UFC

UFC heavyweight Junior Dos Santos' dancing career just took a KO shot to the face -- Cigano has been eliminated from the Brazil version of "Dancing With The Stars."

The 35-year-old ex-champ showed off his moves one final time on "Dança dos Famosos,” on Sunday ... but was ultimately voted off the show after receiving the fewest votes.

It was a great effort from the #4 ranked heavyweight and his partner, Ana Paula Guedes ... the dude danced his ass off to hits like "What Is Love" by Haddaway while wearing pants that would make MC Hammer proud.

Cigano left the show due to an injury back in October -- which also kept him out of UFC Moscow in November --  but was able to come back to be the last athlete standing (the rest of the dancers are actors/actresses).

Dos Santos really made his presence known on the dance floor -- his dances scored among the highest each week until his elimination.

He's 44-years-old ... but Tito Ortiz says his fight game is BETTER than ever -- and he wants to prove it against Jon Jones.

"I think I could beat Jon Jones," Tito tells TMZ Sports ... "I think I got a good chance. I really do think I got a good chance."

Tito has been training his ass off for his Dec. 7 MMA clash with ex-WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio and says he finally feels healthy, clear-minded and strong.

Of course, Jones is only 32 and hasn't really lost a fight since turning pro -- he's widely considered one of the greatest UFC fighters ever!

But, Ortiz says Jones ruined his shot at being the G.O.A.T. -- "He tarnished his career so many times, so much stuff he did in and out of the cage. Bums me out because I love the guy, man."

As for the critics who say Tito's too old hang with a guy like Jones, Tito has a message for them too ...

"Come to my camp. Come train with me. Come wrestle with me. Come do Jiu-Jitsu with me. Watch me weight train, watch my biking ... I'm doing amazing, my mind's in the right place."

There's A LOT more in the raw video (see below) ... Tito talks about his issues with Dana White and why he's down to squash the beef with the UFC once and for all.

He also talks about his rivalry with Chuck Liddell, his upcoming movie with Bruce Willis ... and his dreams of becoming a WWE superstar down the road!

Worried about potential shopping brawls on Black Friday???

UFC stud Mike Perry's got ya covered ... 'cause he's shelling out advice on how to protect yourself in a fight over that marked down big screen TV!!!

"Stick and move, man," Perry tells TMZ Sports. "Throw objects. Use chairs. Keep your distance!"

Of course, the day after Thanksgiving is always mired in some kind of fighting over door-busting deals ... but Perry's got some rock-solid tips to help you survive.

And, if you are brave enough to scrap with the crowds ... Perry's the guy you wanna listen to -- 'cause he's been in a ton of these brawls throughout his life!!!

But, Perry's biggest piece of advice? Forget the whole day in general, stay at home with the fam and wait to shop online on Cyber Monday.

Heart-breaking news in the search for Aniah Blanchard ... cops believe they found the 19-year-old's body in a wooded area in Alabama.

Cops have been searching for Aniah ever since she was abducted from a Chevron station on Oct. 23. Blanchard is the step-daughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.

Days after her disappearance, officials had found Aniah's car, which was covered in blood ... and believed she had suffered a fatal injury during the kidnapping.

Cops hunted down Ibraheem Yazeed -- the prime suspect -- who was seen at the gas station with Blanchard in the moments before her abduction. He was arrested in Florida after leading cops on a pursuit and suffered a busted eye during the apprehension. He's since been charged with 1st-degree kidnapping.

Now, terrible news ... cops say they found human remains in Macon County, Alabama and they believe it's Aniah.

"I can confirm that human remains have been found in Macon County on County Road 2 and we have good reason to believe they are that of Aniah Blanchard," Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said.

Officials say the remains were found in the area between the Chevron Station in Auburn where she went missing and the spot where her car was discovered in Montgomery.

A second suspect in Aniah's disappearance was arrested on Friday -- Antwain "Squirmy" Shamar Fisher -- who's also been charged with 1st-degree kidnapping.

Story developing ...

MMA legend Rampage Jackson says he's VERY interested in taking a PRO BOXING match before he retires ... and he'll fight anyone -- except Deontay Wilder!

In fact, the 41-year-old former UFC heavyweight champ tells us, "I asked Dana White a long time ago, way before Conor McGregor even was around, let me do some boxing!"

Rampage -- who parted ways with UFC in 2013 -- says he was told back in the day there just wasn't anyone for him to box, so the idea was shut down.

But, he insists, "I still wanna fight a boxing match before I retire."

Rampage's stand-up game is legendary -- he famously KO'd Chuck Liddell in 2007 and Wanderlei Silva in 2008 ... and several other guys along the way.

And, with Floyd Mayweather gunning for a UFC crossover, we asked Rampage if he had a particular opponent in mind.

"I'd fight anybody but Deontay Wilder," Rampage says ... "He's too tall!"

Rampage says there's one way he'd make an exception -- "Unless they give me $100 mil. Then I'll fight him! I'm not gonna lie, I keep it real!"

We get it ... Wilder just destroyed Luis Ortiz and widely considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history!

"I'll fight him if they give me $100 mil and we do one boxing match and then one MMA match."

But, don't count on it going down any time soon -- as Rampage explains, "I don't like fighting them long, tall dudes. I gotta take them down!"

Floyd Mayweather doesn't want to be a 1-and-done in 2020 -- our sources tell us he's targeting TWO fights next year ... one against a pro-boxer and another against a UFC star.

Nothing is set in stone yet ... it's all being worked out and the situation is very fluid. But, for now, we're being told one name that's being seriously considered is Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd has been interested in a rematch for years and he feels the time is right -- especially with Manny being healthy and coming off a great victory over Keith Thurman.

It's also worth noting that Manny is no longer repped by Bob Arum and is now a part of Al Haymon's promotion. Hayman famously works closely with Mayweather.

As for the UFC component, we're told Floyd wants another boxing match with a UFC star, preferably someone who has impressed with stand-up striking skills.

Floyd has already teased a UFC crossover after hanging with Dana White at the Clippers game on Nov. 20 ... unclear if they spoke about potential opponents.

Conor McGregor has expressed interest in a rematch and has spelled out why he thinks he will be successful a second time around.

Floyd also called out Khabib in 2018 -- but he's notorious for his ground game ... so based on what we're being told, he's not the priority.

As for dates, we're told Floyd wants to fight in May and again in Sept. -- and he's even thrown out the possibility of fighting at the new Raiders stadium in Las Vegas.

Again, it's all very fluid and could change with the wind ... but for now, we're told this is the starting point.

Floyd Mayweather says he's COMING BACK -- insisting he'll fight once again in 2020 ... and working with UFC's Dana White to make it happen.

"Coming out of retirement in 2020," 42-year-old Mayweather posted on social media late Thursday night.

Floyd also posted a pic with Dana White and said the two are "working together again to bring the world another spectacular event in 2020. #boxing #UFC #mma #mayweatherpromotions."

Of course, Floyd and Dana sat next to each other at the Clippers vs. Celtics game in L.A. on Nov. 20 and were seen chatting it up.

So, will it be a boxing match or an MMA fight? We're working on the details.

Floyd has floated a bunch of possibilities over the years -- saying he'll fight everyone from Khabib Nurmagomedov to a rematch with Conor McGregor.

Back in 2018, Floyd said he was definitely fighting Khabib and told TMZ Sports he'd made 9 figures for the fight.

Since then, Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz has told us Floyd's camp has been hounding him with calls trying to get the deal done.

There have also been rumblings that Floyd is trying to set up a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, who's looked AWESOME in his last few fights ... even beating Keith Thurman.

Soooo ... friends?!?!

Here's Dana White and Floyd Mayweather sitting RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER at the Clippers vs. Celtics game in L.A. ... and it begs the question -- you talk business or what?!

Mayweather's been floating the idea of taking an MMA fight for YEARS -- even back in February, he said, "I can go get a deal right now from the UFC. Probably 3-fight, 4-fight, BILLION-dollar deal if that's what I wanted."

Floyd's also teased a possible Conor McGregor rematch, a fight with Khabib and more.

So, is that what you want? Dana's right there! You guys work it out?!

Probably not ... but ya gotta wonder what they DID talk about.

Of course, Dana is a hardcore Boston guy which is why he was at the game. Floyd's a regular at Staples Center, he supports both the Clippers and the Lakers.

Alberto Del Rio says he's so deadly serious about beating Tito Ortiz in his upcoming MMA fight, he's been training with legit killers like Bellator champ Ryan Bader.

"I moved to Phoenix to train with the best [fighters] on the planet," the 42-year-old, ex-WWE superstar tells TMZ Sports ... "I haven't seen my kids in 12 weeks, I'm completely focused."

FYI, Bader is an MMA monster -- he's the reigning Bellator heavyweight champ and has wins over guys like Rampage Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko and Rashad Evans.

Del Rio -- aka Alberto El Patron -- has a background in MMA, he's 9-5 as a pro but hasn't been inside the cage in almost 10 years.

But, Alberto says he's been training like a maniac -- and even suffered a nasty gash over his right eye during a training session.

Ya gotta watch the video, Alberto gets extremely candid about a BUNCH of interesting topics, including ...

-- Addressing critics who think he's a joke because of his pro-wrestling background

-- Discussing a possible return to the WWE and his relationship with Vince McMahon

-- Why he believes the Tito fight is his last MMA fight (We call BS right to his face.)

-- Why he respects CM Punk

-- Alberto names a current WWE superstar who would be a great MMA fighter

What would YOU do if you saw a violent kidnapping in progress?

One key witness in the Aniah Blanchard case says he initially kept his mouth shut instead of going to cops because his wife told him it was best to "stay out of it."

The horrible revelation was just made in an Alabama courtroom Wednesday, where officials are trying to prove Ibraheem Yazeed forcibly shoved 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard into her car on Oct. 23 -- the last night she was seen in public.

Blanchard -- who's still missing and at this point presumed dead -- is the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.

During Wednesday's hearing, officials say the witness saw Yazeed forcing Aniah into her car at the Chevron station and leaving the scene ... but he did NOT immediately go to police. Instead, he confided in his wife who told him it was best to not get involved. Unclear why she felt that way.

Eventually, the witness had a change of heart and went to authorities -- and broke down in tears for not coming forward sooner.

As for the case against Yazeed, prosecutors say they found blood from TWO people in Aniah's car and they want to get a DNA sample from Yazeed to see if he's a match.

During Wednesday's hearing, the judge granted the request -- essentially forcing Yazeed to comply. The judge also denied Yazeed's bond, meaning he'll remain behind bars.

As we previously reported, cops say they found a large amount of blood in Aniah's car that matches Aniah -- and the scene was "indicative of someone suffering a life-threatening injury."

The judge also ruled the case will move forward to a grand jury.

As we previously reported, officials are trying to pin the disappearance of Blanchard on 29-year-old Yazeed ... saying he was the one who took Aniah at a Chevron station in Auburn, Alabama last month.

UFC star Ben Askren wants you to know ... he's retiring, NOT DYING -- and he's got big plans for his life after MMA.

The 35-year-old says a hip injury is forcing him to cut his fighting career short -- which sucks -- but Askren says, "My life didn't effin' end! I'm ready to go destroy my next project!"

So, what's on deck for Askren? A lot ... from opening wrestling gyms to coaching, to a possible on-air MMA commentary career.

"I think there's a chance, I think I'm gonna give it a try," says Askren, who's known as one of the most charismatic guys in MMA.

"I've got a lot of people encouraging me to give it a try. I'm still not sure if I'm gonna like it or not. I'm up for debate on that one."

As for a possible fighting future, Askren says his medical condition will PROBABLY keep him from taking another pro bout ... but he's been speaking to other wrestlers who've been through the same situation, and there's hope.

Askren says he's spoken with guys who have fully recovered from the procedure he's planning to get, which is encouraging -- but he's certainly not committing to a comeback.

UFC star Ben Askren is calling it a career -- the 35-year-old is officially retiring from MMA after revealing his hip is shot.

Askren broke the news on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on Monday saying, "I'm retiring from the sport of MMA. Frankly, I'm retiring from everything."

The biggest issue for Askren -- widely considered one of the best grapplers in the world -- is his jacked-up hip ... which he's been dealing with for the past few years.

In fact, Askren says his doctor is recommending a full hip replacement -- and since he's already 35, it ain't exactly a recipe for a comeback.

"I got really emotional the other day because I just started thinking about all the great experiences I've had and how lucky I've been to have the amount of success I've had," Askren said.

Ben was famously included in the blockbuster UFC, ONE Championship trade back in 2018 involving MMA legend Demetrious Johnson.

Askren raised eyebrows right away -- defeating Robbie Lawler in his first UFC fight -- but things went south in 2019 when he was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in 5 seconds.

It got worse when Askren fought Demian Maia in Oct. 2019 and lost by submission in the 3rd round. It became clear to Ben he couldn't continue to compete at the highest levels.

Asken (19-2) wasn't just a stud fighter -- he's also one of the most entertaining personalities in the sport and will surely find a career in broadcasting now that he's done in the Octagon.

The Amanda Nunes vs. Claressa Shields superfight -- the best female MMA fighter against the best female boxer -- could happen way sooner than anyone thought ... as in as early as May, so says Claressa's promoter.

TMZ Sports talked to Dmitriy Salita -- who also reps boxing stars Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller and Otto Wallin -- about the most anticipated crossover fight in women's combat sports.

"Claressa wants to be a two-sport star," Salita tells us.

Shields is already a BEAST in the boxing ring. She won a gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, was 77-1 as an amateur, and is an undefeated 9-0 as a pro.

But, when it comes to MMA, Claressa is a newbie -- she's only been working on wrestling and groundwork for the past couple of months.

It usually takes years for MMA fighters to get pro-ready but Salita thinks Shields could be good to go in 2020.

"I think sometime in the next 6 to 12 months. I think both ladies need to embrace it and talk about it and there needs to be a real plan to make it happen, and to make it the biggest possible event it could be."

Before Shields vs. Nunes goes down, Claressa has a boxing match against Ivana Habazin on January 10.

That doesn't mean Salita isn't willing -- and hoping -- to chop it up with UFC honcho Dana White, who previously told us he's interested in seeing Shields in the Octagon.

"I'm definitely open to have those discussions and to have those conversations," Salita says.

Someone pick up the phone ... please.

The MMA fighter who beat up TWO guys in a bathroom stall in a WILD brawl caught on video is telling TMZ Sports why he was attacked in the first place ... and it's INSANE!!!

The man at the center of the scuffle in the s**tter is ex-UFC fighter Jason Knight -- who now competes in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

In other words, HE'S THE WRONG GUY TO FIGHT IN A BATHROOM!

Knight tells us ... he was taking a leak at a club in Mobile, Alabama back in December when he heard two other guys in the bathroom complaining about their wives.

Knight says he jokingly yelled out, "F**k his wife" thinking it would a get a laugh -- but instead, the comment REALLY pissed off the pissers and they bum-rushed him in his stall.

"They snatched my stall door open and started talking crazy to me," Knight says ... and that's when he knew it was time to throw down.

You can see in the video ... Knight's backed up against the toilet, yet still manages to WAIL on the two assailants, landing some solid shots to the head in the process.

"I gave 'em the ol' shoulder shrug and I hit the big guy first. I was trying to put him down and make sure that it was a 1-on-1 fight, instead of a 2-on-1 fight. Either way, I pretty much put him down with the first couple punches. All he wanted to do after that was hug me."

"I think they were expecting me to kinda beg my way out of the stall, and then they beat me to a pulp right there in that little stall. But, I'm not the one to beg my way out. So, I figure, let's fight it out and see what happens."

Oh, in case you wondering ... 27-year-old Knight is 20-6 as a pro-MMA fighter -- and even beat UFC stud Dan Hooker in 2016.

"I fought MMA for years, but before I got into MMA, I was a street fighter, man. So, it wasn't nothing new to me."

"You hit the guy first and you don't stop 'til somebody comes. Somebody came and broke it up. But, I got in more licks than they did in the long run."

FYI, if you like watching Knight hit people ... he's got a (sanctioned) fight Saturday night against Artem Lobov at BKFC 9.

Lesson here ... don't start bar bathroom brawls with a bare knuckle fighter.

Tyron Woodley says the UFC would be crazy not to sign Logan Paul to an MMA contract ASAP ... because he's PROVED he's got all the right ingredients to be a smash hit.

Woodley says he was super impressed with Paul's performance against KSI -- and advised him after the match to take ANOTHER fight.

"I think you should go and do it again," Woodley told Paul ... "You looked good, you just didn't win."

But, Woodley DOES think he can win in the UFC -- and says he wouldn't be surprised if Dana White signs the 24-year-old to a contract in the very near future.

"Logan Paul fits the exact demographic," Tyron said on 'The Hollywood Beatdown.' "He's got a huge following, great build, he looks athletic, he's a Division 1 wrestler, he's insane and he's gonna talk a lot of s**t so the press conferences are gonna be insane."

Woodley continued, "I wouldn't be surprised in the next 2 months if we see some breaking news on Logan Paul getting a couple fight deals with the UFC."

If he does get to the UFC, Woodley says there's only ONE fighter he wouldn't help Logan prepare for ... CM Punk. Check out the clip to hear why.

Conor McGregor is straight-up SCARED to fight Jorge Masvidal -- so says Street Jesus himself -- which is why the Irishman hasn't said a PEEP since he beat Nate Diaz.

The UFC's reigning BMF champ went on the 'Dan Le Batard Show' and was asked about a potential fight with Conor ... and that's when Masvidal spelled it all out.

"To be quite frank, [Conor] was flirting with fighting the winner when the possibility of the winner was Nate," Masvidal said.

"He kept throwing it out there. He even made his prediction. But, since I've won, he hasn't said a peep."

"That dude don't want it, man."

Masvidal says he's not a bully -- and won't trash Conor in the hopes of baiting him into a fight -- but it seems pretty clear Jorge wants it.

"If you wanna fight, I'm licking my chops."

As for Conor, he announced his return to the Octagon will go down on January 18 -- but didn't reveal his opponent.