UFC

UFC legend Cain Velasquez spent Monday night in jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the 39-year-old has been arrested and booked on an attempted murder charge.

Details surrounding the specifics of his arrest are unclear -- though law enforcement sources tell us the former fighter was involved in a shooting in San Jose at around 3 PM near a local high school.

In the alleged incident, one person was shot while another was arrested. Nothing further surrounding the circumstances of the situation has been released.

Jail records show Velasquez is still in custody as of Tuesday morning ... and has a court date set for Wednesday at noon.

Velasquez -- who was born and raised in Northern California -- is one of the best heavyweight MMA fighters in the history of the sport. During his reign, Cain beat everyone from Brock Lesnar to Junior dos Santos.

After parting ways following his last loss to Francis Ngannou, Cain spent several months with WWE (he's a huge wrestling fan).

Cain trains at the famed American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym with Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, among other MMA stars.

Before getting into mixed martial arts, Velasquez was a star collegiate wrestler at Arizona State University. He was a 2x All-American.

Dana White says he'd be "shocked" if Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz didn't fight for the third time ... despite the fact the UFC superstar from Stockton recently told us he plans to fight Dustin Poirier and then retire from MMA.

"We're still working on [the Diaz-Poirier] fight. That fight's not done yet. I wouldn't count out a Conor-Nate 3," White told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Dana added ... "Listen, I'd be shocked if that fight didn't happen again."

As you know, McGregor vs. Diaz I and II were INSANE ... from the trash talk leading up to the events to the knock-down-drag-out fights the men put on.

Nate was an underdog heading into the first fight in March 2016 ... but forced Conor to tap, submitting him with a rear-naked choke.

White set up an immediate rematch later that year ... and in August, the two UFC superstars faced off again. This time, McGregor beat Diaz via majority decision (two judges scored Conor the winner, the third scored the fight a draw).

It's been 5.5 years since the last fight, but almost everyone involved agreed it was just a matter of time before the trilogy fight went down.

That was until 36-year-old Diaz recently told us he has just one fight left on his UFC deal ... and he planned to fight Poirier.

Today might not be a terrible day for Rafael dos Anjos, after all ... 'cause although his UFC 272 opponent Rafael Fiziev is out of their bout after testing positive for COVID-19, Dana White tells us they're trying to find someone to fight RDA on 5 days notice.

37-year-old dos Anjos and 28-year-old Fiziev were the co-main event (Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington is the main event) ... but the fight was scrapped on Monday after RF tested positive for coronavirus.

So, when White joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV Show (airs weekdays on FS1), we asked if he was looking for a replacement, or whether there just simply wasn't enough time.

"We're working on getting him a new opponent. We'll keep that fight. We'll get him something," Dana says.

It's not the first time RDA vs. Fiziev has been canceled. In fact, the men were initially supposed to fight on February 19 at UFC Fight Night ... but the fight was scrapped because RF had "Visa issues," according to reports.

Now the question is ... who does RDA fight?

The former lightweight champ has been going back-and-forth online with Islam Makhachev ... but the fighter from Dagestan just beat Bobby Green on Saturday (albeit only took 98 seconds).

As for Fiziev ... he says he's crushed by the latest developments.

"I’m devastated to announce that I’m out of the fight. I had a great camp and was ready to put on the show, I flew all the way to Vegas from Thailand just to get sick with covid, for 3 days I’m in hotel bed with fever, bones pain and cough."

There's much more with Dana.

If Jake Paul really wants to step into the cage, there's another org. lining up to sign him ... 'cause Bellator president Scott Coker says they're 100% interested in bringing the Problem Child to MMA.

Of course, 25-year-old Paul has voiced his interest in taking on a new combat challenge after 10 fights in the ring ... and the Bellator prez recently said he'll be patiently waiting for when that day comes.

"If Jake Paul is serious and wants to do it, we’re here," Coker said via TalkSport. "We're already talking about [it]."

Now, Jake's had a pretty successful run in boxing so far ... with huge wins over former UFC stars like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Coker says he's kept a close eye on Paul ... and the convos have already started in hopes of bringing the 5-0 fighter on board.

"You know, when I say talking about it, he’s with Showtime boxing and he did the fight with T-Wood," Coker added. "There’s dialogue."

"I think he wants to do 10 boxing fights and then come over to MMA."

This is now the second MMA promotion that has voiced interest in Paul -- as we previously reported ... Wiz Khalifa, who owns part of the Professional Fighters League, told us earlier this month he would love to add the YouTuber to its roster.

As for the UFC, well ... Dana White has made it crystal clear how he feels about Paul ... and the fighter's diss track about the honcho might have hurt his chances at landing a deal in the future.

There's beef, and then there's Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal ... who absolutely HATE each other!!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Covington, the #1 ranked welterweight fighter, ahead of his "blood feud" with 37-year-old Masvidal, the #6 ranked WW, at UFC 272 on March 4.

"This is a blood feud. This goes back to a brotherhood. We were eight years together every single day, side by side, couldn't leave each other -- best friends," Chaos told us.

"Now, we're the biggest bitter enemies. He's the one person on Earth that I don't give a s***. Anytime I see him, I want to send that guy straight to hell and luckily I get to do it in the UFC Octagon next Saturday night on Pay-Per-View and it's gonna be bad, man. I'm gonna make him pay. I'm gonna make him suffer for backstabbing me."

See ... this goes beyond the routine pre-fight trash talk.

Colby and Jorge were friends ... best friends. Unfortunately, the relationship fell apart (long story) ... and now the men are about to be locked in a steel cage together.

One of the things both guys have in common is a friendship with Donald Trump.

So, who's the former Commander-In-Chief rooting for?! We asked Colby.

"Mr. President, #45, is not torn. He knows where his loyalty stands. He knows the person that put his whole platform for him, that was sacrificing, doing everything, really showing that I'm a true supporter. George is a fake supporter. He's not a real supporter."

Then, Covington added ... "Donald Trump, you know, I talked to his family the other day, I know where his loyalty resides."

Speaking of Trump, we also asked CC whether the ex-prez would be attending the fight.

Remember, DT attended UFC 264 in July 2021 -- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 -- where he dapped up Masvidal backstage.

UFC star Islam Makhachev needed an opponent after Beneil Dariush suffered a freak injury while training ... enter MMA vet Bobby Green, who took the fight on JUST 10 days' notice.

Why take a fight against a guy who hasn't lost in 6.5 years?! TMZ Sports asked Green.

"I know, I know. It's f**king crazy. Put the weight on, take the weight off, just fought, come back and fight again. I'm f**king nuts brother, this is what I do. I try to show everybody that this is real s**t. I call it G s**t, you know, doin' things that most people won't do."

Savage.

What makes it even crazier is that Green just fought on February 12 against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 ... where he won via unanimous decision.

Now, Bobby will step into the Octagon with Makhachev, the man many believe will be champion before 2023 rolls around.

Islam has just 1 loss on his professional MMA record -- in October 2015 -- and has won 9 straight, including wins over Drew Dober and Dan Hooker, which IM made look easy.

But, Green isn't just stepping up to exchange an L for a fat paycheck ... he tells us how he's going to beat the 4th ranked lightweight.

We also talked to Islam ... who told us he actually respects Bobby for stepping up (and he tells us who turned down the fight).

Miesha Tate is more than just an MMA champ, now -- she just took the crown as the winner of "Celebrity Big Brother!!"

Tate -- a former UFC Women's bantamweight champion -- beat houseguests like Lamar Odom, Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu, Todrick Hall and singer Chris Kirkpatrick over the course of 3 weeks to finish on top.

Tate was the lone survivor after winning a 7-1 vote against Hall in the season finale on Wednesday ... and she told TooFab she still can't believe it really happened.

"It's like somebody pinch me -- not even sure if this is real right now," Tate said.

Tate admits that she wasn't super confident she would win it all ... and thought the votes would be way closer.

"I really thought the votes were gonna be 50-50," Tate said.

The 35-year-old also commented on her relationship with the runner-up ... saying Hall was the "yin to my yang" throughout the competition.

"He was my homie in that house," Tate said. "He was funny and sweet. He just was able to offer me a different perspective on life."

Now that it's all over, Tate is ready to go home to her two children, Amaia and Daxton.

"I just want to kiss my babies. I wanna hold them and squeeze them until they beg me to put them down."

The 19-8 UFC fighter is the first athlete to win 'CBB' ... following singer Tamar Braxton and actress Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Floyd Mayweather sang his damn heart out to celebrate his 45th birthday ... and he called on Kanye West, Aaron Donald and Antonio Brown to be his backup singers!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- TBE hosted a private party at David Grutman's Sushi Fly Chicken in Miami on Wednesday to celebrate his big day ... and the karaoke machine was getting put to good use.

The 50-0 boxing legend donned a baby blue plaid blazer and pants for the rager ... and he was certainly in great spirits -- dancing with a huge smile on his face.

The whole room was getting in on the fun -- singing along as Donell Jones' "Where I Wanna Be" blasted over the speakers.

But, the most surprising performance of the night?? AD and his wife, Erica, rapping along to "Set It Off" by Boosie Badazz -- and Floyd was loving every second of it.

The party then made it to Gold Rush Cabaret strip club ... where Floyd was honored with cutouts and signs -- including a shot of him beating up on Conor McGregor during their fight in 2017.

D.U.S.T. Commander Dale Brown says several MMA fighters have hit him up since cornering Joaquin Buckley to a win last weekend -- but unfortunately for those other fighters, the deadly self-defense expert tells TMZ Sports he's only rockin' with JB!!

We broke the news last week ... Buckley (14-4, 10 KOs) hit up Brown, a viral sensation, to be one of his cornermen for his matchup against Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night in Vegas.

Buckley won by decision ... and Commander Brown says Buckley utilized some of his moves during the tightly contested fight.

"I will say he did use some techniques," Brown says, "that are associated with my training."

And, ever since then, the Detroit Urban Surviving Training star says other fighters have been blowin' up his phone -- trying to get their own Buckley-type treatment.

"We've had several just the past couple of days reaching out, emailing, texting, trying to reach out and see if they can come by the facility and see what we can do to coordinate and collaborate."

But, sorry fightin' folks ... Brown says he's only gonna work with Buckley.

"We're #teamBuckley so that's not gonna happen."

However, Dale says he's down to with celebs like Odell Beckham ... who paid homage to Commander Brown after scoring a touchdown this season for the Rams.

In fact, Brown says he met Rick Ross after the Buckley-Alhassan fight -- telling us he showed the Miami rapper a nose-press technique.

"Training entertainers, training their staff, bodyguards -- anybody out there looking for advanced training."

Jon Jones is a single man -- the UFC superstar says his fiancée of 9 years, Jessie Moses, has left him for good following his Vegas arrest.

Jones announced the split via Twitter on Wednesday ... saying, "My fiancée left me about two months ago, today she finalized that she won't be coming back."

Worth noting -- the official breakup comes shortly after footage of Jones' September run-in with police was released ... which shows the 34-year-old head-butting a cop car after an alleged altercation with Moses.

"If you are a Jon Jones hater, have a toast, I feel like s***," he added.

Jones and Moses were together for nearly 20 years -- they were high school sweethearts at Union-Endicott High School in New York, split for a short period, and then were engaged in 2013.

Jones and Moses have three kids together -- two 13-year-olds Leah and Carmen and 9-year-old Olivia.

Jones and Moses appeared to make amends after his domestic violence arrest ... posting a video of the then-couple sharing a kiss in the days following the alleged altercation.

Jon Jones violently bashed his head into a cop car and called an officer a "f***ing nerd" during his arrest on the Las Vegas strip back in September ... new police video shows.

In the footage, Jones -- who was in handcuffs and surrounded by cops following an alleged altercation with his fiancee at a nearby hotel -- was clearly furious with officers, screaming at them relentlessly.

The UFC superstar can be heard in the clip asking why he was being detained ... before he launched a verbal tirade against one of the cops standing next to him.

Jones repeatedly called the man a "nerd" ... asking for his name over and over again. Jones also accused the cop and other officers of embarrassing him on an important night for him (his epic 2013 fight against Alexander Gustafsson was being inducted into the Hall of Fame).

Video shows Jones got so upset with the police -- he actually slammed his forehead into the hood of the police cruiser he was being held up against.

At that point, officers rushed him away, chastising him for the move.

As we reported, Jones was being arrested after he was accused of getting physical with his fiancee and pulling her hair at around 5 AM at Caesars Palace on Sept. 24.

Jones was ultimately hit with misdemeanor domestic battery and felony tampering with a vehicle over the incident ... though court records showed officials dropped the misdemeanor count against the fighter in December after he pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of destroying property of another.

As part of his sentencing, records showed the 34-year-old was ordered to stay out of trouble, pay restitution to the victim, and take anger management counseling.

"I can't have people speaking out. If you're gonna speak my name you better be sure. [Volkan Oezdemir] spoke it, so now I'm gonna make an example out of him."

That's #10 ranked UFC light heavyweight Jamahal Hill -- fresh off a first-round knockout of Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night -- calling his next shot ... declaring he wants to fight #8 ranked Oezdemir.

"I've already said it, bro. As long as I got the say so, [Volkan's] next."

But, why are the guys beefin'?

After Hill's impressive knockout of then #10 ranked Walker, Jamahal called out his doubters. Oezdemir responded to a Tweet about "Sweet Dreams," writing "I'm still doubting [Hill]"

And, that isn't sitting well with Jamahal.

"Bro, he really don't understand. And, it's not like I'm emotional or taking it a type of way, it's just now I really wanna f*** you up so now my focus is on that."

FYI, Oezdemir has lost his last 2 fights ... but has been in the cage with some of the baddest men in the world. Volkan has wins over Aleksandar Rakic, Ilir Latifi, Jimi Manuwa and Ovince St. Preux.

There's more ... we also talked to Hill -- who says he's going back to the gym Tuesday -- about his time inside the Octagon with Walker. JH says Johnny has all the physical tools ... and it's clear Hill doesn't believe Johnny is washed.

"Physicality. He was huge. He felt like he was about 225. He was a big dude. Also, his mental prowess is a lot higher than people give him credit for."

Hill had a final message for Oezdemir ... let's do this.

Jake Paul is already getting interest from the MMA community ... 'cause Wiz Khalifa -- who is part-owner of the Professional Fighters League -- tells TMZ Sports he'd love to sign the YouTuber-turned-fighter to the promotion!!

25-year-old Paul has flirted with making the switch from the ring to the cage recently ... in hopes of landing a fight with Jorge Masvidal -- or pretty much any other fighter in the MMA community at this point.

He seems to be serious about the switch ... and has even been spotted working on his kicks at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable gym recently, a place that Wiz has frequented over the years.

So, when we met up with Wiz during Super Bowl week, we had to ask if he thinks Jake is PFL material.

"It would be tight if he fought for PFL," Wiz said. "He's a cool guy. So, wherever he is, he's going to bring a lot of excitement."

Of course, PFL is one of the top MMA promotions in the sport ... so Wiz's co-sign is nothing to scoff at.

When we asked straight-up if he would want PFL to sign Jake, Wiz didn't mince his words.

Johnny Walker is opening up about his personal struggles in the wake of several losses that temporarily derailed his ascenscion to the top of the UFC ... telling TMZ Sports he was "down" after losing 3 of his last 4 fights, but is now ready to mount a comeback!

29-year-old Walker -- the #10 ranked light heavyweight -- is taking on #12 ranked light Jamahal Hill at UFC Fight Night on Saturday ... a matchup Walker believes will catapult him back into title contention.

"Bro, if at any point that somebody said I don't wanna be champion, I'd quit. I'd get out. I'd stop. Because I believe 100% I'm a champion,"

Walked continued ... "I'm not doing this just to fight, just to have fun. I'm here for the money, I'm here for the success, for my career, for my family, for my future. I'm gonna be the champion. I believe that and nobody can tell me opposite."

Walker was once ranked near the very top of the division ... and it felt like a forgone conclusion he'd fight for the title. In fact, we had several conversations with Johnny about his future battle with Jon Jones -- a fight that never materialized.

Aside from Jon leaving the division, Walker hit a rough patch, losing to Corey Anderson in November 2019, before sustaining another L to Nikita Krylov in March 2020. JW then beat Ryan Spann in September 2020 ... before again losing, this time to Thiago Santos in October 2021.

Even before the mini skid ... Walker dealt with adversity, even in victory.

After his electric win over Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235 in March 2019, Walker dislocated his shoulder doing the worm on the Octagon canvas.

"I'm very excited with my career and everything then boom, I was down. I don't know what depression is actually, but I was a little bit down."

Johnny continued ... "I was no patience, I was a little bit sad, I almost lost myself a little bit, you know, and I was against my brother in Thailand, I shouldn't do that."

Despite the struggles, Walker says he's back, and ready to rock.

Cancel Saturday's main event and give Joaquin Buckley the W ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned viral D.U.S.T. self-defense star, Commander Dale Brown is cornering the UFC star at Fight Night.

And, let's be honest ... he ain't losin' with Commander Brown by his side.

The soon-to-be 14-4 MMA fighter recently hit up Brown -- known for his awesome/viral self-defense videos -- and actually traveled to his Detroit Urban Surviving Training school last month to learn some moves.

FYI, Brown's popularity exploded after Odell Beckham Jr. paid tribute to him during the NFL season ... mimicking one of the commander's moves after scoring a touchdown.

Cleary, it went well ... and when Buckley had an open spot Octagon-side for his fight against Abdul Razak Alhassan, he asked Brown.

"He thought of me as soon as they needed another cornerman," Dale told us when we spoke to him on Thursday.

"Super excited and honored to be chosen by a respected talented pro-MMA fighter that was so impressed by my urban survival tactical training system after he tested it that he wanted me on his team as the first 'survival tactics cornerman.'"

Brown tells us he got his license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission last week ... and is anxious for Buckley to show off some exclusive D.U.S.T moves.

"There are going to be surprise tactics never seen before used in the MMA UFC Octagon," Brown says.

"This collaboration is going to be totally unexpected and these new Detroit survival tactics will be just as unexpected."

That's scary ... Buckley is already electrifying in the cage. In fact, he became an overnight sensation after he executed one of the best head kick KOs ever.

Watch Buckley fight Alhassan -- with Commander Brown looking on -- Saturday afternoon on UFC Fight Night.

Nate Diaz, one of the most badass and beloved fighters in MMA history, tells TMZ Sports he wants to fight Dustin Poirier ASAP -- in what'll be his last fight ever -- before retiring from MMA.

We talked to the 36-year-old superstar from Stockton at Shaq's Fun House party in L.A. Friday night ... and asked Nate, who has 1 fight left on his UFC contract, who he wants to be his final opponent.

"I would like to fight Dustin Poirier. Like now. Like I've been trying to. If there's any mix-up it's him, and them, and the game," Diaz said.

"I want the fight now. What's up Dana White? Let's get this retirement fight cracking so I can get out of this fight game. I'm done with it."

It's bittersweet for Nate fans ... and he's got millions of 'em. A fight with Dustin would be big ... especially since Diaz says it'll be the last of his future Hall of Fame career.

A career where Nate's beaten everyone from Conor McGregor to Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone ... all while being one of the most real dudes in sports.

We asked Nate ... how would the fight with DP go down?

"He ain't doing s*** to me. I'll tell ya that much," Nate said.

Bottom line -- Diaz has made it clear he wants to fight Dustin. Now, the ball's in Poirier's court.

As for Nate's future ... even though he won't be fighting, he'll still be around. He's got a successful clothing label, Represent, and his protege, undefeated Nick Maximov is one of the UFC's best prospects.