MMA

Conor McGregor WILL make his return to the Octagon in 2019 -- despite that whole "retirement" thing -- this according to Dana White.

"Conor is a competitor, man. He loves to fight. This is his passion in life," White tells TMZ Sports.

So, who's the opponent?? That's the tricky part.

Dana says he wants to see how the fights at UFC 238 this weekend shake out before announcing an opponent for Conor.

Remember, one of the most important fights of the weekend is Tony Ferguson vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone ... both of whom want a crack at McGregor.

Dana tells us he knows Conor's goal is to get his rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov ... but Khabib's already committed to fighting Dustin Poirier in September.

"We gotta see how everything plays out," Dana says.

The one thing White would ABSOLUTELY commit to -- Conor will fight in the Octagon before the end of the year.

It's a big deal considering back in March, Conor had said he was retiring from MMA to focus on his whiskey business.

He later said he WOULD fight again if Dana offered him an ownership stake in the UFC -- something Dana has said he simply WILL NOT do.

Dana White says he personally sat down with Tony Ferguson to evaluate him to make sure he's mentally okay to get back in the Octagon ... but only AFTER Tony was already cleared by doctors.

Tony is set to fight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 238 this weekend -- his first fight since his Oct. 2018 victory over Anthony Pettis.

In the days, weeks and months after the Pettis fight, Ferguson had some major issues at home -- his wife, Cristina, called cops several times because Tony was having manic episodes and acting erratically.

Cristina made it clear she loves Tony and wanted him to get treatment -- but during a Feb. 16 incident, things got to a point where she was scared and needed police to intervene.

Tony was never arrested or charged with a crime -- but his wife made it clear TF needed professional mental help ... which he ultimately got.

In fact, Tony is PROUD of the work he's done with his psychologist and feels he's in a healthy place.

"He's done all the right things it takes to make us feel comfortable that he's good to go," White tells TMZ Sports.

The reason Khabib Nurmagomedov agreed to fight Dustin Poirier in Sept. instead of a rematch with Conor McGregor is simple ... "McGregor didn't beg enough."

... this according to Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz.

Of course, the REAL reason is that Khabib vs. Dustin is for the unified UFC lightweight title -- which was a huge priority to Dana White -- but hey, who doesn't love a little smack talk?!

So, when will the Khabib vs. Conor fight actually happen? Maybe never.

Ali says he doesn't believe McGregor ever wants to fight again -- saying Conor's more concerned with being an "Instagram model" these days than fighting for a UFC title.

Ali also says the UFC is stacked with talent -- from Khabib to Tony Ferguson to Poirier -- and they don't need Conor anymore.

So, if Conor really does want a second crack at Khabib, what needs to happen?

"Get maybe 2 or 3 wins," Ali says ... "Then get on his knees and beg!"

Rashad Evans routinely dealt ass whoopin's to MMA legends like Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz -- but who's the absolute toughest dude he fought?

Jon "Bones" Jones.

And, it ain't even close ... "Suga" Rashad -- the latest member of the UFC's 2019 Hall of Fame class -- tells TMZ Sports.

"Without a doubt, Jon Jones. When it comes down to it, I think that Jon Jones is the best in history."

"When he's inside the cage, he's dynamic. He's got some skill. But, I would say technically speaking, he's probably the best fighter."

Evans is a legend and he faced some of the greatest MMA fighters ever ... but he says there was something different about Jones -- who beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 145 in 2012.

"When you fight guys that good, you feel like after the fight is over, there's another level that I need to get to. You don't feel like, 'aw man, I had a bad day.' You just feel, 'man, I need to get to another level to be able to beat this guy.'"

So, Jones it the best fighter ... but who hit Rashad the hardest? The guy who landed the bomb will surprise you.

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz still gets goosebumps when he sees other great athletes ... in fact, he TOTALLY fanboy'd when he saw Tiger Woods -- and it was all caught on video.

Tiger was hosting his annual Tiger Jam charity poker tournament at the MGM Grand in Vegas over the weekend ... when Tito started chatting up the golf legend.

At one point, Ortiz whipped out 2 passes from the 2019 Masters tournament -- which Tiger famously won -- and asked him to sign.

Tiger obliged and even posed for pics with Ortiz.

Afterward, Tito explained the connection ... saying he made his UFC debut in Augusta back in 1997, the same year Tiger won the Masters for the first time.

Tito also says he went back to Georgia in April and watched Tiger win again -- and clearly feels a connection with the guy.

FYI, Tito is 44 and Tiger is 43.

UFC star Tyron Woodley says he's very confident he'll be ready to fight again this summer -- despite having a jacked up right hand -- and he's already working with the UFC to book a date.

The former UFC welterweight champ recently pulled out of his June 29 bout with Robbie Lawler -- explaining on this week's 'Hollywood Beatdown' that his hand simply isn't ready to go.

Woodley says he consulted with a top hand specialist who diagnosed him with chronic arthritis in his joint ... which is a problem going into a fist fight with a stand-up striker like Lawler.

The good news ... Tyron says he's eyeing an August date to get back in the Octagon, but there's a catch ... he only wants to fight in a state where he'll be cleared to get a cortisone shot 10 days before the bout.

As for an opponent, Tyron says he'll fight anyone as long as it gets him on the right path for a title shot ... because he's obsessed with getting his belt back.

There's a lot more ... Tyron also weighs in on the disturbing face injury suffered by his friend, Sage Northcutt and tells us if he thinks Sage will ever be able to get back to 100%.

Chuck Liddell now realizes the video he made to congratulate a man for coming out of the closet after 40 years was most likely a homophobic prank ... and the UFC legend is really upset about it.

Here's the backstory ... Chuck is one of the celebrities who works with Cameo, a company where people can pay celebs to make custom video messages for fans.

Someone named L-Dogg asked Chuck to make a video congratulating "Timmy" for going public with his sexuality ... and Chuck, believing it was a legitimate request, obliged.

The original video features Chuck delivering a heartfelt message to Timmy -- and saying he wishes Timmy would have been able to come out earlier in life.

But, now it seems pretty obvious L-Dogg was just using Chuck as part of a homophobic joke.

"If this is someone messing with somebody, that's messed up," Liddell told us at LAX.

"I assumed it was a guy who was actually coming out after 40 years."

Bottom line ... Chuck says he doesn't want to be used to make jokes in bad taste.

If Conor McGregor wants another crack at a top flight boxer, Keith Thurman says he's ALL THE WAY DOWN -- telling the Irishman straight up, "Box me, baby!!"

Of course, Thurman -- the WBA super welterweight champ -- is gearing up to face Manny Pacquaio on July 20 ... but says he's heard about Conor's desire to get back in the ring and wants that fight!

"You know you make more money in the boxing ring anyway. Box me, Conor!"

Thurman's not kidding ... he watched the McGregor vs. Mayweather fight back in 2017 and sees major holes in Conor's fight game.

"[In boxing], the advantage is do you have skills with the left? Do you have skills with the right? Do you have footwork? And, one thing [Conor] doesn't have is conditioning! He does not have conditioning. He is not ready for these championship fights."

"Floyd walked him down and beat him like he was playing 'Fight Night!'"

Thurman continued ... "He wanna talk that trash?! He wants to think actually got hands? Come on, man."

McGregor recently told Tony Robbins he wants a rematch with Floyd Mayweather because he's learned so much from the first fight and KNOWS he could get a win.

Sage Northcutt is on the mend ... and he's giving a positive update on his health after undergoing surgery on facial fractures he suffered when he got his ass knocked out in his ONE Championship debut.

The ex-UFC posted this picture from his hospital bed in Singapore on Wednesday night ... thanking all his fans for their prayers and letting everyone know he's recovering and getting better, day by day.

Sage looks to be in good spirits, given the circumstances ... he's giving two big thumbs up, and doing his best to smile -- which has gotta be difficult when you have surgery to fix 8 FRACTURES!!!

Check out that shiner under Sage's left eye ... that's gonna last a while.

As you know ... Sage's debut was a disaster. The 23-year-old got his face punched out by Cosmo Alexandre, crumbling to the canvas with a thunderous face plant 29 seconds into the match.

Sage went under the knife over the weekend ... and his coach, Urijah Faber, told us the fighter's injuries were way worse than originally thought because Sage also shattered his cheek into 30 different pieces.

Conor McGregor says he wants another crack at Floyd Mayweather -- and with all that he's learned from their first fight, McGregor says he's 100% confident he would get that WIN!

"I would like to rematch him under boxing rules, again," McGregor said to Tony Robbins during a recent interview ... "and I believe I would win."

"Actually, there I go again with that fake humbleness ... I KNOW I WOULD WIN!"

Yeah, you can hear it in his voice ... McGregor really wants this.

Of course, Conor first fought Floyd back in August 2017 -- with Floyd beating on Conor so badly in the 10th round, the referee stopped the fight.

But, Conor didn't see the bout as a one-sided massacre ... he thinks he was WINNING early on.

"When I went into the fight in the early rounds I was WHOOPING him in the early rounds," Conor said ... "I went back to my corner after the 1st round and I said, 'This is easy!'"

But, Conor says Floyd switched up his style -- going from a "back-footed," defensive approach to a more aggressive "Mexican style."

Conor says the switch shows how talented Floyd is ... but now Conor says he can prepare better for that alternative style and crush Floyd in a rematch.

"He never fought like that in his entire career, but he was forced to fight that way because he was getting beaten," Conor said.

"The approach caught me off guard. I was not prepared for it, I was not used to it ... and he walked me down and end up getting the stoppage."

Conor says Floyd originally agreed to fight McGregor in an MMA match after the boxing event -- but Conor says, "I haven't heard from him since!"

Floyd has been taking exhibition fights ever since racking up his 50th pro victory ... but will a rematch with Conor pique his interest in a comeback?

MMA fighter Josh Copeland pled guilty to felony 2nd-degree assault in his domestic violence case -- stemming from allegations he punched his wife in the face during a heated altercation.

As we previously reported, Copeland -- 6'1", 265 lbs -- was arrested in Colorado on Feb. 2 after his wife told police he hit her so hard, her face was bloodied and bruised when cops arrived.

The woman had admitted she slapped Copeland in the face multiple times during the altercation -- but said he took things to another level of violence ... and then stole her phone so she couldn't call for help.

Copeland was originally hit with 4 criminal charges including felony assault, domestic violence, obstruction of telephone and child abuse (because the altercation allegedly took place in front of their son).

But now, a court official tells TMZ Sports ... Copeland appeared in court on Tuesday and cut a plea deal with prosecutors.

Long story short ... Copeland pled guilty to 2nd and 3rd-degree assault and in exchange, the other charges were dropped.

As for the sentence, Copeland was given 2 years probation -- and the judge noted he could be locked up if he doesn't stay out of trouble for the next 24 months.

Copeland is allowed to travel for work (he's a pro-MMA fighter) -- but he'll have to check in with the court in 2021 to make sure he's kept his nose clean.

Copeland is 18 and 6 as a pro-MMA fighter -- and even had a stint in the UFC in 2014 and 2015.

Sage Northcutt's fight injuries were worse than initially reported -- he didn't just suffer 8 fractures in his face, but his cheek shattered into 30 different pieces ... according to his coach, Urijah Faber.

As we previously reported, Northcutt suffered major damage Friday when he was knocked out by Cosmo Alexandre during his ONE Championship debut in Singapore ... and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

"Dude got his face blasted, man," Faber said ... "His cheek shattered like an eggshell."

Faber says Northcutt described the pain as "40 times worse than any pain I've ever felt."

Sage went under the knife over the weekend -- requiring doctors to access the wound through 4 entry points ... including his hairline, mouth and eye.

You gotta listen to Faber describe the procedure -- it's gnarly.

The good news ... Sage is in good spirits and he's already talking about setting up his next fight.

Sage Northcutt was destroyed way more than anyone thought after a 29-second, first-round knockout in his ONE Championship debut -- turns out he suffered 8 fractures and was in surgery for 9 hours to repair the damage.

Northcutt posted a horrific pic of the aftermath ... hooked up to all sorts of stuff post-op in the hospital.

Sage's debut was a disaster ... the 23-year-old took a devastating punch at the hands of Cosmo Alexandre to the face, sending him to the canvas with a thunderous face plant. Clearly, the punch did damage, but the face plant may have exacerbated things.

He posted the hospital pic, saying, "Fresh out of surgery ... I had 8 fractures and a nine hour intense operation. Feeling blessed for the amazing care and all the support from ONE championship, my family/friends and fans!"

It's surprising ... because Sage got up under his own power and stood there as the ref raised Alexandre's hand and declared him the winner.

Sage was cut from the UFC after a lackluster run ... UFC honcho Dana White said Northcutt just didn't cut muster and needed to work on his game.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD ...

... a lot of it when Rafael dos Anjos and Kevin Lee go to war this weekend at UFC Fight Night 152.

Lee -- the 7th ranked lightweight in the UFC -- is going up to 170 pounds to fight former welterweight champ RDA ... and "The Motown Phenom" says it's gonna get violent.

"I think this might be one of the fights that I really get to showcase everything. I haven't given that barn burner of a fight to UFC fans yet, and this might be the one," ... Lee tells TMZ Sports.

"I'm expecting it to be a blood bath. That's all I'll say."

It's a massive fight for both guys. Lee's coming off a loss to Al Iaquinta ... and Kamaru Usman handed dos Anjos an L ... so both guys are dangerous, and need to win.

The result? Blood. Bath.

Rough day at the office for ex-UFC star Sage Northcutt -- who just got his face obliterated 30 seconds into his ONE Championship debut.

The 23-year-old was taking on Brazilian fighter Cosmo Alexandre in Singapore ... when just 25 seconds into the fight, things went bad for Sage.

Cosmo cracked the kid with a solid right -- immediately turning off Sage's lights and sending him crashing to the floor face first.

The ref stopped the fight and the announcer said Sage was out cold.

Don't worry, he got up and appears to be okay.

Disappointing debut for Sage to say the least ... he left the UFC after his contract was up last year and was hoping to become a massive superstar with ONE.

In fact, Sage previously told us he was hoping to parlay his MMA success into a movie career -- but it's always harder to do that following a crushing loss.

The estranged husband of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich just got 4 years probation in his domestic violence case ... stemming from a violent attack back in November.

Arnold Berdon -- who's also an MMA fighter -- was initially arrested for attempted murder after Ostovich claimed he beat the hell out of her and fractured her eye socket.

Ostovich initially pulled out of a high-profile UFC fight with Paige VanZant due to the injury -- but was later cleared by a different doctor. Ostovich ultimately lost the fight.

As for Berdon ... after his initial arrest, prosecutors downgraded the charge to 2nd-degree assault -- and he pled no contest back in March.

Berdon was sentenced on Thursday to 4 years probation -- which appears to be a good deal for Berdon considering he was facing up to 5 years in prison.