UFC

Tennis great Nick Kyrgios is bent out of shape that certain people -- AKA the "Hawk Tuah" chick -- are not getting famous the old-fashioned way.

Kyrgios was exercised over Haliey Welch's appearance at Jake Paul's fight against Mike Perry.

Haliey got quite the reaction, and to that Nick said, "No correlation between fame and actually being decent at something anymore," punctuating his criticism with a laughing emoji.

The UFC will host the first-ever live sporting event at The Sphere in Las Vegas, but, there are only 10 fights. So, who gets a spot?? Well, 19-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. said earlier this week one should be reserved for him!

TMZ Sports talked to the rising star -- prior to reports he made the cut for the Noche UFC event going down on September 14 -- and he pleaded his case for why he should be involved.

"My manager is talking with the UFC right now, and I think the possibility is high," Rosas Jr. said of landing the coveted spot.

8:57 AM PT -- Trump is taking advantage of Hulk's viral moment ... 'cause the former president's campaign is now selling the same cutoff the wrestling legend rocked on stage!!

Folks can cop the merch with a donation of $35 or more ... and we take it it'll be a hot item with the MAGA crowd following the memorable performance.

The Republican National Convention stage looked more like a wrestling ring Thursday night -- at least for a few minutes -- as Hulk Hogan ripped off his shirt and fired up the crowd with an impassioned pro-Donald Trump speech.

The WWE-style moments all went down at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee ... about an hour or so before Trump formally accepted the GOP's nomination for President.

Hulk, who said he committed to speaking at the event following Saturday's attempt on Trump's life, repeatedly praised the former Prez ... all while speaking as if he were in the center of a squared circle at WrestleMania.

Jake Paul's latest fight bet offer was immediately rejected ... with "Platinum" Mike Perry refusing to agree to get a "W" face tattoo if he loses on Saturday night.

El Gallo -- who's known to put wild, sometimes permanent, wagers on the line with his boxing opponents -- laid out the terms of his proposition at Thursday's press conference ... saying if he ends up getting his second career L, he'll rematch Perry in Bare Knuckle FC. But if Jake wins, Perry would have to sport his men's care brand logo on his mug for the rest of his life.

The crowd let out a collective cheer ... and Perry responded by trashing the fans in attendance before slamming the door on the bet.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn't tapping out in his ongoing legal battle ... entering a not-guilty plea for the two misdemeanor charges he's facing in relation to a drug test gone wrong earlier this year.

Jones -- who appeared in New Mexico court virtually -- was charged with assault and interference with communications earlier this week ... after a testing agent claimed he made threats and took their cell phone when they popped up at his Albuquerque home unannounced back in March.

As we previously reported, two drug testing agents for the UFC's anti-doping partners -- Drug Free Sport International -- went to Jones' pad to collect a pee sample ... but in a police report, one of the agents told authorities Jon grew agitated with her after he was unable to provide a urine sample.

Don't worry UFC fans, if Paddy Pimblett has it his way ... he'll be sticking around the UFC once his current contract with the promotion runs out, telling TMZ Sports the UFC is the place he wants to be!!!

We caught up with Paddy "The Baddy" as the star MMA fighter prepares for his upcoming bout vs. Bobby "King" Green at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. A fight, for Pimblett, which could mark the last with Dana White's promotion ... 'cause it's the last on his deal.

Paddy's been asked about his future in recent interviews, and some have perceived him to be signaling a desire to go elsewhere.

No shoes, no shirt, no problem when it comes to PowerSlap prep ... Paige VanZant threw on her finest teeny bikini and grabbed her MMA star hubby Austin Vanderford for a steamy training sesh!

The power couple -- who married in 2018 -- shared video on social media, showing PVZ rocking a neon, thong bikini ... as Austin, an 11-2 MMA fighter, trained wifey using a pool noodle (a lot better than getting slapped!)

Of course, Paige -- who competed in UFC, bare-knuckle, and boxing (as well as pro wrestling) -- made her debut at Power Slap 8 earlier this month against Christine Wolmarans ... a fight VanZant won!

Ex-UFC star and former American sniper Tim Kennedy says many people need to answer for the disaster that was the Trump shooting ... and he thinks folks need to lose their jobs.

Tim -- who was once a U.S. Army Special Forces sniper -- tells TMZ he believes the training of those immediately around Trump during the Pennsylvania rally Saturday was most definitely not up to par for protecting him against the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

He says the site survey team was supposed to identify any locations that could pose a threat to Trump, which he believes they utterly failed to do ... and now, he thinks key people at the Secret Service and beyond should have to pay for it with their careers.

Donald Trump might as well be the next recipient of the UFC's "BMF" belt ... 'cause Dana White gushed over No. 45's handling of this weekend's assassination attempt -- calling his close friend the "ultimate American badass."

The UFC honcho joined "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday to share his reaction to Saturday's rally shooting in Butler, PA ... and he said he was "literally blown away" by how The Donald responded after nearly losing his life at the hands of Thomas Matthew Crooks.

"This guy is almost 80 years old," White said minutes ago. "The guy tried to blow his head off. And to have the reaction that he did when he got up, this guy has been a friend of mine for 25 years, one of the greatest human beings I've ever met. He's an unbelievable friend, and he's forever now the ultimate American badass."

Conor McGregor did it REALLY big for his birthday -- the UFC superstar stripped down to his undies and put it ALL on display ... leaving very little to the imagination in the process.

Mystic Mac went to Instagram to celebrate his 36th trip around the sun on Sunday ... flexing his muscles in his orange Versace briefs while aboard a luxurious boat.

Just like many social posts in the past, Conor's bulge made a special appearance ... something his followers made sure to point out in the comment section.

Tracy Cortez pulled out all the stops to ensure she made weight for her upcoming main event fight with Rose Namajunas ... cutting off inches of her hair to come in under the 126 lb. limit!

Talk about dedication!

The 30-year-old fighter hit the scales Friday morning in Denver, CO ... with only the scale standing between her and Thug Rose, who are headlining Saturday's Fight Night card. The problem for Cortez ... she was about a pound overweight, and time was running out.

Donald Trump is set to officially receive the Republican nomination next week at the party's National Convention in Milwaukee ... and we now know who will introduce the former President -- longtime friend and UFC CEO Dana White!

The Wall Street Journal broke the news on Thursday, reporting the UFC honcho will make his third consecutive appearance at the RNC, serving as the co-main event for one of the biggest nights in politics.

Of course, Dana and Donald go back years.

Shawn Porter had the best seat in the house for Nate Diaz's scrap with Jorge Masvidal on Saturday, with the former boxing champ saying the Stockton star trained hard for the fight, as opposed to when he lost to Jake Paul a few months back!

"[Diaz was] the same fighter, but more prepared. The same fighter, but really ready to fight," Porter, who called the fight for Fanmio, told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1).

Shawn continued ... "They said Nate didn't really train for the fight with Jake Paul. He didn't take it as serious as he should have. And it showed."

It appears Conor McGregor is inching closer to his UFC return ... 'cause the MMA superstar shared a bunch of sparring snapshots to his Instagram on Monday -- and if they're in fact recent, fans might not have to wait much longer to see him in action.

Notorious -- who backed out of his UFC 303 matchup with Michael Chandler last month due to a toe injury -- added two separate workout posts to his profile over the past 24 hours ... showing him having his way against his partner.

Conor appears to move around the canvas with no issue as he lands kicks and punches ... even to the point where he gets blood on his glove.

The Ice Man's got an iced-out truck ... and he ain't afraid to show it off!!!

Check out the ride Chuck Liddell pulled up in at LAX earlier last week -- it's a custom 2005 H2 Hummer -- and he tells TMZ Sports it's an absolute blast to drive!!

The UFC legend says he actually first got it as a gift from Dana White for taking part in the UFC's "Ultimate Fighter" show years ago -- but, just recently, he had it a bit redone by a custom car shop.

Dan Ige was planning on watching UFC 303 like the rest of us ... on the couch. But before the main card kicked off ... he found himself walking into the arena to take a fight against Diego Lopes on four hours notice -- and he tells TMZ Sports he would do it all over again!

We spoke with the 32-year-old fighter days after he saved the day for the UFC on its marquee card for International Fight Week. Ige said he is still riding the high of the entire saga.

"The last 24 hours have been an emotional roller coaster," he said. "I was preparing for a night in three weeks. Then, just getting the call on four hours notice and making that walk on such a huge event, saving the card, UFC 303 as the co-main event. 19,000 fans in the arena, getting a standing ovation. What a moment, what an opportunity."