MMA

Dana White says Kamaru Usman is quietly becoming one of the greatest UFC fighters ever ... and this weekend, he could break one of the organization's most revered records.

The 33-year-old welterweight champion is gearing up to face his old training partner, Gilbert Burns, at UFC 258 on Saturday in a fight White is VERY excited about.

"Stylistically, this fight is awesome. I've been waiting for this fight for so long," White tells TMZ Sports.

One of the reasons for Dana's excitement?? Kamaru has a chance to make history.

"Usman is tied with George St-Pierre for consecutive UFC [welterweight] wins with 12. If he wins this weekend, he breaks GSP's record for 13. He's on a 16-fight winning streak. This guy has not lost in 7 years."

It's true, Usman chalked up his first victory in the UFC back in 2015 and hasn't lost since -- defeating stars like Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington in the process.

Now, White says Usman has a chance to solidify himself as one of the best ever.

"If he can get through Gilbert Burns on Saturday night, which is gonna be a tough fight, he's a guy that will just keep grinding and then one day we're all gonna wake up and go 'Oh wow!' We're all gonna be talking about G.O.A.T status with this guy."

Of course, Burns ain't exactly about to roll over -- he's on a 6-fight win streak and he's super motivated for what he believes is the biggest fight of his life.

"The only thing we don't know is who used to get the better of who in the gym when they use to train together. That has to have a huge mental advantage during this fight on Saturday night."

There's more ... we also asked White about Kelvin Gastelum, who's trying to stop a 3-fight losing streak when he takes on Ian Heinisch this weekend.

Could another loss lead to Kelvin getting cut from the UFC?

"Tell me that last fight Kelvin Gastelum was in that sucked?!" White said ... noting his last 3 performances (Israel Adesanya, Darren Till and Jack Hermansson) have been impressive and fun to watch, even though he didn't get the win.

Gina Carano -- ex-MMA fighter turned "Mandalorian" star -- has seemingly Instagrammed her way out of the 'Star Wars' universe after posting offensive content about Jewish people on social media.

The 38-year-old -- who's previously posted anti-liberal and anti-COVID mask content on social media -- shared a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust. Seriously.

"Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors ... even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views," the post read.

The wildly offensive post breathed new life into the #FireGinaCarano movement (which began in 2020 due to other insensitive posts she had made) ... and ultimately caught the attention of her bosses at Lucasfilm.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," the company said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

Carano played former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series -- the latest in a series of high-profile action roles for the actress.

She previously had key roles playing tough-guy characters in "Deadpool" and "Kickboxer: Vengeance."

Before storming Hollywood, Carano fought her way to the top of the women's MMA world -- racking up a 7-0 record before getting smashed by Cris Cyborg in 2009.

Conor McGregor is so rich, he craps gold!

Well, he probably will after taking down a gold-plated steak at Salt Bae's famous restaurant in Dubai!

The UFC superstar took his family to the Nusr-Et Steakhouse Dubai -- where social media's most famous slicer of meat broke out his sharpest knife to personally serve Conor.

The dish is known as the Golden Tomahawk -- which is a fancy wagyu cut wrapped in a 24-karat gold leaf.

Yes, it's edible. No, we don't know if it will actually make your dookie twinkle.

The steak is reportedly priced right around $1,000 -- but we don't know if Conor was charged the full amount. Hey, they say the wealthiest people get the most free stuff, right?!

Seems Conor has been on a spending spree ever since he took that "L" to Dustin Poirier on Fight Island at UFC 257 back on January 24. He even scooped up a fancy new Rolex, inspired by Tupac.

Dana White wouldn't tell us exactly how much Conor made for the fight -- but did say the final number was HIGH.

McGregor is expected to rake in even more cash in a trilogy fight with Poirier -- that's expected to go down around May (though nothing is confirmed yet).

Conor McGregor is pushing hard for a 3rd fight with Dustin Poirier -- claiming he's 100% certain he can correct the mistakes that got him knocked out cold at UFC 257.

... and Dustin Poirier is 100% on board.

The Irishman says he's been watching and re-watching the fight tape from the Jan. 24 event on Fight Island ... and was mostly impressed with his performance.

McGregor says his conditioning was top-notch, his shots still "held their pop" ... and he thinks he's finally figured out how to defend Dustin's crushing leg kicks.

"Despite the loss I am on the correct path of evolution," McGregor assured his fans in a long IG post.

Conor says he regrets not mixing up his fighting style against Dustin -- admitting he relied too heavily on his boxing skills.

"It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against [Manny Pacquiao]," Conor says.

McGregor once again praised Dustin for getting the victory -- but says there's still some unfinished business.

"1 a piece now with a Trilogy bout for all the marbles," McGregor said, referencing his 2014 victory over Poirier.

"Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be. This is exactly how this was always meant to be! Buzzing!!"

Poirier responded to Conor's post to let everyone know he's down to run it back -- "You know we are going to do it a 3rd time."

It's 26 degrees and snowing like crazy in Montreal.

... or as Georges St-Pierre calls it -- PERFECT TRAINING WEATHER!!

"Training in a snowstorm today has reminded me of something very important," GSP said ... "There’s nothing like getting out of your comfort zone in order to improve!"

The 39-year-old UFC legend has been busting his ass in the freezing cold (running, jumping, strength training) but the big question on everyone's mind ... what's he training for?!!?

There are rumbling GSP could come out of retirement to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in one final UFC super-fight ... despite the fact Georges recently told us he's happily retired.

"I think for me it's better if I stay retired," GSP told TMZ Sports back in July ... "It's not worth it for me."

GSP formally retired back in 2019 -- saying he wanted to leave while still on top (his last fight was a '17 victory over Michael Bisping).

But, ex-UFC fighter Kenny Florian -- now a broadcaster who's still super plugged in to all things UFC --  recently said he's heard from a solid source that both GSP and Khabib are preparing for a scrap.

So far, nothing has been announced ... but if they do fight, it would be HUUUUUUGE.

UFC champion Kamaru Usman says he would consider fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov IF the Dagestani star really wanted to scrap ... "but that's not something I'd ever pursue."

In other words, Kamaru says he will NOT chase the UFC's reigning, undefeated lightweight champ -- instead, he's focused on defending his own 170 lb. title.

"If Khabib came back, that's the thing with me and Khabib, we have this respect with one another to where we can always talk to each other like men," Kamaru tells TMZ Sports.

"So, if that's something that he was interested in and he came back and he had a conversation with me like, 'I wanna do that', that's something that we visit at that time, but me personally, that's not something I would ever pursue. Absolutely not."

Usman is on a 16 fight win streak ... and is set to defend his welterweight belt against his former training partner Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 on February 13.

Kamaru tells us he has the utmost respect for Burns, but their friendship all goes out the window the moment they step in the Octagon.

"When we step in, I see no face, I see no friendship," Usman says ... "I see none of that! You chose to -- you wanted this!"

We also asked Kamaru about a possible Conor McGregor fight (remember, The Notorious alluded to pursuing the 170 lb. belt last year) ... and Usman didn't slam the door -- but says Conor will have to earn the opportunity, like everybody else.

Jon Jones is gonna love this ...

We did a little rapid-fire round of questions with Dana White the other day -- asking him everything from "Who's the greatest UFC fighter ever?" to "Who's the best UFC fighter right now?"

Of course, Dana answered everything.

Spoiler: Dana says Jon Jones is the G.O.A.T. -- but noted Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest "right now."

It's hard to argue against Jon Jones being the best ever -- he's 26-1 as a pro with wins over everyone from Daniel Cormier to Rampage Jackson, Alexander Gustafsson, Ryan Bader and more.

Most people, including White, don't even acknowledge his 1 loss -- a DQ to Matt Hamill for illegal downward elbows.

Dana explained at the time Jones should have been docked a point instead of being DQ'd -- "It shouldn't have happened that way. He shouldn't have a loss, so it's unfortunate."

As for Khabib ... you probably know, Dana is trying to convince the Dagestani to come back for one last UFC fight -- but it doesn't sound too promising at the moment. Fingers crossed.

WWE superstar Bill Goldberg admits he thought about pursuing an MMA career back in the day -- but ultimately went with pro wrestling because the money was better.

... but the whole thing makes ya wonder -- how would Goldberg have fared in the Octagon?!

Probably pretty well.

"If you know anything about my background when it comes to MMA, I had one of largest MMA gyms in the country back in the late '90s. That was a dream of mine."

Goldberg says he trained alongside UFC legends like Randy Couture and Mark Coleman when they were in their prime.

But, let's get to the point ... how would he do in a real MMA fight?

"I think my stand up skills would have played well, no question," Goldberg tells TMZ Sports ... "because a lot of people have no idea as to what I've done in the past."

"But, I'd be lacking in the ground game, there's no doubt -- and the problem with a guy like myself is I'd end up hurting myself more so than getting hurt by the other person. I'll break a hand on someone's face! I'll blow my shoulder out trying to choke somebody! At the end of the day, I'm my own worst enemy!"

"So the longwinded answer is absolutely I would have loved to have done it if the opportunity was such that it was comparable, if not more advantageous, in the world of professional wrestling. But, at the time, it was a no-brainer for me."

Don't feel too bad for Goldberg, he's had an unreal run as a pro wrestler and is set to face Drew McIntyre in a Championship bout at the Royal Rumble on Sunday.

Goldberg -- who famously trained with UFC star Dustin Poirier back in 2015 -- says the plan is to do to McIntyre what Poirier did to Conor McGregor!

The WWE legend also raved about Poirier -- and told us why he's still inspired by the UFC star ... who's one of the most humble and hardworking athletes he knows.

"He's from Lafayette Louisiana, it's a great story and I just hope people understand -- I've said many times about a few people, his talents are at the top of the game but they pale in comparison to what is actually inside his heart. He's a great person."

Tito Ortiz was just elected to city council and appointed Mayor Pro Tem, but several top Huntington Beach politicians are already trying to fire his ass from the powerful spot ... accusing the UFC legend of lacking "honor and dignity."

46-year-old Ortiz -- a lifelong Huntington Beach resident -- was unanimously voted Mayor Pro Tem (after being elected by HB voters) ... which is basically Vice Mayor. If the Mayor wasn't available, Tito would assume control of the top position.

Now, the same politicians who voted Tito into the powerful position are hoping for another unanimous vote -- a unanimous vote to throw him out of the Pro Tem office.

HB Mayor Kim Karr and Council Members Mike Posey and Dan Kalmick have requested a vote of no confidence from the City Council ... which is essentially a move to kick him out of the position and find a replacement.

The reasoning ... Mayor Karr and Council Members Posey and Kalmick say Ortiz has been a DISASTER since day 1.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Ortiz has failed to perform at a level expected for this position and has demonstrated little commitment to serving in the role with honor and dignity."

The report continues ... "His unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement have raised concerns among residents, local business owners, and his fellow council members. The Huntington Beach community expects local elected officials to take their governing responsibilities seriously and we whole heartedly agree."

Karr, Posey and Kalmick have requested a vote take place on February 1.

They're asking for a vote of "no confidence" and the removal of Ortiz as Pro Tem Mayor. Tito would keep his job on the Council.

Ortiz -- a huge Trump supporter who once claimed COVID-19 wasn’t real -- has butted heads with many people in the city.

During his 1st planning meeting on November 5, Mayor Carr refused to let Tito into the building because he refused to wear a mask.

Ortiz also got into a screaming match with a citizen ... and recently called for the boycott of a well-known local restaurant because they wouldn’t serve him without a mask (T.O. later apologized).

First, we fight ... then we booze?!

That's the plan for UFC star Gilbert Burns -- who says he can't wait to beat the hell out of his old sparring partner Kamaru Usman on Feb 13 ... and then pound beers together afterward!

Gilbert has earned a shot at Kamaru's welterweight belt at UFC 258 -- and tells TMZ Sports he intends to go after Usman with everything he's got, despite their chummy past.

"If the fight goes a little close to how our sparring sessions used to be ... people are gonna get crazy," Gilbert says ... "Because we used to go after each other hard."

"What we have between us is a high-level competition. I want to beat Kamaru, he wants to beat me. The best man should win that fight and will win that fight. But, there's no animosity."

Usman and Burns are both on FIRE right now -- Kamaru (17-1) hasn't lost a fight in the UFC, with victories over stars like Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington and more.

Burns (19-3) has looked spectacular in recent wins over Woodley, Demian Maia and Gunnar Nelson.

Gilbert says the only way to show his respect to Kamaru is to come at him with everything he's got ... and he intends to end the fight with a knockout.

Still, he offered these kind words to his opponent -- "Stay safe, we're gonna go out there and give it our best -- and we gonna still have all the respect after the fight."

There's more ... Gilbert also opened up about his bout with COVID-19 in 2020 ... telling TMZ Sports it was rough on his body and took a while before he felt 100%.

Jake Paul has locked in his next boxing opponent -- and it's UFC star Ben Askren!!!

36-year-old Askren has been a pro MMA fighter since 2009 with 19 wins in 22 fights ... including a victory over legendary tough guy Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 in 2019. He became welterweight champ in both Bellator and the ONE Championship organization before joining UFC.

But, Askren is known for his dominating wrestling skills -- not his stand-up striking game ... which is what makes this matchup interesting.

And yes, Askren also holds the record as the person who was knocked out the fastest in UFC history -- when Jorge Masvidal took him out with a flying knee in 5 seconds in 2019.

24-year-old Paul only has 2 pro boxing matches under his belt -- but both of his opponents were far from pro fighters. He famously beat up YouTuber AnEsonGib back in 2019 -- and then STARCHED ex-NBA star Nate Robinson in July 2020.

Paul has been calling for tougher opponents -- and now, Askren has answered the call ... with the two sides agreeing to throw down in an 8-round pro boxing match on April 17, according to ESPN.

Just like the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr event, the fight will be presented by Triller (under the Triller Fight Club brand) and will be available on Pay-Per-View. The location of the fight has not been finalized yet.

"I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter," Askren told ESPN ... "I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like."

"Jake has led a privileged life and doesn't really know what the meaning of being a fighter is. I'm going to put his dreams to an end."

Jake Paul also weighed in ... saying, "Ben Askren is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor."

"Me, on the other hand, I started boxing two years ago and I'm still going to knock his ass out faster than Masvidal."

"These MMA guys think because they throw punches they know how to box. The world complained because I knocked out a basketball player and not a real fighter. So now I'm giving the people what they want by taking on a 'real fighter.' After Ben Askren is added to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say?"

"Thank you to Triller Fight Club for giving me the platform to once again put a man to sleep. April 17, it's lights out for Askren."

Triller has not released the full fight card but says there will be legit boxing stars fighting that night. The official card is expected to be released sometime in the next few weeks.

UFC legend B.J. Penn was arrested for drunk driving in Hawaii over the weekend, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Hawaii Police Dept. says the 42-year-old MMA fighter was taken into custody on January 23 in Honokaa, which is on the Big Island.

Cops have not released the details surrounding Penn's arrest -- however, there is a video circulating on social media that appears to show Penn ranting at cops while being taken into custody.

The Hawaii PD is aware of the video -- but would not clarify if it was related to the Jan. 23 incident.

Penn's personal life has been a mess over the past few years -- he's been in multiple street fights ... and was even knocked out during an incident at a Hawaii bar in 2019.

In February 2020, Penn crashed his truck and was subsequently investigated by the police for DUI -- but that case is still pending.

We've reached out to Penn's camp for comment but so far, no word back.

Penn is one of the original UFC superstars -- beating legends like Matt Serra, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez and Matt Hughes before going on a 7-fight losing skid to cap off his career.

DUSTIN POIRIER!!!!!

The Diamond just KNOCKED OUT Conor McGregor at UFC 257 -- and man, was that violent!!!!

McGregor seemed to be in control in Round 1 -- but Dustin took over in Round 2, obliterating McGregor with a series of shots before ending it with a strong right hook that sent Conor right to the mat.

Dustin avenged his 1st round loss to Conor when they fought in 2014 -- a fight Dustin has wanted to run back for years!!

Dustin's game plan was obvious -- he targeted Conor's legs hoping to wear the guy down ... and he did just that.

After the fight, Dustin called a 3rd fight with Conor -- and bragged he's the best boxer in the UFC.

Conor was respectful after the fight -- and offered an explanation for the loss.

"I just wasn't as comfortable as I needed to be," Conor said after the fight ... insisting he's been out of the Octagon too long to compete with the best in the world.

It was McGregor's first fight since January 2020 -- when he defeated Cowboy Cerrone in a 1st round knockout.

Before that, Conor got beat up by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018. He hadn't fought before that since Nov. 2016.

Here's the bottom line for Conor -- it would be hard for Khabib to be impressed enough by Conor's performance to warrant a rematch.

In fact, Khabib sent a tweet seemingly aimed at Conor after the fight -- basically saying Conor has strayed from what made him great.

"This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality."

Conor McGregor is getting ready to enter the UFC Octagon in what promises to be one of the biggest fights ever ... and he could draw some inspiration from this kid, who clearly drew inspiration from Conor.

Brice Gonzalez is amazing. The 5-year-old, with the help of his dad Randy, mimicked Conor after an earlier, 1st round K.O. against Dustin Poirier. The kid's attitude is spot on, and he's exceptional at memorizing his lines.

Randy has created a hugely successful comedy show with his son, which gets millions of views on social media. Randy, who served time in prison, was having a hard time finding a job. Then he came up with the idea of a comedy show, and it exploded.

Randy and Brice have gained a bunch of celeb followers, including Kevin Hart and Snoop.

The UFC just fired one of its top rising stars -- undefeated Ottman Azaitar -- after he allegedly committed one of the most INSANE safety violations we've ever heard.

Ottman -- who's 13-0 as a pro with some crazy highlight-reel knockouts -- allegedly stole a page out of a "Mission Impossible" movie to sneak an unapproved guest into the Fight Island area on Abu Dhabi, risking the health of EVERYONE there.

FYI, 30-year-old Ottman was scheduled to fight on the main card at "UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor" on Saturday night -- taking on 30-year-old Matt Frevola (8-1-1).

But, that fight was removed from the card on Friday due to a "health and safety violation."

So, what the hell happened?! Dana White explained to BT Sport ... and man, the allegation is bad.

"So [Ottman Azaitar] and his team cut off their wrist bands, gave 'em to somebody outside the bubble," White explained ... "I don't know how they even did it."

"That guy taped [the wristbands], showed up here [on Fight Island] with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across 4 balconies, went in [Ottman's] room, dropped the bag off, changed his clothes and then left."

WHAT?!!??!?!

Dana continues ...

"Now, when security tried to stop him, he wouldn't stop either way and yeah it's just bad."

Dana said he fired Ottman on the spot -- "He's gone. He's no longer a UFC fighter and he's not fighting [Saturday night]."

Wow.

The big question -- what was inside the mystery bag?!!?!? Our UFC sources say they have no clue at the moment. Guessing they're going to try and find out.

As we previously reported, the Fight Island area is incredibly secure -- with multiple COVID testing points and crazy security to keep everyone safe. One violation could compromise the entire thing.

Ex-MMA fighter Ralph Gracie -- a member of the legendary Gracie jiu-jitsu family -- has been sentenced to 6 months in jail Friday for smashing another fighter in the face at a 2018 event.

49-year-old Gracie -- son of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grandmaster Robson Gracie -- landed a cheap shot elbow strike on 5-time world champ Flavio Almeida at the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships in Anaheim during a disagreement in the crowd.

Almeida was knocked unconscious in the Dec. 2018 attack -- but Gracie continued to strike, kicking him in the head, according to prosecutors.

Almeida reportedly suffered serious injuries in the attack -- including seizures and broken teeth.

Gracie ultimately pled guilty to felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charge included an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. He was sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Gracie's attorney acknowledged the attack in a 2019 statement -- saying, "It is undisputed that my client, without lawful excuse or justification, struck the victim, knocking him to the ground and causing him injury."

"My client fully acknowledges that he should never have struck Mr. Almeida and he accepts full responsibility for doing so."

The attorney claimed Gracie felt "tremendous remorse'' for attacking Almeida, claiming they were longtime friends before the incident.

Gracie was 6-1 in his pro MMA career -- his last fight was a loss to Takanori Gomi at PRIDE Bushido 3 in 2004.