UFC

Tito Ortiz's love for the Trump family is definitely mutual -- with the UFC legend getting invited to hang with the President after a private lunch with Don Jr. and Eric Trump.

Tito's camp tells TMZ Sports ... Eric personally reached out to Tito last week when he heard the MMA superstar was in New York -- and the two sides quickly arranged a lunch date at Trump Tower.

"Secret Service walked us through crowds to a private room in Trump's restaurant," Tito's rep tells us.

"They talked fights and politics before Donald Jr. came down to join before heading off to a campaign event."

UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk says Dana White is right ... she intentionally misled the media to think she was in danger of missing weight before fighting Michelle Waterson as part of a "mental game" to mess with her opponent.

"It was a head game, mental game," Joanna tells TMZ Sports ... "Everything work out so good. I was not even close to missing the weight."

Remember, Dana White blew up at the MMA media -- including ESPN -- claiming reports suggesting Joanna's main event fight this past Saturday was in jeopardy were just wrong.

There were stories that Joanna was coming into fight week heavy and if Waterson didn't accept a catchweight, the fight would be called off.

But, Joanna says she was never in danger of missing weight ... adding, "We should trust Dana always!!!"

In the end, Joanna DID make weight and dominated Waterson -- despite badly injuring her right foot in the 2nd round of their 5-round war.

Shockingly, Joanna says she was just informed the foot is NOT broken -- and she'll get back to training soon to get ready for a strawweight title fight with Zhang Weili.

Meantime, Joanna is chillin' on the beach in Miami -- enjoying the fruits of her labor.

MMA fighter Luis Peña -- aka "Violent Bob Ross" -- tells TMZ Sports the time has come to renegotiate his contract with the UFC ... and he's confident he's gonna get it.

We spotted the 26-year-old after he landed at LAX on Sunday following a controversial split decision loss to Matt Frevola at 'UFC Fight Night' on Saturday ... and it's clear Pena thinks he got robbed.

Pena points out that Frevola trains in Tampa -- where the fight went down -- and he suggests there may have been some "small-town bias" affecting the judges' cards.

Pena stormed out of the Octagon after the judges announced the decision -- and Luis admits he was heated and pissed off, and let his emotions get the best of him.

"At the end of the day, it's on me for not going out there and finishing the fight," Pena says.

Still, Pena (7-2 as a pro) is not only a good fighter -- but he's entertaining -- and it seems the UFC appreciates it. Pena says UFC exec Sean Shelby told him the company is ready to start talking about a new deal.

Seems obvious, but now it's official ... Dana White tells TMZ Sports Israel Adesanya's next opponent will be Paulo Costa.

Of course, Costa was sitting Octagon-side when Izzy knocked out Robert Whittaker last weekend at UFC 243 in Australia ... and the two talked trash to each other after the fight.

So, when we spoke with White this week he told us the two fighters are on a collision course ... and if Israel emerges victorious, then we can start talking about Izzy vs. Jon Jones.

"The next fight is Paulo Costa. That's the fight to make next and if a Jon Jones fight is possible down the line, I like it!"

Israel and Jones traded shots on TMZ over the past few months -- Israel said he's a G.O.A.T. killer and Jon replied, "I'll make you call me daddy!"

Wanna see a walking work of art?? Just check out Cody Garbrandt's fresh ink ... 'cause the UFC star is giving TMZ Sports the breakdown on his new tattoo!!

Of course, No Love is no stranger to the needle -- he's got tats on his neck, chest and arms ... and now his back is fully covered with an epic gladiator-esque image!!

Cody tells us the whole process lasted about 25 hours ... so yeah, tat artist Nic Westfall at the Skull Museum is one patient cat.

Cody says the most painful part of the process was when Westfall got to his lower back, because he recently had stem cell treatment.

But, the craziest thing about this -- Cody says it didn't cost him a PENNY to get done ... the dude got the hookup because it's basically an ad for the artist whenever he fights in the Octagon!

We also talked UFC with the former champ ... and he says he'd be down to face off against Henry Cejudo .... after he got called out by Triple C!!

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."