UFC

Donald Trump was STOKED to have some of the UFC's best fighters at his Nevada rally Sunday ... and raved about their talent, muscles and brains.

Colby Covington, Henry Cejudo, Justin Gaethje and Dana White were all sitting right near POTUS as he spoke in front of thousands of supporters at an Xtreme Manufacturing facility in Henderson, NV.

First, Trump heaped praise on White -- his longtime friend and supporter.

Trump said White turned UFC into a success while critics claimed the sport of MMA was just too violent for the American people.

"They just don’t know how violent the American people are," Trump said proudly ... "They never quite figured it out."

Trump also had words for the fighters -- who were all decked out in fancy suits.

"Underneath those beautiful suits are a lot of muscles," Trump said ... "A lot of power, a lot of genius for fighting and for other things … but a lot of genius under those suits."

Trump and Colby Covington go back years -- POTUS famously called Colby after he defeated Robbie Lawler in August 2019 ... and spoke about that fight at the rally.

"[Covington] took [Lawler] apart so easily, it was like an easy day at the office," Trump said.

The two also shared a 1-on-1 moment at the event -- where Colby tried to kiss Trump's hand or something? It was weird.

Covington fights Tyron Woodley on Sept. 19 in Vegas -- POTUS says he will be watching.

Ali AbdelAziz -- who manages Henry Cejudo and Justin Gaethje was also on hand for the event ... and called it a "great honor" to attend.

The woman who starched a suspected shoplifter at Best Buy -- only to be hired by the UFC -- says she has another major career goal ... she wants to be an MMA referee!!!

Yep, Summer Tapasa -- who started her new gig as a UFC executive security officer earlier this month -- says Dana White has been totally supportive in helping her find a longterm career.

And, after some serious thought, Tapasa says she believes she would make an excellent ref!

Of course, we all know she can handle herself in tough situations as evidenced by the Best Buy security video!

Best Buy ultimately let her go over the incident -- but Dana White raved about her ... saying Tapasa is a model employee who's willing to go above and beyond for her employer.

Which is why he offered her the security gig.

But, that's just a starting point for Summer ... who said she hopes she can eventually transition into a bigger job.

"I chose security because I was more comfortable with it. Now that I'm in the UFC, now that I'm in the security position, I was actually thinking about becoming a referee," Summer says.

We're told Summer's bosses at the UFC are supportive of her career goal and will help her get the right training to eventually achieve her dream.

And, since we know she can handle herself, we asked if there was any chance she would ever take a fight herself.

Conor McGregor was taken into police custody and questioned in Corsica on Saturday over an allegation of attempted sexual assault, French officials say.

The UFC superstar had been sailing around the Mediterranean on his yacht recently with his fiancée, Dee Devlin ... but McGregor allegedly flew off the handle on Thursday.

A court official in Corsica sent a statement to the Agence France-Presse confirming police had taken Conor into custody.

"Following a complaint filed on September 10 denouncing acts that could be described as attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition, Mr. Conor Anthony Mac Gregor was the subject of a hearing by the gendarmerie services,” prosecutors said.

Another report out of France says the alleged incident took place at a bar.

Earlier this week, Conor was teasing a UFC comeback -- saying he let the UFC's drug-testing agents on his yacht to take a sample.

McGregor proposed to his longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin just last month ... and was even spotted on a photo shoot with her this week.

Conor and Devlin have 2 kids together.

Of course, Conor has a long history with the law ... he was arrested and prosecuted for throwing a steel dolly through a UFC bus window a few years ago. He was also arrested for felony robbery for taking a man's cell phone at a Miami hotel in 2019.

And, don't forget the time he punched an elderly man in the face for no reason at a pub in Ireland in April 2019.

Nick Diaz belongs in the UFC Hall of Fame, despite the fact he's never won a UFC title ... so says Tyron Woodley.

"He's done enough in his career, in my opinion, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame," Tyron said on this week's "Hollywood Beatdown."

Diaz famously began his UFC career back in 2003 with an armbar submission victory over Jeremy Jackson.

He beat guys like Robbie Lawler before a showdown with Diego Sanchez on "The Ultimate Fighter 2" finale (Diaz lost that fight).

Nick jumped to Strikeforce, where he DOMINATED -- winning all 7 of his fights between 2009 and 2011, winning the welterweight title and defending it 4 times.

Eventually, the UFC bought Strikeforce and brought Diaz back to the UFC roster where he beat BJ Penn and lost some epic battles to guys like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.

Now, 37-year-old Diaz is rumored to be making a comeback ... but Tyron thinks he's already got a Hall of Fame resume.

There's a lot more in the episode ... including Tyron explaining why he's FINALLY ready to fight Colby Covington on Sept. 19th, a fight that's been talked about for roughly 2 years.

Shout out to our sponsor KFC, which is FINALLY adding Secret Recipe Fries to its menu — click here for contactless delivery.

He INSISTS he's retired ... but Conor McGregor says he agreed to be drug tested on his yacht Friday, just in case he feels like fighting again soon.

HE'S GOTTA BE COMING BACK, RIGHT?!

The Irish superstar says reps for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) "have just arrived to my yacht this morning for testing."

Conor posted a pic of the pee cup and the letter from USADA explaining the process.

But, in a Twitter caption, McGregor seemed surprised to see the UFC's drug testers ... even though, NOBODY really believes he's actually retired.

"What’s going on here @ufc? USADA have just arrived to my yacht this morning for testing? I’ve retired guys! But go on then, I’ll allow them test me. It’s all natural here baby!  Forever and always, God Bless."

So, WHO will Conor fight? WHEN will Conor fight?

Conor may have tipped his hand in his next tweet directed at Nate Diaz -- "Juice head rats @NateDiaz209."

Could we finally get our trilogy fight with Nate?

We know he desperately wants a rematch with Khabib as well.

And, don't forget Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson and Khamzat Chimaev are waiting for a crack at Conor too!

But, first things first, enjoy breakfast ... pass the drug test and we'll see what happens next.

Alistair Overeem -- the last man to beat Brock Lesnar -- says the WWE superstar will NOT return to the UFC 'cause he's old, washed up ... and no one gives a crap about him!!

TMZ Sports asked the 40-year old UFC star -- who defeated Lesnar at UFC 141 in December 2011 -- if he believes Brock will step back into the Octagon now that his WWE contract expired.

Remember, earlier this week, Dana White told us he was open to making a Jon Jones vs. Lesnar fight ... IF both fighters were down.

But, Overeem tells us, he doesn't believe there's a chance in hell Lesnar comes back to fight.

"He's not coming back. He's 43-years-old. He's flunked tests. It's over with. He's not coming back."

Overeem admits he didn't think Brock was going to return to fight Mark Hunt in July 2016 ... but he did.

So, does Alistair -- who's fighting #9 ranked heavyweight Augusto Sakai at UFC Fight Night 176 -- want to run it back with Brock if the 6'3", 265 lb fighter does opt to return?

"I have beat him up. So, if someone wants a rematch, it would've been him, right? I already did it."

Overeem wasn't done throwing shade ... he took one last parting shot at Lesnar.

UFC boss Dana White personally called President Trump to ask for help in saving an Iranian wrestling champ who is set to be executed ... and POTUS has already taken action.

As we previously reported, 27-year-old Navid Afkari received TWO death sentences for allegedly participating in a peaceful protest against the government back in 2018.

Afkari is a decorated wrestler in Iran who has medaled in multiple national tournaments, according to several reports.

When White learned about the situation, the UFC honcho says he felt compelled to do something because "he's one of us, could be any one of my fighters."

"The only thing I thought to do was to call the President and see if he could help this man," White says.

"[Trump] said, 'Let us look into it, let me talk to my administration and see if there's something we can do to save his life.'"

President Trump went to Twitter to address Iran's leadership.

"Hearing that Iran is looking to execute a great and popular wrestling star, 27-year-old Navid Afkarai, whose sole act was an anti-government demonstration on the streets. They were protesting the 'country’s worsening economic situation and inflation.'"

He continued, "To the leaders of Iran, I would greatly appreciate if you would spare this young man’s life, and not execute him."

When Dana White offered a job to a female Best Buy security guard who manhandled a male alleged shoplifter back in December ... HE WASN'T KIDDING!

You remember Summer Tapasa -- the woman who was FIRED from her Best Buy gig when surveillance video of the December incident went viral ... showing her beating up a suspected shoplifter to keep him from leaving the store.

Dana was so impressed at the time, he flew her out to UFC 246 in January to watch the Conor McGregor vs. Cowboy Cerrone fight as his VIP guest.

Now, Dana has announced he's brought Summer on board as a full-time UFC staffer!

"I brought her out to Vegas. I offered her a job here. She went back to Hawaii, she weighed all her options and she decided to work for UFC. She is now a UFC employee, so for all of you thinking about f**king around here at UFC, you will get your ass whooped by Summer,” White said.

Summer also shot a video -- saying, “My name is Summer Tapasa and I am a UFC corporate security officer."

"I have been working with UFC for eight days and I am looking forward to expanding my career and hopefully moving on up."

UFC star Glover Teixeira has tested positive for COVID-19 ... and now, his main event fight with Thiago Santos is officially postponed.

Glover and Thiago were supposed to throw down at UFC Fight Night on Sept. 12 -- but Glover's COVID test came back positive on Wednesday, screwing up those plans.

The good news ... Glover's camp says the 40-year-old Brazilian legend is feeling 100%.

UFC is now gunning to re-book the fight for Oct. 3 -- but it would no longer be a 5-round main event, according to ESPN.

Glover and Thiago are two of the best light heavyweights in the world.

UFC has Glover ranked is the #4 light heavyweight contender -- coming off a dominant victory over Anthony Smith back in May.

Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns will happen in 2020 -- the welterweight title fight is officially set for UFC 256 on Dec. 12, TMZ Sports has learned.

The fight was originally supposed to go down on Fight Island back in July -- but Burns caught COVID and had to pull out.

He was replaced by Jorge Masvidal, who took the fight on short notice ... but couldn't overcome Usman, who won by unanimous decision.

Now, Burns has fully recovered -- and a UFC source tells us the papers are signed, the deal is done -- we're getting the fight!

Also, we're told the UFC is close to locking up the highly anticipated Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal rematch for the BMF belt for the same night!!!!

Remember, those two originally fought back in Nov. 2019 -- but the fight was stopped by the doctor in the 3rd round due to cuts over Nate's eye.

Diaz felt the stoppage was BS -- insisting he was just getting warmed up!

Now, we're told everything is close for a rematch at UFC 256 ... and yes, the plan is for the famous BMF belt to be on the line again!

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.