UFC

Daniel Rodriguez has a message for the fans and "experts" (and even Dana White) who've said Li Jingliang was robbed at UFC 279 ... I won the fight!!

"It was a close fight," 35-year-old D-Rod told TMZ Sports just two days after securing the dub, adding ... "At the end of the day, I give Li the first round, and I took the 2nd and 3rd [round], in my opinion. I landed more strikes, I pushed the pace the whole fight."

Of course, Rodriguez, the #14 ranked UFC welterweight, fought Li following a last-minute opponent change (he was originally supposed to fight Kevin Holland) ... and the scrap was super close.

D-Rod -- who hasn't lost since 2020, and is 7-1 in the UFC -- was awarded the split decision win.

During his post-event presser, White told the media he believed Jingliang was the rightful winner.

But, Rodriguez disagrees ... and wholeheartedly feels if the decision went the other way, there would've been outrage from the people.

"If they would've gave the fight to Li, there would've been even more people saying I got robbed, or s*** like that," D-Rod says.

Despite earning the victory and now being a top 15 fighter who's becoming more popular in the sport by the day, Daniel believes he didn't fight his best fight.

Jake Paul says Dana White still owes him a million-dollar check for beating Ben Askren, but the Problem Child is once again proposing a friendly wager with the UFC honcho ... saying he's willing to put $5 MILLION on the line when he fights Anderson Silva.

Jake and Spider were holding a news conference in L.A. on Monday ahead of their October 29 bout in Arizona ... when Paul mentioned how his nemesis thought he'd never take on the challenge ahead of him.

"Dana White did not think I'd take this fight," Jake said minutes ago. "And Dana, I know you're watching, bro. You still owe me a million dollars from when you bet against me on Ben Askren."

"I want you to come out of hiding, stop being a bitch and make a bet against me and Anderson and actually pay up this time because you didn't think I would take this fight."

"So let's make a bet," he added. "Let's put a mil, let's put two mil, let's put 5 mil on it. But I bet you won't, Dana, because you're a bitch."

As for a bet between Jake and Anderson ... Spider says he hates tattoos, so a body ink bet is off the table. With that being said, Jake says he'll get clever and figure something out.

Don't expect Dana to respond to Jake's offer -- 'cause as he told TMZ Sports last week, he's sick of talking about the guy.

Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou died Sunday following a battle with cancer. He was only 34 years old.

Theodorou had been courageously fighting stage 4 liver cancer ... but chose to share the diagnosis with only select people who were close to him.

Elias -- an outgoing and personable dude outside the cage -- was a heck of a fighter inside it. During his years in the UFC, Theodorou posted an 8-3 record with wins over Eryk Anders and Sam Alvey.

ET was also an advocate for the use of medical marijuana in combat sports ... believing the herb to be safer and more beneficial than prescription drugs.

Elias last fought in December 2021 ... against Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10, where he won by unanimous decision. Overall, ET was 19-3 professionally.

Back in 2018, Theodorou became the first "ring boy" ... when he worked the Invicta FC (all women's MMA promotion), strutting around the cage like Arianny Celeste.

We spoke to Elias at the time (March 2018) ... and he couldn't have been cooler.

Gilbert Burns tells TMZ Sports he and Jorge Masvidal have verbally agreed to a fight ... and the only question is whether it'll go down December in Vegas or January in Brazil!

36-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when we asked him whether rumors of a Masvidal fight were accurate.

"I spoke with [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby [two weeks ago] and they said that's a fight that they want, you know, and I said, 'For sure, there's no plan B.'"

"We wanna do you and Masvidal," Gilbert says Shelby told him.

Burns, who last fought in April against Khamzat Chimaev (it was a very close fight -- Chimaev was awarded the decision), says the bout will in all likelihood happen at the end of 2022, or the beginning of 2023.

"[UFC] just gonna figure out Pay-Per-View in December or Pay-Per-View in January, but the fight is verbally accepted from him, from me, so I'm just waiting to confirm if it's gonna be December 10th in Vegas or if he has the balls to go to Brazil, UFC Rio, January 21st."

"I don't think he will show up in Brazil but we'll see. I'm just waiting for the UFC and for Jorge to accept. C'mon Jorge! Let's do it!"

Of course, Durinho is from Rio de Janeiro.

37-year-old Masvidal last fought in March ... a decision loss to Colby Covington. Before that fight, Jorge fought then-champ Kamaru Usman twice.

Gilbert says he plans to follow up with the UFC after 279 this weekend, and he's ready to fight no matter where the location, but ... he really hopes it'll be in his home country.

Khamzat Chimaev just stepped on the scale during weigh-ins ... and the UFC star weighed a whopping 7.5 pounds over the 171-pound limit -- putting his highly anticipated fight with Nate Diaz in jeopardy.

Diaz and Chimaev are the main event at UFC 279 -- where they're fighting at welterweight (170 pounds) -- but when it came time for the 28-year-old undefeated fighter to get on the scale, he clocked in at 178.5 pounds.

It didn't seem like Khamzat was upset or remorseful, either ... he flipped the middle finger up as he was about to step off the scale.

He also Tweeted an altered image with training partner Darren Till.

FYI, during non-title fights, the UFC allows fighters to be one pound overweight ... meaning Khamzat could've made weight weighing 171 pounds. But, he wasn't even close.

In fact, 178.5 pounds puts Chimaev closer to the Middleweight division (185 pounds) ... where he has also previously fought.

Nate weighed in at 171 pounds.

Now, the question is, what happens to the fight?? There's a chance the bout could be scrapped ... or, Khamzat will be forced to give up a healthy chunk of his fight check to Diaz.

Story developing ...

Dana White is making one thing clear -- he's absolutely FED UP with Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports he has no interest in talking about the YouTuber's fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva.

It's no secret -- the UFC honcho and Jake have become hated rivals in recent years ... with Paul constantly calling him out for how he runs his business, and White criticizing the Problem Child's relevance and talent in combat sports.

After his fight was announced this week, Jake posted an old clip of Dana, who previously said he doubted Paul would ever call out Anderson, hyping up Silva's skills in the boxing ring. Now that the fight's been made, we had to ask White about the matchup.

Well -- we tried, at least ... before White cut us off.

"I don't care about that. I literally was saying the other day, everybody keeps asking me about Jake. This guy's not even in my sport!!"

"I don't care."

What Dana DOES care about is UFC 279 on Saturday ... where Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev are set to duke it out in Las Vegas in one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

Gilbert Burns -- the last man to share an Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev -- says despite Nate Diaz being a huge underdog, the star from Stockton can absolutely beat Borz on Saturday!

36-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where we asked the #4 ranked UFC welterweight if Diaz could truly get a W.

"I'm looking forward to Nate Diaz surviving that storm that [Khamzat's] gonna bring in the first two rounds but after that I think Nate Diaz got a chance," Burns said.

"I think the first two rounds are gonna be very rough for Diaz but the veteran that he is and a lot of experience, I hope he gets through those two rounds and then I think the fights gonna turn to the other side."

FYI, Chimaev is around a 10-to-1 favorite ... meaning you'll risk around $1K just to win $100.

Of course, 37-year-old Diaz hasn't consistently fought over the last few years. In fact, Nate's only had one scrap since late 2019 ... a loss in June 2021 to now-champ Leon Edwards.

Speaking of Edwards, Nate hurt Leon in the 5th round of their fight. And, that's why Burns thinks he can beat Khamzat ... Diaz has an incredible gas tank, while Khamzat hasn't yet proven he can fight 5 rounds.

"I want Nate Diaz to win and I hope he survives the first two rounds and then put on a beating on Khazmat. I know he can do it," Burns told us, adding ... "It's gonna be tough the first two rounds. After that, the gas tank of Khazmat slows down."

"Five rounds is different brother."

While UFC 279 is about Nate and Khamzat, Gilbert is looking to get back in the Octagon with Chimaev ... whom he fought in April 2022. Burns lost the razer close fight by decision ... but pushed Khamzat further than any other fighter had previously.

That contest was just three rounds ... and Gilbert believes if they fought a full five rounds, there's no question he would've won.

"100%. It's very hard to say, but I do believe I would've won and I do believe if we fight again, I'm gonna beat him."

Nate Diaz has a huge fight next weekend, but the scrap with Khamzat Chimaev isn't stopping the superstar from Stockton from launching his very own fight promotion, Real Fight, Inc.

TMZ Sports is told 37-year-old Nate, one of the most popular fighters in the world, will apply to become a promoter of combat sporting events sometime over the next few weeks ... with a specific focus on "boxing, MMA, and BJJ," according to team Diaz.

It's a path we recently saw Khabib Nurmagomedov take, when after retiring, he launched Eagle FC ... his own MMA promotion. Khabib's been able to sign fighters like Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez to his promotion.

The difference with Khabib and Nate ... Diaz isn't done competing.

"The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active.  Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years," Diaz's team tells us.

As for the fighters Nate's looking for, they told us this ... "The promotion will look attract fighters from around the world, whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of 'Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit...'”

Ex-UFC fighter Pearl Gonzalez says she wishes she could go back and stop herself from getting tattoos at such a young age ... telling TMZ Sports it ended up being more than a $10,000 mistake!!

As we previously reported, the Chi-Town Princess is getting her signature boob ink -- along with three other pieces -- removed over the next few weeks ... a process she says she wishes she didn't ever have to go through in the first place.

Gonzalez tells us getting the tats lasered off is something she had been planning on doing for a while ... but knew it was time to clean up her image once and for all.

"I'm currently having four tattoos removed," Pearl tells us. "If I could have them all removed, I would. Maybe two I would keep."

Gonzalez says she first started getting body art before she even became a teenager ... and the majority of her collection came from going to tattoo parties before she was 18 years old.

As for her most recognizable piece -- the fighter says she can't stand the clouds and moon she got above her nipple when she was around 15 ... even if others still appreciate it.

"It is the stupidest t***y tattoo I've ever gotten in my life," she said. "But yes, everybody loves the t***y tat."

"I just don't like it. It doesn't look good. It looks ghetto to me. I want cleaner skin, a cleaner body."

Gonzalez is one of the toughest ladies on the planet ... but admits the removal process is pretty excruciating.

Mark Zuckerberg might be the most eccentric of the tech billionaires out there ... 'cause the dude's apparently diving into mixed martial arts, with some skills to boot.

The Facebook founder posted a video Saturday, which shows him training with a fighter named Khai 'The Shadow' Wu ... who's got his UFC debut coming up on Fight Pass. To ring in the milestone, Mark honored his buddy with this clip of them throwing blows.

Check it out ... you see MZ all padded up an going toe to toe with Khai, and wouldn't you know it -- it actually looks like he knows what he's doing. Peep that vicious leg kick!

Mark writes, "One of my training partners, @khaiwu, is making his debut on @ufcfightpass tonight. Looking forward to a great fight." So it seems Zuck's the one who's getting a workout in with Khai -- and not the other way around. On the face of it, the sessions are paying off.

Of course, some can't help but notice that Mark recently sat down with Joe Rogan for a chat on his podcast ... where they talked more serious issues than they did Octagon fighting.

After seeing this demonstration, though ... maybe JR has more in common with the Meta boss than he thought. And perhaps we'll even see Zuck ringside one of these days! 😆

Kevin Holland, UFC star and real-life superhero, tells TMZ Sports he's done saving people near his home in Texas ... after cops in the area jammed him up for minor traffic violations!

You may recall, the 29-year-old fighter risked life and limb on (not one but) two occasions within the last year. In October, Kevin stopped an alleged carjacker, chasing down, and holding the would-be thief until police arrived and arrested the man.

Then, just a few months later, Holland risked his own life when he stopped an alleged gun-wielding man who pulled a weapon at a local sushi spot.

But, Holland -- who's fighting Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 on September 10 (more on that later) -- says local law enforcement recently gave him a hard time for a traffic-related incident, so he's done doing their jobs.

"I got pulled over one night on my way to the airport, right, and they were like, 'we gotta book you., I'm like, 'book me for what?' They're like 'for tickets,' I'm like 'tickets? How much are the tickets? I got the money right now, I'll pay you.'"

Unfortunately, they dragged Kevin down to the station ... before finally letting him pay (he's a star athlete -- he's got the cash). It took hours before he was cut loose.

"I'm there for like 3, 4 hours -- this is way back on my birthday. I missed the flight, you know, I was picking someone up from the airport," Holland says, adding, "So, they gotta Uber to the house and I'm like bro, I just literally stopped a shooting a week ago and y'all gonna book me for some tickets?"

Harmless detainment aside, we asked Holland if local authorities ever honored him for his genuinely heroic acts.

"No. They give you one of these (flips middle finger)! Stay out of our way kid!"

But, Kevin continued, saying it was never about recognition.

"The good thing is I don't do it for the medal or anything like that. It's just when you see something bad going on, the right thing to do is the right thing to do, but I ain't gonna lie, it was funny as hell when [the arrest] happened. All my boys were like, 'this why I ain't doing s**t good, I ain't helpin' nobody.'"

The good news is as long as you're not in the Ft. Worth area ... Kevin says he's got your back.

"I ain't doing nothing to Saginaw no more, man. I'll help everybody else anywhere else. If you in Saginaw, I ain't helping you."

As for Holland's fight with 35-year-old Rodriguez (16-2, 8 KOs), Kevin's unfazed by his opponent's trash talk (and there's been a lot of it).

"It seems like he's forcing it, trying to sell some stuff," Holland said ... "Do your thing, bro!"

Kevin also breaks down who the UFC offered him, why he and Daniel are fighting at a catchweight of 180 lbs., and much more.

His prediction for September 10??

Tai Tuivasa is feeling horny, and it can only mean one thing ... it's time to fight!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 29-year-old, #3 ranked UFC heavyweight ahead of his UFC Fight Night scrap with #1 ranked challenger, Ciryl Gane ... in Paris, where Bon Gamin lives and trains. We asked Tai what he had to look out for fighting CG.

"Ciryl is a great athlete. Great competitor. Really good fighter. There's gonna be a few challenges, but I think he's got a bit to worry about as well, know what I mean? I'm gonna do what Bam Bam does and come to fight, and I'm gonna bring the fire, that's for sure."

FYI, Gane is coming off a loss to Francis Ngannou in January (unanimous decision). It was the first loss of his career (10-1). Tai has won his last 5 ... including wins over Derrick Lewis, Greg Hardy and Stefan Struve.

Anyone who's watched Tuivasa fight knows win or loss (there's been a lot more winning than losing), he's going to throw bombs, and someone is going to sleep. That's why he's a fan favorite.

On September 3rd, he's going into enemy territory ... but you already know Tai isn't the least bit worried.

"I look at it as an opportunity to earn more fans from another country and another place. So yeah, I'm excited. I definitely came to find some new French fans."

There's even more than a possible title shot and new fans on the line ... Tai says his contract's up after the Ciryl fight, and he's looking to get a solid pay increase.

"All I'm focused on is winning this Saturday and negotiating a new contract for bigger money," Tuivasa says.

"I'm a prize fighter. I know that if I win this weekend, it's going to help me dramatically in my next contract negotiation."

If he wins, Tai says he's eager to sample the French beer ... when he does a shoe-y.

"My mates have been having beers at breakfast. They said it tastes pretty good, so I'm definitely keen to give it a swirl!"

We also asked Tai about Jon Jones -- a  possible future opponent for Tai. Tuivasa recently made news when he called Jones the best fighter ever, but also called him a "d******d."

Tai's clearly interested in the fight, but says Gane's his only focus right now.

Ex-UFC fighter Pearl Gonzalez is switching up her look ... 'cause she's decided to get her boob tattoo removed.

The Chi-Town Princess revealed the big change on Tuesday ... saying it will be a long and painful process, but she's in it for the long haul.

Pearl -- who has several tattoos -- has had some ink of clouds with a moon on her right breast for years ... but says after 11 sessions, it will be gone for good.

Gonzalez -- who also competed in Bare Knuckle FC and Invicta FC -- posted video of the process ... wearing a white bra as a removal specialist takes a laser to the area.

When asked if getting the tat or the removal hurt more, Pearl said it's a lot more painful to get it removed -- OUCH!!!

Gonzalez previously made headlines before UFC 210 in 2017 ... when the New York State Athletic Commission launched a review into her breast implants.

There was concern over whether she would be able to fight ... but ultimately, Gonzalez was cleared.

Jake Paul's next opponent could be his biggest challenge to date -- it's none other than UFC legend and pro boxer Anderson Silva, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

47-year-old Silva is the former UFC middleweight champ ... and some even consider him the greatest MMA fighter ever, beating names like Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin and more.

We know what you're saying -- another UFC fighter?? But, anyone who's been following Silva's career knows the guy has had a resurgence in boxing ... and currently holds a 3-1 record. He most recently beat Tito Ortiz in September 2021. The loss came ages ago in 1998.

His most impressive accomplishment in the ring was a win over Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr. -- son of the legendary Mexican fighter -- who at one time was the WBC middleweight champ.

Paul, on the other hand, is 5-0 with four knockouts. He's beaten big names like ex-NBA player Nate Robinson and former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

Demetrious Johnson's office ain't a UFC Octagon anymore, but "Mighty Mouse" is still the greatest MMA fighter walking the planet according to fellow fighter John Dodson, who fought DJ twice.

And, that's coming from Jon Jones' former teammate!

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Dodson -- fresh off running through his first BKFC opponent (more on that later) -- when the convo turned to Johnson's greatness following his ONE Championship title win over the weekend ... where DJ avenged his 2021 loss to Adriano Moraes, winning back his flyweight title.

"To be honest with you, I put him above Jon Jones and I know Jon Jones is my teammate and training partner... I'm not saying it because he beat me, but Demetrius Johnson is the most well-rounded mixed martial artist that the world has seen."

Dodson continued ... "He's the only one I've known that's combined it so well between his wrestling, striking and also in his jiu-jitsu. He's been so creative with how he gets submission, how he wants to go and finish people and he's just a very intelligent fighter."

Dodson would know ... he's spent 50 minutes inside a locked cage with Johnson, whom he fought two times, losing both by decision. The first was at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013. The second was at UFC 191 in September 2015.

Of course, many people believe Jones -- who only has one career loss (a BS DQ vs. Matt Hamill in 2009) -- is the greatest ever.

Jon, among so many career achievements, was the youngest UFC champ ever at the age of 23.

We also talked to John about his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship -- where he destroyed Ryan Benoit by 1st round knockout -- a bout that Dodson says rejuvenated his career.

"It feels amazing, man. To tell you the truth, it's more surreal than anything else. I feel a new breath of life coming into this," John says.

"I want to let everybody know I'm still the king of the flyweight division."

Could there be a third fight between Dodson and Johnson ... in a bare-knuckle ring? Dodson is down.

Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Chael Sonnen, Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Glover Teixeira ... all MMA legends Quinton Jackson fought (some wins, some losses) -- but none of these beasts qualify as the greatest fighter Rampage has faced -- that honor belongs to Jon Jones.

TMZ Sports caught up with the 44-year-old (don't say retired -- more on that later) fighter last month at LAX ... where we asked the former MMA champ what advice he's given to Jones as he (fingers crossed 🤞) gets closer to his first fight in the heavyweight division.

"Honestly, no cap," Rampage flatly told us, adding, "Jon Jones is the best person I ever fought. I don't think I can give him advice. He's a better fighter than me, you know what I'm saying. I keep it 100."

It's high praise coming from one of the most well-known (and badass) MMA fighters to ever grace a cage.

FYI, Jon and Rampage fought in September 2011. Bones won by rear naked choke in the 4th round.

Of course, all of Jon's incredible exploits have come in the light heavyweight division (205 lbs.) ... but now he's facing men who weigh up to 265 lbs. More weight, more power. Will that be an issue for Jones? We asked Rampage.

"I don't know about Jon Jones' chin. It's been rumors that he don't got a strong chin. The heavyweights, man, you know they hit harder but I feel like Jones is a smart fighter. It was really hard for me to hit him, he wouldn't let me hit him. Granted, Jones is a dirty fighter. When you get close to him, he gon' poke you in the eye and kick ya knee backward."

Quinton continued ... "Heavyweights, they a different monster. They hit hard. They catch you slippin' -- look at Francis Ngannou. That guy hits you, it lights out. Game over."

We also asked Rampage -- who hasn't fought since December 2019 -- if he was done fighting for good.

"Nah, man. I ain't done. I'm not happy with my performance last fight. I can't leave the MMA fans like that."

Jackson's referring to his Bellator 237 scrap with the legend, Fedor. Emelianenko defeated QJ halfway through the first round by technical knockout (TKO).

But, if there's one more fight, Rampage says it might not be MMA ... there's a good chance it's a boxing match against former champ Shannon Briggs.

"I'm in talks with fighting Shannon. That fight has been almost a year in the making, but I wanna do some boxing before I retire," Quinton says.