MMA

Floyd Mayweather says he's down for a rematch with Conor McGregor -- but only for a $300 MILLION paycheck.

He's also down to box Khabib Nurmagomedov -- but again, he wants $300 million.

But, if you're hoping to see Floyd take on a legit contender, don't hold your breath -- Mayweather says he's only taking easy fights from here on out.

TBE spelled it out on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast -- where he explained why his longterm mental health is more important than a paycheck ... which is why he'll only take fights he knows he can easily win.

"Conor McGregor can't punch," Mayweather said ... "He can't punch."

Floyd says he remembers taking a shot from Conor during their 2017 fight and thinking to himself, "Man, this dude punch so soft. It's cool."

Mayweather says he looks at fighters like his uncle, Roger Mayweather, and Muhammad Ali as cautionary tales ... saying, "Your health is your wealth."

Floyd says he's still training and working out -- and isn't far from his fighting weight ... but it doesn't sound like he has anything lined up just yet.

Of course, he's been mulling fights with Conor and Khabib for years but nothing has materialized.

There's more ... Mayweather also explained why he should be considered the greatest boxer of all time -- ahead of legends like Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano.

"Is Ali the same fighter that got beat by a guy with 7 fights? Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali when he only had 7 fights," Mayweather said.

"If we really tell the truth, what's the heavyweight guy that Ali fought 3 times? Ken Norton really beat Ali all 3 times. Go back and look at the fights."

Mayweather says he loves Ali ... but he's "just telling the truth."

He also spoke about Muhammad Ali's activism outside the ring -- and claims he would have done the same thing if he were around in the '60s.

"Ali will always be a pioneer because of what he stood for in that era. And, I commend him for that."

Ali famously refused to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam war and was subsequently stripped of his boxing titles.

Conor McGregor is making some major changes in his life ... he shaved his beard!

The UFC superstar has been sporting his trademark facial hair for years -- the last time he fought without a beard was in 2012 in a Cage Warriors match against Dave Hill (Conor won that fight by rear-naked choke).

He grew out the beard for his next fight ... and rocked it in the cage every time since -- including for his 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

So, why the new look? Maybe it's one of the "turn the page" things?

After all, Conor is going through a LOT at the moment -- from legal issues in Corsica (where he's accused of attempted sexual assault and indecent exposure) to his beef with the UFC and Dana White.

One thing's for sure ... McGregor is still in insane shape and fans across want to see him fight again ASAP.

Conor has teased a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao and a charity with Dustin Poirier, but it's unlikely either of those will take place without the UFC's blessing, since Conor is still under contract.

Jorge Masvidal is going to battle for Donald Trump in Florida -- campaigning with Donald Jr. this upcoming weekend in the hopes of winning the battleground state.

The 35-year-old UFC star from Miami is scheduled to link up with Don Jr. on Saturday. The plan is to hop on a bus and travel to 3 different rallies.

According to ESPN, the events will go down in Tampa, Orlando and Miami ... with the last rally taking place at the American Top Team (ATT) gym where Jorge trains.

Several other fighters are reportedly planning to attend (ATT is one of the top MMA gyms in the country) -- but so far, it's unclear who's on the guest list.

The rallies are being dubbed, "Fighters Against Socialism" -- and with Mavidal being of Cuban descent, it's a personal issue for him.

Masvidal's father reportedly fled from Cuba in a homemade raft when he was only a young teen to escape communism.

FYI -- Florida -- with 29 electoral college votes -- is a critical state for Trump ... where he is currently down a few points to Joe Biden in the latest polls.

Trump recently praised Jorge at a campaign event last week for his epic knockout of Ben Askren -- and Masvidal was PUMPED the President knew his name.

Masvidal isn't the 1st UFC fighter to campaign for the Prez ... Henry Cejudo, Justin Gaethje AND Colby Covington -- Jorge's former friend-turned-enemy -- recently showed up to a rally for Trump in Nevada.

Khabib Nurmagomedov wants NOTHING to do with Conor McGregor -- turning down a rematch AND a chance to coach against the Irishman on an upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

It's all according to Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who tells TMZ Sports his client thinks Conor is nothing more than "human trash" and never wants to work with him in any capacity ever again.

Here's the deal ... Khabib is set to fight Justin Gaethje for the lightweight championship on Oct. 24 at UFC 254.

Ali -- who reps both Khabib and Justin -- says Dana White called him up recently to discuss post-fight plans, including the next season of the reality-style competition show, "The Ultimate Fighter."

"Last week, Dana White called me, said Ali what do you think about if Khabib wins, him and Conor will do the 'Ultimate Fighter' on ESPN?"

Ali says the plan would be for Khabib and Conor to coach separate teams of aspiring MMA fighters on the show, which would ultimately lead up to a Khabib vs. Conor rematch in the Octagon.

But, Ali says Khabib wouldn't even consider the idea ...

"Khabib turned it down," Ali said ... "He said, 'This man is a human trash. He’s garbage.'"

"When you touch sh*t, you smell like sh*t. [Conor] hasn’t earned the fight."

Ali says Dana made the same 'Ultimate Fighter' offer to Justin Gaethje if he beats Khabib.

There's more ... Ali also ripped Conor for posting private direct messages between Conor and Dana White on social media.

FYI, last week Conor posted messages from February asking Dana to set up a fight with Justin Gaethje.

Ali says Justin had been gunning for a fight with Conor for YEARS -- but Conor repeatedly turned him down.

By the time Conor finally called for Gaethje, Ali says Justin was already prepping for a fight with Tony Ferguson in May in hopes of earning a title shot with Khabib.

Justin won that fight and got his wish. Ali essentially says Conor missed his window.

Meanwhile, Conor "retired" from MMA back in June -- though nobody really believes the 32-year-old is done.

In fact, Conor has claimed to be putting together a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao in Saudi Arabia in Winter 2020 -- AND he's talking with Dustin Poirier about an exhibition match in Ireland in December.

Since Conor is still under contract with UFC, it seems he would need the organization's blessing to participate in either event ... and from what we're being told, Conor shouldn't hold his breath.

Also, Ali tells us he's been talking with high-powered friends in Saudi Arabia who say Conor would NEVER get the green light to fight there because of the things he's said about Muslims in the past.

Ali even tweeted to Conor calling BS -- saying, "Who the hell advising you you saying you fighting in Saudi Arabia and promoting your proper 12 trash drink Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country they don’t allow alcohol dumb ass."

Meanwhile, Conor is still dealing with legal issues in Corsica stemming from a September incident. He's accused of attempted sexual assault and indecent exposure -- though McGregor insists he's innocent.

Bottom line ... Conor is all over the place with his career. It's unclear exactly what he wants and why he's so out of step with Dana White and the UFC.

Mike Tyson says if he would've gone into mixed martial arts -- instead of boxing as a teenager -- he would've been a helluva MMA fighter ... as long as no one stepped on his feet!!

Yes, one of the most ferocious men the world has ever seen has a weakness ... and it's having his feet stomped.

TMZ Sports talked to 54-year-old "Iron Mike" -- a huge UFC fan -- about how he would've fared if he dedicated his life to a different combat sport.

"I could of done all that stuff," Tyson says.

"I could of done all that stuff but once someone stepped on my foot, I would of tapped out. My feet are my weak spot! You step on my feet, I'm gonna tap out!"

FYI, if you're not familiar with MMA rules ... stomping on your opponent's feet IS allowed.

Tyson -- who has recently worked with fighters like Francis Ngannou and Rashad Evans -- started boxing at an early age ... and became the youngest heavyweight champion of all-time at 20 years, 4 months when he beat Trevor Berbick in 1986.

UFC 1 didn't take place until late-1993 ... while Tyson was in prison.

Dana White says Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya may still fight -- despite Jon saying he's going to heavyweight -- meaning the dream matchup is still alive!!

TMZ Sports talked to White from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, where the UFC honcho is gearing up for UFC 253 ... which Dana says will be one of the best selling cards ever.

We asked Dana -- with all signs pointing to Jones moving to heavyweight -- does that mean the chance of a JJ and Izzy super-fight is over?

His answer ... nope.

"Jon hasn't moved up to heavyweight yet. We don't know what Jon's gonna do," White told us.

"If you're Jon Jones right now, you probably sit back and watch what happens this weekend, see who wins, how they win, and maybe make them defend the title and then you come back and try to regain it."

Dana continued ... "Or you move up to heavyweight. Or if Adesanya wins this weekend, you fight Adesanya, I don't know. Jon Jones is in a really good position right now."

Of course, beef between the fighters was ignited last April when Izzy -- talking about Jon -- told us, "I already killed one G.O.A.T. and I'm hunting the next."

The G.O.A.T. he "already killed" was Anderson Silva ... who Israel beat in February 2019.

Since then, the fighters have gone back-and-forth ... promising to beat the hell out of each other.

So, Jon has a ton of options ... but before Izzy can think about Jones or anyone else ... he has to deal with 29-year-old undefeated Paulo Costa.

"I don't give a f**k about Jon [Jones]. This is about Dominick Reyes and my journey and the gold belt."

That's 30-year-old UFC star Dominick Reyes plainly saying he could not care less about Jon Jones ... or the fact he isn't fighting Bones for the Light Heavyweight title at UFC 253 on Saturday.

Reyes -- whose only career loss was a very controversial decision to JJ in February -- says his sole focus is on becoming a champion.

"As long as I get that gold, that's all the matters to me. That's all that ever mattered to me," Reyes says.

"With Jon, it was cool because I would be knocking off the greatest light heavyweight of all time, ya know? It would of been really cool and freaking awesome, but it is what it is."

Dominick continued ... "We turn the page, ya know? It's my challenge in front of me. I gotta serious serious f**king threat in front of me. So I gotta do my work and show the world that I'm best light heavyweight in the world."

Of course, Jon relinquished his LHW title a few months back ... and is likely moving up to heavyweight.

Meanwhile, the only thing standing between DR and being anointed the best light heavyweight in the world is 37-year-old, 6'2", 205 lb. UFC star Jan Blachowicz.

Conor McGregor says he's got his next fight on deck ... and it's not in the Octagon -- it's a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao!!!

So ... is this real, or is the dude blowing major smoke??

Here's the deal -- Conor went on a mini-rant on Twitter on Friday ... posting Instagram DMs with Dana White that seemingly show he was begging for a fight prior to his retirement in June.

"I was pushing hard for the season," Conor says. "Multiple opponents, multiple dates offered throughout. All to take place back to back."

He added ... "Then when covid hit and the talk was that I would have to wait for crowds again, I walked away from the situation. I was waiting long enough at that stage."

This all came to a head after Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez said he wanted his retirement fight to be against McGregor ... which Conor seemed to be down with back in February, according to the DMs.

Nothing was able to come to fruition ... and now Conor is telling his 8.2 million Twitter followers he'll be back in the fight game ... just not for UFC.

"Anyway all water under the bridge who gives a fook," Conor tweeted. "I’m boxing Manny Pacquiao next in the Middle East."

While the news is extremely exciting, it must be taken with the biggest grain of salt on the planet -- Conor has been known to use his platform to express his frustrations in the past.

It IS pretty interesting, however, that Conor recently posted footage of himself training in the ring ... so, coincidence??

White has also previously spoken on the possibility of setting up a Conor vs. Manny fight -- saying, "I don’t care about that s**t."

So ... there's that.

Story developing ...

UFC stars Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff just welcomed their 1st baby ... a precious baby girl, Raegan Ann Nunes!!

The 32-year-old women's G.O.A.T. made the announcement on social media, saying ... "Speechless ❤️ Raegan Ann Nunes 9/24/2020 7:15 am #happydaughtersday #love #mylittlefamily"

Reagan was born Thursday morning in a Florida hospital.

34-year-old Ansaroff -- the #5 ranked UFC strawweight -- posted their very first family photo, and wrote ... "I am so in love! I can’t wait to show you the world! 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕September 24th 2020"

So, how's the couple doing?? We just talked to Dana White -- who was preparing for UFC 253 from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi -- and he told us the new moms are ECSTATIC!

The UFC honcho -- and father of 3 -- shared a photo sent by Nunes ... along with some parenting advice for the couple.

Now, the question is ... when does Nina -- who has won 4 of her last 5 fights -- return to the Octagon?

In June, Ansaroff told us she only wanted to take off 6 months after giving birth ... while Amanda wanted her fiancee to sit out a little longer!

A quick return to the Octagon isn't impossible. Remember, Mackenzie Dern fought only 4 months after giving birth to her daughter.

Khamzat Chimaev SMASHED another opponent just 4 days ago ... but the UFC phenom says he's ready to fly to Fight Island and fight Israel Adesanya or Paulo Costa for the title.

TMZ Sports talked to Chimaev ... and asked if he'd fight Adesanya or Costa this weekend in Abu Dhabi if either of the men were unable to participate in the UFC 253 main event.

That might sound crazy ... until you consider the 26-year-old undefeated fighter fought and won twice -- only 10 days apart -- back in July.

Khamzat's answer? Well, you probably already know.

"Yes, 100%, I'm ready," Chimaev said.

"Of course, 100%, for the title, I'm always ready. I would be so happy to be given the chance to jump in there. 100% gonna take this."

Chimaev -- who has been hit a grand total of 2 times during his 3 UFC fights -- also laid out his hit list ... the guys he wouldn't mind beating down while he pursues the UFC strap.

"My dream is title, but I can fight with everybody. Demian Maia, Jorge Masvidal, Diaz brothers, Conor McGregor, everybody, everybody, I can smash everybody. Doesn't matter."

Then, Khamzat threw one more dagger at The Notorious ... the guy who once called him "rat lip."

"People talk about him, Khabib smashed him, brother. Already, everybody knows what I'm about. [Conor's] not on my level. Khabib showed that to everybody."

"It's gonna be the same. I take him down and smash his face."

If you think the Presidential election has gotten ugly, check out the intensely angry exchange between 2 UFC fighters ... and Donald Trump makes it clear whose side he's on.

Colby Covington had just defeated Tyron Woodley Saturday night when he appeared on the post-show with his arch-enemy ... Champion Kamaru Usman, who defeated Covington last December for the title. Covington, who was enraged the fight was stopped, is demanding a rematch.

And, that's the backdrop for some trash talking ... the likes of which you haven't heard in a while. The 2 men are talking at the same time ... Covington threatening Usman -- "When I see you, you're dead" -- while Usman laughs it off, claiming he broke Covington's face when they fought.

Covington invokes Trump's name, saying, "I got the President of the United States, dragon energy." And, soon after that, Trump called Covington to congratulate him on beating Woodley. Trump says, "I just made a big speech to 35,000 people and said, 'Oh, I've got to get home now and watch Colby.'"

Bad news for Brock Lesnar fans ... Dana White says the former UFC champ has NOT taken him up on his offer to put together a fight with Jon Jones.

And, Dana says he doesn't expect it'll ever happen.

Remember, White previously told us he would be down to make a fight between the ex-heavyweight champ and Jones if both guys really wanted it to happen.

Dana even invited Brock to call him so they could talk out a deal.

So, when we spoke with White we had to ask if Brock has reached out -- and unfortunately, it was crickets.

"Not a word," White tells TMZ Sports.

"The guy has had a long killer career. He actually came in and became a UFC heavyweight champ and the guy's made a lot of money. I just don't see him coming back over here again at his age."

White says he would love for Brock to call just so they can talk anyway -- "I'd love to hear how he's doing and how his family is, stuff like that."

But, White says, "I think that's gonna be the extent of the conversation with him."

As for Jon Jones, he's moving up from light heavyweight to the heavyweight division -- but when we asked Dana if there is a fight on the horizon ... again, crickets.

"Nope. Nothing. He's out doing his thing and ya know -- nothing."

They almost fought in line at a Vegas buffet in 2019 -- but UFC star Colby Covington and fighter manager Ali Abdelaziz have buried the hatchet in 2020 ... with a little help from Donald Trump.

First, some backstory!!!

Ali represents some of the biggest names in MMA -- from Khabib to Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo and more.

Back in early 2019, Colby was trying to set up a welterweight title fight with Kamaru ... and the trash talk got so personal, things came to a head at the buffet at The Palms in Vegas.

Colby was in line ... and Ali gets in his face -- and Kamaru had to hold Abdelaziz back! Intense!!!

So, what happened since?

Ali -- along with Henry Cejudo and Justin Gaethje -- were invited to hang with Trump at his rally in Nevada on Sunday ... where Covington was also a VIP guest of the President.

Ali tells us ... since the two men were forced to hang out, they made the best of the situation and talked things out. And, as of now, they're cool.

"I don't hate the kid, I don't have no ill will towards him. He was there to represent the President, I was there to represent the President. If he fought Kamaru or Gilbert or any of my guys again, he becomes the enemy again, it's simple."

"But, right now he's not the enemy. He's a guy trying to make a name for himself."

As for meeting Trump, Ali says it was one of the highlights of his life -- and says Trump treated him like one of the boys!

There's more ... Ali also talked about the upcoming matchup between Kahbib and Gaethje (both are his clients) and explained why it could be one of the greatest fights in MMA history!

Tyron Woodley says Colby Covington isn't really a "MAGA" poster boy at heart -- claiming it's all an act for attention.

Tyron and Colby go back years -- they used to be teammates at American Top Team before becoming enemies.

Now, they're set to settle their beef once and for all on Saturday -- and Colby has been promoting the fight as a Republican vs. Democrat throw down.

"You got red versus blue," Colby said Thursday ... "You got me, capitalism, versus him, communism. And, you got me, MAGA, versus him, maggot."

You may have seen Colby hanging with President Donald Trump over the weekend -- POTUS showered Covington with praise.

But, Tyron says the REAL Colby is NOTHING like the character he pushes to the public ... insisting he used to be a "culture vulture" who was "in my gym doing the Nae Nae"

Tyron says Colby "created this entire image and culture based upon trying to get my attention ... and guess what, now you got it."

So, who's the real Colby?

"Colby Covington is a lost soul," Woodley says ... "He's a selfish individual. He's burned so many bridges. Burned a bridge with Jon Jones as a roommate, Jorge Masvidal as a roommate, a teammate and friend, myself, American Top Team and the list just goes on."

Tyron says he's excited to finally stop the talking and fight it out on Saturday. #CantWait

Tyron Woodley is trolling Colby Covington before their fight on Saturday -- mocking CC's trademark MAGA hat with a red cap of his own.

"Make Racists Catch The Fade Again"

38-year-old Woodley's fashion choice was no accident. Colby -- who's 32 years old -- has been a very vocal Trump supporter who was a VIP guest at the president's rally Sunday in Henderson, Nevada.

Before that, Trump has thrown his support behind Colby ... inviting him to the White House, and calling Covington to congratulate him after his 2019 victory over Robbie Lawler.

Tyron -- the former UFC welterweight champion -- is NOT a Trump supporter ... and has been very critical of the president for years.

Politics aside, Tyron and Colby -- have been beefing for a very long time.

Covington is 15-2 as a pro, and is coming off a loss to current welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman. Woodley -- the former 170 lb. champ -- is 19-5-1 and also coming off 2 tough losses to Gilbert Burns and Usman.

They are former teammates who had a bad falling out and have been trying to settle their issues in the Octagon since 2018.

Donald Trump was STOKED to have some of the UFC's best fighters at his Nevada rally Sunday ... and raved about their talent, muscles and brains.

Colby Covington, Henry Cejudo, Justin Gaethje and Dana White were all sitting right near POTUS as he spoke in front of thousands of supporters at an Xtreme Manufacturing facility in Henderson, NV.

First, Trump heaped praise on White -- his longtime friend and supporter.

Trump said White turned UFC into a success while critics claimed the sport of MMA was just too violent for the American people.

"They just don’t know how violent the American people are," Trump said proudly ... "They never quite figured it out."

Trump also had words for the fighters -- who were all decked out in fancy suits.

"Underneath those beautiful suits are a lot of muscles," Trump said ... "A lot of power, a lot of genius for fighting and for other things … but a lot of genius under those suits."

Trump and Colby Covington go back years -- POTUS famously called Colby after he defeated Robbie Lawler in August 2019 ... and spoke about that fight at the rally.

"[Covington] took [Lawler] apart so easily, it was like an easy day at the office," Trump said.

The two also shared a 1-on-1 moment at the event -- where Colby tried to kiss Trump's hand or something? It was weird.

Covington fights Tyron Woodley on Sept. 19 in Vegas -- POTUS says he will be watching.

Ali AbdelAziz -- who manages Henry Cejudo and Justin Gaethje was also on hand for the event ... and called it a "great honor" to attend.