UFC

Diego Sanchez's lawyer tells TMZ Sports the former UFC fighter will "channel his energy and passion into getting better with some needed treatment and counseling" after being released from jail for his gun-related arrest.

Jason Bowles provided us with the statement after Judge Cindy Leos granted Sanchez his release in New Mexico on Tuesday ... saying, "Diego has done so much good for the Albuquerque community over the years and has been a role model for many at risk youth. He is a much loved UFC legend."

"We believe he is on the path back to greatness in all areas of his life," Bowles added.

Fantastic news from Ben Askren -- the former UFC star is finally leaving the hospital and heading home ... and shared the update with a deeply emotional video for his supporters.

"What's up, guys?? Day 59, I'm out," Funky said alongside his wife, Amy, minutes ago ... adding a bit of humor to lighten the mood, despite what he's gone through the past two months.

"That was a long journey, and it's not over because I still can't really walk, gotta reteach myself to do that among many other things."

Stephen Thompson is giving fans an up-close look at his shin after it split open during his scrap against Gabriel Bonfim at last week's UFC Fight Night ... saying despite how it appears, it's healing well!!

Wonderboy posted the photos to his Instagram Tuesday morning ... showcasing the before and after on his left shin, which now includes some stitches.

Even with the gash ... he was almost able to K.O. Bonfim in the waning seconds of the second round of the bout -- but the bell forced the action into the third.

Ben Askren's wife is calling on his supporters to be cautious of scammers looking to cash in on his medical issues ... alerting her followers of fake donation requests as he recovers from a double lung transplant.

Amy Askren gave fans the heads-up on her social media page on Monday ... providing a screenshot of a fake X account using her name.

The imposter's message was a response to a fan who had been showing Ben a lot of support ... and Amy believes it was a setup to solicit donations.

If the UFC is having a Fourth of July fight night at the White House, Michael Chandler wants in on it BADLY -- telling TMZ Sports he's throwing his hat in the ring ... and he's down to finally settle the score with Conor McGregor!!

We caught up with Iron Mike this week ... and with all the chatter surrounding Dana White and President Donald Trump hoping to put on an Independence Day extravaganza at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next year, we had to ask if he's interested.

Short answer?? Hell. Yes.

Jon Jones is confident he'll be fighting at Donald Trump's White House UFC event whenever it goes down ... telling TMZ Sports on Thursday he's got "a very strong feeling" he'll be on the historic card.

Of course, the shindig doesn't have an official date or a time yet -- but Dana White said this week he's going to meet with Trump soon to hammer out the logistics ... and whenever it all gets set, Jones made it clear he wants in.

"That's the goal," the former heavyweight champ said out at LAX.

Bad news for those hoping Dustin Poirier has one more fight in him after this weekend ... he tells TMZ Sports he's REALLY hanging up the gloves for good Saturday night.

We chopped it up with the 36-year-old ahead of his retirement match against Max Holloway in his home state of Louisiana. Before we got to that, we had to ask him if next year's potential July 4th card at the White House had him rethinking things.

But Diamond made it clear ... even the thought of throwing hands at one of the most iconic landmarks in the country isn't changing his mind.

1:15 PM PT -- Sanchez appeared before a judge minutes ago ... who said he will be kept in custody after the state filed a motion for preventive detention. His case is being sent to district court, where it will be decided if he stays locked up or is released pending his trial.

Diego Sanchez -- the winner of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" -- was arrested Thursday in New Mexico ... after he allegedly fired a gun while passing by a crash, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court documents, officers were working an incident on I-40 in Albuquerque when they say a passenger in a Jeep Gladiator -- later identified as Sanchez -- shot off a round as the vehicle drove by the scene.

Cops then followed the car and pulled it over a short time later. While officers say he admitted there was a gun in the car ... Sanchez denied ever firing a shot.

Dana White says they've made so much progress planning for the UFC's historic event at the White House ... that he'll soon be flying to D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump, where the close friends will finalize the game plan!

"We've already put together the whole plan," White told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1). "We'll have all the rendering and stuff done in the next couple of weeks."

Dana added ... "I'm gonna fly out to D.C., sit down with him and walk him through it, see what he likes, doesn't like, and all that good stuff. Fourth of July in 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States. It's gonna be badass!"

Conor McGregor doesn't seem to have a care in the world as he celebrates his 37th trip around the sun -- his birthday festivities are going strong ... despite trending worldwide for his alleged private pics getting plastered all over social media.

The UFC superstar had a helluva Monday -- rapper Azealia Banks accused him of sending "unsolicited" nude photos and instructing her not to "be a rat" about it ... and provided alleged proof of his actions to go with it.

Banks later claimed it's been a mutual interaction between the two for nearly a decade ... saying, "Me and Conor McGregor have been sending each other unsolicited nudes since 2016. LOL."

Marvin Vettori's heading into his fight with Brendan Allen with a heavy heart, but also extra motivation ... the Italian fighter is returning to the Octagon for the first time since the tragic loss of his little bro.

"I'm fighting for my brother," 31-year-old Vettori told TMZ Sports. "For everybody that was very close to him. For my family."

Patrick Vettori tragically died on April 14, 2025, in a house fire in Mezzocorona, Italy ... which devastated the star MMA fighter.

Jon Jones is back after one of the shortest retirements in sports history ... the MMA GOAT reentered the drug testing pool -- a must if you intend to fight -- with Bones himself saying he hit up the UFC to declare his interest in the highly anticipated White House card!

Dana White shared the news on the "Full Send" podcast, where they discussed the promotion's potential card at 1600 Penn, which President Donald Trump says he hopes to host next year for America's 250th birthday bash! The UFC honcho's statement backs up what Bones said on X last week.

"The fact that literally everyone wants to fight on this card makes it a lot more fun," Dana said.

UFC legend Randy Couture was airlifted to a burn center with serious injuries after crashing during practice runs at a racetrack in Kansas City ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Couture -- who was slated to make his National Hot Rod Association racing debut this year -- was involved in an accident during preparation on Tuesday ... resulting in first- and second-degree burns, trauma injuries and smoke inhalation.

The 62-year-old fighter, actor and Army vet completely wrecked the car he was driving at the time of the incident ... although it's unclear what caused it.

Ilia Topuria is opening up on his brutal (and shocking) knockout of Charles Oliveira ... and talking about who could be next -- and he's putting two big UFC stars on notice!

The 28-year-old newly crowned lightweight champ joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... just days after he put Oliveira's lights out with a crushing combo of punches in the UFC 317 main event.

As it goes, everyone wants to know what's next for the champion. Two names that have been talked about most ... Paddy Pimblett and Islam Makhachev!

Ilia Topuria says he's got no beef whatsoever with Charles Oliveira -- in fact, he's got a ton of respect for the title contender -- but with that said, he's vowing to beat his ass!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 28-year-old Topuria, who recently relinquished his featherweight belt, ahead of their UFC 317 scrap -- where they'll fight for Islam Makhachev's lightweight strap (he's moving up to welterweight) -- and we asked the 16-0 fighter what he'd say to Charles just days before their title fight.

"I have all the respect in the world for Du Bronx, nothing personal. This is competition, and this time he has a very, very dangerous opponent, and he needs to bring his pillow," Ilia said.

If UFC fans didn't know Nazim Sadykhov before, they do now ... after the 11-1 fighter stunned the MMA world with one of the most insane comebacks in recent history -- and he did it with Merab Dvalishvili in his corner!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 31-year-old rising lightweight star just days after he defeated Nikolas Motta in Baku, Azerbaijan (a country he once called home as a young boy) ... a fight so good Dana White blessed him with a double bonus check -- Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night!

If you watched, you know the first round didn't exactly go as Nazim planned. In fact, he was on the receiving end of a 70-something strike combo, which he somehow not only survived, but ate without appearing too hurt.