UFC

Did Michael Bisping fight in the UFC -- and win -- with a prosthetic eyeball???

That's the question everyone has been asking ever since Bisping revealed his right eyeball is a fake. And, when we saw him at LAX this week, we asked him straight-up.

Of course, Bisping suffered a detached retina from a brutal head kick during a 2013 fight with Vitor Belfort -- and has said vision in his right eye was pretty much "non-existent" ever since.

It's interesting because Bisping fought 11 TIMES in the UFC after the injury -- including winning the UFC middleweight belt with a victory over Luke Rockhold in 2016. But, Michael's never revealed WHEN his right eyeball was surgically removed.

So, Bisping ... did you secretly fight with a glass eye????

"Don't worry about it! Don't worry about it! All you gotta worry about is that I won the belt," Bisping told us with a grin on his face ... "It doesn't matter!"

But, it kinda matters ... we spoke with the California State Athletic Commission, and a rep tells us had they known Bisping had a glass eye before the Rockhold fight, he wouldn't have been licensed.

"A fighter with a glass eye would not be able to be licensed in California. Prosthetics aren’t specifically called out in the code specific to vision, but it would definitely fall under section (g) any other visual condition. Aside from the issues with depth perception and peripheral vision, we couldn’t put somebody in a match where there’s a danger that they could lose their only remaining eye."

However, CSAC says Bisping went through a thorough examination -- including a doctor who examined his eye -- and he was cleared.

Badass fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu royalty Kron Gracie tells TMZ Sports he never wanted to choke people for a living ... he was about kickflips and ollies until a tragedy changed the course of his life.

Ya gotta understand who Gracie is ... his dad's Rickson Gracie -- regarded as one of the greatest BJJ practitioners ever -- and his grandfather's Helio Gracie -- who literally invented BJJ.

But, when he was growing up, he told us he had no interest in fighting.

"When I was younger I wanted to skateboard. I liked skateboarding. I had like little skateboard sponsorships and surfing, and that was all fun to me. I had no real interest in jiu-jitsu. As a young kid, it was kinda just the family business."

Then Kron says tragedy struck the family.

"I had an older brother who had passed away. So, once he passed I was the only boy left in the family, and it kinda put all the pressure on me, and I wanted to keep the family legacy going and I wanted to keep my dad proud."

"I wanted to give my dad a son who was a champion, and I wanted to make my brother proud and I had all the resources to do such. So, it would be stupid and ignorant to not do what I did."

The 31-year-old undefeated fighter's path to that championship runs straight through Cub Swanson this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 161.

Derek Brunson trained with Jon Jones ... and fought Israel Adesanya, so who'd the UFC star tell TMZ Sports would win in a fight???

Jon Bones Jones.

"I kinda know who would win the fight. Jon Jones would be a little bit too much," Brunson says.

"Jon is a high IQ fighter. So, really the chance of Izzy winning that fight is really catching him and hurting him, and Izzy got the finish in this fight, but he's not really a power guy, he's more of a TKO guy."

"He's gonna put some punches together. But Jon's big, strong, and he's gonna figure it out."

Jones and Adesanya have beef ... it all started when Izzy told us he was a G.O.A.T. killer earlier this year. Jon responded ... and the rivalry's only intensified since ... and both guys say they want to fight.

Brunson is down to watch the 2 champs battle ... but he also wants another crack at Adesanya himself.

Izzy stopped Brunson with a flurry of punches and kicks at the end of the 1st round when they fought in November 2018.

Dana White says reports that UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk was in danger of missing weight for her main event fight this weekend are COMPLETE BS ... and says she's good to go!!

Jedrzejczyk is fighting Michelle Waterson in Tampa on Saturday -- but there were several reports that the fight was in jeopardy over questions about Joanna being able to make the 116-pound weight limit.

White says UFC's network partner, ESPN, fueled the misinformation -- and he's FIRED UP about it.

"This is madness!!!" White says... "Yesterday, my partner, ESPN, put up on their ticker tape Joanna Jedrzejczyk didn't make weight. The weigh-ins are today!!!"

Both Joanna and Michelle DID make weight and the fight is good to go.

We asked Dana why he thinks there were questions surrounding Joanna's weight -- and he chalked it up to "head games" the veteran fighter was playing on her opponent.

"What has been happening is there has been some head games going on between two veterans who are fighting in the main event in a fight that is very important in both of their careers and to see who gets the next title shot."

"And, all these MMA suckers fall for it because they're hearing things behind-the-scenes."

Undefeated UFC star Mackenzie Dern just made weight and is set to fight on Saturday ... just 4 months after she gave birth to her first child!!!

We did the math (hey, numbers are hard) ... and it's only been 124 days since 26-year-old Mackenzie became a mom. She gave birth to her daughter, Moa, on June 9.

Think about that ... not only did Mack have to recover from the toll that pregnancy and delivery takes on your body, but then she began to train for a FISTFIGHT with a world class opponent almost immediately.

Dern -- who's 7-0 as a pro MMA fighter -- just hit the scales for the official weigh in for UFC Fight Night 161 in Tampa, Florida ... and came in at 115 lbs, a perfect number for her weight class.

Mackenzie -- who's known as one of the top female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners -- is set to face Amanda Ribas, who did NOT give birth 4 months ago!

And, get this, according to Vegas odds ... Dern is still the slight betting favorite ... you have to put down $145 to win $100.

FYI, Mackenzie's baby daddy is Brazilian pro surfer Wesley Santos ... so that kid is gonna be freakishly athletic!!!

Conor McGregor strolled into court in Ireland on Friday to face an assault charge for punching a man in the face at a Dublin pub in April ... and the media was out in force!

The UFC superstar was decked out in a navy suit with a striped tie -- and didn't show any emotion on his face while he walked into the courthouse flanked by his lawyers.

Inside the courtroom, things weren't as exciting ... the judge granted McGregor's request to postpone the hearing until Nov. 1.

Irish officials say Conor will have to request a trial date or enter a plea during the Nov. 1 hearing, according to The Irish Times.

On the way out of court, Conor was quiet ... but you can hear people screaming, "McGregor!" as he walked to his car.

Tyron Woodley says his true love is boxing, and his dream match-up is Canelo Alvarez. Oh, and T-Wood says if he landed a power shot, it'd be lights out for the Mexican star.

The UFC superstar joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... when Tyron revealed that boxing -- and not mixed martial arts -- was his first love.

"All I wanted to do is box when I came up. I just started MMA at 23, so I felt I was a little old to start boxing at that age. But, since I was a kid, that's the only sport I've ever wanted to do. So, most of my training is boxing training."

And, just 'cause he hasn't officially stepped into the ring, doesn't mean Woodley couldn't knock high-level boxers on their asses.

"I still can box right now."

We asked Tyron for his dream match-up ... and it ain't Logan Paul.

"I want Canelo. I wanted Canelo. I want the number 1 guy."

Jon Jones is in a war of words with Israel Adesanya ... and UFC star Corey Anderson says there's a good reason why he's doing anything he can to avoid fighting Anderson.

TMZ Sports got Anderson -- 7th ranked UFC lightweight -- at a media event for his management company, Dominance MMA ... and we asked him about a prospective fight with Jones.

"At this point I think he's just trying to avoid me. I showed up to one of his autograph signings, he wanted to crack jokes and everything. So, I walked up to the fence to say something to him and he called security."

"He knows what it is. He knows I'm there. He knows I'm the real deal. He knows I'm gonna be the biggest threat."

Corey also sent a message to the light heavyweight champ ... "Mr. Jon Jones, go ahead, keep the throne warm for me, baby. Keep my seat hot cause I'm coming and I'm ready for it."

These guys clearly don't like each other, and Corey BADLY wants to fight Jones ... but before that can happen, he's got a fight with one of the biggest rising stars in the UFC, Johnny Walker.

Anderson and Walker are fighting at UFC 244 in November ... and he tells us he has 1 main objective.

Derail the hype train.

Every UFC superstar has an origin story -- a fight experience that convinced them they could brawl for a living ... and 5 of the toughest guys in the sport told their stories to TMZ Sports.

Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum and Ottman Azaitar joined the TMZ Sports crew for a 30-minute, no-holds-barred convo about everything from upcoming fights to real-life fight stories and how UFC fighters REALLY feel about Conor McGregor.

Gaethje walked us through how he's been trying to draw out Conor into a fight -- but the Irishman seems to be ducking him. He also wants a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Kamaru explained why his beef with Colby Covington is 100% real ... and why he wants to "separate him from consciousness" when they fight at UFC 245 on December 14.

Henry told us why he believes he's the greatest combat sports athlete of all time ... better than Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee and more!!!

Kelvin called out Israel Adesanya for a rematch ... and revealed for the first time that he was sick and way less than 100% when they fought the first time at UFC 236 in April.

Yo, POTUS ... got plans in December?? MMA legend Tito Ortiz has one wish for his fight against Alberto El Patron -- and that's for President Donald Trump to be there!!

Of course, The Donald and Ortiz go WAY back -- Trump's been a major UFC supporter since the early days. And, he even tapped the Huntington Beach Bad Boy to compete on Season 7 of 'Celebrity Apprentice' in 2008. He's remained tight with the First Fam ever since.

Matter of fact, 44-year-old Ortiz is texting buds with Donald Jr. and invited him to his Dec. 7 Combate Americas fight against the 42-year-old ex-WWE superstar.

Justin Gaethje is sick and tired of Conor McGregor ... telling TMZ Sports he's been trying to lock down a fight for months, but the Irishman just won't come to the negotiating table.

Gaethje says he's tried every trick in the book to draw him out for the past 7 months ... but it seems Conor has more interest in tweeting than fighting these days.

"He keeps tweeting he’s gonna fight. On planet earth, there's 2 people that will possibly fight him -- me or Dustin Poirier ... He either needs to go away or fight, and it’s me or Dustin."

In fact, Justin says there was a point where he honestly thought Conor had retired from MMA because the guy refuses to have serious negotiations about taking meaningful fights.

Gaethje says he's ready to fight RIGHT NOW -- but Conor won't respond to his texts, tweets and phone calls.

"I wrote him a message like f**king 7 months ago just trying to be his friend. I’ve tried every route. I’m trying reverse psychology. I’m trying to be his friend. I’m trying every f**king route that there is to draw this man out. And I can't draw him out. And he’s calling out Frankie Edgar. So, it’s a slap in the face to me, to all the lightweights, and to really the standard that we f**king do here."

Did you know Michael Bisping has a glass eye? Wanna see him pull it out of his face?!

Great!! Because that's exactly what the UFC Hall of Famer did on his podcast this week ... and it's AMAZING VIDEO!!!

"The Count" was explaining why he used to wear sunglasses so often during his fight career ... and then reached into his right eye socket and plucked out a prosthetic eyeball!

"That's why I used to wear f**king sunglasses, baby boy!!"

Of course, Bisping has spoken publicly about his eye issues over the years -- but it's unclear exactly when he got his replacement peeper.

UFC fighter Steven Peterson's spinning backfist was so vicious there's buzz it could be "KO of the Year" ... except the guy who landed the crushing blow says he doesn't deserve it.

That honor is reserved for Gamebred ... Peterson tells TMZ Sports.

"Man, I would love to get knockout of the year, but I can't beat Jorge Masvidal's knockout. You can't beat the flying knee knockout. I bet I'll get runner up, and I'm happy with that. I'm ecstatic to have runner up behind Jorge Masvidal."

Of course, Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee 5 seconds into their July fight.

Spectacular ... but so was Peterson's.

If you missed his fight, the 29-year-old featherweight switched off Martin Bravo's lights with a perfectly placed spinning backfist in the 2nd round at UFC Fight Night 159 Saturday night.

So, what was it like landing the perfect shot full force to the button of Bravo's chin???

Jeremy Stephens called Yair Rodriguez the homophobic f-word during a heated altercation at their hotel in Mexico just one day after their UFC fight fell apart ... and it's all on video.

In footage obtained by IndiscutidoLA, you can see Yair and his entourage approach Stephens in the lobby ... and while it seems harmless at first, things escalate quickly.

We heard Jeremy tell Yair "Let's run it back." Then, Yair says something about Jeremy's eye. Next thing we know, Stephens shoves Yair in the chest and all hell breaks loose.

Yair tells Stephens -- "F**king p***y, bro. You're gonna have to live with that for the rest of your f**king life."

Stephens replies, "Let's run it back."

Yair says the fight should have happened the day before -- "How bout yesterday?!?"

That's when Stephens hurls the f-bomb ... "You poked me in the eye, f****t. You poked me in the f**king eye."

Yair repeats the slur back to Stephens and continues to mock him.

Stephens says, "I'll see you soon motherf**ker. Trust me. I'll see you soon."

As we previously reported, Jeremy and Yair were the main event at a UFC fight on Saturday -- but the fight was called off after the first few seconds when Yair hit Jeremy with an accidental eye poke.

Lenny Dykstra is out. Screech is in.

TMZ Sports has learned Dustin Diamond has agreed to replace Lenny Dykstra and fight Bagel Guy Chris Morgan in a Celebrity Boxing match this weekend in New Jersey!

As we previously reported, Dykstra pulled out of the event this week because he's focusing on an unrelated lawsuit.

So, Celeb Boxing promoter Damon Feldman reached out to the former "Saved By The Bell" star and we're told 42-year-old Diamond agreed almost immediately!

Now, the fight is on ... the two will clash at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City on Sept. 28.

Screech is 6'0" tall and 45-year-old Morgan is listed at 5'0".

As for Bagel Guy, Chris Morgan has been training his ass off ... working with UFC stars like Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta.

Unclear if Dustin has been training but he's been involved with celeb boxing in the past -- fighting Ron Palillo -- aka Horshack from "Welcome Back, Kotter" back in 2002. Dustin won the fight after knocking Palillo down a few times.

Ya gotta think the experience will give Screech the advantage.

UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens says he got into a physical altercation with Yair Rodriguez the day after an eye-poke ended their main event ... all because Yair was talking trash.

By now, you probably know Saturday's main event was called off seconds after the opening bell when Yair accidentally struck Stephens in the eye with an open hand. The fight was officially ruled a no-contest. Sucks.

Stephens says he saw Rodriguez at the hotel in Mexico the next day ... and Yair was running his mouth about the eye injury while Stephens was hanging with his wife.

"If you're gonna come talk to me and talk sh*t, this is the street! It's a lot different. He's lucky I didn't break his jaw."

Stephens tells us his eye has been checked out by a doctor and expects to be cleared to fight soon ... and he'll be hitting up Dana White ASAP to get a rematch on the books.

"Let's run it back, baby" ... "I know how to beat you. I will beat you."

So, Jeremy says he got in Yair's face and shoved the guy ... essentially warning him to shut his mouth or else.