UFC

Justin Bieber is stoking the battle flames again by nominating Tom Cruise after doing the bottle cap challenge and saying the cap could be Tom's dome, if he wants to join the party.

JB threw up a video Sunday, showing himself doing the now-famous viral challenge that tons of celebs have taken part in. He tells the cameraman, "This could be Tom Cruise's head," and then does a spinning kick to fully unscrew the cap and send it flying.

In his caption, Bieber wrote ... "I nominate Tom cruise and Hailey Bieber." Besides the fact that we're likely to see Hailey's version of the challenge, it's obvious that the Biebs actually DOES want to fight ol' Tommy ... despite telling paps that he was just messing around when he sent out that bizarre tweet. 

Bieber even said at the time that TC would probably whoop his ass in a real fight, but based on what we're seeing here ... we're not so sure. Bieber's got some karate moves in the shed, it seems.

There's one person we know who would be happy to make it happen ... Dana White. He's already told us it would be the biggest purse in UFC history and could possibly go down. There's even been rumblings that Tom might actually be interested in getting in the Octagon. 

Fact is though, he hasn't uttered a peep about it ... so who the hell knows. In the meantime, put this bottle cap challenge up there with the best of 'em.  

Jon Jones powered through the pain after his big win Saturday -- 'cause he was up on his own two feet dancing the night away ... despite having to be wheeled out of the Octagon.

The light heavyweight champ -- who tied a record with his 13th title fight victory at UFC 239 -- was spotted partying it up after walking away with a split decision W. You can see Jon turning up at On the Record at the Park MGM casino and hotel. 

He eventually got on the mic and thanked his fans for showing up and showing love, and then continued to boogie. 

Jon and his opponent, Thiago Santos, both had to be rolled into the locker room after their brutal brawl, but Jon seemed to be doing better at the presser. He showed off some cool tricks in his chair, and was able to get up on the stage without much of an issue.

If you blinked, you missed it!!!

UFC star Jorge Masvidal set a UFC record Saturday -- knocking out Ben Askren in 5 seconds!!!

The two faced off at UFC 239 in Las Vegas -- after months of some serious trash talk between the welterweight stars. 

When the opening bell rang, Ben -- a highly decorated wrestler -- put his head down and went for a takedown ... something Masvidal clearly expected. 

Masvidal had clearly been training for that move -- and came sprinting out his corner with a flying knee that connected right to Askren's temple. 

Askren was out cold before he hit the mat -- but Masvidal continued to smash him until the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. 

Askren eventually woke up -- he was helped to the back where he was treated by medical staffers. He was later transported to a local hospital. Hopefully, he's okay. 

As for Masvidal ... wow. 

Could Jon Jones be the 4th member of the New Day?

Kofi Kingston ain't ruling it out ... telling TMZ Sports he'd love to see the UFC star get involved in pro wrestling -- but he's gotta see Jon's hip-shaking ability before bringing him into the group!!!

Check this out ... Kofi says he actually met Jon recently and admitted he was straight-up starstruck -- "He's one of the greatest of all time man!"

"It was a real honor meeting him ... real cool."

And, with former UFC star like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey killling it in the WWE, Kofi thinks Jon could be the next great crossover.

"He's definitely got the height, he's got the skill," Kofi says. "From what I see he's got the right attitude."

"I think a lot of people would love to see Jon Jones in there."

Of course, before Jon can even consider a wrestling career, he's gotta get through Thiago Santos at UFC 239 in Vegas on Saturday night.

UFC legend B.J. Penn tried to get into a scrap with a strip club DJ before he ultimately got into a street brawl with the bouncer ... this according to 911 calls obtained by TMZ Sports.

Penn was involved in a melee at Club Femme Nu in Honolulu last week ... with the UFC Hall of Famer mounting a man and shoving his elbow into the guy's throat.

Cops were called to the scene ... but since no victim came forward -- Penn was never arrested, and charges haven't been filed.

But, now, we're learning more about the incident ... with a 911 caller telling dispatch Penn had tried to fight the club's DJ before he got into the street fight outside.

"So B.J. Penn is here causing a fight with the DJ," a woman tells dispatch.

The woman is clearly annoyed with Penn ... and goes on to say he had been stirring up problems throughout the night, saying, "It's really pissing me off."

"He's just running around with shorts and no shirt on. Screaming and yelling and trying to cause problems again."

In another 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports ... you can hear a man clearly concerned about the fight Penn was in outside, with the guy telling dispatch they need help separating the two.

Can size and strength overcome decades of hardcore MMA training if a UFC fighter and an NFL lineman threw down in a real life street fight?!

It's a debate we've been having in the office for months ... so we brought in 2 guys who would know a little something about it to hash it out on the "TMZ Sports" TV show. 

Bryant McKinnie is a 6'8", 375 pound former NFL lineman with crazy athletic ability -- and played pro for 11 seasons. 

Tyron Woodley is 5'9" and fights at 170 pounds -- and is considered one of the greatest UFC welterweight champs of all time. 

So, who wins if they fight in the street???

"Somebody's gotta get the business," Woodley said ... "I can't be on the receiving end!"

You gotta listen to the two superstars go back and forth and state their cases about why they would emerge victorious ... it's actually really interesting. 

But, the bottom line here ... DON'T FIGHT WITH EITHER ONE OF THESE GUYS IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!!

UFC champ Amanda Nunes won't have to look far for her bucket list fight -- she can find her opponent in the comfort of her own home ... 'cause she wants to scrap with her FIANCEE!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the MMA power couple leading up to Nunes' fight with Holly Holm at UFC 239 next week ... and her fiancee, Nina Ansaroff, says she's 100% down to fight her boo.

"We already talked about it," Nina says. "After she gets the belt, I'm gonna get my belt at [115 pounds], and then we're gonna do a super-fight at 125 ... we're so down. We really would try to kill each other."

"Why not? Bring the money home in the same household."

Even being in a lighter weight class, the women know each other's weaknesses, considering they've been training together for years.

As for Nunes ...  She's totally on board too, saying "My last fight is gonna be against Nina and then I'm gonna retire."

FYI -- the couple has been together for years and got engaged back in August 2018 ... and Nina says their relationship is rock solid, so there won't be any hard feelings after the fight.

"Afterwards it would be like, 'that was awesome.'"

UFC legend Diego Sanchez says he WILL attend a UFC Hall of Fame ceremony just 24 hours before his UFC 239 fight ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks it'll help him build momentum!!!

Sanchez and Clay Guida are being honored for their famous "Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale" fight back in 2009 ... a 3-round war that's being enshrined in the UFC's Hall of Fame fight wing. 

10 years after getting the victory in that fight, Sanchez is still a VERY active UFC fighter -- who's set to take on Michael Chiesa at UFC 239 on July 6. 

Some fighters refuse to do anything the night before a fight -- opting to keep things low-key (meditating, relaxing, etc) as part of their pre-fight routine. 

But not Sanchez!!!

"I think it's a great build up of momentum going into the fight," Sanchez says ... "I'm gonna go up there, put my jacket on, take my little walk!"

"I look at it as positive energy ... it's great. Something that I see as normal."

Sanchez says he doesn't think the honor makes him feel old -- "I feel like I'm a legend continuing to be a legend!"

Sanchez is 29-11 in his pro MMA career -- and he's currently on a 2-fight win streak after beating up Mickey Gall back in March. 

Jon Jones has NEVER been beaten (no, the DQ doesn't count) ... but Chris Weidman says he's gonna be the guy to hand Bones his first real "L" in the UFC Octagon!!!

Weidman -- the former middleweight (185lb.) champ who recently jumped to light heavyweight (205lbs.) -- has been Twitter beefin' with Jon ... and both guys seem down to a scrap. 

TMZ Sports talked to Chris at LAX earlier this week ... and the UFC star had a short, but ominous message for Jones.

"See you soon, Jon."

After winning his first 13 pro fights, Weidman's been in a slump ... losing 4 of his last 5 fights -- taking L's from killers like Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold.

Still, Weidman is the guy who took out Anderson Silva (TWICE) -- and the 35-year-old former champ feels he's got what it takes to stick it to Jones too.  

"I definitely think I have the tools to beat him."

But, Chris knows he won't just be handed the title fight ... "I gotta fight some other guys first, but at some point, [Jon's] the goal."

Chris also tells us who else is on his UFC hit list (hint: he badly wants to avenge a loss) ... and answers an age ol' and fiercely debated question.

Forget Tom Cruise ... Steve-O says HE should be the one to fight Justin Bieber -- telling TMZ Sports that Justin is "picking a fight with the wrong guy!"

We broke the story ... Dana White is hoping to put together a UFC match between the Biebs and Cruise after Justin called out the actor on Twitter.

But, Steve-O says he's personally offended that he wasn't the guy in the initial challenge ... telling us out at LAX, "I'm sick of being overlooked for my potential as a cage fighter!"

Steve-O says he was so upset about the Bieber snub ... he actually flew to Las Vegas to have a personal convo with Dana White himself about it all!!

"I had a little chat with Dana White," Steve-O says ... "And he agreed that if Tom Cruise doesn't step up, and someone needs to fill the cage with Justin Bieber, then I'm the guy."

"We shook on it, me and Dana White."

Steve-O then issued a call-out of his own to Bieber ... telling the Biebs, "I think you've been picking a fight with the wrong guy. Tom Cruise might be 56, but, hey, I'm 45!"

As for who would win in the Octagon ... all Steve-O would tell us is that Justin has NO chance of ending the fight early -- saying, "I can take a serious beating."

He ain't lyin'!!!

All good things must come to an end ... and Michael Chiesa's signature mullet is no exception ... and the UFC fighter is telling TMZ Sports he chopped off his hair at his girlfriend's request!!!

Chiesa has been rockin' the "business in the front, party in the back" look for years ... but the welterweight cleaned up his look and got rid of the mullet recently ... and now we know why.

"It's just time for me to grow up. I've had a mullet the better half of my whole life. I've always just been this hairy, wild man," Chiesa says.

"I have a girlfriend now, and as she's gotten more comfortable in the relationship, she wants a civilized looking boyfriend ... it's good for me, man."

Maverick -- who is fighting Diego Sanchez at UFC 239 next weekend -- says although he doesn't care what people think about him, it's about time he looked the part of being a professional.

"I definitely want that fight" ... that's what Francis Ngannou told TMZ Sports when asked if he's down for a superfight with Jon Jones.

Ngannou-Jones is a dream matchup ... but things heated up this week when Jon stopped by the TMZ office, and talked about the possibility of fighting Francis.

"There's a lot of fights at the heavyweight division that are always gonna be extremely appealing. Cain Velasquez, Francis Ngannou," Jones told us.

"That's a scary dude. But, that's why I'm in it. For it to be hard. I'm aware that the greater the challenge, that's what makes it great. The hard is what makes it great."

So, Jon's down ... question is, is Francis willing to put his body on the line against arguably the baddest dude on planet Earth?

We have our answer ... and it's a big hell yes.

"Personally, I mean, it would be a good fight, first of all for the fans, for me, yes," Ngannou told us.

"Even though Jon Jones is a light heavyweight, this guy has made his legacy, dominating the whole division. He's a big dude. I met him once, we almost, we are the same height, we are almost the same thing. I might just have a few pounds on him. That would be a legit fight."

Before a fight with Jones or anyone else (D.C., Stipe), Ngannou's facing badass former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos at UFC on ESPN 3 this Saturday -- so he's got his hands full.

But, it's very clear that Francis -- who says he ALWAYS gets asked by MMA fans about fighting Jones -- is down to make this fight happen.

UFC fighter Desmond Green was arrested for DUI manslaughter Tuesday after he allegedly caused a 5-car crash that killed 2 women back in August ... and officials claim he had alcohol and drugs in his system and cocaine in his vehicle.

29-year-old Green is facing multiple charges after he allegedly lost control of his 2011 Dodge Durango on I-75 and swerved into a semi truck on August 18.

So, why did it take so long to arrest Green? Officials say they conducted a massive investigation that took months to complete. And now, they feel they have enough information to successfully prosecute Green.

Here's what cops say happened ...

The initial collision started a chain reaction ... with Green's car striking several vehicles, killing a 67-year-old woman and a 76-year-old woman. Cops say 2 others were also seriously injured.

Cops say Green sustained minor injuries from the incident.

According to the police report, witnesses told cops Green threw a container over the highway barrier after the crash ... which cops say was a metal grinder with weed inside.

The report also says Green -- who wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash -- had a bag of cocaine in the front seat of his car.

Cops claim Green showed signs of being drunk -- he had slurred speech and smelled like booze -- and toxicology tests showed he had alcohol and drugs in his system.

Green is now facing a slew of criminal charges -- including multiple felony manslaughter counts -- and faces serious prison time if convicted.

UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman says he's SHOCKED Colby Covington agreed to take a fight with Robbie Lawler in August instead of waiting for a title shot ... saying, "This kid f*cks it up again!"

Usman -- who's recovering from double hernia surgery -- tells TMZ Sports he was REALLY hoping his first title defense would be against Covington ... a guy he HATES with a raging passion.

So, when Colby agreed this week to fight Lawler -- Kamaru says he was massively disappointed.

"I said from the start this was gonna be his fight to mess up," Usman says ... suggesting Covington took the fight for a quick paycheck to pay off gambling debts.

"Those gambling debts might have caught up to him!"

Usman says his fingers are crossed hoping Dana White gives him the Covington fight at some point because "there's no one right now I would love to punch more or hurt more than him."

Of course, Usman and Covington have been beefing for months -- and almost threw down for real in a Vegas casino back in March.

Meanwhile, Usman says he's recovering well after surgery and plans on fighting again in November -- and if he doesn't get Colby ... he'd love a crack at Ben Askren.

Remember, Ben mercilessly mocked Usman by calling him "Marty from Nebraska" leading up to Kamaru's title fight with Tyron Woodley.

Usman says it's time for a little payback.

6/26 10:02 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained dispatch audio from the incident in which you can hear a law enforcement official tell officers, "BJ Penn is back there trying to fight everybody. No weapon."

When cops arrived to the scene, the officers told dispatch Penn had "ran off" and was no longer at the club.

8:31 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops DID, in fact, respond to the club after receiving a call about an "argument at an adult night club."

However, we're told Penn was NOT arrested -- and a warrant for his arrest has not been issued.

In fact, we're told the victim has not come forward to police and cops are not currently investigating.

It's possible the victim could still go to cops ... but seems unlikely at this point.

In other words, they scrapped and it's over.

UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn got into a fight with a bouncer at a strip club in Honolulu late Monday night ... with the altercation spilling onto the street ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

We spoke with the owner of Club Femme Nu who told us Penn was escorted out of the bar around midnight because he was acting "very drunk."

While the 40-year-old MMA legend was being escorted out, things turned physical -- and Penn began to fight the door guy.

Multiple witnesses watched as Penn -- a former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion -- smothered the door guy to the ground and took control over the other man. At one point, you can see Penn shoving his forearm into the other man's throat.

Several men can be heard asking B.J. to stop fighting and let the guy up -- but he never does.

One of the bystanders finally decides he's seen enough and begins punching Penn in the head in an attempt to end the fight ... but the other men call him off, so B.J. and the bouncer can finish their fight 1-on-1.

Eventually, someone calls the cops and we're told several squad cars arrived at the scene -- but B.J. had already left the premises by the time the officers got there.

Attempts to reach Penn for comment were unsuccessful.

"Justin Bieber seems like a wimp" -- UFC star Ben Askren.

Yep, the biggest stars in the UFC are well aware of the possible Tom Cruise vs. Justin Bieber superfight ... and top-ranked welterweight Ben Askren is already picking a winner.

"I'm gonna say Tom Cruise," Askren says ... "Like, Tom Cruise at least seems like he's probably been through some sh*t."

As we previously reported, Bieber's rep, Scooter Braun, recently told Dana White he'd be down to fight FOR REAL if Tom signs on ... and Dana says it would be the biggest Pay-Per-View fight of all time.

Ben agrees ... "That would make a whole bunch of money!"

Meantime, Askren has his fight to worry about ... he's throwing down with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 on July 6.

But, if 56-year-old Tom Cruise does agree to fight 25-year-old Bieber, Askren says he'd be down to train the 'Mission Impossible' star ... and he's already got a game plan for him.

"All I'd teach him is [the double leg takedown] and then beat his ass ... little typewriter action on his face!"