MMA

UFC star Paige VanZant and her fiance spent their Tuesday punching each other in the face -- but don't worry, it was consensual.

Paige is engaged to undefeated welterweight MMA fighter Austin Vanderford -- and the two train together at a gym in Portland.

Tuesday was boxing day -- so they paired up, strapped on the gloves and let each other have it!

Paige was able to land a few shots -- so was Austin -- but when it was all said and done, there was no bad blood. In fact, PVZ suggests the workout helps them bond.

"Find someone who shares your passion and grow together ❤️ (we both signed waivers, were allowed to do this 😝)."

Cris Cyborg says she's changed her tune on rearranging Amanda Nunes' face ... and is now willing to rumble with the UFC's other Brazilian women's champ!

"If she's calling me out she has to prepare herself," Cyborg said. "[Nunes] should defend her (135-pound) belt, but if not, OK, we'll fight in July."

Remember, Cyborg was NOT about that life just a couple months ago ... telling us she needed to focus on the 145-pound division and give deserving contenders their shot.

But after wrecking Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222, she's game for a greater challenge -- beating the chick who KO'd Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate into retirement!!

Cris told us Nunes ain't ready for someone her size ... and after watching Cyborg DISMANTLE natural 135'ers like Yana and Holly Holm, ya gotta wonder if Amanda's having second thoughts.

The beef between Conor McGregor and 50 Cent is heating up again -- with the rapper once again blasting the UFC star ... and this time, it's personal.

Remember, these two have been trading shots since last year -- when Conor declared, "50 Cent's a bitch!" because he sided with Mayweather before their boxing match.

50 responded saying he could take Conor in a street fight ... and mocked him for getting choked out by Nate Diaz.

Fast forward to Monday when Conor went after 50 on social media ... saying, "[50 Cent] blocked me on [Instagram]. The mad 50 year old instagram blocker. Ahh don't block me 50 kid, I still like some of your songs. The older ones hahah."

Of course, 50 responded ... posting a video Tuesday morning mocking Conor's relationship with Rita Ora and suggesting Conor cheated with her behind his girlfriend Dee Devlin's back.

50 eventually deleted the video.

UFC 222's breakout star didn't have to wait long to get his next fight ... Brian Ortega just announced he'll be facing Max Holloway for the featherweight belt!

Ortega -- who viciously KO'd Frankie Edgar on Saturday -- broke the news on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs Monday night on FS1) ... telling the guys Dana White confirmed he's next in line for Max.

No word on when or where it's going down -- but you can bet it'll be a scrap. Brian's undefeated in his MMA career ... and Holloway hasn't lost in over 4 YEARS.

Dana alluded to making the matchup after 222, saying he'd "make that fight immediately" as soon as Holloway's injured leg got cleared by a doctor.

Looks like the UFC honcho didn't wanna wait ... and can you blame him after seeing Brian's uppercut from hell?!

"Sugar" Sean O'Malley put on a weed-smoking CLINIC at his UFC 222 after-party -- taking down blunt after blunt, including a UFC-themed super-blunt ... and it's all on video.

After piecing up Andre Soukhamthath to go to 10-0, the UFC's newest star broke out his signature "Sugar Show OG" strain ... and got down to business with some bros in Vegas.

The reefer madness wasn't just for fun, either -- O'Malley legit needed the herbal meds after wrecking his foot during the fight.

But, Sean wasn't satisfied with puffin' on some regular ass blunts ... so he busts out a golden blunt the size of a UFC glove!!!

O'Malley claims there were 90 grams in the thing -- and we're not about to second-guess him.

Just a month ago, Oscar De La Hoya told us Floyd Mayweather would get strangled unconscious in 10 SECONDS in a UFC fight.

But now, Oscar's pullin' a 180 -- telling us he truly believes Floyd "can do well" if he steps inside the Octagon.

Don't get it twisted -- Oscar hasn't forgotten about the Floyd-Conor McGregor "circus" pulling attention off the first Canelo vs. GGG fight ... but it seems like he's turned a new leaf with Canelo-GGG 2 taking center stage on May 5.

"I wish him all the best," De La Hoya told TMZ Sports. "If a boxer, and one of my colleagues, is gonna go inside the cage, I obviously have to go and support Floyd."

Cris Cyborg says there ain't a chance Ronda Rousey would come back to fight her in the UFC ... so, she's lettin' Ronda know she's 100% down to rumble in her new home -- WWE!!

We spoke to Cyborg before her upcoming fight with Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222 ... and had to get her thoughts on Rousey -- Cris' ex-UFC rival who she literally wanted to "kill" back in the day.

Cyborg told TMZ Sports she's over the beef ... but would gladly accept an invite to toss her around in the ring.

The only problem -- "If she don't fight (me) in MMA, I don't think she gonna agree fight (me) in WWE."

But, Cris says she's got a plan to get Ronda's attention -- and it involves a STEEL CHAIR.

Before Ronda eats steel, Cyborg's gotta take out Yana -- a UFC newcomer who told us she's got the goods to pull off the MASSIVE upset.

We'll see ...

UFC rising star Brian Ortega lives by the warrior code -- anyone, anytime, anywhere -- and says those rules apply even if you're a 78-year-old woman!!

We got "T-City" and Bruce Buffer on the TMZ Sports TV show earlier this week ... and Buff told us Ortega's so game, he'd literally kick anyone's ass at a moment's notice.

Our guy, Van, countered with the freakshow fight of a lifetime -- a matchup with his own grandma!!

Brian's response -- "How much money we getting paid?"

SHUT IT DOOOWN.

Real talk, Ortega's got a huge scrap vs. ex-champ Frankie Edgar -- a fighter he considers "a legend" -- at UFC 222 this Saturday.

Guessing he'll be a tougher test than Van's grammy ... just by a little.

UFC newcomer Mackenzie Dern is flattered by all the Ronda Rousey comparisons, but says she's her own woman ... and wants to accomplish EVEN MORE than Ronda in MMA!!

We talked to the jiu-jitsu phenom before her debut at UFC 222 ... and she laid out why labeling her Rousey 2.0 ain't right -- even though both women are known for ripping their opponents' arms off.

"It's nice that people think that, but I'm not the next Ronda Rousey," Dern told TMZ Sports. "We are two different people, different personalities, different histories, different obstacles ... it's a new era."

That said, Mackenzie told us she's gunnin' for it all -- and hopes to achieve "at least as much, if not more" than the UFC's first female trailblazer.

Gonna have to tune in Saturday to see if she passes her first test, 'TUF' alum Ashley Yoder, but one thing's for sure ... she's got the look.

LeBron better start knucklin' up ... 'cause the baller he's been beefin' with is getting boxing lessons from a UFC superstar!!

That superstar is former middleweight champ Chris Weidman -- who came through Knicks practice on Wednesday to chill with his hometown hoops squad ... including Bron's trash-talkin' rival, Enes Kanter.

Weidman shot around with Enes -- but it looks like they had more fun strappin' on the gloves to get the Turkish big man ready for a potential throwdown with the King.

"Hey @kingjames, I've been training my guy @eneskanter11. Best think twice before messing with the Orange and Blue again," Chris tweeted at LeBron.

FYI, Kanter called LBJ a "queen" and a "princess" after they got in each other's faces in November ... and trolled him after a game last month, too.

Stipe Miocic is from Cleveland, Bron -- might be time to reach out.

The baddest woman on the planet ain't afraid of taking on Floyd Mayweather inside an MMA cage ... and she's laying out exactly how she'd smash him.

We spoke with UFC champ Cris Cyborg ahead of her 2nd title defense this weekend at UFC 222 ... and had to ask how she thinks she'd fare against Floyd, who's talked to Dana White about potentially taking a fight for the UFC.

Cyborg didn't back down -- telling TMZ Sports all the tools she'd have to bust out to put Mayweather to sleep.

Of course, that's a fantasy matchup we're never gonna see (well, maybe in Japan) ... so if ya wanna catch Cyborg, you're gonna have to tune in this Saturday when she scraps with Yana Kunitskaya.

Jon Jones is officially BANNED from fighting in California ... at least for now ... after the California Athletic Commission revoked his fight license over a positive steroids test at UFC 214.

Jones is eligible to apply for reinstatement in August 2018 -- one year retroactive from his failed drug test.

Jones was also hit with a $205,000 fine -- 40% of his fight purse from the Daniel Cormier fight -- the largest fine the C.A.C. could levy.

The punishment was handed out after a terrible hearing for Jones -- who was grilled like a cheeseburger over the steroid test and other screw-ups in his life.

But, the worst moment for Jones undoubtedly came when he admitted he never completed USADA's anti-doping tutorials in 2015 ... despite the fact he signed paperwork saying he did.

Jon later said his management team took the tutorials for him and forged his signature.

As for the steroid test ... Jon testified that he had no idea how the the anabolic steroid Turinabol got into his system. Jones insisted he never knowingly took the substance and suggested it may have been planted in his workout supplements by an enemy.

"I have no clue how this happened," Jones told the panel. "My luck has been terrible when it comes to USADA."

And the worst could still be yet to come for Jones ... who will meet with USADA later this year.

UFC's rising star Kamaru Usman is sick and tired of Colby Covington duckin' him -- so he's callin' a spade a spade.

Or, in his words, a "p***y" a "p***y."

"Colby's not f**kin' with me," Usman told TMZ Sports. "Classic case of p***y-itis."

Covington hasn't been making any friends since joining the UFC -- dropping 'Star Wars' spoilers on social media, calling Brazilians "filthy animals" ... and, most recently, going WAY overboard to diss "Platinum" Mike Perry.

Kamaru says he's had enough -- and tells us literally THOUSANDS of UFC fans told him to "knock (Colby) the f*ck out" at UFC Fight Night: Orlando over the weekend.

Usman's a few spots lower than Covington in the welterweight rankings ... but he's 7-0 in the UFC and is expected to get a top opponent next.

If Conor McGregor REALLY offered to step in and fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 222 in March -- it's news to Frankie, who tells TMZ Sports he never heard Conor was throwing his hat in the ring.

As we previously reported ... Conor says he reached out to the UFC to replace Max Holloway in the March 3 main event after Holloway suffered an injury in early February.

Conor claims the UFC shut him down, saying there wasn't enough time to properly promote the fight.

Edgar has a new opponent -- Brian Ortega -- and tells TMZ Sports he's currently focused on beating his ass.

What's the first thing Super Bowl champ Chris Long did after crushing one of the gnarliest volcanic mountains on the planet?

Break out a dog mask and Philly flag -- to declare Mount Kilimanjaro EAGLES COUNTRY!!

Chris has been scaling the 20,000-FOOT mountain this past week to raise awareness for the water crisis in Africa through his charity, Waterboys (love the name).

The other waterboys on the climb included football stars Steven Jackson, Vince Young, Connor Barwin, as well as MMA star Justin Wren ... who's been on the front line of the clean-water fight for years.

FYI, all of the funds they raise are going toward drilling wells in East African communities that desperately need them.

Props to these dudes for "Conquering Kili" -- and doing it for a good cause.

Nate Diaz chalked up a victory in his battle with his former agents -- the same people who claim Nate refused to pay them for the cash he got to fight Conor McGregor -- but the war might not be over.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Diaz was sued by the Ballengee Group, which claimed they negotiated a fat deal for Nate to fight Conor at UFC 202 back in 2016.

Ballengee claims Nate unexpectedly fired them before the fight (after the deal was done) -- and Nate never paid them their cut.

They filed suit in Texas seeking more than $1 MILLION in damages.

But, according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge threw out the case against Diaz -- claiming the agents really had no reason to file in Texas ... it's not the right jurisdiction.

"The Court ruled the case should have not have been filed in Texas because Nate has not fought in Texas and dismissed the case," Nate's attorney Jeremiah Reynolds tells us.