MMA

Biaggio Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's MMA fighting grandson, may have gotten into the family business, but the PFL star doesn't fight exactly like his legendary grandpa ... "He always said 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.' I want to sting like a scorpion!"

"Honestly, that is what I would say my style's like," Ali Walsh told Babcock in a sit-down with TMZ Sports. "You float, you're light, you're smooth, and when you go, it hurts, it stings. That's the kind of style I want to portray."

And, that's exactly what he's done so far in his handful of MMA fights. After losing his first-ever contest by rear naked choke, Biaggio's looked incredibly impressive -- and powerful -- in the cage.

First, he defeated Bradley Seaver by TKO in under three minutes in August 2022. Shortly after, Biaggio signed with PFL. They pitted him against Tom Graesser ... who only lasted 45 seconds with Ali Walsh during their November 2022 contest.

The potentially scary part is that he's only had three amateur fights, and only started training a few years back.

"I think I'm improving a lot. I believe I was blessed with an athletic ability. An ability to adapt, too. I've just been improving. Staying consistent. I've been grappling, wrestling, doing jiu-jitsu., striking, just blending all the martial arts because that's what you have to do in MMA," Biaggio said.

We also asked Biaggio what his grandfather would've thought about MMA (some boxing purists hate the sport), and Ali Walsh says his grandpa not only would've been into mixed martial arts, but he would've connected with one fighter in particular -- The Notorious.

"I think he would've been a big fan of MMA, especially at the time when Conor [McGregor] was in his featherweight run, doing his peak trash talk. He would've loved it."

We also talked to Biaggio about the pressure of being a fighter related to "The Greatest," when he plans to turn pro, what he wants to accomplish as a fighter (and beyond) and much more!

Yianni Diakomihalis, 4x NCAA Freestyle Wrestling National Champion, tells TMZ Sports there's a distinct possibility he gets into MMA ... BUT, not before he makes a run at the United States Olympic team, where he's gunning for gold!

23-year-old Diakomihalis is without exaggeration one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers of all time, becoming just the fifth competitor to win the title four times. The question now has become ... what's next?

"It's a super time, right, coming off a really big milestone in my life and now I have a lot of opportunities presented to me. Obviously, for me, that ultimate goal of being Olympic champ is right in front of me. That's the big thing on my mind right now," Yianni told us.

Diakomihalis continued, explaining the personal importance of the Olympics.

"It's been my dream since I was a little kid like that, and it's something that I don't think I could turn away from and go compete in something else."

FYI, Yianni won the NCAA title at 141 lbs. in 2018 and 2019. After a redshirt season, he won the title at 149 lbs. in 2022 and 2023.

The next Summer Games are in 2024 in France ... where Yianni hopes he'll represent the USA.

We asked him if he was considering transitioning to MMA after the 2024 Games.

"I got a ton of respect for a guy who makes a living getting in there and getting punched in the face. That's an incredibly difficult and tough thing to do. It's one of those things that sounds super cool, sounds like it would be fun to try. I can't imagine not pursuing [the Olympics]. Who knows what's gonna happen in the future, what might change, but right now that's what's really at the forefront of my mind."

Of course, we've seen uber-successful wrestlers like Henry Cejudo (Olympic gold medal winner), Bo Nickal (3x NCAA champ), and others who have successfully transitioned from wrestling to MMA. On the other hand, a wrestling star like Jordan Burroughs opted to never take a punch or kick to the face in a cage.

We also talked to the 4x champ, politics aside, about President Donald Trump attending the NCAA Finals ... and YD believes it's a big plus for the sport, as it's bringing new eyeballs to freestyle wrestling.

Conor McGregor put down the UFC gloves and threw on his Dad hat Wednesday ... taking his fiancee and kids out to Disney World for a family outing -- and it was cute as hell!!

Check out photos we obtained of The Notorious and his partner, Dee Devlin, inside of Animal Kingdom in Florida ... he showed he truly does have a softer side, pushing his kids around in strollers -- while snagging them gifts all over the park.

You can see in some of the images, he got an Avatar-themed spear for his little ones ... and even appeared to get an Avatar tail for one of the munchkins, too.

No mouse ears for McGregor -- he opted for a cap promoting his beer -- but Devlin was in the spirit, rockin' a Minnie hat.

Witnesses tell us McGregor, who had security in tow for the trip, was in a great mood -- as was Dee, who was all smiles.

Of course, McGregor is known to be a huge fan of the Mouse ... he was spotted at Disneyland back in 2020, cheesin' in a Donald Duck hat.

Tyson Fury is in a MUCH better mood after going TF off on Oleksandr Usyk earlier Thursday ... 'cause the boxing superstar announced his wife is pregnant with their 7th baby!!

Just hours ago, the Gypsy King publicly unleashed on Usyk after the two sides couldn't agree on terms to throw hands in the ring next month ... cussing up a storm and claiming his potential opponent was scared.

But Tyson transformed into a completely different man a short time after ... smiling from ear to ear as he shared the big news on Instagram.

"All is not lost!" Tyson said. "I get to do Date night with my beautiful pregnant wife [Paris]. 7th [baby] incoming."

"fantastic news to cheer me up."

Of course, Fury has previously made his intentions to expand their family very clear ... saying he was ready to put a "bun in her oven" last year.

The Furys have kids ranging from one to 13 years ... and even with lucky #7 on the way, there's no telling when they'll be done growing their family!!

Tyson Fury is LIVID with Oleksandr Usyk after their fight negotiations came to a screeching halt this week ... with the heavyweight champion calling his potential opponent a "bug-eyed, gappy teeth, ugly little rat bastard" after the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

"You little slimy f***er," Fury (33-0-1) said in the scathing clip on Thursday. "Tried all week to get out of it, begging for a rematch [clause] like a little girl. You got your rematch [clause] and didn’t even want to fight at that."

Fury and Usyk (20-0) were initially slated to fight on April 29 ... but that ain't happening now, after both sides couldn't see eye-to-eye over how to handle a potential second bout.

Fury claims his team presented the best possible outcome ... but ultimately, Usyk never wanted to fight him in the first place.

"You little shithouse p***y," Fury added. "Always know, p***y, that you were never man enough to tangle with the Gypsy King ever in your life, you little s***house. You little 14-stone coward. You little s***bag, you rat little bastard."

Fury wasn't done there ... but you get the gist.

There's still hope the fight between the two undefeated boxers -- which would have been a four-belt unification bout -- can still happen ... but fans will have to wait.

Belal Muhammad adamantly believes he, NOT Colby Covington, is the fighter most deserving of a title shot vs. Leon Edwards ... and the UFC star says he's willing to prove it in The Octagon!

"I would love to punch Colby in the face. I would love to go out there, let's do it. You think you're the best in the world? You think you're the number one contender, come and get it from me. I'm the rightful number one contender, who the world thinks is the number one contender," 34-year-old Belal told TMZ Sports.

Of course, Dana White wasted no time tapping 35-year-old Covington, the #2-ranked welterweight, as Edwards' next opponent during his post-UFC 286 media session, saying "[Colby] deserves the fight."

The revelation was met almost immediately with outrage from Covington's critics, who point out he's just 2-2 over his last four fights, including two losses to Kamaru.

Meanwhile, Muhammad, ranked fourth in the division, hasn't lost since facing Geoff Neal in January 2019. Throwing out a no contest against a pre-champion Edwards after an inadvertent eye poke, Belal's riding an eight-fight win streak.

During the run, BM beat Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, Vicente Luque, and then-undefeated rising star, Sean Brady, who Muhammad handed his first pro loss.

FYI, Usman is the #1 ranked WW, but obviously isn't getting an immediate rematch. After Colby comes Khamzat Chimaev, the #3 ranked WW. Then Belal. The rankings then go ... Gilbert Burns at five, and Shavkat Rakhmonov at six (more on him in a moment).

Belal believes the work he's done in the cage should warrant him the opportunity to fight for the championship.

"Bro, I don't think there's nobody that doesn't think that I actually deserve, like if they truly look in their hearts, and if they have an IQ, they'll know that I'm the true number one contender.  I'm the true guy that's earned it."

Muhammad continued ... "I put the work in. I put the time in. I fought every single person they put in front of me. I fought backward my last one when I didn't want to, and they forced me to, and I still beat this undefeated kid [Brady], and it was by finish. To get a finish like that, I figured it was 100% gonna happen."

Then, it came as no surprise when we asked Belal about Shavkat's impressive win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ... and while he was very complimentary of the Kazakh fighter, he made it clear he's not looking to fight a guy below him in the rankings.

"Why am I gonna have to fight downward again to fight another hot prospect? It really doesn't make any sense. Why am I the only guy fighting backward when there's guys ahead of me that aren't fighting at all?"

MMA fighter Iuri Lapicus -- who recently fought ex-UFC star Eddie Alvarez -- has died following a motorcycle crash in Italy last week, ONE Championship announced Monday.

He was just 27 years old.

The 14-2 fighter lost control of his motorbike in Northwest Milan on Friday, according to Milano Today, and was thrown several feet from the crash site. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital, the outlet reported, and had remained in a coma ... until he tragically succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

One Championship, the org. Lapicus began fighting for in 2019, said following the news of his passing that it's "heartbroken."

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones at this difficult time," the org said in a statement to ESPN.

Lapicus had fought five times in the ONE Championship, logging a 2-2 record. His April 2021 bout against Alvarez ultimately ended in a no-contest.

His last fight was against Zebaztian Kadestam on Aug. 26, 2022 ... but the Modolvan-Italian fighter lost, going down in Round 1 via KO.

Leon Edwards may officially be UFC champion, but Kamaru Usman says Rocky knows who's truly the best 170 lb. fighter, and it's not him ... it's "The Nigerian Nightmare."

35-year-old Usman joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... just days before his highly-anticipated rematch in London against 31-year-old Edwards.

"At the end of the day when you are at home and you look at yourself in the mirror, you know who you are, you know if you're the best and you know if you're not the best," Usman said.

"There's nothing that he can tell himself that 'I'm the best' because you haven't proven that. Of course, you threw the Hail Mary and it landed and you have that belt but deep down inside, he knows what I've done to his heart and this Saturday, I'm gonna remind him."

Of course, Edwards was dominated for most of their UFC 278 in August 2022 ... and went into the fifth and final round needing a knockout to win the belt. In stunning fashion, Leon landed a perfectly placed/timed left round kick to Kamaru's head with just over one minute left in the fight, ending one of the best title runs in welterweight history.

We asked Usman if he planned to approach the fight differently ... perhaps using his wrestling more as a way to mitigate Edwards' striking ability.

"[Leon] has no answer for what I bring to the table as a mixed martial artist. Why change anything?" Kamaru responded.

"Of course, be mindful and keep your damn hands up so you don't get kicked in the head again but at the same time, I believe I'm the better mixed martial artist and this Saturday I can't wait to prove it again to the world!"

Kamaru and Leon are knotted up at one win a piece. The winner of Saturday's fight not only wins the trilogy but will leave the welterweight champ.

"I think the world knows who the better mixed martial artist is, and I can't wait to go in there and prove that on Saturday."

UFC 286 goes down from London's O2 Arena -- in Edwards' backyard -- Saturday afternoon!

We also talked to former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou about his good friend Kamaru's upcoming title fight, and while The Predator has respect for Leon, there's no doubt about who he's pulling for at UFC 286.

UFC fighter Jeff Molina is opening up on his sexuality after a video showing him performing a sex act on another man was leaked to social media this week ... saying he was stripped of the opportunity to announce he is bisexual the way he wanted.

The 25-year-old shared an emotional statement to Twitter on Friday ... saying, "Not the way I wanted to do this but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me."

"I've tried to keep my dating life private from social media," Molina continued. "I've dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school being on the wrestling team, throughout college pursuing MMA, and even after making part of the dream happen and getting into the UFC."

"The thought of my buddies, teammates and ppl I look up to looking at me different let alone treating me different for something I can't control was something I couldn't fathom."

Molina -- 11-2 so far in his career and 3-0 in UFC -- has previously shown support for the LGBTQ+ community ... wearing the Pride Month shorts for his fight in June 2022.

Molina -- who's currently suspended for his alleged role in a betting scheme -- said he was not planning to come out during his career ... adding he wanted to be known for his skills rather than being the "'bi UFC fighter' that I'm sure would just be translated to 'gay UFC fighter.'"

Molina's announcement makes him the first openly LGBTQ+ male member of the UFC.

"At the end of the day I know my character, morals, and who I am as a person. As much as I'm getting hated/s****** on I'm getting an equal amount of support & it means a f*** ton."

If the MMA awards ever add a "best son" category, just give the damn trophy to Derek Brunson ... the UFC star just bought his mom a new car!

39-year-old Brunson, the 8th ranked UFC middleweight in the world, surprised his mom with a brand-spankin' new 2023 car ... and it's pretty awesome.

"Got Mom a 2023 Nissan Sentra one of my. Best purchase so far. We’re almost even from changing my stinky diapers 😂❤️" DB wrote on social media.

Of course, Brunson's been in Dana White's organization since 2012. In his first UFC fight, Derek beat Chris Leben by unanimous decision.

Brunson's long been one of the ten best 185 lb. fighters in the promotion ... and has wins over beasts like Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Lyota Machida, amongst many others.

Derek lost his last scrap at UFC 285 against Dricus Du Plessis ... and there's talk it could've been his last time in the Octagon.

It's actually not the first time Derek's bought mom a new whip. Back in 2020, he talked about the sacrifices his mother made for him, and explained why he made the big purchase for her.

"In 2004 my mom went into her bank account she worked super hard for and purchased my first car. 2020 I went in my bank account I worked super hard for and purchased her a car. Life is such a cycle. Take care of those who take care of you! ❤️"

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones ain't happening (at least no time soon), but there's another megafight seemingly on the horizon ... The Predator tells us he's currently discussing a two-fight deal with former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder!

TMZ Sports talked to 36-year-old Ngannou -- a combat sports free agent after parting ways with the UFC in January -- and now the question is who does Francis fight, in what discipline, and where does it go down.

It's looking more and more like the answer to those questions are 37-year-old Wilder, boxing, and in Africa.

"We are looking into [Deontay Wilder] because he's available. He's ready for that. He's very excited about [a fight with me]. He wants it. So, we are looking into that. That's something I'm very excited about. We even discussed a potential one fight in Africa and one fight somewhere else. Why not even the two fights in Africa?", Francis told us.

Of course, Ngannou and Wilder are arguably the hardest/biggest punchers in all of combat sports.

12 of Francis' 17 wins came by knockout ... and his KO of Alistair Overeem may be the most brutal punch in recent UFC memory.

As for the Bronze Bomber, all but one of his 43 victories came by knockout.

Both guys clearly have the power to end the fight with a single shot ... but Francis tells us it's about more than simply throwing big power punches, and hoping one connects.

"I can knock everybody out. I have to be clear about something. To hit that person you have to get a clear shot which is more about technique and experience I don't have. So, I'm very aware of that aspect," Ngannou says.

"It's not like 'hit me, I hit you, and then we see who goes down.' It's a combat sport. Everybody trying not to get hit. I'm thinking more about the technique or the boxing side of it. The beauty of it. Then at the end, if you get an opportunity to connect then good. If not, I'm still expecting to win that fight in the decision so that's how I'm preparing myself."

There's much more ... we also talked to Francis about Jon Jones calling him a "big ole p***y," the possibility of signing to Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, and Dana White telling us he believes Ngannou would've been easily handled just like Ciryl Gane was at UFC 285.

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is ... a fan just spent over $13K on a card that was signed and kissed by Paige VanZant!

The first edition card hit auction last week on eBay ... and after 102 bids, the 1-of-1 sold for exactly $13,200, and the Bare Knuckle FC boxer was hyped!

"Thank you to everyone who bid," the 28-year-old said on Monday via Instagram. "This was a really cool experience for me ♥"

The card is pretty sweet ... it features a photo of VanZant in her boxing gear with a pink lip print and she proves the kiss was from her lips by sharing a picture of her kissing the card.

She also signed it with her name and "XOXO".

The whole idea was to help launch her husband, Bellator star Austin Vanderford's new shop where you can buy, sell, and/or trade sports cards.

"Go bid while you can and take a look at everything he’s got for sale if your into football cards :) And follow @vanderford_cards for new listings," VanZant said.

Of course, if you follow the couple, you know they support each other in a big way ... ever since getting married in 2018.

"Oh the places we have been," VanZant said in a recent IG video of Austin. "And oh the places we will go. ❤️ @austinvanderford"

"I don't think fans wanna tune in to see me wrestle. They damn sure don't tune in to see me do Brazilian jiu-jitsu. So, why not cut the fat and get right to the meat and potatoes."

That's former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, 39 -- one of the greatest lightweight mixed martial artists in history -- on why he's decided to leave MMA for bare knuckle boxing.

Alvarez recently inked a deal with BKFC ... and will fight 37-year-old fellow former UFC star Chad Mendes on April 29.

The men have over 60 pro MMA fights combined (Eddie has 40), but Alvarez points out the sports are considerably different, including the fact that cuts are very prevalent.

"There's a lot of little subtleties that I learned when I went to the event myself. Usually you get cut about a minute or two into the fight, typically there's a cut that goes on and you have to learn and you gotta learn to fight with that," Eddie says.

And, cuts are a serious factor, according to Alvarez, who says seeing one's own blood can screw with a fighter's head.

"Some guys could be world champs, undefeated. Never seen their own blood and when they do, you get to see the bitch in them real quick. You need to see your own blood a few times," Eddie tells us, adding, "I'm very familiar with my own blood. I know what it tastes like, smells like, and oftentimes I don't feel like I'm in a fight until I'm cut."

The Underground King says there are more differences between the sport.

"There's even smaller margin for error. And it's a sprint, not a marathon. You need to be ready when that bell rings. There's no feeling out process."

Eddie and Chad aren't the only combat sports stars on the card. Former UFC champ Luke Rockhold is also boxing former UFC star "Platinum" Mike Perry the same night, and we spoke to the 38-year-old fighter.

"It's different, it's intriguing, and it's f****** scary. F****** crazy shit. I'm a f****** crazy man."

Aside from being a great fighter, Rockhold's also a model (he was previously the face of a Polo Ralph Lauren advertising campaign), so we asked him he if was concerned about his moneymaker getting damaged (see Eddie's comments above about the cuts).

"Do I seem like I'm worried about my face?" Luke joked, adding ... "Mike Perry should be worried about his face cause I plan on putting it right on his f****** nose!"

"I wanna make that nose a little more crooked."

MMA fans are clamoring for a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou megafight ... but Dana White says there's nothing to see there, 'cause the new heavyweight champ would've demolished "The Predator" much like he did Ciryl Gane last weekend!

The UFC president joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... when White was asked if he could foresee any situation where he'd welcome Ngannou back to the UFC and make the Francis-Jon fight.

"I'm not interested," Dana said.

"I tried to make that fight for two years. He didn't want the fight. Know what I mean? He didn't want the fight, and he left here without even having another deal in place. And, I know how the boxing world is, it's crazy, but Francis didn't want to [fight Jones]."

Don't be too disappointed ... White says Francis almost certainly would've been easy work for the G.O.A.T.

"Let me tell you what, I think, a lot of other people feel this way, I think that's exactly the way the fight would've gone if [Ngannou] was in there, too."

Of course, Jon made Ciryl look like light work at UFC 285 ... taking him down and forcing a tap out in a shade over 2 minutes.

Dana, using some MMA math, explained why Ngannou wouldn't have stood much of a chance.

"[Francis] and Ciryl had a five-round war, and if Ciryl doesn't go for that submission, Ciryl probably wins that fight. At the end of the 5th round there."

FYI, Ngannou won their UFC 270 scrap in January 2022 by unanimous decision, but it was a very close fight.

Dana then answered the original question -- can you see yourself making JJ vs. FN?

"No."

We also talked to White about the next big heavyweight matchup, Stipe Miocic vs. Jones. There's talk the fight will go down at UFC 290 on July 8 during International Fight Week, but Dana says nothing's set in stone, and there's not much time to get a deal done.

Dana also said he wouldn't be surprised if this is 35-year-old Jones' last fight.

"I wouldn't be shocked either if he fights Stipe and then retires."

We also talked to Dana about his upcoming Power Slap 1 event, going down Saturday night in Las Vegas. The card features four title fights ... including the two top-ranked heavyweights in the world.

White says he sees parallels between Power Slap/slap fighting and the UFC in its early days, when MMA was viewed as being brutal and too violent.

Dana also broke some news about the future of "Power Slap: Road To The Title," announcing they've signed a two-year deal. White says the next season will take place in Dubai.

Who's the greatest MMA fighter ever??

Demetrious Johnson, who's absolutely in the conversation, says it's an impossible question to answer because "we've all done amazing things in this sport of mixed martial arts." But, forced to answer, Mighty Mouse says it's the newly crowned heavyweight champ Jon Jones ... following his dismantling of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

"I've had the longest consecutive title defense, and I've also had 14 world title fight wins. I believe he's at 15 [straight] now. You look at GSP. I think he took four years off and he fought in 2013 against Johny Hendricks. Then he came back in 2017 and beat Michael Bisping, who was a champion. You look at Anderson Silva, we've all done amazing things in mixed martial arts."

The former longtime UFC champ turned ONE Championship champ told us he "always felt" Jon was the G.O.A.T., and actually believes he could've beaten 247 lb. Gane without gaining any weight.

"Jon Jones, what he did to Gane Saturday night, I mean, he took him down and choked him out. I truly believe he could've done that at 205 [lbs.]"

"The one thing that separates those guys from me, those guys have gone up and competed and won a world championship in a different weight class, where I haven't.

"Henry Cejudo's done it, Jon's done it, Randy Couture's done it, the list just goes on and on of all the guys who have done it, and that's one thing I haven't done."

Fighters like Couture, Georges St-Pierre, and Khabib have all retired, so they're done adding to their resumes. But, Mighty Mouse isn't. He's still very much fighting with ONE, and he's got a big fight coming up.

DJ's fighting Adriano Moraes on May 5 ... one of the best ONE matchups. The guys have fought twice previously, with each man winning once.

"He's the reason a lot of my nation was inspired to do MMA. He's the reason we all believed we could do it. He inspired me to follow my dream and be where I am now."

That's rising Irish UFC star Ian Garry gushing about the impact Conor McGregor's had on not just his career, but so many MMA fighters coming out of Ireland.

25-year-old Garry increased his record to 11-0 with a win over Kenan Song on Saturday at UFC 285 ... but it likely wasn't the most thrilling part of the night. After IG left the Octagon, the 6'2" welterweight fighter ran into "The Notorious" and shared a moment with the world's most famous MMA fighter.

"I wouldn't say spend time, but we crossed paths," Ian told us, before describing the interaction.

"For me to even hear some of the words that came out of [Conor's] mouth that he had to say about me was kind of breathtaking. It's like 'holy s**t, this is real?'"

Garry continued ... "I'm such a massive fan of Conor's I always have been, I always will be no matter what, and to have him beat my chest and tell me I'm a champion and that he's got me, that he's behind me, it's something that I'll never forget."

Of course, McGregor was watching the fights Octagon-side with Jake Gyllenhaal. The A-list actor and Conor are starring alongside each other in the new remake of "Road House."

As for his next move, Ian says because he didn't take any real damage during the Song fight, he wants to fight on the UFC 287 card (Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira II) on April 8 in Miami ... close to his Kill Cliff MMA gym in Deerfield, FL.

"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to fight in 5 weeks. I'm uninjured, I took 1 shot in the fight. Other than that Im ready and raring to go again."

Against who? Garry doesn't care.

"There's a whole roster of welterweights that Sean Shelby can choose from. At the end of the day I don't really give a f**k who it is. Sean will send me an email. He'll have a name in that email. I'll sign it, send it back and say 'Yeah, cool.'"