UFC

Cowboy Cerrone says that nasty injury he suffered at UFC 238 is not as bad as it looks ... 'cause he has NO broken bones in his eye and says he's "in good health."

Cerrone took a controversial L at the hands of Tony Ferguson on Saturday ... losing by TKO after the 2nd round. It was an EPIC, bloody battle before the doctor forced the fight to end due to Cerrone's eye being swollen shut.

After the fight, Cerrone went straight to the hospital and didn't talk to media ... and Dana White told reporters he had a broken right orbital bone.

Donald gave his first health update on Tuesday ... and the good news is that it's not as bad as everyone initially suspected.

"Thanks for all the message and concerns," Cowboy says. "Only air was in my eye. No broken bones nor cracked or broken orbital."

Urijah Faber knows a fighter when he sees one and he's got bad news for Justin Bieber ... the Biebs ain't got what it takes to take on Tom Cruise.

The UFC Hall of Famer was on "TMZ Live" Monday to discuss the bizarre challenge JB's thrown down ... practically begging Tom to get in the Octagon with him for an MMA brawl. Urijah says there's one huge X-factor -- and it's why he gives TC the edge -- Cruise is an experienced wrestler.

That's right, long before he was Jack Reacher and Ethan Hunt ... Tom was throwing it down on the wrestling team at Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey. Check out the vid ... Urijah says he's seen the Biebs throw a punch and long story short ... he ain't impressed.

Ouch.

Whatever the case ... Urijah says he'd promote the hell outta the match if TC ever agrees to the challenge. To be fair, he does say Bieber has one factor on his side.

Urijah also has a very serious question -- one we're ALL thinking: What's JB's beef with Tom???

UFC star Aljamain Sterling has a message for the Triple Champ Henry Cejudo ...

"I'm ready to take that gold medal and shove it up your ass because you stink Henry Ce-Doo-Doo!!!"

And, that's just the beginning!!!

Before Cejudo beat Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 this weekend, Aljo dominated Pedro Munhoz on the undercard ... and A LOT of people think Sterling looked so good, he deserves a crack at Cejudo's new bantamweight belt.

So, when Aljo saw Henry calling out fan favorites on Saturday like Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt and Urijah Faber ... Sterling tells TMZ Sports he was shocked and disgusted.

"I was doing the facepalm emoji, shaking my head," Sterling says.

He wants to be a legend killer? Find a legend who's actually winning!"

"Those guys haven't won a fight in god knows how long and you have a #1 contender right here in front of you!"

"So, every time I go to the bathroom, I'm gonna take a Henry Ce-doo-doo while I think about winning that belt. So, I hope Henry's ready for this."

Sterling added, "Henry, stop calling out these guys who are washed up and come for the REAL #1 contender, the real challenge."

Justin Bieber doesn't believe for a second Tom Cruise is half the badass he seems to be in his movies -- and he's out to prove it in the Octagon.

We can only assume Justin was watching a 'Mission: Impossible' or "Jack Reacher" flick this weekend when he said enough is enough ... and called out Cruise.

Bieber not only challenged Cruise to an MMA brawl, but he pulled that schoolyard bully move, saying ... "Tom if you don't take this fight your [sic] scared and you will never live it down."

Now, we'd laugh this off as just a joke, except for the fact, he tagged UFC honcho Dana White -- and then Conor McGregor chimed in ... saying he'll host the fight IF Tom has "the sprouts to fight, like he does in the movies."

Something about this doesn't seem like a fair fight, although we're not sure who's the favorite.

Remember, Justin actually has boxing skills. His pal Floyd Mayweather Jr. has even vouched for him in the ring.

Then, there's age: Justin is 25, Tom is 56 (going on 57). JB's also about 2 inches taller than TC, and probably has a longer reach too.

Then again, Tom has experience AND ... he jumps out of tall buildings!!! That's gotta count for something, but apparently not for bookies.

Yes, BetOnline is already taking wagers, and has Bieber as the 2 to 1 fave over Cruise.

Dana White is GUARANTEEING Lorenzo Fertitta will eventually own an NFL team ... and he's telling TMZ Sports he wants to be a partner with the guy when he makes that purchase!!!

"I'm very interested," White says.

Of course, Fertitta -- the ex-UFC boss who sold his shares in the fight company back in 2016 -- just confirmed to us a few days ago he's desperately trying to buy an NFL squad.

Even though no team is available at the moment -- and no current owners look to be in any hurry to put up a for sale sign -- Dana is promising Fertitta will own a team someday.

"He is absolutely, positively going to be an NFL owner," White says.

As for how Fertitta will do when that happens ... White -- who's still very tight with Lorenzo -- says his ex-business partner will be a PERFECT fit.

"He will be an incredible owner. You know, they owned casinos, they're incredible owners. They owned the UFC, they were incredible owners. They’ll be amazing NFL owners."

Ex-UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta is ready to be the boss man once again ... telling TMZ Sports he's officially gunning to buy an NFL team!

"Always wanted to do that," Fertitta says.

Lorenzo and his brother Frank sold their shares of the UFC back in 2016 as part of that $4 BILLION deal with WME-IMG ... and he tells us he's now trying to invest some of those profits into a pro football team in the very near future.

The problem for Lorenzo ... he says he just can't find somebody willing to sell their squad!!!

"Right now, there's no opportunities."

As for which team Lorenzo ultimately wants to buy -- he says he's not picky ... telling us, "I love football so much it doesn’t matter. I'd do anywhere.”

Brock Lesnar's career in the UFC is over ... for good ... so says Dana White who tells TMZ Sports, "He's done. He's made his decision."

Of course, White has previously said he was hoping to book Brock for a super fight with heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier ... but the two sides just couldn't get a deal done.

Now, White says Lesnar has chosen to focus on his career with the WWE -- and Dana says he respects Brock's decision.

"I know he was looking into doing a new deal with [Vince McMahon] to stay with the WWE."

Dana says he's "always had a good relationship with Brock, we've always dealt really well with each other" ... but the bottom line is Lesnar isn't "100% in" on fighting anymore.

"You have to be ALL IN on fighting and if you're not all in, then you shouldn't fight," Dana says.

"He made the decision and it's the right decision."

We also spoke with Dana about rising UFC superstar Johnny Walker, who's recovering from a shoulder injury ... but already hoping for a fight with Jon Jones.

"That guy is a freak of nature," White said ... "I can see this guy being a world champion someday. I can't wait for him to come back."

It's always great when Arianny Celeste throws on a bikini and hits the beach ... but the UFC star brought her equally hot friends along for a sexy shoot ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!!

The Octagon girl G.O.A.T. -- along with Dessie Mitcheson and Kayla Fitz -- hit up Malibu for some fun in the sand ... wearing matching blue bikinis and yellow earrings.

The shoot is part of the summer campaign for Celeste's Girlfriend Box business ... and who better than Arianny herself to show off the product!!!

Conor McGregor WILL make his return to the Octagon in 2019 -- despite that whole "retirement" thing -- this according to Dana White.

"Conor is a competitor, man. He loves to fight. This is his passion in life," White tells TMZ Sports.

So, who's the opponent?? That's the tricky part.

Dana says he wants to see how the fights at UFC 238 this weekend shake out before announcing an opponent for Conor.

Remember, one of the most important fights of the weekend is Tony Ferguson vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone ... both of whom want a crack at McGregor.

Dana tells us he knows Conor's goal is to get his rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov ... but Khabib's already committed to fighting Dustin Poirier in September.

"We gotta see how everything plays out," Dana says.

The one thing White would ABSOLUTELY commit to -- Conor will fight in the Octagon before the end of the year.

It's a big deal considering back in March, Conor had said he was retiring from MMA to focus on his whiskey business.

He later said he WOULD fight again if Dana offered him an ownership stake in the UFC -- something Dana has said he simply WILL NOT do.

Dana White says he personally sat down with Tony Ferguson to evaluate him to make sure he's mentally okay to get back in the Octagon ... but only AFTER Tony was already cleared by doctors.

Tony is set to fight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 238 this weekend -- his first fight since his Oct. 2018 victory over Anthony Pettis.

In the days, weeks and months after the Pettis fight, Ferguson had some major issues at home -- his wife, Cristina, called cops several times because Tony was having manic episodes and acting erratically.

Cristina made it clear she loves Tony and wanted him to get treatment -- but during a Feb. 16 incident, things got to a point where she was scared and needed police to intervene.

Tony was never arrested or charged with a crime -- but his wife made it clear TF needed professional mental help ... which he ultimately got.

In fact, Tony is PROUD of the work he's done with his psychologist and feels he's in a healthy place.

"He's done all the right things it takes to make us feel comfortable that he's good to go," White tells TMZ Sports.

It's like a scene out of a 'Terminator' flick ... doctors peeling back the skin on Anthony Smith's broken hand to show the metal rod holding the UFC star's bones together!!!

... and it's NASTY!!!

Yes, this is the ultimate "inside look" at Smith's injury -- taken during surgery Wednesday on his left hand.

As we previously reported, Smith fractured a bone in his hand while punching Alexander Gustafsson in the head over the weekend during their UFC Fight Night main event.

Despite suffering the injury in the 2nd-round, Smith continued fighting and ultimately choked Gustaffson out for the victory in the 4th.

Smith told us he could feel his hand swelling up inside of his glove -- but tried to focus on a camping trip he had planned after the fight ... and it ultimately inspired him to win.

Oh, and he was dead serious about the camping thing -- we're told Smith has a trip planned out for the weekend!

The reason Khabib Nurmagomedov agreed to fight Dustin Poirier in Sept. instead of a rematch with Conor McGregor is simple ... "McGregor didn't beg enough."

... this according to Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz.

Of course, the REAL reason is that Khabib vs. Dustin is for the unified UFC lightweight title -- which was a huge priority to Dana White -- but hey, who doesn't love a little smack talk?!

So, when will the Khabib vs. Conor fight actually happen? Maybe never.

Ali says he doesn't believe McGregor ever wants to fight again -- saying Conor's more concerned with being an "Instagram model" these days than fighting for a UFC title.

Ali also says the UFC is stacked with talent -- from Khabib to Tony Ferguson to Poirier -- and they don't need Conor anymore.

So, if Conor really does want a second crack at Khabib, what needs to happen?

"Get maybe 2 or 3 wins," Ali says ... "Then get on his knees and beg!"

"Jon Jones who? Cormier who? Conor McGregor who?" ... Henry Cejudo tells TMZ Sports he's the "greatest combat athlete of all-time."

Yes, you heard right ... Henry says he's the best ever.

The UFC's Flyweight champ (125 lbs.) came through the TMZ office days before his UFC 238 fight against Marlon Moraes -- where Cejudo's fighting for the Bantamweight title (135 lbs.) -- and entry into the exclusive champ-champ club.

For Cejudo ... it comes down to personal accomplishments -- and he believes there ain't a man or woman on Earth with a better resume.

"I feel like I'm the greatest combat athlete of all-time, and the credentials speak for itself," Henry tells us.

"Who's won Olympic gold medal? Who's won a flyweight title? Who's gonna fight for a second belt? Nobody. It's me."

FYI -- HC won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

It's not just a second belt he's after ... Henry also wants to be #1 on the UFC top pound-for-pound list -- where he's currently ranked 4th.

"I just kept going, you know what I mean? Whatever, who cares, f**k it. Let's just throw down."

That was UFC fighter Anthony Smith's reaction to BREAKING HIS HAND in the 2nd-round of his UFC fight with Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden.

Smith -- who won via rear-naked choke in the 4th -- tells TMZ Sports it was "super painful" (as you'd expect) ... but there was NO WAY Lionheart was quitting over a broken bone.

"I definitely felt the break and it hurt, but as the fight went on it got worse for sure," Smith tells us.

"Honestly, man, here's my mentality. I'm here, I'm hurt, let's just fight. I don't want any regrets. I don't want to wonder, ah, maybe I coulda pushed it or whatever. I just go do it."

"I told [my coach] Mark, he said, 'How are you feeling?' I said, 'my hands broken.' He said, 'alright we're gonna start throwing elbows.' And, I said, 'Nah, I'll just keep throwing it."'

How the hell did Smith continue?

"I know this sounds silly. But, I remember sitting down in between rounds. My hand was broken. We're going into the 4th. I just kept thinking, man, I just wanna get home and go camping."

Anthony's home, and he's having surgery to fix the break on Wednesday ... and then he says it'll need 4 months to heal.

There's something about watching UFC legend Michael Bisping punching his hands through a fat guy's doughy belly that's just captivating ...

This little fight session went down on the set of Cinemax series "Warrior" in Cape Town, South Africa -- where Bisping has a role as a smack-talking violent badass (what a stretch, right?)

In this particular scene, Bisping squared up with Kazakhstani stunt man Erden Telemisov -- but when the cameras stopped rolling, the two guys decided to have a little play fight of their own.

Bisping talked trash and then threw a flurry right into Erden's gut -- and watch the blubber fly!!!

Make sure to stick around for the slo-mo zoomed in shot ... which is just as fascinating!

Rashad Evans routinely dealt ass whoopin's to MMA legends like Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz -- but who's the absolute toughest dude he fought?

Jon "Bones" Jones.

And, it ain't even close ... "Suga" Rashad -- the latest member of the UFC's 2019 Hall of Fame class -- tells TMZ Sports.

"Without a doubt, Jon Jones. When it comes down to it, I think that Jon Jones is the best in history."

"When he's inside the cage, he's dynamic. He's got some skill. But, I would say technically speaking, he's probably the best fighter."

Evans is a legend and he faced some of the greatest MMA fighters ever ... but he says there was something different about Jones -- who beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 145 in 2012.

"When you fight guys that good, you feel like after the fight is over, there's another level that I need to get to. You don't feel like, 'aw man, I had a bad day.' You just feel, 'man, I need to get to another level to be able to beat this guy.'"

So, Jones it the best fighter ... but who hit Rashad the hardest? The guy who landed the bomb will surprise you.