UFC

The war over the "12 Gauge" nickname ain't about to be settled in the Octagon -- with Cardale Jones telling TMZ Sports ... Paige VanZant would "destroy" him in an MMA fight.

Remember, Paige called out Jones earlier this month -- saying the two should fight over the nickname they both use ... winner gets the "12 Gauge" title once and for all.

Well, we saw the Buffalo Bills rookie at LAX Monday and he told us he still intends to battle Paige over it -- however, he knows better than to accept a real scrap with a UFC star.

"I'm not about to get in her profession ... she would destroy me."

Jones does have another idea in mind about how to settle the issue -- it's wayyyy less violent.

Suddenly, Travis Barker's got a lot riding on Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt -- if he doesn't pick the winner he's gonna pay off a bet with his body.

We got Travis in NYC and our camera guy offered him a wager on UFC 200's co-main event ... and the Blink 182 drummer simply couldn't refuse.

Check out the video to see who Travis is backing. He says he's actually willing to squeeze a TMZ tattoo onto his already-covered body, IF the wager goes south.

Daniel Cormier is stepping up his training to prepare for Jon Jones -- sparring with 2-time UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez.

Clearly, D.C. was impressed with Cain -- calling him "the greatest fighter I've ever been locked in a cage with."

"This is no joke @officialcainvelasquez is by far the best guy I've ever gone with."

Cormier vs. Jones is all set for UFC 200 on July 9th -- and D.C. is adamant he's finally going to get his revenge.

Cris "Cyborg" Justino ain't mincing her words ... telling TMZ Sports she would "kill" Ronda Rousey if they ever stepped in the Octagon.

Paige VanZant's blockbuster movie debut has just been put on hold -- she's officially pulled out of the upcoming 'Kickboxer' movie ... so she can focus on fighting.

As we previously reported, PVZ had signed on for "Kickboxer Retaliation" ... joining stars like Mike Tyson and the guy who plays The Mountain on "Game of Thrones."

A bunch of people thought it could be the role that launched VanZant's acting career.

But Paige just put the kibosh on the project -- claiming the filming schedule interfered with training for her next fight with Bec Rawlings at "UFC on FOX" in August.

"I’ve recently declined to be in the Kickboxer movie because I want to be 100% for this fight and train 100%," Paige told ESPN.

"That movie filming was kinda gonna get in the way. We couldn’t get a date set that worked with my schedule.”

The former porn star who claims she was attacked by her MMA star ex-boyfriend has launched a new line of emojis using images based on the brutal photos of her injuries ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Reports are swirling that the Fertitta brothers are no longer the proud owners of the UFC ... but TMZ Sports has learned it's just not true.

According to reports, WME talent agency, along with a Chinese media org and a group led by Robert Kraft snagged the MMA powerhouse for around $4 billion.

Sources tell us ... there are negotiations but "a deal isn't even close." In fact, we're told there has not even been an agreement on whether 100% of the UFC will be sold or just a portion. Nor have the parties agreed on price.

One report says the deal was finalized Sunday between WME CEO Ari Emanuel, Lorenzo Fertitta and other UFC execs at a dinner meeting in Hollywood. But we've learned Emanuel was on a plane Sunday flying back from a bar mitzvah out of the country and Lorenzo was in Vegas all day. We're told Dana White and Frank Fertitta were also in Vegas all day.

Conor McGregor is gonna need a miracle to beat Nate Diaz at UFC 202 ... so says UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos.

McGregor and Diaz are set to rematch at UFC 202 in August -- and with dos Anjos having defeated Diaz in the past, we asked if he had any fight advice for Conor.

Rafael didn't give out any free pointers -- but did drop some real talk ... telling TMZ Sports straight up, "I don't see Conor winning this fight for sure."

He goes on to explain why Conor is doomed.

UFC champ Miesha Tate says she NEEDS to avenge her losses to Ronda Rousey -- telling TMZ Sports, "I feel like something would be missing from my career if I didn't fight Ronda again."

Conor McGregor is all about spreading the wealth -- buying his entire family brand new BMW 5 Series whips after he got rich in the UFC ... this according to Conor's dad.

Tony McGregor spoke with The Independent in Ireland ... and explained how the UFC surprised his family with a gaggle of Beamers back in 2015.

"He came home from an American trip last year, and I saw this fleet of cars coming around the corner with him in the lead car, a black BMW 5 Series," Tony said.

"I presumed it was an entourage chauffeuring him home, but he told me to hop in and asked if I liked the car? I said it was lovely and he handed me the keys and said, 'Good, because it's yours.' He bought one for everyone in the family, which was really nice."

Besides his parents, Conor has 2 sisters -- so, maybe he got a 4 car deal?

Of course, Conor LOVES cars -- and has bought himself a bunch of expensive rides ... including a couple of Rolls-Royces.

Tony dropped a whole bunch of Conor gems ... including:

-- He didn't approve of Conor's career at first. "He was able to prove me wrong, which has made me so proud."

-- Conor started boxing at age 12 after playing soccer as a kid.

And the most shocking part ... Tony says Conor was a really quiet kid who stayed out of trouble.

Cris "Cyborg" Justino says her black widow bite was so bad, she required hospital care ... but says she's confident she'll resume MMA training as early as next week.

As we previously reported, Cyborg was bit by the venomous spider while gardening at her L.A. home last week.

Cyborg says she didn't realize what bit her at first -- but the wound got really bad and painful ... and she finally went to the hospital when she began to feel extremely sick.

UFC superstar Dan Henderson says Michael Bisping can crack all the geriatric jokes he wants -- 'cause when the two face off in the Octagon, Bisping's gonna "end up getting his ass beat by an old man."

45-year-old Dan joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show -- and responded to Bisping's trash talk .. specifically when he said he wants to fight Dan before he dies of old age.

It's pretty good stuff ... Dan vows to whoop that ass -- AGAIN -- and says he'll retire right after he does.

He also gives us an update on the contract situation for the fight.

Check out the whole interview tonight on "TMZ Sports" on FS1.

Apparently, she's human after all ... 'cause UFC superstar Cris "Cyborg" Justino says she's in all sorts of pain after being bit by a BLACK WIDOW SPIDER!!

Cyborg says she was working in her garden last week when the spider appeared and sunk its fangs into the fighter's leg -- causing a nasty wound.

"My leg is in a lot of pain," Cyborg says.

Cyborg says she went to the doctor and got antibiotics and cream for the bite wound.

FYI, the black widow is one of the most venomous spiders in North America.

Yeesh.

UFC champ Michael Bisping says he wants to fight Dan Henderson ... before Hendo dies of old age.

It's pretty funny stuff ... Bisping is adamant he's not planning on retiring anytime soon -- telling TMZ Sports he wants to fight everyone from Hendo to GSP and even Rockhold again before he hands it up.

But the best part of the video is all the shade he throws at 45-year-old Henderson -- "Henderson's gonna die soon, so I might as well knock him out. I might as well put him in the grave."

Yeah, she's got a Hollywood agent now ... but Holly Holm is refusing to "go Hollywood" -- in fact, she just turned down a role in a huge movie to focus on her upcoming fight.

Our sources tell us ... Holm was contacted to appear in a major studio movie -- but respectfully declined because the film dates interfered with her final fight prep for UFC on FOX in July, where she'll take on Valentina Shevchenko.

We reached out to Holm's rep, Lenny Fresquez, who wouldn't comment on the movie situation -- but did tell us that Holm has been receiving "an unbelievable amount of calls" from movie and TV producers.

Fresquez says Holm recently hired the APA agency to handle the non-fight related side of her career -- but insists that her main focus is still taking care of business inside the Octagon.

Here's UFC smoke show Arianny Celeste showing off her insane physique during a bikini photo shoot in Puerto Rico.