MMA

"Kid, you have no idea how much money you're gonna make."

That's what UFC president Dana White told "Suga" Sean O'Malley as the newly crowned champion stood in the Octagon with the UFC honcho after defeating the great Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

28-year-old O'Malley joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on Friday ... and chopped it up about all things Aljo, how life's changed since becoming champ, reaching Conor McGregor levels of fame, his offer to train Henry Cejudo in wrestling, and what he wants next!

"Chito was acting like he earned a title shot. I think he even tweeted he was the most exciting bantamweight which is just bonkers. I don't know how he sees that. He needs to settle down a little bit, cause I do have options.

"Henry, I pretend like is an option, realistically it's not. He lost his last fight. Alexandre Pantoja, the 125 lb. champ, throwing my name out there a little bit. That's an option. Merab's an option. I might just wait for Cory [Sandhagen] if Chito's gonna act like he earned a title shot."

FYI, Sean and Chito have history. The men fought in 2020, and Vera won. It's O'Malley's lone career loss.

(We also talked to Chito about his win over Pedro, and a possible fight with Suga.)

Sean says there's a way for Vera to lock down the fight, but it'll involve eating a little crow first and saying something along the lines of ... "Ya know what Suga, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I didn't deserve it. I didn't earn it, but I appreciate you.

"If he came at it like that I would think about it more. But the fact that he's tweeting, 'I earned that' and stuff, it's throwing me off a bit. I got options. I'm not too worried about it."

Of course, Sean dropped Aljamain with a perfectly placed straight right about 30 seconds into the second round, and after some effective ground and pound, the fight was stopped by ref Marc Goddard ... and just like that, O'Malley was Bantamweight champion.

As for how life has changed ... Sean says while he was a star before winning the title, he's now more than just a big deal amongst MMA fans.

"I kind of had everything-ish before 'champ status,' but definitely getting recognized way more in public by random people you wouldn't think were fight fans. The casuals that don't watch the fight, watched that fight," Suga said.

Speaking of fame and making money ... we also talked to Sean about acting (he's received movie offers) and whether he believes he will ever fight Aljo again.

Natan Levy says his recent beatdown of an internet troll could have been much, much more violent ... but he tells TMZ Sports he let his foot off the gas just a little bit so the guy still had "some brain left to take the lesson in."

The UFC fighter, who's Jewish, sparred the smack-talking social media user, Ben, a few days ago ... after the guy defended noted antisemite Nick Fuentes in an exchange on X.

Ben met up with Levy at his gym in Las Vegas ... and after Levy had explained why he was so furious at Ben for supporting Fuentes -- a man who the Anti-Defamation League has called "a white supremacist leader" -- the two threw on gear and stepped into the cage.

Not long after, Levy destroyed the guy.

But, Levy said it could've been worse ... explaining to us he could've sent the dude home in an ambulance -- but he held back.

"It wasn't easy," Levy said of holding back, "but again, great power comes with great responsibility and I wanted to teach him a lesson."

Seems it was effective nonetheless ... as Ben went on camera following the sparring sesh and acknowledged that six million people were murdered in the Holocaust.

Aljamain Sterling altered his strategy in the 2nd round of his title defense against Sean O'Malley after a smattering of boos in the 1st, according to UFC contender Merab Dvalishvili, who told us Aljo became more aggressive in his approach.

"Aljo always fights smart. He's so good, he can do everything he wants. But, he always fights smart. He was fighting smart. Then in the second round, the people started booing again. So Aljo tried to make an exciting fight. That's when he decided to strike more, punch more," Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports.

If you watched the fight, the crowd was firmly behind Suga ... so when Aljamain attempted to get O'Malley to the ground, the Boston fans booed.

Merab says Aljo heard the response ... "He actually said that was the main reason why he made the adjustment to step in and go to striking."

Of course, just over 30 seconds into the second round, Aljamain lunged forward, throwing a straight left that fell just short of Sean's chin. The momentum of the strike carried Sterling forward, leaving him out of position, and unable to defend himself from the incoming right.

The shot was perfectly placed, sending Aljo to the ground, and scrambling to stay alive.

About 20 seconds later, the fight was stopped by referee Marc Goddard.

Sterling, who'd won 9 fights in a row, didn't really protest the stoppage in the Octagon (and couldn't have been more graceful in defeat), though Dvalishvili believes the fight was prematurely halted.

"The referee stopped Aljo a little early, cause Aljo was fighting, he wasn't out of anything. He was defending. First, he was trying to catch the leg. Then after he made the turn, he tried to do other move to get out of the situation, and the referee just jumped, that's what Marc Goddard does. That's why I have Marc Goddard phobia."

As for what's next ... that's where things really get interesting/complicated, and Merab is very much in the mix.

O'Malley is the champ now. Aljo is the top-ranked contender and made it clear he wants a rematch.

Merab is ranked 2nd. Henry Cejudo is 3, Cory Sandhagen 4, Petr Yan 5, and "Chito" Vera, who Suga called out after the fight, is ranked 6.

We asked Dvalishvili -- who will not fight Sterling -- what he believes should happen next.

"If Aljo wants to make a comeback now and fight O'Malley for a rematch, that would be best. But, if Aljo wants to take a vacation or O'Malley don't fight him, or the UFC doesn't make this matchup, I am the next guy," Merab said.

"I am the number one contender after Aljo, and O'Malley should fight me. If he fights Chito Vera, that's a joke."

FYI, Dvalishvili's in the midst of a 9-fight win streak -- he last lost in April 2018 -- and has beaten the likes of Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. As for Marlon, he beat Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision at UFC 292, and is the only fighter to defeat O'Malley (UFC 252 in August 2020).

Things went from 100 to 100 at the KSI vs. Tommy Fury press conference on Tuesday ... 'cause the entire event was absolute chaos from start to finish -- with TNT's dad flipping tables and Logan Paul throwing cake at Dillon Danis.

The wild incident just went down minutes ago at Wembley Arena in London ... with all four fighters -- as well as John Fury -- unleashing menacing insults left and right.

But, it was John who got so fed up with the personal jabs, he decided to take action -- hurling a table upside down and kicking another in a rage.

Everyone on stage stood up and got in a scuffle ... with KSI and Tommy needing to be held back. Logan loved every second of it, hopping up on his chair to get a better view.

Danis, on the other hand, picked up a chair ... but was talked out of throwing it.

John then took his shouting fit to the crowd ... thrusting as the fans in attendance erupted in cheers.

Eventually, everyone was escorted offstage ... and we're assuming cooler heads prevailed.

Earlier in the presser, Logan said he got a birthday gift for his opponent ... revealing a customized cake in the shape of a knocked-out Danis.

Dillon -- who's posted constantly about Paul's fiancée, Nina Agdal, on his social media pages over the past week -- responded by taking yet another shot at the model ... and Logan clapped back with his own jabs.

"Run your mouth all you want, but you know damn well you ain't ever been with any girl as beautiful as my girl," Paul said.

"You've resorted to attacking a woman as your fight tactic, no wonder you're friends with Conor McGregor. Where is he, by the way?"

Eventually, Logan decided to decapitate the cake version of Danis and throw its head in his opponent's direction ... and Dillon tried to charge back, but security intervened.

UFC star Sean O'Malley delivered the goods in spectacular fashion Saturday night in Boston, knocking out Aljamain Sterling and snagging the Bantamweight title, and dude has all the makings of the next Conor McGregor.

After a slow first round, Sean delivered a crushing blow to Sterling's noggin, and then pummeled him until the ref called it a night.

Sean, sporting Pepto Bismol-colored hair, was humble after the win, telling reporters, "Honestly, this is the most nervous I've ever been for a fight. In my eyes, Aljamain Sterling is the greatest bantamweight of all time," adding, "I always say it only takes one mistake with me. I don't even know if that's a mistake. I'm just that f---ing good!"

If you expect Mark Zuckerberg to fight a professional fighter and get slaughtered, you may be in for a rude awakening ... ONE Championship star Mikey Musumeci has trained with the Meta boss on several occasions, and says Zuck would 100% win a fight.

"I was pretty shocked. [Mark's] a grinder. He has that grind in him. The second I saw that I said, 'Okay, he can be very good at MMA or jiu-jitsu' because first of all, he has the highest IQ, but he's also tough as f***!" Mikey told TMZ Sports.

It's high praise coming from Musumeci ... a 5x IBJJF world champion and current ONE Championship flyweight grappling champ. He's quite literally the best in the world!

Mikey and Mark are friends who not only train together ... but also talk when they aren't working out.

We doubled down ... asking Musumeci if he really believed Zuck could "hang with a professional fighter?"

"100%. 100%, and I think he could win."

Of course, we asked Mikey the question because all signs point to Zuckerberg, now that the Elon Musk fight is seemingly done, fighting against an actual pro fighter in a top MMA promotion.

"Not holding my breath for Elon, but I'll share details on my next fight when I'm ready," Mark said on Threads.

"When I compete, I want to do it in a way that puts a spotlight on the elite athletes at the top of the game. You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or ONE to pull this off well and create a great card."

There's more ... we also talked to ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong -- who is also friends with Mark -- about the billionaire's foray into MMA.

The bantamweights are anchoring UFC 292 Saturday night -- with Aljamain Sterling and rival "Suga" Sean O'Malley fighting -- and the greatest 135er of all-time is breaking down the matchup!

"You're looking at pure dominance in grappling as a specialist or a knockout artist in Sean O'Malley, so that's a fun fight," UFC legend Dominick Cruz told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"There's no way that this can't be fun!"

To make the fight even better, outside of the guy's incredible talents, there's also been a lot of trash talk.

"Especially because of the talking on the line. All the things O'Malley is saying, 'You're not gonna be able to hold me down. I'm gonna knock you down first,'" Dom explained.

"Well, now he has to prove that, we've all heard it. And Sterling has to prove he can get in there and not get knocked out. I mean they've all talked so much, that's what builds this thing. That's what makes this fun, and gets me excited about it."

Of course, 34-year-old Sterling is the champion, and 28-year-old O'Malley is the #2 contender, behind Merab Dvalishvili. Aljo and Suga have been talking trash to each other for years.

Sterling is in the midst of a 9-fight win streak and has beaten the likes of Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen. Some of the best fighters in the world.

Sean has only lost once in his career -- to Marlon "Chito" Vera in 2020 -- and last defeated Yan.

We also asked Dom about his future. He's injured, but not retired ... not at all. In fact, Cruz is still the 9th-ranked bantamweight and is eyeing another run at the belt once he gets healthy.

Max Holloway is crushed by what's happening on Maui, and the UFC star, born and raised in Hawaii, believes matters have been made worse by the government's response to the disaster.

TMZ Sports talked to a very emotional Holloway, 31, as he finished preparation for his UFC Fight Night scrap against The Korean Zombie on August 26. Although the fight is going down in Singapore, it was Maui that was very much on Blessed's mind.

"It's tough man. Everything that's going on in Lahaina now is heartbreaking."

As bad as things are, Max says he's seen incredible strength in the community.

"The amazing thing is how Hawaii can come together and pull through. The people of Hawaii are coming strong together."

Of course, Maui is in crisis. The death count is currently at 111, including children, but is expected to rise sharply, as over 1,000 people are still missing. Aside from the tragic loss of life, the area has been ravaged, with hundreds, if not thousands of structures -- homes, businesses -- burned to the ground.

Much of the affected area still hasn't been searched ... and Max says he's not satisfied with the government's response.

"Here, the state, the government at so many levels, I'm straight up going to say it, they failed the people of Lahaina and it's kind of heartbreaking," Holloway said.

"When it felt like they were lollygagging, too, after everything happened, the people, the Hawaiian people, the locals there are the ones that stood up, that took on the responsibility, and are helping, and are still helping as we speak. Man, it's just super heartbreaking."

Because it's clearly having such an effect on Max, we asked him if he considered backing out of the fight. But that wasn't going to happen, because Holloway believes this can be a distraction for the people.

"If I can take their minds off of it for a second, a minute, five minutes, whatever it is, I always go in there thinking Hawaii is on my back. I'm going in there a little bit heavier right now."

As for those people impacted, Max had a message.

"My main message to the families that are directly impacted, stay strong. We're all here for you guys. We're gonna keep this going for you guys. We're in for the long haul on this fight."

"This is just the beginning, and we know. The recovery is going to take a long time. Everything is gone, and we know this, and we're here for the long ride."

Dana White says he's sure Mark Zuckerberg wants to take a fight in the UFC -- and, get this, he tells TMZ he's definitely not opposed to making the Meta boss' wish a reality.

White joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Thursday to preview this weekend's big UFC 292 card ... but before he talked Sean O'Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling -- he spilled the beans on what he knew about the failed Zuck vs. Elon Musk matchup.

He said both guys were dead serious about brawling ... but when Elon wanted to go more of an informal route with the bout -- Zuck decided to pull away.

"He and I talk multiple times a week," White said of Zuckerberg. "And we had dinner last Monday. He's very serious about competing. And when he mentioned it, he said -- listen -- what he was saying in response to Elon was there are tons of professional organizations out there and this is the way this should be done, not in some backyard or whatever Elon was saying."

He added that Zuck understood the fight would have to be sanctioned by an athletic commission, there would need to be proper medical testing and drug testing ... and when Elon didn't seem to get that -- he said Zuckerberg pivoted.

As for what's now next for Zuck ... White told the guys "I would say he is absolutely interested" in battling it out with a UFC fighter in White's org.

And, Dana said it's a possibility he makes it all happen.

But, until then, White's in Boston getting ready for a helluva fight on Saturday night between O'Malley and Sterling.

Tom Brady living it up in London is no sweat for Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente ... the rumored couple was in great spirits while working out with the supermodel and quarterback's daughter, Vivian, on Wednesday -- and it was hugs all around!!

Gisele brought the 10-year-old to a gym in Miami for a workout session with the family's jiu-jitsu instructor ... and we're told Valente was focused on helping out Vivian the whole time, while Bündchen trained alongside another female patron.

The trio was all smiles at the gym ... appearing happy as ever as they chatted it up while hanging on some nearby equipment. Gisele also shared a hug with her daughter at the workout.

As we previously reported, Gisele has been spending a lot of time with Valente recently ... even having him pick her up from the airport at Miami International at the crack of dawn last week.

Canelo Alvarez says Jake Paul needs to come back down to earth ... praising the Problem Child for what he's been doing in the boxing ring, but making it clear he's got no shot against him in a professional fight.

The 26-year-old former Disney star has been calling out the champ for years -- most recently, Jake said he had his sights set on Canelo after defeating Nate Diaz via unanimous decision earlier this month.

Alvarez -- who initially ripped the Paul bros for having a "lack of respect" for the fight game in an interview with TMZ Sports back in December 2020 -- has since warmed up to the social media superstars getting into boxing ... but when asked if Jake could ever get to his level, Canelo said it's time for a reality check.

"My level is other level," Canelo told Mirror Fighting this week. "But look, I think he needs to enjoy what he's doing, and that's it."

"He needs to calm down and start calling out people with other levels. I think he needs to focus on what he's doing. He's doing good things."

Canelo added Jake should stick to guys like Nate ... saying, "he needs to enjoy that."

Canelo also addressed getting called out by Conor McGregor ... and it sounds like he, too, won't get his wish -- at least for now.

Vicente Luque, one of the best MMA fighters in the world is not only down with Mark Zuckerberg fighting in an actual UFC fight, but the welterweight title contender tells us he actually respects the way the Meta CEO has approached the sport.

TMZ Sports broke the story on Tuesday ... despite the Elon Musk vs. Zuckerberg fight falling apart, all signs point to the $100 billion man planning to take an MMA fight against a pro fighter in Dana White's promotion, and Zuck has the support of the boss.

But, how do UFC fighters feel about the inexperienced tech mogul, who started training Jiu-Jitsu during COVID-19, entering their territory, and could a fight like this actually be made?

"I definitely think [a Zuckerberg fight is] something that can happen. It does seem like he's really disciplined," Luque, the #10 ranked welterweight told us.

"He not trying just to hype all this stuff. He's trying to work the right way, build himself little by little from the ground up. And I respect that a lot."

Of course, Mark has trained with some of the best fighters in the world, including Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.

As for who he'd fight, Vicente says ... "I think it has to be a fight that makes sense"

Luque added ... "I think it has to be a guy that has kind of like the same level of experience, you know, because competing in combat sports is something that is not only about the technique and the skills you have, it's also very mental. So I feel like that would be an important thing."

And, Dana's on board. After Zuck said he would "share details on my next fight when I'm ready," we contacted White, who clearly supports his friend's venture into the combat sports world.

"I have said since day 1 Mark is a very serious guy," Dana told us. "He loves the sport and is training hard. I believe he is serious about fighting in the UFC."

We also talked to Luque about his win over the legend, Rafael dos Anjos, last weekend in Las Vegas at UFC Fight Night.

Elon Musk says he isn't the one holding up a battle of the billionaires with Mark Zuckerberg ... claiming Tuesday the Meta honcho is actually the one who turned down a potential fight at Italy's Colosseum.

The Tesla exec took to X just minutes ago to explain his side of the situation ... saying after the two men had initially agreed to fight, Rome offered up one of the Seven Wonders of the World for the guys to scrap in.

But, according to Elon, Zuck just flat-out didn't want to do it.

"Zuck declined," Musk said emphatically.

That's when he said he offered to fight in Zuckerberg's backyard Octagon instead.

"I suggested his home as 'safe space,'" Musk said. "Tragically, he was ahem 'traveling.'"

Zuck, meanwhile, has offered up a completely different version of the situation, saying on Threads earlier this week that he was moving on from the battle ... because he didn't believe Musk was serious at all about the fight.

"I offered a real date," the 39-year-old said. "Dana White offered to make this a legit competition for charity. Elon won't confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead."

He continued, "If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously."

Mark Zuckerberg is hellbent on taking a fight in the UFC -- NOT with Elon Musk, but possibly with an actual UFC fighter -- and now, Dana White is more than insinuating it could actually go down!

As you know, Zuck's moved on from a fight with Elon, saying last Friday, " ... I'll share details on my next fight when I'm ready." So, he's got some plan for his "next fight."

He went on to say, "I want to do it in a way that puts a spotlight on the elite athletes at the top of their game," adding, "You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or ONE to pull this off well."

Zuck said Monday, "I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously."

So, who are the "elite athletes" and "people who take the sport seriously?" It seems unlikely there's another Elon out there -- billionaire vs. billionaire -- and it doesn't make a lot of sense Zuck would involve the UFC for some amateur fight with a rando.

We know Zuck's been in communication with UFC Prez Dana White for well over a month and probably a lot longer, and Dana has 500 fighters on his roster who would love this kind of attention -- fighting M.Z.

Now there's no way Zuck would fight a UFC vet, but what about a fighter who just joined the org?

We contacted Dana with our connect-the-dots theory, and here's what he told us ... "I have said since day 1 Mark is a very serious guy. He loves the sport and is training hard. I believe he is serious about fighting in the UFC."

Notice Dana said "fighting IN the UFC." That more than suggests he'd be fighting someone on the INside, not the outside.

CMFTR + SAG-AFTRA!

AEW star CM Punk showed big-time support for the striking actors, rockin' a Screen Actors Guild t-shirt to the ring on AEW Collision over the weekend.

Punk's shirt read ... "SAG-AFTRA ON STRIKE"

The "Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists" is an American labor union representing over 150K people working in the entertainment industry, including actors (from Tom Hanks to bit actors). They've been on strike since July 14.

After making the in-ring statement, CM Punk, government name Phil Brooks, has been receiving some hate online.

Punk shared a screenshot on Instagram where a fan sent him a message ... "You have become what you hate"

The wrestling superstar responded ... "I have become what I hate? A guild/union member who stands in solidarity with fellow members fighting for what's right. Bitch, I have become what I LOVE."

Punk isn't the only wrestling star who has the backs of the actors on strike. WWE Superstar Seth Rollins recently professed his support during a conversation we had with him at LAX.

You can't lose with Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, or Nate Diaz ... BUT, given a choice of the three opponents, UFC legend Chuck Liddell knows the fight he'd like to see.

Nate Diaz vs. The Notorious III!

TMZ Sports caught up with Liddell at LAX this week ... and asked him about Conor's next fight.

"All those would be an interesting fight but I think Nate Diaz, run it back to do it one more time. That'd be fun to watch."

Of course, McGregor's supposed to fight Chandler, who is coaching opposite him on "The Ultimate Fighter." Though, after Gaethje's win over Dustin Poirier a few weeks ago, Conor went at Justin on social media.

Then there's Nate ... who just lost a boxing match to Jake Paul. The guys have obviously fought twice in the past, with each man winning one. They've always said they want to complete the trilogy, which would arguably be the biggest in the promotion's history.

"It will be fun. I think it will be real competitive, I think it's a good one to come back to."

Out of the three options, Chuck makes it clear he wants Conor and Nate. As for how it'll go, The Iceman thinks it'll be a close fight.

Speaking of Diaz and Paul, we also asked Liddell if he bought what Jake was selling ... when he said he could beat Nate with 8-9 months of MMA training.

Chuck isn't so sure.

"That tells me [Jake] just doesn't understand the difference. He has no clue what the difference between MMA and boxing."

Liddell explained some of the challenges when going from boxing to mixed martial arts.

"It's funny [Paul] usually fights two weight classes below him, he likes to pick guys that are a lot smaller than him but Nate's a good jiu-jitsu guy, he's a good grappler and he knows how to fight MMA," Chuck told us.

"There's a different stance, everything changes. You add kicks, you gotta change your stance, you can't stand in boxing stance. I hit you so, it hurts so bad in the first round, you got one round to knock me out."