UFC

Daniel Cormier is a LUCKY man -- because somehow he was able to recover from the torn cornea he suffered in his loss to Stipe Miocic ... and won't need eye surgery.

Cormier's left eye got so badly injured from an accidental finger poke during his August 15 UFC heavyweight title fight ... he couldn't open it during the last 2 rounds.

After the fight, Cormier told Joe Rogan, "I can't see anything out of my left eye. It's black."

But, DC appeared on ESPN's "DC & Helwani Show" on Monday and revealed he's actually healing up nicely.

"Luckily I was able to recover, and I feel better," Cormier said,

"The first week and a half, [the eye] was really bad, it wasn't opening, and it was completely blurry, but now it kind of feels like an eyelash is in it."

"I went and saw the doctor last week, and he told me I'm probably not going to have to have surgery, just kind of rest and recover. And today it feels good, but just feels like something in there, you know when you get an eyelash and can't get it out? It's just right in the corner."

It's great news, considering how bad it looked at the time.

As for his fighting future, Cormier insists he's done competing -- and will now focus on growing his career outside the Octagon.

"Yeah, it's over. And I'm not sad about it," Cormier said.

"I'm going to miss it, I'm going to miss the training camps, I'm going to miss the fights, there's nothing like a fight week, but you have to understand when it's your time. I feel it's time."

It is a MIRACLE neither Derrick Lewis nor his young son were injured in an ATV crash at their home ... in an incident caught on video.

The UFC superstar pulled out an ATV on his driveway and invited his young son to sit on his lap ... when things went terribly wrong.

The boy accidentally grabbed the handlebar, which caused the vehicle to accelerate -- zipping right into a stone planter area.

Somehow, Derrick was able to maintain control of the ATV and kept it from flipping over -- eventually bringing it to stop.

Neither Derrick nor his son were wearing helmets or any other kind of safety gear when the incident took place.

Afterward, Lewis posted the footage to social media and said, "We're OK."

But, it's clear the UFC community -- a bunch of tough people -- were rattled.

Dana White commented, "Very lucky."

Jon Jones added, "Geez, Hope the little guy wasn’t too shaken up."

Michelle Waterson said, "Yikes. Glad you're ok."

We reached out to Lewis to find out more about the incident -- we'll let you know when we hear back.

By the way, Lewis is reportedly gearing up to fight Curtis Blaydes on Nov. 28.

Dana White says he never had second thoughts about stumping for his pal, Donald Trump, at the Republican National Convention this week ... essentially saying critics can kiss his ass.

In fact, when it comes to criticism about his relationship with Trump, White told reporters Tuesday -- "That sh*t doesn’t bother me."

"I don’t give a sh*t. I don’t care what people think of me or what they think,” White said.

“The people that know me know who I am and know what I’m about."

White is slated to speak at the 2020 RNC on Thursday night. He also gave a speech for Trump at the 2016 RNC.

"Listen, this is America. Everybody has their own opinions and their own choices. I know that sometimes people go after you because of whatever, but everybody knows me. Everybody knows what I’m about."

"Some black people are going to be upset with me ..."

UFC star Tyron Woodley does NOT believe Donald Trump is a racist -- insisting the only color he REALLY cares about is green.

Tyron -- who's been EXTREMELY critical of Trump in the past -- explained his position on 'The Hollywood Beatdown' ... saying he's convinced cash matters more than color to POTUS.

"If you have green on your face to him, he's gonna f**k with you. I think it's about green to him."

Trump came up during a conversation about Tyron's highly anticipated clash with Colby Covington on Sept. 19 ... a fight that's taken years to come together.

Colby is a hardcore Trump guy who was invited to meet the President at the White House in August 2018 following a victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 earlier that year.

Trump's sons have also supported Colby -- they were both in attendance when Covington defeated Robbie Lawler in 2019. POTUS called Colby to personally congratulate him after the fight.

So, we asked Tyron how he felt knowing the Trump family will likely be watching when he takes on MAGA Covington ... and that's when Tyron told us how he really feels about the Commander in Chief.

Woodley also says he's focused and training his ass off for the Covington fight -- and predicts a violent finish.

He also weighs in on Jon Jones -- explaining why he thinks Bones should get an immediate shot at the UFC heavyweight title ... and why he's more than capable of beating monsters like Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic.

Who would ever think of stealing from UFC knockout artist Justin Gaethje?!?!?! That's what Justin wants to know.

Gaethje says he's got photo and video evidence showing a man breaking into his garage in Denver on Wednesday and jacking his $4,500 electric hunting bike ... and now he's on a mission to get it back.

"This guy just stole a bike from my garage in Denver/Lakewood, CO," Gaethje said.

"If anybody knows a private investigator around the Denver area I’d be happy to hire him."

Justin posted a pic of the missing bike -- a Rambo R1000XP, which comes with a $4,500 price tag.

The bike is often used by hunters to move around terrain while out in the field. It's got a 28 mph maximum speed -- it's a dope bike.

When asked why he didn't confront the guy in the act, Gaethje explained, "I was in the middle of doing yard work, came in for 15 minutes. I walked out 8 minutes after he left."

We've reached out to cops in the area to find out if Gaethje filed a police report and if an investigation has been launched.

So far, no word back -- but some advice... if you stole Justin Gathje's bike, GIVE IT BACK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Gaethje is one of the most violent men in MMA -- recently destroying Tony Ferguson, which paved the way for an upcoming showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre in April ... and claims the UFC is trying to make it happen.

"Regarding Georges St-Pierre, that fight really inspires me," Khabib said during a media event in Russia.

"It was my father’s dream fight. But time passes, Georges St-Pierre will be 40 next year. I think he has to decide whether we’ll fight or not."

As we previously reported, Khabib's father, Abdulmanap, died from COVID-19 complications back in July.

But, Khabib says he wants to make his dad's dream come true -- saying "I want that fight."

"If I beat [Justin Gaethje] in October, then fight St-Pierre in April before Ramadan, that would be ideal."

The issue -- 39-year-old GSP has repeatedly said he's retired. Though he admitted back in July he would consider another fight if Dana White had the right offer.

Dana must've been listening ... because Khabib says White is down to make it happen.

"Dana told me after this fight they’ll talk to St-Pierre. If he agrees, we’ll fight. Both I and the UFC want that to happen."

GSP was called out by reigning UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman recently -- but told TMZ Sports, "I think for me it's better if I stay retired ... It's not worth it for me."

George told us he feels extremely grateful to leave the fight game with all of his faculties and wouldn't want to compromise that.

UFC superstar Jon Jones just announced he's officially vacating his light heavyweight title -- and suggested he's done fighting. Forever.

"Just got off the phone with UFC," Jones said ... "Today I confirm that I’m vacating the light heavyweight championship. It’s officially up for grabs."

"It’s been an amazing journey, sincere thank you to all my competition, Ufc and most importantly you fans."

Jones says the UFC made it clear there was "no negotiating" moving forward -- so he's just going to hang it up instead.

"If that ever changes, I’d love to come back and compete again as a heavyweight. Until then, I’ll be enjoying Ufc has a fan and doing my best to take care of my family and community."

We recently spoke with UFC honcho Dana White about the contract issues with Jon Jones -- and he told us there was a chance JJ meant it when he suggested retiring in the past.

Still, Dana told us he hoped Jon would fight in the Octagon again because he's one of the all-time greats and the sport is better with him in it.

33-year-old Jones is without a doubt one of the greatest UFC fighters ever -- with victories over guys like Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Smith, Rampage Jackso and many many more.

He had flirted with a move to heavyweight for months ... because that's where the bigger fights are for him at this point in his career.

Jones had recently commented about fighting Francis Ngannou and most recently turned his attention to Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately, it seems he's closing the door so we won't ever get to see those fights.

Jon is 26-1 as a pro MMA fighter -- but most consider him undefeated because the 1 loss was due to an illegal strike in a fight he was dominating against Matt Hamill back in 2009.

Daniel Cormier just penned a goodbye to the UFC ... thanking all his fans and coworkers in a heartfelt note -- and it's pretty freakin' emotional.

The 41-year-old had said in the buildup to UFC 252 that it would be his final match ... and in a statement Monday -- 2 days after he dropped his second straight bout to Stipe Miocic -- he appeared to officially hang up his gloves.

"Thank you all for the love and support," DC wrote. "Not what I wanted or expected but it is what it is. Congrats to @stipemiocic on a fantastic fight, was an honor and pleasure to share the octagon with you for 50 minutes. Boy did we give 'em a show everytime.

"To my team: I love you all to death, you've made so many sacrifices. I hope I made you guys proud. Salina and the kids: thank you for being my motivation. To all the fans: I love you so much. You guys push me to try and be great."

Cormier continued, "To @danawhite and the @ufc: I have loved every minute. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. Been a helluva ride, huh?"

If Cormier is, in fact, done ... it's been an unreal career -- the guy went 22-3 in his UFC career and was the first fighter to ever successfully defend championships in 2 separate weight classes.

UFC honcho Dana White has anointed Stipe Miocic the greatest MMA heavyweight of all time after scoring a victory over Daniel Cormier Saturday night, but it was a real shot in the eye.

Daniel was rendered blind in one eye -- hopefully just temporarily -- after Stipe poked him in the eye in the third round of their UFC 252 rematch. Stipe won by decision, making him a 2-1 victor in their trilogy of fights.

The referee didn't see the poke, but it was squarely caught on camera, and it's pretty gruesome. You see Stipe's finger go right in DC's left eye.

As for the injury ... it's reportedly a tear in his eye, although the extent of the injury has not been disclosed.

DC made it clear after the fight, he couldn't see anything out of his left eye.

Stipe was ahead in rounds 1 and 2, and the eye poke came in round 3 of the 5-round fight, but Dana White says the decision is legit ... “They both got poked in the eye. That eye was hurt before the poke. We got a big group text that goes out and I was like ‘There’s something wrong with Cormier’s eye.’ And then he got poked after that. That didn’t help. But they both got poked. You can’t use that as an excuse.”

Yep, Stipe Miocic has seen that footage of Daniel Cormier training with Steven Seagal back in the day ... but he ain't worried about it!

The footage was shot back in 2015 when Cormier was getting ready to fight Jon Jones at UFC 182.

Seagal -- who considers himself a martial arts expert -- hit it off with Cormier and offered to share some of his secret fight moves ... but only if UFC turned off the cameras.

Cormier and UFC obliged, and now -- in theory -- he's been trained up in the ways of the guy from "Under Siege."

So, when we spoke with Stipe this week as he preps to headline UFC 252 on Saturday -- we had to ask if he was concerned that Cormier could unleash some of that "Hard to Kill" knowledge on him during their final fight?

Spoiler Alert: Stipe ain't worried ... but he was complimentary of the actor.

"Seagal's a savage. Ya gotta look out for that guy."

There's more ... Stipe also told us why he's not planning to retire any time soon and why he doesn't feel bad sending Cormier into retirement with an "L."

Bellator star Corey Anderson says he literally feared for his life after a super scary medical incident ... which ultimately lead to him leaving the UFC.

Remember, the 30-year-old MMA star "blacked out and collapsed" on February 21 while outdoors scouting land ... smashing his face on the gravel road.

Corey was rushed to the hospital ... where 1 doctor told him something was wrong with his heart.

Anderson -- one of the most feared fighters in the world with wins over guys like Johnny Walker and Glover Teixeira -- admits he was literally afraid he was going to die.

"It was a scary process. You don't know if one, is your heart gonna be okay, two, every night you go to sleep, is my heart gonna stop in the middle of the night?"

Shortly after the incident, Anderson -- a top 5 UFC light heavyweight at the time -- asked Dana White to release him from his contract (which DW did) ... before ultimately signing with Bellator.

Long story short, Corey said his decision was financially motivated -- he thinks Bellator will be more lucrative for him in the long run, so he signed on the dotted line.

We asked Corey who his first Bellator opponent will be -- but they're still working out those details

NEW FEUD ALERT!

Here's UFC middleweight Martin Vettori trying to trash-talk his way into a fight with Chris Weidman ... and guess what, Chris responded!

26-year-old Vettori -- who's on a 3-fight win streak -- is trying to get to that next level ... and feels a victory over Weidman would boost his stock and lead to bigger, more lucrative fights.

His plan is to try and embarrass Chris by calling him his GF -- hopefully, baiting the former champ into some back-and-forth that will build interest for a violent showdown.

And, guess what ... it's working!

After Vettori compared Weidman to a woman on social media and again during an interview with us (see above) ... Weidman fired back.

"Yo, Dork hop off my nuts and get a win over someone in the top 15 for 1st time in ur life," Weidman said.

"I have been beating guys in the top 15 for ten years straight. Relevant? There's a reason you are calling me out. I'll fight again when I'm ready too.. And btw you aren't that good."

So, what happens next? Marvin says he's followed up with UFC about putting a fight together ... but so far, nothing official.

He's even got a fight plan ready if Weidman accepts the challenge.

"I would grapple the sh*t out of him until he's dead tired and then just put him out."

WARNING: THIS IS GNARLY!!!!

UFC fighter Joe Pyfer's elbow bent in a way no person's arm EVER should in his fight with Dustin Stoltzfus on Tuesday ... and it was so gruesome, Dana White nearly threw up ringside!

The disturbing injury all went down at DW’s Contender Series 28 ... where late in the 1st round of the Stoltzfus-Pyfer tilt, Pyfer was tossed and extended his arm to break his fall.

The problem? As Stoltzfus' weight crashed down on Pyfer ... his arm exploded outward -- dislocating at the elbow!!!

Here's the raw video -- but warning -- it's GROSS!

The fight was immediately waived off ... and the injury was so bad, when cameras cut to White, he was squirming in his seat and holding himself back from hurling!!!

Dana later commented ... saying, "I’m glad [Pyfer] only dislocated his elbow and didn’t break it on tonight’s Contender Series."

Despite the horrifying scene ... Pyfer took it all in stride -- he actually appeared to apologize to Stoltzfus and said straight up, "This sucks, bro."

YA THINK!?

Pyfer posted footage of himself in the hospital afterward vowing to come back.

Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. has officially been moved to Nov. 28 -- with another former world champ fighting on the undercard, TMZ Sports has learned.

The fight was originally set to go down on Sept. 12 -- but now, we're told the new date is locked in.

So, why the change to Thanksgiving weekend?

"Changing the date to November 28th will give more people the opportunity to see the biggest comeback in boxing history," Tyson said in a statement.

"This temporary inconvenience will last longer than Roy Jones Jr. He better be ready, I'm coming full force."

The company behind the event, Triller, says the move was made to accommodate a larger audience than originally anticipated.

"Given the enormous interest, the holiday weekend will make this historic battle an even bigger viewing event," the company says ... "marking the first live Pay-Per-View event brought to the world by Triller as the first of the 'Triller Battles' series."

Triller is also officially announcing the addition of new undercard fights ... including Badou Jack vs. Blake McKernan.

Badou Jack is one of Floyd Mayweather's fighters -- he's 22-3-3 and a former world champ in 2 weight classes.

Jack says he's donating a portion of his fight check to the Badou Jack Foundation to "continue to give kids across the globe a fighting chance in life."

Also added ... Viddal Riley vs. Rashad Coulter.

Vidal is pretty talented British fighter who's also famous for training up KSI for his fight with Logan Paul.

Coulter is a former MMA fighter who competed in the UFC until 2018.

And, of course, Jake Paul is still set to fight ex-NBA star Nate Robinson as the lead-in to the main event.

We're told the Tyson vs. Jones fight -- the first event in a series under Mike's "Legends Only League" -- will be sanctioned and scored by a recognized sanctioning body. 

 Oh, and the winner will get a specially-commissioned belt!!!

Fun Fact -- did you know Paige VanZant can execute a perfect toe touch??

The MMA superstar is out to prove any doubters wrong ... by throwing on a tiny hot pink bikini and posting a slow-mo vid as evidence on Monday!!

"Suns out buns out ☀️✌🏼🌴" Paige captioned her video ... which, might we add, is a very factual statement.

PVZ and her Bellator hubby, Austin Vanderford, have been spotted training at the famous American Top Team MMA gym in Florida this past week ... but made sure to get in some solid fun at the pool during their time off.

Of course, ATT houses some of the biggest names in MMA -- from Amanda Nunes to Joanna Jedrzejczyk ... and VanZant basically confirmed the move in an Instagram post.

"Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that’s going to help you grow. #NextChapter #Florida," PVZ captioned the pic.

Back to the toe touch -- PVZ was a cheerleader in HS and went on to prove she still had moves while appearing on "Dancing With The Stars" back in 2016.

Tito Ortiz says he already has some powerful support as he embarks on a political career -- with the Trump family standing firmly behind him.

As we previously reported, the UFC Hall of Famer is running for City Council in Huntington Beach, CA -- but tells TMZ Sports, he ultimately wants to become the mayor.

Earlier this week, we spotted Ortiz as he was submitted paperwork for the Nov. 3rd election ... and man, he is EXCITED.

45-year-old Tito says he was inspired to run for office after working with law enforcement to protect the community during the George Floyd protests back in May.

Ortiz says he ultimately realized becoming an officer was too dangerous at this point in his life -- and political career seemed like a better option.

"My community has given so much to me throughout my career, now its time for me to give back to my community. I'm ready for city council!"

Ortiz -- who's been tight with the Trump family for decades -- says Donald Trump Jr. already reached out to show love.

"Donald Trump Jr. reached out to me and said, 'I heard you're running at Huntington Beach, go get 'em champ!' I'm very thankful for that."

Ortiz also says he would love to get on the phone with POTUS to get some advice, but understands Donald is a little busy these days.

In the meantime, Ortiz says he's been brushing up on civics lessons in hopes of hitting the ground running if he gets elected.

Tito says his campaign will focus on making the city safe again -- noting it was once considered the "Safest City In America."

He also wants to put focus on growing the local economy and protecting the environment.

Ortiz says he won't be bought off by big corporations -- telling TMZ Sports, "I'm not here for the money, I'm here to make a difference for my community."