UFC

Kamaru Usman spoke to TMZ Sports just days after he lost his belt to Leon Edwards three years ago ... and he vowed to make a triumphant return. It ended up taking far longer than he expected, but true to his word, the Nigerian Nightmare's back and squarely in the title picture!

"I remember coming on here and talking to you guys after I got kicked in the head by Leon Edwards," Usman told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show, reflecting on his 2022 loss and his motivation for moving forward.

"One of the biggest things that really hit me at that moment was the opportunity to prove to myself again that I can get up and do something and get back on the horse."

Ben Askren's wife says the ex-UFC star is still fighting pneumonia ... but the battle has gotten so intense, he might now need a lung transplant.

Ben, as you know, was hospitalized earlier this month after he developed a lung ailment following a bout with staph infection. On Tuesday, Amy Askren took to her Facebook page to share a sobering update on his condition.

She revealed her hubby has been on a ventilator and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). She also stated he's been so up and down, docs have begun the "evaluation process" for a possible lung transplant.

Conor McGregor unloaded vicious punches on a club patron in Ibiza this week ... with video showing the former UFC superstar striking a man twice during the violent altercation.

In a clip obtained by The Sun, Notorious appeared to be enjoying a night out with friends at Pacha around 5:53 AM on Tuesday ... when at one point, he leaned in and communicated with someone standing below him.

Whatever was said apparently didn't sit well with the 36-year-old fighter ... 'cause he went into MMA mode and attacked the guy with two clean left hooks.

Joshua Van's life has been full of surprises lately ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he received a bombshell of his own while gifting his mom a new home -- a fight offer against Brandon Royval!!

It all happened after Van's third-round TKO victory against Bruno Silva at UFC 316 ... his 14th win and 7th knockout of his career.

Van -- who made his MMA debut in 2021 -- celebrated the victory by catching his mom off guard with a new crib, not knowing something would also fall into his lap.

Kamaru Usman has lost three fights in a row ... but Joaquin Buckley, the man fighting the former champ Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night, tells TMZ Sports that doesn't even begin to tell the full story!

In fact, not only does Buckley NOT believe Usman's washed ... he actually feels that on paper, this is the toughest test of his career -- and that's coming from a guy who has fought and defeated Colby Covington, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, and Vicente Luque!

We spoke with 31-year-old Joaquin -- the number 7th-ranked UFC welterweight -- ahead of his scrap with Usman.

Kayla Harrison's sittin' atop the MMA world ... and the newly crowned women's bantamweight champ is talking all things UFC 316 and beyond -- from her insane weight cut to her next fight vs. Amanda Nunes!

34-year-old Harrison joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... just days after she dominated now-former champ Julianna Pena in the co-main event, winning by second-round submission.

We asked her -- with a couple of days to digest the enormous accomplishment -- how she was feelin'?

Merab Dvalishvili touched down in his home country of Georgia -- after another dominant win over Sean O'Malley -- where the UFC bantamweight champ received a hero's welcome!

It was boots on the ground for Dvalishvili at Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International Airport on Wednesday ... where he was mobbed by fans and cameras waiting to catch a glimpse of the champ.

From there, the 34-year-old hopped on a bus ... where he made his way through the streets of his hometown of Tbilisi.

Kamaru Usman is in the midst of the worst stretch of his career -- at least as far as wins and losses go -- but the Nigerian Nightmare says don't get it twisted ... he's still the best 170 lb. fighter in the world's top MMA promotion!

The former longtime welterweight champ, now ranked 5th, joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... just days before his highly anticipated scrap with 7th-ranked Joaquin Buckley.

Kamaru says, despite a 600+ day layoff, he's ready to go.

Kayla Harrison is just two days removed from winning her first-ever UFC championship after a dominant performance over Julianna Peña ... but she's already back in the gym, where she received a welcome worthy of a champ!

The newly crowned UFC women's bantamweight title holder brought her new hardware down to her training grounds at American Top Team in Florida ... where Kayla's coaches, training partners, and gymmates, including Dustin Poirier, lined up to congratulate the champ.

Harrison made sure to thank everyone, even taking a moment to hug the videographer filming her triumphant return.

Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison come from the world of judo, and with the latter about to fight for a title, we asked her opp, UFC Bantamweight champ Julianna Pena, about all the comparisons to Rowdy!

TMZ Sports spoke with the champ just days before the Octagon door closes behind Pena and Harrison in the UFC 316 co-main event in the Garden State ... and let's just say Julianna doesn't see the similarities between Kayla and Ronda.

"Ronda was such a phenom in the fact she was just able to take everybody out in 10 seconds or less," the Venezuelan Vixen said. "I know Kayla's manager [Ali Abdelaziz] said she's gonna be bigger than Ronda Rousey."

Kayla Harrison already has two Olympic gold medals, and she's fighting for the UFC title on Saturday ... and with a win, her manager Ali Abdealziz says she'll be the greatest combat sports athlete ever!

TMZ Sports caught up with Abdelaziz leading up to UFC 316 on Saturday ... and we asked him about his star fighter's resume.

"[Kayla] will bypass Henry Cejudo, and I think she's probably more dominant than Henry," Ali said of Harrison supplanting his other client as the G.O.A.T.

Michelle Waterson may not be fighting anymore, but that doesn't mean she isn't still kickin' ass! The Karate Hottie is now an actress, fresh off one of the biggest movies in the country, and she's fired up to get in front of the camera once again!

TMZ Sports talked to Waterson about her acting career this week, as the movie "Havoc," starring Tom Hardy, continues to be one of the most popular flicks in the world.

"If you like watching action movies, this movie is such a treat. It's kind of an homage to the '80s, '90s, like super bloody 'Rambo' slash 'Die Hard,'" Waterson told us.

Holly Holm says she'd love to take on her UFC nemesis Ronda Rousey in the boxing ring ... but tells TMZ Sports there's a snowball's chance in hell of that ever happening.

We caught up with the first woman to ever hand Rousey an L in the UFC Octagon out at the Jake Paul vs. Julio César Chávez Jr. press conference this week ... and as a new member of the Most Valuable Promotions family, we had to ask how she felt about the idea of going head-to-head with her rival again.

"Of course," she said. "I think that's just maybe hypothetical. I don't think that would ever happen, but of course I would."

Dana White's showing fans the brutal realities of UFC up close ... sharing a pic of Belal Muhammad peeling apart the two sides of his lip after Jack Della Maddalena split it in two.

The UFC President shared the photo to Instagram hours after Maddalena won the Welterweight belt from Belal by decision ... with White referring to the contest as a "WAR."

He shared Belal's suffering from a broken nose and orbital -- a part of the skull around the eye -- as well as a badly split lip.

Fight night should be a breeze for Belal Muhammad ... 'cause the UFC welterweight champ says he regularly works out with dudes most dangerous than Jack Della Maddalena, his UFC 315 opp!

TMZ Sports spoke with the 36-year-old fighter ahead of Saturday's main event scrap ... and like a slugger on deck taking hacks with a donut on his bat, Belal says the actual fight will be easier than his time on the practice mats.

"When I look at the guys that I train with, I tell you, I'm training with the best striker in the world in Ignacio Bahamondes. And I strike with this guy every single day. Jack doesn't have striking that comes close to him. The grapplers that I train with, the guys that I'm sparring with every single day, they're better than Jack," Muhammad said.

Jon Jones is at the top of everyone's list of 100 dudes who could join forces to take down a gorilla ... so what's his take on the whole debate??

Pray for the gorilla.

TMZ Sports caught up with the UFC superstar at LAX this week ... and we had to ask with so many social media users throwing his name around, how does he feel he'd fare against a silverback??