UFC

Derek Brunson says Edmen Shahbazyan's corner absolutely made the correct decision NOT stopping their fight ... even though their fighter was bloodied and beaten.

36-year-old Brunson handed 22-year-old Shahbazyan the first L of his career at UFC Fight Night in Vegas last Saturday via a 3rd-round TKO.

But, many people believe Edmen -- who ate a flurry of heavy punches to end the 2nd-round -- shouldn't have been allowed by his corner, the ref, or the cage side doctor to come out for the 3rd round.

After the fight, even Dana White criticized the doctor for taking too long to make a decision between rounds ... and said the fight "could have been stopped."

There is at least 1 guy who thinks everyone involved made the right decision ... and that's Derek Brunson, who tells TMZ Sports Shahbazyan was still very much in the fight.

"I mean, of course, they have to [let Edmen continue]. They could of thought it was 1 to 1 [on the scorecards]."

Brunson continued ... "I thought I won both rounds but still, it was relatively close so you can't stop a fight there yet. It's one of those things in sports, you gotta suck it up at that point, ya know?"

Ref Herb Dean eventually stopped the fight only 26 seconds into the 3rd round ... giving DB his 3rd straight victory.

So, who does Brunson -- who was the 8th ranked UFC middleweight BEFORE his big win of ES -- want next?

"The best fight for me next is probably Jack Hermansson. Very tough guy, he's riding a hot streak. I seen him trying to pick fights with Darren Till, but that's not the fight. Me vs. Hermansson, that's the fight to make. I need to crack that top 5."

32-year-old Hermansson is coming off a super impressive 1st-round win over Kelvin Gastelum.

And after Hermansson? Brunson has his eyes on Israel Adesanya ... and he says this time will be very different than when they scrapped in 2018.

Conor McGregor says he "accepts" a fight with UFC rising star Khamzat Chimaev ... but calm down everyone, it's far from official.

Here's the deal ... Khamzat -- who's dominated in his first 2 fights in the UFC -- called out Conor, Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal on social media Thursday.

"I’m getting bored, please @danawhite give me @NateDiaz209 @GamebredFighter @TheNotoriousMMA same night," Khamzat tweeted.

"I can smash all these guys ... I’m not cocky guy I’m just confident. I understand if they don’t want to fight me."

Moments later ... Conor responded -- "I accept!"

Khamzat fired back with some sass -- "Beg me."

So, is this really gonna happen!?!?

We reached out to Dana White for some answers! Here's the situation ...

White says there's no official fight in the works for those two guys at the moment -- so we asked if it would be possible at some point down the line if the stars align?

Dana's response -- "Probably not but who knows?!"

Let's get real ... Conor has been gunning for rematches with Nate, Khabib and Floyd Mayweather -- which would probably take priority if he actually "unretires."

In the meantime, Dana says the UFC is working on putting together a different fight for Khamzat on August 29th, which would be his 3rd fight in a little over a month!!!

If you're unfamiliar, Chechen-born Khamzat is 8-0 as a pro MMA fighter -- and out struck his last two opponents 192 to 2!

THAT'S INSANE!!

So, hold your breath on Khamzat vs. Conor for now ... but don't give up hope.

By the way, Khamzat recently told us he'd "smash" Conor in the 1st round if they ever do fight. Dude definitely doesn't lack confidence!

"Send me location ... I come and smash your face!"

That's UFC rising star Khamzat Chimaev firing back at Conor McGregor -- after the Irishman insulted him on social media.

Here's they backstory ...

The 26-year-old Chechen-born fighter is 8-0 and has dominated in his first 2 fights in the UFC -- mauling prodigy Rhys McKee on Fight Island this past weekend just 10 days after dominating John Phillips.

And, get this ... Khamzat was only hit a total of TWO TIMES in both fights -- while dishing out 192 strikes of his own!!!

In fact, Khazmat's smothering violent style has earned him the nickname "Khabib 2.0" -- and just like Khabib, he's already in a real-life feud with Conor.

After Khazmat's victory over the weekend, Conor called him "rat lip" in a now-deleted Tweet -- but McGregor didn't pull it down quick enough!

Now, Khamzat says he would kill for a chance to shut Conor's mouth in the Octagon ... and he's begging Dana White for the opportunity.

"I can go smash [Conor McGregor]! If [UFC] give me, I would be so happy about that. It's easy fight for me."

"I don't see somebody can stop me. I gonna finish everybody. I gonna finish [Conor] first round. I promise you, I can finish him in 1st round."

He even delivered a message for Conor ...

"Lets fight! Don't talk, let's fight! If you're a real gangster, if you're a real man, don't talk on Instagram."

"Come in the cage, talk in the cage, say something to me. You sitting in Ireland and talk to me because I'm sitting in Sweden. We can meet in Abu Dhabi right now, Las Vegas"

Of course, Conor insists he's retired from MMA because he lost his love for the sport.

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy is making a major career change -- Tito Ortiz is now running for political office!!!

The UFC Hall of Famer has officially entered the race to become a City Council member in Huntington Beach where he was born and raised, TMZ Sports has learned.

There are 3 seats on the City Council up for grabs at the next election -- and Ortiz clearly sees an opportunity. He'll be on the ballot in November.

Tito's formal paperwork to enter the election does not designate a political party, but Tito has been a VERY vocal supporter of President Donald Trump for years. They're actually good friends.

Ortiz has championed Trump's positions on things like border security, immigration, law enforcement and more.

The 45-year-old had been mulling a career change for a while -- recently kicking around the idea of becoming a law enforcement officer. It's obvious he's been wanting to move into public service.

The City Council position would be a big deal for Ortiz -- the governing body "is the city’s legislative authority and sets the policies under which the city operates," according to the official city website.

The Council determines everything from budgets to services and policies.

Oh, and this is also important -- the Huntington Beach mayor is selected yearly from among the sitting council members.

So, in theory ... Ortiz could become the mayor if he plays his cards right.

SO MUCH TRASH TALK!!!

Jake Paul and Nate Robinson have signed the dotted line to fight in Sept. -- but they're already throwing verbal haymakers ... and the video is amazing!

23-year-old Jake is taking on the 36-year-old ex-NBA player on the undercard of the big Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight after a war that started on TMZ Sports.

Long story short ... Nate called out Jake after watching the YouTube star beat up a couple of social media influencers in his first boxing matches.

Jake saw Nate's comments and challenged him to put his money where his mouth is -- and he did! Fight date is Sept. 12 on PPV and the Triller app.

We spoke with both guys at the same time -- and right off the bat, the insults were flying!!!!

Jake called Nate a washed-up old man. Nate said Jake is a fraud who's never fought a real athlete.

In fact, Nate says he's gone up against NBA legends like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson -- and says Jake is a BUM compared to those guys.

Nate has never had an amateur or pro boxing fight -- and Jake says he's simply biting off more than he can chew.

"You're not ready, you haven't even sparred yet," Jake said. "you don't even know what it's like to spar, buddy."

"Shut up, Jake ... with your bird head ass," Nate barked back. "Listen, come September 12, bro, you said you was gonna knock me out. Just make sure you're a man of your word."

Jake added, "This is the only thing you have going for you ... where was Nate Robinson before this? ... I'm like a doctor with the shock pedals reviving your career!!"

Even Robinson's bud and ex-NBA star, Matt Barnes, got in on the fun ... saying he wanted to go after one of Jake's friends!!

The guys did settle down for a bit to talk about the opportunity to fight under legends like Tyson and RJJ ... and they both understand it's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"All the stars have aligned and it's honestly an honor to be a part of the Mike Tyson card," Paul tells us. "Like, seriously, a dream come true. I can't even believe it."

Nate says he's tapping Floyd Mayweather -- as well as other boxing greats -- to help him train for the big event.

"I've been working with guys like Floyd Mayweather out here in Vegas," Robinson says.

First Roy Jones Jr. ... then Conor McGregor?!

Mike Tyson says if the UFC superstar was his next opponent in his return to the boxing ring ... he'd beat the hell out of The Notorious -- saying, "I'mma kick his ass!"

Iron Mike went on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Monday to promote his new huge comeback fight with RJJ ... when Jimmy decided to play a little "Who Would Win?" game.

Rocky? Mike says he'd dominate. Ivan Drago? Tyson says he'd beat that ass too. Drago's too bulky and too damn slow.

As for McGregor? Mike says that'd be no issue ... as long as they played by boxing rules!!

The clip is funny ... Tyson says there IS one opponent who'd beat him -- the 'Karate Kid' -- saying, "I'mma have to surrender to him on this one."

By the way, a fight between Conor and Mike would almost certainly never go down ... the age gap (54 to 32) is huge, and the two are great friends these days. They even smoke weed together!

Terrifying news about UFC star Corey Anderson -- who's revealing he suffered massive facial injuries during a medical emergency back in February.

But, this story has a happy ending ... the UFC's #4 ranked light heavyweight has recovered and is cleared to fight again.

Here's the deal ... Anderson "blacked out and collapsed" on a gravel road on Feb. 21 -- less than a week after suffering a knock out loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night.

Anderson, who's a real outdoorsman, says he was scouting some land on Feb. 21st when something went wrong and he was raced to the emergency room for treatment.

Anderson says he spent 5 days in the ER with doctors trying to figure out what happened.

"All but one said it was [due] to major concussion and lack of water and food after hiking through the woods for hrs," Corey says.

"One doctor would tell me it was my heart ... that my heart had stopped beating and it could happen again but next time in a fight!!"

Anderson says the diagnoses hit like a ton of bricks -- "Instantly my wife's face [changed] and my emotions as well."

The 30-year-old says he continued to see doctors for months -- and underwent "2 very painful outpatient heart procedures to find more evidence to go along with that ONE doctor's notes."

"He had put a complete halt to my career as a fighter until it was clear my heart was safe to compete."

The good news ... Anderson says the recovery has been going well and last Monday he was cleared to fight again.

"As of last Monday night, I left hospital for the final time after my last procedure, with clearance note in hand, and the doctor telling me 'Congrats Mr. Anderson, I can let you go back to beating people up!'"

He adds, "This [whirlwind] 5 months have put ALOT of things into perspective and as a veteran fighter who in the past has just fought with reckless abandoned with no care for rest and mental health long as I can keep fighting. I advise you other fighters to look after your health."

Anderson continued to offer advice to young fighters ...

"If you took some big shots to your head in a fight or practice, take the proper time to recover. It took me having my son sitting there looking at me in a hospital bed to realize there is real life after fighting and I want to be here to enjoy it."

Anderson also thanked the UFC for helping him to get the medical care he needed.

Sorry, Conor McGregor ... Georges St-Pierre believes Royce Gracie -- not you -- is the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

And, he's praising the "UFC 1" champion for paving the way for everyone else!

"Royce Gracie is the one that really changed the sport," GSP tells TMZ Sports ... "[He] changed the entire belief system of what a real fight is."

Gracie is a LEGEND -- who famously won 3 FIGHTS IN A ROW IN THE SAME NIGHT at UFC 1 back in 1993.

The UFC events back then were tournament-style -- where winners advanced to another fight in the same night.

Oh, and weight classes weren't a thing back then either! So you had giant dudes fighting small dudes with basically no real rules.

Gracie went on to win UFC 2, UFC 4 and fought to a draw with Ken Shamrock in the championship fight at UFC 5.

Royce also popularized Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) -- which revolutionized the sport.

"We should never forget the guys that were there before us," GSP says ... "We should never forget about these guys. Like Einstein says, we stand on shoulders of giants. They've paved the way for us."

Gracie was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003.

Georges says Jon Jones is the best modern-era fighter -- but argues Khabib Nurmagomedov should be in the conversation as well.

Watch the video -- it's great.

There's more ... GSP also tells TMZ Sports about his new fitness program on TV.fit -- a "well-being application" that helps people get and stay healthy!

"There's programs for everybody or people that are older, yoga. There's also a book on mental health, there's a lot of things. It's a lot more than a fitness app and there's nothing like it on the market right now."

"I'm trying to go in there and try to break his face! That's it!"

That's Robert Whittaker's game plan to fight Darren Till -- and we gotta say, it's straight and to the point!

The two are set to clash on Fight Island on July 25th -- Whittaker's first fight since losing the UFC middleweight belt to Israel Adesanya back in October.

The goal for Robert is obviously to work his way back to a title shot -- but first, he's gotta get through Till, who's coming off a win over Kelvin Gastelum.

"I am so excited," Whittaker tells TMZ Sports ... "It is time to get back to work. I want to get in there, I want to test myself and get my direction."

So, what's the plan for Till?

"I'm gonna get in there and try and punch him as hard as I can!"

In other words, Whittaker just wants a brawl -- and we're here for it!

He even has a message for his opponent -- "I'm gonna crush your face! I hope you've been preparing because I have."

The Floyd Mayweather boxing comeback is back on -- he's actively looking for new exhibition fights after shutting things down earlier this year.

We broke the story ... Mayweather had previously been gunning for 2 fights in 2020 -- one against a pro boxer and one against an MMA star (he was really into the idea of Khabib Nurmagomedov).

But, some unforeseen circumstances changed those plans -- not just the COVID pandemic ... but Floyd was also crushed by the unexpected deaths of his uncle, Roger Mayweather, and Josie Harris, the mother of his children.

Back in March, Floyd was telling people close to him he wasn't in the right state of mind to focus on a comeback ... but now in July, he says he's ready for some exhibition fights in Japan.

"We’re working on some things right now for Tokyo," Floyd told Forbes ... "Whether 2020 or 2021."

The opponents are still up in the air -- but Floyd is making it crystal clear, these will be boxing matches and NOT mixed martial arts fights,

“No [I won’t compete in MMA],” Mayweather said -- "I think just like how winning teams receive home-field advantage in the playoffs ... you don't fix what isn't broken, and my record isn't broken.”

Floyd had previously teased the idea of an MMA fight -- and even began MMA training -- but ultimately decided, he'll stick to fists-only.

As for a Conor McGregor boxing rematch -- Mayweather says there's no deal in place, but he's keeping the opportunity open.

"For now, I'm happily retired. You never know, but it would have to be worth it,” Mayweather said.

Georges St-Pierre says he's VERY flattered by Kamaru Usman's call-out ... but he's just not ready to un-retire and get back in the Octagon.

"I think for me it's better if I stay retired," GSP tells TMZ Sports ... "It's not worth it for me."

Of course, GSP formally retired back in 2019 -- saying he wanted to leave while still on top (his last fight was a '17 victory over Michael Bisping).

But, 39-year-old GSP still trains like a maniac -- and people close to him say he's still in dangerous fighting shape.

In fact, UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman called him out earlier this month -- saying he would love to bait GSP out of retirement for one last fight before he truly rides off into the sunset.

But, St-Pierre tells us he's given it some serious thought ... and he just isn't feeling a comeback -- at least not right now.

"Sometimes I'm watching the fights and I'm like, 'Man I think I can beat these guys' or after when I'm done training I feel like I'm very confident," GSP says.

"But, after I go home at night and I'm thinking about all that crazy thoughts and I'm like 'I'm gonna be 40 years old soon, do I really wanna go back and do a hardcore training camp of 2 months? Put myself in jail so to speak and get ready for hell? I'm like, no I don't."

"I've done it for a very long time and unfortunately there's too many guys that retire too late and I do not want to be one of these guys."

"I'm very fortunate, I'm healthy most importantly and I'm also wealthy. I came out at the right time, I made a lot of money and I think the problems are when I matured and calculated the pros and cons, it's better that i stay retired."

GSP had nothing but praise for Usman -- saying the guy is one of the smartest fighters out there and has big things in his future ... but he's just not ready to throw down right now.

But, watch the whole clip ... St-Pierre says he's always willing to entertain an offer if the UFC calls him up.

"I've offered him a shot! I said, 'Hey if you want it, it's yours, you got it' and he was silent."

That's UFC champ, Kamaru Usman, telling TMZ Sports he TRIED to make a fight with Conor McGregor happen earlier this year ... but the Irishman was all talk.

"If Conor wants to put my name in his mouth, then come get some."

Kamaru is on a TEAR right now -- running through some of the top fighters in the welterweight division including Tyron Woodley AND Jorge Masvidal.

Conor -- who's won UFC titles at 145 lbs and 155 lbs -- has flirted with the idea of fighting for that 170 lb welterweight belt, but Kamaru says when push came to shove, Conor didn't want the smoke.

"[A Conor fight is] just a lost cause," Usman says ... "because we both know Conor -- the only time Conor gets up to the welterweight division is if he's able to pick and choose lightweights with double-digit losses that he can pick off and not have to cut weight to get down to lightweight."

"If Conor wants a piece at welterweight, he knows who the king of the division is. I'm not going anywhere! I'm right here!"

There was also talk about a possible Conor McGregor vs. Masvidal matchup down the line ... so we asked Usman who would win that fight.

"Honestly, I don't know and truthfully I don't really care. At this point in my career, I'm just worried about me."

Usman says his focus is on getting back into the Octagon and fighting the best in the world -- noting he's still hoping he can lure Georges St-Pierre out of retirement!

Khabib Nurmagomedov is NOT retiring from MMA, despite reports to the contrary -- and he WILL fight Justin Gaethje before the end of 2020, so says his manager.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz, who manages both Khabib and Justin -- and he tells us straight-up, both guys are on board.

"We have a blockbuster main event [Khabib] versus Justin Gaethje. Two of the best lightweights in the world today in the recent era."

There have been questions about Khabib's fighting future ever since his father passed away from COVID earlier this month.

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wasn't just Khabib's father -- he was also his coach, mentor and best friend.

"Everybody understands how close Khabib and his father were," Ali says ... "We lost something very important and the UFC's been so awesome, especially Dana. He's been communicating with Khabib, the whole team has been amazing."

Ali says Khabib is "heartbroken" -- "but at the end of the day, Khabib's father has a legacy he wanted Khabib to accomplish."

In other words, Ali says Abdulmanap would WANT Khabib to continue fighting ... to share his talents with the world.

And, Ali believes Justin Gaethje is the perfect opponent.

"We see what Justin Gaethje did to his last opponent. He dismantled Tony Ferguson, he made him look an absolute amateur."

UFC rising star Amanda Ribas says Fight Island was one of the BEST experiences of her life -- telling TMZ Sports she was treated like a princess from the second she stepped off the plane!

Of course, 26-year-old Ribas flew to Abu Dhabi to take on Paige VanZant at UFC 251 -- and after securing an armbar submission in less than 3 minutes, OF COURSE SHE WAS HAPPY!

But, Amanda says Fight Island was a dream come true ... she was treated like a rock star from start to finish -- and LOVED the food, especially the desserts!

Ribas is 10-1 as a pro and her star is exploding right now -- with signature wins over high-profile fighters like Paige and Mackenzie Dern.

So, how does Ribas want to exploit her newfound fame?

She wants to give back to the children back home in Brazil.

"In my city, we have a project there and I'm trying to put more money there to invest in people, invest in children because they are our future."

Conor McGregor proved he could switch to Irish Olympic diving now that he's "retired" from MMA ... executing a perfect leap during his vacation in the French Riviera.

LOOK AT THAT FORM!!

The UFC superstar has been chillaxing off the coast of France for the past few days as part of a 32nd birthday celebration -- and while he left his brand new $620,000 watch in the hotel room, he made sure to bring his media team to the beach!

Seriously, Conor made sure his personal photographer AND a videographer tagged along with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their 2 kids as they enjoyed the sun and sand.

Gotta have content for the Gram, right?!

Despite the fact Conor announced his retirement from MMA back in June, he seems to be keeping himself in fighting shape -- dude looks absolutely jacked.

Earlier this week, he traded friendly tweets with Manny Pacquiao suggesting a possible boxing match between the two -- but we're guessing he'll be back in the octagon before the boxing ring.