Fights

Paige VanZant says Mackenzie Dern is a HUGE inspiration -- showing that women CAN still have a career in the UFC even after giving birth!!!

Of course, Dern lost her comeback fight to Amanda Ribas just 4 months after giving birth to her baby daughter ... but the fight went the distance and Dern still looked pretty dangerous.

25-year-old VanZant says watching Dern fight "put things into perspective for me" about the reality of starting a family with her MMA fighter husband, Austin Vanderford, while maintaining a career as an MMA fighter.

"I always thought that I was going to have kids once I’m done fighting but now seeing that, I’m like no you don’t have to."

"[Dern] legitimately, in the time I broke my arm, she had a baby, came back and fought. So, now I’m like okay there’s hope for me!"

"Me and my husband, I can have a few more fights, maybe have kids and then still continue to fight. I don’t have to give up my dreams, just because you go through childbirth."

"It’s really inspiring and I hope other women can see that too. She’s still young and she’s going to have a really successful UFC career, it’s awesome."

Dennis Rodman has been charged with misdemeanor battery in Florida for allegedly slapping a man at his own birthday party back in May -- but The Worm is adamant he's innocent.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... cops say Rodman was at the Buddha Sky Bar in Delray Beach on May 17 when he "unprovokedly turned around and smacked" 30-year-old Jeff Soulouque.

Soulouque claims Rodman immediately began apologizing for the incident and invited him out to dinner the following night in an attempted peace offering.

But, Soulouque told TMZ Sports he was really hurt -- and went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a left corneal abrasion. He went to cops the day after the incident and filed a report.

Cops launched an investigation and called up a witness named David Lee Roth -- who, shockingly, is NOT the Van Halen singer. Still, cops say DLR corroborated Soulouque's story.

"Roth stated he was about twenty feet away and he saw Rodman turn around and open hand smack Soulouque two times," the report states.

Prosecutors later charged Rodman with misdemeanor battery -- and on Thursday, DR's attorney appeared in court on his behalf and pled not guilty.

It's a big deal for Rodman -- the charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail, 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine.

And, with Dennis' criminal history, it's possible a judge could throw the book at the NBA legend if he's convicted.

Michael Bisping was already up and throwing knee strikes just hours after his replacement surgery on Thursday ... testing out the new merchandise in his hospital gown!!!

The UFC superstar got the work done after he had been dealing with intense pain in his knee since he tore his PCL in 2005, with the discomfort getting unbearable over the past 6 months.

Now, the Count has a brand-spankin' new knee after a 3.5-hour procedure at St. Joseph Hospital of Orange ... and by the looks of it, Bisping isn't gonna miss a step!!!

The 40-year-old Hall of Famer hopped off his hospital bed and started showin' off his jab and knee strikes ... and almost exposed his whole ass in the process.

"Here’s to a new chapter in life. New Knee, New Me!!!!!," Bisping said. "Still got it!"

BTW -- if you REALLLLLLY wanna see what Bisping's knee looked like, he gave us the pleasure of posting the absolutely disgusting images on his Instagram.

Swipe at your own risk.

Claressa Shields' brother has been charged for the violent attack on Ivana Habazin's trainer at their fight weigh-in earlier this month ... and he's now facing a possible 10 years behind bars for the crime.

As we previously reported, 68-year-old James Ali Bashir was snuck up on and socked in the face at the Shields-Habazin weigh-in on Oct. 4 in Flint, Michigan after things got testy during the fight's promotion.

Bashir was seriously injured -- he was taken from the arena to the hospital and required surgery -- and the whole altercation caused the mega-boxing match to be canceled.

Genessee County Prosecutors now say they've caught the man responsible for the punch ... and say it's Shields' brother, 28-year-old Artis Mack.

According to prosecutors, Mack was seen by cops fleeing the scene after the punch took place ... and after they followed him into a nearby neighborhood, they arrested him.

On Wednesday, they announced they hit the guy with one charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm ... and say if convicted, Mack could spend up to 10 YEARS in prison.

Mack is currently being held without bond in Genesee County, Michigan.

Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett says he just got sucker punched in the face by a "fan" who asked him for a picture ... and now he's clowning the attacker on social media.

Garrett -- who's 6'4", 272 lbs -- says he was inside of his car Wednesday when the "fan" flagged him down and "hopped out his car to take a picture with me."

"I cracked the window enough for the camera to get my face," Garrett says ... but when the guy got close, he socked Myles right in the face.

23-year-old Garrett -- the #1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- didn't seem fazed one bit ... comparing the punch to a "pillow tap."

We reached out to police in Cleveland and nearby areas but, so far, no signs of a report being filed.

Instead, Garrett is taunting the guy on social media ... "Hm, put your legs into it might have actually made me flinch."

Garrett says he didn't retaliate because he knows that would make him a prime target for a lawsuit.

The Browns are on a bye week -- so it's unclear if the incident even took place in Cleveland, but we're working on it.

Garrett is a monster in the NFL ... he's widely considered one of the best pass rushers in the game and he already has 9 sacks in the 2019 season.

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.