UFC

Khamzat Chimaev is calling BS on Paulo Costa's claim that he slid into his girlfriend's direct messages ... telling TMZ Sports that's just not how it went down!

"Why should I DM somebody's wife, bro?" the 31-year-old UFC star said Wednesday from a pre-fight workout in SoCal.

"She DM'ed before the fight, when I announced the fight like, 'Khamzat, please don't take it seriously. We're just trying to make money and hype'," Chimaev recounted, before revealing what he said back.

Conor McGregor is taking matters into his own hands in his quest to become Ireland's next president -- launching a petition to land on the ballot without nominations from other politicians.

Notorious went live with the campaign minutes ago ... penning a letter to the citizens of Ireland and the Irish diaspora.

"I, Conor McGregor hereby declare my intention to seek the esteemed office of President of Ireland," the UFC superstar said Monday. "The current constitutional framework however presents a significant barrier to democratic participation."

Brock Lesnar made a shocking return to WWE Sunday night at SummerSlam-- hitting John Cena with his F5 finisher to close the show.

MetLife Stadium erupted when the former WWE Champion's music hit the speakers. Lesnar stared down Cena as he made his way to the ring ... setting up a showdown between the two amid Cena's retirement tour.

His appearance came as a shock to many ... as the 48-year-old was named in the lawsuit filed by Janel Grant against Vince McMahon in 2024.

Welp, that's awkward ... the cop who arrested Diego Sanchez last month told the UFC legend he was a longtime fan of the fighter ... admitting he watched him scrap since he was "a little kid!"

TMZ Sports obtained body camera footage of the arrest ... after cops alleged the 43-year-old shot a gun out of a moving car while officers were working an incident on I-40 in Albuquerque, NM.

Cops initially spoke to the driver of the car Sanchez was in ... and after they identified him, the cop responded, "As in the Diego Sanchez?"

Conor McGregor has lost his appeal in his civil sexual assault case.

A Court of Appeal in Dublin, Ireland, rejected the UFC superstar's appeal on Thursday morning ... with a three-judge panel reportedly dismissing his claim "in its entirety."

McGregor was sued by Nikita Hand several years ago, alleging the famed fighter forced himself on her at a hotel following a 2018 Christmas party.

Even though he's got a new pair of lungs, Ben Askren says doctors have assured him he's fully capable of living a lengthy, healthy life.

The former UFC star sat with TMZ Sports just days after he returned home from his weekslong battle with a horrific case of pneumonia ... and while he's down a ton of weight and fresh off major lung transplant surgery -- he told us his long-term prognosis is very good.

"They say people run marathons and all this other stuff," he said of those who have been in similar situations to him.

Robert Whittaker is only 34 years old and still a top 5-ranked UFC middleweight, but the former champion revealed he can see the finish line of his fighting career!

TMZ Sports spoke to Bobby Knuckles just days before his UFC on ABC 9 main event scrap against Reinier de Ridder -- slated to go down from Abu Dhabi on Saturday -- when we asked him for a State of the Union on his career.

"I definitely feel the tenure like that I've had. I've been blessed to have been in this game for so long, but I feel like I'm right at the point where I can see the end is near, but I have all the experience and the body still to do what needs to be done," Robert said.

And his new single with Central Cee, "Which One," a dance jam that arrives just in time for the peak of summer!!!

Drake is all set to fire the gun on long-rumored 9th studio album "Iceman" tonight -- confirmed by Drizzy himself on Instagram!!!

In an IG post with a graphic that said "9PM," Drake clarified the project would be released Eastern Standard Time tonight (BTW, we're on Daylight Saving Time right now, not Standard ... just sayin').

Drake has been dropping Easter Eggs that "Iceman" would be a cold album through photos of iced-out jewelry as well as NBA HOF'er George Gervin and UFC legend Chuck Liddell, both of whom carved out legendary careers under the "Iceman" nickname.

Iceman is also an OG member of the X-Men within the Marvel universe; a superhero known not to bite his tongue ... which Drake did not do on the album's first single, "What Did I Miss?" which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 last week.

He's currently in Europe for his "$ome $pecial $hows 4 U" tour run alongside PARTYNEXTDOOR, but he clearly wants the world to hear some new tunes.

Ilia Topuria just gave Nelk Boys haters an absolute treat -- the current UFC lightweight champion didn't pull any punches in sparring sessions with the YouTubers ... resulting in some hilarious content!!

The group posted their workout with the champ to their YouTube channel Wednesday ... and as you would expect, they got their asses handed to them.

The first victim was Steiny. Topuria backed him into a corner and laid some light hits before he fell. He did get back up ... but then Topuria landed a right that sent him to the mat.

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.