MMA

Francis Ngannou is speaking into a mic for the first time since his 15-month-old son died suddenly back in March ... and his words are nothing short of heartbreaking.

Ngannou made an appearance on Joe Rogan's "JRE MMA Show" Tuesday and he talked about a wide range of subjects, including the moments he experienced in the leadup to the death of his son, Kobe.

Ngannou revealed his son had mild inflammation of the brain ... which led to him fainting twice. The first incident happened while they were in Cameroon, but he said the doctors found nothing.

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.

Mike Perry will be across from Jake Paul in just over 24 hours (more on that in a minute), but before fight night Platinum made a huge announcement, telling us he's launching his very own combat sports promotion, Dirty Boxing Championship!

"We are friends for fighters and fans," 32-year-old Perry told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1).

"Me and my team have been working on this for quite some time," Mike added. "We've tried to hint at this, we've been making way and we're ready to make the announcement that this is coming very soon. We're very close to being sanctioned by commissions and we're ready to get some athletes and get a card together and put a fight on sometime this year."

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.

Rener Gracie -- whose family is credited with creating Brazilian jiu-jitsu -- is teaching cops a new restraint that he says is safer than a chokehold, and he demonstrated on one of our own to hit the point home.

The MMA legend joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and broke down the move, which he calls the "SafeWrap" ... trotting out an exhibition of sorts by deploying it on a TMZ staffer who played guinea pig for the demo.

Rener is now teaching his move to the NYPD ... explaining that it can take down a noncomplying suspect safely and effectively ... even if they are armed.

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!

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.

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.

Jake Paul is celebrating the launch of his new W body care line in the flashiest way possible ... by getting a $650k diamond pendant and chain to rep the brand!!

TMZ Sports has learned Paul -- a 9-1 cruiserweight boxer, Internet sensation and businessman -- hit up his go-to jeweler Vobara in Miami to make him a piece in honor of his newest endeavor.

Vobara -- who has made pieces for celebs like Rick Ross, Udonis Haslem and DJ Khaled -- made sure the pendant looked just like the W logo ... and we're told it's filled with VS/VVS diamonds including 20, 50 and 80 pointers in a mosaic setting.

Paige VanZant's getting a peer review of her Power Slap debut ... with fellow competitor Sheena Bathory telling TMZ Sports it was overall a good performance -- but there's one thing in particular that caught her attention.

The former UFC fighter went up against Christine Wolmarans in Power Slap 8 last week ... the first-ever slap battle of her combat sports career.

VanZant knocked Wolmaran down twice in the four-round match and withstood her opponent's hard strikes ... getting the unanimous decision victory. The victory was met with criticism, as many believed Paige flinched before getting hit -- a big no-no in the sport.

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."

Brian Ortega stepped into the UFC 303 co-main event on two weeks' notice ... and some have called the decision reckless and potentially costly for the MMA star. So, why'd T-City accept the fight? TMZ Sports asked him.

"At this point it just becomes about having fun with my career. Taking the craziest fights now, and this is one of them, right?" 33-year-old Ortega told us.

"Two weeks notice, save 303, checklist. That's something that gets me excited, gives me nerves. Makes me feel alive again. Makes me feel like a young up-and-comer."

Ian Garry is a few days away from making the walk against Michael Page at UFC 303 ... and despite Venom's resume, the Irish star sounded as confident as ever during a recent convo with TMZ Sports.

26-year-old Garry previewed his upcoming match against former Bellator star, MVP ... and while many people may consider Page a legend, Ian very clearly isn't impressed with Michael's work in the cage.

In fact, when asked how he would handle MVP's unique style in the Octagon, Garry did not hold back!