UFC

Amanda Nunes is the ONLY woman to beat Valentina Shevchenko in the last 10 years ... and now the UFC flyweight champ tells TMZ Sports a 3rd fight with the Lioness is 100% goin' down!!

We talked to the 32-year-old Shevchenko -- who's defending her belt at UFC 255 against Jennifer Maia Saturday night in Vegas -- about the possibility of the highly coveted match-up with Nunes, the 32-year-old bantamweight and featherweight champ.

"You know right now I'm not thinking about [Amanda] cause my goal is to defend my belt," Shevchenko says ... "One day it’s gonna come to the point when it's gonna [make] much more sense, and it's not gonna be other than to make this 3rd fight."

Valentina continued ... "And when this day comes, it comes. But, now I'm not rushing it. I'm not trying to delay it. So I'm just living my life and waiting for when it comes, and I know for sure it comes."

Of course, the women fought 2 super competitive bouts in 2016 (UFC 196) and 2017 (UFC 215). Nunes won both fights ... but some people believe Shevchenko -- who's 19-3 as a pro -- was robbed in the 2nd fight.

Bottom line, Shevchenko is undoubtedly the toughest opponent Amanda -- the greatest female MMA fighter of all-time -- has ever faced ... and if Valentina's right, a 3rd scrap is on the horizon.

"I have no plans to continue fighting."

That's Khabib Nurmagomedov saying pretty matter of factly he will NOT return to the octagon ... despite UFC boss Dana White suggesting otherwise.

"There will always be rumors about my comeback," Khabib said this week ... "because Dana White or other promoters who could replace him in the future will always want me to fight."

He's right -- Khabib is one of the biggest combat sports stars in the world ... dominating everyone from Conor McGregor to Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

But, Khabib has insisted he's lost the desire to compete again and wants to focus on his career outside the octagon.

"Of course, I am in my prime and there’s still tons of money I could earn, but I had a different goal," Khabib says.

"And, as for money -- from now on we will earn it somewhere else."

Dana White has been saying for weeks -- and again during an interview we shot on Thursday -- that he strongly believes Khabib will come back for a 30th fight. He's even considering opponents for Khabib.

But, Khabib insists he's done for good -- saying there's nobody else out there for him to fight.

Dana White is doubling down on his claim Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon -- and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is!

"If I had to make a bet -- and I'm a betting man -- I would bet he does [return]," Dana tells TMZ Sports.

"So, yeah ... I think he will."

Of course, Khabib announced his retirement following his Oct. 24 victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... explaining he has no desire to fight anymore after the death of his father earlier this year.

But, Dana says Khabib's father is the reason he WILL return -- explaining it was his dad's dream for Khabib to finish with a 30-0 record.

So, who would be the opponent? Dana says he's NOT considering Georges St-Pierre, despite Khabib previously suggesting that's he'd be open to that opportunity.

Instead, Dana pointed to 2 upcoming fights ... Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson.

"We'll see how all these things play out here ... One of those guys would definitely be in for the fight."

There's more ... we also asked Dana about plans for Jon Jones, who appears to be bulking up for a fight at the heavyweight level.

But, White says there's nothing in the plans for a Jon Jones scrap in the near future.

"Jon Jones, I don’t know what Jon Jones is doing," White says.

"When he’s ready, all he's gotta do is let us know … but we have no inclination whatsoever that this guy is coming to fight."

Anderson Silva is retired -- but he's still under contract with the UFC despite reports to the contrary, according to Dana White.

The UFC boss tells TMZ Sports ... the promotion did not and has not agreed to part ways with the 45-year-old after his last fight against Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 31.

Silva reportedly still has 1 fight left on his UFC deal -- but MMA Fighting reports the two sides agreed to part ways after Anderson's 4th-round loss to Hall.

UFC boss Dana White says that's just not the case -- explaining that Silva remains under contract, so if he wants to fight again, he's bound to the UFC.

But, Dana says Anderson is "retired" -- so, there's not a real expectation that he will fight in the UFC ever again.

Silva (34-11) is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time -- with victories over stars like Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Stephan Bonnar, Dan Henderson and more.

He set the record for longest win streak in UFC history with 16 in a row (from 2006 to 2013) and is a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame.

But, he's only won 1 of his last 9 fights and it's become clear his best days are behind him.

There was a buzz Anderson could jump to Bellator -- but CEO Scott Coker recently shot that down saying the promotion was happy with its current roster.

Conor McGregor is officially returning to the Octagon in 2021 -- he and Dustin Poirier have signed their contracts to fight at UFC 257, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The two sides had reached a verbal agreement a while back -- with Dana White saying he was confident the UFC would be able to make a deal. But now, McGregor says the paperwork is done.

The rematch of their 2014 brawl will go down on January 23, possibly at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Conor says they will fight at lightweight (155 pounds).

McGregor commented about the upcoming fight on social media recently -- saying, "I look forward to the fresh test Dustin will bring since our first bout, while also showcasing my own incredibly deep cache of weaponry."

"Whatever tool is needed on the night will be pulled from the duffel."

McGregor has also pledged to make a donation to Dustin's charity, The Good Fight Foundation, which provides resources to underprivileged youth in Poirier's home state of Louisiana.

Conor and Dustin first clashed at UFC 178 in 2014 -- with McGregor stopping Poirier in the 1st round.

Tyson Fury's newest training sesh literally brought the house down -- as the ceiling collapsed while the heavyweight champ was annihilating the heavy bag!

... and the video is pretty great!!

The Gypsy King is gearing up for a fight with undefeated German star Agit Kabayel (reportedly happening in early 2021) -- and he's been busting his ass in his gym in Morecambe Bay to get ready.

But, the 32-year-old took things to another level on Tuesday -- when he rocked the heavy bag so hard, it looked like the sky was falling!

You can see pieces from the ceiling -- where the bag was attached -- came crumbling down on top of the champ, who tried to move out of the way!

At one point, you can hear Fury say, "That coulda come down and hurt me, ya f**kin' idiot!"

Despite the collapse, Fury was still feeling an adrenaline rush and wanted to keep training -- so he simply moved to another bag and kept punching!

After the workout, Fury said the workout was "fantastic" -- noting he's been "absolutely smashing it!"

No lies detected.

Fury defeated Deontay Wilder in their rematch back in February -- but they could face off for a 3rd time in 2021.

Fury has also expressed interest in fighting Anthony Joshua -- which would be awesome.

Khaos Williams is BLOWING UP right now after that 30-second-knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan over the weekend -- and he's giving some of the credit to his hip-hop idols.

Meek Mill. Jay-Z. Drake.

"Those guys inspired me," 26-year-old Khaos tells TMZ Sports ... "Every morning I wake up before my fights, I start my day off listening to Jay-Z."

"Y'all just inspired me. Y'all music, it got me through some dark times, it gave me some inspiration when I didn't have the inspiration."

Khaos, who's based in Michigan, is making quite a name for himself right now -- his last 2 fights were insanely violent and lasted a TOTAL of 57 seconds!

He's currently 11-1 and hasn't lost since 2018.

In fact, Dana White described Khaos' knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan as "one of the most vicious KOs I’ve ever seen in my f**king life."

Khaos says he hasn't met any of his musical idols yet -- but feels like if he keeps winning, there's a chance it can happen.

Wanna see the aftermath of a bloody UFC brawl between two of the most badass dudes on the planet?!

Here's Paul Felder getting his face fixed up after his split-decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos on Saturday ... and it ain't for the faint of heart.

Remember, the Irish Dragon took the fight on just 5 DAYS(!!!) notice and fought like a true warrior ... going all 5 rounds with RDA.

In fact, the dude initially thought he would be the color commentator for the event ... and had to cut 22 pounds in that quick turnaround to make weight at 155.75 pounds.

While the result may have not gone in Felder's favor, the fact he even stepped up to the challenge has earned the guy some serious props in the fighting game.

Not only did Felder take it like a champ, he was even down to show off his patch-up job after the fight ... and he seemed to be in good spirits.

"Having sex in my living room and [the US Anti-Doping Agency] comes pounding on my door at 8pm."

That's UFC fighter Yancy Medeiros explaining the most AWKWARD drug test in his life ... when a tester came pounding on his door in the middle of a banging sesh!

FYI -- USADA often conducts random drug tests on athletes to try and prevent the athletes from cheating. So, they can literally bang on an athlete's door at any moment to demand a urine sample, and the athlete has to deliver the goods!

Seems to be the case with 33-year-old Yancy "The Kid" Medeiros -- who was engaging in some romantic activities over the weekend when a USADA agent came calling.

Yancy says he made the guy wait outside until he finished up with the sex ... but the reaction from the tester was worth it.

"Best part, him trynna be all professional as I look him in the face, knowing this foo heard everything going down," Yancy said.

"Been tested pre/post competition, but 'during' is a first," he joked.

Medeiros (15-7) has been fighting in the UFC since 2013 -- so, he should be pretty familiar with the USADA testing situation.

He's currently on a 3 fight losing streak -- most recently taking an "L" to Lando Vannata back in February -- but the Hawaiian is expected to return to the octagon soon.

Good to see he's staying "active" during his time off though ...

"They put that money up, hell yeah I'll go over there and fight him!"

That's boxing superstar Terence Crawford -- arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world -- telling TMZ Sports he would seriously consider an MMA match with Conor McGregor.

So, why would the undefeated welterweight champ cross over into Conor's sport? Easy ...

Turns out, Crawford comes from a family of wrestlers and has some legit wrestling experience himself. He's very confident in his skills.

Plus, he doesn't think Conor's that big of a threat on the ground anyway!

"To keep it real, Conor's not a real good wrestler. He may kick the sh*t out of you. You gotta worry about them kicks to the head and them elbows more than him grabbing you."

"It'd be other things that you'd be having to worry about other than wrestling you."

Of course, if Conor wanted to stand up and turn it into a fistfight, the undefeated Crawford believes it would be a slaughter.

There's been talk about a possible Crawford vs. McGregor match for a while -- but Terence says he's seriously open to it.

"Conor is a big talent in the octagon and I'm a big talent in the boxing ring. Money talks. They put that money up, hell yeah I'll go over there and fight him!"

In the meantime, Crawford has a big fight coming up on Saturday -- taking on former champ Kell Brook in a WBO welterweight title bout.

Crawford is a huge favorite -- but we spoke with Kell, and he ain't about to roll over.

34-year-old Brook is 39 and 2 as a pro -- with a win over Shawn Porter in 2014.

UFC meet UFO.

It was close encounters of the third kind for Diego Sanchez this week -- the UFC star is convinced he was visited by aliens on Wednesday night.

No, this ain't a joke.

38-year-old Sanchez -- who's been fighting in the UFC since 2005 -- described the encounter at his home in New Mexico late Wednesday evening.

"I was doing energy work on my patio as a ufo flew right up on me," Sanchez said on Twitter.

"I called for my daughter quick quick she watched this thing [hover] only hundreds of feet away."

"Albuquerque is a trip sightings are regular here. But this sh*t was contact tonight."

Sanchez added, "it was obvious it was watching me."

Unclear if Diego snapped any pics or shot any video.

Sanchez famously appeared on Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter" back in 2005 -- and defeated Kenny Florian in the season finale.

Everyone wants to know why UFC star Paul Felder is volunteering to fight a killer like Rafael dos Anjos on just 5 days' notice.

Well, Paul just gave us the answer -- and it's about as gangster as it gets.

"This is the crazy stuff that will either set me up for a major fight and move my career forward or I'll prove that I got balls that are bigger than anybody else's in the division."

No lies detected.

Paul -- who hasn't fought since February -- stepped up to replace Islam Makhachev in the main event on Nov. 14 ... after Islam was forced to withdraw this week due to a staph infection.

Felder says UFC firmed up the fight on Monday night -- giving him less than a week to prep himself for war.

Fortunately, Felder says he's been training like a maniac recently for a triathlon -- which means his cardio is insane at the moment.

So, he weighed the pros and cons of fighting a legend like dos Anjos -- and quickly came to the decision that it's worth the risk.

"If he beats me, he's a former champion! I don't give a sh*t! It's Rafael dos Anjos!"

Felder continued, "I mean, I've got nothing to lose other than some brain cells and some broken bones and things as usual but I will heal up and I'll be fine."

Don't get it twisted, Paul says he wouldn't have taken the fight if he wasn't 100% confident he can win.

"I'm fully capable of beating him, that I will make everyone clear of! I'm not coming in here to get a payday."

Felder says there's a real chance this could be the last fight of his career -- but he's not worried about that. He's just getting himself ready to fight.

Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champ -- with signature victories over stars like Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Kevin Lee and "Cowboy" Cerrone.

"I think he has lost his marbles"

That's Tyson Fury shooting down Deontay Wilder's claim that he CHEATED during the Feb. rematch ... saying Wilder just can't accept that he got his ass kicked.

Two weeks ago, Wilder didn't mince words -- accusing Tyson Fury of hiding weights in his gloves to increase the impact of his punches during their Feb. 22 fight.

"I highly believe you put something hard in your glove," Wilder said on video ... "Something the shape and size of an egg weight."

Wilder believes the foreign object caused his face to "swell up in the shape of an egg weight and it left a dent in my face as well."

A boxer accusing another boxer of loading up his gloves is a major allegation -- especially with no real proof.

But now, Fury is firing back ... claiming it's just another pathetic excuse from Wilder, who already tried to name the loss on his pre-fight costume, among other things.

"First of all it was the suit, then it was the bicep injury, then his trainer was on our team, then the referee was against him, then I had weights in my gloves," Fury told TalkSport.

"Now someone has spiked his water ... it’s one of those things, isn’t it?"

Fury is also addressing Wilder's claim that he's refusing to take a 3rd fight -- staying, it's Deontay who's pushing the dates.

"The original date was July 18," Fury said ... "That didn’t happen because he had an injury so it got put back 3 months to October. Then that didn’t happen because they were trying to get a venue."

UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman -- the first UFC heavyweight champ ever -- is recovering in the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The 55-year-old legend says he felt something was wrong late Tuesday -- "chest locked up my arms went numb" -- but he tried to sleep it off.

When things didn't get better after several hours, Mark hightailed it to the hospital where doctors found a "complete blockage of a major artery."

"If I [didn't go to the hospital] I’m probably not here today," Coleman posted from his hospital bed.

"I’m so glad I went I have so many things I want to do."

He added, "For the first time in a long time I am motivated I am great full and appreciate all your support. It wasn’t my time. It’s time to live."

Coleman became the first UFC heavyweight champ back in 1997 when he defeated Dan Severn in the 1st round of their fight at UFC 12.

He went on to fight some of the greatest heavyweights of all time -- like Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture.

His signature victories include wins over guys like Mauricio Rua and Stephan Bonnar.

Coleman was inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2008.

Khabib Nurmagomedov met with another world leader this week -- the Head of Dagestan -- and it sounds like he's staying retired.

Khabib sat down with Sergei Melikov, the acting Head of the Dagestan Republic -- who praised Khabib for bringing a "great victory to our people" with his UFC 254 win over Justin Gaethje.

"Khabib, you became the pride of not just your family and your people but the pride of Dagestan," Melikov said in an interview captured by RT Sport.

"Dagestan takes your victory as its own and celebrates it as its own win."

Of course, Khabib announced his retirement from MMA in the moments after the fight -- and even left his gloves in the octagon in a symbolic gesture.

UFC president Dana White recently said he's been talking to Khabib about returning for one last fight -- but when Khabib was talking with Melikov, he didn't sound like a man contemplating a comeback.

Khabib said fighting after the death of his father was difficult -- "The emotions in this fight were completely different. Everything was completely different without my father."

"I was offered the fight [with Gaethje] right after everything happened. I had the decision to accept it or turn it down -- nobody knew about this -- or retire."

"Or I could come back, fight and then retire. Now I tell the people close to me that aren’t happy with me retiring that even if I fought 10 more times, I’d still have to face that decision."

"This decision could come up when I’m 32, 34, 35. It’s a hard decision because I’ve been fighting all my life. I’ve been on the mats for as long as I remember. It’s difficult to leave and do something else. People can’t understand it, but what can you do?”

So, what will Khabib do? His father wanted him to retire with a 30-0 record. He currently sits at 29-0.

Israel Adesanya says his wonky pec at UFC 253 was NOT due to steroids or some sort of medical issue ... rather, the MMA star says it's simply 'cause he smokes too much weed!!!

"It might have just been unhealthy living a little bit -- like, smoking weed," the 31-year-old said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show this week. "That's what the doctor from the UFC said."

If you missed it ... while Adesanya picked apart Paulo Costa on Fight Island on Sept. 26, his right pectoral muscle flopped around far lower than his left one.

Viewers were concerned something might be horribly wrong ... and critics suggested it could be "juice" related.

But, Adesanya said he got everything checked out recently -- including getting an ultrasound and a mammogram -- and he claims docs told him everything was likely due to too much devil's lettuce.

"After a performance like that, I'd think I was on steroids too," Adesanya joked.

Adesanya says docs explained the disfigurement was nothing more than "a fat deposit" ... and he added he's now feeling -- and looking -- much better.

"It calmed down," Adesanya said. "Not as sensitive."

As for Adesanya's plans for weed now ... he says docs advised him to stop -- but he's laughing about that idea.