MMA

UFC star Brian Ortega told Dana White 'HELL YEAH" when he called and offered him the chance to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound title at UFC 223.

Of course, that shot ended up going to Max Holloway ... who Ortega was scheduled to fight later this year with Max's 145-pound title on the line.

But, Brian says he ain't sweatin' the double whammy -- 'cause all it means is he's gotta wait a little longer to take out BOTH of 'em!

"My shot with Max (at 145) is already secure ... but then, there's always Khabib. I've always been interested in this fight with Khabib," Ortega told TMZ Sports.

Plus, Ortega's got some cool stuff cookin' on the side -- including a charitable project with Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr.!!

"My first option when Tony's out, I tell, 'Hey, where's Conor? I need Conor. He's champ. Bring this guy.'"

That was Khabib Nurmagomedov's reaction when he found out Tony Ferguson injured himself and couldn't fight at UFC 223 ... he wanted Conor McGregor first, not Max Holloway.

"When UFC call [Conor], he say, 'Oh, I am not ready,'" Khabib tells TMZ Sports.

For the record, Dana White says he didn't want to rush Conor into a short-notice fight because he wants more time to promote a McGregor scrap. Plus, weight could have been an issue.

Instead, UFC booked Holloway -- and Khabib says he's 100% confident he'll smash the Hawaiian easily.

In fact, Khabib says he's already thinking about his next opponent ... and it ain't Conor -- it's another UFC legend.

"After this fight, I'm gonna ask UFC -- 'Hey, Madison Square Garden, me vs. Georges St. Pierre. November. 155 (pounds)."

Khabib had a message for Ferguson, too ... and he didn't hold back.

UFC star Max Holloway is stepping in to fight arguably the scariest dude on planet, Khabib Nurmagomedov, on 6 DAYS NOTICE ... and he's somehow super chill about it!

Max got interviewed at the airport on his way outta Hawaii ... and made it clear that he's pumped to be the late replacement for Tony Ferguson at UFC 223.

"They called the right guy. I'm here. 6 days notice. April 7th. It's gonna be a great night," Max told KHON's Rob DeMello.

As for his thoughts on Khabib, a 25-0 fighter who used to WRESTLE BEARS as a child -- "Animal. Animal."

"But, you know what they say -- to be the best you got to beat the best, and the best is Blessed, baby, so I can't wait."

FYI, the winner gets the UFC lightweight belt, and probably the next shot at Conor McGregor ... so you can see why Holloway, the featherweight champ, ain't sweatin' it too hard.

If Floyd Mayweather ever steps inside the Octagon, Conor McGregor wants to be the guy staring at him from across the cage -- so says Dana White.

We got the UFC prez out in L.A. ... and asked him if there was anything cookin' on the Mayweather-to-UFC front.

Dana wouldn't say anything definitive, but he did drop this pretty cryptic message on us.

"I'm interested and obviously he's interested. The last time we were both interested you saw what happened," White told TMZ Sports.

As for his first opponent -- "Possibly Conor. I know Conor wants it."

BOOM!!!

FYI, Floyd recently said it might be tough for him and McGregor to fight 'cause he'd want Conor to drop back down to 145 pounds, but at the same time -- "if the numbers are right, then we can make it happen."

Here's Joanna Krupa declaring her allegiance to Poland's #1 UFC star, Joanna Jedrzejczyk ... and using some questionable vernacular along the way.

We got Krupa -- who moved from Poland to the U.S. when she was 5 -- in the Bev Hills ... where 'The Real Housewives' star told us she was a huge fan of her same-name sister.

"I love her. She’s Polish, of course I support her!" Krupa told TMZ Sports.

But when we asked if JJ could beat Rose Namajunas in their UFC title rematch ... that's when things got a little dicey.

"She can do it, she’s a Pol**k. Pol**k’s rule!"

"We're driven ... especially if you come from a communist country you have that in your blood."

FYI, the P-word ain't really the most P.C. term ... and Poland hasn't technically been communist in 3 decades.

Elias Theodorou just made history as the first UFC fighter to work as a "ring boy" ... and after killin' it in his debut, says he's got HUGE plans for the concept!!

We spoke to Elias after last weekend's fight card for Invicta FC (an all-women's MMA promotion) ... where he strutted around the cage like the dude version of Arianny Celeste.

The middleweight stud told us he had such a good time, he's gonna reach out to other UFC guys to form a "Ring Boys of MMA" crew.

Elias says he'll start with t-shirts and a sexy bros calendar ... and one of his first big ideas -- "There's an opportunity to start another conversation that 'big is beautiful' and have some heavyweights on this," Theodorou told TMZ Sports.

"How about Mr. Derrick Lewis for July?"

ET's also dipping into the Hollywood scene as he gears up for his next UFC scrap in May ... and get this -- it sounds like he's bringing "Street Fighter" back!!!

Tony Ferguson respects Khabib Nurmagomedov as an athlete ... but says the 1 area he falls short is "mental toughness," and he's gonna expose that next weekend at UFC 223.

We spoke with the UFC interim lightweight champ in the lead-up to their long-awaited title fight ... and Tony told us Khabib's already shown his true colors by botching his weight cut days before they were scheduled to fight at UFC 209.

Ferguson says Nurmagomedov "took food off my kid's table" by getting that fight scrapped ... and he ain't letting that slide.

UFC champ Demetrious Johnson says he wipes the floor with Rampage Jackson every time they fight ... in the virtual world, that is.

You might've heard -- Demetrious is a HUGE gamer with over 150k followers on Twitch ... so when he isn't wrecking guys inside the Octagon, he's crushing plebes in games like Fortnite and PUBG.

One of the MMA stars DJ gets down with is Rampage Jackson ... and we had to ask what happens when they strap on their headsets.

"We go back and forth. Rampage is pretty damn good," Johnson told TMZ Sports.

That said -- "Fighting game, I'll mop him. If it's a first-person shooter, anything can happen."

Canelo Alvarez is suspended, but his rematch with Gennady Golovkin -- only 36 days away -- will go on, according to Dana White ... 'cause there's too much damn money on the line.

We saw Dana in L.A. and asked him about the most anticipated rematch in boxing ... and whether there's any shot in hell the fight happens May 5.

Remember ... Canelo was temporarily suspended after twice testing positive for a banned substance (he blamed contaminated beef). This week, the Nevada State Athletic Commission hit the champ with a formal complaint -- meaning he is facing a year suspension.

Still, Dana believes the almighty dollar will prevail, and come Cinco de Mayo, Canelo and GGG will fight.

"Yeah, I think it will. There's too much money involved."

Floyd Mayweather couldn't have picked a better teacher for his MMA quest -- so says Jay Glazer, who's convinced Tyron Woodley is the man to mold Floyd into an Octagon killer.

Don't get it twisted -- Jay, an MMA analyst, clearly thinks Mayweather's facing a steep learning curve ... but when it comes to one of his biggest holes, he told us the UFC welterweight champ has him covered.

"He's in good hands. If you want to learn wrestling, Tyron's the guy to learn it from, no doubt," Glazier told TMZ Sports in Hollywood.

Jay also told us why all Floyd's haters need to take a step back ... 'cause anyone trying to master "the toughest sport in the world" should get respect.

UFC champ Demetrious Johnson better watch his back, 'cause his red-hot ex-rival says he's gotten WAY better since their first scrap -- and he's dying for "a piece of the Mouse."

We spoke to flyweight contender Henry Cejudo on the heels of Dana White saying the D.J. vs. T.J. Dillashaw superfight ain't happening ... and "The Messenger" delivered a warning shot to Mighty Mouse, the UFC's pound-for-pound king.

"I want to dethrone him ... I want revenge," Cejudo told TMZ Sports.

Henry says he's a completely different fighter than the guy who got stopped by Demetrious at UFC 197 ... and his recent performances prove it.

Ronda Rousey says Floyd Mayweather taking an MMA fight is NEVER gonna happen ... 'cause he'd get his ass handed to him inside the Octagon!

Ronda straight laughed off Floyd's apparent interest in fighting for the UFC on "Golic and Wingo" Tuesday ... telling them why she thinks it's "all talk."

"That'll never happen ... I don’t think he’d do well in MMA at all,” Rousey said.

The topic was brought up 'cause of her transition to WWE, as well as Conor McGregor's temporary move to boxing.

Ronda clearly doesn't think all career switches are created equal ... and/or still doesn't think highly of Mayweather, even though he tried to squash their beef last year.

Chael Sonnen says Floyd Mayweather coming outta retirement is already a done deal ... 'cause he's a "dumb-dumb" who's burned through his billion-dollar fortune!!

And that ain't all -- Chael is guaran-damn-teeing Floyd's next fight will NOT be in the UFC.

"Floyd's not gonna do MMA but he is gonna box again," Sonnen told TMZ Sports. "I will tell you unequivocally, right now, Floyd Mayweather does, and is planning, to box one more time."

Chael ain't disputing Floyd's insane paydays for the McGregor and Pacquiao fights ... but says Money spends his cash even faster than he makes it.

"Floyd's broke ... it does not matter what you made, it matters what you kept, and he is a dumb-dumb!"

"Look, he's just not a very bright guy. He's surrounded with even less bright guys."

Chael says the one thing Mayweather IS smart about is staying relevant -- which is why he's been hyping a switch to MMA.

UFC champ Tyron Woodley says he's gonna start training Floyd ASAP ... so stay tuned.

Floyd Mayweather's budding MMA career is starting to get some support ... because now a combat sports expert is telling the world not to bet against Floyd being a force in the UFC one day.

We talked to Showtime boxing host Jim Gray on a rainy night in L.A., and when we brought up the idea of Floyd's 8-month transition into the Octagon ... Jim cautioned against writing Money off.

"Don't ever bet against Floyd Mayweather in anything, he's 50-0."

We get you Jim, but when you say ANYTHING, we're wondering WHERE IT STOPS?! Floyd in the NBA? Floyd in the NFL? Floyd as a figure skater in the next Winter Olympics? What can we rule out?

Floyd Mayweather says it'll take him 6-8 months to be an MMA star ... and according to UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, that journey starts NEXT WEEK!!

The welterweight champ joined the guys on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... and the conversation of course turned to Floyd's preparation for his new career.

It was Woodley who first broke the news Floyd was serious about training on "The Hollywood Beatdown" ... Mayweather then confirmed it when we got him out in L.A. ... and now it's time to get things poppin'.

"I think we're gonna start most of it next week. I think we're gonna start some of the strategy talks next week and we might get some sessions in as well."

With that being said ... T.W. breaks down exactly what they're gonna focus on.

"He does not have to go out there and start learning how to kick like Bruce Lee. He does not have to go out there and become a black belt over night."

Gervonta "Tank" Davis made it known that he wants to smash on UFC fighters -- but before that, he says he's gotta remind the boxing world why he's known as the "mini Mike Tyson."

"I have to prove myself to show people that I am a champion," Davis told TMZ Sports. "I'm ready to take over the sport of boxing."

Tank admits he didn't bring his A-game in his last scrap -- the co-main event of Mayweather vs. McGregor -- even though he won by KO ... taking 8 rounds to finish Francisco Fonseca.

But, Gervonta says he's made all the right moves leading up to his April 21 bout with Jesus Cuellar -- from leaving his hometown to hiring a personal chef ... so he's expecting a vicious rebound.

Remember, Tank recently said he's also gunnin' for a UFC fight like his mentor, Floyd Mayweather, so he ain't lackin' confidence.