MMA

What's worse than being brutally KO'd by a juiced-up Jon Jones??

For Daniel Cormier, you'd assume the answer would be "nothing" ... but the UFC light heavyweight champ told us dropping his fight at UFC 220 this weekend could be even more painful.

"As bad as July was, it can actually be worse if it happens again," Cormier told TMZ Sports.

"My motivation is not only competition, but to avoid feeling like I felt in July, and putting ... everybody that's close to me through the disappointment that we felt."

Daniel told us how he plans on getting the job done ... and says once he's finished with #1 contender Volkan Oezdemir, there will absolutely be a 3rd fight between him and Jones.

FYI, Jon's still waiting to find out how long he'll be sidelined.

UFC star Francis Ngannou says it's "bullsh*t" Stipe Miocic is complaining about not being promoted enough before UFC 220 ... and he's putting the heavyweight champ on notice.

"The UFC not gonna fight for him," Ngannou told TMZ Sports. "The fight day we gonna be 1-on-1 in the Octagon and we will see the truth."

FYI, Francis has taken the MMA world by storm -- BRUTALLY knocking out 5 dudes in his last 6 fights -- leading Stipe to believe the UFC wants Ngannou to take his belt.

Francis clearly thinks the champ's priorities are crap ... saying Miocic should be focused on not ending up like Alistair Overeem.

Amen.

Here's something you don't hear everyday -- a UFC Hall of Famer saying Conor McGregor's next fight should be in BOXING, not MMA!

"If he's a smart guy he should keep on boxing -- that's what I would do," Bas Rutten told TMZ Sports.

Don't get it twisted -- Bas says he wants to see Conor come back and defend his UFC lightweight belt ... but at the same time, thinks it'd be crazy for McGregor to leave Manny Pacquiao/Floyd Mayweather money on the table.

FYI, McGregor told us he wants an MMA fight next ... but would he really turn down another HUGE payday??

You're gonna see Ronda Rousey in the ring sooner rather than later -- so says Tyron Woodley, who's got a strong hunch when the UFC megastar's making her WWE debut.

Tyron broke down why the timing's perfect for Rousey to cross over to pro wrestling in this week's episode of "The Hollywood Beatdown" ... days after TMZ Sports spotted her out with Triple H.

As for the when ... the welterweight champ says it'll be at one of WWE's biggest annual events, which is only weeks away -- and explains why Ronda's "kicking some ass" right out the gates.

Also on the 'Beatdown,' Tyron says Oprah's got his vote for president ... and lays out how we can officially settle the O.J. Simpson/Khloe Kardashian biological father debate.

Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestles bears, mauls human beings and is by all rights the scariest fighter on the planet.

But the 145-pound UFC champ, Max Holloway, ain't even a little intimidated -- telling TMZ Sports he'd be happy to move up a weight class to throw down with the Russian monster.

"That’s the kind of guy you want to fight to cement your legacy," Max said. "If you wanna be the best you gotta beat the best."

Even Tyron Woodley -- the UFC 170-pound champ -- doesn't want anything to do with Khabib ... so props to Max for being a badass.

UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens just hit Conor McGregor with the trash-talkin' KO of the century -- saying he's ready to turn up the heat with the Irishman's "hot" mom!!

You remember how the beef began -- after Jeremy called out Conor at a news conference for UFC 205, Conor whipped around and famously said, "Who da fook is dat guy?!"

About a year later, Stephens shot back ... with a little help from Mama McGregor.

And now, Jeremy's taking it all the way.

"Maybe his dad can pick us up with the cab he used to drive and then take me and his mom out on a date," he told the guys on TMZ Sports (full interview airs tonight on FS1).

Ronda Rousey may be an all-time great inside the Octagon -- but WWE superstar Enzo Amore says it's gonna be a painful transition for her if and when she steps into the ring.

"She's in for a rude awakening," Enzo told TMZ Sports.

"You ever been put through a table, slammed on concrete? It's a different ball game."

Don't get it twisted -- Enzo respects the hell outta Ronda ... and even told us she's got the tools to be a kick-ass pro wrestler.

That said, when we told him about Rousey's private meeting with Triple H -- a sign that a deal might be close -- he wanted to make it clear that crossing over to wrestling is no joke.

He ain't lying ...

Ronda Rousey had a VERY interesting dinner date Tuesday night -- Triple H ... and it seems like the two sides are one step closer to hammering out a deal to get Ronda in the WWE.

Triple H snuck out of Republique restaurant in L.A. first. Ronda followed with her agent in tow and was in a pretty great mood.

She wouldn't spill the beans on whether a deal was done -- but interesting that Triple H would come to L.A. at the same time the "WWE SmackDown Live" was going down in Alabama.

One WWE source tells us it's unusual for Triple H to miss a TV event -- he's usually on hand for everything ... so, you know if he's gonna fly out west, it's not just for a good meal!

Tyron Woodley says UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov scares the living hell outta him ... and he ain't too happy his TMZ co-host's trying to play matchmaker with 'em.

On this week's episode of "The Hollywood Beatdown" -- the UFC welterweight champ reveals his very real fear of Khabib ... who absolutely mauled Edson Barboza at UFC 219.

So once Tyron found out we asked Khabib about a potential throw-down, his reaction was pretty much what you'd expect.

"Why you gonna stick this maniac on me?! Don't try to throw me in there with a dude who's fighting bears!!!"

That's not a joke. A young Khabib REALLY WRESTLED BEARS.

Also on the Beatdown, Woodley reveals a huge NFL star he's bringing to the big screen ... and explains why Logan Paul should get smacked.

Cris Cyborg says she's 100% down to annihilate Amanda Nunes when the time is right ... but tells TMZ Sports it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Earlier today, UFC honcho Dana White said Amanda is itching to scrap with Cris ... adding that it's "the fight to make."

But when we spoke with Cyborg, she pumped the brakes on the super fight -- "I want beat her, I want kick her ass, but I need to focus on my division."

Cyborg (the champ at 145 lbs.) told us she wants to fight the "best girls" who've been climbing the ladder at featherweight ... and Amanda (the champ at 135 lbs.) has been fighting at bantamweight her entire UFC career.

So, Nunes can get it ... but not right now.

Cyborg also told us whether or not she forgives the photog who called her a "dude," and if she's satisfied with the UFC's punishment.

Gabi Garcia says she's got a damn good reason for missing weight in Japan ... she literally could've killed herself if she kept droppin' sweat.

"I decide not cut weight because I feeling like I almost died," said Gabi -- who insists she did NOT miss weight by 27 pounds, but rather 17.

The Brazilian MMA star told TMZ Sports about the scary events leading up to her weigh-in debacle ... saying her vision went dark once she started shedding pounds, which told her it was time to call it quits.

In a social media post, Garcia also said she suffered from gnarly headaches and bloody noses anytime she trained.

Still, Gabi feels terrible for having to scrap her fight with Shinobu Kandori ... and told us she's gonna learn from this and come back stronger.

"I accept this fight. It's my fault."

Now, Logan Paul has pissed off a UFC fighter ...

Tyron Woodley -- the reigning welterweight champ -- says he saw Logan's dead body video and has BANNED his kids from watching Logan in his home.

Woodley weighed in on "The Hollywood Beatdown" (full episode drops Friday on the TMZ Sports YouTube channel) ... saying Logan was stupidly insensitive when dealing with a VERY serious topic.

The holidays are over for us normies, but not for UFC star Anthony Pettis and his smokin' hot fiancee ... who are out in sunny Aruba getting their safari on!

It ain’t just any average trip -- Anthony popped the question on NYE at the Aruba Ritz-Carlton ... and Lisette said yes!!

Since then, the future Mr. and Mrs. “Showtime” have been living it up on the island -- exploring ancient ruins, off-roading at a safari and hitting the beach with flamingos are just a few of the activities they've been getting into.

Not like Anthony really cares -- anything with Lisette is winning.

Congrats!!

The UFC has Cris Cyborg's back in a big way -- banning an MMA photog (who works for the gym where Holly Holm trains) after the guy referred to Cyborg as a "dude."

The man behind the offensive comments is Mark Aragon -- who handles photography and social media for the famous Jackson Wink MMA Academy in New Mexico.

After UFC 219, Aragon posted a photo of Cyborg on Instagram and wrote, "This dude is tough as hell" ... adding, "Holly was the first one to make his nose bleed."

Cyborg saw the post and wasn't happy -- calling for the UFC to take action against Aragon.

"It is not acceptable for an official representative of (Holly's gym) to call me transgender ... I expect an apology or their ability to get credentials for future UFC events to be affected by these actions."

UFC heard Cyborg loud and clear ... issuing a statement saying the org is "aware and troubled" by the comments and Aragon "will not be granted access for future events."

Aragon did issue an apology ... but it looks like it was too little too late.

Another round in the Dana White vs. Bob Arum mega-feud ... this time, it's the legendary boxing promoter throwing major shade at White for his plans to get into boxing in 2018.

Arum tells TMZ Sports he welcomes the UFC honcho into the boxing community ... but then he fires this shot ...

"By coming in the business, he is really admitting that boxing is the more popular sport. And in order to keep his company alive, he has to go into the boxing business."

Of course, White hates Arum's guts -- and has been ripping him apart for years ... previously calling Bob the "biggest dirtbag in all of sports." So, no love lost here.

Still, Bob says he thinks Dana could be successful in the boxing business -- and gives him a real chance to make the Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder fight happen.

"If he puts up enough money, he certainly will land the fight," Arum said. "It's all a question of the money ... particularly in the heavyweight division."

You might remember -- Dana spoke with TMZ Sports last week, and told us Joshua was his #1 target ... and he's meeting with major players like Floyd Mayweather to help his cause.

How tough is Holly Holm?? Her eye was essentially SWOLLEN SHUT after her fight with Cris Cyborg ... and she was still all smiles!

Don't get it twisted -- Holly put up a hell of a fight against Cyborg at UFC 219 ... but she got hit with some huge haymakers in their 25-minute title bout.

The result is what you see here -- a MASSIVE shiner, swelling all over her face and what looks like a broken pinky.

UFC octagon announcer Bruce Buffer shared this pic after the fight -- giving mad props to her for being a "warrior in victory and defeat."

True that.