MMA

Justin Gaethje got congratulations messages from all kinds of people following his big win over Dustin Poirier ... but maybe the most notable to call was Donald Trump, who actually sent an invitation to the UFC star to golf with him as part of his well-wishes chat.

Gaethje said the former POTUS gave him a ring shortly after his stunning KO victory on Saturday night ... telling TMZ Sports the call was "awesome."

"He f***ing loves fighting, man," Gaethje said of No. 45. "He loves it."

The 34-year-old tells us ... Trump said he was proud of the performance that Gaethje put on -- while also saying "how impressive of a show it was."

Then, Gaethje said Trump told him he wanted to tee it up with him whenever he's in New York or Florida next.

Of course, the two have formed a good bond over the years ... you'll recall, Gaethe actually attended one of Trump's presidential rallies back in 2020 -- where Trump shouted out him and other UFC fighters in attendance during his speech. Seems their relationship has only grown stronger since.

As for what's next for Gaethje aside from a potential 18 holes with DT ... he told us there are plenty of options on the table -- including Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev ... and, yes, maybe even Conor McGregor.

Of the trio, Gaethje seemed to want Oliveira the most (assuming he's able to beat Makhachev in their title fight in October) -- telling us he'd love to avenge the loss he suffered at UFC 274 in 2022.

"Kids, I'm sorry ... you gotta go to public school now."

Jorge Masvidal was down bad after Dustin Poirier got knocked out at UFC 291 ... not only because he hated seeing his friend lose, but he also kissed a whopping $100k goodbye after betting on the fight.

The retired UFC star revealed his woeful wager shortly after his American Top Team teammate lost to Justin Gaethje via a vicious leg kick during Saturday's BMF belt matchup ... admitting he was so confident "Diamond" would come out on top, he was willing to risk a hefty chunk of change.

FYI -- Poirier was a -150 favorite to beat Gaethje, which means Jorge would have pocketed an extra $66k had it gone the other way.

Gamebred told TNT Sports he "probably shouldn't" be making bets of that magnitude ... and joked his three children will suffer from the financial blow.

Of course, Jorge will be okay -- he previously said in an interview he once made $5 million off one fight alone ... and he has his own Gamebred Boxing and Bareknuckle promotions that are taking off in his retirement.

As for the fight, Jorge felt Dustin had the upper hand in the first round ... but Gaethje had the "perfect kick" in the second that knocked him out.

"So hats off to Justin, man," the former BMF title holder said. "Great fight, great competitor always."

Kayla Harrison is still itching for a fight with Amanda Nunes ... telling TMZ Sports if the UFC's G.O.A.T. ever comes out of retirement, she wants to throw hands with her badly!!!

But, don't get it twisted ... there's absolutely no bad blood on Harrison's end toward Nunes -- she just wants the scrap to prove that she can beat the best ever.

"She is the greatest of all time," Harrison said of The Lioness. "She was the woman. And I wanted to be the woman. And, to me, that's like the greatest compliment I can give someone. I value what you have so much and who you are so much that I'm like chasing you."

Problem for Harrison is ... it doesn't seem like Nunes has any intention of getting back in the octagon ever again.

You'll recall ... the 35-year-old officially called it a career after she beat Irene Aldana at UFC 289 last month -- and she seemed dead serious about the decision, saying it was "the perfect night to retire."

Harrison tells us it all bummed her out -- even though she was ultimately happy for her former training partner.

"She's done everything she's wanted to do," Harrison said. "She's got a beautiful family, she's living the dream."

Errol Spence and Terence Crawford ain't the only boxers fighting in Las Vegas ... Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo got into it on Friday as well -- and the altercation between the two stars was wild.

You can see in video shot at T-Mobile Arena ... Plant and Charlo were backstage at the Crawford vs. Spence weigh-ins, when Plant charged at Charlo and slapped him right in the face.

Plant's hand connected so flush with Charlo's cheek, it actually made a loud sound that forced a gasp out of at least one bystander.

The two seemed to want to escalate things further ... but, thankfully, a security guard ushered Plant away from the scene -- which calmed everyone down.

It's unclear why Plant hit Charlo, but after the squabble was broken up, Caleb yelled, "Don’t you ever grab me by my motherf****in' face again like that, boy."

The two have had beef for a while ... with Plant calling out Charlo prior to his fight against David Benavidez in March.

At the time, he said he wanted Jermall if he couldn't see Canelo Alvarez next. Coincidentally, Canelo is next slated to fight Jermall's twin brother, Jermell, in September.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson just made UFC fighter Themba Gorimbo's dream come true -- surprising the welterweight at the gym in an incredibly emotional video.

Remember, Gorimbo said he only had 7 bucks in his account before UFC Fight Night in Vegas last month ... a similar story to The Rock, who was also scrambling for cash at the beginning of his career.

The movie superstar got wind of Gorimbo's story and reached out to him on social media at the time ... saying he was so moved by his journey, he wanted to meet in person.

That day finally came on Thursday ... with the two linking up for the very first time -- and Gorimbo could barely keep it together as he saw his hero in the flesh.

Gorimbo -- who was doing a staged interview -- turned around, bolted up and hugged Johnson ... choking up as he realized what was happening.

"We’ve never met but I had to fly to Miami to look this man @thembagorimbo_mma in the eyes, hug him and shake his hand," The Rock said of the interaction.

"I’ve been moved & motivated by his story ❤️"

Gorimbo also spoke about the special meeting ... saying, "I am very grateful to have finally met @therock today after he saw about my $7 bucks situation."

"Big man with a big heart and he has changed my life completely today and I shall forever be grateful. I didn’t know how to thank him because words aren’t enough."

Terence "Bud" Crawford just lost his cool on an Errol Spence supporter ... repeatedly calling the man a "bitch" and a "ho."

The fiery scene played out toward the end of the boxers' prefight press conference Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas ... when someone who appeared to be in Spence's camp began chirpin' at Crawford from their front row seat.

It's unclear exactly what the agitator said ... but it ticked off Crawford, who paused everything on the stage to fire off insults at the man.

"You a bitch, n****!" Crawford said. "F*** you talkin' to?! You a bitch, n****, 'cause you keep talkin' like a bitch n****! You doin' all that talkin'!"

The 39-0 fighter kept the verbal jabs flying for several more seconds ... before, mercifully, it ended.

As for Spence ... he seemed to be amused by the situation, even joking with the guys if they were done so he could continue talking.

The entire event was filled with tension ... as the two fighters' trainers even got into a verbal spat while at the podium.

Hecklers in the audience, meanwhile, could be heard yelling at the boxers throughout it all as well.

This is probably the most trash talking we've seen from both sides since the two agreed to fight ... and it's something boxing fans have been waiting for.

Forget money, Jake Paul paid his personal barber with something far more special this week -- gifting his go-to guy a brand new Rolex for keeping his hair on point ahead of his big boxing match against Nate Diaz!!

The Problem Child flew in JB Always Fresh -- a famous hair stylist/businessman in his own right -- from Canada to Puerto Rico to get a fresh cut before heading to Dallas for fight week ... and made sure to thank the "best barber in the world" for his service.

"He's a young hustler," Paul said. "I love and respect young hustlers."

In a clip of the gift presentation that Paul posted on his social media page ... you can see the boxer revealed the classic Oyster Perpetual Rolex -- which comes with at least a $5,000 price tag -- and JB refused to believe it, thinking the whole thing was a skit.

"I'm being serious," Paul said. "It's a nice little Rolex. I'm being deadass."

"I'm being for real. It's yours, bro."

JB -- real name Jamiel Bustos -- was emotional over the gesture ... thanking his client for going above and beyond for him.

"Yo, oh my God. You don't know how much this actually really means to me bro," JB said. "I've met over like a thousand millionaires in my whole lifetime, I've met a bunch of other influencers, creators ... dude, this is like some real, genuine stuff."

Conor McGregor was devastated to learn of the passing of musical icon Sinéad O'Connor on Wednesday ... telling TMZ Sports he considered her "an international star and an Irish treasure."

The UFC fighter grew close to the singer throughout his career in the Octagon ... particularly after she sang during his walkout at UFC 189 in Las Vegas.

You'll recall ... during the July 2015 performance, she belted out "The Foggy Dew" -- and many have since considered it one of the best entrances to a UFC fight ever.

In fact, McGregor himself called it "an honor to go out to that" ... adding that it was "go-to-war music."

Following her death this week, McGregor told us in a statement he was absolutely heartbroken.

"The world has lost a beautiful voice and an even more beautiful person," he said. "I am honored to have known her, to have played her music both in and out of the Octagon. God rest Sinéad."

He later added in a tweet, "Ireland has lost an iconic voice and one of our absolute finest, by a long shot."

The Irish Times was first to report the news of O'Connor's passing ... though the circumstances surrounding her death are still unclear.

She was just 56 years old.

Don't expect insults, expletives and antics before Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje get in the Octagon at UFC 291 ... 'cause the Diamond tells TMZ Sports their BMF title fight is nothing personal -- they actually have a lot of love for each other.

Poirier and Gaethje -- the second and third-ranked lightweights in the standings, respectively -- are set to fight each other for the first time since 2018 this weekend ... and both guys had high praise for each other in the days leading up to the showdown in Salt Lake City.

"It's a mutual respect," Poirier said. "Every time he fights, I'm watching. I love watching his style. You earn a different style of respect for someone after spending 20 minutes bleeding in an Octagon with him. Even though it was five years ago, I still remember it. And I'm excited to do it again."

DP says his opponent has gotten better and changed his game since their first meeting ... and now, he's expecting an entirely different fighter.

As for pre-event shenanigans, Diamond says that's entirely unnecessary ... 'cause any MMA fan knows what to expect Saturday night -- and he's going to put on a show en route to securing the belt.

Gaethje is equally pumped for the matchup ... and he told us adding the BMF title to his collection will be big for his legacy.

Ben Askren just showed he's dead serious about coming out of retirement to square off with his nemesis, Jorge Masvidal ... revealing he's been keeping in incredible shape despite being years removed from the UFC Octagon.

The former fighting star -- who's been retired from MMA since 2019 -- took to Twitter to show off his shirtless bod ... and to tell Masvidal he's now really ready for another scrap.

"I've kept in great shape during retirement," he said. "I have zero desire to fight anyone except that loser Jorge."

The two initially fought in the UFC way back in 2019 after months of trash talk -- and it was one of the most memorable bouts ever ... as Masvidal ended things in just five seconds with a flying knee to the face.

The two, though, have still traded verbal barbs nonetheless ever since ... with Masvidal telling TMZ Sports last week he'd definitely be down to run things back.

Seems Askren's all in too ... adding in an earlier tweet on Tuesday that he wants it to be an MMA fight -- not boxing.

In fact, he showed off an apparent text message exchange with Dana White ... where he asked the UFC honcho to put it all on for them.

The lightweight title isn't on the line in the UFC 291 main event, but the "iconic" BMF belt is ... and Justin Gaethje wants it!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 34-year-old UFC star ahead of his scrap with Dustin Poirier on July 29 ... and the Baddest Mother F****r belt is on the line. We asked Gaethje if he cared about the strap.

"I think [the belt is] really iconic," Justin said.

"There's only been two guys in the world that have ever fought for it. We'll be the two out of four guys now. And I think it's, it does great things for the legacy, that's ultimately what we're here to build is a legacy. Make money. That's there. And, you know, it catapults us right into the championship talk. So it's perfect."

FYI, only Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal have fought for the belt ... which was created for them. Gamebred won that November 2019 fight by TKO ... and that's the last time the belt was on the line.

It'll be a rematch for Dustin and Justin ... the guys fought in a Fight Night card in April 2018. DP beat JG by 4th round TKO. It was just Gaethje's third UFC fight.

"It's part of my journey. It's something that I'll cherish forever, but you know, I don't think it's a huge factor," Gaethje said of the first fight's impact on UFC 291, adding ... "It's five years ago."

"We both grown so much and we've both been in some huge fights since that day. So yeah, I think it's again something that I'll always cherish, but it's not something that I'm using to game plan for this fight."

We also Justin where he believes a win would leave him in his quest for the 155-pound title.

"I'm not too worried about that right now. [Dustin's] the number two-ranked guy in the world. I'm the number three-ranked guy in the world. I think no matter what it's a given that the winner of this fight, we either fight the winner of the [Islam Makhachev-Charles Oliveira]. And if one of us is able to go in there and get a quick knockout and take no damage, then there's a slight possibility that maybe we'll be ready for October."

Makhachev and Oliveira are fighting at UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi.

"Hey Ben, kiss my ass! You're coming out of retirement? I'll send you right back in the motherf***er!"

Buckle up ... we're talking Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren II!

Retired UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) this week to talk about the upcoming Gaethje-Poirier BMF fight (more on that shortly), when the conversation turned to Askren and a comment he made about wanting to avenge his 5-second loss to Gamebred.

"Ben Askren said he'd come out of retirement to fight me," Masvidal said, adding ... "Hey Ben, I'll beat your ass with both hands behind my back!"

The BMF belt holder continued ... "Ben's so bad at boxing."

The resurgence of the beef seemingly goes back to late 2022 when Askren said he'd only come out of retirement for a rematch with JM.

Of course, the men fought in one of the most infamous UFC fights ever -- UFC 239 in July 2019 -- when Jorge opened up with a flying knee that sent Ben to la la land, as the star wrestler was shooting for the takedown.

We asked Masvidal -- what discipline? Boxing, MMA, something else?

"[Askren] wanted MMA, but for his sake, I'd do it boxing so I can't knee him in the face. It's illegal!"

"Maybe Ben can get his way now."

That's when Conor McGregor took a stray ... just because.

"Conor, you're a bitch. You never mentioned my name because I'll break your f***ing eye over it, you're a f***ing skank bitch. I don't really like those guys too much, you know?"

Promise ... we also talked about the BMF fight at UFC 291.

When Masvidal beat Nate Diaz for the inaugural fight, The Rock presented the belt to Street Jesus. This time it'll be Masvidal who has that honor.

But, does he actually like the idea of Dustin and Justin fighting for the belt that was created for him at the MMA star from Stockton?

"It's not an easy injury to come back from, but I do s*** that's not easy all the time."

That's former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill talking about the devastating injury he recently suffered during a pickup basketball game ... admitting he doesn't know how long the torn Achilles will keep him out of the Octagon while vowing to make a return.

TMZ Sports caught up with 32-year-old Hill at LAX earlier in the week -- who was using a scooter to get around -- as he arrived in Los Angeles before surgery ... and we asked Hill how he was doing.

"Good," Jamahal told us, saying, "I'm about to get the surgery and back on the road to recovery. I'll do what I gotta do to get back."

Hill got the injury hooping with Daniel Cormier ... we asked him how it happened (he didn't want to say), but did tell us he's always used basketball to stay in shape.

"I've been using basketball to work out, stay in shape with cardio and s*** since I've been [fighting]. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, out of the regular."

Just days after the injury, Jamahal, who obviously won't be able to fight for some time, made the decision to give up his belt (which he won vs. Glover Teixeira in January) ... we asked him why.

"It was the right thing to do."

Oscar De La Hoya is weighing in on one of the best fights in years -- Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford -- a fight The Golden Boy agrees is as close to evenly matched as a fight could be ... but that doesn't mean the boxing legend doesn't have a prediction!

"I think it is a 50/50 fight," De La Hoya told us in NYC on Wednesday ... before giving us his pick.

"I like Crawford, I've always liked Crawford. I mean, I love Spence, but Crawford has more of the elusive style, more combinations. It's gonna be a good fight. If Spence wins, he's gonna knock out Crawford. If Crawford wins, it'll go to decision."

Vegas seems to agree with the boxing legend ... Crawford is a small favorite in the bout, heading into fight week around -160 (wager $160 to win $100).

Of course, it's the fight boxing fans have been talking about -- clamoring for -- for years ... and it's just a week and a half away, going down July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Spence, 33, is undefeated with a record of 28-0 with 22 knockouts. He's the unified welterweight (147 lbs.) champion, holding the IBF, WBC, and WBA belts.

As for Crawford, he too has never lost ... and comes into the fight with a 39-0 record with 30 knockouts. "Bud" is also a champ, holding the WBO welterweight belt. He's been champion in three different weight classes.

There's more with ODLH. We also talked to the boxing Hall of Famer about the Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou "money grab" boxing match, scheduled for October.

Jake Paul says he's a completely different fighter after experiencing the first loss of his boxing career ... and that could be bad news for Nate Diaz, 'cause The Problem Child tells TMZ Sports he's going to put his opponent on the canvas.

Jake and Nate are meeting in the ring for their highly anticipated fight in Dallas on August 5 ... and it's clear his defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury has him laser-focused on winning again.

"Man, I have the biggest chip on my shoulder, the biggest chip on both shoulders," Jake told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show. "Coming back with vengeance, refilled with that hunger that I had in the beginning of the sport to prove to people what I was capable of."

"The lion lost. I've retreated back into the jungle, I took notes of everything, I got better, I trained, and now this lion is going to come out and maul this dude. And he's gonna have to pay -- he's gonna have to pay for all this hard work, all this sacrifice I've made in this camp."

Jake added he's "100%" going to knock Diaz out ... but has no prediction on when it'll happen, 'cause he doesn't want to add any more pressure while he's in the ring.

Nate has only fallen twice via TKOs in his 20-year pro fighting career ...  one being a doctor's stoppage (vs. Jorge Masvidal), and the other coming against Josh Thomson in 2013, when the ref called the fight after a flurry of strikes.

Mark Zuckerberg is getting the ultimate stamp of approval from the world's best pound-for-pound MMA fighter ... with featherweight G.O.A.T. Alex Volkanovski giving a personal guarantee that Zuck's ability would impress even his most ardent critic.

Volkanovski joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... and talked about his recent training session with the Meta CEO in Northern California.

"I guarantee you, you guys would be very surprised," Alex said of Zuck's aptitude on the mat.

Of course, we've seen Mark train in the past ... but what really took people by storm was his physique in a shirtless photo he posed for along with Alex and friend/gym-mate, Israel Adesanya.

"As you can see from that photo, I think that's what raised a lot of eyebrows, he's in shape," Volk said ... but it's not just about vanity, the muscles are functional.

"I mean you can see it that he's in shape but he really is in shape. It's not just looks, he really is, mate. He trains, he's pretty athletic, he's coordinated and he's committed," Alex explained, adding, "He's got a passion for it."

As for whether Zuck gave Volk any inside information on the fight ... the UFC champ clearly believes Mark is training for a reason.

"Man, I'm telling you he's serious. I don't know how serious Elon is, but I'm telling you, he's training!"

There's more ... we also talked to Volkanovski about his latest title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 -- another dominating performance.