UFC

Dana White says Conor McGregor's next fight will almost definitely be a rematch with Khabib ... and the result of the match will have a major impact on the legacy of both guys.

TMZ Sports talked to Dana White outside T-Mobile Arena in Vegas after McGregor DOMINATED Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone ... and asked the UFC honcho who the Irish superstar wants next?

"Conor wants Khabib. Conor always has a lot of options. He wants Khabib, that's the fight he wants, and we'll see what happens."

We then asked White who he wants Conor to fight.

"I think Khabib makes sense too."

Khabib is scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson in April ... and if the 28-0 fighter wins, that could set up the Nurmagomedov-McGregor rematch -- and it'd be HUGE.

The only snag? Khabib and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, have repeatedly said the Dagestani star will NOT rematch Conor.

But, Dana doesn't sound worried.

"Listen, Khabib has never turned down a fight. The guy's 28-0. He's one of the baddest dudes to ever do it," Dana tells us.

"This fight's important for his legacy too. When you start looking back at Khabib's career and if he goes undefeated and retires. You're looking at the names, and the names mean everything. He beat Conor McGregor. He beats Tony Ferguson. He beat Conor McGregor again. He beat this guy, that guy."

That's not all ... White also talked Floyd Mayweather -- who teased a Floyd-Conor II and Floyd-Khabib bout Saturday night -- and made it clear TBE still wants to fight.

Conor McGregor partied his face off in Vegas after beating Cowboy Cerrone in spectacular fashion.

Conor celebrated his win at Encore Beach Club, after entering the Octagon Saturday night after a 15-month hiatus. Conor did not disappoint ... a kick to the head in round 1 was all she wrote ... Cerrone went down and Conor pummeled him until the ref stopped the fight.

Fact is ... it's Conor's first victory since 2016, and he needed to win this one -- bad.

The fight -- at the T-Mobile Arena -- was sold out, with more than $11 million in ticket sales alone. Tons of celebs showed up, including Matthew McConaughey, Jeremy Renner, Dave Bautista, Tom Brady, Christian McCaffrey, Baker Mayfield, Myles Garrett and Jon Gruden.

As for the party ... Conor arrived at 1 AM and stayed until 4 AM.

Alex Volkanovski ain't done G.O.A.T. hunting ... 'cause the new UFC champ -- fresh off taking out Max Holloway -- tells TMZ Sports he's got his eye on another legendary fighter.

Khabib Nurmagomedov.

We were talking to the the 31-year-old featherweight champ when the convo moved to going up to 155 pounds ... and fighting the undefeated Daghestani superstar.

"I'm not going looking for these fights, but you'd be silly if it doesn't cross your mind," Volkanovski says.

"I'm the type of person, I'll look at all opportunities and I'll at least let me play in my head. Whether I think they're realistically happening anytime soon, alright, maybe not. But, I'm still gonna think about it."

Volkanovski continued ... "People will be like, 'He's trying to call out Khabib.' They can take it however they want, but if that opportunity comes ..."

"Again, my goal is to defend my belt in the featherweight division, we've got a stacked division, so I'm happy to defend it there. But, if that opportunity comes up, I'm not gonna lie, obviously I'll take it."

Alex is 21-1 as a pro -- and hasn't lost since 2013 (that's 13 wins in a row) -- so no shocker he believes he matches up great against Nurmagomedov.

"Let's be honest. I'm not an easy man to hold down. Me being short sometimes works in my favor. These little limbs get me up pretty easily. I'm very strong, I've got a very good base. And then, obviously, you know that I can strike."

Kamaru Usman says he'll whoop Conor's ass worse than Khabib ... and the beating will be so bad, McGregor might never fight again.

The beef heated up earlier this week at UFC 246 media event when "The Notorious" took aim at the welterweight champ, saying a Masvidal fight would be more entertaining 'cause Usman "has the similar style of Khabib, the sniff the jockstrap style."

Kamaru heard Conor ... and now he's firing back.

"Humans love the path of least resistance," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "Fair play to him, I'd say. Fair play to Conor. But, this jock sniffer will humble him even worse than Khabib has humbled him."

Of course, Nurmagomedov dominated Conor during their October 2018 bout ... ultimately forcing him to tap midway into the 4th round.

Conor McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone are scrapping tonight in Vegas ... but the real winner in the Octagon? That's Brookliyn Wren ... and all of us.

Meet Brookliyn ... who will be working the UFC 246 fight with Arianny Celeste, Brittney Palmer, Red Dela Cruz and the rest of the UFC's Octagon girls.

Wren -- who started with the UFC back in April 2017 -- has worked some of the biggest fights in the promotion's history ... including the October 2018 Conor-Khabib fight that spilled into the stands after McGregor tapped.

"The Notorious" returns to the Octagon for the first time since that night ... and while all eyes will be on McGregor, we have a feeling Wren might catch a few glances too.

Here it is ... Conor McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone stripping down and weighing in for their main event fight at UFC 246 -- and good news, they both made weight!

Conor and Cowboy both hit 170 on the dot -- perfect weight for their welterweight matchup Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The last time McGregor fought, he only weighed 155 to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title.

But now, he's moved up in weight and he looks pretty good -- big, strong and UFC doctors say he's in the best shape of his MMA career.

As for Cowboy, DON'T SLEEP ON THAT GUY -- Cerrone holds the UFC record for most victories, most finishes and most fight bonuses!

Both fighters will next attend the UFC ceremonial weigh-in -- which goes down later Friday in front of thousands of fans. It's usually a chaotic scene. We'll have the highlights for you right here.

The legend Chuck Liddell says he's pulling for a HUGE upset at UFC 246 this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports he's a big fan of Cowboy Cerrone and hopes he beats Conor McGregor!!!

As we previously reported ... Dana White says UFC doctors believe Conor is in the best shape of his life leading up to his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon.

But, Liddell ain't worried about any of that talk ... telling us at the California Strong celebrity softball game he thinks Cowboy will win if he controls the fight off the rip.

"I think if Cowboy comes out and convinces he was gonna take him down, get after him and get him guessin' whether or not you're gonna go up and down, I think Cowboy can do it," The Iceman says.

FYI -- the fight is going down at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 18 and can only be streamed on ESPN+ ... so we'll see if Liddell's right about his prediction.

BTW -- Conor and Cowboy faced off at their press conference on Wednesday ... and it turned into an all-out bro fest!!

Conor praised Cowboy's career and said he respects the hell outta his game ... and the two traded compliments on each others' outfits. Cute stuff.

Liddell doesn't think all hope is lost for Conor though ... saying, "If he lets Conor get comfortable out there and firing at will, he might get one and run into trouble."

He added, "[Conor's] always going to be tough. He's always a tough striker. People have their questions whether or not he's been having some struggling from some issues lately ... but I'm a big fan of Cowboy, hopefully, he comes out with a win."

The UFC is considering bringing back the BMF belt for another big fight -- and this time, it could involve Conor McGregor ... so says Dana White.

The guy who currently holds the BMF title is Jorge Masvidal -- who beat up Nate Diaz for 3 rounds at UFC 244 back in November.

So, what happens next? Nothing is certain but Dana gave us a quick update on some of the huge fights he's looking to make in 2020 ... including a possible BMF revival.

1) Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington Rematch?

Maybe. Dana says he was really impressed with the fight but knows it could be a while before Colby's broken jaw is healed and cleared for action.

2) In the meantime, Dana says he likes the idea of a Kamaru vs. Jorge Masvidal fight -- which could be AWESOME!

3) As for Jorge's BMF belt -- Dana told us, "Conor has talked about wanting a crack at that belt. Conor has talked about wanting a shot at that belt, too."

Dana doesn't want to get ahead of himself, but it seems pretty obvious a Conor vs. Jorge BMF showdown is on his mind.

4) Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic Rematch

Dana says, "That's the fight to make as soon as Stipe is healthy again." He's confident we'll see it in 2020, but no date yet.

5) Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero

"It's not a done deal, but that's the fight we're trying to make. Yes."

Of course, the first step is Conor vs. Cowboy at UFC 246 on Saturday (only available on ESPN+) ... which might be the friendliest main event ever!

Conor McGregor ain't exactly spewing venom -- he's complimenting the hell outta Cowboy Cerrone ... in what might be the NICEST press conference he's ever been in.

Not only did Conor arrive 15 minutes EARLY for the event (super unusual for McGregor) ... but when the opportunity presented itself to trash talk, he didn't launch the missiles he fired at guys like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Floyd Mayweather.

Instead, Conor praised Cowboy as a real accomplished fighter, a worthy opponent and an all-around good dude.

"Although there will be blood spilled on January 18th, it will not be bad blood," Conor said.

McGregor still predicted a knockout victory at the Palms Casino Resort ... but in the nicest way possible.

Conor was also asked if he was worried about getting banned from the United States due to his legal issues over the years, but the Irishman said he's all good and how grateful he is for the U.S.

McGregor also said he's cut out booze in preparations for the fight ... which means no beloved Proper 12.

Conor and Cowboy are set to throw down on Saturday night at UFC 246 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas (only available on ESPN+) ... that's when the compliments will end.

As for Cowboy, he returned the love!!!

"I'm looking forward to 4-5 rounds of battle with this man ... Conor's one of the last dying breeds of the last fighters, so it's good to be in there with him and really get in there and f**king give it all we got."

"So, yeah man, I'm going 5 rounds with this dude and I can't f**king wait 'til Saturday night."

The presser was a nice fest ... and even had a Chad Johnson appearance!!!

No, seriously ... the ex-NFL star put on his journalist hat with Bleacher Report and asked a question!!!

The guys even shared a moment over their style -- Conor complimented Cowboy's python suit and both fighters bonded over PETA coming after them.

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS MOVE ON ANYONE UNLESS YOU'RE A WORLD CLASS FIGHTER!!!

This is A.J. McKee -- one of the hottest young stars in MMA -- and he's REALLY good at submitting people.

So, when he came to the TMZ newsroom the other day, we had him put Lucas in the same crazy armbar he used beat Derek Campos at Bellator 236 in December ... and yea, it was AWESOME!

McKee is undefeated -- 16-0 as a pro -- with the most consecutive wins in Bellator history, including 5 wins by submission (the most in Bellator featherweight history).

Lucas -- who's locked horns with legends like Jon Jones, Brian Ortega, Henry Cejudo, Paige VanZant and Kayla Harrison -- offered himself up as a fight dummy for McKee and learned first hand what it's like to be in his grasp!

As for his fighting future, McKee is currently in the semi-finals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix ... where the grand prize is a $1,000,000 check!

We spoke with McKee about his career goals, dream fight ... and his favorite moments inside the cage.

Here's Colby Covington proving he's okay after having his face broken at UFC 245 ... playing a full basketball game just a little more than 3 weeks after breaking his jaw!

Colby hit up a Lifetime Fitness in Boca Raton, Fla. on Wednesday to get in a little rec-league run ... and while he wasn't exactly Michael Jordan on the court, he looked pretty good considering the injury he suffered on Dec. 14.

Remember, Covington's jaw was broken during his scrap with Kamaru Usman in a super violent welterweight title fight. Due to the injury, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has suspended him from fighting until at least Feb. so he can heal up.

But, Covington looked to be all right on the hardwood this week ... shooting jumpers, getting rebounds, playing defense and mixing it up in the paint.

In fact, one person who saw him play Wednesday tells TMZ Sports Colby didn't look beat up at all ... and other than a small cut near his eye, "he looked fine."

Covington himself told us the ball night went off without a hitch ... saying, "Basketball is great. You don't have to be good or in shape. Just woke. Ask LeBron."

Dana White was so impressed with the way a female Best Buy staffer beat the hell out of a suspected shoplifter, he's flying her to UFC 246 and wants to HIRE HER!!

The footage of 24-year-old Summer Tapasa went viral in December when she confronted a man at a Best Buy in Hawaii who allegedly stole an expensive speaker and blocked him from leaving the store.

Tapasa parted ways with Best Buy after the incident -- but their loss could be the UFC's gain, because White tells TMZ Sports he's on a mission to bring her into the UFC fold.

"That's the kind of person I want working for me," White said ... "You're crazy Best Buy! You shoulda kept her! I'm gonna steal her from you now!"

White says he's flying Summer to be his VIP guest in Vegas for the Conor McGregor vs. Cowboy Cerrone fight at UFC 246 ... and he's "dead serious" about possibly offering her a job during the event.

T-minus 8 days until the return of Conor McGregor ... and no one seems more excited than Conor himself!

Check out the Irish superstar in a pre-fight workout at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas earlier this week -- his energy is through the roof.

As we previously reported, Conor returned to America a few weeks before the January 18 bout with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone ... and he's been training like crazy.

During this week's workout session, Conor was bouncing around the gym while Notorious B.I.G. played in the background. At one point you can hear McGregor say, "I f**king love it!"

McGregor hasn't fought in the Octagon since his UFC 229 loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov in Oct. 2018.

Conor has said his main goal is to run it back with Khabib -- but Dana White wants him to EARN his rematch by getting through Cowboy first at UFC 246, only available on ESPN+.

Claressa Shields is getting a big-time assist in her possible MMA fight with Amanda Nunes -- PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS FROM JON JONES!!!

The planet's best female boxer tells TMZ Sports she's been in contact with the UFC superstar about some MMA lessons to get ready for a possible tilt with Nunes ... and it looks like those will all go down after Jones' fight with Dominick Reyes in February.

"He said after he fights, I could come down there a week or two and see how I feel doing MMA stuff."

Of course, if Shields had her way ... there would be no need for the workouts -- she wants a fight with Nunes to be strictly boxing only.

But, Amanda told us last month the only way she's getting in the ring with Shields is if it's an MMA fight ... so Claressa is taking the steps to get the ball rolling on that.

Shields says she's actually "excited" AND "scared" to begin learning the tools for the possible bout ... telling us, "I'm going to have to learn so much more stuff and I just hope that I like it."

As for what will happen when she feels her MMA skills are good enough to take on Nunes ... Shields says she expects that fight to be BIGGER than Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor!!

But before stepping in the cage ... Shields has a big time boxing match this Friday against Ivana Habazin in Atlantic City.

He's baaaaaaack!

Conor McGregor has returned to the U.S. -- he's got a fight here in 2 weeks -- and he's already hitting the ground running ... literally.

"Out running on the streets of Las Vegas today," McGregor said over the weekend ... "We are two weeks from fight night!"

"So great to be back on U.S soil."

Of course, McGregor is taking on Cowboy Cerrone at UFC 246 on January 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas in his first fight since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in Oct. 2018.

But, he's not coasting into the fight -- McGregor's been training since his arrival. In fact, Conor ran into UFC star Dominick Cruz during a session at the UFC Performance Institute.

Before this trip, we hadn't seen Conor in America since around the time he was being prosecuted for stomping on a cell phone outside of a Miami hotel back in March.

The Irishman pled not guilty and the charges were ultimately dropped after the victim stopped cooperating with police ... but it wasn't a good look for Conor.

Since then, CM's had other problems ... he punched a man in a bar in Ireland for no good reason during an incident in April and reportedly been investigated for 2 alleged sexual assaults in his home country. He adamantly DENIES the allegations in both cases.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is still adamant he's NOT considering a rematch with Conor McGregor ... despite what Dana White has been saying, this according to Khabib's manager.

White has been talking about a Conor vs. Khabib rematch for weeks -- telling BT Sport, "If Conor can get through [Cowboy Cerrone], and if Khabib can get through [Tony Ferguson], then we’d be looking at a rematch with Conor and Khabib down the line pretty soon."

So, when we saw Ali Abdelaziz out in NYC, we asked how Khabib felt about running it back with Conor ... and he made it pretty clear, the Dagestani ain't down.

"Conor is not on our radar," Ali says ... "He might lose to Cowboy. I think he might lose!"

Ali pointed out the first fight ... saying Khabib simply kicked Conor's ass for 4 rounds before making the Irishman tap out. He thinks Justin Gaethje is a better opponent for McGregor but has his own suspicions about why the UFC hasn't booked that fight.

"The UFC made the right choice not to fight Gaethje because he would have beat his ass, simple."

What's interesting is Ali -- who reps both Gaethje and Khabib -- says he thinks those two should fight it out one of these days because they're two of the best in the world.

In fact, we spoke with Gaethje about the possibility of a Khabib fight a few months ago ... and he says it's nothing personal, he just wants to fight the best.

As for Ali, he had one hell of a year in 2019 ... with clients like Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo and others winning belts and putting on great fights.

So, how can things get better in 2020? He's got a plan ...