UFC

Add "Catcher" to Forrest Griffin's resume -- the UFC Hall of Famer and VP of Athlete Development has landed an important new gig -- he's the man responsible for catching Power Slap athletes as they careen towards the floor!

"I'm gonna be a head catcher," Forrest said, describing the person standing at the ready behind slap competitors, waiting to pounce when an athlete's rocked.

Dana White recently launched Power Slap -- taking slap fighting from the underground to the mainstream. The UFC honcho already locked down a TV deal for his new organization.

Power Slap hasn't debuted yet, but if social media's any indication, there's tremendous interest in PS ... teaser videos online have gone viral!

If you've never watched the sport, competitors go back and forth, slapping each other with all their might until someone quits or goes to sleep ... and when they do get knocked down or out, it's important someone's there to stop them from hitting their heads and sustaining trauma.

Enter Forrest.

"That double impact," Griffin said, explaining why the job's so important ... "You’ve taken the first trauma and when your head hits the ground, bang bang, both sides of your brain actually bounce against your skull. We want to prevent that and make it just the initial impact and have that be what causes you or not causes you to win or lose the competition."

Of course, as a fighter, Forrest was the guy doling out the knockouts, not preventing them. He has wins over all-time greats like Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua and more MMA legends. Since retiring, he's dedicated his life to the health, safety and development of the UFC's athletes.

Needless to say, Griffin is the perfect person for the job.

Forrest even showed off some head-catching skills ... on 6'2" 200 lb. Evan (he looks familiar), a Power Slap exec.

All jokes aside, Griffin's doing everything in his power to make the sport as entertaining, but also safe as possible.

Stephan Bonnar -- a UFC Hall of Famer and legend in MMA -- has died ... this according to the MMA promotion itself.

The UFC broke the news Saturday, writing ... "The UFC family is saddened by the tragic passing of UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar Thursday from presumed heart complications while at work." Per reports, he apparently died a couple days ago ... an official cause of death is pending.

UFC goes on to mention SB's storied career, adding ... "Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," said UFC President Dana White. "His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed."

Bonnar was an OG in UFC ... competing in the very first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' back in 2005 ... an appearance which saw him go all the way to the finale. Although he lost his Light Heavyweight fight against Forrest Griffin ... his bout ended up earning him a contract with UFC, where he went on to compete at a high level for several years.

He fought Griffin again in a rematch, and went on to fight some big names in the sport thereafter ... including Jon Jones, Mark Coleman, Krzysztof Soszynski, Igor Pokrajac, Kyle Kingsbury, Anderson Silva and others. His record with UFC was 15-9-0 ... and in 2012, he retired. The following year, Dana White announced Bonnar would be inducted into the HOF.

In addition to MMA fighting, Bonnar also wrestled professionally ... including for leagues like Impact Wrestling. He also fought with Bellator MMA post-UFC.

Bonnar's legacy will be that he was one of the catalysts to help UFC grow into what it is today ... and he goes down as one of the sport's greatest known fighters to date. He's survived by his wife, Andrea, and their son Griffin. He was 45.

A cocaine scandal that rocked the foundation of ESPN five years ago ultimately led to a HUGE windfall for the UFC ... this according to Dana White.

The boss of the fighting org. spelled out the wild tale in an interview with Grant Cardone this month ... insisting it was all "a true story."

White explained that back in 2017, the UFC's deal with Fox was running out ... and when they had initially turned to ESPN about consummating a new pact -- the org. wasn't interested.

"You ever hear of John Skipper?" White asked Cardone during the sit-down chat. "John Skipper ran ESPN. Now, I think he runs DAZN. Runs ESPN, beloved, looks like the squarest dude on the planet."

"Older guy," White continued. "Hates UFC. Hates it. Hates UFC. Big soccer guy. For whatever reason, different people like different things. And I'm not s***ing on John Skipper. But this is a fact, this happened and this is a true story."

White says Skipper essentially blocked talks on a deal from ever going through ... but suddenly, out of nowhere, the ESPN prez announced his resignation.

At the time, Skipper said it was due to a struggle with "a substance addiction." He later revealed in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he had been a user of cocaine, and that "someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me."

"They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well," Skipper said. "I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign."

White said that decision paved the way for a massive ESPN-UFC agreement ... that's now taken his company to new heights.

"John Skipper's cocaine dealer is gonna rat him out," White said. "So he has to tell Disney 'My cocaine dealer is gonna go public' or whatever, so he has to step down from ESPN, right at the time we're trying to make a new TV deal."

"Who do they put in as the new president?" White continued. "Jimmy Pitaro, who ran Yahoo! Sports for years. I've known him a long time. He's a great dude, and he loves the UFC. Now you got him, you got a guy named Kevin Mayer, who is really close to [Endeavor CEO] Ari [Emanuel], and we ended up doing the ESPN deal when our deal was up."

ESPN and UFC ended up agreeing to a 5-year, $1.5 billion deal.

Lionel Messi will attempt to win his first-ever World Cup on Sunday, but win or lose, the Argentinian soccer legend is one of the greatest athletes ever, according to fellow countryman, UFC star Santiago Ponzinibbio ... who compared him to America's most legendary athletes.

"I think it's Michael Jordan, these kind of guys. Legends of the sport, all-time. I think Messi is on this level. Michael Jordan. Tom Brady," Ponzinibbio told us, before also throwing out Muhammad Ali's name.

FYI, Santiago, who's coming off a UFC 282 win over Alex Morono, is from La Plata, Argentina ... about 200 miles from Messi's birthplace, Rosario, Argentina.

Of course, 35-year-old Messi, in his last WC, will lead Argentina when they take on Kylian Mbappe and his France squad for the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

According to the oddsmakers and experts, the game is about as close as could be ... though Santiago says he knows who's going to emerge victorious.

"Man, super, super exciting. I told you, I love soccer. Man, I really believe this team is gonna be champion of the world. They're playing so good."

Messi has accomplished nearly everything in the game. He's won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards and has been awarded about every other honor a soccer player could receive ... except that elusive World Cup.

"I think it's the only thing he needs to do to be complete," Ponzinibbio says, adding, "I think he's in the right spot to make history one more time and I'm excited. "

And, as far as worldwide popularity goes, Lionel, with 392 million, blows away some of the U.S.'s biggest and most popular athletes. LeBron James has 139 million Instagram followers. TB12 only has (relatively speaking) 13 million.

As if making history wasn't enough for Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest UFC fighter ever tells TMZ Sports he wanted to return to the Octagon just 7 days after beating his opponent in the very first round!

Of course, at just 18 years and 63 days, Rosas Jr. etched his name in the record books when he stepped foot in the cage, becoming the youngest fighter to ever scrap in the UFC.

But, he didn't just show up ... Raul won, and needed just half a round to beat Jay Perrin, a 29-year-old full-grown adult.

And, when we asked Rosas Jr. when he wanted to fight again, it'd be an understatement to say he didn't want to wait very long.

"Thank God I was able to come out the same way I stepped in which was with no injuries. Thankfully, I feel good, and hopefully, I'm talking to my manager, seeing if I'm able to get a fight this weekend at the APEX. I know there's a show going on," Raul said.

"Hopefully I can step in there, whether it's 135 or 145. I want to step back in there as soon as possible, so hopefully I can fight this weekend, if not, we'll look at dates next year and see when I can step into the Octagon."

Rosas Jr. signed with the UFC after Dana White offered him a contract following his Contender Series fight in September ... a unanimous decision win over a 25-year-old opponent named Mando Gutierrez.

After his UFC 282 fight, Raul said he wanted to buy his mom a new van so she could drive him around.

We also talked to Raul about the van (he's getting it) and much more ... including how his friends reacted to their buddy winning in the UFC.

Jared Gordon is admittedly "really bitter" over the controversial loss to Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett saying everyone knows he won -- even fans of Pimblett -- and he wants a rematch!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Gordon the morning after his heartbreaking, unanimous decision loss to 27-year-old Pimblett -- an outcome that shocked many fans, fighters, and journalists -- and asked how he was feeling.

"I'm obviously upset. I've been in some dark places before, this hasn't reached the level I've been to before but I'm still really bitter, but I believe my stock went up more than it could've if I won say a boring fight. I know everyone knows I won. I know I won."

Gordon continued ... "The UFC staff, major players from the UFC staff, all the fighters. All the fighters. All the of the MMA jouranlist. All of Twitter. The Paddy fans. All the Scousers messaging me, 'Hey I'm from Liverpool. I'm a Paddy fan, but you won. You got a new fan in me.'"

As for what's next ... Gordon wants to run it back.

"I would love a rematch. I'll go to London to fight him, I don't care," Gordon said.

There's actually a card coming up at O2 in March ... UFC 286. Jared says he's 100% down to fight.

"I think it makes sense. I think it'd be great. When I win then I'll be 2-0. But on paper, 1-1. Then we'll have a trilogy and we'll really see what he's about."

The fight was officially scored 29-28 by all three cageside judges (all scored it 2 rounds to 1, for Pimblett).

But, almost all media members who scored the fight -- except one -- picked Gordon as the winner. Many had the fight 3 rounds to zero for Jared.

We also talked to Jared about the actual fight.

"I had him running around the cage. Backing him up. His punches were grazing ... I have a couple of bruises, but his punches were just landing on my hands and arms. I was landing the bigger shots. I got three takedowns. I had 6.5 minutes of control time. He had 30 seconds of control time. I stuffed his shots. I reversed his takedowns. I just don't how, in what world we're living in that he won."

We asked Gordon if he had a message for Pimblett.

His win might've been controversial, but Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett partied like it wasn't ... getting in the DJ booth and hanging with Marshmello after UFC 282 on Saturday!!

The 27-year-old and his entourage of around 50 people hit up XS Nightclub inside the Wynn hours after his fight ... and the dude was treated like royalty as he celebrated his unanimous decision over Jared Gordon.

The crowd had signs, a drumline and confetti in honor of Pimblett's dub ... and the man of the hour even grabbed the mic and got the good vibes going -- telling everyone to "get the party started."

Paddy eventually got in the booth to chat with Marshmello ... and the two shared a brief conversation as they jumped around to the music.

Of course, Pimblett's win had fans torn ... with many saying Gordon should have had his hand raised at the end.

"Jared won," fighter and analyst Paul Felder said. "Give him the fight."

Gilbert Burns added ... "Why the judges did my guy @JFlashGordonMMA like that???"

Dana White may just have his next big superstar ... 'cause as long as Paddy Pimblett keeps on stacking W's, the UFC honcho believes "The Baddy" could reach Conor McGregor-like status!

"He has that 'it' factor that I always talk about and you know, and obviously he's undefeated here in the UFC. If he can keep winning these key fights, this kid will be a massive superstar," White told TMZ Sports.

"The other thing is too and you know about this, the thing with his dog going to the bathroom was so unbelievably viral, it was insane. There's things that go viral on the Internet but you guys did like a 10-minute piece on that thing on TMZ and other outlets did. It was everywhere! It was really big in America, so stuff like that doesn't hurt, either."

27-year-old Pimblett -- 3-0 in the UFC (19-3 overall) -- is fighting Jared Gordon as part of the co-main event at UFC 282 ... where Paddy will look to extend his UFC unbeaten streak.

As for the comparisons to McGregor ... here's what Dana had to say.

"It's never an insult when somebody compares you to a great or one of the biggest names in the sport. I think that [Israel Adesanya] didn't like it because he doesn't like Jon Jones and Jon Jones doesn't like him. I think that's why he didn't, but it's never an insult. It's a compliment."

We also asked White about all other things 282-related (fight's going down Saturday night from Las Vegas) ... including the UFC president's feelings on Jiri Prochazka's injury, and his relinquishing of the light heavyweight title.

Dana also weighs in on former champ Glover Teixeira -- who was supposed to fight Jiri -- instead opting NOT to fight a new opponent on the card.

White actually believes it was a smart strategic move on the part of the 43-year-old fighter.

Bottom line ... with or without Prochazka and Texeira, Dana believes it's a kickass card.

Dustin Poirier was just released from the hospital after battling a nasty Staph infection -- but the UFC star refused to miss even a beat of daddy duty -- the lightweight contender went straight to watch his daughter in her school play!

33-year-old Dustin, on crutches, along with his wife, Jolie, attended their six-year-old daughter Parker's play in Louisiana ... where his adorable little girl was dressed as an angel.

"Straight from the hospital to the school play to see my little angel this morning!" Poirier wrote on social media.

Just a day ago, Poirier was laying in a hospital bed as doctors treated his left foot ... after he came down with a Staph infection.

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria." They typically clear up after the patients been treated with an antibiotic. But, MC says that's not always the case.

"However, some staph infections no longer respond, or become resistant, to common antibiotics. To treat antibiotic-resistant staph infections, health care providers may need to use antibiotics that can cause more side effects."

Dustin posted a photo of the mangled appendage ... and captioned it with what we were all thinking -- "Wut da helllll?"

As serious as the infection can be, it's great news to see DP discharged from the hospital.

Poirier was last in the Octagon at UFC 281 ... where he defeated Michael Chandler in one of the year's most exciting fights.

It's unclear how long it'll be until Dustin's ready to fight again.

Big break for Israel Adesanya ... TMZ Sports has learned the UFC star's brass knuckles case will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the foreseeable future.

According to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's Office, Adesanya's case was called on Tuesday -- and he was issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD).

Per the spokesperson, that means if Adesanya keeps his nose clean for the next six months, he will no longer be facing criminal charges.

We broke the story, Adesanya was initially arrested back on Nov. 16 -- just four days after his loss to Alex Pereira -- after authorities say he went through security at JFK airport with metal knuckles.

He was ultimately issued a desk appearance ticket -- a written notice from a police officer -- and ordered to appear in court on Tuesday.

Adesanya's manager, Tim Simpson, told us at the time of the arrest that "Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities."

UFC star Dustin Poirier provided an update on his battle with a gnarly Staph infection on Tuesday ... showing off his swollen left foot from his hospital bed.

"The Diamond" has been getting treatment all week ... and judging by his recent pic, it ain't goin' too hot for the lightweight.

"Wut da helllll," Poirier said on Twitter ... alongside a shot of the deformed foot.

Poirier is hoping to finally get out of the hospital on Wednesday ... but made the best of his stay on Monday night, when he tuned in to his New Orleans Saints' matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Unfortunately for Poirier, it wasn't too fun of an experience -- his home team ended up losing in the final seconds as Tom Brady and Co. pulled off the wild comeback.

Poirier -- who beat Michael Chandler in November -- also took advantage of his time by talking trash with Conor McGregor ... saying he's down to step in the Octagon with him for a fourth time.

Jewish UFC fighter Natan Levy says he's getting more hate -- but also a ton of support -- since calling out Kanye West for his repeated antisemitism.

Levy, who was raised in Herzliya, Israel, met with the media on Saturday in Orlando after beating Genaro Valdez by unanimous decision and issued a stern warning to Ye.

“Kanye West, if you’ve got a problem with me or my people, come see me, bro.”

On Monday, 31-year-old Levy talked to TMZ Sports about the reaction to his remarks.

"My interview, most of the comments are antisemitic. Most of the comments say, 'Hey, look, actually I think Kanye is right,'" Natan told us.

Levy says that's nothing new ... but the sheer amount of messages he's received since going at Kanye has increased.

"I'm always getting a lot of hate just for being who and what I am, which I'm fine with. It's not fun, but, right now I'm getting more."

But, it's not all bad.

"I'm also getting a lot of love. There is also a lot of positive out there. I'm getting a lot of love. A lot of reinforcement. I'm getting a lot of friends, a lot of people who speak up. Post the video and share it and saying 'stop the hate.'"

Of course, West's antisemitism has become almost routine. He's gone as far as to praise Hitler and the Nazis on Alex Jones' show last week. He's also hung out with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

"Just think about how many Jewish kids will get bullied because of [Kanye's] comments. How many Jewish people will get attacked. The hate speech, it does turn into violence."

Natan says while Ye's behavior is incredibly dangerous for reasons he just stated, he's not the only one ... but Levy's had enough of turning the other cheek.

The combat sports world welcomed back Cain Velasquez with open arms on Saturday night ... loudly cheering on the ex-UFC star in his first event since his February arrest.

The action all went down in Tempe, AZ ... where a masked Velasquez participated in a three-on-three wrestling match at Lucha Libre AAA -- and won.

The 40-year-old looked sharp -- an impressive feat, considering he was locked behind bars for nearly nine months this year -- throwing around bodies and eventually hitting a crazy finishing move to win it for his team.

Velasquez was exceptionally well received by the audience, getting standing ovations and rounds of applause throughout the night.

The former UFC champ grabbed the mic at one point during the festivities and addressed the crowd ... saying it was "a dream come true" to be back in the squared circle.

"I truly appreciate it all, what you guys have always done, supporting me, my family," he said. "Thank you, guys!"

Velasquez is currently out of jail on $1 million bond. A judge last month allowed him to participate in the weekend event, requiring that he return to California on Sunday.

If you've heard Stephen Thomspon speak, you know he's just about the sweetest person ever ... so, will UFC star (and fellow nice guy) Kevin Holland hesitate when it comes time to punch Wonderboy in the face?? Not at all, according to Big Mouth.

"It's simple as hell. I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna knock out the nicest man in the universe. S**t happens."

But, will you feel bad, Kevin?

"Not one bit."

30-year-old Holland and 39-year-old Thompson are fighting in the main event at UFC Fight Night Saturday night.

In fact, the men ran into each other in the hallway at the UFC hotel ... and had a funny interaction.

Wonderboy is ranked 6th in the welterweight division. Holland isn't ranked ... as he bounces back and forth between the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

We also talked to Kevin about his last fight ... where he bravely stepped up on no notice to fight Khamzat Chimaev. Holland, who had trained to fight striker Daniel Rodriguez, was submitted in the first round.

Holland addresses whether he wants a rematch.

We also spoke to Wonderboy ... who says fans are in for a treat.

"My last two guys, and even Kevin, his last opponent [Khamzat] was a heavy grappler. I know going into this fight that he's not the type of guy to try and take you down and hold you down," Wonderboy says.

Jake Paul heard what Paddy Pimblett told TMZ Sports loud and clear ... 'cause the Problem Child is now sending a new sparring offer to The Baddy -- proposing a January 5 boxing session in Puerto Rico.

The two fighters have been jawing back and forth ever since Paddy claimed the Paul vs. Anderson Silva bout was fake ... with Jake offering $1 million if the UFC star could beat him in a 5-round sparring exhibition. If Paddy were to lose, he'd have to help sign all the fighters from the U.K. in Paul's United Fighters Association.

The only issue -- Paddy is slated to fight in Las Vegas next weekend ... and he told us if Jake REALLY wanted the smoke, he could meet him in Sin City after he's done with Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

Paul is now putting a fresh offer on the table ... and while he isn't budging on the location, he is giving Paddy plenty of time to rest up after his Gordon fight before flying to Puerto Rico for the $1 million session.

"Fella my team told me you have been trying to book me for ur podcast, Jan 5th," Paul said minutes ago. "So I'm sending you a jet to bring you to Puerto Rico."

"Both of our teams will film. We spar, 5 rounds and then we can do your podcast. By then you will be back to your normal weight. No excuses. 🤝?"

Paddy -- who actually thinks the YouTube superstar is a solid fighter -- has yet to respond to Paul's counter ... but told us Tuesday he is 100% down to box.

UFC star Paddy The Baddy" Pimblett is responding to Jake Paul's $1 million sparring challenge ... telling us he's 100% down to box the Problem Child this week in Las Vegas!

The 27-year-old UFC star joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where he was asked about 25-year-old Paul's offer to spar, and whether he's truly interested.

"Of course [I'm interested], but I'm under contract by the UFC and [Jake] said this knowing full well I'm fighting next week, know what I mean?" Paddy said.

"As if he does not know I'm fighting next week and he's like, 'I'll fly you to Puerto Rico.' Come to the PI next week. Come to the [UFC Performance Institute] next week and bring $1 million in a bag and I will spar with you."

"I'm in the PI in Vegas on Thursday, I land on Thursday, so even though I'm low on calories and I'm only about 170, he likes picking on smaller people anyway," he added. "But, if he wants to wait until after my fight, until the Monday, because I'm still in Vegas 'til the Tuesday, but I'm about 185, 190 pounds, I'm game!"

"Tell him not to worry, he can come to PI and we can get in the cage. Simple as."

If you haven't seen it yet, Jake posted video to his social media pages Tuesday throwing down the gauntlet ... offering Pimblett a mil if he could beat him in a sparring session. If Paul wins, he wants Paddy to commit to joining his United Fighters Association (UFA).

"I have a proposition for you. Since you wouldn't rig a fight, right? Let's spar. Fly to Puerto Rico. I'll get you a private jet. We can do 5, 3-minute rounds, boxing. If you win, I'll give you a million dollars," Jake said.

"But, if I win you have to join the United Fighters Association and help me sign up all the fighters in the UK. Let's spar. Since you wouldn't rig a fight. A million for you. Put your money where your mouth is. Let's go."

As Paddy said, he can't be in Puerto Rico next week because he's the co-main event at UFC 282 on December 10 (he's fighting Jared Gordon) at the T-Mobile Arena. But, he's down to spar in Sin City.

Despite the trash talk coming from both guys, Pimblett was somewhat complimentary of Jake's abilities in the ring (6-0, 5 KOs).

"I don't even think he's a bad boxer. I think he's a decent boxer now 'cause all he's done is boxing in the past two years. I think he'd beat Tommy Fury. I know he wouldn't beat me."

Paddy also sent a message to Jake ... in the event they were to set a real bout, and not just spar.