Vasyl Lomachenko Rips Conor McGregor's Boxing ... I'd Wreck You
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If Conor McGregor wants another boxing superfight, Vasyl Lomachenko says he'll be his huckleberry ... telling TMZ Sports, "I can beat him easy."
Lomachenko is widely considered one of the best boxers on the planet -- he's the unified lightweight champion of the world ... and hasn't lost a fight since 2014.
Loma has a fight this Friday against Anthony Crolla on ESPN+ -- but he's an OVERWHELMING favorite and expected to beat the ever-loving dog snot out of the 32-year-old Englishman.
So, once he rolls through Crolla, ya gotta think Vasyl is looking for a payday fight -- and Conor McGregor would definitely get him the millions of dollars he wants.
And, the good news for Vasyl ... he thinks it'll be the easiest work of his career -- essentially saying Conor's boxing skills are "amateur" at best.
"I enjoy this fight," Loma said about possible McGregor matchup ... "I will go through this guy. No problem."
The big question ... what does Conor want? He "retired" from MMA but nobody believes he's done fighting for good. And, he seems to want another shot at a pro boxing match after losing to Floyd Mayweather.
Stay tuned ...
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Conor McGregor New Surveillance Video Shows UFC Star Smash and Stomp Phone
TMZ Sports has obtained new footage showing Conor McGregor swatting and smashing a cell phone in front of the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami ... right after doing his famous "Billionaire Strut."
The footage is being used in the criminal case against the UFC star stemming from a March 11 incident.
The footage begins at 5:21 AM showing Conor leaving the hotel with an entourage while Ahmed Abdirzak follows him out while recording McGregor on his cell phone.
At one point, McGregor reaches out to Ahmed as if he was going to shake his hand -- but then pulls back and violently smacks the phone out of the guy's hand.
Conor then stomps on the phone a couple of times before picking it up and walking away.
McGregor was arrested later that day and has since been charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 6 years in prison.
Conor has pled not guilty on all charges. A trial is scheduled to begin in May.
Ahmed Abdirzak filed a lawsuit against Conor over the incident -- but later struck a settlement with the UFC fighter and dropped his suit.
Story developing ...
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UFC's Max Holloway Conor & Khabib Should Bury Hatchet ... And Work Together!!
Could you imagine Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov as FRIENDS?!?!
Max Holloway can ... telling TMZ Sports the UFC's most bitter rivals need to end their war and team up for good.
First off, Max is FIRED UP to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 this Saturday on ESPN+ PPV -- he's seeking to avenge a 2012 loss to Dustin when Max was making his UFC debut.
And, while Max was freezing his butt off promoting the fight, he had the perfect solution to fix one of the most bitter rivalries in the history of combat sports.
Of course, Conor and Khabib have been trashing the hell out of each other for MONTHS -- with Conor recently insulting Khabib's family and religion ... and Khabib firing back with insults of his own.
Yeah, it's bad.
In fact, things have gotten so bad between the two, UFC honcho Dana White says he got involved and called for the fighters to cut it out already.
Enter Holloway ... who says Conor and Khabib need to take all of that energy and use it FOR GOOD.
"These guys got a big platform, they should talk about more important stuff ... like the climate change."
He's not joking -- Holloway believes climate change is a serious issue that affects EVERYONE ... and if CM and KN teamed up, they could make a real impact.
As for Holloway vs. Poirier II, Max says things will be much different this time around -- telling TMZ Sports he's got a game plan built for success.
Trust us, you DON'T want to miss it when these guys enter the Octagon -- so click here and sign up for ESPN+ already!!!
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UFC's T.J. Dillashaw Suspended 2 Years ... for Failed Drug Test
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UFC star T.J. Dillashaw has just been hit with a 2-year suspension for failing a drug test before his January 19 title fight against Henry Cejudo.
Dillashaw tested positive for Erythropoietin -- aka EPO -- which is a synthetic hormone that's considered a cleaner alternative to blood doping, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has announced.
EPO is often used by athletes to increase oxygen transport and aerobic power, according to USADA.
Dillashaw has accepted the suspension -- which means he won't be eligible to fight until Jan. 2021.
Dillashaw provided the dirty sample on Jan. 18 -- one day before the fight.
What's even worse for T.J. ... he lost the fight against Cejudo in a 1st-round stoppage.
The 33-year-old fighter had issued a statement on the situation last month saying he was "disappointed" and was trying to figure out what happened.
"While words can't even begin to express how disappointed I am at this time, please know that I'm working with my team to understand what has occurred and how to resolve this situation as quickly as possible," Dillashaw said at the time.
After the positive test, Dillashaw relinquished his UFC bantamweight title so he could "deal with the matter."
Before the Cejudo fight, Dillashaw had defeated Cody Garbrandt twice.
Story developing ...
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Daniel Cormier To Dana White ... Book the Brock Lesnar Fight Already!!!
4/9/19
UFC superstar Daniel Cormier says he wants to fight Brock Lesnar in the Octagon ASAP -- telling Dana White, "What are you waiting for?! Get this sh*t on the books!!!"
Of course, Brock got destroyed by Seth Rollins at WrestleMania Sunday -- a storyline many people think was written with the intention of freeing Lesnar up to go fight in the UFC again.
Which brings us to Cormier ... who had previously talked about retiring on his 40th birthday (which happened a couple of weeks ago) -- but now that Brock's in the picture, DC says he wants all the smoke.
"It’s the fight I want," Cormier tells TMZ Sports ... "I think everyone wants to fight Brock. We all want to fight Brock."
Cormier is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion -- and recently relinquished the light heavyweight championship.
He added, "It's the fight. That’s the fight that needs to happen. You know, he’s a former UFC champ, All-American in college. This guy's very, very deserving of a fight, and he’s gonna get it. Hopefully."
Dana White has previously told us he wants to make the fight happen -- but so far, nothing's official.
Cormier is trying to light a fire under White's ass to get the deal done.
"Dana get on the phone right now. If you haven’t called him yet, do it today!! What are you waiting for?! Get this sh*t on the books. Let’s get this on the books!!"
As for Brock, Cormier has a message for him too after his defeat at WrestleMania -- "Lick those wounds ... 'cause I got some brand new ones waiting for ya."
41-year-old Lesnar was a beast during his UFC heyday -- winning the heavyweight title in 2008 with a victory over Randy Couture.
But, he hasn't fought in the UFC since 2016 -- when he beat Mark Hunt in a fight that was later overturned after Brock flunked a drug test.
Will Lesnar take one last fight before riding off into the sunset??? Stay tuned.
BTW, DC says -- in-between training -- he's been coaching his youth wrestling team ... and they're DOMINATING!!
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WWE's Bret Hart On Hall of Fame Attack 'I'm Okay!!!'
Bret "The Hitman" Hart is speaking out about that crazy attack during his WWE Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday ... saying, " I want to let everyone know that I am okay and was not injured."
GREAT NEWS!!!
Of course, the 61-year-old legend was blindsided by a violent idiot who snuck on stage and tackled Bret while he was delivering his induction speech alongside Natalya Neidhart ... the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim was also part of the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame class.
"What a wild weekend to say the least," Bret posted on social media Monday.
"If there’s one thing I want everyone to take away from the Hall of Fame ceremony is not so much what happened, but how I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from completing my tribute to my best friend and our team."
The attack on Bret Hart & Natalya.
@AhYezzir
What a disgusting act. #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/3IwjyhMGzX
Bret added, "Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words."
As for the attacker, cops arrested Zachary Madsen -- who's since been charged with assault and criminal trespassing. He was held on $1,500 bond.
Madsen was also pummeled by ex-UFC star Travis Browne -- who happened to be ringside with his wife Ronda Rousey during the attack.
After the incident, Madsen told police he decided to tackle Hart because "I just felt like it was the right moment."
Wrong.
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Report: Conor McGregor Irish Cops Investigating Alleged Bar Fight
Conor McGregor is reportedly under investigation in Ireland -- again -- after allegedly punching a man Saturday in a pub in Dublin.
The UFC superstar was at the Marble Arch pub in Drimnagh (a suburb of Dublin) when he was approached by another patron who thought Conor was acting like a jerk, according to the Irish Mirror.
The patron reportedly talked trash to Conor about his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov saying, "The Russian battered you" ... and that's when Conor snapped and punched.
We called Ireland's Garda Síochána -- the country's police force -- who wouldn't identify Conor by name but did confirm an investigation of an alleged April 6 incident at the Marble Arch.
"No arrests, matter under investigation."
We also called the pub -- but an employee hung up on us as soon as we asked about Conor.
Calls to McGregor's rep have not been returned.
It's just the latest in a long list of legal problems for Conor ... who's also facing criminal charges for an alleged incident at a Miami hotel last month.
He's also reportedly being investigated in a rape probe in Dublin stemming from an alleged incident at a hotel in Ireland back in December. Conor's rep has called the report a "rumor."
4/5/18
Of course, Conor was convicted in a bus attack incident back in 2018 -- when he threw a steel dolly at a UFC bus ... injuring multiple people inside the vehicle.
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UFC's Cris Cyborg I Was 'Very Close' to Kidnapped Woman ... During Uganda Trip
Cris Cyborg just got back from a philanthropic trip to Uganda -- where the UFC star says she was dangerously close to an American tourist who was kidnapped at gunpoint.
Cyborg was building water wells in Uganda for the Batwa Pygmies with fellow UFC fighter Justin Wren -- and during the trip, they learned an American woman and her tour guide had been abducted.
Officials say Kimberly Sue Endicott and her safari guide were ambushed Tuesday by 4 men with guns while traveling in a car through Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Endicott and her guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo, were taken near the border of the Congo where her captors used her cell phone to demand a $500,000 ransom.
Ugandan officials -- along with help from U.S. forces -- freed the two on Sunday. They appeared unharmed.
So, when we saw Cris on Friday -- before Endicott was freed -- we asked her about the situation ... and she essentially told us she's LUCKY she wasn't abducted as well.
"I can not stop thinking about [Endicott]," Cyborg told us ... "because I was really very close with her. Like, REALLY close."
Cyborg says she left Uganda one day after the kidnapping -- and she's been praying for Endicott and her guide ever since.
Ultimately, Cyborg says she's still VERY glad she went on the trip because her work helped out so many people.
FYI, Justin Wren has been very involved in helping the Pygmies for years with his "Fight for the Forgotten" foundation ... whose mission is to bring safe drinking water to 2 villages in need.
As for the kidnappers, they're still on the loose. President Trump tweeted about the situation on Monday morning:
"Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly!"
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Conor McGregor Settles Phone Smashing Lawsuit
Conor McGregor has one less legal issue ... the man suing him in the Miami phone smashing incident has dropped his lawsuit against the UFC star and all signs point to settlement.
As we previously reported, 22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak sued Conor for battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress over the March 11 incident at the Fontainebleau hotel.
Abdirzak claims Conor "flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak's] smart phone out of his hand" before "stomping on the phone repeatedly." Abdirzak was demanding north of $15,000.
Part of the incident was captured on video and posted by TMZ Sports.
Now, court records show Abdirzak has filed new documents to dismiss his suit against McGregor with prejudice -- which likely means the two reached a settlement agreement.
It's smart money for Conor considering he's worth a fortune and could easily cut a check to put the matter behind him.
McGregor is still facing criminal charges for the incident -- including felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 6 years in prison.
His case is due back in front of the judge later this week.
McGregor doesn't seem too bothered by the situation -- he's been partying all over the world, feuding with his UFC rivals and watching WrestleMania.
Before he filed his lawsuit, Abdirzak appeared on "TMZ Live" in March and told us he hadn't decided if he was going to sue, insisting he just wants "justice."
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Conor McGregor Congratulates Becky Lynch ... Teases Possible WWE Match
Conor McGregor was so impressed with Becky Lynch's victory over Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania ... he might be one step closer to joining her in the ring.
Lynch defeated Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event Sunday night -- earning both the WWE Raw AND Smackdown belts ... leading Conor to dub her the sport's first "Champ Champ."
"Congrats to Irelands Becky Lynch, the WWE’s first Champ Champ," McGregor wrote.
"Wow! What a match these ladies put on! Ronda Rousey is something special in that ring, as is Charlotte Flair of the Flair dynasty!"
That's when the tease came ...
"Stephanie McMahon you are right, I could not do what these athletes do. Or could I... "
McGregor hasn't exactly had the best relationship with WWE -- in 2016, he went off on a bunch of the wrestlers as "p**sies" who could never win a real fist fight.
"For the most part, those WWE guys are p**sies," McGregor said at the time ... "They're messed up p**sies if you ask me."
He did, however, praise Vince McMahon and Triple H at the time.
So, will he or won't he???
We recently shot Steph McMahon who told us she would love to sign Conor to a WWE contract ... if he's serious about wanting to get in the ring.
Conor's future seems to be a mystery -- he "retired" from MMA in a tweet last month ... but then told Khabib Nurmagomedov he would see him back in the Octagon.
Bottom line ... we'd bet it's only a matter of time before Conor crosses over.
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Charlotte Flair I'm The Queen ... Ronda & Becky Will Bow Down
Charlotte Flair is WWE royalty and Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch ain't ... and by the end of their triple threat match at WrestleMania, both Ronda and The Man will "bow down."
That's according to Charlotte ... who told TMZ Sports the other 2 WWE Superstars are NOTHING compared to her.
"I think both of them are gonna bow down to the Queen, and I've done more in the last 7 years than they've done combined."
The crap talk leading up to the WM35 main event has been INTENSE ... and there's a lot on the line for all 3 women.
Earlier this week, Ronda told us the match was a "do-or-die moment" for her.
Lynch was a guest on "TMZ Live" the following day ... and responded to Rousey's comments -- saying she thinks Ronda will actually QUIT WWE if she loses Sunday night.
It wasn't all crap talk ... Flair also talked about her reaction when she learned she'd be headlining WM ... and the significance of the 1st all-female main event.
"Obviously wanting to let all the girls know this wouldn't happen without them. There's so much depth in our division. And, then obviously the women of the past," Flair says.
"Yes, the 3 of us get to main event Mania. But, the message on Sunday is so much bigger than what's happening."
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Tyron Woodley Clowns Trump 'I Want To Fight Your Hair'
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Forget a Kamaru Usman rematch ... Tyron Woodley says the fight he REALLY wants is with Donald Trump's hair!!!
"Dana, set it up. Tyron Woodley versus Donald Trump's hair, UFC whatever the f**k."
OKAY, Woodley's just playin' around ... but it doesn't make his rant over Trump's hair any less HILARIOUS!!!
The UFC superstar was cruising through his TV channels when Trump popped up ... signature hairdo on full display for the cameras.
Woodley's reaction? "What the f**k are you doing, bruh?"
Tyron continued, "He should wear a bandanna, man. It's terrible. It's so f**king horrible. I hate your hair, man. I don't know you, but I hate your hair. I want to fight your hair."
For his part, Trump knows the look ain't exactly great ... the Prez admitted during a speech last year, "I try like hell to hide that bald spot, folks. I work hard on it!!"
As for Tyron ... he's reportedly agreed to rematch Robbie Lawler in late June.
So, Trump's hair is safe from Woodley ... for now.
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Justin Gaethje I'll Knock Conor McGregor's Ass Out ... In Ireland!!!
Conor McGregor appears unretired from fighting ... and Justin Gaethje tells TMZ Sports he BADLY wants to be locked in a steel cage with The Notorious.
But, does Conor want to fight him? Gaethje says nah, doubt it.
"[Conor's] a warrior. I know that it would intrigue him for sure. But, I also think his mind would be like, 'no, thank you.'"
"He can't take my leg kicks. If I wanted to wrestle him, I could wrestle him all day. And, I could knock him out. The last thing he needs to be is f**king on his back reaching for the sky and I will, I could do that to him."
Gaethje's coming off a crazy impressive performance ... he starched Edson Barboza -- one of the scariest dudes in the UFC -- with a vicious right hook in the 1st round last weekend.
WASTING NO TIME.#UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/E3jhPijLdY
@ufc
Earlier in the week, JG -- the 5th ranked UFC lightweight -- told us he wanted the Holloway-Poirier winner and then Khabib ... but when he was in the TMZ offices on Thursday, clearly things done changed.
"I wanna fight [Conor]. I wanna fight him in Ireland. I know it's not gonna happen in Ireland, but that's my dream. To go over there and be in that sorta chaos. That's what f**king wakes me up every day."
"I'm going out there. I'm gonna stand. I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna knock him out. If he wants to retire, I can help him on his way out."
Conor-Gaethje would be a sick fight ... both guys have great power in their hands and ain't afraid to stand toe-to-toe and mix it up.
"I just gotta touch him once. Both of us have that skill to where we just gotta touch you 1 time. So, who f**king knows, this is a crazy sport."
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Kelvin Gastelum Chill Conor & Khabib Somebody's Gonna Get Shot
If Conor & Khabib don't chill out with their vicious and very serious beefing, someone's gonna get seriously hurt ... as in shot ... so says UFC star Kelvin Gastelum.
Khabib and Conor have been going at it on social media lately, after McGregor lobbed what some thought was an anti-Muslim insult directed at Khabib, prompting Khabib to launch an ultra disrespectful clap back.
We got UFC Star Kelvin Gastelum -- who was in L.A. promoting his UFC 236 title fight against Israel Adesanya -- and he says if the rhetoric from both men has the potential to end up tragic.
"I think there are some lines that have been crossed, and it's escalating to a point where it shouldn't have to. I feel like if it keeps going the way it's going, somebody's gonna end up injured, somebody's gonna end up hurt, somebody's gonna end up shot."
Kelvin is 100% serious and you can hear it in his voice, he told our camera guy he believes there's only so much Khabib and his side will take.
"Khabib don't play no games, man. This is real life for him."
We should say, Conor seemed to apologize for his statements on Twitter yesterday, along with a pledge to be better in the future. But, is Khabib accepting it?
Let's hope so.
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Conor McGregor Calls Khabib's Wife A 'Towel' ... Khabib Fires Back
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4/4-- Conor seems to want to put all this behind him and get back to fighting with his fists instead of his fingers ... tweeting, "I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds."
"All faiths challenge us to be our best selves. It is one world and one for all."
"Now see you in the Octagon."
4:00 PM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who has a message for Conor if he continues to run his mouth.
"You're gonna get yourself f*cked up, your whole team f*cked up, your security f*cked up," Abdelaziz says.
"Get your sh*t together, boy, before you get everybody f*cked up. But, we don't want violence. We don't promote violence. We are promoting peace. Enough with the hate."
3:22 PM PT -- Conor and Khabib's boss, Dana White, is not happy with the 2 fighters ... saying he's aware of the social media back-and-forth and has reached out to them to handle the situation.
"The ongoing situation has escalated to a level that is unacceptable," White says.
"As such, we are taking the necessary steps to reach out to both athlete camps and this situation is being addressed by all parties internally
10:18 AM PT -- Khabib just fired back at his arch nemesis ... clearly alluding to the reports that McGregor is under investigation for sexual assault in Ireland (Conor's rep bashed the report as a "rumor," but did not address the allegations).
"Rapist, you are Rapist," Nurmagomedov tweeted.
"You are a hypocrite who is not responsible for your actions. Justice will find you. We will see."
Rapist, you are Rapist.
@TeamKhabib
You are a hypocrite who is not responsible for your actions. Justice will find you.
We will see.@TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/317rLK5TVN
Conor McGregor personally attacked Khabib's wife -- and seemingly mocked Muslim tradition -- tweeting a photo of the UFC champ and his bride ... and calling her a "towel."
McGregor went on a Twitter rampage Tuesday night ... unleashed a fury of Tweets directed at Paulie Malignaggi -- who slapped his good friend, Artem Lobov, earlier in the day -- and Nurmagomedov.
“Don’t be scared of the rematch you little scurrying rat" ... McGregor wrote.
Conor dug in, getting personal ... posting 2 photos from Khabib's wedding day -- along with the caption, "Your wife is a towel mate" -- appearing to make fun of Khabib's wife's clothing.
McGregor deleted the message minutes later.
Khabib and his wife are devout Muslims ... and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took the insult as a direct slight at Khabib's religion.
"Talking sh*t, this guy is insulting someone’s wife and making fun of her religion and belief. He doesn’t realize he’s insulting 1.5 billon Muslims. Religion and family is a no no. You’re fucked Connor, let’s see what the media is going to say now. He’s a rapist, and a bitch."
Conor's used racially and religiously charged rhetoric to sell fights and belittle fighters in the past ... so it's possible this entire incident is an attempt to goad Khabib into a rematch.
Originally Published -- 7:49 AM PT
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Justin Gaethje I Want Khabib!! Never Fought A Guy Like Me
Conor McGregor and 26 other dudes have stepped in the cage with Khabib ... and exactly zero have walked away with anything besides an L ... but he's never fought Justin Gaethje.
The 30-year-old UFC star -- who's fresh off his insane KO of Edson Barboza -- laid out his blueprint for winning the lightweight title ... and it runs squarely through Dagestan.
"I'll take the winner of [Dustin] Poirier and [Max] Holloway. That's the fastest way to Khabib. I want Khabib. I want to fight the Russian. That's who I want to fight."
Dustin and Max are fighting for the Interim title at UFC 236 on April 13 ... and Gaethje is ready to fight whoever comes out on top -- with the ultimate prize being a crack at Nurmagomedov.
WASTING NO TIME.#UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/E3jhPijLdY
@ufc
Justin says he's got something NOBODY else who's stood in the Octagon with Khabib has had ... the ability to whoop his ass.
"He's gonna have to fight a stand-up fight with me. He's not gonna be able to take me down."
Standing up with Gaethje -- who was an All-American wrestler in college -- is usually a bad idea 'cause he's known for his powerful hands ... but so was McGregor (and we know how his fight with Khabib turned out).
"Conor was terrified of being taken down."
Justin says he isn't ... and that's why he's the man to hand Khabib his 1st loss.