Interview

Who's the greatest MMA fighter ever??

Demetrious Johnson, who's absolutely in the conversation, says it's an impossible question to answer because "we've all done amazing things in this sport of mixed martial arts." But, forced to answer, Mighty Mouse says it's the newly crowned heavyweight champ Jon Jones ... following his dismantling of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

"I've had the longest consecutive title defense, and I've also had 14 world title fight wins. I believe he's at 15 [straight] now. You look at GSP. I think he took four years off and he fought in 2013 against Johny Hendricks. Then he came back in 2017 and beat Michael Bisping, who was a champion. You look at Anderson Silva, we've all done amazing things in mixed martial arts."

The former longtime UFC champ turned ONE Championship champ told us he "always felt" Jon was the G.O.A.T., and actually believes he could've beaten 247 lb. Gane without gaining any weight.

"Jon Jones, what he did to Gane Saturday night, I mean, he took him down and choked him out. I truly believe he could've done that at 205 [lbs.]"

"The one thing that separates those guys from me, those guys have gone up and competed and won a world championship in a different weight class, where I haven't.

"Henry Cejudo's done it, Jon's done it, Randy Couture's done it, the list just goes on and on of all the guys who have done it, and that's one thing I haven't done."

Fighters like Couture, Georges St-Pierre, and Khabib have all retired, so they're done adding to their resumes. But, Mighty Mouse isn't. He's still very much fighting with ONE, and he's got a big fight coming up.

DJ's fighting Adriano Moraes on May 5 ... one of the best ONE matchups. The guys have fought twice previously, with each man winning once.

Cher and Alexander Edwards are getting involved with each other's kids ... another sign the singer and her music executive fiancé are serious about their relationship.

We got Alexander at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills on Wednesday and he told our photog Cher's sons, Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman, are "my guys."

Alexander has a son of his own with Amber Rose ... and when we asked him how Cher gets along with little Slash, he told us Cher's "amazing."

Remember ... Cher and AE have a 40-year age gap and they've only been together a few months ... so getting involved with the children is another big step. Cher's sons are older than Alexander, after all.

AE gave Cher a huge diamond ring over the holidays, and she told paps back in January the engagement was going along well.

There's no word on a wedding date and our photog prodded AE for info ... but it sounds like their sons are the priority, at least for now.

He landed Barack Obama ... now, Eli Manning has his sights set on his next dream "ManningCast" guests -- Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David!!

TMZ Sports played a pivotal role (or so we tell ourselves) in helping Peyton and Eli book the former president on their alternative broadcast of "Monday Night Football" last season ... with the older bro joking Eli's interview with us back in February 2022 is what helped seal the deal.

Considering our influence, Babcock and Lucas gave Eli the opportunity to shoot his shot for his next dream guests on the ESPN2 show ... and he's got some big names in mind.

"I think now, I'm a big 'Seinfeld' fan, so I think a Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David ... something in that realm would be pretty cool," Eli told the TMZ Sports TV show (airs on FS1) at his Easter event with The Children's Place.

The pairing would be pretty great ... considering Jerry is a big Giants fan, and Larry is known as a diehard Jets backer. There are also reports the "Seinfeld" creator played a role in getting Obama to appear on the "ManningCast" last year ... so maybe it's time for him to do it as well.

Eli admits he never thought he'd be able to land a former president ... adding, "I'd never imagine when I retired from playing football I'd ever interview Barack Obama for a segment while watching a football game at the same time. That kind of blew my mind."

"I thought I'd just say something outrageous, it would never happen. I could just keep saying the answer for years to come. Obviously, I can't do that now."

Jake Paul says his fight with Tommy Fury was soiled from the start -- The Problem Child just revealed he had a wet dream before his loss to TNT ... which wasted all the testosterone he was building up for weeks.

Jake went into perhaps too much detail on his brother Logan's "Impaulsive" podcast this week ... when he admitted his, umm, "release" pissed him off to the point where it may have factored into how he performed in the ring.

Logan -- who says he experienced the same problem prior to his fight against KSI -- explained the reasoning behind the practice ... saying Jake was "building his batch" so he could rack up so much testosterone, he'd turn into an "angry f***ing fighter."

Only problem is -- Jake had a lil accident just hours before the fight ... wasting two weeks of holding it all in.

Jake described how he felt right after he realized what happened ... saying, "I f***ed myself -- literally -- over."

"I literally woke up in a panic, like, 'F***. F***, f***, f***, f***.'"

Jake isn't blaming his whole loss on the wet dream, though ... saying, "I think it's one of many reasons."

Logan sympathizes with Jake ... saying, "I remember when it happened to me, mentally, I was kinda destroyed a little bit."

"You had just done this thing that isn't easy for three weeks to a month, holding your batch in ... it's not easy. And then, on the day of the f***ing fight, all your progress is destroyed. You're back to zero."

"And, it isn't a little release, either, by the way. It's like ... it's a lot, dude."

Of course, Jake lost to Tommy via split decision in Saudi Arabia ... and if there's a rematch, he's gotta be hoping he can hold it in next time.

Mercedes Mone is putting the wrestling world on NOTICE ... telling TMZ Sports she'll fight any wrestler, anywhere, anytime -- saying, "I turn down to nobody."

We spoke to Mercedes -- formerly known as Sasha Banks in the WWE -- after she captured the IWGP championship in her New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) debut last month ... and she was hyped about performing in front of her family and friends.

"It was a moment I'm always going to remember," Mone said. "It's probably my second favorite moment of my career thus far and that's saying a lot because I've done so much in professional wrestling."

Mercedes said competing in front of a sold-out crowd at the San Jose Civic Center in California -- close to where she grew up -- was special ... adding working with her opponent, Kairi, who she defeated to become champ, was an incredible experience.

Mone told us now that she's the IWGP champ, she's got big plans. In addition to showing off her gold on red carpets, she also called out Japanese pro wrestler AZM ahead of her scheduled appearance at Sakura Genesis in Tokyo on April 8.

"I wanna see who's ready for Mercedes Mone," the champ said. "I'm always here for the check. I'm always here for the bag and whoever has the biggest bag is where I'm gonna go."

Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors are two peas in a pod -- so much so, in fact, they say they wanna follow in the footsteps of two other legends ... Bob and Al.

The actors sat down with NYT to talk about their new movie, "Creed III," which is out in theaters and, so far, cleaning up nicely -- both in terms of box office and critic reviews. Not just that, but their dynamic/explosive chemistry on-screen is the talk of the town right now.

In the Q&A, JM and MBJ are very complimentary of each other. At one point, the interviewer asks whose opinion they value the most when it comes to 'Creed.' Majors says he only really cared what Mike thought ... which prompts the interviewer to ask the next logical question.

NYT says, "The way you two talk about each other, it sounds like this is the first of many collaborations to come," to which MBJ says ... "It is. We plan on it." Then, the haymaker ... Majors follows up and says, "De Niro and Pacino."

To that, Mike says this ... "We’re excited about that, and I have those conversations with him. Acting is such a solo journey, where you’re fighting for your place on that call sheet for such a long time. So when you’ve got somebody that doesn’t care as much about that stuff, it’s like, 'Let’s go. How much damage can we do together?' Majors responds, "All of it."

In other words, they're ready to paint the town red with more movies, it seems -- and it also sounds like both Mike and Jon fancy themselves as good as two acting greats ... but the internet doesn't necessarily agree, both in the duo comparison and the one-on-one résumés.

Fact is, Al and Bob were only in a small handful of movies together -- "Heat" and "Godfather Pt. 2" being the most famous, before "The Irishman" came around -- and each of them had stellar catalogs of critically-acclaimed flicks under their belt well before they ever collab'd.

So, the juxtaposition doesn't quite make sense there. But, more importantly, some feel like they're jumping the gun ... as neither JM or MBJ have been in enough movies to warrant such lofty esteem. Even in terms of chops, there's questions ... on Mike's end, specifically.

While just about everyone's stoked at the notion that these two studs are planning on working together more -- seeing how they are great in "Creed III," by all accounts -- the way it's coming out is getting a little side-eye. Just a smidge, though ... mostly by film snobs.

Who's the greatest UFC fighter ever?? It's one of the most hotly contested debates amongst MMA fans, and now Dana White's weighing in!

Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones are the names most often thrown out there (there's also Demetrious Johnson, Amanda Nunes, and a few others) ... and each one can surely stake their claim as the best.

But, with Jones about to return to the Octagon (first time in 1,121 days) against a bonafide beast in Ciryl Gane (11-1 pro record), and going up to heavyweight from the light heavyweight division which he dominated for a decade, Dana told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) earlier in the week that Bones is one win away from being the 🐐.

"There will be no arguments over who the G.O.A.T. is if he beats Ciryl Gane on Saturday," White said.

As for the other fighters ... they're all inactive in the UFC.

Silva is the former middleweight champion. He defeated everyone from Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin and so many more. He held the UFC title for longer than anyone in the history of the promotion ... 2,457 days, defending his belt successfully 10 times.

GSP, a former 2x welterweight and 1x middleweight champ, had a professional record of 26-2, only losing to Matt Serra (2007) and Matt Hughes (2004). St-Pierre beat the likes of Michael Bisping, Johnny Hendricks, Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Dan Hardy, B.J. Penn and just about every other fighter of his generation.

Khabib is the only of the fighters in the G.O.A.T. conversation to go undefeated, retiring with a 29-0 record. Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson, Rafael dos Anjos and Conor McGregor.

There's much more with Dana ... we talked to the UFC honcho about everything from Valentina Shevchenko's resume, to 3x NCAA wrestling champ Bo Nickal's UFC debut.

All trash talk aside (and there's been a good deal of it), Ciryl Gane says he's a competitor and that's why he's so amped for his fight against the "G.O.A.T." Jon Jones.

"I love this sport. Yes, it's my job, but first I'm a competitor, When I lost my fight against Francis [Ngannou], I was really not happy," 32-year-old Gane told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), adding, "So yes, I'm gonna test myself with the G.O.A.T., and this is a pleasure for me."

"When you have a fight and you don't have any challenge, that's not exciting. Today I have a big challenge so I'm really excited about that."

Gane, 11-1, is coming off a KO victory over Tai Tuivasa in September, and will now fight 35-year-old Jones at UFC 285 this weekend. It'll be Jon's first fight in the heavyweight division, and his first time in an Octagon for a sanctioned fight in over 3 years (he last fought/beat Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8, 2020, at UFC 247).

We've seen Jon fight in a cage 28 times as a professional, but never as a man this big ... so we asked Ciryl how he believes the added weight will affect Jones.

"I think [Jon's] gonna be less faster than before. He's really normal. When my weight was around [220 to 231 lbs.], I was a little bit faster. So yes, for sure, 100% he's gonna be a little bit less but for a heavyweight, he's gonna have speed."

Jon's been critical of Ciryl's resume in the Octagon ... going at everything from the quality of his opponents to his wrestling ability. We asked Gane if he was bothered by Jones' comments.

"No [laughs]. No matter what he say, I'm not really on the game. I know there's guys sometimes that wanna get in your head but for me, it's not personal. I'm gonna do my performance. I'm gonna do my job, I'm gonna do my sport."

Francis Ngannou has a boxing legend giving him at least a chance in a fight against Tyson Fury ... with Mike Tyson telling TMZ Sports believes "anything is possible" if the two heavyweights face off in an epic matchup.

Ngannou, who recently became a combat free agent after spending more than 8 years with UFC, told us last month he's been in contact with Fury's camp about making a fight happen with the Gypsy King.

Of course, Ngannou is one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the game, but it would be his first professional boxing fight ... and going up against Fury would be a huge task for anyone, let alone a rookie pugilist.

Tyson showed a bit of optimism for The Predator when we caught up with him in LA ... giving us a simple, yet hopeful response to his chances in the ring.

Fury might already have his next opponent lined up with Oleksandr Usyk, but it's clear both sides are serious about putting ink to paper sometime soon.

Josh Murray has high hopes for a new 'Bachelor' spinoff about senior citizens finding love ... and he laid out some compelling reasons why the show might be better with older folks.

We got the 'Bachelorette' and "Bachelor in Paradise" alum at LAX, where gave us an insider's perspective on the upcoming series, "The Golden Bachelor".

ICYMI, "The Bachelor" producer, Mike Fleiss recently announced the new series is in the works, and that, naturally, created a lot of curiosity within Bachelor nation.

Josh tells us he's all in for the new show because, in his words ... old people need loving too, and there's a better chance they'll find it on a reality show than younger people.

Josh's prediction is the series will be a lot more genuine as older bachelors and bachelorettes won't be out for fame or money ... and will actually sign up just to find love.

He also thinks the hometown visit episodes would get a fun new twist -- instead of meeting parents, suitors can get the stamp of approval from kids or even grandkids!

And, don't get him started on the fantasy suites episode -- he's envisioning a stash of little blue pills.😂

Brock Purdy will be riding pine in 2023 -- at least, that's according to Vernon Davis, who tells TMZ Sports he thinks Trey Lance will be the starter in San Francisco going forward.

The ex-49ers star made the prediction out at the Super Bowl earlier this month ... and it's a hot take -- considering Purdy absolutely balled out when he filled in for the injured Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo late last year.

Davis made it clear, though, he simply believes Lance is the more talented signal-caller of the two.

"He needs more time, and I think over time, it's going to happen," Davis said of Lance. "We're going to see him evolve and become a great quarterback."

Davis said Purdy, despite playing well in his five regular-season starts and most of the playoffs, doesn't have the clout to demand a trade ... and "should stay and be a backup."

Former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia had a completely different take on the debate just before Davis made his opinion known ... telling us in the days leading up to the Super Bowl that if it were up to him, Purdy would be QB1 in S.F. in '23 -- not Lance.

Of course, the decision for Kyle Shanahan might come down to essentially who's healthier. Lance is coming off a badly broken leg -- while Purdy is undergoing surgery on his throwing elbow later this month after injuring it in the NFC Championship Game.

Huge endorsement for Sean Payton ... Broncos legend, Terrell Davis says he believes Denver absolutely hired the right man when it made him its new head coach this offseason -- telling TMZ Sports he's "100 percent bought in" on the guy.

The former NFL tailback talked all things Broncos with us out at Super Bowl week earlier this month ... and he gushed over Nathaniel Hackett's replacement -- saying the former Saints coach's resume has blown him away.

So much so, Davis believes he can turn the ship around in Denver quickly -- and help struggling QB Russell Wilson in the process.

"He's got built-in equity," Davis said of Payton. I've already seen what he can do with quarterbacks which leads me to be very positive in what he can do with Russell Wilson."

As for the state of Russ' game ... Davis told us he doesn't think the quarterback is washed at all.

Instead, he said he thinks the pieces around Wilson -- and the former system he was in -- didn't do much to highlight his strengths.

"He's not washed. He's not broken," Davis said of the ex-Seahawks signal-caller. "But obviously, when you have a surrounding support system that doesn't support what you do well, it will expose your flaws."

That's when Davis reiterated he fully believes Payton can help him with all of that.

Davis also spoke with us about the criticism Russ has received over his social media presence since joining Denver -- and while the Hall of Famer said most of it is completely unfounded ... he did advise the 33-year-old to tamp things down a bit on his Twitter and Instagram.

"Let's back off this a lil' bit and then let's go show them -- and I don't mean on social media," the three-time Pro Bowler said.

A family dealing with the fallout of the toxic chemical disaster in Ohio say their health and their property are in decline with no end in sight ... and they're pissed at the fed's response.

Nathan Izotic, whose family owns a home two miles from the train derailment that unleashed toxic chemicals into the air, water and ground, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and shared what life is like for folks in the area ... and it ain't pretty.

Despite getting the green light to go home, Nathan says he and his family are still suffering from headaches, confusion, tiredness, vomiting and difficulty breathing ... he says the air smells like burnt plastic, there's a chemical sheen and rainbow coloration in the creek running through their backyard and everything reeks of chemicals.

In perhaps the most damning sign of what's happening ... Nathan says there's absolutely no sign of wildlife anymore ... and his dog keeps throwing up.

Of course, it's been two weeks since the Feb. 3 train derailment that started the environmental disaster, and Nathan says folks are fed up with a lack of relief from the feds.

The way he sees it ... authorities and the EPA are "pissing down our backs and telling us it's not raining."

Nathan wants to see investigations and accountability from railroad operator, Norfolk Southern ... and he and his wife are planning to take legal action.

Stunning model Ivana Knoll says she's been getting a ton of business offers after being dubbed the "World Cup's Hottest Fan" ... but there's one venture she's never going to explore -- OnlyFans.

The Croatian supporter joined Michael Babcock and Lucas Widman at the TMZ office to talk about her chaotic rise in fame ... and Ivana says her inbox has been flooded with potential money-making opportunities -- but she's picky about who she works with.

"I usually don't take everything that they offer me, because I like to work with brands who I like, and not many of them, because I like to present what I really like, not just what is paid to me."

"If I don't smoke, I cannot promote cigarettes."

Ivana says during the World Cup, she received about 10 calls a day and 20 emails from agencies trying to get her on OF ... but makes it clear no dollar amount would get her to do adult content.

"I was like, 'I don't know why they cannot accept that I don't want to open one,'" she added.

"I don't judge, I'm just not that kind of person. It's not for me. I tried to explain that it's not about money always, I care about reputation."

Ivana says despite the immediate money she'd make on the subscription-based platform, it would also hurt her chances with other brand deals in the future ... and that's a risk she's not willing to take.

"My message to Jake Paul is good luck and I hope you've trained and I hope you got an ambulance on speed dial because you're gonna need it."

That's Tommy Fury with a very ominous warning for The Problem Child ... just 3 weeks before their highly anticipated February 26th boxing match in Saudi Arabia.

Of course, the men have been scheduled to fight two other times (more on that later) ... and the bad blood is so real, 23-year-old Fury says he's never wanted anything as badly as he wants a win over 26-year-old Paul.

"This is all that's been in my mind for the past two and a half, three years because I'm a professional, legitimate fighter, and my name has been lingering with Jake Paul for quite some time now and Jake Paul is not on my level," Tommy told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"Jake Paul is not even considered a legitimate fighter and to have my name dragged through the mud with his, I want to prove a point."

Fury continued ... "In three weeks, I get my chance. I don't wanna take it both hands, I wanna school this man. I'm gonna take him to the trenches and he will be drowned. There's no way he can last eight rounds in the ring with me."

Tommy says he's going to put Jake down, and he's going to do it early.

"I see me putting him away early, the way I'm punching in the gym, what I'm doing to people in the gym," Fury said, adding, "There's no way. When the shots land, he will be going down. He will not get up."

Babcock asked Tommy what he'd say to all the people who believe he will find a way out of the fight with Jake.

"I say to those people they need to wake up. Don't worry. I'll be in Saudi Arabia ready for February 26th. I'm ready to go now. I can't wait to get on this plane and get over there."

"I'm gonna hurt this man seriously come February 26th and if he banking on me for not showing, well if that's where he getting his confidence from, then he needs to think again 'cause I'll be there and I'll be right in his face come fight night."

We also talked to former UFC star turned BKFC boxer, "Platinum" Mike Perry ... who Paul has tapped as the replacement fighter, should Tommy fail to make it to fight night.

It wasn't Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or even LeBron James ... no, the toughest person Gary Payton said he ever had to guard was none other than John Stockton.

The NBA Hall of Famer made the shocking revelation in a chat about hoops with TMZ Sports ... saying the former Utah Jazz point guard was just that damn good.

"I think the hardest person I ever had to guard was John Stockton because of the way he would do 94 feet and go everywhere," he said. "That's my opinion."

'Stock', a 10-time All-Star who played 19 seasons in the NBA, was 6-foot-1, but 'The Glove' told us John's ability to utilize all the space on the court offensively made him a super difficult cover.

And, when Payton said he compared it to the trouble he had with MJ, LeBron and Kobe ... Stockton was just harder to deal with.

As for basketball's G.O.A.T. debate ... Payton weighed in on that too, telling us that while he believes LBJ is the better basketball player, Jordan was the better closer.

"I think LeBron was a better all-around player because he can pass the ball and rebound," Payton said. "I think Michael was a better killer. He'll go after you. He'll take a shot whenever he needed to and make it and do it. He was more of a killer."