MMA

"Platinum" Mike Perry says he's ready to unleash a whole lot of violence on Nate Diaz, telling TMZ Sports the star from Stockton will leave the cage leaking when the MMA fighters meet in just over a month!

"I'm looking to go in and give the people the bloody people's fight, the people's main event show that they're looking for, the real BMF-style altercation and meet Nate in the middle and, you know, spread some blood," Perry, 34, told Babcock this week.

Of course, Perry and Diaz are fighting on the Jake Paul-promoted, Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano headlined event on May 16 in Los Angeles ... and despite a bunch of big stars and big fights, fans are arguably most excited for Mike and Nate's scrap.

The UFC shared some behind-the-scenes photos from its collab with the FBI earlier this month at the agency's headquarters in Quantico, Virginia ... showing off some of the work accomplished during the combat seminar.

Jorge Masvidal, Chris Weidman, Justin Gaethje, Claudia Gadelha, Manel Kape, and Michael Chandler all helped out in the event that FBI Director Kash Patel lobbied for months prior.

In one of the photos, you see Patel watching as Weidman and Gaethje give recruits pointers on moves they can break out on bad guys. Another photo shows Gadelha -- a former contender in the UFC strawweight division -- going with a more hands-on approach in her lesson.

MMA fighter Maycee Barber got choked up talking about her knockout loss over the weekend, saying she looked dead lying there on the canvas.

Barber posted a video on X after she was savagely beaten by her opponent, Alexa Grasso, during their UFC flyweight matchup in Seattle on Saturday night.

In the first round, Grasso landed a hard left to the face, dropping Barber like a sack of potatoes before finishing her off by choking her out. Barber was left lying limp on the canvas with a blank stare in her eyes. Grasso was announced the winner of the fight.

The world continues to mourn the loss of Chuck Norris ... including his friend, actor, martial artist, and Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks, who told TMZ Sports the legendary figure played a major role in shaping him as a person.

We caught up with Blanks at LAX this week ahead of his induction into the MMA Hall of Fame -- an honor he says means a lot, especially since Norris is also enshrined.

That's when Billy became emotional while talking about his friend Chuck, who passed away last week at the age of 86.

Francis Ngannou isn’t just back in the cage, he’s in business with Jake Paul … and while there’s respect there, don’t get it twisted -- “The Predator” still wants to smack around the YouTuber-turned-boxing star!

The former UFC heavyweight champ is set to return to MMA on Most Valuable Promotions’ massive debut card May 16 -- a lineup stacked with names like Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Nate Diaz -- and Ngannou tells TMZ Sports it might be the best card of the year.

In fact, Francis didn’t hesitate when we brought up comparisons to the UFC’s Freedom 250 card at the White House.

“No argument,” Ngannou said. “As we’re speaking right now, this is the best card.”

But things heated up when we asked about Jake.

UFC Freedom 250 has secured an organization to oversee the fights at the White House ... Dana White's promotion partnered with the Association of Boxing Commissions, which will officially license and regulate the bouts on the South Lawn.

The move allows the UFC to sidestep the local D.C. Sports Commission after the group voiced concerns over the event.

The UFC shared the news Thursday morning, announcing ABC "will serve as an independent third party to advise on the regulatory operations for the unprecedented UFC event scheduled for Sunday, June 14, on the grounds of the iconic White House."

Without a sanctioning body's involvement, the White House fights would not count as professional bouts.

Dirty Boxing heavyweight champion and former UFC fighter Jairzinho Rozenstruik can put his domestic violence arrest behind him -- TMZ Sports has learned officials have declined to pursue charges.

According to court records we obtained, the state filed its decision earlier this month -- formally dropping the case.

As for the reason why, the DA said "the victim refused to provide a sworn statement," adding that the "parties were engaged in mutual combat and provided conflicting accounts of the incident." The DA concluded that "[w]ithout the victim's cooperation there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction."

Harvey Levin is counting his lucky stars on Friday -- the TMZ boss came face-to-face with former UFC champion Henry Cejudo ... and somehow talked his way out of getting put in a headlock.

Hear that?? The newsroom just let out a collective sigh.

The playful interaction went down in the middle of the "TMZ Live" stream just minutes ago ... when Harvey got a text from a former staffer warning him that Triple C was around and looking to put an MMA move on him.

Michael Chandler is packing his bags for Quantico to train FBI agents ... and he joined "TMZ Live" ahead of the trip to give Kash Patel some comfort in case the director plans to be in attendance -- saying he's not looking to break anyone's bones.

The 13th-ranked UFC lightweight chopped it up with Harvey and Charles on Thursday ... and he hopes to take a "white belt mentality" to the FBI training facility when he gets boots on the ground this weekend.

You may ask, what's a white belt mentality? Well, in Chandler's own words, it's all about wanting to get better.

Cain Velasquez has finally broken his silence after nearly a year behind bars ... thanking everyone for their "love and support."

Velasquez shared the video on his Instagram Wednesday evening, saying he's been spending the last few weeks "getting used to the normal things."

"I just want to take this time here to thank everybody for the constant support," he said. "You have no idea what your words and your encouragement and your love has meant to me and my family. Just thank you."

Gina Carano may still feel a certain way about getting canned from "The Mandalorian" ... she told us she couldn't think of one actor from the entire Lucas universe who could take a fight.

We caught up with Carano Tuesday outside of the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, where she was holding a press conference with Ronda Rousey to promote their May 16 MMA bout.

Seeing as how Gina is an actress and an MMA icon, we asked her if there are any actors associated with 'Star Wars,' or the spinoffs, that she thinks could last in the octagon ... And she couldn't name one!

Ronda Rousey made a career as the "Baddest Woman on the Planet" ... but what if we told you she's even more bad now?? Well, that's what Rowdy tells TMZ Sports -- saying she's never been more skilled!!

We caught up with the former UFC champion at her press conference for her Gina Carano fight on Tuesday ... and asked how close she is to her dominant run in MMA.

"I'm better than I've ever been," Rousey said. "I'm definitely better than I've ever been."

Just days after Francis Ngannou and the Professional Fighters League parted ways, the Nigerian Nightmare already has himself an MMA fight ... the former UFC heavyweight champ has been added to the Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano event on Netflix!

Most Valuable Promotions -- Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian's promotion -- made the announcement Monday morning, revealing Ngannou will take on Philipe Lins in a five-round fight on May 16.

If you're unfamiliar with Lins, he holds a professional MMA record of 18-5, with four of his wins coming in the UFC. He also made stops along the way in Bellator and the PFL, where he won the $1 million tournament in 2018.

One of boxing’s most dangerous cruiserweights is stepping into Dana White’s new promotion -- and Jai Opetaia plans to make a statement.

The undefeated Australian star will make his Zuffa Boxing debut at The Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday against Brandon Glanton, with the inaugural cruiserweight title on the line.

Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs) tells TMZ Sports he's looking to reaffirm his status as the best fighter in the 200-pound division.

“There was a lot of noise when I signed,” Opetaia said. “But to be the first to fight for a ZUFFA belt, I'm proud to do that.”

Despite the attention surrounding White’s new venture into boxing, Opetaia says the grind behind the scenes hasn’t changed.

After months of speculation, rumors, and fighters campaigning to be a part of the event … the UFC finally made it official Saturday night, announcing the promotion's "Freedom 250" card during UFC 326!

Ilia Topuria, lightweight champ, and Justin Gaethje, interim lightweight champ, got the top spot, main eventing the historic card ... which will go down Sunday, June 14 at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.!

Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will serve as the co-main ... with the interim heavyweight belt on the line. Pereira will look to become the first fighter to be champion in three different divisions.

The rest of the main card rounds out like this ... "Suga" Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler, Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus, and Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia.

Each fight, except for Pereira and Gane, features an American fighter.

The announcement puts an end to months of speculation surrounding the event

As for the setup, the event is expected to take place on the South Lawn, with a limited crowd in attendance.

Just 98 days until Freedom 250!

Big shakeup in the MMA world ... Francis Ngannou is a free agent!

The PFL -- Professional Fighters League -- announced Friday that they were no longer in business with one of the most feared men in the entire sport.

"The Professional Fighters League has made the decision to part ways with Franciks Ngannou," a statement released by the promotion said.

"We have great respect for Francis as both as athlete and a person, and we wish him success in the next chapter of his combat sports career."

It's a shocking end to the 39-year-old Ngannou's tenure with the company, which started in January 2023, when he signed with PFL.

Francis fought under the PFL banner on October 19, 2024, in Saudi Arabia ... a bout dubbed the "Battle of the Giants," 'cause it featured the 6'5 Ngannou against 6'8" Renan Ferreira.

Unfortunately, the PFL and Ngannou could seemingly never get on the same page again ... so Francis didn't fight.

On Thursday, TMZ Sports happened to have PFL CEO John Martin in our offices ... and we asked him about Ngannou's future (Ngannou part is at 7:54). Martin said they were still open to working with the MMA star, as long as it made sense for both parties.

What's next for Francis, and could a UFC return be in store? Likely not ... as the former heavyweight champion and Dana White aren't exactly on the best of terms.