MMA

David Arquette wants to go from the wrestling ring to the UFC Octagon -- challenging CM Punk to a no holds barred MMA match ... saying, "I'm ready, bro!"

Arquette was fighting the freezing temps at Sundance in Park City, Utah this week when we asked if had any desire to follow other pro wrestlers who have transitioned to MMA.

Of course, it's not just CM Punk -- WWE stars like Brock Lesnar and Jack Swagger have taken pro fights and won!

Enter 47-year-old Arquette ... who told us he's got no fear and would be totally down for a real-life fist fight because he gives zero EFFS!!!

"Yo, CM Punk ... if you wanna fight, I'm ready bro. Any f*cking time!"

Arquette says Punk can pick the time and location -- and he's ready to go!!

Of course, he's probably kidding around since he has zero MMA experience -- but on the other hand, Arquette's been training like a maniac for his pro wrestling comeback and doesn't seem to mind the pain.

So ... maybe?!!

Both Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are effectively suspended for 6 months for their roles in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.

Conor was hit with a $50,000 fine -- and will be eligible to fight again on April 6.

Khabib's suspension is a little different -- he was hit with a $500,000 fine and a 9-month suspension ... with the ability to get a 3-month reduction IF he makes an anti-bullying video.

Neither UFC star was present Tuesday when the case went in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They each had lawyers appearing on their behalf.

The board agreed to a 9-month suspension for Khabib -- with the ability to reduce the suspension to 6 months if they're satisfied with Khabib's PSA video.

Khabib has about a month to complete his video if he wants to get the full 3-month reduction.

The suspension is retroactive to the Oct. 6 incident -- meaning if his PSA video is approved quickly, he'll be able to fight again in April.

Of course, Khabib went berserk after defeating Conor in the 4th round of his Oct. 6 fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas -- jumping out of the cage and fighting a bunch of people in Conor's corner.

Khabib's cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov -- an MMA fighter who was also involved in the brawl -- received a 1-year suspension and a $25,000 fine.

It's also worth noting ... the committee issued a stern warning to fighters regarding pre-fight trash talk -- saying possible suspensions could be levied if the heated rhetoric continues.

Remember, Conor fired off several offensive barbs toward Khabib leading up to the UFC 229 fight ... saying Nurmagomedov was a "little rat," a "fanboy bitch" and a "backwards c*nt."

Conor also went after Khabib's manager ... accusing him of being a terrorist who was pulled off a plane on Sept. 11, 2001 and detained by authorities.

Add another credit to Chris Pratt's resume -- MMA cornerman -- because the movie star was a part of fighter Adel "Kyokushin" Altamimi's fight team this weekend ... and THE GUY WON!!!

Pratt went INSANE when his buddy tapped out Brandon McMahan at Bellator 214 at The Forum in L.A. on Saturday night ... but the question everyone was asking -- why was Pratt there?!

Turns out, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star became friends with Altamimi while training at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in L.A. ... and they've become so close, Adel invited him to walk him to the cage.

Adel's backstory is incredible ... the 29-year-old was born and raised in Iraq and was contracted as a convoy driver for the U.S. Marine Corps.

It was a dangerous job ... Altamimi was captured by Al Qaeda and was threatened with death -- until he was saved by a group of U.S. Marines.

After the rescue, Altamimi moved to the U.S. and began his MMA training -- meeting people like Jay Glazer and Chris Pratt along the way.

A.A. and Pratt built a strong friendship over time ... and Pratt congratulated him in November when he landed a multi-fight contract with Bellator, saying, "Can’t wait for the rest of the world to watch him fight and share his unbelievable story."

Fast forward to Saturday night -- Pratt helped Altamimi warm up in the locker room, walked him to the cage, coached him from the corner and then celebrated when Adel won his fight in 76 seconds!!!

After the fight, Adel praised the movie star -- and later said he wasn't nervous about the fight because he'd been in more serious, violent situations during his time in Iraq.

Henry Cejudo is SO crazy about Nikki Bella ... he's telling TMZ Sports he'd straight-up kick John Cena's ass in a ladder match to win her love!!!!

Before the backstory ... let's look at the tale of the tape:

Ok, here's the deal ... we spoke with the UFC superstar just days after his huge victory over T.J. Dillashaw ... when he confirmed he's got the BIGGEST crush on one half of the WWE's famous tag-team duo.

Earlier this week, Cejudo told ESPN's Ariel Helwani he developed a thing for Bella after meeting her on the flight to NYC for the Dillashaw fight. She made a video saying she was interested ...

Now, Cejudo tells us he's so infatuated with Nikki ... if it came down to wrestling with her ex-BF in the squared circle -- he'd do it ... AND COME OUT VICTORIOUS!!!

"Is that even a question? Do you smell what The Messenger is cooking?!" Cejudo tells us.

"I'm talking about a ladder match. I'll be the first one to get off that damn ring. And then, I'll be waiting for Bella right at the corner, man!"

Of course, Nikki doesn't seem like she'd mind that one bit ... she took to Twitter on Tuesday to respond to Henry's advances, saying she wants to have a "celebratory wine" with him soon!!!

Translation ... it's GREAT to be Henry Cejudo these days!!!

Greg Hardy is adamant the illegal knee he landed during his fight Saturday night was NOT intentional -- telling TMZ Sports it was a "rookie mistake" and he desperately wants a shot at redemption.

Hardy was disqualified from the Jan. 19 fight against Allen Crowder for throwing a powerful knee to Crowder's head while his opponent's knee was still on the canvas.

"I feel bad," Hardy told us ... "You never want to break the rules."

The ex-NFL star has only been fighting professionally for less than a year and says, "It was a rookie mistake and I'm a rookie."

Hardy says he's still trying to get a grasp on all of the MMA rules -- but wants the public to know his intention was NOT to take out Crowder with a cheap shot.

Now, Hardy says he would love another crack at Crowder -- and hopes to prove he's serious about becoming a top UFC fighter.

The good news for Hardy ... Greg says Dana White spoke with him after the fight and was incredibly supportive, even though Greg was in a "bad place" mentally.

Allen Crowder -- the UFC fighter who took a vicious knee to the head from Greg Hardy on Saturday -- says the move was NOT a dirty one ... telling TMZ Sports, "sh*t happens."

Hardy and Crowder squared off in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ ... but the match ended in the 2nd round after Greg blasted Allen with a right knee to the temple while he was still down.

Hardy was DQ'd ... and given his troubled past -- many wondered if the ex-NFL player who has been previously accused of domestic violence MEANT to throw the illegal shot.

But, Crowder says he doesn't think Hardy had any malicious intentions with the move ... saying, "it's a fight. It's the heat of the moment."

"There's a lot of people that have made the same mistake. I have no hard feelings against him at all. He was tired, and sh*t happens. I have no hard feelings about it at all."

For his part ... Greg says he didn't know the knee was illegal -- saying, "it was not intentional."

FYI ... Crowder says if officials had given him another 30-or-so seconds -- he woulda gotten up and continued the fight.

As for a rematch ... Crowder says he'd be down -- if the price is right.

Adrien Broner went off the rails Saturday night in a post-fight interview after pretty much getting destroyed by Manny Pacquiao for the WBA welterweight championship ... telling Showtime's Jim Gray he could beat the crap out of him if he wanted.

Pacquiao dominated the fight -- pretty much everyone but Adrien agrees -- and Broner went on a tirade with Gray, who warned him to keep it civil or else he'd pull the plug on the interview.

Broner suggested the fight at the MGM Grand in Vegas was rigged, but Gray stood his ground ... not only saying the outcome was the right one but questioning Broner's future.

Check out the vid ... Broner doesn't really have a comeback to Gray regarding his recent losses, but he does say he'd have an unblemished record if Gray would step in the ring with him.

Broner posted a photo to Instagram shortly after the fight to show off the absence of bruises.

Dana White says it's obvious to him ... Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter EVER.

But, when you add men to the mix -- is she better than Jon Jones?

White broke it down for us ... saying Nunes has not only beaten the best of the best, but destroyed Cris Cyborg -- "the most feared fighter out there" -- and made it look easy.

Don't forget, she also dominated Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice) and Miesha Tate.

Dana says Jon's got a pretty solid case too ... beating the hell out of stars like Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, Alexander Gustafsson (twice), Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader.

Oh, and Dana says he's SUPER impressed by the fact JJ beat Daniel Cormier on two separate occasions because DC is an "unbelievable" fighter too!

So, who really is the G.O.A.T.?

Greg Hardy says he's a changed man -- telling TMZ Sports he's got a new attitude and a new perspective after dedicating his life to mixed martial arts.

You already know Greg's backstory ... the NFL star was accused of domestic violence against a woman back in 2014 and initially convicted. The conviction was overturned in 2015.

He was also arrested for cocaine possession in 2016.

Hardy was essentially blackballed from the NFL ... so he ultimately decided to train in MMA.

We're told he made a real effort to clean up his lifestyle and focus on the sport -- and so far, he's been incredibly successful in his new career ... racking up a 5-0 record in his first 5 fights.

Now, he's set to fight at UFC on ESPN+ on Saturday -- and acknowledges that his past has become an issue since the card also features Rachael Ostovich, a domestic violence victim.

Hardy tells us he's staying focused on his fight and trying not to be a distraction from all of the other fighters on the card ... since he knows how hard everyone worked to get to this level.

Hardy isn't getting into specifics about his legal past -- but says he's got a new lease on life and a new attitude and wants to be a respected professional moving forward.

As for his fight with Allen Crowder ... Hardy says he wants his opponent to know he's a "very dangerous man inside the Octagon and I'm very serious about what I do."

MMA fighter Sergio Da Silva has been found GUILTY of robbing a bank in New York back in August 2017 ... and now he's facing up to 7 years behind bars.

The 32-year-old was convicted of 3rd-degree robbery after jurors viewed surveillance footage of the incident ... where Da Silva is seen jumping on the counter and demanding cash.

As we previously reported ... bank workers claimed Da Silva threatened to shoot them as he demanded cash at the Astoria Citibank.

Da Silva was facing 2 felony robbery charges. Since the security footage couldn't prove he had a gun, he was found not guilty of 1st-degree robbery ... which carries a maximum 25-year prison sentence.

Da Silva's attorney, David Fish, tells TMZ Sports his client is planning to appeal.

Fish also said, "Thanks to the insight of the jury, he walked out of court a free man Thursday and was not convicted of any violent offense."

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich says she's "grateful" to be fighting on Saturday night -- after a domestic violence incident in November nearly derailed her MMA career.

"I'm feeling so grateful to be here," Ostovich told us in NYC ... "There was a point where I wouldn't have been here."

As we previously reported, Ostovich suffered a broken orbital bone when she was allegedly attacked by her MMA fighter husband in their Hawaii home on Nov. 18.

Ostovich initially pulled out of her fight with Paige VanZant due to the severity of the injuries -- but after she was cleared by another doctor, she asked Dana White to be put back on the card.

Ostovich says she's received a ton of support from a bunch of UFC fighters -- including VanZant.

"She's an amazing person and she's been very supportive and I love that," Ostovich said.

We also spoke with Paige who says she has a TON of respect for Ostovich -- but the bottom line, when the cage door closes ... they're going to war.

Dana White isn't taking kindly to being called "tone-deaf" over his decision to book Greg Hardy and Rachael Ostovich on the same UFC fight card ... saying, "I could give a sh*t."

... and it didn't stop there.

First, some backstory ...

Both Hardy and Ostovich are fighting at the big UFC on ESPN event on Saturday night -- which drew heavy criticism from ESPN's main MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani, who sounded off Wednesday.

"I found this decision to be incredibly tone-deaf, to put it mildly," Helwani said on ESPN.

FYI, Hardy was found guilty of domestic violence by a judge in 2014 -- but the conviction was thrown out in 2015 when he appealed to have the case go in front of a jury ... and his accuser stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

Ostovich suffered serious injuries in an alleged domestic violence incident back in November. She claims her husband (who's also an MMA fighter) snapped and beat her ruthlessly.

Helwani and others have expressed concern over having them fight on the same card -- so, when we saw White in NYC on Thursday morning, we asked for his thoughts.

"I don't give a sh*t what Ariel Helwani thinks," White said ... "Who the f*ck is Ariel Helwani to question anything that we do."

"I think we've done a pretty good job in 20 years. I could give a sh*t what he thinks, or anybody else for that matter."

So, why are they on the same card? White says they're both on the UFC roster and it was bound to happen at some point.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has a message for Conor McGregor -- Want a rematch? Get in line.

The UFC superstar touched down in Australia with his crew on Wednesday where he was swarmed by local media and fans.

Khabib was super cool with everyone -- taking selfies and talking with people -- but the headline here is the trash-talk directed at McGregor.

One of the reporters asked if Conor should get the rematch -- to which Khabib smirked and said, "Rematch for what?!"

The reporter brought up all the talking Conor did before their fight at UFC 229 back in October -- Khabib again shot back with an insult.

"Before last fight he talked too. But, when we go inside the cage, he don't do nothing."

Of course, Khabib mauled Conor before McGregor tapped out in the 4th round.

Despite Khabib's position, UFC boss Dana White told TMZ Sports he IS working on the rematch and it should go down in 2019 ... if everything goes according to plan.

UFC champ Henry Cejudo says T.J. Dillashaw is OUT OF HIS MIND if he thinks he's gonna be the first "Champ Champ Champ" ... saying he ain't even gonna make it out of January with two belts.

Of course, Cejudo and Dillashaw are set to do battle on Jan. 19 for Cejudo's UFC flyweight title -- and when we told Henry about T.J.'s plans to win 3 belts in 3 weight classes this year, Henry ripped the guy.

"I think T.J. Dillashaw is dehydrated ... he ain't thinking straight," Cejudo tells TMZ Sports.

"I'm gonna behead that snake."

Cejudo ain't no punk -- he dethroned Demetrious Johnson back in August at UFC 227 ... ending Mighty Mouse's legendary streak of 11 straight UFC title defenses.

In fact, Henry says once he gets through Dillashaw, he wants a rematch with DJ -- which would be complicated since Johnson was just shipped from the UFC to the ONE Championship promotion in the first MMA trade in UFC history.

By the way, we also asked Cejudo for an update on the Olympic gold medal he lost in a fire back in 2017 -- and it sounds like he's on track to get an official replacement soon.

You've seen "champ champs" in the UFC -- but never a "champ champ champ" ... which is why T.J. Dillashaw wants to be the very first fighter to hold THREE belts at the same time!!!

The UFC's reigning bantamweight champ is gearing up to fight Henry Cejudo on Jan. 19 at UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ for the flyweight title ... and if he wins that bout, T.J. says he's got eyes on Max Holloway.

Of course, Holloway is the reigning featherweight champ -- so, if T.J. can get through Henry and Max he would be the first triple title holder in the history of the UFC.

Despite his big career goals, Dillashaw says he's laser-focused on beating Henry first -- and says he knows Cejudo is scared.

"He's just praying that I don't make weight," T.J. told the guys at TMZ Sports ... "He's praying that I'm weak."

Dillashaw says he believes he can be the greatest UFC fighter of all time -- and can't wait to prove it on the big stage.

Jack Swagger and CM Punk are former WWE World Heavyweight Champions turned MMA fighters ... but that's where the similarities end, 'cause Swagger tells TMZ Sports when he fights, he ain't losing.

Big facts ... Swagger -- real name Jake Hager -- was a pro wrestling superstar. But, he was also a stud on the wrestling mats in college -- earning All-American honors at Oklahoma in '06.

That's precisely why 6'7", 265 lb Swagger says when he steps into the cage to fight J.W. Kiser at Bellator 214 on January 26 ... he'll look NOTHING like Punk -- who got destroyed in both of his UFC fights.

"I'm different for so many reasons," Swagger told us ... "I've been wrestling since I was 5 years old, bro."

"I have over 150 Division 1 college wrestling matches, and I'm gonna rely on that as my amateur MMA and boxing career to help when the anxiety kicks in."

Punk -- who lasted less than 3 minutes before Mickey Gall almost choked the life outta him -- had no prior combat experience before signing with the UFC at 36-years-old ... no real wrestling, boxing or jiu-jitsu experience to lean on.

"I think the biggest thing that you're gonna see is the difference between me and him is that I am prepared. I am 100% prepared to take this fight, to go into that Octagon, go in that cage and inflict my will on anybody."