UFC

Conor McGregor allegedly got in another fight outside the Octagon ... this time a DJ claims the champ punched him in the face and broke his nose.

Francesco Facchinetti, a famous DJ from Italy, says he and his wife were hanging out with Conor and his fiancee in Rome and, at around 2:30 AM Sunday, Conor threw a punch landing on his face. Facchinetti says the attack was unprovoked.

Facchinetti, who posted a video that clearly shows injuries, says they were all "having fun" earlier in the evening ... so much so, Conor invited them to tag along to another party. It appears they didn't leave because Facchinetti says that's when Conor threw the punch in front of 10 witnesses.

Facchinetti was quick to say he's suing Conor ... “I took a punch for nothing. That punch could go to anyone. My friends, my wife, or other friends. That’s why I decided to sue Conor McGregor because he is a violent and dangerous person.”

Facchinetti's wife posted what she claims went down ...“Then out of nowhere, he threw a punch in the face of Francesco. He was inviting us to another party. Francesco said, ‘Okay, let’s go’ and he hit him. Luckily, he [Francesco] was very close so he [Conor] couldn’t load up on his punch. Francesco flew back, fell on the table, and then on the ground. The first thing that came to mind was ‘are we kidding? Is it a show?’ Then I was paralyzed.

She went on ... "I turned around and saw that his friends were holding him against the wall because he wanted to continue beating Francesco. Then they took him away. I turned on the light and the guards turned them off. Francesco was bleeding. I wanted to help him and the guards chased us away. He will stay in Italy until October 26th. If you see him stay away from him. Don’t go near him and ask for autographs because he is an unstable and dangerous person.”

How good is #5 ranked UFC Lightweight, Islam Makhachev? His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes he could be one of the most dominant fighters of all time.

"I think [Islam's] gonna be one of the greatest fights ever. I think he's a better version than Khabib. I truly believe he is. He's not now, but he can be. He's a future world champion, for sure," Ali tells TMZ Sports.

Obviously, Nurmagomedov (literally) NEVER lost ... finishing his legendary career with a 29-0 record. He beat Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor.

If you're not familiar with 30-year-old Makhachev ... he's a beast. Islam's 20-1 ... with his sole defeat coming in his 2nd UFC fight way back in 2015.

Ever since ... he's dominated.

Next on the agenda is #6 ranked Dan Hooker at UFC 267 on October 30 ... a fight Abdelaziz says Hangman can only win with a fluke punch.

"Dan Hooker, great fighter, great guy, he's showing up for a paycheck. The only way he can win is a lucky punch."

Ali says he's personally witnessed Makhachev beat much bigger UFC stars in the gym.

"Let me tell you something, Islam Makhachev, I see him in the gym beating D.C. (Cormier), beating Luke Rockhold, beating some of my guys who's top 5 middleweight. Beating guys in the top 5 at welterweight."

S.F. fans might be hurting right now, but there's something to look forward to for next season ... 'cause UFC star Nate Diaz says he wants to throw out the first pitch at a Giants game -- and put Conor McGregor's toss to shame!!

Of course, Diaz's nemesis had one of the worst ceremonial first pitches EVER back in September ... chucking the ball wide right of the plate, but claiming it was actually great.

So, when we spoke with the 36-year-old at the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight last weekend -- before the Giants' heartbreaking exit from the postseason -- we asked if he was gonna try to get the same honor at Oracle Park.

Diaz disses McGregor with his response -- saying if he does get the opportunity, he's gonna hit the target!!

When we asked if his pitch will be better than Conor's, Diaz made it clear he'd look like Logan Webb out there on the mound.

Chuck Liddell has filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years ... just days after the UFC legend was arrested for domestic violence in Los Angeles, TMZ Sports has learned.

51-year-old Liddell filed for "dissolution w/ minor children" from his wife Heidi on Friday at a courthouse in L.A.

We broke the story ... Chuck was arrested early Monday morning at his Hidden Hills home after police responded to a call for a domestic disturbance.

When cops arrived, they spoke to Chuck and Heidi ... and determined a verbal argument turned physical.

While Chuck was taken to jail ... he's adamant he was actually the victim, and volunteered to go with cops so Heidi could remain at their home with a minor child who was in the house.

"I was the victim of the incident last night at our family home, as details of the case will reveal," Liddell said in a statement the day after the arrest.

"The deputies informed me that my wife would be arrested, as I did not respond to her assault while I sustained bruising and lacerations. I volunteered to go in her place."

Heidi was cited on the scene, but not taken into custody.

Conor McGregor found a fan in Italy this week who had tatted the UFC star's face on his arm -- and he absolutely bro'd down with the guy to celebrate!!!

The clip -- which McGregor filmed himself -- is awesome ... the fighter looked the ink over up-and-down and praised it relentlessly.

"This is probably the best version, the best version of me," McGregor said, adding, "My man! Thank you, brother!"

The artwork featured a bearded McGregor surrounded by money signs ... and Conor loved it so much, he then threw his arm around the dude and took a selfie video.

The guys cheered and smiled ... and it seems like it was a blast for all involved.

Of course, Conor is a huge fan of body ink ... he's got some of the most recognizable tats in the world -- but as far as we know, there are no portraits of himself on the bod yet.

Daniel Cormier is speaking out on his nemesis Jon Jones' recent arrest ... telling the UFC superstar to look deep within himself and straight-up "get your s*** right."

DC shared his thoughts on Jones' September domestic violence arrest in a YouTube video on Thursday ... saying this is an important moment for him to figure out how to move forward in a positive way.

"It makes me sad that his daughter said, 'Call the police,'" DC said. "That’s the thing that saddens you."

"All those little things you’ve got to think that it doesn’t matter who you are, what type of person you are, those things have to really make you look within yourself and make a decision."

"Because no one’s perfect, but at a point, you’ve got to make a decision for not only you – for your daughters, for your fiancée, for your family, for everything. I think right now is that time."

The message comes on the heels of Jones' longtime coach, Mike Winkeljohn, banning him from the Jackson Wink MMA gym ... a decision DC applauds.

"Coach Winkeljohn’s decision shows what type of man he is, willing to step away from the money in order to stand on the grounds of what he believes," Cormier says.

He added ... "You would think that for a young man like this, that would be a wake-up call. Those are your allies, your greatest allies. Even your greatest allies start to turn their back."

DC notes his heated rivalry with Jones ... but says this isn't about fighting, it's about caring for a human being.

"When a man's down, you don't kick him. You wait until he's back on his feet. Right now, he's the furthest thing from his feet. This is a bad place for Jon Jones, especially as the allies start to drop off."

As for Jones' recent tweets denying fault in the incident, DC says he needs to think twice before he hits the "send" button.

"Conor McGregor, a guy who can't even beat guys in the UFC, went 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather. You have to tell me Kamaru cannot go 12 rounds with Canelo and beat him?"

That's Ali Abdelaziz, Kamaru Usman's manager, telling TMZ Sports he wants to answer the question, who's really the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, by boxing Canelo Alvarez, the best pugilist in the world.

And, he believes his guy can, and will, win.

The 34-year-old welterweight champ is rematching Colby Covington at UFC 268 in November, but after that fight, Ali has his sights set on 31-year-old Alvarez.

"Let's get the pound-for-pound king in boxing vs. the pound-for-pound king in MMA. We're not into this fake fight, gimme fight," Abdelaziz says.

"If you think you're the pound-for-pound king, Kamaru is the pound-for-pound king. Let's have 2 kings fight each other. No takedowns allowed."

FYI, Canelo-- the super middleweight champ -- hasn't lost in 8 years ... since his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2013.

But, beating Alvarez isn't all Ali has planned ... he says he then wants his fighter to go to 185 lbs. (from 170 lbs.) and fight Israel Adesanya.

"After [Canelo,] I've always said it, I want Kamaru to go up a weight class and fight for Middleweight title. I believe that today Kamaru can go up and be 2 division champion."

It's a tricky fight to make ... Usman and Adesanya have been resistant to even talking about a fight against each other because of their shared connection to Africa. Both men were born in Nigeria.

Luis Pena's girlfriend claims the UFC fighter, known by many fans as "Violent Bob Ross," choked and punched her in the face before being arrested for domestic violence ... in a 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports.

"I wasn't trying to snitch, but since my boyfriend wants to be an asshole, he put his hands on me, and he's got to go," Pena's GF told an emergency dispatcher.

28-year-old Pena -- 9-3 in professional MMA (5-3 in the UFC) -- was arrested Saturday in Broward County, Florida after allegedly getting physical with his girlfriend.

According to legal docs, Luis is also accused of assaulting another woman who attempted to intervene after Pena allegedly got physical with his GF.

When asked by the 911 operator, Pena's GF said the fighter got physical with her, hitting her.

"He punched me in the face. But, he did this also 2 days ago, I have the mark, I have a band-aid on my back. I have everything to prove it, so I would like the police to come and remove him, so I can get my things and go the f*** home."

The woman tells the operator police previously responded to the residence over a call for the same incident, but she admitted she wasn't initially helpful.

"[Cops] were mad because I wouldn't cooperate because I didn't wanna snitch on him, but unfortunately, I have to now. I would like them to come back."

FYI, it's not the first time Pena has been in trouble with the law. Back in June he was arrested for robbery (this charge was later dropped) and battery after an alleged incident with his GF.

Regarding the alleged incident on Saturday, Pena is also accused of getting physical with a second woman who told police she was trying to help Luis' GF after she witnessed him hit her, according to legal docs.

During the 911 call, the GF referred to a restraining order that bars her and Pena from cohabitating together ... and with despair in her voice, she pleads for help.

"We have a no contact order, so technically we shouldn't even be living together. I really need the cops to come and get him out now., I have scratches and bruises all over me from him, I need him gone."

Tyson Fury, 2-time heavyweight champion of the world, undefeated (31-0-1) with wins over Deontay Wilder (twice) and Wladimir Klitschko ... the greatest heavyweight ever?!?

Hell no, according to Oscar De La Hoya ... who, standing with his girlfriend Holly Sonders, tells TMZ Sports the Gypsy King is certainly one of the greatest of this generation -- but not the best ever.

"Of all-time? All-time? So, you're disrespecting Muhammad Ali?" the former 6 weight class world champ fired back at our guy.

FYI, 6'3" Ali finished his legendary career with a 56-5 record ... with wins over George Foreman, Sonny Liston (twice), Joe Frazier (twice), and Ken Norton (twice).

For what it's worth, just minutes later, Ali's grandson, pro fighter Nico Ali Walsh told us Fury was a top 5 heavyweight ... and a bout between TF and his grandpa would be the greatest fight ever.

So, maybe not that crazy of a question.

Even if De La Hoya isn't ready to put Fury above Ali ... he still believes the trilogy fight was incredible.

"I thought it was a beautiful fight. I'm happy that Tyson and the Bronze Bomber gave us an amazing performance," Oscar said.

"I promoted the Bronze Bomber for 40 fights, and he always had a heart. So, I'm glad that they gave us a beautiful fight."

Adrien Broner was sitting in a jail cell early Sunday morning -- 'cause the guy got picked up by cops in one state ... for being wanted in another.

The boxer was arrested and booked around 1 AM, getting hauled into the Kenton County Jail in Kentucky ... where he posed for this mug shot. The charges he got rung up on upon entry ... fugitive from another state, from which a warrant was required.

No word on the circumstances of how cops stumbled upon Broner to begin with, but they did.

It's unclear exactly what case this warrant stems from -- but it does originate in Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is) ... and could well be in relation to a lawsuit he lost in that jurisdiction about a year ago, when a woman claimed he'd assaulted her in a nightclub.

That case has been ongoing for quite some time -- and Broner was even tossed into jail late last year after the judge found him to be in contempt for failing to pay an $800k judgment and comply with the rest of his requirements. At the time, he claimed he was broke.

He's had other run-ins with the law since then -- in Ohio as well, no less -- but the assault suit appears to be his only one in Cleveland. Per online court records, Broner has failed to enter a treatment program ... spurring the warrant.

UFC fighter, Alexander Hernandez, told the media he wanted to "party his d*** off" after nearly flatlining Mike Breeden ... and while he says the D is "intact", the 29-year-old fighter did run up a MASSIVE tab in a Sin City club.

TMZ Sports talked to Hernandez following his 1st round knockout at UFC Fight Night ... and asked him about the nights festivities.

"D*** is intact, but the partying was out of control, dude."

"I wanted to just go to old town Vegas and hang out with the locals, and just do simple pleasantries, and just have a good time out there, walk past some shady guy, hand me some s*** in the bathroom, and I'll be like, 'Okay, whatever, in Vegas.'"

But, the Fremont wasn't meant to be, and Alex says he got "coaxed into some goddamn Tiesto club party ..."

Hernandez says they ended up getting a table ... and they dropped an insane amount of cash.

"I got a text message about a $23,000 tab. And, I'm like, 'the AT&T user you're trying to reach is no longer in service.' You're gonna have to speak to somebody else about that."

Mackenzie Dern wants to be UFC champion ... showing women can give birth AND kick ass in the Octagon -- proving you can be both an athlete and mom.

"I'm really just hoping that they have more mom champs. If I'm the first, you know that gave birth, I think it would be a big inspiration for a lot of people," Dern tells TMZ Sports.

We talked to 28-year-old Dern -- the 4th ranked strawweight -- days before her fight against 5th ranked Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

Remember, Dern returned to the Octagon ONLY 4 months after giving birth to her adorable daughter, Moa. She lost the fight to Amanda Ribas ... but the feat was still incredible.

Since, Dern's won 4 straight ... and a win tonight could propel her into a title fight with the winner of Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili (they're fighting in November.)

Mackenzie says she faced some unforeseen consequences after getting pregnant ... so becoming champ would be extra special.

"I lost sponsors, I lost fans, I lost a lot of things. People were like, you're not gonna come back," Dern says.

"Just to show that a mom can be at the highest level of mixed martial arts, ya know? This is not amateur fighting. This is the best of the best. I'll feel more like everything happened for a reason."

Of course, there have been mom champs in the past, including the greatest female fighter ever, Amanda Nunes. The Lioness' wife, UFC fighter Nina Nunes carried the couple's baby.

2020 costume controversy be damned ... Deontay Wilder is still planning to wear a unique walkup 'fit for his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury, but TMZ Sports has learned it'll be "significantly lighter" this time around.

Wilder had -- at least partially -- blamed his extravagant pre-fight wardrobe for his last loss to Fury in Feb. 2020 ... saying the weight of his battery-powered laser attire affected his legs.

But, Wilder ain't quitting on the costume idea just because of that ... so say designers Cosmo and Donato, who tell us The Bronze Bomber already has a new, extravagant look ready to go for the fight this weekend.

C&D -- who created the 2020 piece and others for Wilder -- say they've designed a cool, yet "significantly lighter," outfit for the Oct. 9 tilt ... and promise there will be no issues whatsoever surrounding this one.

"It's going to be significantly lighter," Cosmo said, "So, we don't have any drama at all."

C&D tell us Deontay has already tried on the costume -- modeling it in their store two weeks ago -- and the fighter has made sure it'll have no effect on his ability to punch Fury on Saturday night.

"He looks so amazing," Cosmo tells us. "He was so happy ... The outfit fits perfectly and he's ready to slay!"

C&D wouldn't reveal the whole costume to us ... but they did say it took 3 weeks to make, and features a special red and black theme.

"It's red and black from the Nigerian tribe," Cosmo says. "The red means funeral -- it's going to be Tyson Fury's funeral the next fight."

BJ Penn knows what he wants to do with his life post-fighting career ... run the state of Hawaii, 'cause the UFC legend announced he's running for governor of The Aloha State!!!

42-year-old Penn -- a UFC Hall of Famer -- threw his hat in the proverbial ring (Octagon?) this week, and even laid out several policies he would immediately overturn.

"As soon as I step into Hawaii's Governor office I will remove all new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and 'ohana," BJ wrote.

"We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and healthiest states in the union."

Penn -- who last fought in the UFC in 2019 -- also vowed to ax the policy mandating people traveling to the state must be vaxxed, writing ... "We will get rid of all vaccine passports. Hawaii will be vaccinated with Aloha and unvaccinated with Aloha policy for everyone."

On masks? Similar deal.

"Same with the masks 😷. We will follow the constitution to the tee 👌. I am not here to fit in with the other politicians, I am here to get our freedoms back!"

Of course, BJ's had several run-ins with the law over the last few years ... but the MMA great isn't hiding from his past, addressing it head-on.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight, or sell out my people."

Democrat, David Ige, is the current sitting gov of Hawaii. His term ends late next year.

Who says Kevin Holland can't wrestle?!

The MMA star thwarted an alleged carjacking Monday morning -- just 2 days after the wild ending at UFC Fight Night -- tracking down the accused thief in his car, and holding him down until police in Saginaw, TX arrived on the scene.

TMZ Sports talked to the 28-year-old fighter ... and he gave us a play-by-play of the crazy scene.

Holland details how he immediately sprang into action after being flagged down by the guy whose car was allegedly taken, and found himself in the middle of a wild chase.

It's a crazy story made even crazier by the timing ... Holland was just involved in a controversial fight Saturday night against Kyle Daukaus.

Less than 3 minutes into the fight, Holland and Daukaus accidentally clashed heads, briefly knocking Kevin out.

He quickly regained consciousness, but the brief moment Kevin was out allowed Kyle to get his neck, ultimately choking KH out, forcing him to tap.

Referee Dan Miragliotta consulted with fellow ref Herb Dean, the Nevada Athletic Commission, and UFC officials before deciding to declare the fight a no contest.

Despite the wild past few days, Holland is in good spirits, and gives a hysterical breakdown of the situation.

Jon Jones and his fiancée have seemingly kissed and made up following his domestic violence arrest -- the UFC star just posted a video of the couple sharing a smooch on Friday ... and if the video is recent, it's clear they're moving on from the incident.

Jones shared the romantic moment to his Instagram page minutes ago ... with the song, "Stay With You" by John Legend (which we've muted for copyright reasons) accompanying the video.

Jones and Jessie Moses appear deeply in love ... smiling for the camera after the kiss.

The song is pretty symbolic, too -- with the lyrics, "Oh, I will stay with you through the ups and the downs. Oh, I will stay with you when no one else is around."

As we previously reported, the UFC light heavyweight champ was arrested early last Friday morning for domestic violence and damaging a cop car ... after allegedly getting physical with his fiancée and then headbutting a squad car.

Jones -- who's facing a misdemeanor (domestic battery) and a felony (tampering w/ a vehicle over $5,000 damage) -- was taken to Clark County Jail.

Days after the arrest, Jones  -- who has 3 children with his longtime fiancée -- declared on social media he was swearing off booze, writing ... "I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol, my brain simply can't handle it anymore."

Jon also vowed to come back bigger and better.