MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestles bears, mauls human beings and is by all rights the scariest fighter on the planet.

But the 145-pound UFC champ, Max Holloway, ain't even a little intimidated -- telling TMZ Sports he'd be happy to move up a weight class to throw down with the Russian monster.

"That’s the kind of guy you want to fight to cement your legacy," Max said. "If you wanna be the best you gotta beat the best."

Even Tyron Woodley -- the UFC 170-pound champ -- doesn't want anything to do with Khabib ... so props to Max for being a badass.

UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens just hit Conor McGregor with the trash-talkin' KO of the century -- saying he's ready to turn up the heat with the Irishman's "hot" mom!!

You remember how the beef began -- after Jeremy called out Conor at a news conference for UFC 205, Conor whipped around and famously said, "Who da fook is dat guy?!"

About a year later, Stephens shot back ... with a little help from Mama McGregor.

And now, Jeremy's taking it all the way.

"Maybe his dad can pick us up with the cab he used to drive and then take me and his mom out on a date," he told the guys on TMZ Sports (full interview airs tonight on FS1).

Ronda Rousey may be an all-time great inside the Octagon -- but WWE superstar Enzo Amore says it's gonna be a painful transition for her if and when she steps into the ring.

"She's in for a rude awakening," Enzo told TMZ Sports.

"You ever been put through a table, slammed on concrete? It's a different ball game."

Don't get it twisted -- Enzo respects the hell outta Ronda ... and even told us she's got the tools to be a kick-ass pro wrestler.

That said, when we told him about Rousey's private meeting with Triple H -- a sign that a deal might be close -- he wanted to make it clear that crossing over to wrestling is no joke.

He ain't lying ...

Ronda Rousey had a VERY interesting dinner date Tuesday night -- Triple H ... and it seems like the two sides are one step closer to hammering out a deal to get Ronda in the WWE.

Triple H snuck out of Republique restaurant in L.A. first. Ronda followed with her agent in tow and was in a pretty great mood.

She wouldn't spill the beans on whether a deal was done -- but interesting that Triple H would come to L.A. at the same time the "WWE SmackDown Live" was going down in Alabama.

One WWE source tells us it's unusual for Triple H to miss a TV event -- he's usually on hand for everything ... so, you know if he's gonna fly out west, it's not just for a good meal!

Tyron Woodley says UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov scares the living hell outta him ... and he ain't too happy his TMZ co-host's trying to play matchmaker with 'em.

On this week's episode of "The Hollywood Beatdown" -- the UFC welterweight champ reveals his very real fear of Khabib ... who absolutely mauled Edson Barboza at UFC 219.

So once Tyron found out we asked Khabib about a potential throw-down, his reaction was pretty much what you'd expect.

"Why you gonna stick this maniac on me?! Don't try to throw me in there with a dude who's fighting bears!!!"

That's not a joke. A young Khabib REALLY WRESTLED BEARS.

Also on the Beatdown, Woodley reveals a huge NFL star he's bringing to the big screen ... and explains why Logan Paul should get smacked.

Cris Cyborg says she's 100% down to annihilate Amanda Nunes when the time is right ... but tells TMZ Sports it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Earlier today, UFC honcho Dana White said Amanda is itching to scrap with Cris ... adding that it's "the fight to make."

But when we spoke with Cyborg, she pumped the brakes on the super fight -- "I want beat her, I want kick her ass, but I need to focus on my division."

Cyborg (the champ at 145 lbs.) told us she wants to fight the "best girls" who've been climbing the ladder at featherweight ... and Amanda (the champ at 135 lbs.) has been fighting at bantamweight her entire UFC career.

So, Nunes can get it ... but not right now.

Cyborg also told us whether or not she forgives the photog who called her a "dude," and if she's satisfied with the UFC's punishment.

Gabi Garcia says she's got a damn good reason for missing weight in Japan ... she literally could've killed herself if she kept droppin' sweat.

"I decide not cut weight because I feeling like I almost died," said Gabi -- who insists she did NOT miss weight by 27 pounds, but rather 17.

The Brazilian MMA star told TMZ Sports about the scary events leading up to her weigh-in debacle ... saying her vision went dark once she started shedding pounds, which told her it was time to call it quits.

In a social media post, Garcia also said she suffered from gnarly headaches and bloody noses anytime she trained.

Still, Gabi feels terrible for having to scrap her fight with Shinobu Kandori ... and told us she's gonna learn from this and come back stronger.

"I accept this fight. It's my fault."

Now, Logan Paul has pissed off a UFC fighter ...

Tyron Woodley -- the reigning welterweight champ -- says he saw Logan's dead body video and has BANNED his kids from watching Logan in his home.

Woodley weighed in on "The Hollywood Beatdown" (full episode drops Friday on the TMZ Sports YouTube channel) ... saying Logan was stupidly insensitive when dealing with a VERY serious topic.

The holidays are over for us normies, but not for UFC star Anthony Pettis and his smokin' hot fiancee ... who are out in sunny Aruba getting their safari on!

It ain’t just any average trip -- Anthony popped the question on NYE at the Aruba Ritz-Carlton ... and Lisette said yes!!

Since then, the future Mr. and Mrs. “Showtime” have been living it up on the island -- exploring ancient ruins, off-roading at a safari and hitting the beach with flamingos are just a few of the activities they've been getting into.

Not like Anthony really cares -- anything with Lisette is winning.

Congrats!!

The UFC has Cris Cyborg's back in a big way -- banning an MMA photog (who works for the gym where Holly Holm trains) after the guy referred to Cyborg as a "dude."

The man behind the offensive comments is Mark Aragon -- who handles photography and social media for the famous Jackson Wink MMA Academy in New Mexico.

After UFC 219, Aragon posted a photo of Cyborg on Instagram and wrote, "This dude is tough as hell" ... adding, "Holly was the first one to make his nose bleed."

Cyborg saw the post and wasn't happy -- calling for the UFC to take action against Aragon.

"It is not acceptable for an official representative of (Holly's gym) to call me transgender ... I expect an apology or their ability to get credentials for future UFC events to be affected by these actions."

UFC heard Cyborg loud and clear ... issuing a statement saying the org is "aware and troubled" by the comments and Aragon "will not be granted access for future events."

Aragon did issue an apology ... but it looks like it was too little too late.

Another round in the Dana White vs. Bob Arum mega-feud ... this time, it's the legendary boxing promoter throwing major shade at White for his plans to get into boxing in 2018.

Arum tells TMZ Sports he welcomes the UFC honcho into the boxing community ... but then he fires this shot ...

"By coming in the business, he is really admitting that boxing is the more popular sport. And in order to keep his company alive, he has to go into the boxing business."

Of course, White hates Arum's guts -- and has been ripping him apart for years ... previously calling Bob the "biggest dirtbag in all of sports." So, no love lost here.

Still, Bob says he thinks Dana could be successful in the boxing business -- and gives him a real chance to make the Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder fight happen.

"If he puts up enough money, he certainly will land the fight," Arum said. "It's all a question of the money ... particularly in the heavyweight division."

You might remember -- Dana spoke with TMZ Sports last week, and told us Joshua was his #1 target ... and he's meeting with major players like Floyd Mayweather to help his cause.

How tough is Holly Holm?? Her eye was essentially SWOLLEN SHUT after her fight with Cris Cyborg ... and she was still all smiles!

Don't get it twisted -- Holly put up a hell of a fight against Cyborg at UFC 219 ... but she got hit with some huge haymakers in their 25-minute title bout.

The result is what you see here -- a MASSIVE shiner, swelling all over her face and what looks like a broken pinky.

UFC octagon announcer Bruce Buffer shared this pic after the fight -- giving mad props to her for being a "warrior in victory and defeat."

True that.

Holly Holm shocked the world when she KO'd Ronda Rousey, so you better believe she can slay Cris Cyborg -- so says UFC rising star Rose Namajunas.

"She's already proven that if she's the underdog, she can surprise people," Rose told TMZ Sports.

Namajunas would know ... she just starched Joanna Jedrzejczyk -- the most dominant fighter in the UFC since Rousey -- to win her first belt.

UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov just made himself Public Enemy #1 to all the Rocky Balboa fans across the country ... telling TMZ Sports that he's Team Ivan Drago!

Disclaimer: Khabib is 100% Russian ... which almost makes it OK that he rooted against the Italian Stallion in "Rocky IV." Almost.

"He’s from Russia. He's from USSR. Of course I support him," Nurmagomedov -- who's fighting this weekend at UFC 219 -- told us while out in Century City, L.A.

FYI, Drago (and his spawn) are playing a BIG role in "Creed 2" ... but no word if they're gonna avenge the brutal 'L' that Rocky handed Ivan back in the day.

Holly Holm shocked the world when she slept Ronda Rousey back at UFC 193 ... but Holly says Cris Cyborg -- not Rousey -- is 100% "the biggest challenge" of her career.

Scary thing is ... she's probably right.

"I'm going up in weight and taking on not just a heavier opponent in a bigger weight class, but also a very dominant one," Holm told the guys on "TMZ Live."

She ain't kidding -- Cyborg hasn't lost in over a decade, and KO'd almost every chick brave enough to step into the cage with her.

But Holly ain't backin' down -- "That doesn't mean that she's invincible -- she’s still human-ish."

Bonus: Since she's moving up for the Dec. 30 scrap, we had to ask Holm if she's cool to get her grub on over the holiday weekend.

Short answer -- hell no!

Dana White's meeting with Floyd Mayweather's team is NOT about getting the boxer into the octagon -- it's about getting Dana White into the boxing biz ... so says Dana himself.

White tells us ... he's gunning to promote boxing in 2018 -- but he's not targeting a Floyd vs. Conor McGregor rematch. He thinks Conor needs to focus on defending his UFC lightweight belt.

Instead, White says he's looking to put together boxing superfights (in addition to his UFC duties) involving some of the best pugilists in the world ... starting with heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua.

"I think he's the most marketable fighter in boxing right now," White says.

We asked White if he's the guy who can get an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder fight done -- he didn't say no.

Fingers crossed ...