UFC

There's a ton of money at stake when Jake Paul and Tommy Fury enter the ring on Sunday ... 'cause the two boxers just agreed to a hefty bet that could leave one of them without a dime!!

The Problem Child proposed the deal during their pre-fight press conference minutes ago ... saying if TNT wins, he will double his purse -- but if Jake is victorious, he gets EVERYTHING.

The deal was solidified with a handshake ... and Jake said he even had his lawyers draft up the paperwork beforehand to prove he's 100% serious.

A brief scuffle ensued ... with Jake and Tommy getting in each other's faces before being separated.

"You're a s***house," Tommy said during the altercation. "You are full of s***, you little bitch. I'll put you out inside the first round."

Jake then addressed the crowd ... saying, "You heard that, ladies and gentlemen ... it's a deal!!"

It's a risky bet for sure ... as Jake has previously claimed the fight will be the biggest payday of Tommy's career.

The rest of the presser was also filled with the usual back and forth ... but one change of tune came when Fury's dad, John -- who previously unleashed a ton of trash talk toward Jake -- was really complimentary of Paul and all he's accomplished at a young age.

Jake has been known to make friendly wagers in the past ... like when Tyron Woodley had to get "I love Jake Paul" tattooed on him after their fight in 2021.

Jon Jones hasn't yet gotten his feet wet in the UFC's heavyweight division, but he's already eyeing the weight class top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports he wants Stipe Miocic after he fights Ciryl Gane next month.

Jones told us he feels a tilt with the former champ could help "solidify my legacy" ... adding that if he wants to be known as one of the fight game's G.O.A.T.s -- he's got to beat the best to do it.

"People consider him the greatest heavyweight of all time," Jones said of Miocic. "The opportunity to compete against such a man, I'd be honored."

"The opportunity to beat such a guy would be truly something special."

Of course, 35-year-old Jones has to get through Gane first in order to get that opportunity -- and he tells us it won't be an easy task.

The 26-1 fighter called Gane "one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

"I got a huge, huge order ahead of me," Jones said.

If Jones does get through Gane at UFC 285 on March 4, though ... Miocic sure seems down to get in the Octagon with him.

The 40-year-old tweeted right after the Gane vs. Jones matchup was initially revealed last month "I got winner in July."

Former UFC star Nate Marquardt is in the crosshairs of the LGBTQ community ... after he tweeted an anti-gay response to a commercial that showed two men kissing.

The 43-year-old, who famously knocked out Tyron Woodley in a 2012 fight, fired off the offensive comments after he said he saw the ad while watching ESPN+.

In his tweet, he said the commercial was "disgusting" and that he had to tell his kids "look away so they don't see two men kissing."

The former fighter, a devout Christian, added a throwing up emoji.

Immediately, the ex-Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was panned by fans for the remarks ... but he doubled down on his stance in further tweets.

As of Monday afternoon, the posts were still up on his social media page.

Francis Ngannou has a boxing legend giving him at least a chance in a fight against Tyson Fury ... with Mike Tyson telling TMZ Sports believes "anything is possible" if the two heavyweights face off in an epic matchup.

Ngannou, who recently became a combat free agent after spending more than 8 years with UFC, told us last month he's been in contact with Fury's camp about making a fight happen with the Gypsy King.

Of course, Ngannou is one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the game, but it would be his first professional boxing fight ... and going up against Fury would be a huge task for anyone, let alone a rookie pugilist.

Tyson showed a bit of optimism for The Predator when we caught up with him in LA ... giving us a simple, yet hopeful response to his chances in the ring.

Fury might already have his next opponent lined up with Oleksandr Usyk, but it's clear both sides are serious about putting ink to paper sometime soon.

X-Pac, member of the legendary "New World Order" faction says Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, and formerly Sami Zayn's "The Bloodline" is "right up there" with NWO ... and he understands why fans compare the two groups.

We spoke to Pac, real name Sean Waltman, about the comparisons being made between the factions, and he admitted "the magnitude is similar" between the two groups and the impact they've had on wrestling.

Of course, many wrestling fans believe The Bloodline storyline is one of, if not the greatest, in WWE history.

As for NWO, it originally started out as a group in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) with Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. Their goal was to take over WCW by any means necessary, destroying everything in their path.

In 1996, Waltman joined NWO in WCW, becoming the group's sixth member. The WWE inducted NWO into its Hall of Fame in 2020, bestowing the honor on Waltman, Nash, Hall, and Hogan.

NWO will be featured on the season premiere of A&E's docuseries "Biography: WWE Legends" on February 19 ... and Waltman's pumped for the show, which will examine how the group changed the sports entertainment landscape.

"It's nice to have been a part of something that people want to see tv shows made about it, Pac said. "It feels really freaking good."

Former NFL player, Greg Hardy started his new career in the boxing ring Friday night ... but he wound up getting his ass whooped.

Hardy was duking it out with Josh Watson in the "Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship: Knucklemania 3" and, by the second round, he was eating the canvas.

Hardy's nightmare started at the end of the first round when he got punched so hard by Watson, he went flying into the ropes, nearly crumbling to the ground.

Then, in the second round, Watson landed a crushing left hook that put Hardy flat on his back. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't as the ref counted him out.

Last year, Hardy signed with BKFC, which promotes boxing without gloves. He previously had a deal with the UFC, but his contract was not renewed.

UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling wants into the exclusive champ-champ club ... telling us he plans to fight Henry Cejudo in May, and then wishes to go up a weight class to fight champion Alex Volkanovski!

First things first, 33-year-old Aljo, the #7 ranked UFC pound-for-pound fighter, has 36-year-old Triple C in his sights.

"We're slated for May 6, that's what we're thinking right now," Sterling told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1), despite admitting he likely won't be totally healthy after tearing his bicep last year.

But, Aljamain says if he decides to fight, there are no excuses.

"If I make the decision to sign on the dotted line, I'm signing on the dotted line and we're gonna fight no matter what it is at the time. I don't give a s**t about that. Henry has some stuff he's dealing with. I have some stuff I'm dealing with. All fighters have stuff they're dealing with. It's just whose the better man that night."

After the Sterling-Cejudo fight, assuming Aljo's victorious, that's when things could really get interesting ... because he believes he'll have earned an opportunity to move up a weight class, and fight

"I fought a lot of the best guys," Aljo says, making his case for a title shot at featherweight. He continued ... "How much do I have to do to say 'Ok, this guy finally deserves an opportunity to go up and see what he can do at 145.' I'm getting older. I'm on an 8-fight win streak right now and I want to test myself and take the opportunity."

Of course, Volkanovski -- the featherweight champ (145 lbs.) -- lost an incredibly close fight to lightweight champ (155 lbs.) Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 ... in his bid to join the double champ club.

As for how a fight with Volk would look ... Aljamain Tweeted last year, saying he believed he could take down and submit Alex, and while it's a 7-month-old message, his opinion hasn't changed all that much.

"There's a couple of factors. That was at 155. So he had a little more weight. Maybe not as depleted as he would be at [145]. I would be coming up to 45, not being as depleted as much as I am at 35."

And, that's why Sterling likes his chances.

FYI, only four fighters in the UFC's history have ever held two belts simultaneously: Conor Mcgregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Cejudo.

We also talked to Aljo about his side hustle ... making music. Sterling just released a track titled "Go Dumb", featuring his brother Troy, who raps under the name Troy Grindz.

"This is something I always wanted to do, my brother's been the musician of the family, he's always been very, very good lyrically," Sterling says ... but in a competitive industry, his bro's had trouble gaining traction.

Enter Troy's famous brother.

"It's been hard for him to promote himself, but it's something I always wanted to do, but fighting kind of called my name first. I think I was a better fighter than I was a rapper. I always wanted to make a song with him, so this was a cool opportunity now that I had some downtime," Aljo says.

We asked Aljamain if this was a one-time thing, or if he may make more music.

Like him or don't, it's undeniable that Jake Paul can strike ... but if the Problem Child truly wants to brush up on his wrestling skills and take an MMA fight, there's a U.S. wrestling legend who tells us he's happy to train the 27-year-old star -- Bo Nickal!

Nickal is a 3x NCAA Division I wrestling champion (184 lbs. x 2, 197 lbs.) who earned a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series last year. On Wednesday, TMZ Sports was talking to the 27-year-old, who just signed a deal with Jake's media company, Betr (more on that soon), when we asked if he planned to train with JP.

"Oh yeah. 100 percent. I'm super excited to train with [Jake]. Not only to be able to help him out a little bit on the MMA grappling side, but also just to learn from him," Bo said, adding, "He's got a ton of experience boxing and it'd be awesome just to be able to get together and work together."

Of course, Paul, 6-0 as a boxer, recently signed a deal with PFL ... and called out Nate Diaz. Jake, a solid wrestler in high school, proposed a two-fight deal with the MMA star from Stockton ... one MMA fight and one boxing match.

As for the partnership with Paul's Betr, Bo says he and Jake have a few things up their sleeves ... including a 'UFC Embedded'-style show that'll follow Nickal as he prepares for his first proper UFC fight.

Speaking of, Bo, 3-0 in MMA, just learned when he'll be making his first non-Contender Series appearance ... and it's on a big card, UFC 285, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. Jones hasn't been in the Octagon since beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020, over three years ago.

Nickal will face MMA veteran, Jamie Pickett at middleweight (185 lbs.) in the first fight on the main card.

Bo has visions of winning a UFC title, but isn't looking past his first fight ... a scrap he intends to end with a knockout or submission, and early on in the fight.

"I think first and foremost, I plan on just focusing on one fight at a time. Taking care of business this next fight, putting on a spectacular performance. I'd like to get a first-round finish. I'm expecting to finish this guy, regardless."

"Getting a finish in my UFC debut is really most prominently on my mind."

To say Bo's pumped about the Pickett fight may be an understatement ... he's ready to go!

Terrifying moment for Jon Jones and his family ... the UFC legend says his 9-year-old daughter came face-to-face with an agitated wild bobcat, but thankfully, she wasn't hurt.

The Jones fam lives in Albuquerque, NM ... and the area was hit with a winter snowstorm Tuesday night. Jon says someone accidentally left the door to his guest house ajar ... and as you're about to find out, a wild bobcat hit the jackpot, finding a warm place to rest.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning ... Jon says his daughter Olivia went to the guest house to retrieve a pair of sneakers, but she got a lot more than a Chuck Taylor.

"After completely walking into the room she was met with an aggressive hissing sound, she jumped on a countertop and a bobcat sprung out from underneath the bed, it stared at her," Jon wrote, describing the harrowing situation.

Jones -- who will return to the Octagon at UFC 284 in March -- says the bobcat ultimately bolted in the opposite direction ... a huge relief for dad.

"I'm so incredibly grateful this morning, that could've turned out so many different ways. Been thanking God all morning 🙌🏽"

Derrick Lewis is coming off two straight losses, and some have suggested he's on the verge of retirement ... but the Black Beast insists it's just the opposite -- for the first time in a while he loves fighting!

"I'm feeling good. Rejuvenated. I love the sport again. I love fighting once again. I love doing the training inside of it, once again. I'm feeling pretty good. Feeling confident and feeling ready. Feeling hungry like I used to be whenever I first started and I'm excited to see how it turns out Saturday night."

37-year-old Lewis, the #7 ranked heavyweight, will take on Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night from the UFC Apex on Saturday ... and Derrick has visions of working his way back to the top of the division.

Of course, the division is in a bit of flux after champion Francis Ngannou parted ways with Dana White's organization ... and Derrick believes he can still win the strap.

"The path [to the title has] always been there, but you know, I really just got to take my time, fight by fight. I can't really think that far ahead. I believe I still got a couple of fights to go and get back into that [title fight] talk. So, we just gonna take care of business Saturday and see where things go from there."

As for what changed to make Lewis fall in love with MMA again, he says he just realized he was better than how he performed as of late.

43-year-old Michael Bisping's still got it!

The retired, former UFC Middleweight champion, turned Power Slap commentator, joined the 'TMZ Sports' TV show on Wednesday to talk about his new gig ... when we asked Michael, if, for research purposes, he ever doled out a slap.

Turns out, oh yes, he has! Bisping told us the story of the time when competitor Jesse Nutting asked for a slap ... and a slap he got.

"The guy involved, he says to me, 'give me a little slap, Bisping,'" Michael explained, adding, "I did not give him a proper slap, but I gave him just a little mess around. Anyways, he was scheduled for the last slap contest of the day, if you will."

So, Bisping slapped Nutting and went about his business calling the fights.

"We're commentating on the fights and we're waiting for the last one to come out. And, then we're waiting and we're waiting and he doesn't show up. Then the producer comes in and tells me, 'Mike, apparently, the guy that you slapped, afterward, he started feeling all fuzzyheaded and blurry and he said that he can't compete.'"

"'The doctor looked at him and said that he's totally fine.' But, I don't believe this. Controversy follows me wherever I go."

Jesse didn't fight, and Bisping was worried he screwed up the event.

"Dana and all the partners put a lot of money into this. A lot of organization. Our commentator, that idiot Bisping is backstage slapping the fighters and we can't continue. I thought, 'Oh, My God, I'm going to get fired for sure.' Classic me strikes again. I will be slapping nobody. Punching nobody. I'm just going to sit there. Do my job. And, try to be as boring as possible."

We also talked to one of the Power Slap breakout stars, Michael "Slap Jesus" Smith ... about how the former MMA fighter turned into a slap fighter.

"I had my first MMA fight a couple years ago, and I started looking for more fights on Facebook groups and came across a post from one of the producers," Smith said. "I looked it up, seen it was from The Ultimate Fighter people ... and said, 'Let's go!'"

Smith says he loves the slap-fighting experience ... adding, "It's right up my alley!"

Brandon Moreno says he's had his last fight with Deiveson Figueiredo and is moving on with his career and life ... but the 125 lb. champ tells TMZ Sports he has absolutely no bad blood with his rival, though he's not sure the feeling's mutual.

We talked to Moreno just days after he defeated the 35-year-old former champion ... and we asked Brandon if he could see himself actually becoming friends with Deiveson.

"Yes, of course. I never feel nothing bad against him. The bad blood was a little bit because he was talking a lot of s**t about me in some interviews."

Moreno continued ... "After the fight, for example, I went with him and tried to shake hands. He didn't. I have a lot of respect for him. At the end, he was trying to sell the fight to get something for his family and I respect that because it's the same with me. I'm just doing this for my family."

We also asked Moreno if he foresaw a 5th fight between him and Figgy.

"Hopefully, no. I'm done. It was nice and we built something huge together. Even for the people, they don't want to see another between us. The smart people understand why we made four fights together, but for sure they don't want to see the fifth one."

"I need to pass the page. I need to rest my body and my mind. But, at the same time, I want to be active and I want to start to put more statements in this division and I want to keep building my legacy."

There's much more.

We also asked Moreno if believed he was the best/most accomplished flyweight in UFC history (obvious contenders are Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo), when he plans to get back in the Octagon, and who he wants to fight.

Terrifying moment for Conor McGregor -- the UFC superstar was just hit by a car that was traveling at full speed while he was riding his bike on Friday ... but luckily, he appears to be okay.

34-year-old McGregor shared footage from the scene on social media ... showing his expensive Orbea cycle lying in the middle of the road.

"Got a bang of a car just now from behind," Conor said in his Instagram post. "A sun trap, the driver couldn’t see me. Full spreed straight thru me. Thank you God, it wasn’t my time."

In video following the accident, a flustered McGregor shows the aftermath of the accident ... and you can hear the driver profusely apologizing.

"All good, all good," McGregor said. "Don't worry about it."

Conor clearly understands the seriousness of the situation ... saying, "I could have been dead there, mate, look!!" and "Jesus Christ ... I think I got away with my life, there."

McGregor's pants ripped as he fell to the ground ... but as for any body damage, he seems to have no injuries.

"Thank you wrestling and judo also," Conor said. "Having an awareness on the landing saved my life. 🙏"

Eventually, Conor caught a ride from the driver who hit him ... after he explained his bike was "f***ed."

Ben Askren had an eye-opening experience on the mats this week ... 'cause the former UFC star suffered a nasty injury during a wrestling session -- and it'll make your skin crawl.

Funky showed off the battle wound on Thursday ... saying, "still shooting so fast these young boys can’t sprawl quick enough."

The incident seemingly happened as he was wrestling with college athlete Mitchell Mesenbrink ... who jokingly denied Askren's claim that he got the business during the workout.

As for the injury, Ben was able to get stitched up on the spot ... with a crowd of people watching as he lay on the floor to close the gash on his eyelid.

The cut is gruesome, but apparently not enough to where the folks in attendance wanted to look away.

The patchwork seemed to work out just fine ... as Ben shared a snapshot smiling after his skin was sewn back together.

Askren's been getting beaten up lately -- earlier this week, he showed off a shiner on his eye.

It looks like Jamahal Hill's going to get his wish -- the newly crowned UFC champ tells TMZ Sports he wants Jiri Prochazka next -- and the 31-year-old fighter says Dana White's on board!

We spoke to Hill days after he thoroughly beat the legendary Glover Teixeira, during the main event at UFC 283, where he captured the vacant light heavyweight title ... And, while he's still reveling in his victory, now Jamahal wants Jiri.

"100% [Prochazka]. I'm hoping he can be back by July, August and we can get a fight set up 'cause that's the one I've wanted for a long time," Hill told us.

Of course, Prochazka, the former champion, suffered a severe shoulder injury in late 2022 (it was called the "worst shoulder injury in UFC history"), forcing him out of UFC 282 only days before he was set to step in the Octagon.

But, despite how bad it initially looked, Jiri says his healing is ahead of schedule ... and even sent a message to Hill.

"Congratulations. I'm coming."

And, that's just what Jamahal wants ... and apparently, Dana does too.

"That's the fight that they would like to have happen. So, obviously, when he's ready. I want him to heal up, I don't want any excuses whatsoever. Well, there'll probably still be some. But still, as long as he's ready to go and he feels healthy, I want us to be able to get that done," Hill told us.

There's much more.

We also talked to Hill about the viral video of him from in between rounds ... when his cornerman poured water on his head, sending blood -- lots of blood -- streaming down his face.

In the moment, Jamahal thought it was his blood ... but it wasn't.

"That was Glover's blood. Whenever [my corner] did that I had to look down, if you actually read my lips, I said 'where's that coming from? Where's that coming from? I'm bleeding? I asked him.'"

Hill -- who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan -- was doubted by so many along the way, and Jamahal was incredibly emotional after the fight.

We asked him for his message to anyone, especially kids, who were watching.

"Go after your dreams. Anything is possible. Whatever you want, you can literally speak it, and make it happen."

Gilbert Burns wasn't touched during his first round submission win on Saturday ... and the UFC star already knows who and where he wants next -- Colby Covington on "The Ultimate Fighter"!

TMZ Sports talked to the 35-year-old fighter after he choked out Neil Magny at UFC 283 about where he goes from here.

"If I could pick, because I couldn't pick for a while, I want Colby. That's a go-to title shot. If I beat Colby, especially right now. I would love to make a coach [on TUF] and compete against Colby," Burns told us.

FYI, 34-year-old Covington, who last fought at UFC 272 against rival Jorge Masvidal (Colby won by unanimous decision), is ranked second in the division ... behind longtime champ, Kamaru Usman.

Of course, "The Ultimate Fighter" was launched by Dana White and the UFC in 2005 ... putting a group of fighters in a house. Think a UFC and 'Real World' mash-up.

The first season featured coaches Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. The men famously fought at the end of the season ... in one of the greatest matches in the promotion's history.

Since the show's inception, stars like Conor McGregor, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and many others have appeared on the TV show.

Gilbert says Dana told him they'd meet this week and go over options for the future.

"I talked to Dana and Hunter right after the fight. They said they would have a meeting [Monday] or Tuesday and they will let me know. I already put a lot of options. That's my number one pick."

Burns talks about his relationship with Covington (believe it or not, GB doesn't hate CC) ... but if the fight doesn't happen, Gilbert says he's down to rematch Khamzat Chimaev.

The men fought in a barn-burner of a contest last year ... and Gilbert pushed the previously untouched and untested (in the UFC, at least) undefeated fighter.

Burns lost by decision ... but is confident he can beat Chimaev.

"100 percent I'd fight him again," Gilbert said.