MMA

Kamaru Usman has an idea of how he wants his legendary UFC career to come to a close ... and he let TMZ Sports in on the blueprint -- and it all starts with the winner of this weekend's UFC 322 main event!

We chopped it up with the 38-year-old former welterweight champion ahead of the promotion's return to Madison Square Garden in NYC on Saturday, and Usman says he's got an eye on the title scrap between champ Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, who surrendered his lightweight belt to go for gold in the 170 lb. division.

"I think [the fight is] a toss-up, but I do think Islam has the grappling edge when it goes down to the ground," Usman said. "I think he's just done it longer. We'll see what happens. But of course, I'm looking to get in there and potentially test myself against the winner."

Just months after Ben Askren was hospitalized with a severe staph infection that led to life-threatening pneumonia and ultimately a double lung transplant ... the former UFC star is back doing what he loves, posting a video of himself hitting the wrestling mats!

Askren shared the video to his social media on Thursday, showing him lacing up a fresh pair of wrestling shoes and getting some training in.

"4 months ago I was on my deathbed," Askren wrote. "3 months ago I couldn't stand unassisted, 2 months ago I was still using a walker."

Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo was in a scary car accident in Brazil on Thursday ... documenting the aftermath in a social media video -- but thankfully, it sounds like he's all good.

The sixth-ranked bantamweight contender in Dana White's promotion said he was going on a local street in the city of Belém when the collision occurred ... claiming a woman was seemingly "on the run" and driving "at a high speed" prior to impact.

Figueiredo said "thank god we're fine" ... and the other party involved is okay as well. It is unclear if anyone was in the car with him.

Jon Jones is breaking his silence on the tragic and sudden death of his oldest brother, Arthur Jones ... sharing a moving post on social media where the MMA great shares his raw feelings on the former NFL player's passing.

"Arthur was not just a Super Bowl champion but a father, spouse, son, brother, everyone’s best friend, a gentle giant whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds," Jon wrote.

The future UFC Hall of Famer spoke about Arthur's "love of outdoors," from fishing to duck hunting and riding four-wheelers with his fam ... with Jon saying AJ "brought pure joy, warmth and laughter to every moment spent around him."

“His legacy inspires me every day. Our dad Arthur Jones Jr, me, Chandler, Arthur Jones IV,  and the rest of the family are committed to moving forward striving to be the best versions of ourselves, just as he would have wanted.”

Arthur, born in 1986, passed away on October 3, 2025 at just 39 years old ... after apparently suffering some sort of cardiac medical emergency.

Jones, who played seven seasons in the NFL, including four for the Baltimore Ravens (he won a Super Bowl in 2013), racked up 173 tackles, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles over the course of his career.

Brendan Allen isn't mincing his words after pulling off a short-notice upset win against Reinier de Ridder ... telling TMZ Sports his opponent's team wasn't responsible for calling it quits, but the fighter himself!!

We chopped it up with Allen following his massive performance at UFC Vancouver over the weekend ... which ended when RDR failed to answer the bell to start the fifth round.

Allen said he watched back the moment RDR's corner threw in the towel ... and while Reinier's coaches swore it was their call, he had a different view.

Maycee Barber is gearing up for her UFC return after suffering a medical emergency minutes before making the walk to the Octagon back in May ... and she tells TMZ Sports she's "doing great" and is excited to get back to fighting.

Barber chopped it up with us after it was announced she will be squaring off against the ninth-ranked contender in the UFC's women's flyweight division, Karine Silva, at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 ... and her excitement for her comeback was noticeable.

"I feel good, I'm excited," Barber told us. "It's been definitely a process of mental battles, and then also the physical battle of recovering and just being back to training, and there's a lot to go through."

Duke Roufus, a well-respected former kickboxer and accomplished MMA coach, has died.

The renowned athlete died in his sleep Thursday, his longtime friend and business partner Scott Joffe announced on social media Friday.

He celebrated his legacy in a lengthy tribute, saying he was more than a "celebrated trainer and champion kickboxer," but also a "mentor, innovator, father and friend whose influence transformed the landscape of mixed martial arts."

Reinier De Ridder may have a new opponent thanks to an injury last month, but there's still a ton on the line for the UFC middleweight contender ... including a massive title fight against Khamzat Chimaev!

RDR says whether he gets to fight for the strap will largely depend on his performance against Brendan Allen in the main event at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver on Saturday.

TMZ Sports spoke with the 4th-ranked 185-pounder about his prospects of fighting Chimaev for the strap ... with a win over the 9th-ranked Allen.

Luke Rockhold has been one of the biggest Alex Pereira critics, but the former middleweight champ is ready to give Poatan his flowers ... declaring the Light Heavyweight strap holder one of the all-time greats!

TMZ Sports ran into the UFC legend leaving On The Rox at The Roxy in West Hollywood this week -- not long after 38-year-old Pereira decimated then-champ Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 320 -- when we asked Rockhold about the performance.

"I used to hate on Alex Pereira but motherf***er's a gangster. It's all about confidence. It's all about balls. He has it. He f***ing has it. I'm not gonna lie. I can't hate on the motherf***er anymore. He's one of the GOATs," Luke said.

Ronda Rousey says she's back getting after it in the gym ... but she's still not telling if she's got plans on making a UFC return.

TMZ Sports caught up with the former bantamweight champion out in Los Angeles earlier this week, and after she told us she's training hard these days ... we naturally asked, is a comeback to the Octagon on the horizon?!?

Rousey, though, remained tight-lipped ... insisting she couldn't expound on her plans because she was late for a session with her trainer.

Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian has died at the age of 33 after being shot and killed in an alleged targeted attack in Australia.

According to The Daily Telegraph, New South Wales officials believe Mokhtarian was out for a walk when the fatal encounter happened. Witnesses told police shots rang out of a red Audi around 6 PM local time before the car sped off.

Mokhtarian was shot in the upper torso ... and paramedics tried to revive him, but efforts were unsuccessful.

Conor McGregor's going to be spending a bit more time outside of the octagon ... because he just got hit with an 18-month suspension through Combat Sports Anti-Doping, which is affiliated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The mixed-martial-arts (MMA) promotion company shared an announcement about The Notorious' time off through its official website on Tuesday, and it was revealed his suspension was due to "whereabouts failures" under its anti-doping policy -- in other words, he no-showed for an important test several times.

Athletes in the UFC are required to give the company accurate location information at all times so they can get tested -- at random intervals, of course.

Conor missed three tests, which were all scheduled to take place in June and September 2024. He apparently accepted responsibility for the no-shows, and he ended up having his suspension reduced by six months.

We should also note the professional fighter claims he was recovering from an injury and wasn't preparing for a match when the tests were supposed to have been taken.

Conor's period of ineligibility kicked off on September 20, 2024, when he was supposed to have his third of three tests, and it'll continue until March 20, 2026.

The athlete most recently fought in 2021, when he lost to Dustin Poirier. He was set to get back to the octagon in 2024, although he pulled out of his scheduled bout after suffering an injury during training.

Merab Dvalishvili isn't going anywhere anytime soon ... the UFC bantamweight champ says he plans to fight well beyond the point fighters normally lay down their glaves -- until his 50th birthday!

TMZ Sports talked to the 34-year-old fighter about his UFC 320 co-main event scrap against Cory Sanhagen in Las Vegas, as well as his standing in the pound-for-pound rankings, and much more.

"I'm grateful. I'm number three now [pound-for-pound], and I'm good here. If [number one] happens, then I will become number one. That's good. If not, I'm good here. I'm a champion of my division, and there are a lot of good guys here [at bantamweight]."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is smashing expectations with his boldest role yet -- stepping away from blockbuster bravado to deliver a raw, unflinching turn in "The Smashing Machine."

It’s another week, another episode of "TMZ Movie Tea" with Jabeen Waheed... and she’s serving up a must-see: Dwayne as real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr -- a fighter battling way more than opponents in the ring!

Addiction, fame, and a rocky marriage to Dawn (Emily Blunt!!) fuel this brutal personal drama -- with Benny Safdie in the director’s chair.

Conor McGregor has taken to the streets to campaign for change in Ireland ... giving a passionate speech outside the government buildings and pleading with his fans to help him get on the presidential ballot.

Notorious released the nearly two-and-a-half-minute-long monologue in Dublin on Thursday ... bashing the current officials for, in his eyes, dropping the ball.

"In these times, this government has cost us our peace of mind, our security, our hope for the future and the general well-being of Irish citizens nationwide has decreased dramatically," McGregor said.

Dillon Danis, after nearly two years away, is returning to the cage ... and the polarizing fighter says he plans to stay active -- with the ultimate goal being a scrap with UFC star Islam Makhachev!

TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Danis ahead of his Misfits 22 MMA scrap vs. Warren Spencer on Saturday (the fight's streaming on DAZN) ... where Dillon walked us through his reasoning for fighting a fairly unknown opp.

"Since the Logan fight, we had a bunch of fights, and I was trying to go, trying to go. Eventually, I'm just like, 'Alright if I'm just gonna be sitting around, I'm gonna fight'. Me taking a fight like this, getting my record up, getting more experience, people see me fighting, it'll help me get those bigger fights."