UFC

In just a few months, the UFC will bring the show to the most famous house in the world -- the White House -- and while the card is still a mystery ... the promotion's longtime commentator, Jon Anik, is telling us who he wants to see scrap at 1600 Penn.!

"I think you probably got to do the Heavyweight Championship," Anik told TMZ Sports this week in NYC. "We got to see Tom Aspinall versus Ciryl Gane again."

Of course, the men met at UFC 321 in October ... but the fight was stopped and ruled a no-contest after an inadvertent eye poke.

In the co-main event, Jon threw out another rematch ... which would pit Merab Dvalishvili against the man who just took his belt in December, Petr Yan.

Kayla Harrison is breaking her silence after a serious neck injury made her pull out of her huge co-main event fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 ... posting a video from her NYC hospital bed after undergoing surgery, fighting back tears, and declaring, "I'll be back soon."

Harrison shared the video with her followers on Thursday morning, and it's crystal clear how much of a toll the situation has taken on her ... torpedoing one of the most anticipated fights in the history of women's MMA.

"I'm sorry to Amanda," Kayla said. "I was really looking forward to it."

Turns out maybe there is art in Mixed Martial Arts ... 'cause nearly 10 years after Meryl Streep famously called out the sport during the Golden Globes ... the UFC was front and center at the same show to hype up its Paramount deal!!

Brian Ortega and current women’s strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern made a brief appearance during Sunday night’s 83rd Golden Globes on CBS, which now owns the U.S. broadcast rights to the MMA organization for the next seven years.

A quick refresher on why this is quite notable -- while Streep was accepting an award at the 2017 show, she gave a speech calling out President Donald Trump. When making a comment about diversity in Hollywood, she said, “If we kick [outsiders and foreigners] out, you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts -- which are not the arts."

Just days after Alex Pereira and Tracy Cortez went public with their romance -- it's over.

The UFC stars had the MMA world buzzing when they spent New Year's Eve together ... with Cortez even sharing a snap of them locking lips to welcome 2026 on a high note.

But with the highs come the lows ... and apparently they came faster than anticipated, 'cause Poatan announced on Thursday they were no longer an item.

A wrestling match between a top-15 UFC heavyweight and a man with no legs? It might sound like a crazy concept ... but it's gonna be reality when Zion Clark looks to take down Valter Walker next month in Miami ... and Clark tells TMZ Sports he's gonna choke Walker out "like a boss!"

We chopped it up with Clark -- who was born without legs -- and, he is confident as ever heading into his showdown with Walker, the brother of UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker.

Despite the clear advantage for Walker ... Clark is making it clear he's not one to be taken lightly.

2026 is already off to a great start for Alex Pereira and Tracy Cortez -- the two UFC stars went public with their romance ... and sealed it with a kiss!!

The light heavyweight champ shared an inside look at his New Year's Eve festivities on Wednesday ... showing 38-year-old Poatan and his loved ones setting off some fireworks and sparklers in a backyard.

It turns out the 32-year-old flyweight was among those present for the bash ... as Pereira posted a picture of them wearing matching sweaters with his hands around her waist.

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen is back in the gym gearing up for what hopefully will be a productive 2026 ... and while he has his sights set on former champ Dricus Du Plessis -- he tells TMZ Sports he's getting mixed signals from the Australian!!

We caught up with Allen a few months after he defeated Reinier de Ridder in Vancouver, and he told us he's hopeful a showdown with Du Plessis will be made sometime in the New Year.

But while that's his desire ... he's not so sure it's what the 31-year-old wants.

Ilia Topuria -- the current UFC lightweight champion -- announced he'll be stepping away from fighting “temporarily” as he deals with issues in his personal life ... claiming he is being extorted with "false allegations of domestic abuse unless financial demands were met."

The 28-year-old shared the news in a lengthy message posted to his Instagram, saying it was not a decision he took lightly.

"However, when circumstances arise that threaten your personal integrity, your family, and your reputation, there comes a point where you must address them directly," Topuria said.

Conor McGregor is a married man!!!

The Notorious and his longtime ride-or-die, Dee Devlin, tied the knot at the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini in Vatican City.

The wedding ceremony, at one of the oldest and most historic churches in the Vatican City, was small and intimate, according to our sources. We're told their kids were part of the ceremony with dancers and fireworks. Our sources also say the elegant reception was held inside a castle.

It's unclear if any of McGregor's celeb friends attended.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk is speaking out after getting into a heated confrontation with Jamahal Hill in Las Vegas last weekend ... saying that while  she is "embarrassed to be in this situation," she will always "stand up for myself" because she doesn't "deserve to be threatened."

The UFC strawweight legend took to her Instagram page to address video that went viral this week, which reportedly happened at UFC event, where Hill was caught on camera telling Joanna he would knock her "the f*** out" if she touched his girl.

"I am mindful that I am a strong, capable woman who has the benefit of a lifetime of self defense training," Jędrzejczyk said. "I have a platform, and resources, that most women don't have."

Merab Dvalishvili began his UFC career with two consecutive losses before winning an astounding 14 straight fights (and counting), putting him among the very best MMA fighters ever ... a fairy tale The Machine describes as the "American Dream."

"This is unbelievable," Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports ahead of his UFC 323 main event fight against Petr Yan.

"I am the American Dream. Now, when I see other Georgians also willing to come here to America, they think they can do like I do, but it's very hard. It's not only hard work, you have to get lucky, too, and I'm lucky. I'm lucky."

Dillon Danis claims he's still feeling it after his brawl at UFC 322 ... to the point where he won't be able to attend his deposition in his Nina Agdal case next week.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the MMA fighter says he is currently in California "seeking medical treatment" for a head injury he sustained at MSG after throwing hands with several members of Islam Makhachev's team on Nov. 15.

As a result, the fighter's lawyer says Danis won't be around to get grilled by Agdal's lawyers next Tuesday in New Jersey.

The brawl prompted New York City Mayor Eric Adams to call for an investigation, saying the actions were unacceptable.

It's a kickass card, but UFC 323 may not be the biggest event featuring combat stars this weekend ... 'cause big-time streamer N3on is linking up with Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, and a gang of other badass fighters for Telegram's Gift Drop!

"A bunch of fighters are going to be a part of [the drop]," N3on told Babcock, announcing the big collab with Telegram. "I've streamed with a bunch of people, but like you said, these are real stars coming in."

And he ain't lyin'.

Henry Cejudo is returning to the Octagon at UFC 323 ... question is, will it be the last fight for arguably the most decorated combat sports athlete ever?!

That's what we asked Triple C when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) and livestream (daily at 1 PM PT) ... just days before 38-year-old Cejudo makes the walk Saturday night for his fight against Payton Talbott.

"Saturday's my last fight. I've been doing this since the age of 11. Do I still have it physically? 100%. But I just feel like I've been able to learn a lot of new things in life, and I'm just ready for the second chapter, man," Cejudo told Babcock.

Alexandre Pantoja hasn't lost since mid-2020, and fans have repeatedly speculated the UFC's flyweight champ could go up a division and fight for a second belt -- so we asked him!!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 35-year-old ahead of his UFC 323 bout (December 6 on ESPN+) against 24-year-old challenger Joshua Van ... and asked about the prospects of fighting Merab Dvalishvili, the bantamweight title holder.

"I think Merab is one of the best fighters in the world, you know, 100%. He's the number three pound-for-pound, maybe number two," Pantoja said ... adding "Merab is a tough opponent for everybody in his division."

Kayla Harrison has her next two fights mapped out, and they're whoppers -- starting with Amanda Nunes, and then ... Ronda Rousey?!

Sure, there's probably a better chance hell freezes over than Ronda returning to the Octagon, but crazier things have happened.

Harrison's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, made the revelation during a recent conversation with TMZ Sports ... starting with Nunes, 37, who most agree is the women's MMA GOAT.