UFC

Holly Holm ... the merciful?

After Ronda Rousey trashed her in public -- and called her a "fake humility bitch" on Instagram -- UFC champ Holly Holm is calling for the Rousey haters to BACK OFF the fallen legend.

Holm Skyped in to the "TMZ Sports" TV show (Monday at 9PM PT on FS1) -- and said she actually feels BAD for Ronda, who's been ripped by everyone from Lady Gaga to Laila Ali.

"I think people can be pretty brutal," Holm said ... "and when you're in the spot shes in, there are people that are just going to jump ship and I don't ever wish for that."

She added, "I have a lot of respect for her."

There's A LOT more on the show -- with Holm talking about everything from a rematch with Rousey to if she plans on following Ronda's championship road to movie stardom!!

Make sure to watch "TMZ Sports" on FS1 weekdays at 9PM PT ... except for Wednesdays at 9:30PM PT.

Holly Holm is getting major praise from her former high school -- with the athletic director telling TMZ Sports they've already ordered a banner to hang in the gym because "she's an inspiration to our female athletes."

Holm attended Manzano High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico -- where she played SEVERAL sports -- and even served as a team manager for the football team.

We spoke with athletic director Matthew Espinoza who tells us the entire city was glued to their TVs when Holly fought Ronda Rousey this past weekend -- and everyone wants to pay tribute to their hometown hero.

"We're going to hang a banner in the gym to recognize her because she is quite the inspiration for our female athletes," Espinoza says.

"The whole city of Albuquerque is proud of her."

Espinoza says he remembers Holm from when she was in high school -- and says he's amazed how far she's come.

"In order to be the best in the world, you definitely don't EVER get beat up like that in your prime, period." -- Laila Ali on Ronda Rousey

Daaaaaaaamn!!!!!!

Ronda Rousey has been transported to a hospital in Australia after suffering a devastating knock out during UFC 193.

A rep for the UFC tells TMZ Sports, "Ronda is currently being transported to a local hospital for precautionary purposes."

Ronda was knocked out in the 2nd round after taking a crushing kick to the neck by Holly Holm ... medical personnel rushed to her side in the octogon.

Ronda didn't speak to reporters after the fight -- instead, she was transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

Being a badass fighter is part of Ronda Rousey's image, so a few hits to the face wouldn't ruin her burgeoning acting career ... so says the Victoria's Secret model who actually throws down in the ring too!

TMZ Sports caught up with Gracie Carvalho at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City ... where our photog asked her if Rousey -- who is fighting Saturday night in UFC 193 -- needs to be extra cautious about face shots, since Rousey has an acting career that's just getting started.

Carvalho -- who walked in the "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" this week and fashions herself a Muay Thai fighter -- said Ronda can handle the punishment, but she can't.

As for the big fight with Holly Holm, Carvalho is picking Ronda ... shocker!

Make sure to check out UFC 193 -- Rousey Vs. Holm -- LIVE on PPV Saturday November 14th.

There was some charged up shoving at the UFC 193 weigh-ins ... with a pissed off Ronda Rousey cussing and threatening Holly Holm.

Rousey looked angry from the second she walked out on the stage -- but LOST HER MIND when Holm allegedly touched her face during the customary face-to-face showdown pose.

You can see Rousey shout a couple of expletives at Holm -- and later called Holly a phony who's gonna get her ass kicked Saturday.

Ronda Rousey says Justin Bieber has made NO EFFORT to squash their beef after dissing her little sister ... but she's still open for peace.

Rousey appeared on "TMZ Sports" on FS1 on Thursday (airing 9PM PT) when she told us she's down to let bygones be bygones ... but there's one thing Bieber has to do to redeem himself.

As we previously reported, Rousey says Bieber shot her sister down hard when she asked for a pic with him at the Cannes Film Festival.

There's more ... Rousey also told us she's confident her fight with Holly Holm this weekend won't be a 30 second obliteration ... telling us she plans to be patient this time around.

Yeah right.

We'll see if she keeps her word during UFC Fight 193 -- Rousey v. Holm -- live on PPV on Saturday, Nov. 14.

NO TURNING BACK NOW!!!

UFC star Holly Holm is about to board a plane to Australia ... where she's set to take on Ronda Rousey next weekend ... and we gotta say, she looks like she's been training her ass off!

Holm just took this photo after her last hardcore training session and wrote -- "Time to head to Melbourne this evening. What a journey already and the fight is still to come. I love my life and this journey I am on."

Rousey and Holm are set to battle in Melbourne on Nov. 14th.

You can punch, kick, choke and slam ... but you CAN'T SPIT ON YOUR OPPONENT during a UFC fight ... something Caio Magalhaes learned the hard way.

The UFC middleweight fighter was just hit with a 6 month suspension for spitting a mouthful of blood at Josh Samman at the end of their fight at "The Ultimate Fighter 21" back in July.

Caio had just been choked out, ending the match -- but when Samman came over to shake hands, Caio brushed him off with a mouthful of bloody spit.

Caio later apologized -- but the Nevada State Athletic Commission decided his contrition wasn't enough and slapped him with a 6 month suspension and ordered him to do 40 hours of community service.

Robbie Lawler is no Vin Diesel -- 'cause even though Vin is getting his 7-year-old daughter into MMA right now ... the UFC superstar says his kid will have to wait 'til he's 8.

It's actually an interesting question among parents -- with MMA exploding as a sport, more kids want to get involved at a younger age.

But Robbie -- who began his martial arts training at age 9 -- says, "I'm gonna try to keep my son out of martial arts as long as possible."

"I want him to know his body a little more before he starts getting into martial arts."

PURSE ATTACK!!!!!!

A grown ass male UFC fighter threw a designer purse at another grown ass male UFC fighter in Dublin yesterday ... nearly causing a war to break out ... and it's LOADED with backstory.

The purse thrower is Norman Parke -- who chucked the bag at his opponent Reza Madadi at the weigh ins for UFC Fight Night in Dublin.

And why the purse attack???

Turns out, Reza was convicted of robbing a Bottega Veneta store in Stockholm, Sweden -- swiping all sorts of purses in a caper that was caught on tape. He actually served 14 months in prison!

Enter Parke ... who obviously thinks the best way to mess with Reza's head is to bring up the past -- which explains the purse ... and judging by Reza's reaction, the strategy worked.

These two fight tomorrow night ... and if Reza wins, he'll actually be able to BUY his next purse with the prize money.

HE'S BACK!!!

The UFC has lifted Jon Jones' suspension after his hit and run arrest in New Mexico and will allow him to return to the octagon effective immediately.

Jones was suspended for 6 months following the April arrest -- and was stripped of his light heavyweight title.

But now, UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta says he's getting one more chance -- and he better not blow it.

"We've made it clear to Jon that this new opportunity to compete in UFC is a privilege and not a right, and that there are significant expectations we have regarding his conduct moving forward."

"We’re happy to read and see reports that he has embraced the terms of his plea agreement and is using this experience to grow and develop as a person."

Jones has also issued a statement saying he's grateful for the opportunity -- adding, "I am excited to show how much I've grown as a person outside of the octagon."

"It took me losing almost everything I had worked for to realize how much I had. I am blessed and humbled by the continued support of the MMA community and I can't thank my fans enough for their unwavering support through my ups and downs."

"This marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life and my career and let me assure you the best is yet to come."

Bench press never looked so good.

Here's UFC badass Ronda Rousey all posed up in a bathing suit in the middle of the desert ... showing off her ridiculous physique for Self magazine.

Besides looking insanely hot, Rousey told the mag she's laser focused on her upcoming UFC 193 fight with Holly Holm because she wants to secure her legacy as one of the best fighters EVER.

"I want my name to be mentioned along with Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali," Rousey said in the article that hits new stands on Oct. 27th ... "and I don’t want the word woman to be in front of champion."

Yeah, well, if she keeps fighting like she's been fighting ... don't think that'll be a problem.

Hey Mayhem, look over here ... OVER HERE ... MAYHEM!!!

Here's the mugshot that former UFC star Jason "Mayhem" Miller took hours after he was arrested for allegedly attacking cops Friday morning in a ceramic tile throwing rage.

As we previously reported, cops say they initially confronted Miller at his Orange County home after receiving a call about a possible domestic disturbance -- but Miller was "aggressive and uncooperative."

Cops say the MMA fighter (and ex-MTV host) threw a tile and threatened them with a fire extinguisher and metal pole -- so they tased him. After that, Miller fought with cops for 8 minutes before he was taken into custody.

Eventually, he posed for the cop cam -- but refused to crack a smile ... unlike the last time he was arrested for fighting cops.

Jon Jones is CRUSHING his court-ordered community service -- TMZ Sports has learned he's made a sizable dent in his required 72 appearances to speak to kids groups ... with high praise from the orgs.

As part of his plea deal in his hit-and-run case in New Mexico last month, Jones was ordered to make 72 appearances with kids groups to educate children about making good decisions in life.

We've learned Jones hit up 5 different places on Thursday -- to rave reviews from the people who run the groups.

One of the places he went was Sandia Prep School -- where he spoke with the kids about how he almost lost his career over a few bad choices.

We spoke with the coach, who tells us, "His message to my team was simply awesome. His whole demeanor was great."

"These are young men, 8th grade to seniors in high school who really look up to him and I think they learned from this and appreciated Jon’s visit. I appreciated it."

Jones also swung by Gracie Barra New Mexico Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu --where instructor Don Ortega tells us Jon was equally candid with his students.

"He talked about losing a lot of wrestling matches but setting hit goals high and working hard to achieve them."

A wise Batman villain once said, "Never rub another man's rhubarb" -- which is why the marine who asked out Ronda Rousey is concerned that their date to his Marine Corps Ball could be called off.