MMA

Conor McGregor just posted a message to Nate Diaz -- setting the groundwork for a 3RD FIGHT ... and telling Nate, "I'll be prepared."

The Irish superstar noted that Tuesday marks the 3-year anniversary of McGregor vs. Diaz II -- a fight Conor won by split decision at UFC 202 in 2016.

"3 years to the day myself and this Mexican animal went to war," Conor said.

Then he dropped this bomb -- "I’ll be prepared for it when we go again. If we go again."

"If not, respect always. A war for the ages. No bitch talk. Just real sh*t."

Conor also congratulated Diaz on his dominant victory over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 over the weekend ... saying, "It was motivating to see it for my own comeback."

"I don’t blame you not mentioning me for the trilogy bout post fight, you know what I’m like when I get going. Vicious."

Conor hasn't fought since his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October -- and while Dana White has told us he expects to see Conor back in the Octagon in 2019, he hasn't specified an opponent.

Clearly, Conor has his eyes on Nate ... but Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal instead.

Dominick Cruz hasn't fought in 962 days, but he's NOT retired ... he wants his belt back, now -- and he's ready to go through UFC champ Henry Cejudo.

The 34-year-old former champ has battled serious injuries -- a broken arm, torn shoulder ligaments -- and hasn't fought since UFC 207 in December 2016 ... but when TMZ Sports talked to Dom in L.A., he was crystal clear ... he ain't hanging up his gloves.

"I'm definitely not done. I'll absolutely be back."

Cruz is the 2x UFC bantamweight champion and the longest titleholder in the division's history -- and he wants his strap back.

"I want the title. The current titleholder right now called me out."

Remember, Cejudo called Cruz out after his UFC 238 win over Marlon Moraes in June.

"[Henry's] the champion, we're both Arizona natives. We're both on the same national wrestling team," Cruz told us ... "If he wants to be the best, he has to beat the longest reigning champion in the division."

"Anybody who has the title, if you wanna be the best, you should be trying to fight me."

FYI -- If the fight's gonna go down, it'll have to wait. Cruz and Cejudo both have injured shoulders -- and will be sidelined til 2020.

Question is, can Dom -- who has only fought 4 times since 2012 because of injuries -- beat the guy who took down Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw?

Khabib Nurmagomedov wants Daniel Cormier to retire after fighting Stipe Miocic.

TMZ Sports talked to The Eagle days before his AKA gym mate headlines UFC 241 on Saturday.

It'll come as no surprise Khabib thinks Cormier will win ... what might shock you, KN says this should be Daniel's last trip to the Octagon.

"Honestly I want him retire, honestly. He have job, he have money. He's like one of the greatest athlete who ever compete in the UFC."

"I really want him to retire. Because 40 years is not like 30 years. I really want him to win this fight and say, 'Hey, I enjoy with you guys long time. Right now, I have to stop this.'"

Just to be clear, these guys are tight (as you could see when DC came into the TMZ office). It's not that Khabib thinks DC's lost a step ... he believes Cormier's been so successful outside of fighting, he doesn't have to risk his body anymore.

Question is, will DC actually hang up the gloves?

Khabib doesn't think so.

"I think, no. Know why? He's like Olympic athlete level. These people cannot say 'I'm finished.'"

Nurmagomedov continued ... "I don't think he's gonna retire after this fight. Me, Coach Jav, all team, we really want him retire, cause we love him."

If DC doesn't listen ... and he fights again, there's a good chance the opponent would be Jon Jones.

Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz have beef... BUT, AP says that doesn't mean he won't spark a J with Diaz after they fight.

Their relationship is icy -- there's been bad blood between the fighters for awhile -- and they're gonna duke it out Saturday night at UFC 241.

"We're not cool. Me and Nate are not cool," Pettis tells TMZ Sports ... "I mean we never had any kind of relationship other than him throwing his middle fingers up at me. So, you do that to me, then I'm assuming we have a problem."

So, yeah, they ain't friends ... which made Pettis' answer to, "Would you smoke with Nate after the fight?" surprising.

"F**k yeah. Hell yeah. Honestly after this fight is done, there's no beef," he says, "I'm gonna settle it in the Octagon, and if we spark one up, we spark one up."

It could happen.

Diaz isn't shy about his love for weed, and even lit up a joint (it's unclear if it was marijuana or CBD) at his open workout on Wednesday.

Pettis loved it.

"That's dope, that's dope. Hell yeah. I support that. I smoke weed too."

Daniel Cormier's fought Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Rumble Johnson and Derrick Lewis ... and when it comes to grappling, Khabib's stronger than every one of them.

DC came into the TMZ offices earlier this week and joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... and we asked him about his training sessions with Khabib.

DC and Khabib are close friends and gym mates at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, CA ... and they've trained together for years.

So, how does the 155-pound UFC lightweight champion fare against the 250-ish-pound heavyweight champ?

"The other day we started to grapple, and Khabib jumped on top of me. And, I'm like okay, I'm just gonna get up when I want to, but that is not the case," Cormier says.

"He is literally the strongest person I may have ever felt."

DC -- who's facing off with Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 on Saturday -- says when Khabib gets a hold of you, it's basically impossible to get loose.

"It was amazing to me to think a guy that weights 175, 180 pounds, was able to do that to me. It's positional control, it's strength. He's a phenomenal athlete, man."

Khabib Nurmagomedov tells TMZ Sports Conor McGregor should be arrested and thrown behind bars for socking an elderly man in the face.

You've seen the video by now ... The Notorious uncorked a vicious straight left to the temple of a man in a Dublin pub -- all because the dude rejected a shot of Conor's whiskey.

We talked to Khabib -- who's prepping for his massive UFC 242 fight against Dustin Poirier -- and he went off on his archnemesis.

"These people, they have to go to jail. I told you, this guy have no class. No respect," Nurmagomedov tells us.

"This is very bad for sport. Some things he doing good for sport, but right now he without his mind. He lose his mind. It's crazy."

"Government have to smash him. This is my opinion. 'Cause I'm really, really mad about this video. I don't understand how you can punch old man."

This is just the latest in a string of violent incidents involving McGregor ... and The Eagle wonders what mayhem Conor could cause next.

Conor McGregor uncorked a shot to the head of an elderly man in an Irish bar in a dispute over whiskey -- Conor's whiskey -- and TMZ Sports got this video showing the violence.

The absurd attack went down at The Marble Arch Pub in Dublin on April 6. Conor walked in and lined up cups for bar patrons ... looking to buy a round of his Proper Twelve for everyone. The problems started when the guy opted out. Conor placed a cup in front of him not once, but twice ... and he still refused.

Unclear if words were exchanged between them, but after Conor downed a shot with the other drinkers, he unexpectedly threw his notorious left fist right in the face of the old man who rejected the booze.

Two people immediately grabbed McGregor and pulled him out of the bar. The violence was reported to cops, who announced back in April they'd opened an investigation. It's unclear if that's still active, but there are no reports Conor was ever charged -- even though cops have reportedly seen this video.

Perhaps most odd of all ... the poor, old pub patron who got socked didn't even get knocked off his stool. People are just tougher in Ireland, apparently.

The video is just the latest evidence of McGregor losing his cool and acting like a thug outside the Octagon. He dodged felony charges in New York last year when he smashed a bus window with a dolly, injuring several UFC fighters onboard the vehicle.

And, you'll recall ... one month before this Dublin incident, Conor smashed a phone out of a fan's hand in Miami. He was arrested for robbery and criminal mischief, but the charges were eventually dropped, and he settled a civil suit with the victim.

We've reached out to McGregor's camp, but so far ... no word back. We also called The Marble Arch Pub and they had no comment.

Conor hasn't fought in the UFC since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas. But, UFC honcho Dana White told reporters Wednesday he expects talks for McGregor's next fight to begin shortly after Khabib and Dustin Poirier square off in Abu Dhabi next month.

Just a thought, but Dana might wanna sign that old man from the Dublin pub. He can take a punch!!!

Former MMA star War Machine -- who is serving a life sentence for brutally beating his ex-GF -- got married behind bars ... and these aren't your typical wedding photos by a long stretch.

War Machine tied the knot with his longtime prison pen pal Ashley Farrington at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada ... taking a break from lockdown to say, "I do."

The convicted woman-beater slid a gold band on his new wife's finger -- the ring belonged to Ashley's grandmother. Hard to imagine this is what grandma had in mind.

Ashley's son and another family member were on hand for the nuptials ... and War Machine's best man was a guy named Mario Lino.

No wedding cake ... after all, you know what people put in prison cakes, right???

We're told the whole thing lasted 4 hours and was NOT conjugal.

TMZ broke the story ... War Machine proposed to his pen pal in early 2018 by reading her a love poem. He got down on bended knee, asking her to marry him even though he had no ring ... and she said yes.

As we reported ... War Machine was found guilty of sexual assault, battery by strangulation, coercion, kidnapping and several other charges after viciously attacking his ex, porn star, Christy Mack.

War is eligible for parole after 36 years when he's 71 ... so, the honeymoon will have to wait.

Jon Jones has never lost (that DQ doesn't count) and he's DOMINATED almost everyone he's fought -- but he ain't the G.O.A.T. ... so says Daniel Cormier.

DC -- who's fighting Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 this Saturday -- joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... and was asked who he considers the greatest mixed martial artist ever.

The UFC heavyweight champ said himself -- along with Mighty Mouse and GSP -- were best ... but it was who DC said wasn't in the conversation that was more shocking.

"I really do believe when you break down the greatest fighters of all time, anyone with any accusation against their name should be omitted."

No Jon Jones. No Anderson Silva.

"I like Anderson. He's a great guy, great champion. Jones, a great fighter. But, any time you have anything attached to your name, I think you should be out. You're not supposed to do it that way," Cormier says.

"But, Georges St. Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, I think those guys along with myself should be considered the greatest fighters of all time."

Remember, Jones was flagged by the USADA in 2016 and 2017 ... leading to multiple suspensions. He also had his UFC 214 win over Cormier stripped.

FYI -- Jon has never wavered, insisting he has never cheated.

As for Silva ... he was popped for a banned substance in 2017, and was subsequently suspended.

Spider has also adamantly denied intentionally taking anything ... instead saying he ingested a tainted supplement.

Bottom line, with Daniel and Jon, it's obvious there's no love between 'em ...  which brings up the trilogy fight.

We asked DC if it'll ever happen ... or if his Miocic superfight will be the last in his HoF career.

Stipe Miocic says he's down to fight anyone -- including Jon Jones -- but right now, his focus is on getting his belt back from Daniel Cormier.

Stipe is looking to avenge his July 2018 loss to Cormier at UFC 226 ... when Cormier ended Stipe's 6-fight win streak in a crushing 1st round knockout.

The two will get back in the Octagon on August 17 at UFC 241 ... and Stipe is GUARANTEEING VICTORY telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "I'm going to win."

So, what's next? We asked Stipe if he would be interested in fighting Jon Jones ... who's discussed moving up to heavyweight -- and Stipe told us he's down to fight ANYONE.

But, he made it perfectly clear he's not flirting with future fights ... his sites are set squarely on DC

Cormier is the slight betting favorite going into the fight after being a heavy underdog the first time around.

"It is what it always is with Colby Covington. It's f**k that guy. That guys a piece of sh*t. A dog turd smashed on the floor and nobody gives a f**k about him."

Ladies and gentlemen, that's Mike Perry on Colby.

TMZ Sports talked to Platinum days before his fight with Vicente Luque at UFC Fight Night 156.

Luque's a beast, so Perry's got his hands full ... but we asked if he's still pursuing a scrap with Colby -- after he handles this weekends business.

The answer ... hell yes.

"Absolutely, I would love to fight him. I think that fight makes great sense for me."

Covington is the #2 ranked welterweight in the division ... and Perry is currently unranked -- but Mike says that doesn't mean a damn thing when it comes to this fight.

"He thinks he can beat me. He thinks he can lean up against me and out wrestle me," Perry tells us.

"I know what to do. I got some moves for him. I got some tricks up my sleeve I got some caps in the hat, or whatever you wanna say, boy."

If the bad blood seems intense ... remember, Covington verbally went for Perry's neck last year when he called his now-wife "ratchet" and "horse faced."

And, 'cause of that, Perry issued a stern warning.

Cris Cyborg's UFC reign ain't over just yet ... 'cause Tyron Woodley says he's confident Justino and Dana White will peace up their fractured relationship.

Dana and Cyborg's bad blood reached a boiling point last week when Cris' team posted an edited video that misquoted the UFC honcho ... prompting White to say he was "out of the Cyborg business."

So, that's a wrap for Cyborg when it comes to the biggest MMA promotion in the world, right???

Nope ... on this weeks episode of the "The Hollywood Beatdown," UFC superstar Tyron Woodley explained why Cris most certainly will be back in a UFC Octagon in 2020.

"Cyborg is too big of a name. There's too much money in Cyborg. Cyborg was the greatest female fighter ever until Amanda Nunes took her out."

"Dana White is a business man," ... Woodley says.

From where the relationship currently stands, peace would take a total 180 ... but Tyron's right, Cyborg's a big box office draw, and Dana knows how to make money.

Melvin Guillard won't exactly have the clearest head in his return to the pro MMA world this weekend ... 'cause later this month, he's due in court in his domestic violence case.

The former UFC fighter was arrested in Colorado way back in April 2018 after cops say he violently attacked his mistress after she allegedly asked when he was going to leave his wife.

Cops say the 36-year-old choked the woman repeatedly ... and said the victim was "scared he might kill her.'"

Guillard's case in the Colorado court system hasn't progressed quickly ever since he pled not guilty to the crime ... but a court official tells us it likely has something to do with his two OTHER arrests in '18.

As we previously reported, Guillard was involved in TWO separate incidents in the Denver area where he knocked out civilians. He finally cut a plea deal to close those cases earlier this summer.

Now, Guillard's domestic violence case is ready to move forward -- he has a hearing slated for August 26, just 16 days after he makes his debut in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on Saturday in Mississippi.

A court official tells TMZ Sports Guillard is facing 2 charges in the domestic violence case -- 1 count of second degree assault and 1 count of third degree assault.

If convicted, Guillard is facing up to 18 YEARS behind bars -- so it's POSSIBLE his BKFC fight could be the last match of his career.

Guillard is scheduled to fight Isaac Vallie-Flagg in the BKFC event in the meantime this weekend.

Wanna see MMA badass Kayla Harrison take a TMZ staffer and THROW HIS ASS ON THE GROUND?!

Yeah, figured ...

Here's Kayla -- one of the most feared women in MMA -- performing her favorite Judo throw, the O Goshi, on our resident crash test dummy, Lucas ... and it's awesome!

Of course, Lucas has faced off with the best in MMA ... from Jon Jones to Brian Ortega and Henry Cejudo -- but this might be his most terrifying demonstration yet!

After Kayla destroyed our guy, she called out Cris Cyborg -- who will be released from her UFC contract after clashing with Dana White.

Kayla is competing for the $1 MILLION grand prize in PFL's big MMA tournament -- and she's laser focused on winning -- but says she'd LOVE an opportunity to square off with Cyborg.

Kayla says she's impressed with Cyborg -- but doesn't think she's indestructible -- and she's inviting the Brazilian superstar to come on over to PFL to continue her fighting career.

She even made a video message for Cris ...

"Listen, I heard you lost your job but if you're interested the PFL has a very special place for you ... and it's 2nd."

Nick Newell is a badass MMA fighter who happens to have 1 hand ... and Bellator signed him to a fight deal -- incredible story, right??

No, not if you ask Newell ... who tells TMZ Sports the shiny new contract doesn't mean a damn thing if he doesn't punch someone and get a W.

Nick -- who at 33 years old recently signed a 1 fight deal with Bellator -- is weeks away from his debut against Corey Browning (CB once beat Kimbo's son, Kevin Ferguson aka "Baby Slice") at Bellator 225 ... and he's far from happy just having a contract.

"I’m just showing up to win, being a part of something is not good enough for me," Newell says.

"I appreciate everything Bellator's doing for me, but just like showing up and being like, 'oh my god, I got signed by Bellator,' and getting my ass whooped, is not acceptable."

The 15-2 fighter went on to say ... "For me it’s nothing until I get my hand raised. I've accomplished nothing. Just by getting signed doesn’t mean that you're a big deal or that you're good enough."

"I'm not content. I have to win. When I win, then I'll be happy. Then I'll be excited for the future. I feel like I have to earn that."

Nick's journey to Bellator has been 10 years in the making, and while he might think it's no big deal to sign with 1 of the premiere fight promotions in the country, most in the MMA world are super impressed.

Newell will get his chance to earn a win on August 24.

Donald Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, are getting the early bird special at the UFC fight in New Jersey this weekend -- 'cause they showed up hours before the big bout.

President Trump's sons are sitting cage-side right now at the Prudential Center in Newark for the UFC on ESPN 5 event, where welterweights Colby Covington and Robbie Lawler are facing off for the main event. Colby personally invited DTJ and co. -- they're pals.

Sources connected to the event tell TMZ Sports that Don, Eric and their brood -- which appears to include Don's GF, Kimberly Guilfoyle and at least one kid -- arrived Saturday around 10 AM PT ... an hour after the first fights kicked off at 9 AM.

Kinda interesting if you think about it -- that means the Trumps are going to presumably stick around for a bit until the Covington/Lawler fight at noon ... which makes for a jam-packed day of Octagon action. Five matches have already been decided, so you gotta imagine the Trump crew caught at least two of them, so far.

It also looks like ESPN followed through on their plan to not keep the famous family off camera -- despite backlash it may or may not spark. They're all getting a healthy amount of screen time at the moment on TV, which we were told was expected ahead of the event.

As you know, the UFC is made up of pretty diverse fighters ... and with their pops being labeled a racist of late, the Trump boys' inclusion in this event was expected to be a powder keg of sorts.

No issues so far though, from the crowd or otherwise ... hopefully it stays that way.