Fights

UFC star Kevin Lee says he's not ready to sit back and enjoy his VIOLENT victory over Gregor Gillespie ... he wants another fight ASAP, and he's looking for a big-name opponent.

27-year-old Lee -- the #10 ranked lightweight -- says he wants to fight again as early as December ... and he's naming some of the biggest names in the sport.

"If I had my pick, it would be somebody like Conor," Lee says ... also mentioning guys like Anthony Pettis, Tony Ferguson and, of course, the champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Lee knows he's gotta wait for his title shot -- but he's willing to put in the work and take out whoever the UFC puts in front of him to climb his way to the top.

But, for now, Lee says he's happy he was able to earn such an impressive victory over an undefeated 13-0 opponent at one of the biggest UFC events of all time!

"The President was in the building! The President was watching the fight and I guarantee you he remembered me after that night," Lee said.

He's probably right ... Lee's crushing head kick KO earned him "Performance of the Night" honors, which comes with a $50,000 bonus!

Remember, Lee fought Ferguson back in Oct. 2017 -- and lost via submission in the 3rd-round. It was a pretty solid fight.

UFC star Corey Anderson says his utter destruction of Johnny Walker at UFC 244 proves he's more than worthy of a Jon Jones fight and he's got a message for Bones -- "Just sign the dotted line."

Anderson was phenomenal against Walker at Madison Square Garden on Saturday -- earning a 1st round stoppage against an impressive opponent many have hailed as the next big thing in MMA.

"I made magic happen, I guess you could say," Corey tells TMZ Sports ... "Everybody was dick riding him saying he was the one."

"He let it get to his head and he looked past me. I had to go out there and show him."

Now, Anderson says he's 100% confident he deserves a title shot -- with 4 big victories in a row over guys like Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi.

Plus, Anderson says he's been trying to get a fight with top challenges like Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith, but they keep coming up with excuses.

So, the next logical opponent -- according to Anderson -- is the champ Jon Jones.

"I beat the one they wanted to fight Jon Jones next ... I proved my point and I proved my worth."

Corey says he's sick of the smack talk, he's sick of the games -- he just wants to fight already.

UFC star Johnny Walker was still walking around NYC with his head held high after losing to Corey Anderson at UFC 244 ... telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "I'll be back!"

The 27-year-old Brazilian -- one of the hottest rising stars in MMA -- took a beating Saturday night, with the ref stopping the fight in the 1st round.

When our photog saw 6'5", 205-pound Walker strolling around Manhattan the next day, Johnny didn't seem fazed at all.

"I'm good, I'm good," Walker said with a smirk ... "I'm ready to go again. I'm ready to fight as soon as possible."

Walker said he's expecting a 45-day medical suspension to allow his eye to heal up -- but he's excited to show people he can come back from a loss like a champ.

"My eye's okay. I'll be back in either January or February."

Walker says he realizes the mistakes he made during the Anderson fight -- he hesitated and thought too much during the scrap -- and says it won't happen again.

"[Saturday] is no 'lose' ... just one lesson," Walker said.

The UFC is honing in on the next opponent for Jon Jones -- with Dana White telling TMZ Sports they're looking at undefeated Dominick Reyes as "the fight that makes sense."

Reyes -- who KO'd Chris Weidman in the 1st round of their Oct. 12 fight -- is 12-0 as a pro and currently ranked #4 in the lightweight division. He's also defeated guys like Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir and Ovince Saint Preux.

In fact, when we spoke with Reyes AFTER the Weidman fight -- he was begging the UFC to give him a crack at the G.O.A.T.

"I got these hands. I got this heart. I'm Mexican. He's never fought a Mexican. I'm tough as s**t and I'm never gonna stop!"

Well, good news for Reyes ... seems like Dana White is on board.

"The fight that makes sense for Jon Jones is Dominick Reyes," White said.

"He just came off an impressive win over Weidman, a lot of people saw it, pulled good ratings on TV. It's the fight to make."

Jon has been trashing Reyes on social media ... saying things like, "Feel like I have nothing to gain by beating Dominic. I’ve actually felt that way about my last two opponents. I want a super fight."

He also directed this at Reyes, too -- "Many have talk s**t, all have fallen. You will do the same."

Jones has said he wants to fight Francis Ngannou, but White says that's not happening any time soon. When asked if a 2020 clash is a possibility, Dana said, "I don't know."

As for Ngannou, he's been publicly asking for a fight -- and Dana says they've got some cool stuff planned for him in 2020 ... including a fight in France!!!

The Doc is in ...

Dwight Gooden has signed a contract to participate in a Celebrity Boxing match on March 7 in Atlantic City, TMZ Sports has learned.

The former MLB star -- who has recently been dealing with substance abuse issues -- has decided that getting physically active again could be the best thing for him ... so he's agreed to box.

54-year-old Gooden has been working with Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman for months -- in fact, Doc was the guest referee for Dustin Diamond's (Screech) last fight back in Sept.

But now, he'll get back in the ring as a competitor ... though CB is still working on locking up an opponent for the baseball star.

Celebrity Boxing has had some issues lately with stars like Lenny Dykstra and the Angry Bagel Boss Guy dropping out at the last minute -- but we're told Doc is fully committed.

No fake beef to sell a fight here ... Sergey Kovalev tells TMZ Sports he flat out admires Canelo Alvarez ... and is a HUGE fan of the superstar boxer.

But, for those thirsting for blood, don't sweat it ... Kovalev says he's gonna try his damndest to beat Canelo's ass when they fight Saturday night in Vegas.

Kovalev surprised boxing fans when he fanboy'd out during a backstage meeting with Canelo at a promotional event for their November 2nd mega-fight on DAZN ... even asking Alvarez to take a selfie.

Some people clowned Sergey for the selfie move, but The Krusher says he doesn't feel the need to create fake beef just to sell tickets.

“I like his boxing style," Sergey tells us ... "He’s a great champion, really, and I follow him for like all of my career from 2011 when I met with him. Because I saw how he sparred with Gennady Golovkin, and after this, I started to follow him."

As much as Kovalev likes Canelo, he was clear that once they're across from each other on Saturday, he's out for blood ... 'til the final bell rings.

"Inside the ring, we will be like the athletes. We will be like athletes, like boxers. Boxers should punch each other and after the fight, we will be friends again. This is just the sport."

The love ain't only one-sided ... we also spoke to Canelo, who was super complimentary of Kovalev.

The set of "Madam Secretary" damn near turned into a WWE Royal Rumble ... after a background actor's hangry side got the best of him.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops on the show's set in Whippany, NJ broke up a fight Friday between a craft services employee and a background actor. We're told there were several hundred background actors filming a scene where Téa Leoni gives a speech.

When they went to break, a horde of extras swarmed the snacks/coffee table. It was at this point, law enforcement sources tell us, an actor cut the line and was told by a female craft services staffer to get to the back.

Sources say the actor pushed the female employee, and that's when her husband -- who also works craft services -- flew in like a bat outta hell and socked the background actor in the face.

We're told the actor landed on the snack-filled table, and then the husband got on top of him and punched him several more times in the face ... leaving him bloodied. Our sources say cops had to peel the employee off the actor, who was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

Evander Holyfield's 22-year-old son is less than 24 hours away from making his pro-boxing debut on the undercard of Canelo vs. Kovalev ... and you better believe the Real Deal flew in to watch it go down in person.

Evan Holyfield is taking on Nick Winstead on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Vegas ... and says it's the opportunity he's been waiting for his entire life!

"It feels like Christmas right now!" Evan says ... "I'm not nervous, I'm excited!"

Evan's been fighting at the amateur level for 10 years -- logging 80 fights before getting a shot at the pro level ... and he can't wait to show the world what he's made of.

Of course, Evan's dad is one of the best of ALL TIME -- so he's had a pretty great mentor to guide him along his boxing journey.

In fact, Evan says Evander is already in Vegas and they had lunch this week to talk about strategy and get ready for the fight.

Evan says his dad is also excited for him -- "He knows what skills I have and all about the hard work I put in."

"I'm just ready to showcase what I have to do."

Oh and get this ... back in July Evan told us his dream match up would be against Canelo. So, consider this an audition for a possible match up!!!

Good luck!!!

Here it is ... the official "Baddest Mother F**ker" belt!!!

UFC honcho Dana White just revealed the new "BMF" belt which will go to the winner of the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal main event fight at UFC 244 on Saturday.

White had the belt custom made for this fight after Nate said the bout would determine the real baddest mofo in combat sports.

Dana says the belt cost around $50,000 to make -- and it's engraved with the words, "Baddest Motherf**ker."

White has previously said the belt is a one-time thing for this specific fight -- but there are a bunch of fighters who have said they'd love to get a crack at it ... so we may not see the last of it after Saturday.

As far as the fight goes, Diaz is the #7 ranked welterweight and Masvidal is #3. The current champ in that division is Kamaru Usman.

As we previously reported, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be at the fight to give the belt to the winner. President Donald Trump and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are also expected to attend.

Conor McGregor just showed up in court in Ireland where his lawyer told the judge the UFC star will plead GUILTY in his pub attack case.

The UFC superstar is facing one charge of assault after he socked a man in the face at the Marble Arch Pub in Dublin back on April 6, in footage obtained by TMZ Sports.

The charge carries a maximum punishment of 6 months behind bars.

McGregor showed up to court Friday in a fancy suit ... but he wasn't smiling and goofing around. Instead, he was clasping his hands and had his game face on as he walked into the building.

Inside the courtroom, McGregor's attorney told the court his client will be pleading guilty -- but  it's not over yet. The court is on a short recess and will resume at 7 AM PT.

The victim in the incident did NOT show up to the hearing and chose not to submit a victim impact statement, according to local reports.

Prosecutors are lobbying to screen the attack video in court before sentencing this afternoon, but Conor's side is trying to block that.

The decision will ultimately be made when court resumes after the break.

McGregor has previously admitted to ESPN he was "in the wrong" for punching the man at the bar ... saying, "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did."

"I tried to make amends and I made amends back then. But, it doesn't matter. I was in the wrong."

Seems like now he's worked out a plea deal with prosecutors. We'll find out soon how this whole thing will play out.

Stay tuned ...

Israel Adesanya, one of the UFC's brightest stars, says he's excited the President of the United States will be at UFC 244 in NYC this weekend ... and doesn't think there will be any drama.

As we previously reported, President Trump is scheduled to attend the fights at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. He's had a close relationship with the UFC for decades.

But, after Trump was booed at Game 5 of the World Series, some people are concerned he'll get a similar response from fighters and fans when they show his face on the big screen.

"I don't think anyone cares," Adesanya told TMZ Sports outside of Marquee nightclub in New York ... "It's gonna be cool just having the President of the United States."

Jorge Masvidal, who's fighting Nate Diaz in the main event, had a similar opinion when we spoke with him earlier this week.

Bottom line ... doesn't seem like fighters are looking to make a political statement at UFC 244 -- but you never know what's gonna happen when someone gets the mic in their hand.

"How can you call something a fight if there were no punches thrown?!"

That's Charles Barkley expressing his utter DISGUST for that 76ers vs. Timberwolves incident earlier this week ... saying a rear-naked choke doesn't necessarily make a "fight."

Instead, Barkley describes the whole thing as a "snuggle party" -- "there were two guys holding each other!"

The hilarious breakdown went down on "Inside the NBA" where Barkley argued with Ernie Johnson and Kenny "The Jet" Smith about the situation.

Both Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns have been suspended 2 games each for the incident while Ben Simmons, who applied the choke, didn't get suspended at all.

He did, however, get an offer to work on his MMA skills from former UFC and Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez! In fact, Eddie tells TMZ Sports he's already been in contact with Simmons and expects to start training him in the next few days!

As for Charles, dude knows a little something about NBA scraps ... back in his playing days, Chuck went head-to-head with giants like Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Laimbeer.

Ryan Garcia is one of the best up and coming fighters on the planet but says he's still routinely challenged to street fights by macho idiots looking to test their mettle ... and it's becoming a problem.

In case you need his resume, 21-year-old Garcia is 18-0 and fighting on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev undercard on DAZN this weekend.

Oscar De La Hoya recently told us Garcia could be the first fighter to sign a $700 million multi-fight contract in the near future.

Despite having the ability to kill most people with his bare hands, Garcia tells TMZ Sports normies constantly hit him up looking to test his skills outside the ring.

"They're always trying to bully me for some reason, they're always like, 'Yeah, you don't even look like a boxer. I would whoop your ass on the street,' and this and that. And honestly, I don't even pay attention to it."

"I just keep it moving, you know. Alright, whatever. Say what you want. I'm gonna do my thing. Don't matter."

Garcia says people really test his patience, but he always opts to walks away ... 'cause he realizes if he beats up a civilian it could cost him that fat deal.

"Once in a while I just want to throw a left hook right across the face like, 'bang.' But, of course, you can't."

"Then I'll lose my $700 million to lawsuits. So, I'm good."

As we previously reported, Garcia has his sights set on some of the biggest names in the sport ... Gervonta "Tank" Davis, Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko.

Historic moment at the "Crown Jewel" in Saudi Arabia ... where WWE's very FIRST women's match just went down -- and the ladies got a HUGE ovation from the massive crowd.

Lacey Evans and Natalya were electric as they walked to the ring -- men, women and children were standing and applauding, taking pics and going crazy the whole time.

After she got in the ring, Natalya was choking back tears -- clearly emotional about the moment.

During the match, the crowd even busted out a "This Is Awesome" chant -- pretty cool, right???

As far as the match went, Natalya emerged victorious ... but afterward, both were treated like heroes by the fans, who couldn't wait to take selfies and high-five the wrestlers.

As we previously reported, both women wrestled in special outfits that covered up most of their bodies out of respect for the Saudi Arabian culture.

Stephanie McMahon told us they took extra precautions to make sure to show respect to the Saudi people.

Here's ex-UFC champ Eddie Alvarez breaking down Wednesday's big 76ers vs. Timberwolves NBA brawl ... and it's pretty great.

Alvarez -- who was the lightweight champ in UFC and Bellator -- LOVED the way Ben Simmons applied a perfect rear-naked choke on Karl-Anthony Towns ... but thinks there's room for improvement.

So, the Philly native tells TMZ Sports he reached out to Simmons and the two will connect in the next few days for some real MMA training so the team can step up their fight game.

Eddie also has some advice for Karl-Anthony, too -- pointing out the MAJOR mistake Towns made during the brawl that left him fully exposed.

Bottom line, Eddie says he was super IMPRESSED with Ben's fight skills -- same with Joel Embiid -- and he cant wait to hit the mats with the guys.

Benson Henderson is the ONLY pro MMA fighter with wins over both Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal ... so, naturally, we asked him for his prediction on the 1st ever 'BMF' main event!

First off, Benson LOVES the whole "Bad Mother F*cker" belt concept -- praising the UFC for a "great marketing ploy." He also has a lot of respect for both fighters.

Benson famously defended the UFC lightweight title against Nate back in 2012 -- and won that 5-round fight via unanimous decision.

Then in 2015, Henderson took on Mavidal at "UFC Fight Night" in South Korea and won that fight via split decision.

So, who wins when Diaz takes on Masvidal at UFC 244 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden???

Benson says there's one guy who clearly has the edge if they fight a traditional MMA fight.

But, if these guys REALLY want to prove who's the baddest MOFO around -- and they stand toe-to-toe and slug it out for 5 rounds -- Benson says that changes everything!

Henderson ultimately makes his official prediction. Watch the clip, it's great stuff.

As for Benson's fighting career, the 35-year-old is coming off 4 straight wins in Bellator -- and is scheduled to take on Michael Chandler in Japan on Dec. 28.