MMA

Here's UFC star Mackenzie Dern showing her holiday spirit ... rocking a tiny bikini in Brazil, where it's 80 degrees and sunny in the middle of December!

The 26-year-old jiu-jitsu champion is coming off an impressive fight against Amanda Ribas -- who she fought in October, just 4 months after Dern gave birth to her daughter, Moa.

Dern lost the scrap, but the fact she was able to get back into fighting shape in just 124 days -- and fought Ribas all the way to a decision after three 5-minute rounds is pretty damn amazing!

Now, Dern is back home in Brazil where she's getting in some quality beach time with her family -- including longtime boyfriend Wesley Santos, a pro surfer.

No word on when Dern will return to the Octagon and fight again -- but she's been back in the gym and we're told she's planning on taking a fight in early 2020.

"He must want to die."

That's UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman reacting to Conor McGregor after the Irishman suggested the two could fight down the line.

After Kamaru broke Colby Covington's jaw and spirit at UFC 245 on Saturday, Conor tweeted out "145. 155. 170" ... and since he's won belts at 145 and 155, the insinuation is that he wants a crack at Kamaru's title.

So, we asked Kamaru about a possible scrap with McGregor -- and Usman didn't hold back.

"You saw what Khabib did to him," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "Like, oh my god. It wouldn’t even be fair if I fought Conor."

"Much respect to Conor for what he’s done for this sport and transcended it, but nah, this is not what you want."

"Sit down, little man! Sit down! Learn to walk before you can run because I would hurt that guy."

So, who DOES Kamaru want to fight? Georges St-Pierre.

"If I had to choose, of course, I want Georges ... I want GSP."

Of course, St-Pierre officially retired from MMA earlier this year ... but there are rumblings he's down for one last scrap if the situation is right.

Kamaru says he has tremendous respect for GSP, but if the two get into the Octagon together, Usman tells us, "I think I'll finish him."

And, if you're still reveling in Usman's victory over Colby and wanna see Kamaru talk even more trash ... watch the clip below.

Kamaru says he's super proud for shutting Colby's mouth -- and get this, he explains why he still wants to take the UFC belt to the White House to meet Donald Trump.

Floyd Mayweather vs. a UFC star is nothing more than a "circus fight" -- according to pro boxer Andre Berto who says he's ready to step up if Floyd wants a REAL challenge in 2020.

Of course, Berto -- a former welterweight champ -- fought Floyd back in 2017 ... just a few months after Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao.

Berto lost the fight ... but tells TMZ Sports he knows what he did wrong and things would go MUCH differently if they fought a second time.

"It was hard to catch him the first time," Berto says ... noting he would "let his hands go" a lot more in the rematch.

As we previously reported, Floyd is looking for TWO boxing matches in 2020 -- one against a pro boxer and another against a UFC star.

Berto thinks Floyd is too afraid to take on a legit contender -- explaining, "I doubt he's gonna come in and fight any of these other hungry champions out there."

"He might come back for one of these circus acts."

Tito Ortiz got the ultimate rock star treatment at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas ... where agents lined up to take pics ... and even asked him to sign their handcuffs.

... all while sporting a Trump 2020 campaign shirt.

Tito's in McAllen, TX -- about 3 miles from the Mexico border -- for his big Combate Americas fight on Saturday with Alberto El Patron.

And, with Ortiz being a very outspoken fan of Trump's immigration policies, he decided to meet with the people in charge of patrolling the area ... and they LOVED him!!!

Check out the video ... Ortiz took pics with everyone, signed autographs and even gave a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.

Meanwhile, his opponent Alberto El Patron -- who hates Trump -- went a different promotional route this week ... choking out a POTUS impersonator on a Spanish language TV show.

Dana White says the fight deal he made with Floyd Mayweather was entirely constructed and sealed at the Clippers game last month ...and says they're targeting a Sept. 2020 fight date.

"He and I did a deal right there in our seats on the court," the UFC honcho told Rich Eisen ... "We shook hands and we have a deal."

White didn't reveal any details about Floyd's potential opponent -- but later told Jim Rome he's hoping to sit down with Floyd's business partner, Al Haymon, in March to get a fight booked for Sept.

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Mayweather is actually trying to book TWO comeback fights in 2020 ... both boxing matches.

Sources close to Floyd tell us ... he wants to fight a respected pro boxer (we're told he's seriously considering Manny Pacquiao) plus another match with a UFC fighter.

Floyd has previously called out Khabib Nurmagomedov, but it's unclear if that's his intended target on the UFC side of things.

The man accused of abducting and murdering Aniah Blanchard went off in court Wednesday -- telling the judge, "Y'all have no video, no audio of me shooting anyone!"

Ibraheem Yazeed appeared with his attorney in an Alabama courtroom Wednesday to face capital murder charges in the death of Blanchard, step-daughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.  Prosecutors have said they're pursuing the death penalty.

Yazeed was initially charged with 1st-degree kidnapping -- and when he appeared in court for the new, more serious charge ... he was not happy.

"I got rights too," Yazeed told the judge.

"Y'all have no video, no audio of me shooting anyone, that’s why I’m trying to see how y’all going to bind me over on hearsay. But y’all aren’t presenting no evidence."

Officials have video showing Yazeed at the same gas station where Blanchard was last seen before her disappearance.

A witness also claims Yazeed forced Blanchard into her car -- which was later found covered in blood.

Cops believe Yazeed ultimately shot Blanchard to death and then hid her body in a wooded area.

Officials say there is a NEW witness who saw Yazeed with a gun tucked into his shorts while in possession of Blanchar's car.

Officials say the witness claimed Yazeed had admitted to shooting a girl and that the girl had "went for the gun" before he murdered her.

In other words, Aniah fought back.

It seems this new witness -- unnamed in the court doc to protect the person's identity -- was the key to finding Blanchard's body.

UFC star Brian Ortega says he suffered a partially torn ACL in his knee during training and has pulled out from his Dec. 21 fight against Chan Sung Jung, aka the Korean Zombie.

"I tore my ACL in training and I won't be fighting in Korea," Ortega just revealed.

"Thankfully it was only a partial tear so I'm already rehabbing it and the plan is to be back to 100% in 2-3 months."

Ortega says he strongly considered fighting through the pain because he didn't want to let anyone down -- but ultimately doctors advised him to call the whole thing off.

"I didn't want to let down the fans, the Zombie and the UFC so I strongly considered pushing through it and fighting anyways, but according to the doctors, the risk of a full rupture in the fight was high and that would put me out for up to a year."

"Sorry guys I gotta take care of this right now, but I'll make it up to all of you 2020 I promise."

Ortega hasn't fought at all in 2019 after a violent clash with Max Holloway in Dec. 2018.

The 28-year-old fan favorite is still considered one of the top contenders in the featherweight division -- currently ranked #2 behind Alexander Volkanovski and the champ, Max Holloway.

We're big fans of Ortega at TMZ Sports, where he regularly comes into our office and chokes out various staff members!

Canelo Alvarez thinks the Floyd Mayweather comeback is HILARIOUS -- saying there's no way Floyd would ever consider a rematch because he's too focused on MMA guys.

The boxing superstar was leaving Matsuhisa sushi in Hollywood in great spirits when we asked how he felt about 42-year-old Floyd wanting TWO fights in 2020.

"He's not gonna fight with me," a smirking Canelo told us ... "He's gonna take on MMA fighters!"

CA's entourage added a little more commentary -- with a female friend saying Floyd "couldn't handle" a fight with Canelo.

His male pal was blunter, saying, "Canelo will kill him!"

For his part, Floyd is still working on nailing down his two opponents -- a boxer and an MMA fighter -- and we're told he's got his sites set on Manny Pacquiao.

Meanwhile, Canelo's coming off a violent knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev as he fights his way through his 11 fight, 5-year, $365 MILLION contract.

Unclear what's next for Canelo -- but he's said in the past he would LOVE a rematch with Floyd, who has the ONLY victory over Alvarez in his pro boxing career.

The two fought back in 2013 -- when Canelo was only 23 -- and he lost by majority decision. After the fight, Canelo said he simply couldn't catch Mayweather.

MMA legend Rampage Jackson says he's VERY interested in taking a PRO BOXING match before he retires ... and he'll fight anyone -- except Deontay Wilder!

In fact, the 41-year-old former UFC heavyweight champ tells us, "I asked Dana White a long time ago, way before Conor McGregor even was around, let me do some boxing!"

Rampage -- who parted ways with UFC in 2013 -- says he was told back in the day there just wasn't anyone for him to box, so the idea was shut down.

But, he insists, "I still wanna fight a boxing match before I retire."

Rampage's stand-up game is legendary -- he famously KO'd Chuck Liddell in 2007 and Wanderlei Silva in 2008 ... and several other guys along the way.

And, with Floyd Mayweather gunning for a UFC crossover, we asked Rampage if he had a particular opponent in mind.

"I'd fight anybody but Deontay Wilder," Rampage says ... "He's too tall!"

Rampage says there's one way he'd make an exception -- "Unless they give me $100 mil. Then I'll fight him! I'm not gonna lie, I keep it real!"

We get it ... Wilder just destroyed Luis Ortiz and widely considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history!

"I'll fight him if they give me $100 mil and we do one boxing match and then one MMA match."

But, don't count on it going down any time soon -- as Rampage explains, "I don't like fighting them long, tall dudes. I gotta take them down!"

Floyd Mayweather doesn't want to be a 1-and-done in 2020 -- our sources tell us he's targeting TWO fights next year ... one against a pro-boxer and another against a UFC star.

Nothing is set in stone yet ... it's all being worked out and the situation is very fluid. But, for now, we're being told one name that's being seriously considered is Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd has been interested in a rematch for years and he feels the time is right -- especially with Manny being healthy and coming off a great victory over Keith Thurman.

It's also worth noting that Manny is no longer repped by Bob Arum and is now a part of Al Haymon's promotion. Hayman famously works closely with Mayweather.

As for the UFC component, we're told Floyd wants another boxing match with a UFC star, preferably someone who has impressed with stand-up striking skills.

Floyd has already teased a UFC crossover after hanging with Dana White at the Clippers game on Nov. 20 ... unclear if they spoke about potential opponents.

Conor McGregor has expressed interest in a rematch and has spelled out why he thinks he will be successful a second time around.

Floyd also called out Khabib in 2018 -- but he's notorious for his ground game ... so based on what we're being told, he's not the priority.

As for dates, we're told Floyd wants to fight in May and again in Sept. -- and he's even thrown out the possibility of fighting at the new Raiders stadium in Las Vegas.

Again, it's all very fluid and could change with the wind ... but for now, we're told this is the starting point.

Soooo ... friends?!?!

Here's Dana White and Floyd Mayweather sitting RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER at the Clippers vs. Celtics game in L.A. ... and it begs the question -- you talk business or what?!

Mayweather's been floating the idea of taking an MMA fight for YEARS -- even back in February, he said, "I can go get a deal right now from the UFC. Probably 3-fight, 4-fight, BILLION-dollar deal if that's what I wanted."

Floyd's also teased a possible Conor McGregor rematch, a fight with Khabib and more.

So, is that what you want? Dana's right there! You guys work it out?!

Probably not ... but ya gotta wonder what they DID talk about.

Of course, Dana is a hardcore Boston guy which is why he was at the game. Floyd's a regular at Staples Center, he supports both the Clippers and the Lakers.

Alberto Del Rio says he's so deadly serious about beating Tito Ortiz in his upcoming MMA fight, he's been training with legit killers like Bellator champ Ryan Bader.

"I moved to Phoenix to train with the best [fighters] on the planet," the 42-year-old, ex-WWE superstar tells TMZ Sports ... "I haven't seen my kids in 12 weeks, I'm completely focused."

FYI, Bader is an MMA monster -- he's the reigning Bellator heavyweight champ and has wins over guys like Rampage Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko and Rashad Evans.

Del Rio -- aka Alberto El Patron -- has a background in MMA, he's 9-5 as a pro but hasn't been inside the cage in almost 10 years.

But, Alberto says he's been training like a maniac -- and even suffered a nasty gash over his right eye during a training session.

Ya gotta watch the video, Alberto gets extremely candid about a BUNCH of interesting topics, including ...

-- Addressing critics who think he's a joke because of his pro-wrestling background

-- Discussing a possible return to the WWE and his relationship with Vince McMahon

-- Why he believes the Tito fight is his last MMA fight (We call BS right to his face.)

-- Why he respects CM Punk

-- Alberto names a current WWE superstar who would be a great MMA fighter

Great news regarding one of the greats ... Randy Couture is BACK in the Hollywood scene less than a month after a serious heart attack -- and he seems better than ever!!

"Everything's great, man," Couture told us on the way out of a late dinner at Craig's with his longtime girlfriend, Mindy Robinson ... "I feel amazing!"

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 56-year-old UFC Hall of Famer was hospitalized on Oct. 23 after experiencing chest pains and underwent emergency surgery to remove a clot in his Diagonal artery.

But, Couture is so damn tough, he WALKED HOME from the hospital just 3 days later.

Now, Couture says he's been working with doctors and "everything's back to normal."

One of the issues with Randy ... doctors told him he's got thick blood, something he needs to monitor. But, it sounds like Randy's all over it.

We also spoke with Couture -- a military veteran -- about Conor McGregor's $1 million donation to first responders ... and if the move can help CM's badly damaged image.

Couture also dished out some post-MMA career advice to the recently retired Ben Askren.

UFC star Ben Askren wants you to know ... he's retiring, NOT DYING -- and he's got big plans for his life after MMA.

The 35-year-old says a hip injury is forcing him to cut his fighting career short -- which sucks -- but Askren says, "My life didn't effin' end! I'm ready to go destroy my next project!"

So, what's on deck for Askren? A lot ... from opening wrestling gyms to coaching, to a possible on-air MMA commentary career.

"I think there's a chance, I think I'm gonna give it a try," says Askren, who's known as one of the most charismatic guys in MMA.

"I've got a lot of people encouraging me to give it a try. I'm still not sure if I'm gonna like it or not. I'm up for debate on that one."

As for a possible fighting future, Askren says his medical condition will PROBABLY keep him from taking another pro bout ... but he's been speaking to other wrestlers who've been through the same situation, and there's hope.

Askren says he's spoken with guys who have fully recovered from the procedure he's planning to get, which is encouraging -- but he's certainly not committing to a comeback.

Conor McGregor's whiskey is officially one year old ... but the UFC superstar didn't celebrate by getting himself a present -- he's donating a MILLION dollars to a good cause instead!!!

The Notorious announced the milestone of his Proper 12 whiskey on Tuesday ... showing off his pipes by singing "Happy Birthday" to the green bottle and holding up a cake.

"What a journey it has been so far!" Conor said on Instagram. "I am so thankful to you all for your support and love of PROPER No. TWELVE!"

McGregor revealed his company's got a master plan to give back ... donating $5 per case (up to $1 million) each year to first responders.

"In the New Year, we will begin donating the first million dollars to first responder organizations. My team is vetting it all out now to be sure it goes into the proper hands."

Conor launched the company after making around $85 million for the Floyd Mayweather fight ... and the company's expanded to 8 countries so far.

A 26-year-old female amateur MMA fighter died Sunday morning ... just one day after collapsing in the ring following a brutal loss at an event in England.

The Hampshire Police Dept. confirmed they were called to Southampton General Hospital around 1 AM on Sunday to respond to a woman who suffered a life-threatening brain injury.

The woman, Saeideh Aletaha, had competed at the Fast & Furious Fight series event at Central Hall in Southampton, England on Saturday ... and reportedly collapsed in the ring.

According to local reports, an ambulance was called to the venue around 9 PM and Aletaha was rushed to the hospital in "a serious and life-threatening condition."

Cops say Aletaha died at the hospital Sunday morning -- and they're now investigating her death.

Organizers behind the F&FFS event posted a statement early Monday morning essentially saying Aletaha knew what she signed up for ...

"All competitors get in [the ring] prepared that they may be injured and this is something not expected to happen 99.9% of the time."

FFS organizers say they had a full medical team on-site -- with doctors, paramedics and an ambulance -- along with an "experienced team of staff with numerous first aiders."

Exile Gym, where Aletaha trained, posted a tribute to the fighter ... saying, "Saeideh Aletaha was a lovely character with a beautiful soul. Her dedication to the sport was 110% travelling miles every day just to train."

"She found her place with us just a few months ago but has become apart of the family and will be sorely missed."