MMA

"Coward!"

That's Julianna Pena's reaction to Amanda Nunes' retiring inside the Octagon after UFC 289 ... walking away from the sport before the two UFC stars got a chance to fight for a third and deciding time.

The former bantamweight champ joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where she viscerally reacted to Nunes' retirement.

"There's unfinished business and listen, the reality is that Amanda retired. She had a great career, but let's call a spade a spade. She's a coward. From the very beginning, the UFC told me that she didn't want to fight me and that's why it took so long for them to make the trilogy," Amanda told us.

Of course, 35-year-old Nunes easily handled Irene Aldana, scoring a decisive and unanimous 5-round decision Saturday night in Vancouver ... before she laid down her gloves in the center of the cage.

Remember, 33-year-old Pena defeated Nunes at UFC 269 in December 2021, in turn taking her bantamweight title. The women rematched at UFC 277 in July 2022 ... a fight Amanda won by unanimous decision (though, if you watch the video, the fight wasn't without controversy).

The Venezuelan Vixen and Lioness were supposed to settle their score once and for all at 289 ... but Julianna was forced to drop out after suffering a serious rib injury.

"We're 1-1, it's tied up and the fact that she walked away like this, it's unfortunate but personally, congratulations. Professionally, what the heck is that?"

Now, the expectation is Pena will fight Raquel Pennington or another top contender ... but, Amanda doesn't think Julianna will ever be champ again, and she said as much during her post-fight presser.

Pena believes Nunes is simply taking a shot at her.

"[Amanda] knows what can happen. She knows that she lost her belt to me and she knows that I'm a threat. She's gonna do everything and anything that she can to discredit me to say that I'm not good or that I'm never gonna be champion."

Julianna says she's not been left to "carry the whole division" by herself ... and she doesn't plan to sit around and dream about what a trilogy could've been like. It's onward and upward for the former champ.

"At this point, [Amanda's] dead to me. You retired, good, go, ride off into the sunset, have a good time. We gotta keep s*** pushing around here, so let's keep this division open and alive and things are gonna be exciting!"

But, with that said ... Pena did leave open the possibility for a future fight.

Ever dream of seeing an NFL great go up against a UFC legend/WWE Superstar in a fight??

Consider your wish granted ... 'cause Marshawn Lynch challenged Ronda Rousey to a wrestling match on the latest episode of Fox's new celebrity reality show, "Stars On Mars" -- and by the looks of it, things got intense!!

The wild moment went down when the crew members found out they're in need of a new base commander ... and Beast Mode, the self-appointed leader of the bunch, decided he's not giving up his role without a fight. Literally.

"You know what? I'mma make this simple," the Super Bowl champ said as he made his way to an open area ... making it clear he was prepping for a throw-down.

"Yeah, I throw hands, baby," he added.

But, bad news struck for the former Seattle Seahawk ... 'cause the former UFC champ volunteered to be his opponent.

"You wanna fight for base commander? All right!!" Ronda said as she made her way to the makeshift fight arena.

So, who wins?? We won't know until the whole episode airs at 8 PM ... but some contestants were certain Ronda was gonna come out on top.

Amanda Nunes is done fighting ... the G.O.A.T. returned to the Octagon at UFC 289, dominated Irene Aldana, and laid down her gloves!

35-year-old Nunes won by unanimous decision in front of a packed house in Vancouver ... before having her gloves cut off, and put down in the center of the Octagon.

Nunes leaves as champ-champ ... holding the featherweight and bantamweight titles.

"Double champ forever, baby!"

"Tonight is the perfect night to retire and live happy forever," Nunes told Daniel Cormier as the crowd cheered, before dropping down to the floor and giving her belts a kiss.

Of course, Amanda is one of, if not the greatest MMA fighter to ever step foot in a cage. Over her amazing 15-year career as a professional, she amassed a 23-5 record.

Included in those wins are some of the baddest women ever ... Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Holly Holm, Julianna Pena, and Cris Cyborg all fell victim to the Lioness.

Nunes' fellow fighters were quick to react, with Belal Muhammad, Aljmamain Sterling and others giving Amanda her flowers.

"Great career 🙏🙏 your a legend lioness" the welterweight contender Tweeted.

"Congrats on an AMAZING career [Amanda]!" Aljo wrote.

BKFC just celebrated their 5-year anniversary -- and for a promotion that was once a pariah -- President David Feldman says they've got big things coming, including a reality show, setting them up to become the second biggest combat sports org. in the world.

"We're in talks with two major networks right now. I think we're going to get a network deal, and I think that's going to really blow us up. We already have four or five buyers on it," the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship CEO told us.

"We're going to have a reality show end of '23, beginning of '24, and a major TV deal," Feldman said, adding ... "I really certainly think in three to four years from now, we're in the number two spot in combat sports. I really mean that."

BKFC has recently put on some big fights ... namely Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold (that's when Conor McGregor came into the ring afterward) and Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes.

Like the early days of MMA, bare knuckle boxing was once shunned by many states, accused of being too brutal. But, the sport has been much more widely accepted over the last couple of years, with BKFC having put on more than 50 events in 12 different states, and 4 countries.

"A lot of people ask what's my toughest obstacle that I had to overcome with BKFC, and it was just changing people's perception on it. The perception on it was, a backyard street fight, a bar fight. Anything but that. We have the best combat sports athletes in the world," Feldman told us.

As for the smoothest part, David says ... "it's just relatable to everybody. Everybody in the world has either watched at some point or another or been in a bare-knuckle fight in their life. Everybody kind of knows what it is. So because of that, it helped us transition, I believe."

Feldman says they now have their eyes on several big boxing stars who they'd like to lure to BKFC. David believes bare-knuckle boxing is a true "middle ground" between boxing and MMA ... potentially setting up fights that'd draw massive fan interest.

Israel Adesanya just earned the first submission win of his career ... 'cause the UFC star made Logan Paul tap out during a fierce training session!!

The Maverick has been working out with Izzy, the middleweight champion, and pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski in Puerto Rico this week ... where the two champs have been helping the YouTuber-turned-boxer work on his MMA skills.

By the looks of it, it's been a humbling experience for Logan ... but what do you expect when he's going up against two of the baddest dudes in combat sports?!?

In video of one of the workouts, Logan is on top of Izzy, fighting like hell as Adesanya methodically put him in a Triangle choke, forcing the WWE Superstar to tap.

Logan seemed pretty satisfied with the attempt, though ... saying, "I almost made it out!" with a big smile on his face.

It's been quite the crash course for Paul, who says Israel -- who's more known for his incredibly precise striking than ground game -- has been helping him learn how to kick as well.

Logan -- a decorated high school wrestler -- has expressed interest in MMA in the past ... and his brother, Jake, recently signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

MMA fighter Mike Dragich is used to squaring up against proverbial beasts inside of a cage, but last month, he got to go up against a literal one -- wrestling a 10-foot alligator away from onlookers ... and the wild scene was all captured on video!!!

The crazy matchup happened outside of an elementary school in Jacksonville ... when Dragich -- a 33-year-old amateur fighter and licensed gator trapper -- was summoned to help Florida fire and rescue officials wrangle a giant reptile away from a campus full of students.

You can see in footage that Dragich posted to his social media page, he didn't look nervous about the upcoming fight at all ... strolling up to the gator in a cut-sleeve shirt and tight pants.

Video shows Dragich tried to grab the alligator by its tail multiple times ... but the animal wasn't budging.

Finally, Dragich was able to hook its head with a catch pole ... but the alligator didn't go down easily, causing a group of spectators nearby to scream with fear.

It rolled multiple times in an effort to break free from Dragich ... though, eventually, the man was able to corral it with the help of JFRD responders.

After the battle, the gator wrangler told Fox 35 Orlando, "I felt like Batman, for real."

"A lot of fighters will understand that uh, when you go to the cage, you're nervous but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused and honestly that's what I remembered from that night," Dragich said.

The mixed martial artist is no stranger to these kinds of situations, in addition to taking multiple fights in his career ... he's also taken down a bunch of gators over the years too, showcasing many of his conquests in videos on his IG page.

Of course, he's far from the first notable figure to get in brawls with scary creatures -- UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov gained fame for wrestling bears regularly. And, who could forget Chuck Norris' own tilt with a bear?!?

Begs the question, what's crazier ... fighting a gator, or a bear???

Cris "Cyborg" Justino might've re-signed with Bellator, but that doesn't mean a scrap between Kayla Harrison and the MMA legend is off the table for good, with the Brazilian fighter telling us the super fight can still happen!

37-year-old Cyborg, the Bellator women's featherweight champion, opted to stay with CEO Scott Coker's company, inking a new deal with the promotion.

The downside -- many believed the re-signing to be the final nail in the coffin for anyone who hoped to see Cyborg fight Kayla.

In fact, the PFL star herself said the odds of it happening were "slim" and "decreasing, not increasing" ... though the 2x Olympic gold medalist may now have a glimmer of hope after hearing what Cyborg told us this week at LAX.

"Yes, she can call Scott Coker and make this fight happen. She can come to Bellator."

Obviously, the giant catch is changing promotions ... but the bottom line is Justino's saying there's a chance.

"If she wants to make a great fight, I think the best division is in Bellator. We have a full division at featherweight," Cyborg told us.

"If she wants to make something great, she can go [to Bellator]."

If the fight does happen, it'd pit two of the most dominant female MMA fighters ever against one another. Cyborg's a trailblazer ... and has only lost twice (Erica Paes in her first ever pro bout and Amanda Nunes) in 28 professional fights. Cris has smashed her opps going back two decades.

As for Kayla, she's newer to the sport, but no less dominant. Harrison is 15-1 ... and coming off the only defeat of her awesome career (she lost to Pacheco in November). A sign of KH's dominance ... 9 of Harrison's 15 wins were first-round knockouts or submissions. Outside of Larissa, no one's even come close to beating her.

If the fight does ultimately go down, it's not going to happen imminently. So, it's likely Cris will face Cat Zingano next, the number 1 contender.

We asked Cyborg about that matchup ... and she gives us an update on contract negotiations.

Perhaps don't hold your breath for that second Tyson Fury appearance on 'JRE' ... 'cause the superstar heavyweight champ just eviscerated Joe Rogan, calling him a "p***y, little f***ing m****t, bald-headed m****t."

😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

34-year-old Fury unloaded on 55-year-old Rogan, blasting Joe for comments he made during a recent podcast ... when he essentially said The Gypsy King would get his ass whupped by MMA G.O.A.T. Jon Jones.

“You want to talk about who’s the baddest man on the planet?" Rogan asked. "If Jon Jones and Tyson Fury are locked into a room, I’m pushing all of my chips on black."

Rogan, who has always been complimentary of Fury, also said Tyson "doesn't have a f***ing chance in hell of making it out of that room" unless he immediately catches Jones with a knockout punch.

Fury, the best heavyweight boxer in the world, and one of the greatest pugilists of all time, didn't take too kindly to the remarks, and he made that abundantly clear.

“I heard Joe Rogan say something about me," Fury fumed, "and I’ve been off all the social media and didn’t reply to that little p***y, little f***ing m****t, bald-headed m****t."

“I heard him say that Jon Jones could f*** me up if we were in the room together. I don’t think so. Not a man born from a mother could f*** me up, in a room, on our own."

Fury added ... "Whatever happens in that room, I’d be walking out. Not a f****** problem.”

Before this week's drama, Tyson and Joe seemed to have a good relationship ... and even sat down together for hours on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in 2018.

As for what would happen if they were to fight ... it's impossible to know for sure. Tyson has a huge edge in striking with his hands, but Jon is an incredible grappler/wrestler who is also extremely proficient with his hands, legs, and knees.

Cross-promotion events are common these days ... here's hoping we'll get to settle this debate one day once and for all!

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones may be on life support, but it's not dead ... and if the UFC is ever down to cross-promote an event with the PFL, "The Predator" says he only needs a couple of months for a scrap with the man most believe is the greatest ever!

"I'd be ready in two or three months from that moment I agree with that," 36-year-old Ngannou told TMZ Sports late Monday.

Francis reiterated ... he wants Jon, and always has.

"I'd be on board. Listen, first of all, I always claim for this Jon Jones fight, I always wanted Jon Jones fight and then it seem like they didn't want to make this Jon Jones fight happen."

Of course, despite months of negotiations, a deal never came together between Francis, Jon, and the UFC.

Ngannou believes UFC was using the Jones fight as bait to get him to sign with the promotion.

"Until they wanna use Jon Jones as leverage to play me and that wasn't something that was going to happen. The Jon Jones fight wasn't just coming as a fight," Francis said, adding ... "He came with strings attached. That's what I would say. Jon Jones fight was coming with strings attached which was the thing that I couldn't take it just like that."

Despite the fact Ngannou is now with PFL and it's likely hell would freeze over before the companies worked together, that hasn't stopped the two MMA stars from continuing to talk about each other.

In fact, Bones tweeted on Tuesday ... "Calling yourself the baddest man on the planet from across the street, who does that? Lol"

Francis then responded ... "Then cross the street"

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???