If MMA promotions didn't exist, and A.J. McKee could choose any fighter in the world to scrap with, who would it be?! TMZ Sports asked the former Bellator world champion.
"My dream in mixed martial arts has always been [Max] Halloway. He's just such a technician and a stud. That's the best of the best," 29-year-old McKee told Babcock during a sitdown interview at the TMZ office this week.
Of course, barring a big shakeup, it's unlikely it'll happen. Max -- who just beat Justin Gaethje -- is signed to the UFC, while A.J.'s under contract with PFL/Bellator.
3:07 PM PT -- Paige is now firing back at Danis ... unloading on the guy and claiming his whole Vegas affair story is complete B.S.
Former Bellator MMA star Austin Vanderford just publicly called out Dillon Danis for a fight ... telling Logan Paul's nemesis he's ready to throw hands for going after his wife, Paige VanZant.
The drama started earlier this week ... when PVZ claimed Danis is not a "real fighter" during an interview for her upcoming Misfits boxing match against Elle Brooke.
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Danis got wind of Paige's comments ... and clapped back by threatening to air some dirty laundry that he claimed would ruin her marriage.
"How fast they forget!" Danis (2-0 in MMA) said on X. "Haha, relax, Paigey baby, just because I didn’t wife you doesn’t mean you have to be petty. Don’t make me bring up our two trips to Vegas and ruin your marriage."
Enter Vanderford (11-2) ... who came to his partner's defense on Thursday -- telling Danis he's willing to settle things in the cage or the ring.
"Dillon, guy ...," Vanderford said on Instagram. "Let's just fight. Paige's comments seemed to upset you. We are the same weight. We can box or do whatever you want."
Vanderford already predicted Danis' potential responses ... saying the guy will probably say he doesn't have enough of a following to make it worth his time.
Danis is known for being ruthless on social media -- as we previously reported, Paul's fiancée, Nina Agdal, sued him leading up to last year's fight ... saying the incessant trolling and posting about the Sports Illustrated model resulted in humiliation, emotional distress and reputational harm.
Vanderford clearly wants Danis to put an end to the Twitter fingers and put his money where his mouth is ... but no word on whether he'll take the guy up on his offer.
Former UFC champ Sean Strickland just proved yet again he's not one to play with ... flashing a gun on some pranksters who had just ding-dong ditched his home.
Strickland -- who last fought in the Octagon in January -- said the incident happened over the weekend ... at around 1 AM Saturday morning.
According to the fighter, some kids jumped out of a car near his pad, ran to the side of the house, and made a loud bang -- before bolting from the area.
The fighting world is rallying around FrancisNgannoufollowing the death of his son ... with many combat sports stars -- including Manny Pacquiao and Anthony Joshua -- sending their prayers and condolences his way on Monday.
The heartfelt notes were left on Ngannou's Instagram page ... in the comment section of a post where the former UFC champ mourned the loss of Kobe, his 15-month-old son.
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"How do you deal with such a thing?" Ngannou said in the post. "How can you live with it?"
12:58 PM PT -- Francis Ngannou released a statement on the loss ... and it's incredibly emotional.
"Too soon to leave but yet he's gone," he said. "My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he's laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he's not responding."
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Ngannou added Kobe made him his "best self" ... and he's now lost without him.
La superestrella de los deportes de combate Francis Ngannou está de luto por el trágico fallecimiento de su hijo de 18 meses esta semana, expresando su dolor desgarrador en redes sociales.
"¿Cuál es el propósito de la vida si lo que estamos luchando con uñas y dientes para alejarnos es lo que finalmente nos golpea más fuerte?". Ngannou publicó en X el lunes. "¿Por qué la vida es tan injusta y despiadada?".
"¿Por qué la vida siempre nos quita lo que más queremos? Estoy jodidamente cansado".
Islam Makhachev is putting his lightweight title on the line at UFC 302 ... but, it's a low-risk fight according to the champ, who tells us he's an awful stylistic matchup for Dustin Poirier.
"[Dustin's] problem is his style. That's one problem the guy has. His weak point is wrestling and grappling," 32-year-old Makhachev told TMZ Sports, adding, I have the key for the easy fight. And I think if I follow the plan, I can beat him easy."
Poirier is regarded as a well-rounded fighter who is a great striker, and solid on the ground ... which happens to be the area where Makhachev excels.
Paddy "The Baddy"is now a daddy (say that five times fast) ... 'cause the UFC star and his wife just welcomed twin girls -- and they are adorable!!!
The 21-3 lightweight MMA fighter introduced his baby girls to the world on Instagram, announcing April 17th was the day he and Laura Gregory's lives changed.
"All worth it for you 2 perfect little girls Betsy and Margot Pimblett ❤️," Paddy wrote on Instagram.
Nate Diaz is being sued by a man in Louisiana who says the MMA legend beat him up and injured him during a street fight in New Orleans last year, TMZ Sports has learned ... a lawsuit Diaz's people believe is literally laughable.
Rodney Petersen, an amateur fighter, filed the lawsuit earlier this week in Orleans Parish ... where he's seeking damages for injuries he claims he sustained during the April 2023 brawl.
"LOL" ... was the response from Zach Rosenfield, Nate's longtime rep, when we reached out for comment.
El debut de Kayla Harrison en la UFC no podría haber sido mejor: dominó a una leyenda de las MMA, ¡y ahora la luchadora estrella nos dice a quién quiere enfrentarse a continuación!
Harrison, de 33 años, estuvo con Babcock en el programa de TV TMZ Sports (que se emite de lunes a viernes, por la noche, en FS1), donde habló de todo, desde la estrategia de Holly Holm en comparación con la suya hasta su gran pérdida de peso y su próxima oponente.
“Escuché que [la campeona de peso gallo] Raquel [Pennington] no se siente muy bien y no puede pelear. Así que si ella no puede defender el título, me encantaría pelear contra Juliana [Pena] o quien sea, no me importa. Me encantaría pelear por ese cinturón”, dijo Harrison.
Kayla Harrison's UFC debut couldn't have possibly gone any better ... she dominated an MMA legend, and now the star fighter is telling us who she wants next!
33-year-old Harrison joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where she discussed everything from Holly Holm's strategy vs. her, to her big weight cut, and her next opponent.
"I heard that [Bantamweight champion] Raquel [Pennington] is feeling a little under the weather, not able to fight. So if she can't fight for the title, I would love to fight Juliana [Pena], whoever, I don't care. I would love to fight for that belt," Harrison said.
"This is the biggest fight of my career," 35-year-old Gaethje, the #2 ranked lightweight, told TMZ Sports of Saturday's contest, continuing, "a loss here definitely takes away those aspirations of fighting for the gold. You know, a win here definitely solidifies that."
32-year-old Holloway, who is going up to 155 for the scrap, isn't ranked at lightweight ... but is the #2-ranked featherweight.
FYI, Justin is coming off an impressive win over star Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, and Rafael Fiziev before. JG's also beaten the likes of Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza, and Cowboy Cerrone in the UFC.
Max defeated "Korean Zombie" in August, and Arnold Allen in April 2023. Mas has beaten Frankie Edgar, Brian Ortega, Anthony Pettis, and Jose Aldo (twice).
Justin, a slight favorite Saturday, believes a dub gets him a title shot against champ Islam Makhachev.
"I think I win this fight and my goal is to fight the champion at Madison Square Garden," Gaethje says.
We also talked to Justin about fighting on the historic card. UFC 1 was in November 1993 ... and now 30 years later, Gaethje is one of the premiere fights on the stacked card.
He talked about what it means to him.
"It's just a testament to what I've done here," Gaethje said.
"My first interaction with the UFC fans at a press conference, I said 'I'm the most violent lightweight on the planet and the most exciting,' and I think I've lived up to that. I've spoken it into reality. I'm the most consistent guy. I think that's why we're kind of the people's main event, because they know they're going to get a show."
It's a busy time for the Denver Nuggets ... the defending champs, on a quest to go back-to-back, are fighting for the number one seed in the West -- but that's not going to stop the defending champs from having a UFC 300 watch party, according to star Jamal Murray!
27-year-old Murray, a huge MMA fan, joined Babcock on TMZ Sports, and chopped it up while previewing the historic card ... which is going down Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Unfortunately for the NBA star, Jamal won't be able to attend the fights in person at T-Mobile Arena 'cause the Nuggets play the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Friday and the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee on Sunday.
But, Murray has a Plan B.
"We'll do a little watch party," Jamal said, adding, "I think we got a little conference room set up in Memphis for the fights. I mean, the cards will be going on all day. So, yeah, some great fights, man. Some great fights!"
UFC 300 is a big deal for Dana White's organization ... and as you'd expect, the card's stacked! One of the big fights is Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. We asked Jamal about the scrap.
"Justin, Max Holloway, that's going to be a very, very interesting fight because it can go so many different ways," the former 7th overall draft pick told us.
"I think Max is going to have to pull out all the tools to beat Gaethje, whereas Gaethje, he can more stand in the pocket and rely on his chin and his punches to win the fight at that weight. Whereas Max is going to have to be more technical and probably get some ground control, more knees, you know, just a little more tighter."
"I think it's going to be, that's the fight I'm most interested in, honestly."
AEW aired footage of the physical altercation that led to CM Punk's firing from the promotion in 2023 on Wednesday ... showing the wrestling superstar shove and seemingly choke Jack Perry after a heated exchange.
The video was part of the AEW Dynamite event this week as part of the Young Bucks' current storyline against tag team FTR ... with YB claiming the incident was possibly orchestrated by their opponents --- blurring the lines between a real backstage incident with their ongoing TV feud.
The clip shows Punk approaching Perry backstage at the All-In event in London back in September ... and the two got on a passionate back-and-forth before things got violent.
Punk pushed Perry away from him ... and then proceeded to wrap his arms around his neck area.
The two needed to be separated by multiple bystanders ... and eventually, Punk stormed away from the scene.
It all stemmed from a previous incident at AEW's show, Collision -- when, according to Punk, Perry was hellbent on using real glass for a spot.
It led to a confrontation between them ... and then Perry went ahead and used real glass in a spot -- and told the camera, "Cry me a river," which Punk took as shade.
Punk -- who is back with WWE following his boot from AEW -- explained his side of the scuffle in an interview last week ... claiming he didn't feel like it was a fireable offense since he didn't punch Perry, just "choked somebody a little bit."
LMFAOOOOOOO THE AEW FANS WERE CHEERING FOR CM PUNK DURING THE VIDEO FOOTAGE 😭
MMA star Rachael Ostovich ain't lettin' a bun in the oven keep her from getting in a violent workout ... hitting the punching bag while in the third trimester of her pregnancy!!
The 1-0 BKFC fighter and former UFC talent posted a clip of her recent gym session on Tuesday ... rocking a one-piece athleisure 'fit as she threw some jabs at a new addition to her fitness setup.
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"Third trimester ain’t stopping me," Ostovich said on Instagram. "lol I'm sure Miss. Dovey Girl is having the time of her life in there."
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Ostovich -- who announced her pregnancy with a nude photoshoot on February 25 -- even shared some fighting tips ... saying attacking her new water punching bag bare-handed helps build tolerance for when it comes to hitting a real human, which she happens to do a lot with her day job.
Ostovich is expecting her second child -- her first with comedian Tumua Tuinei -- in the next few months ... and considering the experience the baby girl is already getting in the womb, she just might be the future of combat sports!!
4/8 8 AM PT -- Jones is further clearing the air regarding his interaction with the drug tester ... saying he was NOT arrested over the incident.
"I must admit, it's disappointing to have to clarify these things again, but I understand that I may be an easy target given some of my past issues," Jones said. "It's important to set the record straight and make sure the truth is told."
Jones reiterated he was upset when the tester showed up to his home ... and he was "caught off guard" as he was taking a nap at the time. Jones admitted to using profanity after growing frustrated with the administrator's "unprofessionalism and protocol," but other than that ... he claims he did nothing wrong.
"It's unfortunate that false news has been spread without proper fact-checking," he added. "I want to assure you that I will vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations. The truth is, the incident simply did not occur."
UFC champion Jon Jones is adamantly denying any wrongdoing after a drug tester showed up at his place unannounced ... saying the whole interaction was as cordial as could be.
Jones -- a 36-year-old fighter -- claims he was at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico last weekend ... when out of nowhere, a UFC-certified official showed up to test his blood while he was celebrating a birthday.
In a police report filed by the alleged tester, Jones is accused of grabbing the official's phone and threatening to kill her ... but he says there's video to prove there was no bad blood.
