MMA

He's wrestled live bears and sprinted up mountains, but now Khabib Nurmagomedov is taking his training to the next level ... swimming a freezing cold Dagestani river!

Oh, and he's swimming against a pretty strong current!!!

THIS IS INSANE!!

Khabib -- who recently defeated Dustin Poirier -- is gearing up for a tough fight (presumably against Tony Ferguson) and he's not wasting any time getting into fight shape.

Which is why he ended up taking a dip in a river in Kizilyurt -- a small town in Dagestan.

Khabib's pal (who goes by King Farruh) shot the footage and gave his account of the session.

"Hard work and dedication from champ khabib_nurmagomedov. Today was very cold, he doesn’t care."

"Water was very cold I tried to put my feet and almost freeze my a$$ off. Tony you’re in trouble!"

Tito Ortiz's love for the Trump family is definitely mutual -- with the UFC legend getting invited to hang with the President after a private lunch with Don Jr. and Eric Trump.

Tito's camp tells TMZ Sports ... Eric personally reached out to Tito last week when he heard the MMA superstar was in New York -- and the two sides quickly arranged a lunch date at Trump Tower.

"Secret Service walked us through crowds to a private room in Trump's restaurant," Tito's rep tells us.

"They talked fights and politics before Donald Jr. came down to join before heading off to a campaign event."

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz -- who reps UFC champs like Khabib, Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman -- was cited for misdemeanor battery over an altercation with a rival manger, cops tell TMZ Sports.

Abdelaziz -- who runs Dominance MMA -- got into it with Abe Kawa, Vice President of First Round Management, during a PFL event at the Mandalay Bay on Friday.

We're told ... Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. officers were on scene when the two got into a heated verbal altercation, which escalated into a physical incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us officers on scene say they witnessed Abdelaziz deliver two "open palm strikes" -- aka slaps -- to Kawa's face.

Abdelaziz was NOT arrested, but he was detained and cited on scene ... and if the case moves forward, he'll be notified to appear in court.

Footage of the incident was posted on social media. UFC star Anthony Pettis, Kawa's client, was in the middle of the action and told ESPN's Marc Raimondi "Abdelaziz slapped Kawa 'like a bitch' and 'was gone in 15 seconds.'"

Cops note Abdelaziz was cooperative with police during the incident, as was Kawa.

MMA fighter Luis Peña -- aka "Violent Bob Ross" -- tells TMZ Sports the time has come to renegotiate his contract with the UFC ... and he's confident he's gonna get it.

We spotted the 26-year-old after he landed at LAX on Sunday following a controversial split decision loss to Matt Frevola at 'UFC Fight Night' on Saturday ... and it's clear Pena thinks he got robbed.

Pena points out that Frevola trains in Tampa -- where the fight went down -- and he suggests there may have been some "small-town bias" affecting the judges' cards.

Pena stormed out of the Octagon after the judges announced the decision -- and Luis admits he was heated and pissed off, and let his emotions get the best of him.

"At the end of the day, it's on me for not going out there and finishing the fight," Pena says.

Still, Pena (7-2 as a pro) is not only a good fighter -- but he's entertaining -- and it seems the UFC appreciates it. Pena says UFC exec Sean Shelby told him the company is ready to start talking about a new deal.

Seems obvious, but now it's official ... Dana White tells TMZ Sports Israel Adesanya's next opponent will be Paulo Costa.

Of course, Costa was sitting Octagon-side when Izzy knocked out Robert Whittaker last weekend at UFC 243 in Australia ... and the two talked trash to each other after the fight.

So, when we spoke with White this week he told us the two fighters are on a collision course ... and if Israel emerges victorious, then we can start talking about Izzy vs. Jon Jones.

"The next fight is Paulo Costa. That's the fight to make next and if a Jon Jones fight is possible down the line, I like it!"

Israel and Jones traded shots on TMZ over the past few months -- Israel said he's a G.O.A.T. killer and Jon replied, "I'll make you call me daddy!"

Wanna see a walking work of art?? Just check out Cody Garbrandt's fresh ink ... 'cause the UFC star is giving TMZ Sports the breakdown on his new tattoo!!

Of course, No Love is no stranger to the needle -- he's got tats on his neck, chest and arms ... and now his back is fully covered with an epic gladiator-esque image!!

Cody tells us the whole process lasted about 25 hours ... so yeah, tat artist Nic Westfall at the Skull Museum is one patient cat.

Cody says the most painful part of the process was when Westfall got to his lower back, because he recently had stem cell treatment.

But, the craziest thing about this -- Cody says it didn't cost him a PENNY to get done ... the dude got the hookup because it's basically an ad for the artist whenever he fights in the Octagon!

We also talked UFC with the former champ ... and he says he'd be down to face off against Henry Cejudo .... after he got called out by Triple C!!

Dana White says reports that UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk was in danger of missing weight for her main event fight this weekend are COMPLETE BS ... and says she's good to go!!

Jedrzejczyk is fighting Michelle Waterson in Tampa on Saturday -- but there were several reports that the fight was in jeopardy over questions about Joanna being able to make the 116-pound weight limit.

White says UFC's network partner, ESPN, fueled the misinformation -- and he's FIRED UP about it.

"This is madness!!!" White says... "Yesterday, my partner, ESPN, put up on their ticker tape Joanna Jedrzejczyk didn't make weight. The weigh-ins are today!!!"

Both Joanna and Michelle DID make weight and the fight is good to go.

We asked Dana why he thinks there were questions surrounding Joanna's weight -- and he chalked it up to "head games" the veteran fighter was playing on her opponent.

"What has been happening is there has been some head games going on between two veterans who are fighting in the main event in a fight that is very important in both of their careers and to see who gets the next title shot."

"And, all these MMA suckers fall for it because they're hearing things behind-the-scenes."

Undefeated UFC star Mackenzie Dern just made weight and is set to fight on Saturday ... just 4 months after she gave birth to her first child!!!

We did the math (hey, numbers are hard) ... and it's only been 124 days since 26-year-old Mackenzie became a mom. She gave birth to her daughter, Moa, on June 9.

Think about that ... not only did Mack have to recover from the toll that pregnancy and delivery takes on your body, but then she began to train for a FISTFIGHT with a world class opponent almost immediately.

Dern -- who's 7-0 as a pro MMA fighter -- just hit the scales for the official weigh in for UFC Fight Night 161 in Tampa, Florida ... and came in at 115 lbs, a perfect number for her weight class.

Mackenzie -- who's known as one of the top female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners -- is set to face Amanda Ribas, who did NOT give birth 4 months ago!

And, get this, according to Vegas odds ... Dern is still the slight betting favorite ... you have to put down $145 to win $100.

FYI, Mackenzie's baby daddy is Brazilian pro surfer Wesley Santos ... so that kid is gonna be freakishly athletic!!!

Conor McGregor strolled into court in Ireland on Friday to face an assault charge for punching a man in the face at a Dublin pub in April ... and the media was out in force!

The UFC superstar was decked out in a navy suit with a striped tie -- and didn't show any emotion on his face while he walked into the courthouse flanked by his lawyers.

Inside the courtroom, things weren't as exciting ... the judge granted McGregor's request to postpone the hearing until Nov. 1.

Irish officials say Conor will have to request a trial date or enter a plea during the Nov. 1 hearing, according to The Irish Times.

On the way out of court, Conor was quiet ... but you can hear people screaming, "McGregor!" as he walked to his car.

At least one world leader will be in the crowd when Alberto El Patron fights Tito Ortiz in December ... because Alberto says the President of Mexico has agreed to be his VIP guest.

The former WWE superstar -- formerly known as Alberto Del Rio -- is taking on the UFC Hall of Famer in a Combate Americas MMA event on Dec. 7 in Hidalgo, Texas.

Tito Ortiz previously told us he invited Donald Trump and the First Family to the event since he's pretty tight with the Trumps ... but it's unclear if they will attend.

But, Alberto says President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is on board.

Jon Jones is in a war of words with Israel Adesanya ... and UFC star Corey Anderson says there's a good reason why he's doing anything he can to avoid fighting Anderson.

TMZ Sports got Anderson -- 7th ranked UFC lightweight -- at a media event for his management company, Dominance MMA ... and we asked him about a prospective fight with Jones.

"At this point I think he's just trying to avoid me. I showed up to one of his autograph signings, he wanted to crack jokes and everything. So, I walked up to the fence to say something to him and he called security."

"He knows what it is. He knows I'm there. He knows I'm the real deal. He knows I'm gonna be the biggest threat."

Corey also sent a message to the light heavyweight champ ... "Mr. Jon Jones, go ahead, keep the throne warm for me, baby. Keep my seat hot cause I'm coming and I'm ready for it."

These guys clearly don't like each other, and Corey BADLY wants to fight Jones ... but before that can happen, he's got a fight with one of the biggest rising stars in the UFC, Johnny Walker.

Anderson and Walker are fighting at UFC 244 in November ... and he tells us he has 1 main objective.

Derail the hype train.

Yo, POTUS ... got plans in December?? MMA legend Tito Ortiz has one wish for his fight against Alberto El Patron -- and that's for President Donald Trump to be there!!

Of course, The Donald and Ortiz go WAY back -- Trump's been a major UFC supporter since the early days. And, he even tapped the Huntington Beach Bad Boy to compete on Season 7 of 'Celebrity Apprentice' in 2008. He's remained tight with the First Fam ever since.

Matter of fact, 44-year-old Ortiz is texting buds with Donald Jr. and invited him to his Dec. 7 Combate Americas fight against the 42-year-old ex-WWE superstar.

Justin Gaethje is sick and tired of Conor McGregor ... telling TMZ Sports he's been trying to lock down a fight for months, but the Irishman just won't come to the negotiating table.

Gaethje says he's tried every trick in the book to draw him out for the past 7 months ... but it seems Conor has more interest in tweeting than fighting these days.

"He keeps tweeting he’s gonna fight. On planet earth, there's 2 people that will possibly fight him -- me or Dustin Poirier ... He either needs to go away or fight, and it’s me or Dustin."

In fact, Justin says there was a point where he honestly thought Conor had retired from MMA because the guy refuses to have serious negotiations about taking meaningful fights.

Gaethje says he's ready to fight RIGHT NOW -- but Conor won't respond to his texts, tweets and phone calls.

"I wrote him a message like f**king 7 months ago just trying to be his friend. I’ve tried every route. I’m trying reverse psychology. I’m trying to be his friend. I’m trying every f**king route that there is to draw this man out. And I can't draw him out. And he’s calling out Frankie Edgar. So, it’s a slap in the face to me, to all the lightweights, and to really the standard that we f**king do here."

Vontaze Burfict, listen up ... Shawne Merriman's got the PERFECT job for you while you serve your NFL suspension -- a contract to fight in his MMA league!!!

"He's going to have a lot of time on his hands and he needs to put it to good use," Merriman tells TMZ Sports. "So, bring some of that aggression over here!"

Merriman currently helps run the Lights Out Xtreme Fighting league ... and he tells us he's straight-up ready to get the troubled Raiders linebacker a scrap in his cage.

And, why? The ex-Chargers superstar says it's pretty clear ... Burfict is a BAD man -- and he could be a seriously entertaining MMA fighter.

"I just talked to my partners right now," Merriman tells us. "We want to make Vontaze Burfict an offer to come and fight."

Of course, Burfict ain't exactly out of NFL options just yet ... he's still in the process of appealing the season-long suspension the league just handed down to him this week.

But, if the NFL does uphold its initial decision ... Merriman seems all-in on the idea of seeing him scrap in the LXF, telling us, "We got a place for you!"

Did you know Michael Bisping has a glass eye? Wanna see him pull it out of his face?!

Great!! Because that's exactly what the UFC Hall of Famer did on his podcast this week ... and it's AMAZING VIDEO!!!

"The Count" was explaining why he used to wear sunglasses so often during his fight career ... and then reached into his right eye socket and plucked out a prosthetic eyeball!

"That's why I used to wear f**king sunglasses, baby boy!!"

Of course, Bisping has spoken publicly about his eye issues over the years -- but it's unclear exactly when he got his replacement peeper.

Mike Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion ever ... but there's another champion he could've been ... UFC champion, so says MMA legend Rashad Evans.

Mike and Rashad are buddies and business partners -- remember Tyson recently hooked Evans up with boxing pointers on the sideline of an NFL game -- so when we talked to "Suga," we asked how Iron Mike would've fared in the Octagon.

"He could've been amazing, because every single time he lowers his level in a crouch situation, that could've been him faking for a shot and doing a level change, or doing a shot. So, he would've thrown the person off not knowing if he was going for a shot or go for a punch."

"You know when Tyson came up from that crouch position. He was coming up with those hands and that left hook, overhand right. It would've been lights out."

But, UFC heavyweight champion???

"Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. At a young age too. That's the thing, Mike Tyson's a sponge. That's one thing I learned about Mike, Mike knows everything. Mike's gonna study everything. There's no doubt in my mind, he would've been proficient in almost every aspect of the sport just because that's the way his mind works."

FYI, Rashad -- who was retired -- just secured his release from the UFC ... and is now available to sign with other promotions. We're told he's looking to take a fight in the near future.

So, the former light heavyweight champ's back ... but now he's got some schooling from Mike Tyson.