UFC

WWE superstar Becky Lynch is already dreaming of "WrestleMania" dominance -- telling us she's dying to "slap the head off Ronda Rousey."

Lynch was supposed to battle Rousey at "Survivor Series" back in November -- but she suffered a serious injury to her face and was pulled from the match.

But, Lynch says she still has a sense of "unfinished business" with Rousey ... and wants to settle things once and for all on April 7 at MetLife Stadium.

Despite the rivalry, Lynch praised Rousey for all that she's done for women's pro wrestling, women's judo and women's MMA ... but warns that she "just hasn't faced a real test yet!"

Meanwhile, Lynch is training her ass off -- recently hitting up Conor McGregor's famous training center in Ireland, the Straight Blast Gym ... where she worked out with Conor's trainer, John Kavanagh.

"John Kavanagh put me through the ringer," Lynch said ... "It was great."

McGregor has raved about Lynch -- praising his fellow Irish superstar publicly and telling her to call "any time you need backup."

So, will the two connect and beat some ass as the greatest Irish tag team ever? Don't rule it out ...

Alexander Gustafsson says he's "ready for war" -- telling TMZ Sports he guarantees victory over Jon Jones at UFC 232 on Saturday ... "I will dominate every round."

Alex has been cool, calm and confident despite all the drama surrounding the rematch -- and explains he wasn't surprised when Jones tested positive for PEDs again.

"This guy gets confidence by putting sh*t in his body," Alex says ... "He's always been like that, I'm not surprised."

For his part, Jones denies using steroids for the Gustafsson rematch -- and says he only tested positive for an extremely tiny amount of oral Turinabol which was still in his system from a previous incident.

Jon Jones says Daniel Cormier's attack on his wife's "flat" booty doesn't faze him at all -- telling TMZ Sports ... Cormier is right!

The UFC rivals have been going back and forth on social media -- but things got crazy personal on Dec. 23 when they brought their wives into the feud.

Jones started it ... saying to Cormier, "I could slap your wife on the ass and you could literally do nothing about it. You're my bitch D.C. that will never change."

Cormier responded ... "You couldn't do sh*t you steroid abusing junkie! I swear I would never touch your wife's flat ass lol."

So, when we saw Jones after the UFC 232 press conference on Thursday, we asked if Cormier crossed the line by going after his wife's cakes.

"He said my wife got a flat ass? She DOES have a flat ass ... but I love it!

He continued, "Oh, I love it. It's nice. It's good. I love my wife's flat ass!"

2:45 PM PT -- Dana White says the decision to move UFC 232 from Las Vegas to Los Angeles cost roughly $6 million.

White says he did NOT want to cancel the fight and worked to find a venue where it could happen when problems arose in Nevada.

White says once they found out The Forum in L.A. was available, they booked it and the rest is history.

Alexander Gustafsson just went off on Jon Jones to his face -- saying the guy is a "terrible" cheater who's spewing "bullsh*t" about his positive PED test.

The two exchanged shots at the UFC 232 press conference -- Gustafsson says he's convinced Jones is a cheater, but didn't want to back out of the Dec. 29 fight because he wants to beat the guy's ass.

"I'm here to fight," Gustafsson said ... "He will eat it Saturday night."

UFC 232 was supposed to go down in Las Vegas -- but was moved to L.A. after Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.

Jones has insisted he only had trace amounts of the PED in his system -- remnants of the last time he tested positive. He's adamant the Turinabol in his system is not new.

The UFC -- along with the California State Athletic Commission and other officials -- believe Jones, which is why the fight was greenlit in CA.

During the event, Jones doubled down on his claim that he's not a cheater and will eventually be vindicated by tested organizations.

Jones says it's "hilarious" that people think PEDs are the reason for his success.

Good news ... high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is doing well and in "pretty good spirits" after the haircut incident earlier this month -- but we've learned the family is still weighing their legal options.

Johnson has gone under the radar ever since the Dec. 19 wrestling match when referee Alan Maloney (who is white) told the 16-year-old black wrestler to either chop off his dreadlocks or forfeit the match.

But, a source closely connected to the family put it this way -- "Andrew is in pretty good spirits. He hopes for things to return to normal and he's looking forward to competing with his wrestling team again soon."

There are reports the family has already decided not to pursue legal action over the incident ... but sources with direct knowledge say those reports are inaccurate.

In fact, we're told the family is considering all options. One thing they want before making any decisions ... the findings of the NJ Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights. That Division is in the midst of its investigation into the incident.

Johnson's teammates at Buena Regional High School in New Jersey had a scheduled meet Thursday -- but Johnson did not participate because he's felt overwhelmed by the media attention.

Several huge stars have tried to reach out to Johnson to lend their support -- and some UFC fighters have offered to personally train him -- but it's unclear if Johnson has spoken with anyone yet.

As for the ref, sources connected to Maloney tell us he's adamant he was following the rules and race had nothing to do with the situation.

Logan Paul says Dana White needs to "get his head out of his ass" and sign him to a UFC fight already -- because it's easy money for everyone involved.

Remember, Paul fought YouTube star KSI in a boxing match earlier this year -- and got real praise from real UFC stars including Tyron Woodley and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.

Paul had said he wants a UFC fight next, but White shot him down saying he'd get hurt if he got in the Octagon with a real MMA fighter.

But, Paul says that's a bunch of crap -- telling TMZ Sports he's already proven he can hold his own in a fight ... and would dedicate himself to training if the two sides worked out a deal.

"If I get the chance to fight in the UFC, that's my life," Paul says.

"Dana, what's good? The people want it man!"

Of course, Paul's opponent would be a huge factor -- Logan says he understands he's not ready for a shot with a killer like Khabib ... but he WOULD be down to fight Conor McGregor.

"I would be honored for Conor to rip my head off."

Female UFC badass Cris Cyborg beats up grown fighting men ... so says her famous striking coach Jason Parillo ... who tells us Justino is an equal opportunity ass kicker.

Cyborg is no doubt one of the scariest women in combat sports history ... but when we talked to Parillo recently in L.A., he says that term should be persons because Cyborg gives it to guys all the time.

"When we're sparring, she can definitely compete with a lot of guys out there." Parillo says ... "She puts it on men. She busts them up."

Cris has a massive fight comin' up against Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 in Las Vegas later this month.

Once again, UFC superstar Jon Jones is apologizing for a failed drug test -- claiming the steroid found in his system this week was not consumed with the intention to cheat.

"I just wanted to take the time out to apologize to the fans for what is going on," Jones said in a video posted Sunday night ... "It's a situation that's completely out of my control."

In case you didn't know ... officials found traces of the steroid Turinabol while testing Jones for his upcoming fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on Dec. 29.

But, officials from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have essentially said the traces found in JJ's system were TINY -- and likely leftovers from when he tested positive in 2017.

Still, the Nevada State Athletic Commission would not let Jones fight in Vegas -- but he got the green light in California ... so, Dana White and the UFC relocated the event to L.A.

Some people (including UFC fighters) are furious -- claiming they already made plans, bought tickets, hotel rooms, airplane tickets, etc.

In his video, Jones acknowledges the situation is messed up but claims he didn't take any PEDs and never intended for this to happen.

"This is a situation that is completely out of my control ... but I still will man up and apologize for this happening."

"I realize there's a lot of people who lost out in the situation ... people came from Sweden, people came from Brazil ... I feel your frustration."

Jones says he's trying to make things right -- and has paid for hotel rooms and airplane tickets for some people -- but insists, "This is not a mistake I made."

Al Iaquinta is ready to take Conor McGregor's head off -- telling TMZ Sports he'll smash the Irishman if they ever step into the Octagon together ... insisting Conor's run at the top is OVER.

Of course, "Ragin" Al defeated Kevin Lee at UFC on FOX 31 -- and now the #4 lightweight fighter tells us he's earned a shot Tony Ferguson, the #1 contender ... which would open up a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Al fought Khabib at UFC 223 in April when he stepped in for Max Holloway on 1 day's notice. Al went all 5 rounds with Khabib but lost by unanimous decision.

Al says he looked WAY better against Khabib than Conor did when they fought in October -- and says he strongly believes Conor has simply "lost it."

But, more importantly, Al says his track record shows that he can wreck people when he gets more than 24 hours to prepare -- and would LOVE to prove it in a fight with Conor.

And, if you think it's all about the money, Al says that's BS -- he'd gladly step into an alley for a chance to beat down McGregor for free.

Jermell Charlo says he's down to fight Conor McGregor for his next big scrap ... and tells TMZ Sports it can be boxing OR MMA!!!

"We always on standby," Charlo says ... "Especially for an MMA fight. Why not?!"

Of course ... Conor's next opponent IS up in the air after he got mauled by Khabib in October -- and Charlo's also lookin' for a fight after he takes on Tony Harrison Saturday night.

So, could it happen? Maybe ... especially 'cause Charlo seems down to sweeten the pot by steppin' out of the ring and into the Octagon.

"It's wherever he want to fight. Conor's a grown man. He knows what to do. And, he knows who to call!"

UFC star Aljamain Sterling says the haircut incident with high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is "so f*cked up" ... but he was so impressed with the kid, he wants to train him personally.

"It's so messed up on so many levels," Sterling tells TMZ Sports ... "I felt bad."

Sterling says he's spent a lot of time coaching high school wrestling and has NEVER seen a situation where an athlete was forced to cut his hair.

In fact, Sterling says if he was the coach that day, he would have pulled his team out of the gym in protest and forfeited the rest of the match.

"We're not gonna stand for no sh*t like this," Sterling says.

The good news ... Sterling trains with other huge UFC stars like Al Iaquinta and Chris Weidman with the Serra-Longo fight team in Long Island, NY -- not too far from Johnson's high school in New Jersey.

UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is FIRED UP over the high school wrestling ref who made a black kid cut his dreadlocks before a match ... and he's calling for NJ officials to FIRE HIS ASS.

Before dominating the UFC, Tyron was an All-American wrestler at the Univ. of Missouri ... and before that, he was a FORCE in the high school wrestling community.

Tyron tells TMZ Sports ... the ref, Alan Maloney, should have been fired years ago when he reportedly made a racist comment to an African-American man back in 2016.

Woodley's bigger issue is he's sick of people with a history of racist behavior being allowed to have positions of authority. And, that includes police officers.

As for the recent incident with high school wrestler Andrew Johnson, Tyron thinks the way the high school wrestling community handles hair maintenance ... specifically with black athletes ... is ridiculous.

A shocking recording of the Rachael Ostovich domestic violence incident has surfaced -- in which her MMA fighter husband allegedly screams, "I'm going to f**king murder you."

A neighbor used a cell phone to record the scene on Nov. 27 -- when Arnold Berdon allegedly brutalized Ostovich during an argument at their home in Hawaii.

The footage is mostly dark -- but you can definitely hear voices.

In the video, obtained by Hawaii News Now, you can hear a male voice make several threats ... including, "I’m going to murder you. I’m going to f**king murder you."'

At the end of the 9-minute video, you can see a nude female jump off the lanai and try to escape.

We broke the story ... Berdon was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree assault.

Ostovich suffered serious injuries to her face, head and body -- and pulled out of her January fight against Paige VanZant.

Ostovich later got a second opinion from another doctor who cleared her to fight -- so it's now back on.

8:22 AM PT -- McGregor’s spokesperson Karen Kessler tells TMZ Sports …"This complaint is a routine but sad attempt to grab publicity in a case that should have been resolved months ago. We are pleased that Chiesa’s quick recovery allows him to continue fighting."

UFC fighter Michael Chiesa claims Conor McGregor's steel dolly attack was a publicity stunt intended to hype his fight with Khabib ... and now he wants ALL of Conor's UFC 229 profits.

Long story short ... Chiesa (who was injured in the bus attack) claims NY law bars people from profiting from criminal activity and requires them to turn over ill-gotten gains to their victims. It's called the Son of Sam law.

In new court docs filed by Chiesa, the UFC fighter argues the April 5 dolly incident drove up interest in UFC 229 and boosted sales of Conor's Proper 12 whiskey brand, so all profits should be handed over.

It's not a small number -- Conor publicly stated he expected to make $50 MILLION for the Oct. 6 fight against Khabib ... plus MILLIONS more from the sales of Proper 12.

Here's how Chiesa spells it out in his lawsuit ...

"By his own admission, [McGregor] engaged in the aforementioned conduct and acts with the premeditated intent and purpose of inflicting severe personal injuries and/or murdering Nurmagomedov, and sought to promote his brand and profit from his criminal activity."

He also cited Conor's UFC 229 press conference ... when McGregor reflected on the bus incident and said Khabib would be "dead" if he had stepped off that bus that day.

Chiesa was a passenger on the bus and suffered cuts to his face when he was struck by shattered glass.

Chiesa claims he was unable to compete in his scheduled fight against Anthony Pettis at UFC 223 that weekend -- and lost an even BIGGER opportunity to fight Khabib when Max Holloway pulled out of the main event.

In his docs, Chiesa claims the UFC had reached out to him about filling in for Holloway in the title match at UFC 223, but Chiesa says his injuries prevented him from taking the fight.

Chiesa says he suffered from depression following the ordeal -- and claims his inability to fight at UFC 223 hurt his overall standing in the UFC.

Chiesa claims Conor deliberately created "havoc, mayhem and injury" that resulted in his injuries.

Jon Jones REALLY wants a 3rd crack at Daniel Cormier -- and he's willing to write a fat ass check to get DC back in the Octagon.

"Fight me one more time and prove you’re actually the champ champ. I’ll donate $100,000 to a charity in San Diego if you accept," Jones wrote to Cormier on Twitter.

Of course, the two have fought twice -- with Jones winning both fights ... only to have the 2nd victory overturned in the wake of a positive PED test.

Jones is finally cleared to return to the UFC after serving his suspension -- he'll fight Alexander Gustafsson for the light heavyweight title at UFC 232 on Dec. 29.

But, Jones is already thinking past Gustafsson, trying to bail Cormier.

"Conor McGregor was an actual double Champ, the whole world knows your claim is a freaking joke. You’re more than welcome to be my first title defense."

Jones also took umbrage with comments Cormier recently made to Jim Rome -- when he questioned JJ's explanation that he only had a "pinch of salt" worth of steroids in his system during their 2nd fight.

"Daddys baby still out there whining," Jones said ... "What proud 'double Champion' just vacates his belt because someone else returns to the sport?"

Cormier says he's retiring from MMA in March -- on his 40th birthday -- so if Jones wants the fight, they gotta make this thing come together fast.

UFC superstar Amanda Nunes says her upcoming fight against Cris Cyborg is the biggest fight of her career -- even bigger than her destruction of Ronda Rousey.

Amanda and Cyborg are set to clash at UFC 232 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas in a championship bout for the women's featherweight title.

Nunes has won 7 fights in a row, Cyborg's on a 20-fight win streak -- they're widely considered two of the greatest fighters in women's MMA history.

And, when we saw Nunes out in NYC, she was downright giddy -- telling us how excited she is to get into the Octagon and square up against Cyborg.

Of course, Nunes famously destroyed Ronda Rousey in Dec. 2016 in Ronda's last ever UFC fight. Since then, she's defeated Valentina Shevchenko and Raquel Pennington.

Amanda has big plans after the Cyborg fight -- she's engaged to fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff -- who's on a 4-win streak of her own after a victory over Claudia Gadelha earlier this month.

The two are so stoked to the knot, they're even extending an invitation to Cyborg to attend the wedding!

"Anyone can come! It's a happy day."

Congrats!