MMA

Ex-WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio has announced his plans to return to MMA ... more than 8 YEARS after his last real fight!!

The 41-year-old -- real name Jose Rodriguez -- announced his decision to return to MMA for Combate Americas on Monday ... and he's gunning to get in the cage in 2019.

Del Rio's last MMA fight was a Cage of Combat event back on Feb. 27, 2010 ... when he lost to Yamamoto Hanshi in a 2nd round TKO.

“I’m going to jump back in the cage -- or in the cage for the first time -- because I used to fight in rings in Mexico and in Asia, but never inside the cage,” Del Rio told The MMA Hour.

“So for 2019, I’m going to be doing that. I’m going to be fighting in the cage for Combate Americas, mi familia, mi casa, and I’m not just saying this because my boss is here and he writes my checks."

Del Rio says he expects to fight a big-name MMA star and draw a huge pay-per-view ... but says his opponent has not been made official yet.

Nate Diaz says he will 100% be at Madison Square Garden to fight at UFC 230 on Nov. 3 -- but if Dustin Poirier won't fight at 165 pounds, he wants a new opponent.

"Anybody who wants it at 165, we can do that," Diaz tells TMZ Sports.

Here's the issue ... Diaz is already booked to fight Poirier at 155 pounds. And, as Dana White pointed out last week, they signed the contract and everything.

But, Diaz believes he's a true 165-pound fighter -- and wants to start a 165-pound division so he and Dustin can fight in the main event that night for a brand new 165-pound belt.

And, if UFC and Poirier can't find a way to make it happen, Nate says -- "All comers bring it the f*ck on!"

Nate also had some strong words for Tyron Woodley -- saying The Chosen One better watch his mouth with all the trash talk or he'll get slapped upside his head ... whether it's in the Octagon or in the street.

Stay tuned ...

Daniel Cormier might get a 3rd crack at Jon Jones -- so says Dana White, who tells TMZ Sports he's trying to make it happen!

Of course, D.C. and J.J. hate each other's guts -- White says "the hatred is real" -- and now that Jones is being reinstated, a lot of people would looove to see a 3rd fight between the two.

"I would like to see it, I think the fans would like to see it," White says.

"What would be interesting is ... we might see it at heavyweight!"

Cormier has previously said he wants a piece of Brock Lesnar -- so, the big question is ... when would the Jones fight happen?

"I'm gonna do whatever D.C. wants to do," White says.

"Daniel Cormier has been an incredible champion for us. He's an incredible human being. He's a stud and I'm gonna do everything in my power to keep that man happy."

If Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov throw a steel dolly, miss weight or get hurt before UFC 229 ... Brian Ortega says he's 100% down to step in and kick some ass.

With only a week left until the biggest fight of the year, TMZ Sports asked Ortega -- should disaster strike and Conor or Khabib be unable to fight -- would he be game to scrap and save the card.

"I always stay ready ... These are the kinda fights that I'll step in on last minute to save the card," Ortega told us ... "Not no other fights like the last situation we had, where they wanted me to fight that clown."

"These are the fights that are worth saving."

The "clown" (Brian's words, not ours) is Jeremy Stephens ... who wanted to step in and fight Ortega after Max Holloway was forced out of UFC 226 in July.

Assuming UFC 229 goes off as planned ... T-City updated us on the status of his championship fight with Holloway ... and yes, he also explained why he's chillin' with freakin' farm animals.

Nate Diaz is straight trippin' if he thinks UFC will create a 165-pound division for him and Dustin Poirier -- and Dana White tells TMZ Sports it AIN'T HAPPENING!!

Nate's been confusing the hell out of people on social media -- falsely claiming Dana created the weight class for his upcoming fight at UFC 230.

Diaz also suggested he'd bail on the fight if Dana didn't comply with his demand.

We spoke with White who says Nate's been acting "nutty as hell" -- and he expects Diaz to show up and fight at 155 pounds on Nov. 3 ... just as he agreed to do.

Dana says Diaz signed the contract -- "You can't sign a deal and then do the things that he's doing right now, and not fight."

Daniel Cormier just went OFF on Jon Jones -- the latest in their nasty rivalry -- this time, DC's labeling Jones a cheating, coke-abusing "snitch" who rolled on one of his teammates.

Jon started the latest round this week ... taunting Cormier on social media for failing to accept the "truth" that PEDs had nothing to do with JJ's two UFC victories over him.

Jones says the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has backed his claims that he didn't intentionally ingest any prohibited substances ... and insists Cormier simply can't come to grips with the fact he's the superior fighter.

Enter Cormier ... who fired back on social media Friday morning.

"So here we go again Jonny boy. First off, if you did nothing wrong and were 'innocent' then you’d have never been suspended," Cormier said.

"And on top of all the cheating you’ve done around UFC 182, UFC 200 and UFC 214 that’s not even the straw that broke the camel’s back. You are actually a SNITCH!"

Cormier is referring to reports that Jones cut a deal with USADA for reduced 15-month suspension after his positive PED test -- and in exchange, Jones provided "substantial assistance" to the agency.

Many believe (including Cormier) the aforementioned "assistance" was info about other fighters -- aka "snitching."

Back to Cormier's attack ...

"You think you’re the only one that’s been offered this deal? No, you’re just the only scumbag low enough to take it!"

"Which one of your teammates did you tell on to get this joke of a punishment from USADA! I thought there was nothing lower than a cheater but it’s not surprising that you show me a whole new level."

"You’re a cheater and a SNITCH! Get off my page and go do some coke, or steroids or whatever you losers do in your spare time. #doublechamp"

Tyron Woodley says Nick Diaz must be out of his DAMN MIND if he really wants a piece of The Chosen One ... telling TMZ Sports he'd destroy Nick if he really wants to get in the Octagon.

Remember, Nick fired some shots at Tyron on Wednesday night ... calling him a boring fighter and vowing to bust him up if they can get a fight on the books.

So, we reached out to Tyron ... who had some thoughts.

"Get your weak ass outta here," Woodley said ... "You could have fought me a long time ago."

In fact, T-Wood -- who's in ATL shooting a movie -- proceeded to clown Nick and Nate Diaz with a little help from his UFC pal, Kenny Florian.

And, Kenny does a GREAT Nate Diaz impression!!

But, ya gotta watch when Tyron breaks down Nick's fight style ... COMEDY!

"How can he beat me? He's gonna try to beat me by taking punches to the face? He can't stop me from taking him down. He'll never submit me. He gonna slap me to death? Nah, I'm good."

Nick Diaz with the fire takes it outside Warwick nightclub in Hollywood Wednesday night -- saying Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are "not that good" and he'd crush 'em both.

The older Diaz brother was out clubbin' Wednesday night when we asked if he was bitter at the USADA-imposed punishment that kept him out of fighting for years for missing drug tests.

"There wasn't nobody to fight anyways for me," Diaz says ... "Ain't nobody out there. Everybody out there ain't sh*t right now."

He's eligible to fight now -- so we asked if he's planning to return to the Octagon anytime soon. Diaz replied, "I'll beat all those guys. All those motherf*ckers."

Even UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley?

"I'll whoop his ass too. He's too boring."

But, after the trash talk, it seemed he defended Woodley -- saying, "I don't even know why he fights those guys. They don't pay him enough money."

Which brings us to Conor vs. Khabib.

"I'll beat both of them. Both they asses ... THEY'RE NOT THAT GOOD!"

Fabricio Werdum is doubling down on his prediction that Khabib will MURDER Conor in the Octagon ... and now the ex-UFC heavyweight champ is calling the round it'll happen!!

"Khabib, I think, will kill him for sure," Werdum said at LAX ... "They'll have to stop the fight for sure I think in the 2nd round."

So, why does Fab feel so strongly about Conor's impending doom?

"I don't like too much of Conor McGregor's style. He talks too much."

It's true -- but Conor's usually able to back it up with huge wins over guys like Nate Diaz, Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.

As for Werdum, he's been a big fan of Khabib ever since the UFC 229 mega-fight became official, previously telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Russian is tougher and trains harder than Conor.

KSI says Logan Paul would be out of his damn mind to try and land a real UFC fight ... telling TMZ Sports the YouTube superstar would "get f*cked" in the Octagon.

We spoke with KSI -- who fought Logan in a YouTube superfight last month (which ended in a draw) -- about Paul's UFC pursuits ... and he says the dude's "delusional" to cross over into MMA.

"He ain't got no chance, bro," KSI says. "Anyone in the UFC would f*ck him up."

KSI's not alone ... Dana White warned Logan last week that it would be a "really bad idea" to step into the Octagon ... even though Sage Northcutt has offered to fight him.

As for their own rematch in the boxing ring ... KSI says Logan got lucky the first time, and vowed to get revenge when they fight in L.A. next year.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist is doubling down on her challenge to Cris Cyborg ... telling TMZ Sports she's ready to run through 6 chicks to get a match with the UFC star!!!

Remember, Kayla Harrison -- a judo gold medalist in London (2012) and Rio (2016) -- issued a challenge to Cyborg just last month ... saying she wanted to beat the best to be the best.

Now ... she's revealing her plan to make the fight actually happen.

Kayla -- who's already 2-0 in her MMA career -- tells us she's gonna fight six more times in a Professional Fighters League tourney next year -- where a million dollars for the winner is on the line.

Harrison tells us once she gets done murdering them ... she wants to get in a cage with Cris.

"The greatest female fighter of all-time, Cris Cyborg -- new, up-and-coming rising star, 8-0 -- let's meet," Kayla said at the Buoniconti Fund’s 33rd Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on Monday.

"Let's fight. Let's see who's really the best."

Logan Paul knows he can't just jump in the Octagon and wreck Sage Northcutt -- telling TMZ Sports if the two hammer out a deal ... he'd have to "train his ass off" first.

Of course, Logan has said he wants a real deal UFC fight -- and Sage Northcutt told us he's down to give him that match.

The problem for Paul ... Northcutt is a beast who's 11-2 as a pro MMA fighter, with 6 of those wins in the UFC. And, he's only 22 years old!

"I wouldn't say I'd handle Sage Northcutt," Logan says ... "Sage Northcutt is an animal."

Still, Paul says it would be "fun" to square off with the guy -- if he can put together a real training camp first.

As for Sage, he told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show he's all about a fight with Paul because his fans would love it.

The good news for Logan ... UFC champ Tyron Woodley has already offered to help train Paul up, claiming he was impressed with his boxing match against KSI and thinks he's got real talent.

Conor McGregor needs to cut out the bad language ... because KIDS ARE WATCHING -- so says Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The UFC star tells TMZ Sports he got fed up with all the curse words Conor was dropping at their nasty press conference on Thursday ... and says they need to be better role models!

"This is what I don't like when too much people cursing," Khabib said ... "Too many young guys like follow us ... I don't want to be a bad example for young generation people."

Conor dropped more bad words than a "Def Comedy Jam" act -- calling Khabib every dirty word in the book ... from "little rat" to "fanboy bitch" and "backwards c*nt."

Khabib says he refuses to engage in expletive warfare -- "I wanna be good [role] model."

As for whether Conor got under his skin at the presser, Khabib scoffed ... saying he's confident he'll "smash" McGregor when they face off at UFC 229 on Oct. 6.

Logan Paul better abandon his UFC dreams stat -- because if he ever stepped into the Octagon, he'd get "hurt badly" ... so says Dana White.

"That would be a really bad idea for him," White tells TMZ Sports.

Logan -- an accomplished high school wrestler -- had previously told us his dream would be to book a legit UFC fight after his highly successful boxing match with fellow YouTube star KSI.

In fact, UFC stud Sage Northcutt said he's down to make Paul's dreams come true -- if they can negotiate the right contract.

But, judging by this video ... that fight will never go down under the UFC banner -- because White turns deadly serious when he warns Paul about how extremely underqualified he is to brawl against the trained killers in the UFC.

Conor McGregor wasn't always a monster in the cage -- he tapped out in his 3rd-ever MMA fight and wept in the cage ... but his opponent says the dude is FAR from a cry baby.

We spoke with Artemij Sitenkov -- the very first man to make Conor tap back in 2008 after putting the Irishman in a leg lock during a Cage of Truth fighting event in Dublin.

"He was 19 years old ... and it was his first defeat, so yeah, he was emotional."

You can see in footage from the event, Conor was shocked after the match -- sitting on the cage floor in disbelief.

But, Artemij says the tears don't make him any less of a man -- explaining, "When I was a kid and I lost my first fight, I was also crying. It's natural."

Conor's a different fighter now, according to Artemij -- "I didn't beat superstar McGregor. I beat teenager McGregor."

Artemij is still very involved in MMA -- he currently coaches young fighters ... and gave us a prediction on the upcoming Conor vs. Khabib fight.

Spoiler alert ... might wanna get the tissues ready.

Conor McGregor vs. Tyron Woodley??

Tyron thinks it's just a matter of time ... and the time is right after Conor beats Khabib at UFC 229.

"If Conor wins, the only fight that makes sense for him is to fight me," Tyron said on 'The Hollywood Beatdown' ... "[he'll] try to get a 3rd belt."

Of course, Conor has already held the UFC featherweight and UFC lightweight titles ... but Tyron Woodley is currently the champ in the welterweight division.

So, if McGregor wants to make history as the Champ Champ Champ ... he's gotta go through Tyron.

It's not a crazy idea ... Conor fought at welterweight in BOTH scraps with Nate Diaz.

Tyron also says he and Conor have some unfinished beef stemming from a backstage altercation at UFC 205 back in 2016.

There's A LOT more this week ... Tyron tells us about his conversations with Jon Jones and why he does NOT think he'd be able to win a fight against the UFC legend.

Plus, Tyron demonstrates how to apply the Darce chokehold ... on Evan!