UFC

Seems a Dominick Reyes vs. Jon Jones rematch is on the horizon -- with UFC honcho Dana White saying DR earned a second crack at Jon after that legendary battle in Feb.

Oh, and another clue a rematch is in the works ... Dana had lunch with Dom's manager Tiki Ghosn in Bev Hills and yeah, they were definitely talking business!

Of course, Jon emerged victorious in his UFC 247 fight with Reyes -- though a bunch of fans and fight experts think the judges got it all wrong by giving Jones the unanimous decision.

So, what's the best way to settle things once and for all? LET 'EM RUN IT BACK!

Dana seems to be on board ... telling us, "I think [Reyes deserves a rematch]. You'd be crazy not to think he deserves a rematch."

Ghosn added, "I think there's a very good chance of that!"

As for Jones, he's got options -- but he seems to be the most interested in a fight with light heavyweight contender Jan Blachowicz.

There's more with Dana ... we also talked to the UFC boss about everything from Conor McGregor's next fight and a possible Khabib vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match.

Dana White says he could "give a s**t" if MMA fans bail on UFC over his friendship with President Trump ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's your problem, not mine."

Just last week, the UFC boss flew with POTUS to Colorado for a campaign rally -- where White even took the mic and fired up the crowd before Trump spoke.

When we saw White outside of Mulberry Street pizza in Bev Hills on Thursday, he told us how the whole thing came together.

"I wasn't really campaigning, he called me and asked me if I wanted to go to Colorado," White said ... "he said, 'Wanna go to Colorado?' So, I said, 'Yeah.' So, we flew over to Colorado for the day and then back to Vegas."

So, what did they talk about on Air Force One?

"We were just hanging out and talking fights."

"I can't say it enough. This guy, when I say this guy I'm talking about President Trump ... is such a good friend and such a loyal amazing guy. He's a great guy, been a friend of mine for a long time."

As for backlash from UFC fans upset with White for supporting Trump, Dana made it clear he doesn't care if the friendship rubs people the wrong way.

"I could give a s**t. I don't give a s**t. If you don't like me because I'm friends with this guy, that's your problem, not mine."

There's more ... Dana is also very close friends with Tom Brady -- so we asked White if he knows anything about where TB12 could end up next season?!

The good news ... Dana and Tom spoke just hours before this clip!!

Undefeated UFC rising star Movsar Evloev has officially pulled out of UFC 248 ... after the fighter says he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle -- and the injuries are GROSS!!

The 26-year-old Russian was slated to fight Jamall Emmers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 7 -- a big opportunity since that card is loaded with big names like Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero, Weili Zhang, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and more.

Regarding the crash, the details are unclear -- no word on where it happened or if anyone was arrested. But, it's clear Evloev is lucky to be alive.

Evloev's management team posted a pic of his injuries showing pretty bad road rash all over his left side ... especially to his back, shoulder and arm.

Obviously, Evloev's injuries are too severe to compete in less than two weeks -- so he's off the card. Giga Chikadze will take Evloev's place in the fight against Emmers.

Khabib Nurmagomedov says Conor McGregor's victory over Cowboy Cerrone was LAUGHABLE -- claiming Conor shouldn't be praised for beating a washed-up old man.

It's clear the hatred between Khabib and Conor is still VERY real -- with the Dagestani superstar taking shot after shot at Conor and Cowboy while hyping up his April 2020 fight against Tony Ferguson.

Khabib says Tony is a tougher opponent than ANYONE he's fought in the past -- especially Conor -- and that's when he lit up McGregor for agreeing to fight Cerrone back in January instead of a more worthy fighter.

"He's not high level," Khabib said about Cowboy ... "Of course he has a big name, but his time is finished."

Of course, Conor destroyed Cowboy in just 40 seconds. Cowboy didn't even land a shot.

"Cowboy always loses all his main event fights, always. I don't remember when he win. In last 10 fights, I think he's lost 7 times."

For the record, Cowboy -- a surefire UFC Hall of Famer -- has lost 6 of his last 10 fights ... 7 of his last 11.

Khabib says Conor is simply ducking tough fighters like Justin Gaethje because he simply doesn't want that smoke.

Meanwhile, Khabib says he's laser-focused on making his legacy by fighting the very best guys around ... and Tony Ferguson checks all the boxes. The two are set to throw down at UFC 249 on April 18.

"I compete with guys like Barboza, dos Anjos, Conor, Poirier, Iaquinta. All of these guys not tough like Tony Ferguson."

UFC superstar Israel Adesanya admits he took the trash talk too far by using a 9/11 reference about Yoel Romero ... and now he's apologizing.

Adesanya was promoting his upcoming clash with Romero at UFC 248 when he told the media ... "I'll touch him enough times and eventually he'll crumble like the Twin Towers."

Obviously, 9/11 similes don't go over with the public -- and the backlash was swift and severe.

But, Sunday night, Adesanya apologized for the comment -- explaining he didn't mean to disrespect anyone ... he just screwed up.

"I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11," Adesanya said.

"I was simply rambling and my brain worked faster than my mouth in a moment to chose the wrong euphemism."

"You speak on the mic enough times and you're bound to miss the mark with some bars. I did on this one and for that I'm sorry."

Henry Cejudo says he's "dumbfounded" that Conor McGregor thinks he deserves a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov ... telling TMZ Sports the guy needs to shut up and fight Justin Gaethje to prove he's worthy!

The UFC's reigning flyweight and bantamweight champ went off on Conor -- WITH JUSTIN -- saying McGregor is a bad guy who doesn't deserve a title shot without going through a quality opponent first.

And Henry thinks Gaethje is the PERFECT dance partner.

"Yeah, that man likes to sucker punch the elderly," Cejudo says about McGregor ... "Yeah, that man  does terror attacks in our country and he thinks he can get the next title shot with Khabib."

"I know Khabib. Khabib's a man of honor and integrity. Everything that you're not, he is."

"But I got somebody that you could fight, to eventually fight for that title that you want ..."

Enter Gaethje ... who had some tough talk of his own.

"Triple C, the man is not going to fight me. What the f*ck do you gotta do?! He's running out of easy fights. I'm sitting here, smoking my CBD. Waiting for a motherf**ker to punch me in the face. Let's go, quit being a p***y!"

Cejudo added ... "Damn, there you go McGregor. Sign the contract."

Dana White is going to bat again for his pal Donald Trump ... stepping to the podium at POTUS' campaign rally Thursday and saying, "We gotta win this election again!"

The UFC honcho and Trump have been great friends for years ... and when No. 45 invited White to speak at his event in Colorado Springs, Colo. this week, Dana jumped at the opportunity.

White flew on Air Force One with DT ... and when Dana stepped to the podium in front of thousands of Trump supporters, he raved about his longtime buddy.

"I've known this man for 20 years," White said. "We’ve actually become even closer since he's become the President of the United States."

White added, "This guy is so loyal and such a good friend. Every time I see him, I saw him today, when I met him on Air Force One, the first thing he said to me is, 'How is your family?'"

Dana continued, "I see a lot of things from Mr. Trump that the public doesn’t see, and the people who surround me every day see how this man treats me as a friend and other people he's friends with."

"He's a fighter, he loves this country, he's doing great things for this country, and we gotta win this election again, ladies and gentlemen!"

Of course, White's public support for Trump is nothing new ... Dana spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016 when Trump was officially nominated.

Conor McGregor WILL get a victory in a rematch with Khabib ... so says Becky Lynch, who tells TMZ Sports she believes Conor's got a whole new strategy for The Eagle!!

"I think he's been working," the WWE superstar says. "You saw it in the last fight. He's got a new game plan, his head is firmly in it and I think he wins it."

Becky admits she is biased -- she's from Ireland, after all -- and tells us, "Of course I'm going to say me countryman!"

But, The Man clearly believes Conor's got a real shot regardless.

"I think he's got that dedication," Becky says. "He backs it up, man. He backs it up."

The last time Conor and Khabib squared off in the Octagon ... things didn't go so well for the Notorious, who lost after he tapped out in the 4th round.

And, it remains to be seen if Khabib will even get in the cage a second time with Conor ... he just said earlier this month he wouldn't fight McGregor again for $100 MILLION!!!

Wanna see one of the baddest females in the world nearly choke the life outta a TMZ employee?!?

We thought so.

29-year-old Bellator champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane came through the TMZ office ... and naturally our in-house crash test dummy, Lucas Widman got a one-on-one demo of her triangle choke.

Lucas -- who's faced MMA stars like Jon Jones, Paige VanZant and Brian Ortega -- tapped QUICK ... like Chris Johnson's 40-time quick.

No shocker there ... Macfarlane is a killer in the cage -- the 29-year-old is an undefeated 11-0.

The crazy part ... Ilima-Lei sat down with Michael J. Babcock and told him she only got into MMA a few years ago, so she could drop weight she put on during college.

Little did she know she'd turn into one of the best damn fighters in the game.

Ninja, ZeRo, Ronda Rousey???

Yep, the WWE Superstar just inked a deal with Facebook Gaming ... and Rousey is set to stream exclusively on FB.

Ronda made the announcement on Thursday ... saying, “Gaming has always been a huge part of my life, and I can’t wait to share that passion with my millions of fans on Facebook Gaming. Through my streams, people can hang out with the real me, not the ‘character’ version of myself they’re used to seeing, though the ‘Rowdy One’ can’t always be contained.”

“In recent years, games have been a great way for me to keep my mind active when my body is too sore or tired to move."

"One of my favorite gaming memories happened when I was 11 years old and encountered an Articuno on Pokemon Blue for the first time. I was awestruck and thought she looked like an angel," Rousey says.

"Looking back at that same image now, I’m amazed how powerful our imaginations can be and how gaming encourages us to imagine what our reality could be instead of just accepting it for what it is—a skill that has helped me in my fighting and entertainment careers countless times.”

Facebook has been heavy into gaming lately ... signing some of the biggest gamers to 7-figure deals -- and they obviously see Ronda as someone with a huge audience and credibility as a gamer.

Remember, Rousey is in Mortal Kombat 11 ... where she plays the iconic character, Sonya Blade.

More trouble for former UFC star BJ Penn ... the fighting legend is reportedly under police investigation for DUI after crashing his truck in Hawaii last week.

Police in Hilo tell Big Island Now, Penn was driving a black Toyota Tacoma pickup at around 7 PM on Feb. 7 when it crashed along a main highway.

Cops say a 911 caller indicated 41-year-old Penn had been speeding ... and say the crash was gnarly, with the truck losing control and flipping into an area near a mall.

TMZ Sports has learned Penn was taken to the hospital after the accident ... but we're told he's okay and was released shortly after.

Puna Patrol Cpt. Ken Quiocho says the investigation into Penn for possible drunk driving remains open.

It's the latest in a string of recent issues for Penn ... who was at the center of TWO street fights in Hawaii the last couple months. Most recently, he got knocked out in a slug-fest outside the Lava Shack on the Big Island in a fight captured on video.

Things have gotten so bad for Penn, at least optically, UFC honcho Dana White said he will never allow Penn to fight again in his league.

"What I saw in that video was sad," White said of the footage of Penn brawling in the Hawaii streets ... "And, I love the kid and I hope he gets his life together."

"If BJ Penn needed me, all he needs to do is pick up the phone and ask."

Jon Jones would take the first REAL L of his fighting career if he stepped in the WWE ring with Roman Reigns ... so says the wrestling superstar himself!!

"It would be a hell of a fight," Reigns tells TMZ Sports. "But when it comes to the squared circle, I don't think there's anybody better in the world [than me]. So, yeah, I feel VERY comfortable being in the ring with Jon Jones."

Of course, a WWE scrap between the two massive fight stars is now a possibility because Jones just told Sports Illustrated this week a move to the squared circle at some point is "inevitable."

When we got Reigns out at L.A.'s new Sofi Stadium (the home of WrestleMania 37 in 2021!!), he told us he would LOVE to be a part of a bout with the UFC legend in the future.

"Oh, for sure, man," Roman says. "Someone like Jon Jones, I mean, if you're going to step in the WWE ring, you're most likely going to want to step in there with the big dog."

As for how Jones would fare outside of a match with Reigns ... Roman says he believes Jon's got a chance to be a real superstar in the WWE.

By the way, Reigns also gave some advice to Dwayne Johnson's daughter, Simone Johnson, who's now training to be a WWE Superstar.

Roman tells us he'd like to see her blaze her own trail with the future of her character, as opposed to following in the footsteps of "The Rock" ... saying, "It's better to create your stuff."

Corey Anderson has zero love for Jon Jones, but he's pumped the UFC star beat Dominick Reyes ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports now he'll be the first to take down the MMA legend.

Anderson -- the #5 ranked UFC light heavyweight -- is taking on Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 167 on Saturday ... and if Corey wins, there's a great chance the prize is Jon.

We talked to Anderson about Jones vs. Reyes ... and the LHW title contender says he totally understands why a lot of people think Jon lost, but he's happy as hell he got the W.

"While I was watching I was like, 'Man, I could lose the opportunity to be the one that beats Jon.'"

Anderson continued ... "At the end, I’m happy that Jon got the win because I get to be the one to dethrone him. I knew if Dom would’ve won, they would do the rematch. And I'd have to wait for that."

FYI -- Jon's one and only (controversial) loss came against Matt Hamill in 2009 ... when he was disqualified for throwing illegal elbows. Jones was dominating the fight.

Corey says he believes Dom exposed Jon ... and when he eventually faces the champ, he'll hand him an even more severe beating.

"Like I said when I saw it going on, my mindset was, 'yeah, I knew he was beatable.' I was the one who always said, 'I know I can beat Jon.' I know ways to beat him, I see the holes. I see what you gotta do to beat him, and Dom went out there, did pretty much a lot of it."

Jon Jones LOVED the first fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov -- but tells TMZ Sports if they run it back, expect another long night for the Irishman.

It's no secret Conor desperately wants a second crack at Khabib after he tapped out at UFC 229 back in Oct. 2018. Khabib recently said he has no interest in giving that "idiot" a rematch.

But, chances are it's more likely to happen than not -- so we asked Jon Jones who he'd pick if they do it again.

"If I would put my money on it, I'm definitely going with Khabib," Jones said ... "For sure."

"I think the cards are always kind of in Khabib's hands. But, Conor definitely has a chance."

Jon says he believes wrestlers typically have the advantage since they can dictate if the fight goes to the mat or not -- and obviously, Khabib has the superior ground game.

Dance it out before you punch it out!!!

That's what UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero did on Friday when they came face to face at a media event in Houston!!!

The two middleweights are set to throw down at UFC 248 on March 7 -- so tensions were high when they both took the stage for a stare-down.

There was trash talk. There were mean mugs. And, then -- out of nowhere -- there was a dance battle!!!

Adesanya busted out some cool moves -- but Yoel busted out a full BACK HANDSPRING!!!

Just as Israel was getting ready to respond with another round of moves, Dana White got involved and chilled them both out ... 'cause nobody wants to see an injury!!!

Israel has become one of the most entertaining fighters in all of MMA -- remember, he busted out a choreographed dance routine during his walk out to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 back in October.

The dance only makes us think ... HOW GREAT IS THE UFC 248 WALK OUT GONNA BE?!?

UFC rising star Katlyn Chookagian says she's gonna whoop Valentina Shevchenko and snatch her belt ... and after that, she's got her eye on Amanda Nunes.

TMZ Sports talked to 31-year-old Chookagian (13-2) last week in NYC ... and the #1 ranked UFC strawweight (125 lbs.) laid out her blueprint for taking over women's MMA.

Step 1 ... beat Shevchenko at UFC 247 this weekend, which would be massive considering Valentina hasn't lost a fight since her war with Nunes in 2017.

"Obviously I'm gonna hear, 'And new!'" KC says.

"No matter where it goes, I'm better than her standing and on the ground. So wherever it goes, I'm gonna be dominant."

Katlyn also says she's down to move up a weight class and fight Amanda Nunes next ... in what could be a chance to be the UFC's next "champ champ."

"The good thing is that I fought at 135 [lbs.]. I fought there before and I won. I feel comfortable."

"125 [lbs.], I feel like a killer, and I feel bigger. But, I fought [at 135 lbs.] before and I'm comfortable there. Win this fight, I would definitely consider going up."

Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest female MMA fighter EVER -- with wins over legends like  Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, Miesha Tate and Holly Holm.

But, Chookagian ain't scared -- saying if Nunes is still the champ, she's down to scrap.