deliver two "open palm strikes" -- aka slaps -- to Kawa's face.

Abdelaziz was NOT arrested, but he was detained and cited on scene ... and if the case moves forward, he'll be notified to appear in court.

Footage of the incident was posted on social media. UFC star Anthony Pettis, Kawa's client, was in the middle of the action and told ESPN's Marc Raimondi "Abdelaziz slapped Kawa 'like a bitch' and 'was gone in 15 seconds.'"

Cops note Abdelaziz was cooperative with police during the incident, as was Kawa.

Seems obvious, but now it's official ... Dana White tells TMZ Sports Israel Adesanya's next opponent will be Paulo Costa.

Of course, Costa was sitting Octagon-side when Izzy knocked out Robert Whittaker last weekend at UFC 243 in Australia ... and the two talked trash to each other after the fight.

So, when we spoke with White this week he told us the two fighters are on a collision course ... and if Israel emerges victorious, then we can start talking about Izzy vs. Jon Jones.

"The next fight is Paulo Costa. That's the fight to make next and if a Jon Jones fight is possible down the line, I like it!"

Israel and Jones traded shots on TMZ over the past few months -- Israel said he's a G.O.A.T. killer and Jon replied, "I'll make you call me daddy!"

Did Michael Bisping fight in the UFC -- and win -- with a prosthetic eyeball???

That's the question everyone has been asking ever since Bisping revealed his right eyeball is a fake. And, when we saw him at LAX this week, we asked him straight-up.

Of course, Bisping suffered a detached retina from a brutal head kick during a 2013 fight with Vitor Belfort -- and has said vision in his right eye was pretty much "non-existent" ever since.

It's interesting because Bisping fought 11 TIMES in the UFC after the injury -- including winning the UFC middleweight belt with a victory over Luke Rockhold in 2016. But, Michael's never revealed WHEN his right eyeball was surgically removed.

So, Bisping ... did you secretly fight with a glass eye????

"Don't worry about it! Don't worry about it! All you gotta worry about is that I won the belt," Bisping told us with a grin on his face ... "It doesn't matter!"

But, it kinda matters ... we spoke with the California State Athletic Commission, and a rep tells us had they known Bisping had a glass eye before the Rockhold fight, he wouldn't have been licensed.

"A fighter with a glass eye would not be able to be licensed in California. Prosthetics aren’t specifically called out in the code specific to vision, but it would definitely fall under section (g) any other visual condition. Aside from the issues with depth perception and peripheral vision, we couldn’t put somebody in a match where there’s a danger that they could lose their only remaining eye."

However, CSAC says Bisping went through a thorough examination -- including a doctor who examined his eye -- and he was cleared.

Badass fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu royalty Kron Gracie tells TMZ Sports he never wanted to choke people for a living ... he was about kickflips and ollies until a tragedy changed the course of his life.

Ya gotta understand who Gracie is ... his dad's Rickson Gracie -- regarded as one of the greatest BJJ practitioners ever -- and his grandfather's Helio Gracie -- who literally invented BJJ.

But, when he was growing up, he told us he had no interest in fighting.

"When I was younger I wanted to skateboard. I liked skateboarding. I had like little skateboard sponsorships and surfing, and that was all fun to me. I had no real interest in jiu-jitsu. As a young kid, it was kinda just the family business."

Then Kron says tragedy struck the family.

"I had an older brother who had passed away. So, once he passed I was the only boy left in the family, and it kinda put all the pressure on me, and I wanted to keep the family legacy going and I wanted to keep my dad proud."

"I wanted to give my dad a son who was a champion, and I wanted to make my brother proud and I had all the resources to do such. So, it would be stupid and ignorant to not do what I did."

The 31-year-old undefeated fighter's path to that championship runs straight through Cub Swanson this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 161.

Oleksandr Usyk -- one of the best boxers in the world -- just used his limited English skills to make a BIG challenge to Deontay Wilder, saying he wants to fight Wilder NOW.

If you don't know Usyk yet, you will ... he's undefeated, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and was the undisputed (held ALL the belts) cruiserweight champion.

He's moved up to heavyweight now ... and when we got him out at LAX, it's clear he doesn't want to waste time making a mark in his new division because when we asked him who he wanted to fight, he said one thing.

"Deontay Wilder."

Usyk is Ukranian, so it's possible that Wilder's name is some of the only English he knows. But, it's the right English to know because the fight would be huge, and probably tougher for Wilder than you think.

Wilder's got other business to take care of though, namely Luis Ortiz, and every other heavyweight in the world, all looking for a piece of the WBC champ.

Keep hunting, Usyk ... but remember, be careful what you wish for.

Derek Brunson trained with Jon Jones ... and fought Israel Adesanya, so who'd the UFC star tell TMZ Sports would win in a fight???

Jon Bones Jones.

"I kinda know who would win the fight. Jon Jones would be a little bit too much," Brunson says.

"Jon is a high IQ fighter. So, really the chance of Izzy winning that fight is really catching him and hurting him, and Izzy got the finish in this fight, but he's not really a power guy, he's more of a TKO guy."

"He's gonna put some punches together. But Jon's big, strong, and he's gonna figure it out."

Jones and Adesanya have beef ... it all started when Izzy told us he was a G.O.A.T. killer earlier this year. Jon responded ... and the rivalry's only intensified since ... and both guys say they want to fight.

Brunson is down to watch the 2 champs battle ... but he also wants another crack at Adesanya himself.

Izzy stopped Brunson with a flurry of punches and kicks at the end of the 1st round when they fought in November 2018.

Dana White says reports that UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk was in danger of missing weight for her main event fight this weekend are COMPLETE BS ... and says she's good to go!!

Jedrzejczyk is fighting Michelle Waterson in Tampa on Saturday -- but there were several reports that the fight was in jeopardy over questions about Joanna being able to make the 116-pound weight limit.

White says UFC's network partner, ESPN, fueled the misinformation -- and he's FIRED UP about it.

"This is madness!!!" White says... "Yesterday, my partner, ESPN, put up on their ticker tape Joanna Jedrzejczyk didn't make weight. The weigh-ins are today!!!"

Both Joanna and Michelle DID make weight and the fight is good to go.

We asked Dana why he thinks there were questions surrounding Joanna's weight -- and he chalked it up to "head games" the veteran fighter was playing on her opponent.

"What has been happening is there has been some head games going on between two veterans who are fighting in the main event in a fight that is very important in both of their careers and to see who gets the next title shot."

"And, all these MMA suckers fall for it because they're hearing things behind-the-scenes."

Undefeated UFC star Mackenzie Dern just made weight and is set to fight on Saturday ... just 4 months after she gave birth to her first child!!!

We did the math (hey, numbers are hard) ... and it's only been 124 days since 26-year-old Mackenzie became a mom. She gave birth to her daughter, Moa, on June 9.

Think about that ... not only did Mack have to recover from the toll that pregnancy and delivery takes on your body, but then she began to train for a FISTFIGHT with a world class opponent almost immediately.

Dern -- who's 7-0 as a pro MMA fighter -- just hit the scales for the official weigh in for UFC Fight Night 161 in Tampa, Florida ... and came in at 115 lbs, a perfect number for her weight class.

Mackenzie -- who's known as one of the top female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners -- is set to face Amanda Ribas, who did NOT give birth 4 months ago!

And, get this, according to Vegas odds ... Dern is still the slight betting favorite ... you have to put down $145 to win $100.

FYI, Mackenzie's baby daddy is Brazilian pro surfer Wesley Santos ... so that kid is gonna be freakishly athletic!!!

Conor McGregor strolled into court in Ireland on Friday to face an assault charge for punching a man in the face at a Dublin pub in April ... and the media was out in force!

The UFC superstar was decked out in a navy suit with a striped tie -- and didn't show any emotion on his face while he walked into the courthouse flanked by his lawyers.

Inside the courtroom, things weren't as exciting ... the judge granted McGregor's request to postpone the hearing until Nov. 1.

Irish officials say Conor will have to request a trial date or enter a plea during the Nov. 1 hearing, according to The Irish Times.

On the way out of court, Conor was quiet ... but you can hear people screaming, "McGregor!" as he walked to his car.

Boxing superstar Errol Spence -- one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world -- is badly injured and being treated in an Intensive Care Unit in Dallas after crashing a white Ferrari early Thursday morning.

The 29-year-old was driving on Riverfront Blvd. around 3 AM at a high rate of speed, according to cops, when the car went over the center median and flipped at least 5 times.

Spence, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the car and suffered serious injuries, officials say. You can see in the photos, obtained by FOX 4, it doesn't appear the vehicle has a roof.

Spence was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police say he's expected to survive.

The Dallas Police Dept. raced to the scene. Several officers were seen investigating the crash. It's unclear at this point if they believe alcohol was a factor.

Tyron Woodley says his true love is boxing, and his dream match-up is Canelo Alvarez. Oh, and T-Wood says if he landed a power shot, it'd be lights out for the Mexican star.

The UFC superstar joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... when Tyron revealed that boxing -- and not mixed martial arts -- was his first love.

"All I wanted to do is box when I came up. I just started MMA at 23, so I felt I was a little old to start boxing at that age. But, since I was a kid, that's the only sport I've ever wanted to do. So, most of my training is boxing training."

And, just 'cause he hasn't officially stepped into the ring, doesn't mean Woodley couldn't knock high-level boxers on their asses.

"I still can box right now."

We asked Tyron for his dream match-up ... and it ain't Logan Paul.

"I want Canelo. I wanted Canelo. I want the number 1 guy."

A troubling twist in the Jeff Hardy drunk driving arrest ... cops say the WWE star had a bloody nose during the stop and told officers it was from an earlier "fight" with his wife.

It's all spelled out in the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports ... which describes how the Carthage Police Dept. in North Carolina received a tip about a careless and reckless driver around 8:40 PM on October 3.

When cops found the car, they noticed the driver (Hardy) was parked in front of a liquor store ... and when he came out, he was carrying a case of beer.

42-year-old Hardy got into his car and began to drive while cops followed closely -- and finally pulled him over when they observed him weaving badly in his lane.

During the stop, the officer noticed Hardy had "what seemed to be dried blood on his nose" -- and asked what had happened.

"The driver advised that him and his wife got into a fight."

Surprisingly, the police report doesn't give any more details about the possible domestic violence incident ... instead the officer proceeds to question Hardy about alcohol.

The angry bagel guy is now facing a big lawsuit after bailing on his "celebrity" boxing match with Dustin Diamond at the last minute.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Chris Morgan is being sued by fight promoter Damon Feldman for $10,000. Damon claims Chris' change of heart cost him thousands of dollars in losses.

In the civil suit, the fight promoter claims Morgan signed a contract for a celebrity boxing match and pocketed appearance fees before pulling out of the fight.

You'll recall ... Chris surprised everyone hours before his Sept. 28 tangle with Screech, when he went on social media and said, "I fooled you all! I ain't coming to the fight."

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro denies ever wielding a knife against his baby mama, Jen Harley, in their latest alleged domestic violence incident ... and insists he was only out to protect their daughter.

Sources familiar with the matter tell TMZ ... Ronnie is adamant he NEVER picked up or threatened Jen with a knife during their latest domestic disturbance in L.A. ... which required the cops to come out, break down a door and tase him in the end.

We're told Ronnie only confronted Jen because he was afraid she was trying to take their daughter away from their Airbnb rental home ... which surveillance footage from a neighbor's house seems to support, on the surface anyway.

TMZ broke the story ... Jen looked pretty terrified as she sidled up to the neighbor's home with 1-year-old Ariana in hand, attempting to open the trunk of the neighbor's car.