MMA

Ronda Rousey has essentially announced her retirement from MMA -- even though she won't officially say the words, "I'm retired."

It all went down on the 'Ellen' show (airs Tuesday) -- when Ellen asked Ronda if she'll ever go back to the UFC.

"I don't know," Ronda said ... "I think it's just as likely as me going back to another Olympics for judo."

FYI, Rousey won a bronze medal in judo in the 2008 Summer Olympics. She began her MMA fighting career in 2010. And let's face it, she ain't going back to judo.

"No one demanded a written resignation from me for judo and I don't really think the same thing is necessary for fighting."

"I'm just doing what I enjoy and WWE is what I enjoy right now."

CM Punk is finally returning to the Octagon, TMZ Sports has confirmed -- and this time, he vows to make up for that loss against Mickey Gall.

Punk was clapping back at trolls on Twitter when he broke the news ... responding to someone who asked, "When are we gonna see you cry again in the octagon?"

Punk's response ... "June nine, after I win and lock eyes with my beautiful wife, embrace my coaches and shout out my entire team."

June 9 is UFC 225 in Chicago -- Punk's hometown. For now, there's no word on who his opponent will be.

Punk hasn't fought since UFC 203 back in Sept. 2016 when he suffered a brutal submission loss in the 1st round to Gall.

MMA star Rampage Jackson says he came thiiiiis close to getting his manager, Tiki, a hoopty Range Rover at the used car lot ... before deciding to be a boss and drop a small fortune!

"I was thinking about going the cheap route ... you almost had a used one!" Rampage said to Tiki. "But then I was like, 'nah man, I can't cheap out.'"

FYI, the new Range was a surprise bday gift -- after Tiki negotiated an epic new contract with Bellator.

When we saw Rampage's video of the big reveal, our car guy (yeah, we have one of those) estimated the whip would run him at least $100k in the hole. Turns out, it was almost 130 RACKS!!

With that price tag, ya gotta think Rampage's deal was in the mils -- but Tiki wouldn't spill the beans.

He did walk us through getting the Range, though ... and it's pretty great.

Take a step back, Ronda Rousey haters -- Diamond Dallas Page says Rowdy's gonna be just fine ... even though her mic work for WWE's been sorta shaky thus far.

"Give the girl a break, man," DDP told TMZ Sports. "It's a lot of pressure going in, but that girl thrives on pressure."

DDP would know -- the pro wrestling legend says he faced the same acting issues coming into the biz ... but eventually settled in, just like he thinks Ronda will once she gets some more reps under her belt.

Of course, some athletes are born entertainers ... and DDP says Ronda's ex-UFC bro, Conor McGregor, definitely has that gift.

"If anyone really gets the showmanship, it's McGregor."

But, will WWE fans ever get to hear Conor slay the mic inside the squared circle? DDP ain't so sure about that ...

Bellator MMA star Justin Wren says he just suffered the worst physical beating of his life -- but it didn't go down inside a cage!

Justin's fought 15 heavyweight behemoths in his career, but tells TMZ Sports none of those beatdowns come close to what Mount Kilimanjaro did to him a few weeks ago.

In case you missed it, "The Big Pygmy" scaled the near-20,000-foot mountain with Super Bowl champ Chris Long and some of his NFL bros ... all to raise awareness for the water crisis in Africa.

Wren says that at one point, they had to climb for 20 HOURS STRAIGHT ... and some of their crew were forced to tap out (don't worry, they were stretched down).

But the coolest part of the trek -- Wren says he signed his new Bellator contract at Kili's summit!

Ya gotta hear the play-by-play ...

Floyd Mayweather will start his MMA training with a bona fide UFC champ -- with Tyron Woodley saying he's spoken with TBE and has agreed to get him ready for his debut in the ocatgon.

"Floyd Mayweather is interested in taking an MMA bout, maybe a few of 'em," Woodley said on "The Hollywood Beatdown."

"So, who better than The Chosen One to teach him the ropes on how we get off the ropes and get in the cage!"

Tyron and Floyd have been friendly for a while -- and when the two connected in L.A. during NBA All-Star weekend, Tyron says they decided to work together to get Floyd MMA-ready.

By the way, Tyron says Floyd can ABSOLUTELY WIN -- even if his opponent is Conor McGregor -- and he's got a real game plan to help Mayweather get that W.

There's more ... Tyron also weighs in on Canelo Alvarez's PED excuse (Mexican cow meat) and claps back at rapper Tekashi69.

Welp, that didn't take long -- Conor McGregor just fired back at 50 Cent for claiming black people have "superior genes" ... saying the rap star should pull out his old-man boobs to celebrate women's day.

"Get your tits out for the lads, ladies," McGregor said in a social media rant ... which he attached to a picture of a shirtless 50.

"I am made of granite. You need a bra."

Conor also told 50 to "f**k off" ... 'cause he's a 50-year-old fool (he's actually 42) who needs to stay in his lane.

Surprisingly, Conor also worked in a semi-compliment with his shots -- saying they still bump his old hits in Ireland ... and claiming he rocked out to one before UFC 205.

Jon Jones isn't gonna let the whole potential loss of his UFC career thing get him down ... and he's proving it -- raging onstage with Steve Aoki in New Mexico!!

It was just last week that Jones got his fighting license revoked by the California Athletic Commission, and the speculation is USADA could hit him with a multi-year ban.

Jon put his blues aside on Monday night, hitting up Aoki's Kolony Tour when it came through Albuquerque ... going shirtless and hopping onstage with Steve (who's kinda shredded).

Not sure what it means that Jon's partying -- his USADA hearing's upcoming -- but before you drill him for being out, check out what he did for a kid in the audience!

Savvy, Jon.

Arianny Celeste LOVES Floyd Mayweather -- and not just for his ass-kickin' abilities!

We got the UFC's baddest Octagon girl up in the Bev Hills, and hit her with some questions on the UFC rematch that's got everyone talking -- Floyd vs. Conor 2.

Going off her answers ... it's safe to say Arianny's on The Money Team!!

-- Would you wanna see Floyd in the UFC? "I'd love to see that happen."

-- Could Floyd beat Conor? "I'd give him a chance, yeah."

-- And the big one ... Who's hotter? "I'd have to go with Floyd ... Floyd's swag is on another level."

Celeste even let it slip that she'd be rooting for TBE -- even though he's the outsider.

If this won't motivate Floyd to step inside the Octagon ... we don't know what will.

It PAYS to work for MMA star Rampage Jackson -- just ask his manager, Tiki Ghosn, who just got a $100k Range Rover on the house!!

Rampage filmed the late bday surprise earlier today ... when Tiki pulled up on Rampage's fleet of whips -- including the Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic, which retails for over 6 figures after taxes and fees.

Tiki was already shocked to see more new cars in Rampage's collection ... but once he realized the Range was his, dude lost his mind.

"It's what? Shut the f**k up. Are you f**king serious? This is my car. Oh, f**k, are you kidding me?!"

Rampage said it was a gift for negotiating "the best fight contract I ever had" -- a deal he inked with Bellator back in November.

Congrats, Tiki! Ya lucky SOB ...

She's still nursing a broken arm -- but Paige VanZant says she'll be healed up and ready to knock people out again in 6 MONTHS.

"I know I'll have a fight in 6 months and that's guaranteed," Paige told us on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

Paige even showed off her scars from the surgery -- where she got a titanium plate and 7 screws -- to repair the broken arm she suffered in her UFC Fight Night 124 loss to Jessica-Rose Clark.

Paige says she doesn't have an opponent in mind for her comeback -- but feels she's still in a title contention spot in the 125-pound division.

"So, we'll just pick somebody from the list and take 'em out!"

Paige was joined on the show by her fiance, Austin Vanderford -- who's also a pro MMA fighter -- and the two explained what it's like to train (and trade punches) with your significant other!

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.