UFC

Cris "Cyborg" Justino is the REAL DEAL -- and will destroy Ronda Rousey whenever they face off in the octagon ... so says UFC legend Lyoto Machida.

With Cyborg gearing up for her long-awaited UFC debut, we asked if Machida had any intel on his fellow Brazilian ... and he delivered.

"She is the real deal. She can beat anyone," Machida said ... "She can take a punch and also she can GIVE a punch."

Of course, Cyborg has been begging for a fight with Rousey for years -- and when we asked Machida who would emerge victorious he didn't even hesitate.

Ovince St. Preux says he "humbly accepted" Daniel Cormier's offer to train him for the Jon Jones fight at UFC 197 ... but only in a small guest trainer capacity.

OSP appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) -- and told the guys he knows D.C. and they're "pretty cool" ... but wants his current trainer Joey Zonar to continue leading his training program.

So, how exactly would Cormier contribute? Check out the clip.

By the way, there's A LOT more in the full interview -- including OSP's thoughts about Jon Jones' legal issues.

Paige VanZant saw video of the brawl involving Derek Wolfe ... and the UFC star thinks the Broncos DE may have a future after he retires from the NFL ... as a UFC FIGHTER!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Paige Tuesday afternoon in L.A. ... and seeing as she punches people in the face for a living ... we asked her to break down the Derek Wolfe bar fight footage.

Check out the clip ... if PVZ's right, it might not be too long before you see big DW inside the Octagon.

Ronda Rousey is in a "great place mentally, physically and emotionally" ... and most importantly "she's ready to fight" -- so says UFC honcho Dana White.

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier WILL NOT meet in the octagon later this month at UFC 197 ... 'cause the fight's off after DC injured his leg ... forcing him to withdraw from the event.

The Jones-Cormier grudge match -- scheduled to go down April 23rd in Vegas -- momentarily seemed in jeopardy earlier in the week after Jones spent 2 nights in jail for a probation violation.

However, UFC honcho Dana White gave JJ the green light, and the fight was still on ... that is, 'til Cormier hurt his leg ... putting the highly anticipated rematch on ice.

The severity -- and how the injury was sustained -- is unclear.

No word yet from the UFC on whether Jones will remain on the card ... or if the JJ-DC fight will be rescheduled.

Jon Jones must have built up some serious rage after being in jail for 3 days ... and hours after he was released, he took it all out on his mitt guy.

The UFC superstar -- who fights Daniel Cormier in less than a month -- wasted no time getting back in the gym ... and you can tell from the video, he's angry.

"Won't let nothing disturb my peace. Right back to work. Round five out of seven. Them Ramen noodles got me feeling right," Jones added in the caption.

Dana White isn't pulling punches when it comes to Jon Jones -- telling TMZ Sports his decision to cuss out a police officer was just plain DUMB.

Cris "Cyborg" Justino tells TMZ Sports ... she's fired up to make her UFC debut in May -- but says she still has her eye on the biggest prize of all ... BEATING RONDA ROUSEY.

Cyborg is taking on Leslie Smith at UFC 198 in Brazil on May 14th -- and says she's not only predicting victory ... but wants to put on a show everyone will remember.

"Leslie is a very tough girl, most of her fights end by decision. I don't know if it will be a KO or submission, but I DO KNOW it will be worthy of a UFC performance bonus from Dana White!"

Cyborg says she likes Leslie -- "she is always nice and polite to me" -- but says when they get in the octagon, it's going to be violent.

As for Rousey ... Cyborg says, "Since she is no longer the champ, and I am officially in the UFC, I do not see any reason why the fight between us can't happen."

"I realize Holly Holm kicked her into retirement, but maybe after [UFC 198] we could settle the feud in New York when the UFC comes to Madison Square Garden."

"If Ronda is still retired, or has thought of a few more excuses to not fight me, then maybe Holly Holm or Miesha Tate are willing to fight. I want to make the biggest fights the fans want to see."

Despite his legal issues ... and the fact he's currently behind bars ... Jon Jones is still confident he'll beat up Daniel Cormier at UFC 197 on April 23rd.

Sources close to the UFC superstar tell us he's taking his legal matters VERY seriously -- but isn't brushing off his fight with D.C. He's planning on jumping right back into his training regimen as soon as he gets out of jail.

In fact, Jones tweeted about the fight late Monday night ... saying, "Today I had some of the best workouts I've had all camp. I've trained too hard and come too far to let anything get to me at this point."

11:29 AM PT -- EAG Sports, which represents Jon, just issued a statement saying, "Jon and his team are taking this very seriously and we will let the legal process play out."

"We are confident he will be released once he has an opportunity to explain to the judge the facts in this case."

Jon Jones was booked in New Mexico for violating his probation moments ago -- and posed for a brand new mug shot after turning himself in ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told a judge had issued a warrant for the UFC star's arrest for violating the terms of his probation after he was cited for drag racing in Albuquerque last week.

Jones was sentenced to probation last year after being convicted in a hit and run case in which the UFC star crashed into a pregnant woman's car and then ran from the scene on foot.

One of the terms of Jones' probation was to not get into any trouble with the law -- and the judge felt the drag racing citation qualified as a violation.

When it comes to "titles" -- UFC superstar Miesha Tate says she would rather be known as "champ" than "Mrs."

Tate has been dating UFC fighter Bryan Caraway for roughly 10 years -- and when we asked if marriage is in their future ... she told us she's concerned about making it "official."

"Honestly, we're not trying to fix what's not broken at the moment," Tate said ... "We're happy and I don't think a paper defines your dedication."

But how would she feel if Caraway proposed? Watch the clip ...

More trouble for UFC superstar Jon Jones ... who just revealed he was busted for drag racing in New Mexico last week.

Jones revealed the incident moments ago on "The MMA Hour" with Ariel Helwani -- but adamantly denied drag racing.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Albuquerque PD -- and a rep told us Jones was pulled over late Thursday night/early Friday morning for drag tracing.

He was issued 5 citations -- the main was for drag racing. The other 4 citations were for "equipment issues" including a modified exhaust and an "issue" with his license plate.

The incident could be devastating for Jones -- who is already on probation for a hit and run conviction. He was recently warned not to get ANY citations.

Story developing ...

Wanna see Matt Barnes beat the living hell out of Derek Fisher? Great, now you can.

A dude named Eric Bui turned the feuding NBA stars into characters in the new "EA Sports UFC 2" video game ... and let 'em battle it out in the Octagon.

It didn't go well for Fisher.

Enjoy!

UFC stars Nate and Nick Diaz are rank amateurs in the Octagon of ganja, according to no less an expert than Bob Marley's son ... who's offering to help the bros go pro, mon.

Boxing superstar Andre Berto says he spoke with Conor McGregor earlier this week -- and tells TMZ Sports he strongly feels the guy should NOT rush into a rematch with Nate Diaz.

Berto's not just a premiere boxer (fighting Victor Ortiz in April) -- but he comes from an MMA family with his father, brother and SISTER all having competed in the Octagon.

So, when Berto told us he's been in contact with The Notorious ... we had to ask if he had advice for the UFC star.

Long story short ... Berto's not against a rematch with Diaz -- just not right now.

"I think that he should probably take another fight or two first," Berto said.

Wanna date UFC superstar Paige VanZant? Good. Pay attention.

The 21-year-old phenom says she's still officially on the market -- "very single" -- after she and UFC fighter Cody Garbrandt broke things off back in September.

So, what kind of a guy is Paige into? Watch the clip to find out ...

Also, we asked Paige if she would ever consider switching weight classes to fight Ronda Rousey -- and she makes it clear, that fight ain't ever happening.

By the way, besides being one of the best up and coming fighters in the UFC, Paige is super hot. Here's the photo proof.