UFC

THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!!!!

That's Cris "Cyborg" Justino's message to Ronda Rousey -- explaining why Rousey is a terrible role model for not getting back in the Octagon after her loss to Holly Holm.

Check out the clip ... Justino also says Ronda's no Conor McGregor -- because Conor went up in weight to fight tougher opponents and Ronda refuses to go up to fight her.

He's 49 years old, but WWE legend Bill Goldberg says there's a real chance he could get back in the ring ... as a pro kickboxer.

He's been offered fights in the past -- including a 2015 match with ex-WWE star Alberto Del Rio -- but turned it down at the time saying he needed more training.

But Goldberg -- who owns a Muay Thai gym in California -- just appeared on Submission Radio Australia and said he's still entertaining the idea of fighting for GLORY kickboxing.

"I don’t think the door will ever be closed on that," Goldberg said.

"Even at 49 years old I still really enjoy doing it. I really enjoy learning, I’m a student of the martial art and I’m a student of what it stands for and it’s become kind of a way of life for me. It’s an addiction and it satiates a lot of things for me and it also gives me a challenge. So never say never. You never say never."

How bad do skateboarding injuries hurt? Bad enough to willingly go a round with an MMA superstar in the Octagon ... 'cause Ryan Sheckler says he'd rather take a punch from Conor McGregor than relive his worst encounter with concrete.

Sheckler -- who has had his fair share of skating injuries -- says the temporary pain from getting KO'd wouldn't even come close to what he's gone through.

"You gotta feel like I'd be knocked down in 10 seconds," Sheckler says. "The skateboarding injuries suck. The concrete sucks. So if I can get hit real quick and out, I'll take that."

"It just seems a lot simpler ... and no recovery time at the end."

CM Punk may not be the last WWE star to get his shot in the UFC ... 'cause Octagon star Alan Jouban is saying he wants his crack at a wrestling legend ... 7'0", 440-pound Big Show.

Jouban is 6'0" tall and fights at 170.

We got the (very brave) UFC fighter out in L.A. and asked him if there was any WWE star he'd like a shot at ... since Mickey Gall made such short work of Punk.

Check out the clip -- Jouban calls out Big Show ... saying he thinks he could use a stick and move tactic to outmaneuver BS and get a W.

Anyone who thinks Canelo Alvarez is gonna stroll into AT&T Stadium this weekend and walk all over Liam Smith can "go f*** themselves" ... this according to Smith.

The undefeated WBO light middleweight champ is squaring off with Canelo on Saturday night in Texas -- and says he's more than confident he'll destroy Oscar De La Hoya's best fighter in front of the world.

Alvarez is a HEAVY favorite in the fight -- and some people are saying Smith is more like a warm-up act for Canelo's superfight with Gennady Golovkin next year.

UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz fights like a bitch ... so says Cody "No Love" Garbrandt.

Cody was out in NYC and explained why he hates Cruz's guts so much -- and says a lot of the disdain stems from DC's fighting style.

"I'm a real fighter," Garbrandt said ... "I go out and get the finishes. He goes out and skates by on decisions."

UFC stud Mickey Gall says it was "an honor" to be spoofed by WWE after his fight with CM Punk -- but admits, it was probably meant to be a shot at the former wrestler.

Gall appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Tuesday night on FS1) -- when we asked about WWE recreating the UFC 203 match at the "Backlash" Pay-Per-View event the next day.

"That's cool, man," Gall said ... "It's an honor."

As for what inspired the spoof, Gall says ... "I think it's not so much me but their feelings against him ... so, I guess thats kinda crappy. But you know, hey, I loved it."

And, now that he's a famous athlete, we asked which Kardashian he wants to bang. Check out his answer.

There's a lot more on the show tonight -- and Gall tells us which big UFC event he's campaigning to fight at next.

Jon Jones' wish to fight UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic may come true ... 'cause Stipe says he's absolutely down ... as soon as his body heals up.

Miocic joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Monday night on FS1) -- and was asked how he felt about Jon essentially calling him out on social media.

FYI, Jon tweeted after Stipe beat Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 ... "I'm starting to realize the hype is real with that guy. He's legit, it would be the challenge of a lifetime."

Stipe heard the challenge -- but didn't respond with the vitriol of Daniel Cormier. Instead, he praised Jones ... and essentially welcomed Dana White to make it happen.

Paige VanZant says she would LOVE to see CM Punk fight in the UFC again -- but realistically, he's just too old to become a great MMA fighter.

"I love CM Punk. I wanted him to do well. I think he's just a little too old for it," Paige told us in NYC.

VanZant makes it clear she's a big fan -- and says Punk's fight was GREAT for the entire UFC ... but says at 37, Punk doesn't have the time to put in enough jiu-jitsu training to compete with the best.

CM Punk says he's been inundated with support from friends and UFC fighters -- blowing up his phone with words of encouragement before his MMA debut at UFC 203.

Punk joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) -- and told us about all of the "awesome people" who have hit him up this week.

We also showed Punk the video his old WWE pal, Mick Foley, made to show his support -- you gotta see his reaction.

There's a whole lot more in the full interview -- including Punk's fight prediction and some good old fashioned smack talk to his opponent, Mickey Gall.

Check out "TMZ Sports" -- weeknights on FS1.

CM Punk feels Tim Tebow's pain -- saying he understands what it's like to get hate for trying a new sport ... but hopes they can both prove the doubters wrong.

[Tebow] signed with the Mets? Good for him," Punk said moments ago at the UFC 203 media event in Cleveland.

"I think that's great. That's awesome."

If you're expecting CM Punk to embarrass himself in the Octagon, you're in for a big disappointment -- so says UFC champ Stipe Miocic.

"He's not some guy who's gonna walk in there and drop an egg," Miocic tells TMZ Sports.

"He's gonna go out there ... I think ... he's gonna prove a lot of people that hes worthy."

Alistair Overeem has a strong message for Mickey Gall -- SEND CM PUNK BACK TO THE WWE IN TEARS!!!

Mickey Gall might be new to the UFC, but he can talk trash like a seasoned vet -- firing back at CM Punk with his own promise of a victory in their upcoming bout.

The self-proclaimed "kid from Jersey" was on "TMZ Sports" and immediately blew off CM bragging and guaranteeing a win Saturday night. As Mickey put it ... CM's "gotta say that and maybe to a degree he believes that, probably not."

Mickey also talked about the perception many UFC fighters want him to crush CM Punk ... to prove WWE guys can't just step into the Octagon. Best of all, you gotta see Mickey explain how he's gonna get the job done.

Make sure you check out our full interview with Mickey at 12:30 AM ET on FS1.

Conor McGregor's pumped to make 'Call of Duty' an even bigger smash hit.

We ran into the UFC star Monday cruising down Sunset and we ask him about being in the new "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" video game. Check out the vid ... Conor's got his sights set on breaking sales records.

Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn't just talk the talk when it comes to MMA fighting -- he's a REAL athlete who coulda competed in the UFC back in his prime ... so says Roy "Big Country" Nelson.

Roy isn't just an accomplished UFC fighter in his own right -- but spent some quality time with JCVD on the set of the upcoming "Kickboxer: Vengeance" flick.

And with Van Damme recently lecturing UFC fighters about how weak their leg strikes have become -- we had to ask Roy if he thinks JC could back up his tough talk.

For the record, Van Damme is an accomplished martial artist -- who won several fights as a teenager before becoming an action star.

There's more ... we also asked Roy how he'd fare in a showdown with Hafthor Bjornsson -- the MASSIVE guy who plays The Mountain on "Game of Thrones."

The 400-pound Bjornsson famously had a sparring session against Conor McGregor -- but Nelson says he'd get CRUSHED against someone his own size.