MMA

The MMA fighter who beat up TWO guys in a bathroom stall in a WILD brawl caught on video is telling TMZ Sports why he was attacked in the first place ... and it's INSANE!!!

The man at the center of the scuffle in the s**tter is ex-UFC fighter Jason Knight -- who now competes in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

In other words, HE'S THE WRONG GUY TO FIGHT IN A BATHROOM!

Knight tells us ... he was taking a leak at a club in Mobile, Alabama back in December when he heard two other guys in the bathroom complaining about their wives.

Knight says he jokingly yelled out, "F**k his wife" thinking it would a get a laugh -- but instead, the comment REALLY pissed off the pissers and they bum-rushed him in his stall.

"They snatched my stall door open and started talking crazy to me," Knight says ... and that's when he knew it was time to throw down.

You can see in the video ... Knight's backed up against the toilet, yet still manages to WAIL on the two assailants, landing some solid shots to the head in the process.

"I gave 'em the ol' shoulder shrug and I hit the big guy first. I was trying to put him down and make sure that it was a 1-on-1 fight, instead of a 2-on-1 fight. Either way, I pretty much put him down with the first couple punches. All he wanted to do after that was hug me."

"I think they were expecting me to kinda beg my way out of the stall, and then they beat me to a pulp right there in that little stall. But, I'm not the one to beg my way out. So, I figure, let's fight it out and see what happens."

Oh, in case you wondering ... 27-year-old Knight is 20-6 as a pro-MMA fighter -- and even beat UFC stud Dan Hooker in 2016.

"I fought MMA for years, but before I got into MMA, I was a street fighter, man. So, it wasn't nothing new to me."

"You hit the guy first and you don't stop 'til somebody comes. Somebody came and broke it up. But, I got in more licks than they did in the long run."

FYI, if you like watching Knight hit people ... he's got a (sanctioned) fight Saturday night against Artem Lobov at BKFC 9.

Lesson here ... don't start bar bathroom brawls with a bare knuckle fighter.

Tyron Woodley says the UFC would be crazy not to sign Logan Paul to an MMA contract ASAP ... because he's PROVED he's got all the right ingredients to be a smash hit.

Woodley says he was super impressed with Paul's performance against KSI -- and advised him after the match to take ANOTHER fight.

"I think you should go and do it again," Woodley told Paul ... "You looked good, you just didn't win."

But, Woodley DOES think he can win in the UFC -- and says he wouldn't be surprised if Dana White signs the 24-year-old to a contract in the very near future.

"Logan Paul fits the exact demographic," Tyron said on 'The Hollywood Beatdown.' "He's got a huge following, great build, he looks athletic, he's a Division 1 wrestler, he's insane and he's gonna talk a lot of s**t so the press conferences are gonna be insane."

Woodley continued, "I wouldn't be surprised in the next 2 months if we see some breaking news on Logan Paul getting a couple fight deals with the UFC."

If he does get to the UFC, Woodley says there's only ONE fighter he wouldn't help Logan prepare for ... CM Punk. Check out the clip to hear why.

Another huge gamer is AGAINST the lifetime Fortnite ban on FaZe Jarvis -- this time it's MMA star Demetrious Johnson who says the punishment simply doesn't fit the crime.

As we previously reported, Epic Games permanently 86'd the 17-year-old gamer from all Fortnite-related activities after he admitted to using illegal software to gain an advantage.

Jarvis said he used the Aimbots -- which makes it easier to kill opponents -- for entertainment purposes while goofing around on YouTube and NOT in actual competition.

Enter DJ ... who's not only one of the best MMA fighters EVER, but he's also huge in the gaming world -- and he told us why the lifetime ban feels way too harsh.

The good news for Jarvis, Demetrious -- who's big into PUBG -- says the gamer is more than welcome to switch over and compete in his world as long as he doesn't cheat again!!

UFC star Paige VanZant flew all the way to Israel to watch her husband fight this weekend -- but don't worry, she brought her bikinis!

Paige's husband, Austin Vanderford, is taking on Grachik Bozinyan at Bellator 234 on Friday in Tel Aviv ... and they touched down late last week to get all settled in.

During the trip, MMA couple hit the beach for work and for play -- with some training sessions in the sand ... before switching into relaxation mode.

They hit up the Dead Sea along with seeing the sites in Tel Aviv -- good times all around.

As for Vandeford, he's 8-0 as a pro fighter and has been wrecking people -- in fact, none of his last 5 fights have made it past the 2nd round.

As for Paige, the 25-year-old recently told TMZ Sports she's dying to get back in the Octagon and fight again ASAP but so far, there's nothing in the works.

Terrible news in the case of Aniah Blanchard -- stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.

Officials say they found blood in Blanchard's recovered vehicle that's "indicative of someone suffering a life-threatening injury," according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Montgomery Advertiser.

Officials also say they found a witness who observed kidnapping suspect Ibraheem Yazeed forcing the 19-year-old woman "into [her] vehicle against her will and then leaving with her in the vehicle."

According to the document, the blood in the vehicle was tested and came back as a match for Blanchard.

As we previously reported, law enforcement tracked down Yazeed in Florida on Friday after a nationwide manhunt.

Officials say they chased Yazeed on foot before apprehending him -- and he suffered an eye injury that required medical attention.

So far, Blanchard has not been located. Unclear if Yazeed is cooperating with officials.

Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said Thursday there may be other suspects in the case.

Don't count out a Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes just yet ... Cyborg tells us she's still down for the fight if her boss at Bellator can work out a crossover deal with UFC.

Remember, Cyborg parted ways with UFC back in August and signed with Bellator the next month. She's set to fight Julia Budd on Jan. 20 in L.A.

But, you can tell Cyborg feels she has unfinished business with Amanda Nunes -- who knocked her out in the 1st round when they clashed back in Dec. 2018.

Now that Cyborg fights for a different promotion, it's highly unlikely the two will ever face off again ... but Cris says there's still hope!

In fact, Cris says she's already asked Bellator boss Scott Coker if he would be open to a crossover fight with UFC and Coker told her that he would be down!

Of course, the issue ... Dana White.

UFC did a crossover event with Pride back in 2003 -- but we can't recall a crossover fight in recent memory involving UFC and another MMA promotion.

The closest thing we've seen is when UFC teamed up with Mayweather Promotions for the Floyd vs. Conor McGregor boxing match in 2017.

UFC superstar Israel Adesanya says he will "eventually" brawl with Jon Jones ... and he's spelling out the situation to TMZ Sports.

"He will face me eventually, but I'm gonna respect the game," the UFC middleweight champ told us.

"I'm gonna honor the game and defend my belt. I mean, he didn't jump up to heavyweight right after he won the belt. I want to do the work. If he wants to come down, come see me. But if not, shut the f**k up and wait 'til I come see you."

BOOM.

Seems Israel and Jon are on a collision course ... but first, Israel wants to continue to wreck everyone in the middleweight division, starting with Yoel Romero.

"I've called the guy out. I've said I want to fight him. The UFC don't think it's gonna sell, but f**k records, I just want to fight," Adesanya tells us.

Israel says he's got a plan B in case the Romero fight doesn't come together, but it's clear Yoel is the priority.

"I said I want Yoel. F**k records, he's a great fighter. I want to beat all the greatest of this era. I've taken Whittaker, I've taken Gastelum, I've taken Silva."

"I've said I've wanted to fight [Romero]. I've never backed down. I'll see you soon, boy."

And, get this ... Adesanya -- who put together one of the greatest ring walkouts EVER for the Robert Whittaker fight -- says he's already planning to TOP IT!!

"Expect the unexpected. I might f**king fly from the rafters like Shawn Michaels right into the Octagon!"

Conor McGregor has fought his way out of ANOTHER sticky situation -- reportedly proving he's NOT the father in a dispute of a 2-year-old "love child."

26-year-old Terri Murray had accused Conor of knocking her up back in 2017 -- just weeks before Conor's GF Dee Devlin gave birth to their son Conor Jr.

Murray claims she and Conor slept together at his hotel during the '17 Grand National in Liverpool. There is a photo circulating of Conor partying with Murray around that time.

But, according to Conor's rep, the UFC superstar has taken a DNA test which proves once and for all ... (switch to Maury Povich voice) ... HE'S NOT THE FATHER!!!

"To conclusively end any and all erroneous media reports, Conor McGregor took a DNA test recently which confirmed to all parties that he is not the father of the child in Liverpool," Conor's spokesperson said in a statement.

The Irish Independent claims they have seen the results showing a "zero percent probability" McGregor is the daddy.

The man officials believe kidnapped the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris has been arrested -- and you can see in the mug shot, the dude's eye is swollen shut.

Cops had been on the hunt for 30-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed -- who was spotted at a Chevron station in Auburn, Alabama on Oct. 23, the last time anyone saw 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard.

Now, officials say ... Yazeed was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Escambia County (western Florida) early Friday morning after a brief foot pursuit. He was booked at 2:32 AM.

You can see the suspect's left eye is jacked up bad -- he was hospitalized after being arrested.

Officials believe Yazeed is a bad dude -- he's awaiting trial in an unrelated kidnapping, robbery and attempted murder in Montgomery involving a 77-year-old man.

Aniah's stepmother, Yashiba Blanchard, issued a statement after Yazeed's arrest -- saying, "I  am relieved that we can finally obtain some answers and locate our daughter."

"I am prayerful that the Lord touches this young man’s heart so he will be honest and truthful and tell the authorities where our daughter is located."

So much for a BMF2 ...

Seems Nate Diaz has changed his mind about running it back with Jorge Masvidal -- saying, "F*ck a rematch."

Remember, Diaz lost the first-ever Bad Mother F*cker match at Madison Square Garden on Saturday ... when the doctor stopped the fight after the 3rd round due to bad cuts on Nate's face.

At the time, both Nate and Jorge declared a rematch WOULD happen -- with Nate saying, "I would love to run it back. That's the only thing I want to do."

But, Diaz has had a change of heart ... and posted the update on IG on Wednesday night.

"F*ck a rematch this shit was over before it started. I’m goin on out on tour. Peace out fight game."

Jon Jones says he's FINALLY decided on his next opponent -- revealing his sights are now set on Dominick Reyes instead of Corey Anderson ... and he's looking to make a statement.

"Just finished a coaches meeting studying Dominick and Cory‘s careers. Established Dominicks definitely the more dangerous fighter. Beating his ass next."

Jones had been debating between the two UFC fighters after they both SHOWED OUT in recent fights -- Reyes KO'd Chris Weidman and Anderson beat up Johnny Walker.

Both men have been calling for a fight with Jon for a while -- with Reyes telling us Jones was ducking him.

"I got these hands. I got this heart. I'm Mexican. He's never fought a Mexican. I'm tough as s**t and I'm never gonna stop!"

32-year-old Jones tweeted that he just wasn't interested in 29-year-old Reyes ... but clearly, something's changed.

Recently Dana White told us Reyes was the fight to make but the deal wasn't done yet.

Now, it seems Jones is laser-focused on Reyes ... and barring an injury, this one looks like it'll happen soon.

So, where does this leave Corey Anderson? Great question ... dude's been on a tear lately and recently cracked the Top 5 rankings in the UFC's light heavyweight division.

Colby Covington's support for President Trump has turned into an all-out bromance with POTUS' son ... 'cause Donald Trump Jr. says he considers the UFC star a good friend!!

Of course, the Trump family has been frequenting UFC events lately -- Trump Jr. and Eric were Covington's personal guests to his fight against Robbie Lawler in Aug. ... and they both attended UFC 244 last weekend with #45 himself.

As for Colby, he's been invited to 1600 Penn ... and even snapped a pic with Trump in the Oval Office.

So, when we saw DTJ out in NYC on Tuesday, we had to ask about the UFC megafight -- and if he'd ever consider walking a fighter out to the Octagon.

"I'd go out with Colby," Trump Jr. told us ... "He's become a good friend. There's a lot of great fighters out there but Colby's become a friend."

He might get his wish soon ... Colby is set to fight Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 245 on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

In fact, Colby put Don Jr.'s new book "Triggered" front and center at the official UFC 245 press conference last week to announce the fight. He also rocked his signature red MAGA hat.

Dana White is a HUGE fan of boxing superstar Tyson Fury -- but tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Gypsy King would get "smashed" if he's serious about fighting in the UFC.

Fury has been very vocal lately about wanting to take a stab at MMA -- and says Conor McGregor has personally offered to train him up.

So, when we spoke with UFC honcho Dana White, we asked if there was a possibility the two could work out a deal to get Fury in the Octagon.

"Listen, anything's possible," White tells us ... "If Tyson Fury wants to fight in MMA, I've got a ton of guys that would love to fight him. I just don't know why."

White says Fury is an "incredible fighter" -- but he's one of the top heavyweight boxers in the world and should stick with that sport to make as much money as possible.

"Promoted the right way. [Fury] could be a part of 3 or 4 of the biggest fights in heavyweight [boxing] history. Why come over and get smashed when you could stay there?"

But, there is ONE boxing champ White says he'd love to see in the UFC -- Claressa Shields.

Shields is undefeated and has WRECKED every woman who has stepped in the ring with her. She recently told us she's begun MMA training and wants to take a fight in 2020.

"I understand Shields wanting to come over here," White said ... noting top female UFC fighter are making way more money than top female boxers.

"Yes, I'm definitely interested in that. If you look at [Shields], she's the best in boxing and I have the G.O.A.T. I have the greatest female fighter of all time right now in Amanda Nunes."

Claressa has said she'd LOVE a superfight with Nunes -- but needs time to work on her ground game first.

UFC star Kevin Lee says he's not ready to sit back and enjoy his VIOLENT victory over Gregor Gillespie ... he wants another fight ASAP, and he's looking for a big-name opponent.

27-year-old Lee -- the #10 ranked lightweight -- says he wants to fight again as early as December ... and he's naming some of the biggest names in the sport.

"If I had my pick, it would be somebody like Conor," Lee says ... also mentioning guys like Anthony Pettis, Tony Ferguson and, of course, the champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Lee knows he's gotta wait for his title shot -- but he's willing to put in the work and take out whoever the UFC puts in front of him to climb his way to the top.

But, for now, Lee says he's happy he was able to earn such an impressive victory over an undefeated 13-0 opponent at one of the biggest UFC events of all time!

"The President was in the building! The President was watching the fight and I guarantee you he remembered me after that night," Lee said.

He's probably right ... Lee's crushing head kick KO earned him "Performance of the Night" honors, which comes with a $50,000 bonus!

Remember, Lee fought Ferguson back in Oct. 2017 -- and lost via submission in the 3rd-round. It was a pretty solid fight.

UFC star Corey Anderson says his utter destruction of Johnny Walker at UFC 244 proves he's more than worthy of a Jon Jones fight and he's got a message for Bones -- "Just sign the dotted line."

Anderson was phenomenal against Walker at Madison Square Garden on Saturday -- earning a 1st round stoppage against an impressive opponent many have hailed as the next big thing in MMA.

"I made magic happen, I guess you could say," Corey tells TMZ Sports ... "Everybody was dick riding him saying he was the one."

"He let it get to his head and he looked past me. I had to go out there and show him."

Now, Anderson says he's 100% confident he deserves a title shot -- with 4 big victories in a row over guys like Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi.

Plus, Anderson says he's been trying to get a fight with top challenges like Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith, but they keep coming up with excuses.

So, the next logical opponent -- according to Anderson -- is the champ Jon Jones.

"I beat the one they wanted to fight Jon Jones next ... I proved my point and I proved my worth."

Corey says he's sick of the smack talk, he's sick of the games -- he just wants to fight already.

UFC star Johnny Walker was still walking around NYC with his head held high after losing to Corey Anderson at UFC 244 ... telling TMZ Sports straight-up, "I'll be back!"

The 27-year-old Brazilian -- one of the hottest rising stars in MMA -- took a beating Saturday night, with the ref stopping the fight in the 1st round.

When our photog saw 6'5", 205-pound Walker strolling around Manhattan the next day, Johnny didn't seem fazed at all.

"I'm good, I'm good," Walker said with a smirk ... "I'm ready to go again. I'm ready to fight as soon as possible."

Walker said he's expecting a 45-day medical suspension to allow his eye to heal up -- but he's excited to show people he can come back from a loss like a champ.

"My eye's okay. I'll be back in either January or February."

Walker says he realizes the mistakes he made during the Anderson fight -- he hesitated and thought too much during the scrap -- and says it won't happen again.

"[Saturday] is no 'lose' ... just one lesson," Walker said.