MMA

Francis Ngannou is a combat free agent no more -- the former UFC champion has signed with the Professional Fighters League ... and he's getting a seat at the table.

The promotion announced the major news on Tuesday ... saying not only will Ngannou compete in its super fight division starting in mid-2024, but he will also join the PFL Global Advisory Board and represent fellow athletes as it focuses on a "fighters-first mission."

On top of that, "The Predator" will become an equity owner and chairman of PFL's expansion in Africa.

The 36-year-old heavyweight superstar follows Jake Paul, who joined PFL in January. The Problem Child is clearly happy with Ngannou coming on board ... posting a vid welcoming him to the promotion.

Ngannou spoke about the move ... saying, "I am very excited for this game-changing partnership with the Professional Fighters League to continue my MMA fighting career in the PFL’s PPV Super Fight Division."

"I believe in the PFL’s 'fighter first' culture and global vision including developing the sport in Africa. With that, I am also proud to announce that I will serve as Chairman of PFL Africa which will be the leading MMA organization on the continent providing great African fighters the opportunity to compete on a global platform."

It's a huge get for PFL ... as Ngannou has earned a 17-3 record over the course of his career, with big wins over Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez and Ciryl Gane. He became the UFC heavyweight champ in March 2021 ... and defended his title until his contract expired.

Ian Garry, soon to be the #15 ranked welterweight, isn't rushing his way to the top ... "The Future" tells us he has a plan laid out, and it starts with fighting a guy he believes is the gatekeeper to the top 10!

25-year-old Garry defeated Daniel Rodriguez inside 3 minutes (it's the first time D-Rod's been finished with strikes) on UFC on ABC 4 ... and joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) where he talked about his next moves.

"Yeah, [Neil Magny is] still the guy I want for so many reasons," Garry said. "I believe that everybody knows who Magny is. Everybody knows how game a fighter Magny is."

Garry admits Magny (27-10) may not have the best record ... but he's a guy who can expose you if you aren't prepared.

"If there's a guy in the division before you enter that top 10 that you wanna test yourself against and see if you're legit, it's Neil Magny."

As it stands, "The Future" is a perfect 12-0 ... in a sport where unbeaten records are a rarity. And, the zero is something that Ian says means a lot to him.

"To be able to sit there and say no one ever cracked the code, to be able to sit there and say no one was able to decipher the game that I bring to the table, absolutely. 100%," he said.

Despite the immense success so early in his career, Garry isn't resting on his laurels. In fact, he says he's planned a trip to Brazil where he'll work on jiujitsu ... as well as a voyage all the way to New Zealand, where he's going to train with middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

"Don't tell me that if I'm training with Adesanya, that I can't pick up one or two little details that are gonna help elevate my game," Garry said.

"Traveling and learning and growing and becoming better is inevitably more important to me right now than hunting for the title right now, because when I decide to make that title run, I'm gonna succeed and nobody's gonna be able to take me off that."

Perhaps the coolest part of the win for Ian was his idol Conor McGregor's reaction to the one-sided victory ... when Notorious tweeted, "When you call your shot and hit it, that’s special. The Shot Caller Club has a new entry, Ireland’s Ian 'The Future' Garry! #NotAScratch."

Garry was loving it ... saying, "I'm like a f***ing kid in a candy store when I see that guy post stuff on Twitter," Garry said. "He's also f***ing hilarious."

If Conor McGregor would ever throw down in a ring without gloves ... BKFC star Houston Alexander tells TMZ Sports the dude would be a problem!!!

Alexander -- a former UFC and Bellator fighter who's been brawling professionally without mitts since 2021 -- says Conor is so skilled with his hands ... he thinks there'd be no issues for The Notorious if he chose to eventually go from the UFC to the BKFC.

Of course, the topic came up because Conor sure appeared to be interested in making the switch after watching Mike Perry's BKFC fight against Luke Rockhold back on April 30.

You'll recall, McGregor stepped into the ring following the tilt ... and he seemed to be down to fight Perry without mitts at a future date.

Alexander clearly believes it'd be a great fight despite Conor's inexperience without gloves ... something that seems to be quite the compliment, considering Alexander doesn't feel that way about most MMA guys.

"If you've got MMA guys who just concentrate on just kicking or jiu-jitsu, please don't get in this type of sport," Alexander told us. "Because it's going to expose your boxing and you're going to get hurt."

As for Alexander's own fighting career ... the 51-year-old is still going strong -- he's got another big BKFC fight on May 19 against Jeremy Smith -- and he tells us he has absolutely zero desire to retire anytime soon.

YouTube star KSI knocked out Joe Fournier in the second round Saturday night ... and it would have been impressive except for the fact it was an illegal blow to the head, and the ref was in the dark.

The two went at it furiously at London's Wembley Arena, and KSI was landing some impressive punches in the first 2 rounds. In round 2, it appeared KSi landed a massive shot to Fournier's jaw, sending him tumbling to the canvas.

The ref declared KSI the winner, but when you watched the replay, it was clear it was not a glove that made contact with Fournier's jaw ... it was KSI's elbow, and that's illegal.

Had the ref seen it, it probably would have resulted in an instant disqualification, but that didn't happen.

KSI said in the post-fight interview he did not strike Fournier with his elbow. But the video clearly tells a different story,

KSI also called out Tommy Fury in the ring and the 2 had to be separated.  Fury had a fight of his own during the match ... getting into it with a former "Love Island" castmate.

Anthony Smith, the 5th ranked UFC light heavyweight, is fighting 7th ranked Johnny Walker this Saturday ... and while he doesn't think a win will earn him an immediate title shot, "Lionheart" believes it'll put him on a collision course with Alex Pereira, and set him up for a crack at the elusive belt!

"Two months ago I would've told you the winner gets a title shot. Alex Pereira really throws a wrench in that for all of us. I'd like to be able to tell you a win here gets me a title shot, but it probably earns me a fight with Alex Pereira."

Of course, 35-year-old Pereira, the former middleweight champion, recently lost his UFC rematch to Israel Adesanya ... and announced shortly after he'd move up to the 205 lb. division, where making weight will be significantly easier.

Pereira has not yet been added to the UFC's light heavyweight rankings (he's still #1 at middleweight) ... but it's clear Smith believes Alex is going to be fast-tracked to the front of the line.

For Anthony (who's won 3 of his last 4) to be the one to get the Alex fight, and presumably secure an opportunity to earn a title fight by beating him, Smith must defeat the 6'6" Walker, who is coming off two straight wins (Ion Cutelaba in 2022, Paul Craig in 2023).

Smith believes he's got the clear skills advantage over Walker, who at one time was considered a lock to be champ, but Anthony says that doesn't always equate to a win in the Octagon (check out the clip -- Anthony previews the matchup).

Lionheart also joked ... "Only in the UFC is your reward for beating Johnny Walker a tougher fight with Alex Pereira."

Despite Pereira's incredible power and kickboxing, Anthony is pumped for the would-be fight.

"I like it. I like Alex. I'm a fan. I think he has obvious holes in his game and I think that those are going to be exposed a little more at 205. But looking at it from the outside, I'm a fan of that guy. I love the style. I love his aura. He's got this serial killer aura."

First things first ... Smith vs. Walker goes down Saturday afternoon on ABC! 👊

"Stylistically, I don't believe [D-Rod] is my toughest opponent."

That's 25-year-old, undefeated UFC star Ian Garry ... on the eve of his first fight with a ranked fighter, 15th ranked welterweight, Daniel Rodriguez.

And, while he may be the first guy with a little number next to his name, Garry straight-up says Daniel isn't the best he's faced.

"I don't believe he poses as much threat as a lot of people have. He's a very one-dimensional, standard fighter. He's a Southpaw boxer in MMA. Doesn't throw a lot of kicks. Doesn't go for takedowns. Doesn't go for submissions," Ian told us.

"So, I find that as an easy opponent. Whereas there are some guys who are a bit more wrestling based, have heavy hands, and like to kind of bang to get into a takedown, and I would find them a bit more difficult."

Garry is currently unranked ... but believes he will take Rodriguez's spot with a win, and that'd mean the world to him.

"I'm f****** excited to get ranked No.15 in the world. When you knock No.15 out, take No.15. I like that it's No.15. There's something symbolic about being in the top 15," Ian said of being regarded as one of the best 170 lb. fighters in the world.

And, when he steps in the Octagon on Saturday afternoon, Garry's going to be doing it on network television.

Jake Paul doesn't step in the boxing ring for another three months, but he's already got his sights set on his next opponent after Nate Diaz ... and it's none other than Conor McGregor!!

The Problem Child -- who's fighting Diaz on Aug. 5 in Dallas -- laid out his plans to Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 ... saying he fully intends to knock Diaz out (something Conor never did), and then lock in a fight with Notorious.

Of course, Nate and Conor have one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history ... and with their series tied up at one win a piece, Diaz wants to take care of business against Jake and then revisit his old nemesis one last time.

But, Jake says he's going to spoil Nate's plans of a trilogy fight by jumping him in line for a shot at Conor ... and he thinks McGregor will have "no choice but to make the biggest fight in combat sports."

Paul -- 6-1 as a pro boxer -- understands Conor would need permission from UFC honcho Dana White to make the fight happen ... but he seems optimistic that the money would do enough talking to get him to agree.

Remember, Jake has gone after a fight with McGregor a few times in the past ... trolling the UFC superstar nearly every chance he's gotten over the years. McGregor has fired back from time to time too -- but they haven't been able to mix it up in a ring.

If a fight does eventually go down, Jake says he's hopeful it'd be a boxing match ... but he told us he ain't opposed to MMA either.

"We can do a two-part series," the 24-year-old said. "One boxing, one MMA in PFL. Make it happen, no problem."

What do you say, Conor???

Belal Muhammad doesn't plan on waiting for Leon Edwards and Colby Covington to fight ... the UFC star, coming off a decisive win over Gilbert Burns, tells us he wants to jump "Chaos" and scrap with "Rocky," and he knows precisely when and where.

UFC 294, October 21, Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. UAE.

"I’m still hoping and praying that since Leon wants to fight in Abu Dhabi and he wants to fight in October that they’ll just let me fight him because that makes the most sense in the world," Belal told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"There’s not a bigger fight they can make in Abu Dhabi than me fighting for the belt in Abu Dhabi."

Dana White previously said Colby would get the next title shot. Assuming the UFC prez sticks with his original plan, we asked Belal if he's been told he has next.

"Yeah, for sure," Muhammad said, continuing ... "I saw Dana in the back. He said, ‘Yup, you got it, man. You earned it. You got your spot now.’ When you hear it from the boss’ mouth that’s all I need to hear. That’s like freakin' -- the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You’re like, ‘Uh, got it, finally.’"

Of course, 34-year-old Muhammad beat Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 288 ... and is now the 3rd ranked welterweight, behind the champ, Edwards, former champ Kamaru Usman (#1), and the aforementioned Covington (#2).

FYI, Belal's resume is about as strong as it gets. He's won 9 fights in a row and hasn't lost since January 2019 (Geoff Neal). Over the course of the win streak, Muhammad has beaten the likes of Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, and Vicente Luque, amongst others.

Muhammad already fought Edwards in 2021 ... but the fight was stopped near the start of the 2nd round after an inadvertent eye poke forced Belal out of the fight. The bout was ruled a "no contest."

Belal believes he's done more than enough to run things back with Leon ... who is coming off a victory over Usman, the welterweight G.O.A.T.

"I’ve done everything I can do. I have five ranked wins. What else is there to do? There’s nothing else."

Check out the clip ... there's much more with the UFC star, from his breakdown of the fight with Burns to his plans to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov later this month.

Nate Diaz clearly ain't sweatin' his criminal case down in Louisiana ... the former UFC star actually had a laugh about it all with Jake Paul on Tuesday.

Paul was the one who brought up the choke-out incident to Diaz during a news conference to hype up their August boxing match ... wondering if the MMA fighter thought he was scrapping with his brother, Logan Paul, when he choked out a guy on Bourbon St. during an April 22 melee.

Diaz smiled and then pretended to truly believe it was Logan who he put to sleep on the popular New Orleans roadway.

"You're going to act like that wasn't Logan?" Nate said with a grin. "Come on, man!"

"You thought it was Logan?" Jake asked again ... before Diaz responded with a giggle, "It is Logan, what are you talking about?"

Of course, the case shouldn't be much of a laughing matter for Diaz ... officials have charged him with second-degree battery after they allege he caused the man to suffer a head wound during the incident. Diaz is now facing time behind bars if ultimately convicted.

Diaz, though, did get serious about it all for at least a few seconds during the presser ... appearing to say he took it easy on the guy by choking him instead of throwing hands.

"You don't want to just hit people out there," Nate said. "That's f****** dangerous. You know what I'm saying? Give him a little nap."

Diaz didn't elaborate on it all further ... but he's been adamant since the incident went down that he did nothing wrong -- and was simply acting in self-defense.

Paige VanZant is crediting her haters for a change she's making after being fat-shamed on YouTube -- the combat sports star is vowing to portray a more authentic image on social media going forward.

29-year-old PVZ opened up late Monday night, revealing she's gained "probably 20+ pounds" and for it, she's been bullied online ... but Paige says the jerks on social media have actually helped her come to a realization.

"The truth is, yes, I have gained a lot of weight... probably 20+ pounds but I also gained strength, power, muscle and a f*** ton of happiness," VanZant wrote.

"I see every single comment on my YouTube channel about how I look pregnant, obese, fat as f***, and won’t be able to fit through a door soon. But one thing I have always remembered. Happy people ain’t haters and haters ain’t happy."

Alongside the lengthy caption, Paige, who last boxed in July 2021, posted a video where she flexes in the mirror, and shows off her front and side profile. Going forward, she's vowing to continue showing the "real me" from here on out.

"I promise from this day forward to show the real me, forever. The fat me, the broken me, the skinny me, and the happiest f***ing version of me I have ever been," VanZant said. "Social media will never be real but I’ll try and be better."

Paige even took a little jab at the haters ... thanking them for lining her pockets with money!

"I’ll be damned if I don’t continue to profit off of THE BEST HATERS IN THE WORLD. Yours in thickness - PVZ."

😂😂😂

She had a lot of fans backin' her up, including mixed martial artist Scorpio Sky who posted lyrics from Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" song in the comments.

"I think he's now 'Double C.' Maybe even just 'One C' now. Maybe he's just Henry. He's just Henry now. He's just Henry. I took his gold medal. I took his gold belt. I don't know, there's not much left."

That's 33-year-old UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who just defended his belt (for a record 3rd straight time) against future Hall of Famer Henry Cejudo ... joining Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show on Monday (airs weekdays on FS1), and crowning Triple C with a new nickname.

Henry.

Of course, Cejudo's Triple C moniker derives from his propensity to win titles ... starting with his 2008 Olympic gold medal. A decade later Cejudo beat the legendary Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title, before defeating Marlon Moraes for the bantamweight strap in 2019.

Cejudo -- who many believe is in the MMA G.O.A.T. convo -- returned after a 3-year layoff ... and now that Aljamain beat an all-time legend, he's eager for fans to finally pay him the respect he deserves.

"'You're supposed to be the greatest of all time. So what happens when I beat you? What does that say about me?' So I need the fans to keep that same energy, the ones that were doubting me, and said I had no chance."

Aljo continued ... "He's a two-division champ and an Olympic gold medalist, and my wrestling 'sucks' compared to him. I'm like guys, I am now the Olympic champion. I beat the Olympian in a wrestling match. Four takedowns, baby. How many takedowns did he get?"

We also talked to Sterling about the judging ... which the champ believes was trash.

FYI, he officially won via split decision ... though Aljo thinks it should've been unanimous.

There's more ... Sterling also talked about his next scrap with rival, "Suga" Sean O'Malley.

Dana White indicated he wants that fight to happen on August 19 in Boston ... but Sterling says he has other ideas of when and where they'll settle the score.

As for Cejudo ... a parting shot from Aljo.

"I tip my hat off to Henry, but I think I did the universe a favor and finally ended the cringe."

Mark Zuckerberg's putting his martial arts training to good use -- the Facebook founder won gold and silver medals at a local jiu-jitsu tourney in Northern California ... his first time competing!

38-year-old Zuckerberg kicked ass at a tourney on Saturday in Redwood City, CA -- about 10 miles from Palo Alto -- where he put his new skills on display, competing in both Gi (jacket) and no Gi.

It's super impressive for a guy who has only been training for a short amount of time. In fact, Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan last year that he began practicing martial arts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite Mark winning most of his matches, the day wasn't without controversy. During one fight, Zuckerberg became visibly upset with a ref. It's unclear why Zuck was upset, but after a short, but rather heated convo with the official and his opponent, everyone shook hands.

But, all in all ... Zuck was awesome.

And, some of the biggest stars in MMA congratulated him on the medals ... with guys like Israel Adesanya, Brandon Moreno, and Alex Volkanovski heaping praise on the billionaire.

"Wow congrats 👏👏," Moreno, the UFC flyweight champ wrote.

Volk, the UFC featherweight champ commented ... "Legend! Love the shorts mate"

"When the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world gives you shorts, you wear them" ... Zuckerberg responded to Alex.

UFC fighter Tony Ferguson was no match for cops early Sunday ... he was busted for DUI.

Tony apparently crashed his pickup truck into 2 parked cars outside a Hollywood club just before 2 AM. His truck flipped on its side. Miraculously, he was not injured nor was anyone else.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tony refused to take a field sobriety test and was "very uncooperative" at the scene.

According to our sources, the cops who eyeballed him say he reeked of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes.

Tony was arrested at the scene and is facing misdemeanor DUI. He's also facing license suspension for refusing the field sobriety test.

Rapper Cash Gotti, the owner of one of the cars Tony allegedly hit says he came out of the club to find his Mercedes destroyed.

Dana White says as long as Jon Jones is around, Henry Cejudo can't be the greatest UFC fighter of all time.

"There's no doubt the guy has broken a lot of records. He's accomplished a lot here. But, to go out there and start saying, 'Hey, I should be on the Mount Rushmore' when you've been retired for 3 years, and when you retired, in my opinion, sort of early," White told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Dana continued ... "Listen, you beat Aljo, there are still a few fights out there for him to really cement himself as one of the greatest of all time."

Of course, Cejudo -- who is making his return to the Octagon after three years away -- recently told us he'd be on the Mount Rushmore of fighters if he defeated the current 135 lb. champ, Aljamain Sterling ... saying he'd join Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, and Jones.

But, that's not the ceiling for Henry ... who went on to tell us he believed he could become the greatest of all time with several key wins, starting with Aljo, then rival "Suga" Sean O'Malley, before going up to fight 145 lb. king, Alex Volkanovski.

With that, Triple C would be Quadruple C ... a feat never before accomplished.

Dana told us he agreed Henry would have a place on Rushmore if he were to beat Sterling at UFC 288, and then O'Malley and Volk ... but he still wouldn't see him as the best ever as long as Bones Jones is still walking around.

"While I agree he would be on the Mt. Rushmore, still tough to call himself the G.O.A.T. while Jon Jones still exists."

First things first, Cejudo has to beat Sterling.

Also fighting at UFC 288 in the co-main event are top ranked welterweights Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad ... two guys Dana tells us he has a "ton of respect for," especially considering both guys stepped up on short notice.

There's much more talk with the UFC honcho ... including whether Gilbert or Belal can do enough to jump Colby Covington, and earn a title fight vs. Leon Edwards.

Speaking of, we also talked to Burns and Muhammad about the title eliminator ... arguably the biggest fight in both guys lives.

Jorge Masvidal's father has been arrested for attempted murder ... after he allegedly shot a man in the arms during a dispute at the ex-UFC star's Miami-area home on Thursday afternoon.

Jail records show Jorge Masvidal Sr. was booked at 1:33 AM Friday ... following allegations the 67-year-old opened fire on a man near the kitchen of Jorge Masvidal Jr.'s house roughly 12 hours earlier.

According to an arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Masvidal Sr. was at the Florida home with a man named Luis Leoncini -- when the two got into a verbal argument.

According to the docs, authorities say Leoncini told cops Masvidal Sr. shot him after the tiff, inflicting gunshot wounds to both of his arms.

It's unclear what sparked the alleged dispute ... but according to the affidavit, Leoncini was transported to a local hospital.

Meanwhile, Masvidal Sr., officials say in the docs, was taken into custody at 3:26 PM -- and later booked on a charge of attempted second-degree murder with a deadly weapon with a firearm.

Authorities added in the docs that following a search of the home, they found a .38 caliber revolver inside a kitchen cabinet.

It should be noted cops told us on Thursday evening that Masvidal Jr. was not present during the alleged shooting -- and "did not have any involvement" in it all.

A man was shot at Jorge Masvidal's Miami area home Thursday afternoon following a verbal altercation ... before being transported to the hospital with at least one gunshot wound to the arm area, TMZ Sports has learned.

The recently retired UFC superstar was NOT home at the time of the incident ... and was not involved in the incident in any way, according to officials.

However, Jorge's dad, Jorge Masvidal Sr., is currently in custody, where he is being interviewed by police.

Miami-Dade PD tell us they received a call around 3 PM. When they arrived, EMTs were already on the scene "rendering aid to an adult male who was shot in his upper extremities."

Cops say the victim told them he was "involved in an argument that escalated when the subject produced a firearm and shot him."

The cause of the argument, and who was involved, is currently unclear ... though police tell us the parties know each other.

We're told the victim was transported to a local hospital where he is now in stable condition.

38-year-old Masvidal recently retired from the UFC ... but is still one of the most popular fighters in the world.

Jorge is scheduled to have a Gamebred Bareknuckle event in South Florida on Friday night.