MMA

Sorry, fight fans, don't expect Francis Ngannou to share the ring with Jake Paul ... 'cause The Predator tells TMZ Sports that scrap will never happen!

We caught up with the former UFC heavyweight champion following the wildly successful Netflix boxing event that saw 60 million households tune in for Paul's unanimous decision win over Mike Tyson -- and we asked him about his tweet, saying he'd slap El Gallo the next time he saw Jake.

With fans pumped at the prospect of a Paul and Ngannou fight, we had to see if there was a chance. Unfortunately, the 38-year-old wasn't having it, saying the prospect of them sharing the ring is straight up disrespectful.

Jon Jones dominated Stipe Miocic in the main event of 309 ... and then shouted out President Trump during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

Bones even started a "USA! USA!" chant ... and hit Trump's famous dance move, before exiting the Octagon and talking to the president-elect.

The UFC has no shortage of star power at its events -- in and out of the Octagon -- so, who's gotten the loudest pop from the crowd?!

Dana White has an answer.

"When you think about fighter walkouts, whenever a fighter walks out to the [Octagon] — I mean, the two biggest that actually shake the arena are President Trump and Conor McGregor, two of the biggest fight walkouts ever," the UFC boss told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1).

Brandon Moreno has twice been the UFC's flyweight champion -- and he could soon have a chance to win it for a third time -- but, the Mexican MMA star is on the hunt for a goal even bigger than gold ... he wants to be the greatest ever!

"Man, I want to be one of the best," Moreno told TMZ Sports this week ... "I want to be of the history of the flyweight division. I won the title twice in the past, but I feel I have to do a little bit more, you know?"

Of course, G.O.A.T. is a subjective debate with no definitive answer. Still, most agree Demetrious Johnson is the best ever in the division, with Henry Cejudo making a strong case for himself (Triple C beat Mighty Mouse -- not to mention he won an Olympic gold medal and became UFC bantamweight champion, too).

Rose Namajunas has accomplished nearly everything over the course of her career in MMA ... and while she still has eyes on getting back her championship belt -- she tells TMZ Sports she wouldn't mind stepping out of the Octagon and into the boxing ring one day!

We caught up with the fifth-ranked UFC flyweight ahead of her upcoming bout against third-ranked Erin Blanchfield ... and while she is not sleeping on EB -- who is known for her grappling -- Rose believes she is overall the better fighter.

"I feel I'm superior in all areas of MMA," Rose said. "Especially being able to mix it all up, that's what I do best. I'm really looking forward to the challenge. I know she's a tough opponent, so I'm very prepared."

Belal Muhammad's first defense of his UFC welterweight world title will have to wait ... as the champ has been forced out of his main event fight at UFC 310 after suffering a nasty bone infection.

The 36-year-old revealed the news Tuesday morning ... showing off the ailment before going under the knife, and we're not doctors, but it's safe to say a human toe probably shouldn't be that swollen!

"Caught a bone infection in my foot .. had to put a picc line in my arm for iv antibiotics the next 6 weeks with no physical activity," Belal said.

UFC superstar Jon Jones just caught a break in his drug test-gone-wrong case ... agreeing to attend anger management classes to resolve his charges.

Officials announced the deal prior to the bench trial that was slated to begin in New Mexico on Tuesday ... which will dismiss the two charges stemming from the incident if Jones completes four hours of treatment and keeps his nose clean for 90 days.

Jones initially pleaded not guilty to assault (petty misdemeanor) and interference with the communication (misdemeanor) in July ... and, at the time, he accused a tester of being unprofessional and catching him by surprise during the visit to his Albuquerque home.

Max Holloway is considered the greatest featherweight ever by many fans, but the former 145 lb. champ is the underdog in his UFC 308 main event scrap vs. Ilia Topuria -- and that's exactly where he says he wants to be!

TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Holloway just days before the title fight ... and Blessed feels blessed to be in this position.

"At the end of the day, styles make fights. He has a fun style. I have a fun style. Thinking of his fight style, it brings a smile to my face. I love being in these fights. I love being the underdog. And I can't wait to see what he's all about come October 26th," Max told us.

Belal Muhammad's responding to Conor McGregor ... days after the UFC superstar said he'd love to smash his skull. The current welterweight champ has some violent thoughts of his own!!

It all started earlier this week ... when 36-year-old McGregor went to X in a now-deleted tweet, writing, "I'd love to crush my left hook into belal's temple and take down the triple crown. I'd do it easily. And fast! I'd cave his skully heavy! The hurdles I face getting back to the octagon are just harrowing."

Conor continued ... "I am so sad over my June 29th fight cancellation. To think this bum is now a UFC champion with zero knockdowns on his resume whatsoever is so bad. The UFC's most abysmal zero revenue generating fighter in modern history."

Mike Perry is breaking his silence following his DUI arrest ... sharing his remorse for the inappropriate language he used toward law enforcement during the incident.

The 33-year-old posted an apology to his X page on Wednesday ... saying, "I understand that my words were hurtful and offensive, and I sincerely regret my actions."

"I recognize the important and often difficult work that law enforcement officers do to keep our community safe, and I truly respect the dedication and sacrifice that comes with the job. My behavior was inexcusable, and I take full responsibility for my actions."

Guilherme "Bomba" Vasconcelos -- an MMA fighter who competed in the UFC and Bellator, and dated Demi Lovato -- is dead at 38 years old, his family and members of the fighting community said on Tuesday.

The cause of death is not known at this time.

Vasconcelos made appearances across multiple MMA promotions ... and accumulated a record of 10-6 over the course of his seven-year pro career.

MMA star "Platinum" Mike Perry was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Florida over the weekend.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Claremont cops says they were on routine patrol around 1 AM on Saturday ... when they observed a dark red Mercedes SUV driving up to "approximately" 20 miles above the speed limit.

Cops say they conducted a traffic stop for speeding, identified the driver as Perry and could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. They also claim he appeared to have "red, glassy eyes" and his speech sounded slow, to which he replied the officer's "speech was fast."

Mike Tyson's health scare in May has some fight fans worried about his chances against Jake Paul next month ... but that group doesn't include combat sports legend Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who tells TMZ Sports he's still rockin' with the former heavyweight champ!

We recently caught up with the retired UFC superstar at LAX ... and asked for his thoughts on the November 15 mega fight between 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul.

Even after dealing with the ulcer flare-up that caused the fight to be rescheduled (from summer to Nov. 15), Jackson tells us he'd never bet against Mike!

It turns out Conor McGregor is seeing action this year after all -- Notorious found himself in the middle of a fight at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship weigh-in on Friday ... and all hell broke loose!!

The UFC superstar -- who recently became part-owner of BKFC -- was front and center when Franco Tenaglia and Tony Soto faced off ahead of their big bout for the vacant light heavyweight world title.

Tenaglia put his fist right up underneath Soto's chin ... who then reacted by lunging at his opponent.

Khalil Rountree is still feeling the effects of his loss to Alex Pereira ... as the 34-year-old revealed he's in "pure pain" after undergoing successful surgery on his nose following UFC 307.

The eighth-ranked light heavyweight went under the knife for a septoplasty on Monday -- which is a procedure that corrects a deviated septum.

It's not shocking Rountree needed some work done to his schnozz ... as he was involved in an absolute war with Poatan -- which left him bloodied up following his fourth-round TKO loss.

Boyz II Men will be keeping an extra close eye on UFC 307 on Saturday night ... 'cause the legendary R&B group has a special and tragic connection to Khalil Rountree.

Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris, two-thirds of the 4x Grammy Award-winning group, joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week where they talked about the Rountrees.

Back in 1992, Khalil's dad, Roderick "Khalil" Rountree, was Boyz II Men's road manager. After a May 1992 show in the Chicago area, Khalil was gunned down by three men who'd been caught trying to break into his hotel room, according to reports.