UFC

MMA Fighter Sergio da Silva just pled not guilty to robbing a NYC bank over the summer ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Officials say Silva -- who fought at Bellator 180 -- busted into a CitiBank in Queens on August 24 claiming to have a gun, and threatening to shoot whoever didn't cooperate.

Cops say Silva got away with around $50k in cash.

Silva was arrested, and charged with 2 felony robbery charges ... including 1st degree robbery while displaying a firearm.

SdS's attorney, David Fish, tells us, "We intend to show at trial that he’s not guilty of what he’s alleged to have committed. The allegations are very serious. I think Sergio has a lot of confidence in that the truth will come out at trial."

Silva, who was present in the NYC court, pled not guilty to both charges. He's due back in court in April.

Liz Carmouche -- the UFC's first openly lesbian fighter -- says public perception has come a long way since she came out ... and the UFC is finally ready to accept a gay male athlete.

"I do actually believe that a man could come out as openly gay and he could rise to the top," Liz told TMZ Sports.

You might remember ... Liz broke the glass ceiling back in 2013, when she fought Ronda Rousey in the UFC's inaugural women's title fight.

Back then, Carmouche had serious doubts about a man following in her footsteps ... but says she feels differently now after experiencing how LGBTQ fighters are treated in MMA gyms like her own (San Diego Combat Academy).

Liz -- who recently partnered with HempMeds -- also told us why she thinks the UFC's at a place where it can let its fighters smoke weed ... even though she's way more of an advocate for CBD oil.

Oscar De La Hoya has set the over/under for how long Floyd Mayweather would last in a UFC fight ... and Floyd's not gonna like it.

We got Oscar heading into Staples Center for a Lakers game the other day and asked him how his former boxing rival would fare in MMA.

De La Hoya's prediction -- "Tapped out in 10 seconds."

Ouch.

FYI, Floyd says he probably ain't gonna test his skills inside the Octagon ... but money talks, so don't rule it out.

Speaking of money fights, Oscar updated us on his quest to do business with Dana White ... a couple weeks after TMZ Sports got his initial pitch.

Paige VanZant just got engaged to her MMA fighter boyfriend ... and her last name ain't gonna change all that much.

The UFC figther posted a photo Sunday of her guy, Austin Vanderford, getting on one knee to propose, with the caption ... "I said yes!!!"

The couple's been going out since at least this past summer, when she posted a photo of the two of them together in August with the caption "Mine."

Mine, indeed. Congrats to the future VanZant-derfords!

After he beats the living hell outta Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor, there's a strong chance UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov is DONE FIGHTING -- so says his agent.

"He's probably going to retire undefeated," Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. "He's gonna beat Conor and he's gonna beat Tony and he’s probably going to say, 'bye bye.'"

FYI, Khabib's 29 years old and at the top of his game ... and he's just a few months away from his first UFC title fight with Tony, the interim lightweight champ.

But Ali makes it clear Khabib could be done after that scrap and a super-fight with McGregor, who's the reigning 155-pound champ (for now) ... guessing 'cause of long-term health concerns.

How huge will Ronda Rousey be for WWE??

Pro wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page says she'll be a bonafide mega-star ... and he's comparing her to a couple heavyweight titans to make his point.

The first -- Mike Tyson ... who famously crossed over to WWE to briefly feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania.

And if Rousey wants to make it a permanent gig ... DDP says she could be the female equivalent of future WWE Hall of Famer, Bill Goldberg!

"He had that incredible charisma and personality and that 'it' factor, and Rousey's got that same thing," DDP told TMZ Sports at his yoga performance center in Georgia.

DDP would know -- he and Goldberg were big-time rivals in WCW ... and he's also locked up with pro athletes with Tyson's clout.

Daniel Cormier says he's excited to get a crack at Stipe Miocic -- "the greatest heavyweight champion of all time" -- and says the huge payday ain't bad either!

D.C. joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) and explained why the fight against Stipe at UFC 226 in July is an opportunity he just couldn't pass up.

Cormier says Dana White first approached him as he was leaving the octagon after beating Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 this past weekend ... and used his powers of persuasion (aka his checkbook) to get the deal done!

D.C. -- the reigning light heavyweight champ -- says he conferred with his good friend, Cain Velasquez, before accepting the fight because he didn't want Cain to feel like he was cutting him in line for a shot at the heavyweight belt.

And if Cormier beats Stipe ... D.C. says it would put him in the conversation about the best fighters of all time.

Mark Wahlberg might not be on 'roids, but there are a TON of Hollywood movie stars who are ... some of the biggest names in town, this according to Tyron Woodley.

The UFC champ -- who's also appeared in a bunch of big movies -- opened up about Hollywood's steroid habit on "The Hollywood Beatdown" after Wahlberg was called out by a PED kingpin ... revealing that he's met "lots of big-name, A-list actors that are openly on steroids."

But Tyron says he does NOT think Marky Mark is one of Tinseltown's PED pumpers ... and even if he is, explains why he shouldn't be shamed like all the juiceheads in pro sports.

Woodley also slams UFC star Nate Diaz, "nasty ass" Larry Nassar and the MULTIPLE Eagles fans who thought it was cool to punch a horse (it's not).

It's pretty obvious Dana White is "working on" Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier ... even though he won't come out and say it.

The UFC honcho did everything short of confirm negotiations on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... telling the guys he LOVES the idea of a champ vs. champ superfight for the heavyweight title.

"We’re working on something fun right now ... could be Cormier," Dana said with a smile when we asked him about Stipe's future.

Of course, Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones are potential wild cards ... but both are still suspended for doping.

So, with no other crazy options on the table ... all signs point to Cormier (the light heavyweight champ) being offered the next shot.

Greg Hardy will take a pro MMA fight in February and take the field for Jim Jones' arena league football team in March.

And that's why Jim says Greg could be the modern-day Bo Jackson -- a "beast" in TWO pro sports.

As we previously reported, Greg is pursuing a career as a pro MMA fighter -- he beat the hell out of his first 2 opponents.

But he also wants to play pro football again -- and with Jim owning the Richmond Roughriders in the American Arena League, the rap star saw a great opportunity to get the ex-NFL star back in the field.

"That man is a BEAST," Jones said on the "TMZ Sports" TV show ... "He's not one of the regular players. He's one of the best in his craft."

Dana White isn't wasting time ... telling TMZ Sports he's calling up Nate Diaz TONIGHT to make him an offer to return to the octagon.

White joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) -- and we asked about Nate's Instagram post where he called himself "The Real Champ" and vowed to return to fighting in "May or June."

"I'll tell ya what," White said ... "I’ll call him today and make him an offer."

"I will make Nate Diaz an offer to fight today."

White says he's not sure who he'd match Diaz up against -- "I gotta look at the rankings and see where everybody is."

What about a 3rd fight with Conor McGregor? Dana isn't ruling it out ... but says that fight ain't the priority for Conor.

"I think people would rather see Conor come back and either fight Tony [Ferguson] or Khabib [Nurmagomedov] -- whoever wins -- and the Nate Diaz fight isn’t going anywhere. We can do that thing any time."

What about Nate vs. Tyron Woodley? Dana says he has other plans for the welterweight champ.

Tyron Woodley says Nate Diaz calling himself "The Real Champ" is an absolute joke ... and if he's really serious about coming back, they can throw hands RIGHT NOW.

Tyron just had shoulder surgery 5 weeks ago, but he ain't kidding ... explaining why he can whoop Nate's ass at way less than 100% on "The Hollywood Beatdown" (full episode drops this Friday).

FYI, Diaz claimed he's making a return to the UFC in a social media post, saying -- "I'll see you around May, June. Sincerely, The Real Champ."

Tyron says he truly believes Nate's gonna come back ... but does he think Diaz will accept a fight with him after ducking out back in November?

He answers that question on the Beatdown, too.

File this under: we weren't sure either.

Floyd Mayweather keeps racking up the accolades, this time getting his very own day in a major American city ... that doesn't seem to have anything to do with Floyd.

It went down back on January 17 when Floyd was honored in Oklahoma City, where the brass in town officially declared the date Floyd Mayweather Day.

There were festivities aplenty ... including a dinner, followed by a meet-and-greet hosted by industry mover and shaker Karen Civil.

This was no joke people, Floyd received official documents from the state -- making the whole thing as official as a referee with a whistle.

All of this is great, but what we can't figure out is WHY OKLAHOMA CITY!!??? We couldn't find any connection between Money and OKC ... and it's got us pretty bewildered.

This has gotta hurt Kevin Durant a little ... just a little.

UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic SMASHED Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 -- but you wouldn't know it by looking at his mug the day after the fight.

Stipe posted a thank-you video to his fans ... and the shiner he was rockin' after the scrap had grown into the size of a damn golf ball. His left ear looks like it got mangled, too.

Francis, meanwhile, barely had a scratch on him ... even though he got worked from bell to bell.

Doubt Stipe cares, though -- dude's the UFC heavyweight G.O.A.T. now.

Roy Jones Jr. says a super-fight between him and Anderson Silva is ON ... as soon as they get Dana White's blessing.

RJJ tells TMZ Sports he's already met with Anderson, and has a group of investors prepared to hammer out the details ... and the only thing holding up the scrap is Dana giving Silva the green light to fight outside the UFC.

"Anderson wants it, I want it, so the only obstacle is Dana giving him the OK," Roy said.

Roy says that since Conor McGregor was allowed to have a one-off boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, Silva -- one of the sport's all-time greats -- should get to also.

FYI, we asked Silva if he'd take a non-UFC fight earlier this week ... and he didn't say no.

Anderson Silva says he is absolutely NOT a drug cheat -- and is confident his name will be cleared by USADA (the UFC's drug-testing agency) ... possibly as soon as next month!

"No, nothing, never in my life ... I never used steroids in my life," Anderson told TMZ Sports out in Bev Hills earlier this week.

The MMA legend failed the 2nd drug test of his career back in November ... but Silva says his lawyers and doctors are working OT to prove he didn't knowingly juice.

Anderson told us they're taking a different approach with his appeal than back in 2015, when he got slapped with a 1-year suspension -- and he's pumped to step back inside the Octagon ASAP!

Fingers crossed ...