UFC

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is smashing expectations with his boldest role yet -- stepping away from blockbuster bravado to deliver a raw, unflinching turn in "The Smashing Machine."

It’s another week, another episode of "TMZ Movie Tea" with Jabeen Waheed... and she’s serving up a must-see: Dwayne as real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr -- a fighter battling way more than opponents in the ring!

Addiction, fame, and a rocky marriage to Dawn (Emily Blunt!!) fuel this brutal personal drama -- with Benny Safdie in the director’s chair.

Alex Pereira says Magomed Ankalaev's day of reckoning is coming ... where the UFC champ will be forced to pay for running his mouth!

"There's definitely a rivalry. [Ankalaev's] said a lot and now he's got to face it," Poatan told us this week, adding ... "And yeah, he definitely looks like he's a little bit scared."

Pereira and Ankalaev's UFC 320 rematch, which is exactly one week away, already had fans pumped ... but things were ratcheted up even more this week when the fighters got into a verbal dust-up at the UFC's Performance Institute.

Conor McGregor is tapping out of his presidential campaign in Ireland ... saying after talking to his family and reflecting on the situation, it's simply not the right thing for him to pursue at this time.

The UFC superstar released a long statement on his social media page on Sunday ... making it clear that even though he will not be running this time around, it is by no means the end of his political career.

"I will continue to serve my people by using my international platform to promote Irish interests abroad, to strengthen our economic opportunities, and to advocate for transparency and responsibility in public life at home."

The UFC will honor the late Charlie Kirk on Saturday at "Noche UFC" ... days after the beloved activist was assassinated on a college campus in Utah.

TMZ Sports has learned the fight promotion will pay tribute to Kirk near the top of the main event at 6 PM ET ... going down in front of a packed crowd at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

The specifics of the tribute aren't known.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford goes down Saturday night, and Dana White, the bout's promoter, says it's ALREADY one of the top-selling fights in boxing history!

TMZ Sports ran into White in Los Angeles this week -- just a few days before the historic scrap -- when we asked about the magnitude of the event.

"[Canelo-Crawford] is already the third biggest fight of all time as far as gate. It's number one all-time in stadiums. It's the number one gate of all time at Allegiant Stadium," White told us.

Conor McGregor has a new cornerman in one of his business pursuits ... it's none other than Donald Trump Jr.!!

Mixed Martial Arts Group (MMA.Inc) -- a company backed by the UFC superstar -- announced POTUS' son as its newest strategic advisor on Tuesday ... a move that has Notorious stoked.

"Don is a globally recognized business leader with a deep passion for martial arts and for the coaches and small business owners who are the backbone of this sport," McGregor -- the company's key investor -- said.

Conor McGregor has taken to the streets to campaign for change in Ireland ... giving a passionate speech outside the government buildings and pleading with his fans to help him get on the presidential ballot.

Notorious released the nearly two-and-a-half-minute-long monologue in Dublin on Thursday ... bashing the current officials for, in his eyes, dropping the ball.

"In these times, this government has cost us our peace of mind, our security, our hope for the future and the general well-being of Irish citizens nationwide has decreased dramatically," McGregor said.

1:24 PM PT -- Jon Jones addressed the news in a statement on Tuesday ... thanking the district attorney's office for "ultimately vindicating me completely."

"I have always believed in the importance of truth and fairness, and I am grateful that the evidence spoke for itself. The simple fact is this: I was never there. I never even left my house that night, and all the evidence proved that."

Jones went on to say there was a "rush to judgment" before all the real evidence was presented ... and once the allegations went public, his retirement announcement moment was "stolen from me by someone who made false accusations to avoid a DWI and any real accountability."

"I sincerely hope that this individual is held responsible by Albuquerque’s law enforcement," Jones continued. "They not only disrupted my retirement but also made our police department appear negligent in the process. It is deeply troubling that, in today’s world, a single false accusation can take so much away from someone before any evidence is even considered."

Jon Jones is officially in the clear in his leaving the scene of an accident case ... prosecutors have dismissed all charges against the UFC superstar.

Court documents TMZ Sports has obtained show New Mexico officials dropped the matter after they found "reason to believe [Jones'] alibi defense is credible."

Jones, as you know, was hit with two charges -- one count of leaving the scene of an accident, and one count of use of telephone to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend -- after he allegedly bolted from the scene of a wreck on Feb. 21 in Albuquerque.

Frankie Edgar's coming out of retirement ... but not everyone is thrilled with the decision!

TMZ Sports talked to the 43-year-old MMA legend ahead of his bare knuckle boxing debut against fellow former UFC star Jimmie Rivera at BKFC 82 ... after almost 3 years away from fighting.

We asked Frankie how his family felt about his decision to once again make the walk.

"Not too good," Edgar said while laughing. "They definitely did not want me to do this. But we had a serious talk, and I got the okay from my wife."

Dillon Danis, after nearly two years away, is returning to the cage ... and the polarizing fighter says he plans to stay active -- with the ultimate goal being a scrap with UFC star Islam Makhachev!

TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Danis ahead of his Misfits 22 MMA scrap vs. Warren Spencer on Saturday (the fight's streaming on DAZN) ... where Dillon walked us through his reasoning for fighting a fairly unknown opp.

"Since the Logan fight, we had a bunch of fights, and I was trying to go, trying to go. Eventually, I'm just like, 'Alright if I'm just gonna be sitting around, I'm gonna fight'. Me taking a fight like this, getting my record up, getting more experience, people see me fighting, it'll help me get those bigger fights."

Dana White's Contender Series has become such a big deal, "Suga" Sean O'Malley says after the UFC, it's the biggest force in all of Mixed Martial Arts.

"The Contender Series is the second biggest promotion in the world. UFC and then Contender Series. There's nothing really that's competing with it," the show alum told Babcock this week.

Not PFL, nor ONE FC.

Khamzat Chimaev is back in the UAE after securing the UFC middleweight belt less than 48 hours ago ... and the folks at home are already treating him like the champ by rushing to greet him at the airport!!

Footage of the 31-year-old arriving in the country started making the rounds on social media Monday ... showing a ton of people waiting to get a glimpse of the big winner as soon as he touched down.

Rocking the belt on one shoulder with a flag draped over him, Chimaev took time to pose for photos and sign some autographs for those in attendance.

Mixed martial arts was BANNED in many places around the world not long ago ... but the sport has grown at an electric pace, and Henry Cejudo predicts it'll soon be the biggest sport in the world!

Triple C joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where the former champ-champ was asked about the UFC's historic (and massive) $7.7 BILLION media rights deal with Paramount, and whether he could've ever imagined the sport reaching these heights.

"No, I didn't [imagine MMA could get this big]," the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer said.

7:53 AM PT -- While Jon Jones' leaving the scene of an accident case was dismissed on Wednesday, it turns out the UFC superstar is still facing charges related to the incident.

Bernalillo County prosecutors tell TMZ Sports ... "The officer filed the complaint in Metro Court twice, which generated a duplicate case." Only the duplicate has been dismissed.

The second case, though, remains ongoing. He's actually facing two charges there -- one count of leaving the scene of an accident, and one count of use of telephone to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend.

Jones is due for a hearing next month.

Big win in court this week for Jon Jones ... the UFC star's leaving the scene of an accident charge was dismissed.

Dricus Du Plessis has taken over two dozen UFC fights and countless others outside of the promotion, but he tells TMZ Sports his toughest match ever will come on Saturday night against Khamzat Chimaev.

The current middleweight champ made no bones about it during a sitdown with Michael Babcock earlier this month ... explaining the UFC 319 main event tilt will not only be "the hardest," but "the biggest fight of my life."

"This is the best opponent -- to date," he said ... adding, "Up until now, this is the best guy. He is the No. 1 contender in the world. He is the best guy without a title in the world."

Dana White and the UFC will have a new streaming home beginning in 2026 ... Paramount has acquired the U.S. rights to the MMA organization in a massive $7.7 BILLION deal!

TKO announced the pact Monday morning ... revealing the agreement with the Skydance Corporation is a seven-year one that's worth an annual price tag of $1.1 billion.

"The historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes," White said. "For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model, making it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform."