UFC

UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou ain't buyin' any of that "Jon Jones is scared" talk ... telling TMZ Sports he's convinced Jones "wants" to get in the Octagon with him and fight for the title.

"I believe that Jon Jones wants this fight," Ngannou tells us ... "I believe he'll want it to happen because it's gonna be a massive fight."

Ngannou looked fresh and happy when we spoke with him Monday morning -- sitting in front of his brand new UFC championship belt!

Of course, moments after he defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 on Saturday night ... everyone began asking the obvious question -- when will Francis fight Jon Jones.

Jones went to social media with a message for the UFC -- "Show me the money."

Some people have suggested Jones is scared of Ngannou -- and he's using the money as an excuse to duck the new champ.

But, Ngannou doesn't believe that for a second -- saying he understands why Jon wants a massive payday ... and quite frankly, he hopes they BOTH get paid a ton of cash.

"He's been around so long and been champ for a long time so I think this might be the biggest fight of his career and mine."

"I think he wants to put something like this on his legacy, on his resume. I truly believe that he wants this fight to happen."

So, now the issue is working out a contract with UFC -- and fight fans all over the world ... as well as Francis himself, are hoping they can make a deal.

Francis says when the deal is signed, he knows he needs to beef up his wrestling game in order to defeat Jones -- a former college wrestling champion.

And, get this ... Ngannou says despite his dominant performance against Stipe, he's going back and watching the tape again because he feels there's real room for improvement.

Gotta be honest ... he looked pretty solid to us!

We also asked Francis how it feels to be the undisputed UFC heavyweight champ ... and watch the video, the guy is so proud!!!

Stipe Miocic is finally opening up about that devastating loss to Francis Ngannou over the weekend -- assuring everyone he's okay and vowing to return as a better fighter.

Stipe did not participate in any post-fight interviews following his loss to Ngannou in the main event at UFC 260 on Saturday night ... where the heavyweight champ was knocked out cold 52 seconds into the 2nd round.

Ngannou smashed Stipe with a brutal left, sending Stipe crashing to the ground in an awkward fashion -- you could see his knees buckled and folded under him. It looked super painful. Francis then followed up with a powerful hammer fist to directly to Stipe's face, ending the match.

There was real concern about Stipe's health following the fight -- but Monday morning, Stipe gave a positive update.

"First and foremost, I’m ok, I know that fall wasn’t my most graceful fall, but I was unconscious, so it happens," Stipe said.

He continued, "Losses aren’t fun, they always sting for a while, but that’s the beast of this business. You can’t win them all, and it’s important to understand that losing is just as much a part of sports (and life) as winning."

So, what went wrong during the fight? Stipe breaks down the loss ...

"Unfortunately, I deviated from the game plan. I felt great coming into the second round, I saw it was beginning to go as planned. He was getting very winded, and I came in overzealous and unprotected. I wasn’t in a good posture to take the hit. He saw the opening, and did what any great fighter would have done."

Stipe says he's come to terms with the theft he lost and congratulated Ngannou for winning the UFC heavyweight belt.

"Saturday night was your night, enjoy your victory! For now, I’m going to enjoy the downtime, spend some time with my family, and welcome our son into the world this summer... stay tuned, God bless."

There was a hot Hollywood quartet out in force this weekend for a UFC event -- which felt like worlds colliding and a generation gap being bridged ... all in a good way, of course.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker were seated side by side next to none other than Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox Saturday night for UFC 260 down in the Vegas area.

The two power couples were seated in their own private booth ... and while a few people behind them had masks on, they all seemed to be relaxing without a worry in the world. The fact guests could even come to this is a sign that ... yes, things are getting back to normal.

Everybody played to the camera when the lens was on them -- MGK and Meg were enjoying their beverages as they flashed different greetings ... while KK and Trav were a bit more on the same page in presenting themselves as a duo. That lollipop choreography was slick!

Seeing all of four of them together is like looking at two sides of the same coin in a way -- the big difference, really, is age. Travis and Kourtney are about 10 or so years older than Kelly and Megan ... but we gotta say, they hold their own with the young bucks, even out in public.

Stipe Miocic wants to box Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, but not even the greatest UFC heavyweight of all-time is willing to step in the ring with Mike Tyson ... despite Iron Mike being 54 years old.

38-year-old Miocic tells TMZ Sports he's intrigued by a matchup with 32-year-old Fury and 31-year-old Joshua ... the 2 baddest heavyweight fighters in the world.

"I would love [a boxing match w/ Fury or Joshua]. It would be just a different — get out of my comfort zone. Plus it’s a fight, anything can happen and I know I can make something happen.

First, he's gotta deal with arguably the most intimidating guy to ever fight in the UFC ... 34-year-old Francis Ngannou.

"I just got a task at hand right now. I gotta worry about [Francis], that’s all I care about. But, I’d love to dip my toe into that ring.

The only downside ... Fury and Joshua might be tied up with each other. The boxers inked a 2-fight deal that'll likely see them fight in the summer with a rematch in the winter.

But, there's another, slightly older, heavyweight fighter who's looking for an opponent ... Mike Tyson.

Remember, Mike's fight with longtime rival, 58-year-old Evander Holyfield, fell apart this week over money for a trilogy fight.

So, we asked Stipe about fighting Mike -- who ended his 15-year layoff when he boxed Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 -- anddd, that's smoke Miocic doesn't want.

"That I will pass on. I will pass on that one," Stipe says.

"That dude looked exactly the same when he fought Roy Jones Jr. as he did when he was 20 years old so, no, I’m good. I love Mike Tyson. I think he’s awesome."

UFC rising star Sean O'Malley says he's all about doing a crossover boxing match with superstar Ryan Garcia -- but first, he's gotta smash Thomas Almeida.

O'Malley -- who's developing into one of the best strikers in the UFC -- is taking on Almeida at UFC 260 on Saturday night in what's shaping up to be an AWESOME fight.

The 26-year-old is 12-1 and coming off his first pro loss after suffering an injury during his fight with Marlon Vera at UFC 252 ... and he's looking to make a statement when he returns to the Octagon.

But, Sean has big career plans -- and says if he ever gets the opportunity to do a crossover into boxing like Conor McGregor and Ben Askren, he's confident he would wreck shop.

"I feel like I have really good boxing," O'Malley tells TMZ Sports ... "I started off boxing [and] if the money's there, I would love to fight someone like King Ryan, Ryan Garcia. That dude's a stud."

Sean says he's got his priorities in line -- he knows he's got to EARN that opportunity by dominating in the Octagon first.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's fired up for the return of Miesha Tate -- but there's an "I Told You So" moment in this clip he's been waiting to drop for years!

Long story short ... Tate got her nose surgically repaired after her 2016 brawl with Amanda Nunes.

White says he strongly urged her to NOT go under the knife until after her MMA career was seriously over ... because when you're a pro fighter, there's a good chance it could get broken again!

Tate ignored White's advice and got the surgery anyway -- and now that she's returning in July to take on Marion Reneau after a 4-year layoff, Dana's dropping the ol' "I Told You So!"

"I told her don't do it, I'll fix your nose when you're done," White says ... "[but] she did it."

"Her and I haven't talked about this but big mistake and over the last five years obviously she's given her nose plenty of time to heal."

But, Reneau -- the #12 ranked bantamweight -- is a legit striker who will likely take some shots at Tate's sniffer!

White says Tate's a grown-ass woman and she knows what she's getting herself into -- and he's happy to have her back in the fold.

He also dropped some news about Amanda Nunes -- saying Julianna Peña has been "driving me f**king bananas" trying to get a fight with the champ ... and he's leaning towards making it happen.

"[She] will not stop terrorizing me that she deserves this fight. Amanda Nunes this, Amanda Nunes that, Amanda is ducking her, Amanda doesn't want her because the style doesn't match up well for Amanda ... so I'm thinking bout doing a Peña and Nunes."

There's more ... White also talked about this weekend's main event -- Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 -- and explained why Stipe could be the most disrespected fighter in MMA history.

"I think he's starting to wear that underdog role and own it," White said.

"I think there's a lot less pressure on him going in there being the underdog. The disrespect continues for the champ."

As we previously reported, the winner will get to face Jon Jones ... White says he'd love to make that fight happen in the Fall.

Israel Adesanya admits he "crossed the line" when he threatened to "rape" fellow UFC fighter Kevin Holland during a trash-talking session on social media ... and vows to learn from his mistake.

For context, Israel was responding to allegations Holland made earlier this month against him ... claiming the middleweight champ is a steroid user.

Adesanya responded in an Instagram story by saying, "Bro, I’ll f***ing rape you."

The comment was met with outrage from high profile people ... including New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who said, "There is never a time to make flippant comments about rape. It’s just not something anybody should do."

Finally, on Thursday, Israel addressed the situation ... and admitted he messed up.

"Last weekend fight talk escalated to a point in which I crossed the line," Adesanya said on Twitter.

"I understand the gravity of this word and how it can affect and hurt other people apart from my opponent, although that was NEVER my intention."

"I am still growing under the spotlight, and I take this as a lesson to be more selective with words under pressure.”

Kamaru Usman. Israel Adesanya ... and Francis Ngannou?

The 34-year-old heavyweight contender tells TMZ Sports he badly wants to become the UFC's 3rd African-born champion with a victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 this weekend ... saying it would be his greatest accomplishment.

"That's what I'm thinking about all the time basically leading up to this fight," Ngannou says.

"I feel like losing this fight, I will disappoint a lot of people."

"The whole continent that are looking up to us -- being like 3 African champions [along with] Kamaru Usman and Adesanya."

Usman (from Nigeria) is the UFC's reigning welterweight champ. Adesanya (also from Nigeria) holds the belt in the middleweight division.

Ngannou -- who was born and raised in Cameroon -- adds, "We don't realize how big it is but we are talking about a continent of billions of people. It's huge."

That's a lot of pressure, no??

"Yeah, it's pressure but some problems are good problems to have," Francis says.

Ngannou is 15-3 as a pro and he's currently on a 4-fight win streak. He's looking to avenge a 2018 loss to Stipe, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion.

But, Francis is fired up about the rematch -- telling TMZ Sports he's confident he can smash Miocic and win the belt.

Afterward, he hopes to get the UFC to hold fights in Africa.

"I want the UFC to give it opportunity to all those African fighters who are out there training, to give their own piece of hope. Yeah, I want all of that."

Ngannou says there are all sorts of undiscovered talent ... they just need an opportunity to shine.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is unemployed ... but if the UFC legend is looking for a new gig, WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre says he'd be a helluva professional wrestler.

TMZ Sports talked to the former 2x WWE champ after the 32-year-old, 29-0 Khabib officially retired from the UFC last week.

Nurmagomedov is known for his fighting -- not his trash-talking -- so we asked the 'Monday Night Raw' star if Khabib would be any good in the WWE ring.

"[Khabib's] so talented that I reckon he could make some noise, and if he can't make the noise himself, we’ve got Paul Heyman. We’ve got a few talented people who can carry the load when it comes to talking," McIntyre says.

"MVP has done a heckuva job for [Bobby] Lashley. Maybe that's another name to throw in the hat. But, [Khabib's] such an amazing performer in the UFC, and if he can't quite figure out that part, we’ll make it work."

Drew continued ... "We’re about enhancing the positives and hiding the negatives. I think the fans would be very excited to see him."

Of course, Heyman is Brock Lesnar's legendary, longtime hype man.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is staying busy in retirement -- campaigning to be Luke Rockhold's fight coach for Luke's UFC return ... and it sounds like it could really happen.

"He’s assuming this coaching role now," Rockhold tells TMZ Sports ... "He wants to be a big part of my comeback."

Luke and Khabib have been training together for years -- but now that Khabib is done fighting, he wants to transition into coaching ... and take Rockhold on as his client.

Rockhold hasn't fought since July 2019 -- when the former middleweight champ made his light heavyweight debut against Jan Błachowicz.

The 36-year-old tells us he's been dealing with a shoulder issue that's kept him from taking a fight -- but he's recovering well and should be good to go in "late Summer."

Rockhold says he hasn't made an official decision regarding Khabib's offer ... but Luke is obviously considering the move.

In the meantime, Luke says he's heading up to Vegas to train with Nurmagomedov for a week -- and he'll probably make his mind up after that.

Either way, Luke says he's convinced Khabib will be just as good of a coach as he was a fighter.

"He’s going for the 'Coach of the Year.' That’s what he wants. He wants to be the next great thing, following in his dad’s footsteps."

"That’s what his dad always did. His dad was always insightful, and always had a good eye for the sport ... and I think Khabib’s ready to assume that role in fatherhood."

As for Luke's career. Rockhold says he's likely done fighting at light heavyweight and will resume his career back at middleweight.

"I believe [185 pounds] is my calling. I’m about 205 pounds right now and I’m just naturally there."

Luke adds, "It wasn’t really me to bulk up. I was lifting weights and did my thing to get up to 205 and I could barely hold 215, 220 max."

"I feel good. This is my championship weight. This is where I’ve done all my damage and I like the route to victory of what’s ahead of me, so I’m ready to go."

THIS IS CRAZY VIDEO!!!

The fighting spilled into the stands at an MMA event in Florida over the weekend -- with punches and chairs thrown everywhere -- and culminated with someone firing a GUN twice!!!

... and TMZ Sports has the unbelievable footage.

Here's the deal ... the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident at the RIZE Fighting Championship event which went down on March 20 at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth Beach.

The event was promoted as a bantamweight championship match between Alexis Fernandez and Filipe Valentim -- but there was more action in the stands than inside the cage ... when fans started to attack each other!!

Unclear how the brawl started ... but as several groups of people engaged in fighting, one man opened up a bag, pulled out a handgun and fired it into the air -- apparently hoping the gunshot would scare everyone into behaving.

But, watch the clip ... there are people watching the fights on the balcony, directly above the shooter -- and it's a miracle no one was hit!

We heard at least one shot -- but cops say at least TWO shots were fired into the air.

Former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard -- who also fought in the UFC -- was in the crowd at the event and captured the shooting on video.

"This guy just shot his handgun in the middle of a melee at an amateur show," Lombard posted on IG ... "Shameful and pathetic cowardly behavior ruined a great night of fights."

When officials arrived on-scene, paramedics treated multiple individuals who were injured in the brawl portion of the incident.

So far, no arrests have been made -- but officials say they've launched an investigation in hopes of identifying the shooter and finding out why the hell he thought it would be a good idea to pop off a couple of rounds with so many people in close proximity!

Brian Ortega says he might not be fighting for the title if not for the beating he took from Max Holloway ... 'cause the L opened his eyes to some major holes in his game.

TMZ Sports talked to the 30-year-old fighter -- the #2 ranked UFC featherweight -- days before he'll take on champ Alex Volkanovski at UFC 260 on Saturday ... and we asked if he's changed since his last title shot.

"I feel like I’m finally learning how to fight more, ya know. I feel like before, I was kind of just stuck with my old ways, and if it ain’t broken don’t fix it," T-City told us.

Remember, Ortega lost to Holloway at UFC 231 in December 2018 ... and it was a bloodbath. The Octagon-side doctor stopped the fight in the 4th round ... after Brian ate 290 significant strikes (244 to the head).

T-City -- who broke his nose and thumb in the match -- took nearly 2 years off after the fight. He returned to face the Korean Zombie -- Chan Sung Jung -- in October 2020.

Ortega won by unanimous decision ... and looked AWESOME.

So, did the dominating loss to Holloway actually help Brian?? Absolutely, according to Ortega.

"That was the best thing about it because [losing] showed me that there’s a flaw in your system. So now we have to fix that," Ortega said.

He added ... "The fact that you saw and notice that there is a flaw in the system, and luckily I was able to have a team, a new one, surround me and help me kind of cover all those holes, and guide me now on the right track."

Speaking of Max, the former champ recently told us he's "the cloud over [the Ortega-Volkanovski] fight" ... and Brian actually agrees.

"He's right. Alex wins, he has to fight [Max]. I win, I have to fight [Max]. Us three are a pain in each others’ asses that are going to keep being there."

WARNING: This is tough to watch ...

UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko collapsed TWICE on Friday while trying to weigh-in for her fight ... and was ultimately taken away on a stretcher.

27-year-old Stoliarenko (9-4-2) was supposed to take on Julia Avila (8-2) at UFC on ESPN 21 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Stoliarenko had to cut weight down to 135 pounds for the fight -- and she didn't show up to the scale until there were less than 15 minutes left in her official weigh-in window, according to MMA Junkie.

When she first stepped on the scale, she was clearly woozy ... and stumbled backward before collapsing.

Medical personnel raced to Stoliarenko within seconds and provided aid.

She got back up a few minutes later and went back on the scale ... but collapsed a second time.

Julia sat up and began to drink fluids -- but was wheeled out of the weigh-in area on a gurney to seek further treatment.

The UFC has since confirmed the fight has been canceled "due to weight cut issues with Stoliarenko."

No word on her current condition.

Kamaru Usman isn't just looking to beat Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 -- he wants to make a statement ... telling TMZ Sports, "I want to put the nail in that coffin once and for all."

Usman -- the reigning welterweight champ -- already defeated Masvidal when they clashed on Fight Island back in July ... but it's worth noting Jorge only took the fight on less than a week's notice.

Remember, Usman's original opponent for UFC 251 was Gilbert Burns -- but he caught COVID and Masvidal stepped up on less than a week's notice to save the card.

Masvidal fought hard -- but it was obvious his conditioning wasn't great ... and Usman proceeded to maul him for 5 straight rounds, winning by unanimous decision.

Ever since that fight, Jorge has been saying he'd wreck Usman if given a proper training camp -- and his wish was granted.

Masvidal will now have 6 full weeks to prepare for Usman before they face off on April 24 and Kamaru says he's fired up!!!

"I am more than excited," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm blessed for the opportunity that Allah has given me and being able to go out there and do major things. I'm so thankful."

As for Masvidal's claim that he'll whoop Usman the 2nd time around ... Kamaru is clapping back at that, too.

"There's two things -- One, either he truly believes it which I have to take very very very seriously ... or he's just too stupid to understand what's happening right now."

"So, I gotta believe that it's the first one and I gotta take him at his word."

Usman says he knows Masvidal is dangerous -- but at the end of the day he's a "journeyman" fighter who peaked in 2019 ... and those days are long over.

"Now it's time to come back to reality. It's 2021. The ship has sailed my man."

There will be no 30th fight for Khabib Nurmagomedov -- the UFC superstar is "officially retired," following a face-to-face meeting with Dana White.

White previously told TMZ Sports he wanted to meet with Khabib in hopes of convincing the 29-0 fighter to "un-retire" and take a final, 30th fight. Khabib's late father had told people his dream was to see his son end his career with a 30-0 record.

But 32-year-old Dagestani had unexpectedly announced his retirement back in October after beating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... Khabib's first fight since the death of his father.

Well, Dana and Khabib got together on Thursday to talk things out -- and despite a hard sell from Dana, Khabib will remain retired.

"29-0 it is," White posted along under a selfie with Khabib ... "He is 100% retired."

"It was incredible to watch you work [Khabib]. Thank you for EVERYTHING and enjoy whatever is next my friend.

Khabib will go down as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history -- smothering opponents with ease ... and never unanimously losing a single round!

Didn't see this coming ...

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre -- one of the greatest of all time -- says he actually HATED fighting during his 15 year MMA career.

... but he stuck around so long because he was addicted to the feeling he got after winning a match!

The 39-year-old superstar opened up about the situation recently on "The Complex Sports Podcast" ... and didn't mince his words.

"I don’t like the fighting. I hate it. It’s unbearable," GSP said ... "The feeling of stress. Not knowing if you will be humiliated or you might get hurt. It’s so hard."

"But when you win a fight, it’s really worth it. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. So that’s why I did it. Not because I love to fight. I love to win."

And one thing GSP did a lot during his career was win -- finishing his MMA career with a 26-2 record ... with victories over legends like BJ Penn, Michael Bisping, Nick Diaz, Matt Hughes and more.

GSP formally retired in 2019 -- 2 years after his last fight -- and has repeatedly said a comeback is most likely off the table.

Now, he's focusing on acting -- reprising his role as the French mercenary Georges Batroc in the upcoming Marvel series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

Georges says he uses some of his skills from fighting to help him as an actor.

"Like in fighting, acting requires a lot of repetition, a lot of preparation. In fighting, you do a lot of those as well and very often when you fight, you find out your opponent is never as good as you think he is and he’s never as bad as you think he is as well. It’s always different."

The main difference ... GSP acknowledges the stakes are much higher in fighting.

“In fighting, you only get one take. If you zig when you should zag --  boom! It can cost you not only a loss but it can cost you obviously cerebral damage. Damage that can cause your death. It’s very dangerous."