UFC

Newly crowned interim UFC Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno tells TMZ Sports his highly anticipated 4th fight with champ Deiveson Figueiredo -- where they'll unify the belts -- is the biggest fight in the history of the 125 lb. division.

And, it's not even really up for debate.

We talked to the 28-year-old fighter on Wednesday, and asked him about the significance of the fight.

"Man, tell me another example [of a bigger fight], please. The 4 fights between Figueiredo and I is the biggest one, easily. Tell me the second place," Brandon told us.

It's hard to think of a more anticipated fight. Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo fought twice ... and Cejudo's win over Mighty Mouse in 2018 was improbable and thrilling. But, as legendary as both fighters are, Brandon and Deiveson's rivalry is just different.

In fact, just a few years ago, the division was in jeopardy of being scrapped altogether. Now, it features arguably the best current rivalry in MMA.

Speaking of those fights, Brandon and Deiveson already fought three times ... each man has one win. The first and third fights were incredibly close.

UFC 256, Dec. 2020, Draw
UFC 263, Jun 2021, Moreno won, submission via rear naked choke
UFC 270, Jan 2022, Figueiredo won, unanimous decision

Fast forward to last Saturday in Dallas, TX. After Moreno defeated Kai Kara-France with a perfectly placed liver kick to capture the interim title, Brandon and Deiveson came face-to-face in the Octagon.

But, despite a lot of s**t talk in the past, the men kept it respectful ... and that's the way BM says it'll stay.

"I understand I had the opportunity to make more drama, but it's not my way. I understand the business I'm in, I'm trying to entertain the people, but I'm entertaining people with my fight. I'm done with the drama, with all the bad feelings."

Notorious is going Hollywood -- UFC superstar Conor McGregor will be making his acting debut in a remake of the '80s classic movie, "Road House" ... starring alongside huge names like Jake Gyllenhaal!!

The project is set to be a reimagining of the Patrick Swayze-led 1989 flick ... with Gyllenhaal playing a UFC fighter-turned-bar bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the former featherweight and lightweight champ will have a part in the Prime Video project, which will be his first feature film.

Of course, 34-year-old McGregor has a ton of business ventures out of the Octagon ... but we're told the new career move does not mean he's done competing.

"Conor McGregor is very excited to expand his storied career to Hollywood and join with Jake Gyllenhaal in this reimagining of 'Road House', a beloved classic," Conor's rep, Karen J. Kessler, tells us.

"While fighting remains his top focus, this is the beginning of another successful venture in the McGregor empire."

"He is eager to get started filming."

Deadline reports the project -- directed by Doug Liman -- will also star Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier ... as well as other notable actors.

The outlet says McGregor got wind of the interest in having him involved ... and after checking out the original, he took a meeting with producer Joel Silver.

McGregor apparently loved what he heard about the vision for the flick ... and quickly signed on to show off his acting chops.

It's become quite a natural transition for UFC fighters to make it in Hollywood -- as we recently reported, Kamaru Usman will be in the new "Black Panther" movie this November ... and Ronda Rousey, Georges St-Pierre, and more have also made it to the silver screen.

If Jake Paul can't fight Hasim Rahman Jr. on August 6, there's someone else willing to step in the ring in his place -- Hasim Rahman Sr.!!

That's right ... the 49-year-old, 2x heavyweight champion tells TMZ Sports he's down to fill in for Jr. and box the Problem Child.

Oh, and for good measure, he says he'll fight Logan, too ... same night.

"How about this?" Hasim says, "If somebody would sanction this, I will fight Jake and Logan back to back. We can go eight rounds a piece. Neither one of them will make eight rounds but we can sanction for eight rounds and I promise you, if I don't knock Jake and Logan out, they win."

Of course, Jake and Jr. were set to box Saturday at MSG ... but the fight was scrapped after Paul accused Rahman of ignoring their contractually agreed-upon weight limit.

Now, let's be honest ... two fights in one night ain't happening, but you get Hasim's point. He isn't all that impressed with what he's seen in the ring from the Paul bros.

In 2001, Rahman Sr. shocked the sports world when he knocked out one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever, champ Lennox Lewis ... becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world.

Throughout his career, Hasim racked up a 50-9-2 record with 41 KO's. He retired in 2014.

We also asked Rahman about the possibility Jake and his son could still fight another time ... and Hasim had a suggestion for ensuring the terms of the contract are followed.

"If the public demands it, both sides can put up a million dollars in escrow. That way we can be sure that ain't nobody gonna not make weight. If somebody miss weight, whatever the contractual demands are, they will be met or somebody gonna lose their million dollars."

So will it be Hasim Rahman Sr.? Rahman Jr.? Tommy Fury? Someone else? Stay tuned.

Tyron Woodley was in Ireland last week -- but he wasn't hanging out with Conor McGregor at the Guinness factory -- the future UFC Hall of Famer asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage, and she said YES!!

Woodley shared footage from the magical moment on his social media page Tuesday ... showing the former welterweight champion, down on one knee, in front of his GF, Kia, with the Dublin Castle -- which opened over 800 years ago in 1204 -- in the background.

"Kia, I love you," Woodley said while holding a beautiful (and very large) diamond ring, continuing, "I want to spend forever with you."

Kia became very emotional, replying, "Oh my god. Yes! Hell yes! Oh my God!"

The 40-year-old star also penned a sweet love note to his wife-to-be.

"I've met my match! Found my person❤️. Snatched this Gem off the market," Woodley said in the video caption.

"And put the 'Fight of the Night' on her finger💍!!!"

"I'm Crazy over you Kia. Thankful for you. Grateful God brought you to me," Woodley said.

"You are my best friend. You are my everything. Let's show em how it's done! #ForeverKT #TheRealestLove"

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz is going down in September, and many fans and experts alike have said the UFC is serving up the MMA legend on a platter for an ass-whooping of epic proportions ... something Dana White says is nonsense.

White joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) where the UFC President was asked about those criticizing the fairness of the fight.

"Well, the people that are saying that obviously didn't read when Nate said, 'I asked for this fight'. It's true and he also asked for Francis Ngannou. So, if I was putting him out to get slaughtered, Francis Ngannou would probably be the fight to give him."

Fighters like Daniel Cormier and Josh Thomson have expressed concern over the fairness of the matchup. D.C. said he thinks the fighters are at different points in their career, making this a "mismatch."

JT went a little harder, saying on his podcast with Big John ... "The UFC knows what they're doing, this happens all the time. When you're on your way out, they give you the toughest, hardest fight they know stylistically it does not match with you. Chimaev is the worst matchup he could potentially get."

Here's how the men -- fighting at UFC 279 on September 10 -- stack up against each other.

37-year-old Diaz is arguably the most beloved fighter in the entire UFC. Throughout his legendary career, Nate has beaten fighters like Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

However, Nate lost his last two fights ... Jorge Masvidal (November 2019) and Leon Edwards (June 2021).

As for 28-year-old Khamzat, he's undefeated ... 11-0 professionally, and 5-0 in the UFC. Chimaev has risen to stardom arguably faster than anyone else in the history of the promotion.

The knock on Khamzat was the level of competition ... but that subsided when he beat Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision in April 2022. It was the first time Borz was tested.

In December, we asked Diaz about the prospects of fighting Chimaev (they've gone back and forth for months), and he wasn't feeling it at the time.

"Try to offer me a fight with a rookie? I'm cool. Got 4 fights in the UFC. Don't talk my name," Diaz told us.

Clearly, Nate had a change of heart.

The fight vs. Khamzat is reportedly the last on Nate's contract, so we asked Dana if he planned to resign the superstar from Stockton.

"I don't know. We'll see what happens. We'll see how this whole thing plays out. I told him, me and hi0m met here, you know Nate's been with us for a long time and I like Nate. I said, 'Nate, do whatever you wanna do kid. Go do whatever you wanna do.'"

The bottom line ... Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev are fighting in less than 45 days, and fans are pumped!

Brandon Moreno says when he defeats Kai Kara-France at UFC 277, he will be the "real flyweight champ" ... despite the fact Deiveson Figueiredo says the men are fighting for a "plastic belt."

"Man, I just wanna say this, the moment Dana White puts that belt on my body, I'm the real flyweight champion of the world," 28-year-old Moreno recently told us.

"I don't know nothing about interim or whatever because I'm doing everything right. I'm training every single day, I'm eating well, I'm putting all my sacrifices to get that title back. The other guy is a bunch of excuses. He don't wanna fight and I was able and ready to fight and I'm doing that. I'm doing my job so that's why when Dana White gives me that belt, that's it."

The Moreno-Kara-France fight is in fact for the interim title ... but it's clear, interim or not, Brandon believes this fight will crown the best 125-pound fighter in the world.

And, 29-year-old Kai, the #2 ranked contender agrees.

We talked to KK-F this week, and he straight-up said he's fighting the better opponent.

"Brandon won that last fight [with Deiveson]. I thought he did enough, so in my eyes, I'm fighting the better guy, but you know me and Figueiredo will square up eventually. It's something that's inevitable. Once I get past Brandon, then we can square off against each other and unify this belt."

Moreno and Figueiredo have previously fought three times. The first fight was a draw. The second fight, Brandon won by submission, earning him the undisputed flyweight title.

The third clash was very close. DF won by unanimous decision, but many fans (and Kai) believe the judges screwed up.

Amanda Nunes is considered by almost everyone to be the greatest female fighter of all time... so, that begs the question, what's Julianna Pena if she defeats the G.O.A.T. for a second time?! We asked her.

"I don't know anybody else in this division or the sport that has been able to have the resume that Amanda has made so it's definitely worthy of being called the greatest of all time. But, now that I'm here, I am also being worthy of being called the G.O.A.T slayer."

32-year-old Pena and 34-year-old Nunes are the main event at UFC 277 Saturday night in Dallas ... a rematch of their UFC 269 scrap, won via rear naked choke by Julianna in the 2nd round.

Nunes vowed this fight will be different ... and Pena's taking her at her word, telling us she's prepared for the best version of Amanda inside the Octagon.

"She said in the countdown that she didn't hit me with the best shots and she didn't hit me with everything that she had, so I would assume she's gonna try to hit me with everything she has," Pena says, adding "I just think that I am ready for the biggest, strongest, scariest Amanda Nunes that we've ever seen."

As far as Julianna's legacy, she says she simply wants to be remembered as one of the greatest to ever fight in a cage.

"You know the moral of the story for me is that I wanna be recognized as one of the greatest in sports and in sports history for women's MMA. I want to cement my legacy by getting this win and I wanna be able to to go down in the Hall of Fame and the UFC Hall of Fame."

"That's always been my goal is to be in the UFC Hall of Fame. If beating Amanda Nunes gets me in the Hall of Fame, then you can definitely consider me one of the greatest female fighters of all time. Absolutely."

Kamaru Usman is going from passionate Black Panther fan to acting in one of the blockbuster franchise's films -- 'cause the UFC welterweight champ has landed a role in "Wakanda Forever!!!"

35-year-old Usman is a huge fan of the comic book superhero ... and dating back to 2018, has shown interest in being a part of upcoming flicks.

TMZ Sports has confirmed that dream is becoming a reality ... with "The Nigerian Nightmare" securing a role in the flick coming out this November.

Of course, the movie will be an emotional one ... after T'Challa himself, Chadwick Boseman, tragically passed away in 2020 due to colon cancer.

The teaser for the "Black Panther" sequel was released this past weekend ... with fans of the franchise praising the short clip.

No word on how significant Usman's role will be ... but regardless, it's an amazing experience for the 20-1-0 superstar.

Before the flick hits theaters, Usman will be facing off against Leon Edwards in August ... so it's an action-packed end to 2022 for him to say the least.

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are reportedly "very close" to inking a deal to once again meet in the boxing ring, and Dana White has a thought -- "BULLS**T!"

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC President on Tuesday, and asked about a report out of the UK stating the two megastars were all but set to rematch in the near future.

"It's total bullshit!" White told us, adding, "That story came from a paper called The Daily Mirror which is a tabloid in Europe. It's total bulls**t!"

(Note: The Sun first reported the story. Daily Mail and The Mirror -- two separate outlets -- published stories referencing the initial Sun report.)

And, Dana's more than a spectator ... he's an interested party. Conor is under contract with the UFC ... meaning if he wants to box Floyd, the UFC honcho must be involved. Clearly, White -- who has a good relationship with Mayweather -- says it ain't happening ... at least not now.

Of course, Conor and Floyd boxed in August 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ... in what was one of the most promoted and talked about fights in the history of combat sports.

Mayweather, 49-0 in the ring at the time, won by TKO in the 10th round. It was McGregor's first time in a professional boxing match.

Since, Floyd retired after winning his 50th pro fight ... but he's still taken exhibition bouts against guys like Logan Paul.

As for Conor, he broke his leg last summer fighting Dustin Poirier, and while he's getting close to being fully recovered, he isn't there yet.

We also talked to Dana about a highly anticipated rematch that we definitely know is happening this weekend at UFC 276 ... Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena II!

The Venezuelan Vixen forced The Lioness to tap in the 2nd round of their UFC 269 title fight ... and White believes the rematch isn't only one of the biggest fights in the history of women's MMA, but will have major ramifications on both their legacies.

We also chopped it up about Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France fighting for the flyweight interim title ... and Dana gives us his pick for a sleeper fight.

UFC 277 goes down Saturday night from Dallas, TX on ESPN+.

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett gave a powerful speech about mental health after his big win at UFC Fight Night in London ... revealing he found out on Friday his friend took his own life.

Pimblett won a hard-fought battle against Jordan Leavitt via submission in the second round ... and after briefly celebrating the victory, his demeanor quickly changed while speaking to Michael Bisping in the post-fight interview.

"I woke up on Friday morning at 4 AM to a message that one of my friends back home had killed themselves," Paddy said. "This is 5 hours before my weigh-in. So Ricky lad, that’s for you."

"There’s a stigma in this world that men can’t talk," he added. "Listen, if you’re a man, and you’ve got weight on your shoulders, and if you think the only way you can solve it is by killing yourself, please speak to someone. Speak to anyone."

"People would rather, I know I rather they cry on my shoulder than go to his funeral next week. Men start talking."

Paddy -- who was clearly overcome with emotion -- then collapsed to the canvas and broke down in tears ... finally allowing himself to grieve over the loss of his friend.

Pimblett -- who also dedicated his fight to 4-year-old Baby Lee Hodgson, who tragically passed away from cancer last month -- was in tears as he left the arena ... with the crowd cheering in support.

Pimblett improved to 19-3 with the win ... and says he will return to the Octagon before the end of the year.

Curtis Blaydes has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the UFC's heavyweight division, but Tom Aspinall flat out says he's "happy to go to the ground" when the top 10 big men clash on Saturday.

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Aspinall -- the #6 ranked heavyweight -- ahead of his fight with 31-year-old, #4 ranked Blaydes, at UFC Fight Night.

"I'm happy to go to the ground if he wants to. I've been a lifetime grappling, I've been grappling since I was a child so, I'm easy," Tom says, continuing ... "If he wants to take me down, let's do it. You wanna grapple a little but, we'll have a little wrestle if he wants to. If he wanna do a bunch of kicking we'll do that as well. Whatever he wants to do."

It's surprising to hear Aspinall -- who's in the midst of an 8-fight win streak -- say he's down to wrestle (sure, he could just be talking) ... but Curtis was a wrestling champ in high school, and then in junior college at Harper College.

Maybe it's because Aspinall is headed into the fight with an unfair advantage ... the crowd.

See, the fight's going down at The O2 Arena in London ... and Tom happens to be from Manchester.

"I feel like with those fans I got superpowers. I'm super, super sharp. The fans like that, they can make you or break you. They can put so much pressure on ya or they can light a fire under you. For me, it definitely does the second one. I feel amazing in there and I can't wait to do it again."

We also talked to Blaydes, who's won two in a row (Rozenstruik and Daukaus), and he isn't worried about anything ... and certainly not the crowd.

"It doesn't matter. I don't know if the fans know or not but I can't hear what you're saying when you're screaming at me."

"[Jordan Leavitt] doesn't really present any challenges, to be honest, lad. There's levels to this and I'll prove that when I get in there with him and knock him out in the first round."

That's Paddy Pimblett absolutely violating his UFC Fight Night opponent ... flat out saying 27-year-old Leavitt, who has lost just once in his MMA career, doesn't present a single threat to him in the Octagon.

Paddy, 18-3, is fighting Jordan, 10-1, Saturday at the O2 Arena in London ... which happens to be Pimblett's home.

We asked Paddy The Baddy if he felt Leavitt had the advantage anywhere. Anywhere.

"No. I have better wrestling, better jiu-jitsu, better striking. You literally cannot beat me anywhere. People think he has good grappling and he hasn't. He's not very good at all."

Another advantage Paddy may have ... the fight's in Pimblett's backyard.

In fact, the UFC star says he's received "hundreds" of ticket requests from friends and family.

Might there be added pressure fighting at home?

Paddy says no way.

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett put it ALL on display at weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night ... droppin' trou and showing the whole crowd his bum as he called out fat-shamers!!

The lightweight contender is known for his fluctuating weight in between fights ... but when the time comes to hit the scale, he's always in incredible shape.

Despite getting absolutely shredded for his fights, Pimblett has been criticized by fans on social media ... and on Friday, he clearly got fed up with the haters.

"Everyone who tried to fat shame me or said I would miss weight or f***ing pull out -- kiss me ass," Pimblett said as he showed off his left cheek after weighing in at 156 pounds.

The crowd seemingly laughed it off ... which isn't surprising, given Paddy's fun spirit.

18-3 Pimblett is a rising star in the UFC ... and is facing off against 10-1 Jordan Leavitt in London on Saturday.

The scene at Papi Steak following the March altercation between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal was so frantic ... a cop called for multiple units to get there quickly, new 911 audio reveals.

In the clip, obtained by TMZ Sports, a man identifying as an off-duty police officer told dispatch that he had spoken to Covington (whose name was redacted in the file) and said the UFC star had told him Masvidal "sucker punched" him following dinner at the popular Miami eatery.

The cop, with urgency in his tone, can be heard in the audio telling the dispatcher, "Can we send a bunch of, or a few units ..." He later added in the call, "If you could just send units on a three, please."

As we reported, Covington alleged that on March 21, Masvidal attacked him with a flurry of punches ... chipping his tooth and damaging his $90,000 Rolex.

Masvidal was eventually arrested over the incident, and later charged with two felonies.

The UFC fighter -- who had lost to Covington in a match just days before the altercation in the Florida street -- has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He's due in court for another hearing in the case next month.

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is literally the biggest fight you could make in all MMA, so says "Iron" Mike, who tells TMZ Sports that's the fight he -- and the people -- want!!

"If Conor's coming back anytime soon, I think me and Conor would make some fireworks and it's a fight that fans want to see. I think it's the biggest fight we can make in mixed martial arts right now and I try to say that as humble as possible but I think it's a huge fight," Chandler told Babcock when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weeknights on FS1).

Of course, the 36-year-old #5 ranked UFC lightweight is coming off a devastating knockout of Tony Ferguson ... who starched with a front kick at UFC 274 in May.

Conor, for his part, hasn't fought since July 2021 ... when he gruesomely broke his lower leg during the trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.

McGregor likely won't fight until the first half of 2023 ... but this isn't a situation where Mike is going to try and bait McGregor, who sustained an incredibly serious injury

"The guy snapped his leg. It wasn't a small injury, it required surgery, maybe multiple surgeries, a titanium rod going in, and all that stuff," Michael says.

He later continued ... "I'm not gonna throw stones at the guy. I mean the guy completely shattered his leg and it was literally just a year ago. Have people come back quicker than he's gonna come back? Yes, probably, but also we don't know the extent of Conor's injury."

And, Chandler believes the sport of MMA is better with, not without, Conor.

"The [UFC] and the lightweight division is better when Conor McGregor is a part of it but that being said, he needs to come back at the right time."

We also talked to Chandler about the just announced 155 lb. title fight featuring Charles Oliveira (#1 ranked) and Islam Makhachev (#4 ranked) at UFC 280 in October.

Mike gave us a winner (he says it'll be Charles -- whom he fought in 2021) ... and he explained why during the interview.

FYI, neither man has lost anytime recently. Islam's last L was in 2015 ... and Charles' was in 2017.

And, get this. Mike has another gig outside of the Octagon. He's the Chief Athletic Officer at Speede ... a fitness company crowdfunding (via Indiegogo) a product that's said to be a revolutionary home gym.

With Michael's help, the company has already received over $236K in funding. The original goal was to raise $15K.

Felice Herrig has turned her tootsies into cash cows -- the combat sports star tells TMZ Sports she's raking in the dough ... by selling her used socks and pics of her feet on OnlyFans!!

Yep, you read that correctly -- the newly-retired MMA fighter and current Bare Knuckle FC fighter tells us she's living very comfortably by snapping shots of her lil bulldogs ... and it's now given her the freedom to fight at her leisure.

Felice tells us all her fans with foot fetishes have asked for some up-close looks for a while now ... and she's more than happy to fulfill their requests.

But, some folks out there even want to possess some of her USED socks ... which she's shelling out for $150!!!

Pretty sweet gig, huh??

The money Herrig is making now has allowed her to fight whenever she wants ... unlike how things were previously in her long career.

As for her new transition over to BKFC, Felice tells us it's the perfect fit for what she's truly passionate about in fighting -- admitting her heart wasn't in MMA.

"Now, it's coming full-circle," Herrig tells us. "I get to go back to doing what I love. And actually, boxing has always been my number one."