Fights

The UFC is considering bringing back the BMF belt for another big fight -- and this time, it could involve Conor McGregor ... so says Dana White.

The guy who currently holds the BMF title is Jorge Masvidal -- who beat up Nate Diaz for 3 rounds at UFC 244 back in November.

So, what happens next? Nothing is certain but Dana gave us a quick update on some of the huge fights he's looking to make in 2020 ... including a possible BMF revival.

1) Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington Rematch?

Maybe. Dana says he was really impressed with the fight but knows it could be a while before Colby's broken jaw is healed and cleared for action.

2) In the meantime, Dana says he likes the idea of a Kamaru vs. Jorge Masvidal fight -- which could be AWESOME!

3) As for Jorge's BMF belt -- Dana told us, "Conor has talked about wanting a crack at that belt. Conor has talked about wanting a shot at that belt, too."

Dana doesn't want to get ahead of himself, but it seems pretty obvious a Conor vs. Jorge BMF showdown is on his mind.

4) Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic Rematch

Dana says, "That's the fight to make as soon as Stipe is healthy again." He's confident we'll see it in 2020, but no date yet.

5) Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero

"It's not a done deal, but that's the fight we're trying to make. Yes."

Of course, the first step is Conor vs. Cowboy at UFC 246 on Saturday (only available on ESPN+) ... which might be the friendliest main event ever!

Antonio Brown and Logan Paul are in serious negotiations with DAZN and Matchroom Boxing to put on a fight in April ... and both guys are dead set on making it happen.

With Brown still not under contract with an NFL team -- and Paul looking for another high-profile fight after the KSI rematch -- we're told both sides have talked and are set to get a deal done.

Nothing is in stone yet ... but it's moving in that direction.

In fact, AB has already hired a world-class boxing trainer and started training camp, this according to reporter Manouk Akopyan.

The man running Brown's training program is Eromosele Albert, a 2-time Olympian from Nigeria who racked up a 24-6-1 record as a pro.

"Antonio Brown just started boxing and we just started training together," Albert told Akopyan ... "Yes, he is serious about the fight."

"We’re starting a training camp now. He’s a natural. He’s an athlete. It’s not a big transition. He’s going to catch-up really quick."

"He needs a lot of work to get done, to correct all of his mistakes. We have three months to get ready for the fight. That’s enough time. He’s in shape already. We just have to work on his technique, head movement and defense -- and that should be it for him to be ready."

As for Paul, he told us he's ready to go ... and he's VERY confident he can win.

Conor McGregor ain't exactly spewing venom -- he's complimenting the hell outta Cowboy Cerrone ... in what might be the NICEST press conference he's ever been in.

Not only did Conor arrive 15 minutes EARLY for the event (super unusual for McGregor) ... but when the opportunity presented itself to trash talk, he didn't launch the missiles he fired at guys like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Floyd Mayweather.

Instead, Conor praised Cowboy as a real accomplished fighter, a worthy opponent and an all-around good dude.

"Although there will be blood spilled on January 18th, it will not be bad blood," Conor said.

McGregor still predicted a knockout victory at the Palms Casino Resort ... but in the nicest way possible.

Conor was also asked if he was worried about getting banned from the United States due to his legal issues over the years, but the Irishman said he's all good and how grateful he is for the U.S.

McGregor also said he's cut out booze in preparations for the fight ... which means no beloved Proper 12.

Conor and Cowboy are set to throw down on Saturday night at UFC 246 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas (only available on ESPN+) ... that's when the compliments will end.

As for Cowboy, he returned the love!!!

"I'm looking forward to 4-5 rounds of battle with this man ... Conor's one of the last dying breeds of the last fighters, so it's good to be in there with him and really get in there and f**king give it all we got."

"So, yeah man, I'm going 5 rounds with this dude and I can't f**king wait 'til Saturday night."

The presser was a nice fest ... and even had a Chad Johnson appearance!!!

No, seriously ... the ex-NFL star put on his journalist hat with Bleacher Report and asked a question!!!

The guys even shared a moment over their style -- Conor complimented Cowboy's python suit and both fighters bonded over PETA coming after them.

How does Deontay Wilder feel about Tyson Fury's claim that he's masturbating 7 times a day to prep for their big rematch?! He thinks it's HILARIOUS!

"I mean, enjoy yourself," Wilder said to his heavyweight rival ... "Just use the proper lotion!"

Of course, Fury says he's giving himself TONS of self-love before their Feb 22 fight to get his testosterone levels up ... claiming he'll take any edge he can get!

Wilder thinks Fury is joking -- because 7 times a day is a tall order for anyone!

"Whatever he says is for entertainment or whatever," Wilder says ... "He wanna j*** off? Enjoy himself! Just use the proper lotion. I mean some like thick lotion."

On a serious note, Fury is predicting a 2nd round knockout of Wilder when they clash at the MGM Garden Arena in Vegas ... but Deontay says that ain't happening.

In fact, Wilder says if Fury knocks him out in the 2nd, he'll RETIRE!

We're getting closer to an Antonio Brown vs. Logan Paul boxing match!!!

Check out this footage of the unemployed NFL star hitting the mitts in a boxing gym in footage AB posted on Tuesday.

The interesting part is the video was re-posted by DAZN, the live sports streaming service that carried the Logan Paul vs. KSI fight in November.

Paul already told us his camp had begun official talks with Antonio Brown to get a fight on the books -- and now it seems like DAZN could be seriously interested in getting a deal done.

As for his training, Brown's physique looks incredible but it's clear he needs real work in the ring to compete with Paul, who's already got 2 fights under his belt ... and looked pretty good in the KSI rematch.

Paul says he's dead serious about fighting AB and thinks it would be a great opportunity for the 31-year-old wideout to refocus his life while he's persona non grata in the NFL.

"I think we might be closer than anyone expects," Paul told us last week. "I'm f**king serious, bro. You know how serious I take fighting."

If it seems Tyson Fury is acting a bit "jerky" before his big Feb. 22 rematch with Deontay Wilder, it's because the guy is masturbating 7 TIMES A DAY!!!

At least, that's what Fury is telling people ... claiming a little (or A LOT of) self-love is helping to keep his testosterone levels at a championship level!

"I'm masturbating 7 times a day to keep my testosterone pumping," Fury told reporter Manouk Akopyan at L.A. Live on Monday.

"Pump it, pump it, pump it, pump it up! Dontcha know!"

The 31-year-old Gypsy King explained ... "I gotta to keep active and the testosterone flowing for the fight. Don't want the levels to go down."

Couple questions ...

1. 7 times a day?!? Who's got that kind of time?
2. Is this a real thing with boxers? (No way, right?)

We have heard some crazy stories from athletes trying to find a legal edge before a big event ... but this could take the cake.

Mexican wrestler La Parka -- a superstar in Lucha Libre AAA -- died on Saturday ... a little more than 2 months after he suffered a severe injury during an October wrestling match.

La Parka -- aka Jesus Alfonso Escoboza Huerta -- did a leaping dive through the ropes at an opponent in Monterey, Mexico ... but tragically hit his head on a guard rail before falling to the ground.

Escoboza Huerta underwent emergency surgery to save his life ... but the wrestler was reportedly still left paralyzed from the fall.

After battling the injuries for the last several months ... Lucha Libre AAA said Escoboza Huerta was put on assisted breathing Friday after he showed signs of kidney failure.

A day later, the wrestling org. announced Escoboza Huerta passed away after his lungs and kidneys failed. He was 54 years old.

Escoboza Huerta began wrestling in 1987 and wrestled under the "La Parka" moniker for more than 20 years, Lucha Libre AAA said.

He famously won championships in the Triplemanía Cup and Antonio Peña Cup ... in addition to winning the King of Kings event that's annually put on by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.

Wrestling superstars Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara and others posted tributes to Escoboza Huerta on social media after learning of his death.

"The UFC doctor is actually saying he thinks Conor's in the best shape he's ever seen him in."

Dana White says Conor McGregor has been training like such a maniac to face Cowboy Cerrone at UFC 246, even the docs are impressed!

We spoke with the UFC boss about the sport's biggest star returning to the Octagon on Jan. 18 (only available on ESPN+) ... and White says all signs point to the return of the old, dominant McGregor.

"Conor and I have not seen each other face-to-face yet, but we have been texting and I'm hearing that he's in phenomenal shape right now."

"Head seems to be in the right place."

Conor has bulked up for the Cowboy fight -- he fought Khabib at 155 lbs back in Oct. 2018. He'll be at 170 this time around.

But, White is warning fans ... don't count out Cowboy -- a future Hall of Famer who holds the record for most wins in UFC history (23) and most finishes (16).

"I think that the level of disrespect shown to Cowboy Cerrone by the media, a lot of the fans and definitely the sportsbooks in Las Vegas is insanity."

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS MOVE ON ANYONE UNLESS YOU'RE A WORLD CLASS FIGHTER!!!

This is A.J. McKee -- one of the hottest young stars in MMA -- and he's REALLY good at submitting people.

So, when he came to the TMZ newsroom the other day, we had him put Lucas in the same crazy armbar he used beat Derek Campos at Bellator 236 in December ... and yea, it was AWESOME!

McKee is undefeated -- 16-0 as a pro -- with the most consecutive wins in Bellator history, including 5 wins by submission (the most in Bellator featherweight history).

Lucas -- who's locked horns with legends like Jon Jones, Brian Ortega, Henry Cejudo, Paige VanZant and Kayla Harrison -- offered himself up as a fight dummy for McKee and learned first hand what it's like to be in his grasp!

As for his fighting future, McKee is currently in the semi-finals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix ... where the grand prize is a $1,000,000 check!

We spoke with McKee about his career goals, dream fight ... and his favorite moments inside the cage.

T-minus 8 days until the return of Conor McGregor ... and no one seems more excited than Conor himself!

Check out the Irish superstar in a pre-fight workout at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas earlier this week -- his energy is through the roof.

As we previously reported, Conor returned to America a few weeks before the January 18 bout with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone ... and he's been training like crazy.

During this week's workout session, Conor was bouncing around the gym while Notorious B.I.G. played in the background. At one point you can hear McGregor say, "I f**king love it!"

McGregor hasn't fought in the Octagon since his UFC 229 loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov in Oct. 2018.

Conor has said his main goal is to run it back with Khabib -- but Dana White wants him to EARN his rematch by getting through Cowboy first at UFC 246, only available on ESPN+.

Kendrick Perkins thinks Kevin Durant is a "coward" for signing with Golden State in 2016.

Kevin Durant thinks Perkins was a trash player who constantly underperformed.

... This was just the beginning of an epic Twitter war between the former NBA teammates on Thursday -- and it's clear, the beef is REAL.

It all started with Perkins saying Russell Westbrook is the best OKC Thunder player ever -- even calling Russ, "Mr. Thunder!"

When NBA analyst Marc D'Amico challenged Perk, saying KD has the better resume, Perk took another swipe at Durant.

"KD lost in the second round without Russ when I was there. So what that mean?"

That's when Durant got involved -- clapping back HARD at Perk.

"Yeah and our starting center [Kendrick Perkins] averaged a whopping 2 and 3 during that series. U played hard tho champ lol."

Perk didn't back down and responded again ... burning Durant for leaving OKC to go to the Warriors.

"Boy stop you did the weakest move in NBA History!!! Up on a team 3-1 in the western conference finals and then go join them the following season?! Heart of Champion right there."

Again, KD clapped back ...

"Weak is starting at center, playing real minutes with no production. Should've worked on your skills as much as I did."

Perk ...

"That's fine!!! You worked that hard and still had to go join a 73-9 team. Truth be told, you don't even feel like a real champ, you have hard time sleeping at night huh knowing that you took the coward way out!!!"

Cops are at R. Kelly's pad in Chicago because his 2 girlfriends got into a brawl ... and it was all on camera.

TMZ has learned Chicago PD responded to a reported battery at Kelly's Trump Tower condo shortly after Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage came to blows. Azriel was on Instagram Live Wednesday afternoon as she appeared to be gathering her things to move out of the condo -- and when Joycelyn came in the room both women went off on each other.

Azriel said she was looking out for herself, and then threatened to send Joycelyn to jail for the very thing Kelly's facing ... having sex with a minor. Azriel claimed she was a minor when she had sex with Joycelyn -- perhaps in a threesome with Kelly -- and said she'd report Joycelyn to cops.

THIS IS INSANE!!!!

An ex-MLB player was SO PISSED about nearly being beaned during a Venezuelan winter league game Wednesday ... he straight-up turned around and attacked the catcher with his bat!!!

The wild scene all went down during a heated matchup between Aguilas del Zulia and Caribes de Anzoategui -- where pitchers were throwing at batters all night.

But, in the 8th inning ... Aguilas outfielder Alex Romero -- a former Arizona Diamondback -- had enough of the bean wars -- and weaponized his bat after he was nearly struck in the back with a fastball.

The video is NUTS ... 36-year-old Romero takes TWO hacks at Caribes catcher Gabriel Lino -- and then all hell breaks lose.

Lino threw his glove at Romero ... the benches cleared -- and fighting could be seen all over the diamond!!!

Eventually, the umps were able to calm things down ... and ejected several players after the brawl -- including Caribes infielder and Minnesota Twins stud Willians Astudillo.

Reportedly, players will face heavy fines and suspensions over the altercation.

"I'm f**king serious, bro. You know how serious I take fighting."

That's Logan Paul telling TMZ Sports a potential boxing match with Antonio Brown is VERY realistic ... claiming he's already in talks with AB's camp.

"I think we might be closer than anyone expects," Paul says.

As we previously reported, Logan called out Brown in December -- saying the NFL star would be the perfect opponent to further his pro-boxing career.

Brown responded on social media -- telling Paul, "Square up." Brown has since told Complex he's down to scrap and wants to train with Floyd Mayweather.

So, when we saw Logan in L.A. promoting his brother Jake Paul's upcoming Jan. 30 boxing match against AnEsonGib on DAZN, we had to ask if all the AB fight promotion was real ... or just a gag.

Logan says he's not messing around -- he's deadly serious about getting a deal done and thinks Brown is highly motivated, too.

Paul says transitioning into fighting helped rehab his image after the incident in the Suicide Forest in Tokyo a few years ago ... and a high-profile match could do the same thing for AB.

"In many ways the KSI fight gave me a purpose. I think this would do this for Antonio Brown -- give him a nice pay day, give him a chance to redeem himself."

Paul thinks the fight could be HUGE -- a la Mayweather vs. McGregor.

Claressa Shields is getting a big-time assist in her possible MMA fight with Amanda Nunes -- PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS FROM JON JONES!!!

The planet's best female boxer tells TMZ Sports she's been in contact with the UFC superstar about some MMA lessons to get ready for a possible tilt with Nunes ... and it looks like those will all go down after Jones' fight with Dominick Reyes in February.

"He said after he fights, I could come down there a week or two and see how I feel doing MMA stuff."

Of course, if Shields had her way ... there would be no need for the workouts -- she wants a fight with Nunes to be strictly boxing only.

But, Amanda told us last month the only way she's getting in the ring with Shields is if it's an MMA fight ... so Claressa is taking the steps to get the ball rolling on that.

Shields says she's actually "excited" AND "scared" to begin learning the tools for the possible bout ... telling us, "I'm going to have to learn so much more stuff and I just hope that I like it."

As for what will happen when she feels her MMA skills are good enough to take on Nunes ... Shields says she expects that fight to be BIGGER than Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor!!

But before stepping in the cage ... Shields has a big time boxing match this Friday against Ivana Habazin in Atlantic City.

WWE security DOESN'T PLAY AROUND -- they sprung into action to take down a ring invader they believed was a crazed fan ... only to learn he was SUPPOSED to be there!

Here's the deal ... as WWE superstar A.J. Styles was leaving the ring before a commercial break, a man dressed as a pastor ran inside the ring to get ready for an upcoming segment.

Security raced after the dude and took him down FAST -- confusing viewers at home who had no idea what was going on.

Here's the real story ... the man had appeared on 'Raw' last week and was back on the show to make a marriage announcement for Lana and Bobby Lashley.

Clearly, security didn't get the message ... but don't worry, it's all good now!

Eventually, WWE officials sorted out the issue and when the show returned from break, the pastor got his mic and performed the next segment.

WWE announcer Vic Joseph even made a comment acknowledging the mishap -- but joked that it was all good ... and even compared the pastor to Bill Belichick. Funny stuff.

Hey, live TV ... it's unpredictable -- even when it's scripted!