UFC

Dana White says he has nothing but respect for CM Punk for having "the balls" to get back in the Octagon after his first UFC fight ... and can't wait to see what he's got on Saturday night.

Punk will face off against Mike "The Truth" Jackson at UFC 225 -- and White says he's been hearing positive things about Punk from his training camp.

"What comes out of his camp is everyone respects this guy and how hard he works and the commitment he's made to become a mixed martial artist."

White also says Punk's self-described spectacularly bad debut may have been the result of "UFC jitters" and he expects to see a different guy this time around. "

As for Punk's fighting future, White says he won't rule out a 3rd fight ... especially if Punk wins.

We also asked White about a possible Conor McGregor vs. Khabib fight -- and White told us there are still some hurdles Conor has to get through before that fight can be made.

CM Punk says he's got a "gift" for his fans when he walks into the Octagon on Saturday -- telling TMZ Sports ... "I'm sharp and I'm ready and I'm focused."

Punk will make his long awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 225 against Mike "The Truth" Jackson ... it's CM's first fight since he lost his UFC debut against Mickey Gall in Sept. 2016.

"I lost pretty spectacularly in my last fight but I learned so much," Punk tells TMZ Sports.

One of those lessons ... Punk says he needs to control his emotions and take his time when the bell rings -- "not try to hurry up and just enjoy being in there."

UFC champ Tyron Woodley previously told us Punk has been busting his ass like a maniac in the gym ever since his first fight ... sometimes working out 3 or 4 times a day.

Punk says he's "hyper-focused" on getting a win ... but that's not the only measure of success. The most important thing is to grow and get better as a fighter.

And if he wins ... Punk says he'd be down for a rematch with Gall -- but don't get it twisted, he's laser-focused on Jackson.

There's more ... Punk also says he's had a "real hard emotional couple of weeks" -- a reference to the WWE doctor who sued him over negative comments Punk made back in 2014.

Conor McGregor's gonna LOVE this -- Forbes just named him the 4th highest-paid athlete over the last 12 months ... over guys like LeBron James, Neymar and Roger Federer.

So, how much cash has Conor raked in? Forbes is estimating he's made $99 mil -- most of the cash was from his fight with Floyd Mayweather. Conor was ranked #24 the previous year with $34 mil in earnings.

Speaking of Floyd ... he's #1 -- with an estimated $285 MIL!!! (He was ranked #16 the previous year with only $44 mil).

He's followed by a pair of soccer superstars ... Lionel Messi ($111 mil) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($108 mil).

Remember, Conor once told Ronaldo to his face that he was coming for him on the Forbes list ... to which Ronaldo responded, "I don't think so."

He still might get him one day ... but it's not today.

Others on the list include ... Steph Curry ($76.9), Matt Ryan ($67.3), Matthew Stafford ($59.5) and Kevin Durant ($57.3).

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber says Conor McGregor is his "boy" -- but even he wants to know ... WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK?!

McGregor hasn't fought in the Octagon since Nov. 2016 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. Of course, he boxed Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 ... and reportedly made around $100 mil.

Floyd had said he wants his next fight to be in the Octagon -- but he hasn't signed a contract and even Dana White has said he has no idea when the Irishman will fight again ... if ever.

So, when we saw Faber out in Hollywood with Patrick Schwarzenegger ... we asked if he knows anything!

"I don't know what the f*ck's up with Conor ... that's my boy," Faber told TMZ Sports.

Nick Diaz isn't letting his domestic violence case get in the way of meeting new women -- the UFC star was out in Vegas this weekend getting hot and heavy with a new lady ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Diaz hit up XS Nightclub at the Encore Hotel on Saturday night -- where our sources spotted Nick kissing a new mystery lady right in front of everybody!!

Unclear if they're dating or if they were just having a fun night.

We're told this is NOT the woman who accused Diaz of domestic violence.

As we previously reported, Diaz was arrested a few weeks ago after another woman -- who told police she had been in a sexual relationship with Diaz for years -- claimed Diaz attacked and choked her at a Vegas home.

Holly Holm says she's not shooting down a possible rematch with Cris Cyborg Justino -- but cautions she's gotta get through Megan Anderson first.

Earlier this week, Cyborg told us she'd love to get back in the Octagon for another crack at Holm after their extremely violent fight back in December.

But Holm says she's got a "one fight at a time" mindset -- and the fight she's focused on now is Anderson at UFC 225 on June 9.

Holm says her Cyborg fight was "really competitive" -- but she might consider switching back to the 135-pound weight class to try and get the bantamweight belt back from Amanda Nunes.

UFC superstar Cris Cyborg says she learned A LOT in her court-ordered anger management class ... and wants to use the knowledge to "be an example for other people."

As we previously reported, Cyborg was ordered to complete an "impulse control program" as part of her sentence in the battery case stemming from a 2017 altercation with UFC fighter Angela Magana.

Cyborg completed the program and the battery charge has been dropped. So, when we saw her outside Cobrinha Fitness in L.A., she was proud of her accomplishment,.

"I studied the anger management," Cyborg said ... "Every mistake you do, you learn."

Cyborg says she knows other people will try to make her snap in the future -- and she plans on using her new skills to avoid a physical confrontation.

"I have to control myself."

As for her fighting future, Cyborg talked about that too ... and told us she thinks she's on a collision course for a rematch with Holly Holm.

Cyborg also got a new Tesla -- and couldn't wait to show off one of her car's new tricks!

UFC legend Michael Bisping isn't planning on fading away now that he's retired from fighting -- dude has BIG plans ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'm taking over Hollywood."

Oh, and yeah ... he definitely FaceTimed us from the sauna.

But Bisping's not joking about his acting career -- he's got 3 big action movies in the works including a new 'xXx' movie and a sequel to the Gerard Butler, 50 Cent flick, "Den of Thieves."

39-year-old Bisping says he's truly touched by the outpouring of support from the MMA community after announcing his retirement ... saying, "I didn't realize I wasn't hated that much!"

TMZ Sports has obtained Nick Diaz's mug shot from his alleged cocaine fueled attack on a woman in Las Vegas ... and he doesn't look too happy.

The mug shot was taken at Clark County Detention Center near Las Vegas after the UFC star was arrested for felony domestic battery by strangulation -- as well as misdemeanor domestic battery.

According to multiple law enforcement sources, the alleged victim told cops Nick had been using cocaine recently and it turned him violent. On the night of the alleged incident, the woman claims Nick threw her to the ground and choked her.

Police were called and found the alleged victim with red marks around her neck and eyes -- as well as an injured hip.

UFC superstar Cris Cyborg is a new woman -- she completed a court ordered anger management course stemming from her battery case with another UFC fighter ... and now she's in the clear!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Cyborg had cut a plea deal with prosecutors stemming from a May 2017 altercation with UFC fighter Angela Magana at a fighter retreat in Vegas.

Cyborg had been cited for battery for allegedly punching Magana in the face -- and faced up to 6 months in jail.

She initially pled not guilty --- but later accepted a deal in which she agreed to complete an "impulse control program" and stay out of trouble for 6 months.

Had she failed to hold up her end of the bargain, the judge could have locked her up for 45 days.

Fortunately, it won't come to that ... court records show Cyborg completed all of the terms, so the charge has been dismissed and the case is now closed.

If you're wondering what an impulse control program is ... it "teaches offenders to be accountable for their actions and provides participants with positive alternatives to inappropriate and impulsive behavior."

What do you give a UFC legend who just whooped Michael Bisping's ass? A HUGE painting that took 40 hours to finish.

18-year-old Shane Birenbaum -- a big GSP fan who's from Canada -- happened to run into St-Pierre while on vacay in Florida.

GSP and Shane chopped it up ... and the artist showed some of his work to the legendary UFC fighter.

St-Pierre was a fan ... and asked Birenbaum to create a piece of his own. The only instructions ... something dope.

Shane worked off of a photograph taken right before GSP put the hurt on Bisping.

We talked to Shane, who told us he delivered the art -- which took him around 40 hours to finish -- to GSP a few days after his birthday ... a belated bday gift.

It's unclear exactly how much dough GSP dropped ... but Shane says he'd normally charge between $2K and $3K for a similar piece.

GSP told Shane the painting will live at Tristar gym -- where St-Pierre trains -- 'cause it's too dope to hang on a living room wall.

Conor McGregor made a mistake when he attacked a UFC bus -- but it's not like he beat his wife, so fans should give him another chance ... so says MMA legend Bas Rutten.

"There's guys who beat up their wives. Guys who beat up their women," Rutten tells TMZ Sports ... "I think that's way worse, to me, than something like [the bus attack]."

A lot of people are still pissed at Conor for the bus attack in Brooklyn that injured UFC staffers and fighters ... but Rutten says, "We all did things like that."

"I mean, it's Conor McGregor ... He did a lot of good. He got caught up in the moment. Let him figure it out."

"Of course, he's gonna have to pay. He's gonna have to go to court and make everything right," Rutten says ... but Bas is confident Conor will survive that, too.

Tainted meat scandal be damned ... the former President of Mexico Vicente Fox says when it comes to boxing, Canelo Alvarez is the best in the world!

Well, what he really said was, "El mejor del mundo" ... yes, we're bilingual. You're welcome.

FYI, Fox was the Mexican Prez from 2000 to 2006 ... we didn't know he was a boxing fan.

Of course, the issue with Canelo ... dude tested positive for PEDs and backed out of the May 5 Gennady Golovkin rematch.

Alvarez blamed tainted Mexican beef for the positive test and insisted he never intentionally cheated.

Chuck Liddell already has his fight strategy for his 3rd scrap with Tito Ortiz -- "I'm gonna knock his head off."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 48-year-old MMA legend is coming out of retirement to fight on a MMA card promoted by Oscar De La Hoya -- and can't wait to get back in the cage with his old rival.

"When it's all over with, it's gonna be 3-0," Liddell said ... bragging about the 2 wins he already racked up over Ortiz during their fights back in the mid-2000s.

"He's trying to convince himself he can beat me -- it ain't gonna happen," the Ice Man told us outside a launch party for Humbyl crptocurrency in West Hollywood Monday night.

Ortiz sees the fight going down in a different way ... just last week Tito says he plans to make a couple million dollars "kicking Chuck Liddell's ass."

UFC Champ Tyron Woodley says Kendrick Lamar should've let a white concertgoer get away with saying the n-word ... saying the young lady deserved a pass.

It happened last week during a concert in Alabama ... Kendrick admonished the fan when she let the word slip during a performance of "M.A.A.D. City," and of course it instantly went viral.

Woodley was on his show "The Hollywood Beatdown" when the topic came up ... and Tyron took the wrong less traveled by black dudes, saying he thought the young lady was GREAT.

"I thought it was hilarious. I thought how confident she was, no reservation, no hesitation, she came right off the nugget. She didn't miss one line."

Hope you didn't think he'd stop there ... Tyron went to explain that he routinely gives n-word passes when he does stand-up comedy, and tries to get his co-host Evan (white dude) to says the word.

Evan passes ... which is UNDOUBTEDLY the smart decision.

Paige VanZant tells TMZ Sports ... the boob job rumors are true -- and it's really no big deal.

The UFC star's chest has been the topic of some Internet debate recently ... even Michael Bisping weighed in on the issue on a podcast.

Now, Paige wants to set the record straight once and for all ... telling us, "Yep, I did get a boob job."

She continued, "I'm a girl and always wanted my own boobs. They never came so I bought them."

So, how will the new additions affect her day job? They really shouldn't ...

However, there was a fighter, Pearl Gonzalez, who was temporarily stopped from competing in New York in 2017 because of breast implants ... but the NY State Athletic Commission later cleared her to fight.