MMA

6'3", #14 ranked UFC lightweight Jalin Turner -- fresh off an impressive win at UFC 276 -- says he gets compared to Jon Jones ... and it's a huge honor!

"[Being compared to Jones is] a positive. I always look at it as a positive when people are calling me Anderson Silva," Turner tells TMZ Sports, adding ... "that's a huge honor 'cause that's somebody I model a lot of my game after."

Turner, like 6'4" Jones, has an incredible height and reach advantage over opponents ... but it's even more pronounced with JT 'cause he fights in the lightweight (155 lbs.) division.

Jon, of course, was a light heavyweight champ (205 lbs.) for years before recently moving up to heavyweight (206 lb.+).

FYI, the lightweight top 5 is made up entirely of 5'10" fighters ... with the exception of the 5'8" Michael Chandler.

And, Turner -- who just beat Brad Riddell via 1st round submission -- believes he has a sizeable advantage over those savages at the top of the division ... but he says it's about more than just height.

"I feel like I have the skillset, the tools, the attributes to be a champion in the division. I have a reach advantage over everybody. I feel like I have a speed and timing advantage over everybody. The length plays a good factor, even in the grappling exchange."

Jalin continued ... "I can utilize leverage, use less energy when I use my leverage efficiently and I can excel. I really can. Everybody's called me the lightweight Jon Jones since I was at Jackson Academy."

JT trained at Jackson Wink MMA gym in Albuquerque ... Jon's home gym for many years.

Turner isn't the first guy to be compared to Jon. In fact, Israel Adesanya, when he first entered the UFC, was compared to Bones ... a comparison Izzy hated.

Now that Jalin cracked the top 15, it's clear he isn't content.

Jake Paul's fighting Hasim Rahman Jr. August 6, but the world's most controversial boxer has his sights set on another opponent -- Nate Diaz -- telling TMZ Sports the UFC superstar is the guy he wants to put hands on more than anyone else ... at least in the short term.

"I think Nate Diaz is first and foremost," 25-year-old Paul told Babcock when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weekdays on FS1).

"That's the one that everyone's been wanting. Everyone knows he only has one or two fights left with the UFC."

Jake continued ... "So, hopefully, when he's done with that, we can run it back because there's some unsettled s**t talk there."

(Note: Jake and Nate haven't fought -- but have exchanged some trash talk)

We also asked Jake for the short list of fighters, aside from Rahman Jr., who he considered as replacements for Tommy Fury ... after Tyson's bro dropped out of their scheduled match for a second time.

"Yeah, there was Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as well. I still want that fight,.I think it can happen one day."

Paul also considered an MMA G.O.A.T. ... who like Jake has had success in the boxing ring of late (Spider actually beat Chavez Jr. in a boxing match in 2021).

"Anderson Silva was on that list, but he's in a tricky contract with Triller from what I'm told. So, it wasn't easy to make that fight happen right away, and yeah, just waiting for some guys to get out of their UFC contract to put them to sleep, too."

Rafael Fiziev looked up to Rafael dos Anjos, but now the 29-year-old rising star has to fight the future Hall of Famer Saturday night ... and any lingering reverence is now just a desire to kick RDA's ass!

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old, #10 ranked UFC lightweight ahead of his main event scrap with the #7 ranked, 37-year-old former champion at UFC Fight Night from the Apex in Vegas ... and we asked Fiziev about fighting someone he came up watching.

"This is for me a dream fight because I watched him a long time ago. I start to watch him in 2014, something like that, and yeah, followed him long time ago just because his name is Rafa and his style also close to me," Fiziev says.

Is this the most important fight of your career, we asked?

"Yeah, this is the biggest in my career and I'm happy with this."

You're likely aware of RDA's resume ... but Fiziev's is pretty damn impressive, too. He's 11-1 professionally for his career, and is in the midst of a 5-fight win streak. Rafael's beat Brad Riddell (KO, Dec 2021) and Bobby Green (UD, Aug 2021) in his last two fights.

So, if Fiziev beats RDA, where does that put him in the stacked division? He doesn't really care.

"Doesn't matter. I don't think about positions. I know he stays in the top 7 and after this fight, he put me in the 7th or the 8th or the 9th, it doesn't matter. I know he's a good name. He fights with stars, with All-Stars in the UFC before and now and I know when I beat him, this is everyone starts to talk to me."

Israel Adesanya is taking aim at Chris Pratt after the actor criticized him for his performance at UFC 276 ... calling the 'Jurassic World' star "just some fan" and sharing a video of him getting hit in the mouth.

Adesanya unleashed the clap back on his Twitter page early Wednesday morning -- nearly four days after Pratt said he was underwhelmed by the fighter's effort against Jared Cannonier on Saturday night.

"Good morning," Adesanya wrote while sharing a video of Pratt getting smacked by a keyboard in the famous Angelina Jolie flick, "Wanted."

"I’m the man. You’re just some fan."

Pratt initially kicked off the unlikely beef following Adesanya's win over Cannonier, saying on a post-fight show that he wasn't impressed by the way the MMA star fought after days of trash talk.

“I don't know this game -- I'm just an actor, but I'm not a fan, man," Pratt said. "I’m not a fan of coming out like all that talk, and then just kind of putting on a little bit of a pitter-patter. I’m like, 'C’mon, man. You’ve got to cash on that promise of being so badass.'"

Of course, Adesanya clearly isn't all that bothered by Pratt's barbs ... the 23-1 fighter was seen partying his ass off without a care in the world at XS Nightclub in Vegas following his big win.

We're told Adesanya -- alongside Alexander Volkanovski, Nate Diaz, "Rampage" Jackson, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou -- celebrated for a while at the venue ... and even rubbed elbows with Bengals superstar Joe Burrow.

It's Michael, bitch!!

UFC star Michael Chandler traded the gloves for a mic during his appearance on "The Masked Singer" national tour stop in Nashville on Wednesday ... belting out Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" -- and it's hilarious!!

Look, the dude ain't gonna win a Grammy anytime soon ... but it certainly looked like he had a blast -- shaking his hips and pulling off some dance moves that would make Brit proud.

Chandler's fam was present for the whole thing -- cheering him on as he made it through the 1999 hit.

No school girl outfit here -- Chandler's masked character was a boombox ... which might explain why he couldn't perfectly execute Spears' signature choreography.

The lightweight badass was eventually revealed by singer Natasha Bedingfield ... with the crowd going wild during the big moment.

Valerie Loureda tells TMZ Sports a fight with Ronda Rousey in WWE is her dream match ... and now that she's officially signed to the wrestling giant, she's determined to make it happen!!

We spoke with Loureda -- who officially became a member of WWE on Wednesday -- and asked her if there was one particular opponent she was eyeing before debuting on the main roster ... and she said yes, telling us, "Definitely, Ronda."

"She tweeted the other day 'Who's next?' and before I even found out I was getting a contract with WWE, I tweeted back, 'me,'" Loureda said of Rousey. "And that's the goal I have one day."

Valerie and Ronda both have MMA backgrounds ... and, in fact, Loureda says seeing Ronda fight back in the early 2010s inspired her to want to do the same.

"I never watched MMA before in my life," Loureda said, "and just so happens, Ronda was fighting, and I saw a beautiful woman fighting in a cage ... and I got goosebumps."

"I said, 'Nana, if she's doing that, I can do it too,' and that's really what gave me all that fire and passion inside of me to begin my martial arts journey."

Valerie -- who grew up an expert in taekwondo -- knows the transition from the cage to the squared circle will be a tough one, but she said if she ever gets in the ring with Ronda ... there will be fireworks.

It's been nearly 9 years since Max Holloway and Conor McGregor fought, but the rematch could finally be on the horizon ... 'cause Blessed tells TMZ Sports he's down to go at Notorious again -- in Hawaii!!

"It'd be a great, big fight for everyone," Holloway told us ahead of his matchup against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276 ... adding his home turf would be the perfect location for the bout.

"I mean, we got a stadium. Why not do it?!"

Of course, Holloway makes it clear he's not looking past his current opponent ... but says a Conor rematch makes sense to have in Hawaii -- or Conor's native Ireland.

Remember, the first matchup at UFC Fight Night 26 in 2013 ... with McGregor taking the win via decision.

As for Saturday's fight, Max is stoked to get out there for the fans.

"This the first time in two years I get to fight in front of a crowd again. I got five title wins and I have to get my sixth title win against Alex in front of my family, in front of my friends on the 9th island. It would be huge."

Valerie Loureda is walking away from the cage and into the squared circle -- the former MMA fighter tells TMZ Sports after months of training and mutual interest, she's signing on with the promotion to compete as a wrestler.

The 23-year-old made the news official on Wednesday ... saying it's a dream come true.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long," said Loureda, the first Cuban-American woman ever to sign with WWE. "You have no idea. I'm excited it's finally here."

And she's got BIG goals with the promotion -- the taekwondo expert said her dream is to headline WrestleMania one day ... but more importantly, she wants to represent Latina women across the world.

"I'm the first Cuban-American woman to sign with the WWE," Loureda said, "and for me alone that is a dream come true."

"The moment I found out I had the opportunity, I knew I could make history and represent my culture in a way no one has before. And that's what I was born to do."

Loureda tells us that her first official day with WWE is July 18 -- one day before her 24th birthday -- and that the timing of it all couldn't have been better.

Of course, we got a glimpse of Valerie in the ring already ... when she hit up WWE tryouts earlier this year.

"Turning 24 and becoming a WWE Superstar, like, that's my dream," Loureda said. "I'm going to train there very hard. My goal personally is to be on live TV by the end of the year."

"Obviously, I trust the WWE and what they've done with all their athletes, and I'm going to follow their path. But, I set big bars and expectations for myself, and I'm going to work very hard to make life to be ready by the end of this year.

MMA fans, we have a target date for Francis Ngannou's Octagon return ... with the UFC's heavyweight champ telling TMZ Sports he expects to be back by early 2023, at the latest!

Of course, Francis last fought in January ... when he beat interim champ, undefeated fighter Ciryl Gane to unify the belts.

In March, about 6 weeks after the unanimous decision win, Ngannou was forced to undergo surgery to repair serious damage to his knee, including ACL reconstruction and MCL repair, which were sustained before and during the fight.

So, when we ran into the 35-year-old star outside Avra in Beverly Hills, we asked Francis how his knee was feeling.

"It's getting better," Ngannou told us, adding, "It's been only 3 months, so yeah, I'm still doing physical therapy."

Now for the question on the mind of all Ngannou fans ... when will you fight??

"If everything goes well I'll be ready by the end of the year because it's gonna be 9 months. So, let's say late December or early next year."

As for Francis' preferred opponent ... he opted not to call anyone out.

"You know, as for now let's fight for the situation and get everything squared up, and then when I will be close to the return, we will see where the landscape is at 'cause a lot of things can happen."

There have been a lot of rumored opponents for Ngannou ... including Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic and even Tyson Fury.

But, first things first ... get healthy!

Adrian Yanez wants to fight Sean O'Malley ... and if the rising UFC star from Texas is right about the kind of crazy entertaining fight it'd be -- we should all hope Dana White makes this fight!

"It would definitely be Sean O'Malley. That's the fight. That's the fight," Yanez told TMZ Sports when we recently asked if Suga, the 13th ranked bantamweight, was his main target.

We then asked Yanez, who just broke into the rankings, how a fight with O'Malley would look.

"For me, this is the way I picture it, it would be almost like a Hagler-Hearns type of deal, and I'm Hagler."

Of course, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, fought at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 15, 1985 ... in what would later be referred to as "The War."

Though the fight didn't even make it through 3 full rounds, it was one of the most violent 7 minutes and change in fight history ... and it was incredible.

Round 1 is considered by many to be the greatest round in boxing history.

Hagler, the undisputed champion, won by TKO. It was just Hearns' 2nd loss in 42 fights.

And, Yanez believes that's the kind of fight he and Sean would produce.

Yanez just beat controversial fighter Tony Kelley at UFC Fight Night on June 18 ... winning by 1st round knockout.

He's now 16-3 ... and in the midst of a 9-fight win streak.

O"Malley, 15-1, is facing #10 ranked Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 on July 2 ... part of a stacked card.

Adrian believes with another quality dub, a fight between him and Sean could be in the works.

But, if it doesn't happen, Yanez has another opponent in mind.

Undefeated fighter Johnny Eblen is fighting MMA legend Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator world championship Friday night ... but the 11-0 fighter ain't content with just one belt in the trophy case -- he also wants UFC gold.

First things first, 30-year-old Eblen, a 6'3" rising star in the middleweight division, has his hands full against 36-year-old Mousasi. The men are scheduled to fight at Bellator 282 on Friday for the 185-pound belt.

"I've been preparing for moments like this my entire life," Eblen told TMZ Sports, adding ... "I'm ready to show up and show out and have fun out there."

But, during our convo it became clear Eblen's goal isn't just to be Bellator champ -- as impressive a feat as that is -- 'cause he also wants to be a champ in Dana White's organization.

"I want to be a champion in Bellator. I want to stay in Bellator for a little bit longer, make money here. And eventually, if the cards line up correctly, I want to make the switch and I want to be the best middleweight in the world. And, you have to go do that in the UFC now."

FYI, being both UFC and Bellator champion -- regarded by most as the two top MMA promotions -- is rarified air. In fact, only Eddie Alvarez and Cris "Cyborg" Justino have been the top dog in both orgs.

Of course, just beating Mousasi is an incredibly tall task. He's 49-7 ... and has beaten Austin Vanderford, John Salter, Douglas Lima, and Lyoto Machida in his last four fights. GM has been fighting professionally since 2003.

Like Eblen, the current #1 ranked contender, Austin was undefeated at 11-0 before running into a Mousasi buzzsaw.

But, Johnny doesn't see himself losing that "0" Friday night.

"At the end of the day, everybody's human. So, you just gotta remind yourself that. Obviously, he's a legend of the sport. But, this is what I signed up to do. I want to fight people like Mousasi. I want to fight people who are the best in the world to solidify my name, my skillset, and who I am."

Calvin Kattar's looking forward to Saturday night -- not just because he's headlining a major UFC card -- the MMA star's planning to hit up a delicious BBQ restaurant right after his fight.

"Excited to be out here. Texas is awesome," Kattar told TMZ Sports ... "Looking forward to getting some barbeque after the fight."

Kattar, the 34-year-old, #4 ranked UFC featherweight is one half of the Fight Night card Saturday night in Austin ... where he'll take on 37-year-old title contender Josh Emmett.

The featherweight weight limit is 145 pounds ... very light for a muscular, 5'11" fighter like Calvin.

So, no brisket before the weigh-in and fight (easier said than done in a place like Texas) -- but that doesn't mean his friends aren't indulging in the local fare -- something you'd think Kattar would NOT want his boys to do in front of him while he's cutting weight.

But, Calvin -- who has wins over Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige, and Jeremy Stephens -- isn't just a savage in Octagon.

"I have them bring [BBQ] home, eat it in front of me, I like to smell it. I'm sick, man. I like to watch them enjoy themselves. You know, we're only out here for so long, so if I can't take it in, I want them to."

(Calvin's clearly an awesome friend)

As for where a win leaves him in the division, Kattar isn't sure ... but he knows a win continues the momentum in the right direction.

"It's always one step closer with a win, that's all I know."

CK added ... "That's out of my control. Only thing that is in my control is the fight Saturday night and that's where my focus will be."

We also talked to Emmett (more fighting talk, less food). Josh is ranked 7 in the division ... and believes an (impressive) win could set him up for a title shot against either Alex Volkanovski or Max Holloway.

BREAKING!!!! DEVASTATING HAIR NEWS!!!!

UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has chopped off his AWESOME hair in favor of a .... buzz cut.

It's hard to describe the hairstyle pre-cut ... but it was long, high, and pretty damn cool. Sometimes he wore it in a bun.

Why'd he do it?! Jiri told Ariel Helwani it was about a new beginning.

“I cut my hair because I needed to end one chapter of my life. So now I can start with new energy, new wave. Honestly.”

Of course, Jiri just beat then-LHW champ Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 ... forcing the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to tap with less than 30 seconds left in the fight.

Prochazka was losing the fight ... but none of that mattered after the rear-naked choke.

Asked if he'd grow back the luscious locks, Jiri was indecisive.

UFC star Zabit Magomedsharipov -- considered one of the best 145 lb.'ers in the world -- is retiring from fighting at just 31 years old, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Zabit, who has a professional record of 18-1, last fought in November 2019 at UFC Fight Night 163. He beat fellow UFC star, and current 4th ranked featherweight Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision.

Obviously, Zabit hasn't been active ... and the reason why isn't entirely clear.

In fact, Magomedsharipov was once ranked in the top 5 ... but the UFC removed him because of inactivity.

Its tough news for MMA fans 'cause Zabit was one of the most exciting fighters to watch perform in the Octagon.

Aside from beating Kattar (who fighting Josh Emmett this Saturday), Zabit also beat Jeremy Stephens and Brandon Davis.

As for Zabit's plans for the future ... that's currently unclear.

Jiri Prochazka made history Saturday night -- becoming the first Czech fighter to win a UFC championship -- and thousands of delirious fans showed up to greet the home country hero on Monday.

29-year-old Prochazka was losing his UFC 275 title fight with Glover Teixeira ... but somehow, someway managed to get the 42-year-old champ's neck and force the tap-out with 28 seconds left in the 5-round fight.

The win made Jiri the first Czech-born champ ... and when the newly crowned champ arrived back in his hometown in Brno, there was a huge crowd waiting to give him a hero's welcome!

What's more impressive ... this was only Prochazka's 3rd fight in the UFC. He previously beat Volkan Oezdemir (July 2020) and Dominick Reyes (May 2021).

But, he's been fighting MMA (and other combat forms) for a long time ... going back professionally to 2012. Jiri's overall record is 29-3.

Two months after he went to battle with Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns is ready to return to the Octagon ... and he knows who he wants to face -- Jorge Masvidal!

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Burns -- who lost a (somewhat controversial) unanimous decision to Borz at UFC 273 on April 9 -- and Gilbert says he's dying to get back in the cage.

"It's been too much [time] already. I kind of start itching a little bit to be back in there and then we kind of see the possibilities and I think Jorge Masvidal is one of the possibilities and he's already shown a lot of interest and I got nothing but respect for the guy but its competitive feeling."

Burns says a scrap with Masvidal just makes sense ... he's ranked and very popular.

"I think Jorge Masvidal, he's a big name, he's the name that I'm looking forward to and I think we'll put on a show. UFC is interested, he's interested, I am. I think he got a little injury so we wait for him to get a little bit more recovery and we'll move forward."

Jorge's definitely interested, too.

In fact, when Durinho recently Tweeted a photo of Masvidal, Jorge responded with "Sounds good to me. Let's see."

We asked Burns how the fight with Gamebred -- who's on a three-fight losing streak would look ... and let's just say he's pretty confident he'll get the win.

"I'm gonna finish it. I don't care -- whatever it takes."

"I like that feeling that I had in the last fight like man, the guy's tough, the guy's coming to finish, the guy has all the hype and I think Masvidal kind of gonna bring a little bit of the same," GB says, adding, "That's the fight that I want, you know, a guy that I know is a BMF guy, coming hungry."

Masvidal is coming off three consecutive losses -- albeit against the top two ranked fighters in the division.

Colby Covington beat Jorge at UFC 272 in March 2022. Kamaru Usman twice defeated Masvidal ... at UFC 251 (July 2020) and UFC 261 (April 2021).

Despite the recent losses, JM has some great wins. He's beaten Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till, amongst many more.

Get this ... Burns, a jiujitsu black belt, says he's willing to agree to no takedowns in the fight ... so, strictly stand up, which is Masvidal's strength.

In closing, we asked Gilbert if he had a message for Jorge.

"Florida makes a lot of sense. I live here, he lives here. I do believe we can sell out any arena here and it's gonna be a show bro. I signed the dotted line. No takedowns. We gonna go to war."