MMA

UFC star Chris Weidman just shared some awful news ... his nephew was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer -- and he's now asking everyone for their help and support.

The former middleweight champ published a video message on his Instagram page on Thursday revealing that his nephew, Josh, was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in July. He said it's an extremely rare disease that "starts in the muscle tissue and usually affects athletic young kids."

Weidman said Josh will now have to undergo chemo for 42 weeks in order to try to fight it off.

The fighter explained the road is going to be a long one -- but he said there are ways people can pitch in and help.

Weidman urged his followers to share his video message, make a donation to Josh's GoFundMe page, and shave their heads to show solidarity with the boy.

In the 38-year-old's video message, Weidman, Josh's brothers, cousins and other family members were all seen cutting off their hair.

The mixed martial artist also shared some of Josh's basketball, football, wrestling and lacrosse highlight clips in his post.

"This is my family," Weidman said. "This is my nephew."

"I just want to be able to help out my family the best way I possibly can. I appreciate your help."

Maryna Moroz is showing the world a different side of her and making history in the process ... becoming the first fighter in UFC history to be featured and pose nude for Playboy Centerfold.

The 11-3 MMA fighter has made a name for herself by punishing opponents inside the Octagon ... but Moroz tells us she's embracing and leaning into a sexier, gentler side.

"Before, I was a very closed person," Moroz said. "Now, America changed me, and now I'm open, and I feel more energy when I show nude pictures."

Maryna says whenever she would post content where she was showing her body, she noticed the responses she received were largely positive -- and she liked the attention.

Moroz was so eager to tell the world about her newfound opportunity with Playboy ... her manager had to tell her not to prematurely reveal the big surprise too soon.

Although Moroz is stepping into a new arena, she reminded the combat world that fighting remains at the forefront of her mind as she prepares for her upcoming bout against Jennifer Maia in November.

"My life is like train, my pictures, rest, food, and that's it," Moroz said. "Super big fight for me, and I'm ready for it because I work hard and focus is always in training. I love my job!"

Maryna told us she's happy that her scheduled fight with Maia is still on after it appeared to be in jeopardy, but she's equally ecstatic that she gets to work with Playboy.

Moroz knows that working with Playboy may be viewed as deviating from the norm for fighters, but she's not worried about public perception, and most importantly she's happy.

"Playboy is super big for me," Moroz said. "It changed everything in my life, and now I am different. I am a different person."

Raul Rosas Jr. -- the 17-year-old who just inked a UFC deal -- is one of the most badass high schoolers in the world ... but, RR's so young, he tells TMZ Sports his mom and dad had to sign his contract!

It's a history-making signing for the UFC ... who made Rosas Jr. the youngest fighter to sign with the promotion after the teenager beat 25-year-old Mando Gutierrez earlier this week on the Contender Series.

We talked to the newest/youngest UFC fighter just days after inking the deal ... and while we may all be surprised he's reached this level as fast as he has, he isn't.

"No, not really [shocked] because I've been working my whole life for this moment. Right now, everything going into existence, but I'm grateful for this opportunity, but not impressed."

FYI, Rosas Jr. is 6-0 professionally (and 6-0 as an amateur) ... and fights in the bantamweight division.

The funny part ... 'cause Rosas Jr. is still a minor, his parents had to sign his contract.

"My parents got to sign too because I'm a minor. So parental guardians got to be on there, too."

But, make no mistake, this kid can fight ... and if you want to see how excited the UFC is for his arrival, just listen to Dana.

As for the reaction of his friends and peers, the 12th grader says many of his classmates are pumped about the achievement.

"A lot of them are happy and excited because they don't really know how this process works for me to get to the UFC. I never really explained it because it's a long process. They just like since middle school, like 'Hey when is Dana White gonna sign you?' Or stuff like that."

Lastly, we asked Raul if anyone messes with him at school.

His response? "No, no, no."

UFC fighter Eryk Anders loved his "Cobra Kai" debut so much he wants to continue acting if the right opportunities come up ... telling TMZ Sports it's "less hazardous" than fighting MMA.

No spoilers here ... but Anders was seen fighting in the new season of the Netflix series that was released earlier this month, and we must say, he did a good job for his first role.

He thought so, too ... and tells us even though he's a fighter in the world's biggest MMA promotion, he sees himself acting more in the future.

"I'd love to," Anders said, "if the right opportunities present itself."

"Timing is everything. It's a lot less hazardous to my health as well. As you can see my nose is crooked."

And, the 35-year-old already knows who he wants to work with ... after he gets his nose fixed, and lays down the gloves.

"Maybe something with The Rock," Anders said, "he seems to be the guy like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of now."

"All his movies seem to pretty surefire that it's gonna be a good movie. I think it would be kinda hard to bus with The Rock. I think that'd be dope."

That's no shade to the Cobra Kai actors like William Zabka who plays Johnny Lawrence -- in fact, Anders is a fan of the 'Karate Kid' legend.

"It was cool. It was quite an experience. I watched all the 'Karate Kid' as a kid growing up."

Cory Sandhagen says simply defeating Yadong Song isn't enough ... the #4 ranked fighter tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to destroy his opponent this weekend in grand fashion.

We talked to the 30-year-old star UFC fighter ... who admitted he wanted a higher-ranked opponent for Saturday's fight, but since he didn't get one, he must put on a spectacular performance.

"I just gotta beat these guys and I gotta beat them impressively and I gotta show that I'm one of the best guys in the world," Cory told us.

He continued ... "Against a guy like Song, I don't really feel like winning will be just enough for myself. I need to go out and dismantle Song and make him look like he doesn't really belong. That's gonna be the goal."

FYI, 24-year-old Song is ranked 10th in the UFC's Bantamweight division. Yadong is 8-1-1 since entering the promotion.

And, if Cory finds himself up a few rounds Saturday night ... don't look for him to coast.

"I think that that's a pretty bad mindset in a sport where it can end like this (snaps finger)."

Sandhagen is coming off two consecutive losses for the first time in his career. Cory lost to former champ T.J. Dillashaw in July 2021 at UFC Fight Night. Then, he was defeated by Petr Yan -- also a former champ -- at UFC 267 in October 2021.

Even though he lost to the absolute highest level of competition, Cory takes no solace. To him, a loss is a loss.

"I really don't give myself that excuse. All the losses feel the same. They felt the same when I was an amateur and they feel the same now as a professional even against the best guys. Nah man, the burn still burns the same."

Three losses aren't an option for Sandhagen ... who says he couldn't handle it.

"There's a little bit of an extra motivator there because I definitely hate losing and I don't know that my soul can take another hit. I don't know if it can take another third loss in a row and my pride and my ego, I don't think it can do that either."

Tyron Woodley's ready to give the people what they want ... a fight between the future UFC Hall of Famer and YouTube star-turned-boxer, KSI!

Some backstory -- KSI blasted out a poll to his 8 million Twitter followers, asking a simple question ... would you like to see me fight T-Wood, Dillon Danis, Slim, or Dr. Mike in January?

And, the winner (at the time we're writing), with 264,446 votes or 36% of the followers polled ... Tyron Woodley. So, we asked the MMA star if he was interested in the fight.

"KSI, I like that he's energetic, he's all into it, he's all over the place but he's gonna get f****d up playing around me. My new slogan is 'don't get f****d up by having me f****d up' and he's had me f****d up for a long time talking shit about my name."

40-year-old Woodley then sent a message directly to the 29-year-old YouTuber.

"KSI, I know you watching because you watch everything I do. You probably was a fan of me like everybody else. If you're watching this, you wanna be a fighter, you want the respect, get the full training camp to yourself as you requested."

"I'll get the full training camp. January, we can get it cracking. We can get it cracking in White Castle. We can get it cracking in U.K. We can get it cracking in Vegas."

As for the fighter's resumes ... Woodley, of course, is one of the best MMA fighters of all time.

But, KSI isn't a scrub. He recently fought twice in one night ... albeit against overmatched opponents. He knocked out Swarmz and 2-5 pro boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda at the O2 Arena in London.

Woodley also broke down some of what he was dealing with behind the scenes leading up to the second Jake Paul fight, and he expressed interest in a scrap with Tommy Fury.

Bottom line ... Tyron is anything but retired, and he's ready to dole out an ass whoopin'!

A Polish MMA fighter violently attacked a YouTuber in the middle of an interview Tuesday -- sucker punching the guy square in the jaw -- and the wild scene was all captured on video.

The brutal blow went down just seconds after internet personality Sadek had begun answering questions from journalist Monica Laskowska.

While the man was in the middle of a response, Amadeusz “Ferrari” Roslik -- a professional MMA fighter -- walked up to the two, and then blasted Sadek right in the face.

The punch knocked Sadek to the ground -- causing him to bleed from his mouth. Miraculously, the guy was somehow able to get up and finish the interview.

According to multiple reports, Roslik had been upset with Sadek over comments he had made about the fighter and his family.

Roslik -- who's slated to fight on Saturday against Pawel "Scarface" Bomba -- isn't facing any legal ramifications as of now, MMANews reported on Thursday.

As for Sadek, it's unclear if he suffered any serious injuries from the punch -- though he appeared to tell Laskowska afterward that he was OK, and finished the interview.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Roslik has lost his temper during a press event -- back in March, while in the middle of an interview, he threw multiple punches at his opponent after being slapped. Roslik appeared to knock the man unconscious in the fracas -- before stomping on his head area.

A Chick-fil-A worker looked more like Conor McGregor during an incident at one of the popular fast food joint's Florida locations this week ... thwarting an alleged carjacking by putting a wild MMA move on the suspect.

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, the altercation went down after 43-year-old William Branch grabbed the car keys from a woman holding a baby and then attempted to steal her vehicle.

Cops say the woman screamed for help -- and that's when a young Chick-fil-A employee sprung into action.

Video shot by a witness shows the man latched on to Branch -- and put the guy in a guillotine ... before taking him to the ground.

The restaurant staffer then wrestled with Branch for several moments -- before eventually subduing him.

Cops later arrived on the scene and arrested Branch, booking him on charges of carjacking with a weapon and battery. They later commended the Chick-fil-A worker for his bravery.

"A major shout-out to this young man for his courage!" police said in a statement.

Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou died Sunday following a battle with cancer. He was only 34 years old.

Theodorou had been courageously fighting stage 4 liver cancer ... but chose to share the diagnosis with only select people who were close to him.

Elias -- an outgoing and personable dude outside the cage -- was a heck of a fighter inside it. During his years in the UFC, Theodorou posted an 8-3 record with wins over Eryk Anders and Sam Alvey.

ET was also an advocate for the use of medical marijuana in combat sports ... believing the herb to be safer and more beneficial than prescription drugs.

Elias last fought in December 2021 ... against Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10, where he won by unanimous decision. Overall, ET was 19-3 professionally.

Back in 2018, Theodorou became the first "ring boy" ... when he worked the Invicta FC (all women's MMA promotion), strutting around the cage like Arianny Celeste.

We spoke to Elias at the time (March 2018) ... and he couldn't have been cooler.

Gilbert Burns tells TMZ Sports he and Jorge Masvidal have verbally agreed to a fight ... and the only question is whether it'll go down December in Vegas or January in Brazil!

36-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when we asked him whether rumors of a Masvidal fight were accurate.

"I spoke with [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby [two weeks ago] and they said that's a fight that they want, you know, and I said, 'For sure, there's no plan B.'"

"We wanna do you and Masvidal," Gilbert says Shelby told him.

Burns, who last fought in April against Khamzat Chimaev (it was a very close fight -- Chimaev was awarded the decision), says the bout will in all likelihood happen at the end of 2022, or the beginning of 2023.

"[UFC] just gonna figure out Pay-Per-View in December or Pay-Per-View in January, but the fight is verbally accepted from him, from me, so I'm just waiting to confirm if it's gonna be December 10th in Vegas or if he has the balls to go to Brazil, UFC Rio, January 21st."

"I don't think he will show up in Brazil but we'll see. I'm just waiting for the UFC and for Jorge to accept. C'mon Jorge! Let's do it!"

Of course, Durinho is from Rio de Janeiro.

37-year-old Masvidal last fought in March ... a decision loss to Colby Covington. Before that fight, Jorge fought then-champ Kamaru Usman twice.

Gilbert says he plans to follow up with the UFC after 279 this weekend, and he's ready to fight no matter where the location, but ... he really hopes it'll be in his home country.

Khamzat Chimaev just stepped on the scale during weigh-ins ... and the UFC star weighed a whopping 7.5 pounds over the 171-pound limit -- putting his highly anticipated fight with Nate Diaz in jeopardy.

Diaz and Chimaev are the main event at UFC 279 -- where they're fighting at welterweight (170 pounds) -- but when it came time for the 28-year-old undefeated fighter to get on the scale, he clocked in at 178.5 pounds.

It didn't seem like Khamzat was upset or remorseful, either ... he flipped the middle finger up as he was about to step off the scale.

He also Tweeted an altered image with training partner Darren Till.

FYI, during non-title fights, the UFC allows fighters to be one pound overweight ... meaning Khamzat could've made weight weighing 171 pounds. But, he wasn't even close.

In fact, 178.5 pounds puts Chimaev closer to the Middleweight division (185 pounds) ... where he has also previously fought.

Nate weighed in at 171 pounds.

Now, the question is, what happens to the fight?? There's a chance the bout could be scrapped ... or, Khamzat will be forced to give up a healthy chunk of his fight check to Diaz.

Story developing ...

Gilbert Burns -- the last man to share an Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev -- says despite Nate Diaz being a huge underdog, the star from Stockton can absolutely beat Borz on Saturday!

36-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where we asked the #4 ranked UFC welterweight if Diaz could truly get a W.

"I'm looking forward to Nate Diaz surviving that storm that [Khamzat's] gonna bring in the first two rounds but after that I think Nate Diaz got a chance," Burns said.

"I think the first two rounds are gonna be very rough for Diaz but the veteran that he is and a lot of experience, I hope he gets through those two rounds and then I think the fights gonna turn to the other side."

FYI, Chimaev is around a 10-to-1 favorite ... meaning you'll risk around $1K just to win $100.

Of course, 37-year-old Diaz hasn't consistently fought over the last few years. In fact, Nate's only had one scrap since late 2019 ... a loss in June 2021 to now-champ Leon Edwards.

Speaking of Edwards, Nate hurt Leon in the 5th round of their fight. And, that's why Burns thinks he can beat Khamzat ... Diaz has an incredible gas tank, while Khamzat hasn't yet proven he can fight 5 rounds.

"I want Nate Diaz to win and I hope he survives the first two rounds and then put on a beating on Khazmat. I know he can do it," Burns told us, adding ... "It's gonna be tough the first two rounds. After that, the gas tank of Khazmat slows down."

"Five rounds is different brother."

While UFC 279 is about Nate and Khamzat, Gilbert is looking to get back in the Octagon with Chimaev ... whom he fought in April 2022. Burns lost the razer close fight by decision ... but pushed Khamzat further than any other fighter had previously.

That contest was just three rounds ... and Gilbert believes if they fought a full five rounds, there's no question he would've won.

"100%. It's very hard to say, but I do believe I would've won and I do believe if we fight again, I'm gonna beat him."

Tai Emery proved she belongs as a pro fighter, but she likely won't have to do it for money, 'cause the new BKFC star tells TMZ Sports her OnlyFans page EXPLODED after she flashed her boobs from the ring!

And, we're not talking doubling or tripling subscribers ... Emery's OF page saw a 62-fold increase in fans paying to access her content -- or a 6,150% increase.

If you're doing the math ... T.E. charges $10 a month to access her content. Last week she was bringing in about $400 ... and it's money she's relied upon to survive. Now, Tai's going to be raking in around $25K a month ... or $300K per year.

"Holy moly," Tai said, "My OnlyFans went maybe 40 to maybe [2,500], or something like that."

If you missed it, in her BKFC debut, Emery, a former LFL football player, knocked out opponent Rung-Arun Khunchai with an uppercut and hook combo that sent her crashing to the canvas. As the ref called an end to the fight, Tai jumped on the ropes, pulled down her sports bra, and flashed her breasts as the Bangkok crowd cheered, a bit stunned.

But, did the R-rated celebration get Tai in any hot water with BKFC honchos or athletic commission officials?

Nope!

"I have been completely enabled to continue to be myself, and so I shall."

We asked if fans should expect another show after her future fights ... and let's just say Emery's well on her way to being a big draw.

"For sure. I'm trying to get it to a point where maybe there's like gonna be a reflection of a sea of t**ties just looking back at me in like this army of salute, from men to women."

Nate Diaz has a huge fight next weekend, but the scrap with Khamzat Chimaev isn't stopping the superstar from Stockton from launching his very own fight promotion, Real Fight, Inc.

TMZ Sports is told 37-year-old Nate, one of the most popular fighters in the world, will apply to become a promoter of combat sporting events sometime over the next few weeks ... with a specific focus on "boxing, MMA, and BJJ," according to team Diaz.

It's a path we recently saw Khabib Nurmagomedov take, when after retiring, he launched Eagle FC ... his own MMA promotion. Khabib's been able to sign fighters like Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez to his promotion.

The difference with Khabib and Nate ... Diaz isn't done competing.

"The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active.  Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years," Diaz's team tells us.

As for the fighters Nate's looking for, they told us this ... "The promotion will look attract fighters from around the world, whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of 'Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit...'”

Kevin Holland, UFC star and real-life superhero, tells TMZ Sports he's done saving people near his home in Texas ... after cops in the area jammed him up for minor traffic violations!

You may recall, the 29-year-old fighter risked life and limb on (not one but) two occasions within the last year. In October, Kevin stopped an alleged carjacker, chasing down, and holding the would-be thief until police arrived and arrested the man.

Then, just a few months later, Holland risked his own life when he stopped an alleged gun-wielding man who pulled a weapon at a local sushi spot.

But, Holland -- who's fighting Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 on September 10 (more on that later) -- says local law enforcement recently gave him a hard time for a traffic-related incident, so he's done doing their jobs.

"I got pulled over one night on my way to the airport, right, and they were like, 'we gotta book you., I'm like, 'book me for what?' They're like 'for tickets,' I'm like 'tickets? How much are the tickets? I got the money right now, I'll pay you.'"

Unfortunately, they dragged Kevin down to the station ... before finally letting him pay (he's a star athlete -- he's got the cash). It took hours before he was cut loose.

"I'm there for like 3, 4 hours -- this is way back on my birthday. I missed the flight, you know, I was picking someone up from the airport," Holland says, adding, "So, they gotta Uber to the house and I'm like bro, I just literally stopped a shooting a week ago and y'all gonna book me for some tickets?"

Harmless detainment aside, we asked Holland if local authorities ever honored him for his genuinely heroic acts.

"No. They give you one of these (flips middle finger)! Stay out of our way kid!"

But, Kevin continued, saying it was never about recognition.

"The good thing is I don't do it for the medal or anything like that. It's just when you see something bad going on, the right thing to do is the right thing to do, but I ain't gonna lie, it was funny as hell when [the arrest] happened. All my boys were like, 'this why I ain't doing s**t good, I ain't helpin' nobody.'"

The good news is as long as you're not in the Ft. Worth area ... Kevin says he's got your back.

"I ain't doing nothing to Saginaw no more, man. I'll help everybody else anywhere else. If you in Saginaw, I ain't helping you."

As for Holland's fight with 35-year-old Rodriguez (16-2, 8 KOs), Kevin's unfazed by his opponent's trash talk (and there's been a lot of it).

"It seems like he's forcing it, trying to sell some stuff," Holland said ... "Do your thing, bro!"

Kevin also breaks down who the UFC offered him, why he and Daniel are fighting at a catchweight of 180 lbs., and much more.

His prediction for September 10??

Tai Tuivasa is feeling horny, and it can only mean one thing ... it's time to fight!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 29-year-old, #3 ranked UFC heavyweight ahead of his UFC Fight Night scrap with #1 ranked challenger, Ciryl Gane ... in Paris, where Bon Gamin lives and trains. We asked Tai what he had to look out for fighting CG.

"Ciryl is a great athlete. Great competitor. Really good fighter. There's gonna be a few challenges, but I think he's got a bit to worry about as well, know what I mean? I'm gonna do what Bam Bam does and come to fight, and I'm gonna bring the fire, that's for sure."

FYI, Gane is coming off a loss to Francis Ngannou in January (unanimous decision). It was the first loss of his career (10-1). Tai has won his last 5 ... including wins over Derrick Lewis, Greg Hardy and Stefan Struve.

Anyone who's watched Tuivasa fight knows win or loss (there's been a lot more winning than losing), he's going to throw bombs, and someone is going to sleep. That's why he's a fan favorite.

On September 3rd, he's going into enemy territory ... but you already know Tai isn't the least bit worried.

"I look at it as an opportunity to earn more fans from another country and another place. So yeah, I'm excited. I definitely came to find some new French fans."

There's even more than a possible title shot and new fans on the line ... Tai says his contract's up after the Ciryl fight, and he's looking to get a solid pay increase.

"All I'm focused on is winning this Saturday and negotiating a new contract for bigger money," Tuivasa says.

"I'm a prize fighter. I know that if I win this weekend, it's going to help me dramatically in my next contract negotiation."

If he wins, Tai says he's eager to sample the French beer ... when he does a shoe-y.

"My mates have been having beers at breakfast. They said it tastes pretty good, so I'm definitely keen to give it a swirl!"

We also asked Tai about Jon Jones -- a  possible future opponent for Tai. Tuivasa recently made news when he called Jones the best fighter ever, but also called him a "d******d."

Tai's clearly interested in the fight, but says Gane's his only focus right now.