UFC

Jorge Masvidal, from one bad motherf***** to the next, is coming to the defense of one-time opponent Nate Diaz, telling TMZ Sports the charges against the UFC legend are crap ... 'cause fighters need to be able to defend themselves too!

Gamebred recently joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where they chopped it up about everything from his friendship with Donald Trump, whether he'd ever run for political office, his very own fight promotion, Gamebred Promotions, and the Diaz incident in New Orleans.

"There's nothing wrong [with defending yourself]," Masvidal said.

Of course, defending himself is exactly what Diaz says he was doing. Still, authorities opted to charge him with second-degree assault. Nate flew to NOLA on Thursday, where he turned himself in, before bonding out and taking a PJ back to Stockton. Diaz is adamant he was not the aggressor and simply was acting in self-defense.

"When it's you against somebody you have no idea if he's got a knife in his pocket, if he's gonna f******* pepper spray you then kick you in the nuts," Jorge explained, adding ... "Obviously this guy's not in the right mind if he's attacking a pro fighter. I just don't like it that people think because we're pro fighters that we're not able to defend ourselves."

"No, we have to defend ourselves. It's a cold world out there."

FYI, Jorge beat Nate for the BMF belt at UFC 244 in November 2019.

We also talked to Gamebred about politics ... with 80-year-old President Joe Biden recently announcing he'll run for reelection in 2024. Jorge has a relationship with Trump and believes the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction under the current POTUS.

"We the people say that please, you're not doing a service for us, you're doing a disservice. You're destroying this country. I don't care about your skin color, your ethnicity, your freakin' religious views. Where we were out 2 to 3 years ago was better for everybody."

Masvidal has gotten more involved in politics, and while he may not be a traditional candidate (stiff, phony, etc.), we asked Gamebred if he had any interest in running for office in the future.

"If you don't like the constitution and you're coming with all this crazy s*** now to try and destroy this country, I can't f*** you, man. But me running personally? No. But I'll def endorse those who I think are actually coming to get it and being a patriot."

There's much more ... while Masvidal says he still feels very comfortable with his decision to lay down his gloves after UFC 287, he's in no way leaving the fight game.

In fact, Jorge has big plans for Gamebred Promotions ... coming off an awesome Gamebred Boxing card that featured the legendary Roy Jones Jr. vs. Anthony Pettis. Jose Aldo and Jeremy Stephens also boxed ... along with Vitor Belfort defeating "Jacare" Souza.

Stacked.

And, Street Jesus says he's in the process of making even bigger moves, putting together massive events.

As for whether he'd fight under his own banner, the answer is ... maybe.

"I would definitely like to get a boxing match in there, I'm not ruling that out, but as of right now I'm just focusing on promoting."

Nate Diaz is now in custody in New Orleans ... jail records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the ex-UFC star turned himself in early Thursday morning after an arrest warrant was issued for him earlier this week.

According to the records, Diaz was booked at 7:40 AM on a charge of second-degree battery.

No further details surrounding the turn-in were made immediately available.

As we reported, the New Orleans Police Dept. initially issued the arrest warrant for the 38-year-old fighter on Monday ... two days after he was seen on video choking out a man during a large altercation on Bourbon Street.

In the footage, you can see Diaz -- who was in Louisiana to watch the Misfits Boxing 6 event  -- got a guy in a headlock ... and choked him unconscious before he laid the dude down in the street. Cops said the man suffered a head wound in the altercation.

After the arrest warrant was issued, Diaz's rep, Zach Rosenfield, said Diaz was innocent ... and "acted entirely in self-defense."

Diaz is slated to fight Jake Paul in a boxing match later this summer. It's unclear if Wednesday's arrest will alter any plans for the much-anticipated fight.

All's well in the Askren household ... despite accidentally insulting his wife in an appreciation post earlier this week, Ben Askren proved Wednesday night he ain't in the doghouse with his spouse after all!!!

The former UFC star shared a cute video of him and Amy Askren on the couch ... revealing she isn't the least bit upset at him for inadvertently calling her unattractive in a sappy tweet that he penned on Tuesday afternoon.

In the video, Ben can be heard asking Amy if she was offended ... and she responded with some sarcastic quips.

She later said in the clip that she knew what Ben's intentions were with his message, joking he's so attracted to her physically, she has to "beat" him "away with a stick."

Amy, however, did admit she could see how Ben's post was misconstrued ... and she went on to praise her defenders as "very sensitive and thoughtful."

Ben then earned a few brownie points with Amy ... 'cause after he asked her, "How do you feel about being one of the best wives ever?" she responded, "I'll take that compliment."

Ben Askren might be sleeping on the couch tonight ... and it's all 'cause he accidentally insulted his wife in what was supposed to be a super sappy appreciation post!!!

The former UFC star unleashed the blunder on both his Twitter and Instagram pages Tuesday afternoon ... when he was trying to praise his spouse, Amy, for being a great mother.

In his comment -- which was left as a caption on a photo of him with Amy and their kids -- he wrote, "I've seen some guys posting on social media lately about how they are winning bc their wife is attractive, while I don’t disagree I think finding a wife who is a great mother is 500% more important!!!"

He added, "Thanks [Amy] for being such a great mom to our kids."

The problem ... there appeared to be an insinuation in his post that perhaps his wife, who he's been married to for over a decade, isn't attractive.

Fans were quick to note the gaffe -- they slammed Askren on social media for the way he worded his compliment ... with many urging him to take it down before she saw it.

But, a little over an hour after he wrote it ... Askren blasted those who thought he was inadvertently calling his wife ugly.

"For those of you who are too dumb to realize multiple things can be true at once. My wife is both very hot and a great mother," the ex-fighter said. "Being a great mother is way more important as I originally stated."

Nate Diaz is now a wanted man in Louisiana ... cops said Monday afternoon they've issued an arrest warrant for the former UFC star -- after he was seen on camera choking out a man on Bourbon Street.

The incident happened late Saturday night after Diaz had attended the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans.

In footage of the altercation, you can see Diaz got a man in a headlock during what appeared to be a large dispute -- and he didn't let the guy go until he was unconscious.

The man later took to social media to say he suffered a gnarly head wound during the incident.

According to MMA Fighting, authorities said they reviewed the footage, and an arrest warrant for Diaz for second-degree battery was ultimately issued.

Diaz is not currently in custody.

The 38-year-old fighter has yet to publicly comment on the situation ... but sources close to the fighter tell TMZ Sports he did not believe the man he choked out was acting as a peacemaker -- saying there was a larger fight happening in the area and the guy was part of that group. They're adamant Diaz was simply defending himself.

Diaz, who's slated to box Jake Paul later this summer, had been in a separate altercation earlier in the night -- when he threw a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor while ringside at the boxing event.

Conor McGregor feared it was curtains for his UFC career after breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier nearly two years ago ... admitting he thought the injury would force him into an early retirement.

McGregor made the revelation in the trailer for his new Netflix documentary, "McGregor Forever," which dropped this week ... where he spoke about the severity of his injury from the hospital bed shortly after the July 2021 bout.

When the interviewer points out many experts thought the break would be impossible to return from, McGregor agreed ... which he says explains his bizarre post-fight rant.

"I thought it was over as well, that’s why I flipped into a different mode," 34-year-old McGregor told the cameras.

"Now, it was the adrenaline as well and I know it would’ve calmed down and part of me is thinking 'Jesus, imagine it was just taken from me like that.'"

"I would be a different person and it was a bit scary, to be honest. But, it’s McGregor forever. That’s it. It’s done. It’s McGregor forever and don’t you forget it."

Bella Mir is just a freshman at Iowa, but she's already a bonafide badass on the wrestling mat, and although it's likely years away, Frank Mir's daughter says she knows where she's going -- the UFC!

19-year-old Mir, already a top 10 ranked wrestler in her weight class, recently showed out at the USA Wrestling national championships in Washington ... securing a spot on the under-20 team.

"Obviously the endgame is to fight and be in the UFC," Bella told us earlier this week.

Mir, while not signed to the UFC, is already in business with Dana White's organization ... the MMA promotion signed Bella to a NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal back in January.

Of course, Bella's dad Frank is a 2x UFC heavyweight champ who beat the likes of Brock Lesnar. So, apple, tree.

Although Bella (a 4x state champ in Nevada and 2022 American jiu-jitsu champ) isn't in the UFC just yet, she is fighting MMA professionally, securing a 3-0 record. Two of her fights ended in the first round, while her first fight was won by unanimous decision.

Mir says she was scheduled to fight this summer (on the same card as Dad!) ... but since she's made the Junior USA Wrestling team, Bella now has a choice to make.

"Right now I'm actually in a predicament cause this summer I was supposed to fight twice. One in June, one in August. But now my summer plans have changed a little bit cause I made the world team so now I'm going to worlds, and I'm going to Spain, I'm doing all these camps."

"It's like I actually have to talk to Dad today and talk to him about what my summer looks like cause being a multisport athlete is pretty hard."

We also asked Bella about the Olympics ... and whether gold was something she had her sights set on.

"Of course. I think every girl's dream is wrestling is going to the Olympics, go to Worlds. They're the top 2 dreams. That's always been a dream of mine. Being an Olympian, that's one of a kind. Less than one percent of athletes are Olympians, and of course, that is something I think about all the time."

And, Mir just took a big step towards achieving her lifelong dreams.

Sage Northcutt is about to fight for the first time in 4 years, and the MMA star says it won't be a one-time deal -- he's back, and it's for good.

"I'm planning on being back. I have this fight set for May 5th, I got my eyes zoned in on this fight. But after this fight I'd like to be super active for ONE Championship. You know I like having fights and trying to put on a show."

27-year-old Northcutt will return to the cage early next month against Ahmen Mujtaba ... Sage's first fight since he lost to Cosmo Alexandre in May 2019. In the loss, SN's face was broken in 8 places, requiring nearly 10 hours of surgery.

Many fans doubted Sage, who is 11-3 as a pro, would ever fight again. But, he says he actually was supposed to return long ago, but COVID had other plans.

"As the 4 years went by, it's been longer than what I expected. I was planning on coming back, I actually had a fight set to come back a couple years after, just about 2 years ago I had a fight set to come back," Northcutt told us.

"You know how the world's been with COVID, shutting things down. I caught COVID as I had a fight scheduled, literally, a week before flying overseas, I caught COVID. That was unfortunate timing. But coming back, it's about time."

Come May 5, Sage believes he'll open the eyes of many MMA fans.

"For ONE Championship, I haven't really had the chance to show all the hard work that I've been putting in," Northcutt says, adding, "I've been training very hard. Training with a great team, great coaches, great fighters, so I'm looking forward to displaying stuff that I've been putting a lot of hard work into."

We also asked Sage what advice he'd offer Raul Rosas Jr. ... the 18-year-old who became the youngest fighter to sign with the promotion. Rosas Jr. recently lost his first fight. We asked Northcutt, who fought as a 19-year-old, what advice he'd offer the young man.

As for his upcoming fight ... it's less than 2 weeks away, and he's ready to roll.

Nate Diaz had a trouble-filled night Friday ... he first chucked a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor and then choked a young man into unconsciousness in separate confrontations.

The UFC legend kicked off his wild night by attending the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans to watch Chris Avila beat Paul Bamba in the main event.

While Diaz was enjoying the bout in the front row, he got into a heated argument with DeMoor, who was seated behind him. Video shows DeMoor heckling Diaz and calling him a "p****." Diaz then pitched the water bottle at DeMoor, and the two would have come to blows if onlookers hadn't stepped between them.

Hours later, Diaz was filmed getting into a physical altercation with a young man on the sidewalk outside the venue. Nate put the guy in a choke hold until his body went limp and he fell to the ground unconscious. Diaz then casually walked away.

The extent of the man's injuries was unknown, nor was it clear if he was taken to a hospital. It’s also unclear if police got involved.

Video of the assault has since gone viral. UFC boss Dana White and former UFC champ Conor McGregor reacted on social media to the video. White suggested the man attacked by Diaz could be pro boxer Jake Paul's brother, Logan (It wasn't, though). McGregor laughed and praised Diaz for his "rampage."

Chael Sonnen says he was disgusted by the viral video of a youth wrestler sucker punching an opponent after a match ... but tells TMZ Sports the kid should NOT be permanently banned from the sport.

Of course, a 14-year-old SPAR Academy wrestler was hit with a vicious punch after beating his opponent in a local wrestling tourney at Oak Park River Forest H.S. in Illinois on April 8th.

Video of the incident went viral, and many believe the puncher should receive an indefinite ban after the cheap shot that injured the wrestler's nose.

But, Sonnen -- a former college All-American wrestler and MMA legend who currently runs his own submission grappling promotion -- feels otherwise, believing a ban will not help the situation.

"I would tell you as a coach, the worst thing that a young man should have is free time," Sonnen told us. "It's probably one of the reasons that his parents got him enrolled and enlisted him in something like wrestling in the first place."

"To kick the kid out and have him just roaming the streets and doing something else I think should be given a real consideration."

"This was a terrible moment, but it could also be a teachable moment."

The 46-year-old, rather than burying the kid, is instead showing empathy, saying he doesn't want the young man's entire life judged off a five-second clip.

"We don't know the rest of the story. For sure it was terrible action but to ban a kid for life, I think there's a discussion that at least deserves to be had."

Sonnen also feels for the injured wrestler ... though Chael points out wrestling's a physical sport, and competitors sometimes lose their tempers.

"The gentleman that you saw getting hit likely has lost his temper before, too. Maybe it was at practice, maybe he didn't hit quite as hard, maybe it wasn't caught and shown to the world but it's a very normal thing in wrestling," Sonnen said.

"Wrestlers tend to forgive other wrestlers and I bet if you asked that kid that was hit, what he wants to see happen, he does not tell you ban that kid or put him in jail."

Mike Tyson isn't 100 percent done with boxing ... the former heavyweight champ -- who last fought Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 -- tells TMZ Sports he's still open to fighting again if the price is right.

We spoke with the boxing legend this month about a potential rematch with Jones Jr. -- who just lost to former UFC star Anthony Pettis on April 1 -- and he didn't close the door on a return to the ring against the Hall of Famer at all.

In fact, the 56-year-old told us, "I could be persuaded."

Then, when we asked about another possible rematch, one that would pit him against his former rival, Evander Holyfield -- Tyson said the same thing.

Iron Mike wouldn't reveal the dollar figure that it would take to persuade him to agree to future bouts with the boxing legends ... though he did say he has been recently approached by people in Saudi Arabia who want "me to do this stuff too."

"I don't know," he said ... before adding, "When I see the money people for the end of the product, my mind works clearer. I can't express myself right now financially."

Tyson fought Jones Jr. in a wildly successful exhibition match back in 2020. He also fought Holyfield twice in two memorable tilts in 1996 and 1997, but lost both bouts.

Tyson had previously agreed to an exhibition match with Holyfield in 2021, but negotiations fell through.

WrestleMania 39 is over ... but Dolph Ziggler is already eyeing a spot on next year's card, telling TMZ Sports he's down to fight UFC star Conor McGregor on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" at WrestleMania.

We spoke to Dolph -- whose last WrestleMania match was in 2020 against Otis -- out in Beverly Hills recently ... and the former WWE Intercontinental Champion is already imagining what a feud with McGregor looks like on the heels of the WWE and UFC merger.

"Why not make it a best of 3?" Ziggler asked. "Octagon. Boxing match. Wrestling. Fighting. WWE. And then set it all up for the best out of seven at WrestleMania."

"That's just where the money is, but not everybody can go and back it up. But some of us can," said Ziggler, the 2012 men's Money in the Bank ladder match winner.

ICYMI -- McGregor posted a pic of him holding a WWE and UFC championship belt with the hashtag, "It's inevitable," one day before WWE sold to UFC's parent company, Endeavor.

After Vince McMahon announced he sold WWE and joined forces with UFC to create a new $21 billion sports company ... Ziggler wasted no time going after The Notorious.

"ABSOLUTELY AMAZING #WrestleMania PS: If I can drop 45 more pounds, I can drop anyone talking trash! seems even easier to get the deal done now, right @TheNotoriousMMA," Ziggler tweeted.

So, will we see Ziggler vs. McGregor at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next April?!?

Jorge Masvidal says he ain't getting a fair shake in his aggravated battery case ... claiming in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, that Colby Covington received preferential treatment from cops during their altercation in Miami last year.

In the docs, Masvidal says he has evidence that on several occasions during their confrontation on March 21, 2022, outside of a popular restaurant ... Covington was treated with "favoritism" by the Miami Beach Police Department.

Specifically, Masvidal says after the alleged attack ... Covington did not call 911 -- but instead phoned a high-ranking MBPD sergeant who was the UFC star's "pal and training partner ... so he could receive concierge police intervention."

Masvidal claims after Covington called the sergeant, the officer then radioed the matter into the station as a "Code 3" -- which, according to Masvidal, is "reserved for shooting and active dangerous felonies." Masvidal also says the sergeant "made additional calls to individual officers to 'get over immediately' to the scene" -- while also diverting "over 20 officers from their duties and responsibilities" to make sure they got Covington help.

In addition, Masvidal says Covington made a statement during a podcast interview prior to the street encounter that he "rolls with the Miami Beach Police Department" -- which Masvidal claims further proves he may have gotten special treatment on the night of the alleged attack.

Masvidal's attorney, Bradford Cohen, now wants several things -- including Covington's podcast comment -- to be admitted into evidence for the UFC fighter's impending trial in the case ... believing it will help prove his client is getting a raw deal.

"From our investigation and witness depositions it's clear that protocol was not followed that evening and Mr. Covington received preferential treatment," Cohen said in a statement this week. "Sadly, the people of Miami Beach that needed an officer that night, at that time probably suffered due to over 15 officers responding to a misdemeanor offense."

We've reached out to the Miami Beach Police Department for comment -- but so far no word back yet.

As we previously reported, Masvidal is facing serious jail time in the case after he was hit with charges of felony aggravated battery and felony criminal mischief following allegations that he punched Covington twice in an ambush outside of Papi Steak.

Meanwhile, Covington -- who claims to have suffered a brain injury, a chipped tooth, and a damaged Rolex watch in the attack -- appears to have recovered from the altercation ... as he's been rumored to be the next opponent for UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Israel Adesanya celebrated his big UFC title victory at a Miami hot spot ... and, needless to say, he pulled out all the stops.

The champ showed up -- belt in hand -- to E11EVEN nightclub after his second-round knockout of Alex Pereira on Saturday night. As you know, Pereira had previously KO'd Adesanya to snag the UFC 281 title at Madison Square Garden last year.

As Israel made his grand entrance into the club, the DJ gave him a shout-out and played his theme music. Everyone went wild, crowding around Israel so they could shoot videos and take selfies with him.

When Israel finally sat down at his table, he was treated like a king, getting bottle service. NFL star Odell Beckman Jr. walked over to Israel for a little chat. We're told Odell seemed very animated during their convo. Unclear, though, what the two were actually talking about.

Then Israel took to the stage to show off his dance moves with rapper GASHI, who was the headline performer. But, of course, Israel and his championship belt stole the show.

Israel also hit the dance floor with UFC legends Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Kamaru Usman.

What a night! Congrats, Israel.

Booker T thinks WWE joining forces with UFC's parent company will pay enormous dividends for both sides -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's going to be good for everybody."

We spoke with Booker -- a commentator on WrestleMania 39's kickoff show this past weekend -- at LAX fresh off Endeavor and WWE merging to create a new, publicly traded company valued at $21.4 billion ... and asked him if he could see any crossover happening with the superstars between the two respective sports entertainment brands.

"Of course," Booker said. "I think the UFC always needed a little more entertainment in their life. I think WWE will definitely add to that flavor. It's going to be good for everybody."

"UFC fans already gravitate to WWE. Daniel Cormier was at the NXT show a couple [of] days ago. Those guys and WWE, they go together. Great tag team."

As we previously reported, Vince McMahon sold WWE -- the business he purchased from his father in 1982 -- to Endeavor ... after serving as the chairman and CEO of the sports entertainment conglomerate for over 40 years.

McMahon will now serve as the executive chairman of the board with Endeavor. Meanwhile, Dana White will continue in his current role as UFC President, with Ari Emanuel as the new group's CEO.

Booker told us UFC legends like Tito Ortiz and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, with their larger-than-life personalities, gave UFC the flare it needed ... adding he could see guys Colby Covington and Conor McGregor crossing over to the WWE.

"You look at a guy like Colby Covington, who's very controversial and chaotic. I think he'll fit in perfectly," the WWE Hall of Famer said.

The five-time World Heavyweight Champion says athletes like Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle are anomalies ... but he's predicting that with the new joint deal in place, we'll see some guys from UFC working with the WWE.

Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards is the fight fans badly want ... and while they're almost certainly not gonna get it next, Dana White says it's closer than you might think.

The UFC honcho joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when we asked Dana whether Gamebred could do enough to jump Colby Covington and earn the next title shot.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen, if [Masvidal] goes in and does that against a guy like Gilbert Burns, who I have a ton of respect for, Gilbert Burns is an absolute badass. Then you have Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards, and if Leon Edwards beats Colby Covington, the history between Leon Edwards and Masvidal, then they both win these fights, that fight will be so huge people will be dying to see that fight."

White then added ... "it will be absolutely massive, and maybe we do it back in Miami."

FYI, Masvidal told us earlier in the week he felt he could impress enough vs. Burns at UFC 287 to garner the Edwards scrap.

Of course, White declared Covington next in line after Rocky beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, but many fans want Jorge and Leon to scrap because the men have serious beef.

The two fighters were involved in a backstage altercation in 2019 after Edwards yelled something at Masvidal as he was being interviewed backstage after beating Darren Till.

It's not Masvidal's personality to take something like that lying down ... so he walked up to Rocky and punched him in the face, now known as a "3-piece and a soda."

Hoping to ruin Jorge-Leon is 36-year-old Burns ... the number 5 ranked UFC welterweight.

We recently talked to Burns, coming off a dominating win over Neil Magny, before he headed out for fight week ...

There's a bunch more with Dana ... we asked him if this was Israel Adesanya's last shot to beat his rival, Alex Pereira. We also talked to White about the new UFC-WWE deal ... and whether we could now see stars like Conor McGregor cross over to professional wrestling.