MMA

Francis Ngannou and Rico Verhoeven were both combat sports stars who went into boxing and were arguably screwed by bad decisions ... and now both fighters could find themselves in a ring together, according to The Predator!

TMZ Sports talked to 39-year-old Ngannou, coming off a first-round knockout against Philipe Lins, when we asked him about his next move.

"[Rico] is very compelling. Very interesting. But nothing has been done yet, so I'm looking forward to it," Francis told us.

Talk about knockouts! OnlyFans girls Karina Petrova and Alexandra Svensson are going from queen mattresses to queens of the ring ... because they're gearing up for their Knockout Queen match-ups!

They hit an L.A. gym in wearing only tight shorts and skimpy sports bras to train with MMA athlete and Knockout Queen commentator Blake "Bulletproof" Troop.

The gorgeous gals glove up and face off in the ring for some sexy sparring ... but their actual fights won't be with each other.

Could the White House go from jabs to jump shots?

Dan Hurley's certainly on board ... telling TMZ DC he'd love to have his UConn Huskies play on the South Lawn next after the recent UFC Freedom 250 extravaganza!!

Coach Hurley -- who attended the elaborate MMA event on Sunday and other UFC fights in the past -- lit up when Charlie Cotton pitched the idea of getting some college basketball at 1600 Penn next.

Amanda Serrano isn't just one of the best boxers in the world, she's also an MMA fighter ... and she's interested in returning to the cage -- and she has a big name opponent in mind!

Gina Carano!

37-year-old Serrano -- the unified featherweight world champion -- chopped it up with Babcock ahead of her return to the ring (more on that in a minute) ... when the topic of mixed martial arts came up.

Ray J underwent a medical evaluation and was cleared by doctors before his fight with Supa Hot Fire -- despite checking himself into a hospital after the event, TMZ has learned. 

Sources connected with the fight tell TMZ that Ray J was “fully cleared” to fight following an “extensive medical evaluation process” overseen by both independent physicians and the athletic commission. 

The source tells TMZ that Ray J submitted to an MRA, an MRI, a chest x-ray, an eye exam, an EKG, and a full physical exam. The test results were submitted to the athletic commission, where the commission doctor separately reviewed the findings and cleared Ray J. 

Ray J was finally discharged from a hospital in Nevada after getting his ass wooped by Supa Hot Fire during their celebrity MMA match.

The R&B singer tells TMZ ... he's feeling a whole lot better after Supa knocked Ray out in the second round of their Saturday fight in Las Vegas, which was promoted by popular streamer Adin Ross and his company Brand Risk Promotions.

Brand Risk announced an investigation following the bout, saying it might have been "prearranged" after Ray made some odd remarks. But Ray categorically denies the allegations, saying there's "no way" he rigged the fight.

Ray J is punching back at claims that he threw his celebrity MMA fight against Supa Hot Fire, calling the allegation pure BS.

The R&B singer tells TMZ ... "There's no way this fight was rigged" because Ray says he would not have allowed himself to get hit that hard by Supa. 

As everyone knows, Ray got knocked out in the second round after the famous YouTuber punched Ray in the head with such force that Ray collapsed into the ropes before falling limp to the canvas during Saturday's co-main event in Las Vegas.

Ray J is laid up in a hospital bed after getting knocked out in his celebrity MMA fight ... and TMZ has photos of him with all sorts of monitors hooked up to his body.

In the images, obtained through a rep for Ray J, you see him shirtless and under some covers in a hospital bed ... in a couple snaps, he's looking up towards the ceiling and in another he's got his eyes closed as he sleeps and tucks his arms under a pillow.

Sources close to Ray J tell TMZ ... Tuesday marks Ray's third day in a Las Vegas hospital, and he's going to remain hospitalized for a few more days.

Ray J checked himself into a Vegas hospital hours after being knocked out by Supa Hot Fire, TMZ has learned. 

Sources close to Ray J tell TMZ he decided to go to the hospital two hours after the event on Saturday. 

The source tells TMZ Ray has been in the hospital for two days as the doctors continue to run tests to figure out what is wrong. 

We're told the medical team is investigating whether Ray had a concussion, and he is also experiencing issues with his heart beating slower. 

Ray J's knockout loss to Supa Hot Fire is turning into an even bigger mess ... 'cause the promoters behind the fight are investigating possible foul play.

Brand Risk Promotions released a statement Monday, announcing it has launched an internal investigation after one of the fighters allegedly insinuated there may have been a "prearranged plan" tied to Saturday night's bout.

While the statement never specifically named anyone ... the timing comes after Ray J's bizarre post-fight comments set social media ablaze.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son Knox Jolie-Pitt is switching things up -- stepping out with a bright new look ... orange hair and all!

The 17-year-old was spotted leaving Muay Thai class in L.A. on Memorial Day ... and yeah, being inconspicuous was clearly not the assignment.

Knox usually keeps things pretty low-key, style-wise -- but looks like he’s having more fun with it ... and honestly, the color works!

Ray J is learning from the best as he prepares for his upcoming MMA fight against Supa Hot Fire ... because we have video of him training with MMA icons Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson.

"The Iceman" -- with an impressive 21-9 record -- got to teach the singer a thing or two about what he'll be in for inside the ring. They swapped the octagon for a dining room, but no worries -- the training looked just as effective.

In the fight prep footage, obtained by TMZ, Ray J looks super locked in ... working up a sweat and picking the brains of two icons who've spent years destroying people professionally.

Ray J posed for photos with Chuck, the founder of Creators Inc., Andrew Bachman, and Ray's longtime manager, David Weintraub.

Ray J, as you know, was recently on death's door with a bunch of serious health issues — but now the R&B singer is back and stronger than ever, training his ass off for his upcoming MMA fight against Supah Hot Fire.

TMZ obtained exclusive video of Ray getting into tip-top shape with his posse, which includes a couple of hot female influencers shaking their booties as Ray is pumping iron.

As you can see ... Ray is taking this Saturday's match up very seriously as he spars with a partner and practices various takedown maneuvers and even shows how he plans to choke out Supah Hot during their fight.

Influencer Gabbie Gonzalez unsuccessfully tried to get a former MMA fighter to intimidate her baby daddy, Jack Avery ... before she decided to look for a hit man to take him out, according to the criminal complaint. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Gabbie and her pal Kai Cordrey, who is also charged over the alleged scheme to have a hit man kill Jack, went to Dustin Barca, a former professional fighter and boxing trainer. Dustin has a 4-0 record in his pro career. 

Gabbie and Kai tried to convince Dustin on March 23, 2021, to threaten, scare, or force Jack to leave Kauai, per the criminal complaint. 

Ronda Rousey made quick work of Gina Carano in their highly anticipated mixed martial arts fight, forcing her tap out in just 17 seconds.

Rousey returned to the Octagon at L.A.'s Inuit Dome Saturday night after a nearly 10-year hiatus and came storming out of the gate in the first round, tackling Carano to the canvas. 

The MMA star then put Carano in her signature armbar, and that was it, folks. Carano immediately tapped out. After the match, Rousey said she's headed back into retirement to be with her family, ending her 13-2 MMA career on a high note.