MMA

Pat Miletich and Mike Jackson used to be close friends -- key words, used to be -- now the men are about to scrap in an MMA cage, and they both have designs on seriously hurting each other!

Miletich and Jackson are fighting October 14 at Caged Aggression 36 in Davenport, Iowa ... and we talked to both men as they prepare to battle.

Miletich, a UFC Hall of Famer (2014), is 55 years old and hasn't fought in nearly 15 years. But, because the guys don't see eye to eye when it comes to life and politics, this was a fight Pat couldn't pass up.

"We got a pretty severe problem and there has to be some retribution for that. Do I hate Mike Jackson? No. Will I pull his arm off? Depends on my mood."

Pat continued ... "I can take him down at will. If I wanna be compassionate, take him down and choke him really quick. That's probably an option, to be honest with you."

Ah, compassion.

As for 38-year-old Mike, he rose to prominence in 2018 when he beat (it was later overturned and ruled a "no contest" over a failed drug test for weed) professional wrestler turned fighter CM Punk.

"If I'm being honest with you, only one objective is for him to be carried out of a stretcher, whether he's unconscious or not," Jackson told us.

"I don't want him walking out on his own like that's my only objective."

Jackson then went on to explain the nature of their beef and how it started (it concerns January 6/The Capitol) ... and it's clear the men have serious issues.

Because of the backstory, MJ says the fight means more to him than CM Punk ... which put Mike on the map with casual fans.

"I know the Punk fight was a really big fight in the MMA sphere given the platform it was on, but personally given where I am currently in my life and what I'm fighting for and all the things that's going on in the social sphere, this fight means way more to me. It's not just a fight."

Cain Velasquez has been given the all-go to corner Usman Nurmagomedov's Bellator 300 fight this weekend despite his ongoing criminal case ... and Usman tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be more pumped to have the UFC legend by his side.

"I'm so excited," the MMA star said.

It was unknown a few weeks ago if Velasquez would be able to help out in Nurmagomedov's championship tilt against Brent Primus in San Diego on Saturday night ... as he's still facing 10 charges for allegedly trying to shoot Harry Goularte, a man who had been accused of molesting one of his close relatives.

But, according to MMAFighting.com, Velasquez was cleared by the courts recently to help coach in the bout ... and Nurmagomedov -- who's been training with Velasquez at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose in the leadup to the match -- is thrilled.

"Cain he's like, he talks with everybody the same," the 25-year-old said. "If you're a star, he doesn't talk with you different."

"He's, like, a very good person," Usman added. "Family guy. He's really humble, too. Very kind guy."

Cain isn't the only MMA legend to help Nurmagomedov gear up for his match ... he said his cousin, Khabib Numagomedov, has called to give tips and advice as well.

"If LeBron wanted to fight with me, it wouldn't be close!"

That's UFC fighter Bobby Green aka "King" saying he'd wash Bron in a purely hypothetical fight for the royal nickname.

See, TMZ Sports was talking to the 37-year-old lightweight before his Fight Night main event scrap against 29-year-old Grant Dawson, the 10th ranked 155 pounder.

Dawson's nickname is "KGD" ... said to stand for "King Grant Dawson"

When we asked Green if he had a message for Grant, he told us ... "There can only be one King. I just found out that Grant Dawson's fight name is KGD. There can only be one king. Let's go find out. The other one's gonna get his head cut off!"

Okay, okay. Obviously, the most famous "King" going right now this side of Charles is LeBron ... and given the age-old debate about skill vs. size, we asked BG if he could beat the 6'8" hoops legend.

"It wouldn't be close!" Bobby said.

We mentioned the size discrepancy ... Bobby's 5'10" and fights at 155 lbs. (we'll assume he walks around in the neighborhood of 185). James is 10 inches taller, and weighs 250 lbs., according to the Lakers website.

Irrelevant, according to Bobby.

"He's a big dude but he doesn't have the skills I'm sorry. Skills pay the bills, sir."

But, would Green actually fight King James?

"In a drop of a dime. In a heartbeat, without even thinking about it. Hell yeah. I'll wax his ass!"

"No puedo imaginar después de todo lo que ha hablado en X, después de toda la m*** que ha dicho, lo que será estar atrapado en un ring conmigo... ha cometido un grave error. Y suponiendo que se presente, el 14 de octubre será la peor noche de su vida".

Logan Paul está ansioso por vengarse de Dillon Danis cuando se enfrenten oficialmente en su combate de boxeo el próximo mes y le dice a TMZ Sports que su oponente se va a arrepentir de haberlo hecho algo personal.

Por supuesto, el ex luchador de Bellator ha estado en la vorágine de las redes sociales antes de la pelea, con todo el asunto de su prometida, la modelo de Nina Agdal, a tal punto de que tuvo que presentar una orden de restricción y una demanda en su contra.

Hablamos con Paul sobre las tonterías en la previa a la pelea y aunque dijo que sabía que Dillon lo insultaría y haría todo este tipo de comentarios, señaló que es un poco diferente cuando se tienen que involucrar abogados.

"Es un llorón, legítimamente", dijo Paul. "No estoy diciendo esto solo para actuar como un compañero de pelea pesado, que quiere maltratarlo. Es un cobarde. Ha hecho de esta pelea un asunto de mujeres, eligió pelearse con una mujer. Ella se defendió. Él está lloriqueando por eso. Está molesto. Está poniendo excusas a diestra y siniestra".

Logan añadió que cree que Danis nunca planeó realmente seguir adelante con la lucha y solo accedió a ella para obtener influencia y atención.

"Es el rey de los "patos", todo ladrido, pero nada de mordida".

A pesar de molestar a Agdal, dijo que no está ni un poco preocupado de enfadarse demasiado antes de entrar al ring, pues no hay nada que Danis pueda hacer para meterse en su piel.

Hablando de Agdal, Logan dijo que estará en la pelea en Manchester, ya que ambos han estado luchando sus propias guerras contra Danis a su manera.

"I can't imagine after all the talk he's done on X, after all the s*** he said, what it's going to be like to be trapped in a ring with me -- he has made a grave error. And assuming he shows up, October 14 will be the worst night of his life."

Logan Paul is champing at the bit to get revenge on Dillon Danis when they officially face off in their boxing match next month ... telling TMZ Sports his opponent is going to regret making it personal.

Of course, the former Bellator fighter has been on a tear on social media leading up to the bout ... targeting Paul's model fiancee, Nina Agdal, to the point she had to file a restraining order and lawsuit against him.

We spoke with Paul about the pre-fight antics ... and while he said he knew D.D. would bring the trash talk, he pointed out it's a bit different when lawyers gotta get involved.

"He's a crybaby, legitimately," Paul said. "I'm not just saying this to be like a mean fight companion trying to rile him up. He's a coward. He's made this fight entirely about a woman -- he chose to pick a fight with a woman. She fought back. He's whining about it. He's upset. He's making excuses left, right and center."

Logan added he believes Danis never planned to actually go through with the fight ... and only agreed to it so he could get clout and attention.

"He's the king of the ducks, all bark, no bite."

Despite going after Agdal, Logan said he's not worried one bit about getting too angry before entering the ring with his nemesis ... saying there's nothing Danis could do to get under his skin.

Speaking of Agdal, Logan said she WILL be at the fight in Manchester ... as they've both been fighting their own wars against Danis in their own ways.

Strange time for a nap ... Alex Jones literally went to sleep while appearing as a guest on Craig Jones' (no relation!) show on Thursday after the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champ sent the controversial host to La La Land with a super tight rear-naked choke! 😴

49-year-old Jones' was appearing on Craig's "El Segundo Podcast" when the IBJJF world champ got to live out the real-life fantasy of many of Alex's opponents, literally putting the Infowars host to sleep square in his chair on set.

It's unclear what led up to the submission (Alex was clearly down with it) ... and given Craig's one of the best in the world when it comes to strangling people (he coaches Alex Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya), it didn't take him long.

Craig posted video of the incident ... and had some fun with the caption, writing, "The CIA sent me but I couldn’t do my dad like that"

Again, no father-son relation here.

The clip starts with the choke already in deep. After about 8 seconds of pressure, Jones' eyes rolled back, and he was out cold.

Almost 10 seconds later, Alex finally wakes up ... but clearly had no idea what the hell just happened -- common among people who have been choked out.

"What? What'd I just do?" Alex asked, looking around.

Presumably, Craig will drop more videos with Alex when the pod episode debuts.

Nate Diaz is no longer facing any time behind bars for his role in an altercation on Bourbon Street earlier this year ... prosecutors have just dropped the criminal case against the former UFC star.

A spokesperson for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office confirmed to TMZ Sports on Monday afternoon that Diaz's second-degree battery charge has been dismissed. No further details surrounding the case's disposition, however, were given.

Diaz's rep, Zach Rosenfield, said in a statement that he was pleased with the decision ... reiterating yet again that he believes when Diaz choked out Rodney Petersen in the middle of the famed New Orleans street back in April, he was doing nothing more than defending himself.

"Since Rodney Peterson sought out to fight Nate on Bourbon Street, we have maintained Nate's actions were 100 percent in self-defense," Rosenfield stated.

"It was clear on the video, clear in pictures and clear from the multiple other videos Rodney posted before and after."

"Nate has a right to defend himself against those who want to make a name for themselves and did so," Rosenfield added.

"We appreciate the Orleans Parish District Attorney taking the time to review all aspects of this case and their decision to not proceed with it."

Diaz never seemed to be too bothered by the criminal case ... he actually joked about it all with Jake Paul in May -- laughing with the YouTuber/boxer at their pre-fight press conference.

Israel Adesanya just issued an apology to his family and beloved fans after pleading guilty to drunk driving ... saying he was wrong to get behind the wheel.

The incident happened on August 19th ... after the 24-3 UFC star had dinner and a few drinks with friends in Auckland, New Zealand.

While driving home, the 34-year-old came across a random breath testing unit ... and allegedly had a reading of 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters, which exceeds New Zealand's legal limit of 50 milligrams.

"I want to apologize to the community, my family and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at a dinner," Adesanya said in a statement.

"I am disappointed with my decision to drive, It was wrong."

Style Bender continued ... "I know that people might follow me and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable."

Adesanya pleaded guilty in court on Monday ... and is facing a max penalty of three months in jail or a $2,600 fine.

This arrest happened three weeks before Adesanya lost to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia ... which cost him his middleweight title.

Stipe Miocic fights Jon Jones at Madison Square Garden in less than 50 days, but not even the biggest fight of his career could stop the heavyweight G.O.A.T. from working his less glamorous, but more important day job.

Of course, Stipe is a firefighter in his home state of Ohio ... a job he's dedicated himself to for over a decade. But, Jon recently suggested Miocic “take time off from being a firefighter right now” as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career.

It's advice Stipe did not take ... because when TMZ Sports talked to him this week, we asked if he'd stepped away from the department until after the title fight at MSG.

"No, I'm working tomorrow but I have days off, vacation days, and stuff so. I'm pretty lucky the fight's in November 'cause a lot of guys don't take off so it's easy for me to take time off that time of year."

We asked Stipe what it said about him ... remaining on the job while preparing to fight the man many believe is the most dangerous MMA fighter ever.

"My mom raised me right," Miocic said. "I think just hard work pays off and nothing's ever given until it's earned."

Miocic hasn't fought in 2.5 years ... when he dropped the rematch to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.

Before the scrap with Ngannou, Stipe beat Daniel Cormier twice.

Speaking of DC ... the UFC great fought Jones on two occasions, so we asked Miocic if he's reached out to Daniel for advice on how to fight Jon.

"We're friends but I haven't really asked. That man's a busy man. DC, I give him credit, he's so busy but I get it, he's doing stuff. I'm never gonna bother him. If he ever called me, yeah, for sure I'd talk to him but that's it."

There's much more with Stipe ... including how he believes he'll beat Jon, to who hit hardest out of all the beasts he's fought -- Ngannou, DC, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and more.

"I’ve been doing horrible and I realize that now and I’m doing everything I can to change it."

That's "Mayhem" Miller getting real with his thousands of followers ... sharing he's been seriously struggling after years of bad behavior that often left him in handcuffs and behind bars.

But, the 42-year-old retired MMA fighter is vowing to change his life for the better.

"I went away for a couple of years to pay my debt to society, and when I got out, I realized that I have much more paying to do," Mayhem wrote on social media.

He continued ... "I thought I could smoothly transition from prison to the regular world, but things have been more difficult than I imagined, especially interpersonal relationships and the burden of being free."

Of course, Jason has been in an almost constant state of legal trouble over the years ... getting arrested for everything from fighting in bars to allegedly choking a fan in August 2023. He's been in and out of jail.

Mayhem isn't looking to go back, though ... and is now opening up about asking for help, something he wasn't willing to do in the past.

"Until recently I viewed asking for help as something for the weak, but a very special person has shown me that the actual opposite is true; asking for help shows strength. Strength of character and strength of mind."

Miller also offered a heartfelt apology to his family ... for what they've been through.

"My family has bore the brunt of my frustration and self destructive behavior, so to them I offer a sincere apology and if I have directly affected you in a negative manner, I am sorry."

Mayhem, who beat beasts like Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawler during his fighting career, says he now plans to step away from social media and his everyday routine and work on himself.

"I’ve been doing horrible and I realize that now and I’m doing everything I can to change it. Thank you for your support, but I’m not reading comments. I’m going to work on me now for the good of my family."

Lola Vice is making her NXT singles debut Tuesday night, the first match in what the MMA fighter turned pro wrestler says will be an epic career.

How epic? Lola tells TMZ Sports she will one day be considered the greatest wrestler of all time!

"I am going to be the best Superstar in the history of the WWE," Vice told us flat-out.

Big statement, and obviously it's objective ... but, if there is a consensus, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Ric Flair are often at the very top of the greatest wrestlers list.

If you're not familiar with Vice's story, it's pretty cool ... Valerie Loureda (government name) was an MMA fighter in one of the top promotions, Bellator. She amassed a 4-1 record pro record. Her last MMA fight was in November 2021.

As promising as her mixed martial arts career was, Valerie decided to go in a different direction last year ... trying out in front of WWE executives (and taking in WrestleMania as a fan). That weekend changed her life ... and Lola Vice was born.

"In that moment I got goosebumps when I went to that WrestleMania, and I saw this for the first time, and I spoke to Triple H and everyone, and I just knew it was for me. And, I'm just so grateful for this opportunity. A lot of people would kill to be in the position I am right now and I will never take that for granted."

Fast forward to today, September 19, 2023 ... and Vice is set to make her NXT singles debut vs. Roxanne Perez on USA Network, and she's ecstatic!

"I'm just so excited for the past year and a half that I signed here, I've been working so hard, I started from scratch. I've been proving to myself the martial artist and entertainer that I know I am, and tonight I get to kind of prove that to the world," Lola told us.

With UFC and WWE merging, we asked Lola if she had any advice for MMA fighters looking to make a similar transition. She offered a word of caution.

Dillon Danis has finally been served ... after dodging and weaving a process server for over a week, the fighter/online troll was officially notified Nina Agdal was suing him, and TMZ Sports has video.

It all went down Monday morning outside the Jersey City (NJ) building where the 30-year-old fighter lives.

The process server was waiting for Dillon ... and when he approached with two buddies, the guy said "I have a document for you, Mr. Danis," as he attempted to hand a brown envelope to the fighter.

But, Dillon refused, responding ... "That's not me," as the men walked towards the doors to his building. The PS was told he couldn't go inside, so he placed the document on the floor.

Danis and process servers had been playing a game of cat and mouse for days, with Dillon even pretending he was in North Korea. He also posted images and surveillance video of unsuccessful servers who were waiting for him.

Of course, we broke the story earlier this month ... Agdal, whose fiancé Logan Paul is fighting Danis on October 14, filed a lawsuit and restraining order against Dillon, claiming he was incessantly bullying and trolling her online (250+ times).

In her suit, Agdal says she's suffered humiliation, emotional distress, and reputational harm ... and even claims Danis broke State and Federal law on one occasion when he allegedly gained access to a private video on her phone.

Now that Danis has been served, he'll have 21 days to answer the complaint, per New Jersey law.

Junior dos Santos dropped his last 5 fights prior to his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA scrap against Fabricio Werdum ... but the MMA legend tells TMZ Sports the win over the former UFC champ has reinvigorated his career!

"Just the fact that [the fans] were willing, they were excited to see me fighting again," dos Santos told us days after his fight.

"It's the main factor for me that makes me motivated because I know I still have a lot of good performances left on me. We're always ready to put on a good show."

Of course, 39-year-old dos Santos beat 46-year-old Werdum by split decision during the main event of Jorge Masvidal's promotion, Gamebred Fighting Championship 5, which featured two former UFC champs battling it out sans gloves.

As for how much longer he'll fight ... here's what "Cigano" had to say.

"Right now I go to the gym and I see my performance, I see the love, everything is there. I want to keep going."

"As soon as I go to the gym or I'm fighting or something like that and I'm not delivering anymore, I'll tell myself, I'll see that, I cannot do this anymore. This is kind of dangerous for me ... but right now I feel great!"

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

We also talked to Junior about two of his former opponents ... Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. Both men have big-time bouts coming up ... Stipe vs. Jon Jones and "The Predator" vs. heavyweight boxing king Tyson Fury.

Laura Sanko tells TMZ Sports it's an absolute honor for her to now be an even bigger inspiration for women everywhere ... after she made history in the UFC by becoming the first female to ever call a PPV fight.

Sanko joined Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia last week  ... becoming the first woman to provide PPV commentary for the mixed martial arts promotion since Kathy Long at UFC 1 in 1993.

Sanko said she wasn't sure if she'd ever get the opportunity to do it -- but after it happened, she's been thrilled with the responses she's gotten.

"The reaction has been tremendous and I can't tell you how many women, female fighters, a lot of dads saying, 'My daughter looks to you as an example,'" Sanko said.

"It's not like I ever sought out to be some inspiration figure. It sorta just happened but I take that responsibility very seriously and it's surreal and a huge honor to get those messages."

Sanko did such a good job, Dana White called her the "Ronda Rousey of commentating" ... and now, she's hoping more opportunities will arise in the future.

As for the championship fight she helped call -- Israel Adesanya's memorable bout with Sean Strickland -- Sanko told us she isn't so sure a rematch is necessary there.

"I think a lot of people would like to see a rematch," she said. "Personally, if you're asking Laura Sanko, the fan, the individual, I'd like to see a different fight."

UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich -- the promotion's first-ever welterweight champion -- was arrested for allegedly driving drunk in Iowa Thursday morning ... after a witness said they saw the MMA legend driving his truck the wrong way down a one-way street.

Authorities in Bettendorf, Iowa received a call early Thursday morning for a man allegedly driving against the flow of traffic on a one-way street, before crossing an embankment and parking at a nearby gas station.

Once on the scene, police say they found 57-year-old Miletich asleep behind the wheel ... with the truck still in gear.

Cops woke him up, and Miletich admitted to drinking wine, according to an incident report. Police say Pat had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, was unsteady on his feet, and reeked of alcohol.

They attempted to put Pat through a field sobriety test, but he refused. He also refused the Breathalyzer.

Given his alleged condition, and evidence on the scene that supported the accusation Pat was driving erratically, Miletich was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), 3rd Offense, a class D felony in the state.

Pat was booked into Scott County jail at 6:16 AM. He was listed at 5'10" and 200 pounds.

Miletich was in custody for just short of two hours before being released at 8 AM after posting $5k bond.

If you're not familiar with Pat ... he's one of the first MMA stars. He took his first pro MMA fight in 1995, and went on to become UFC welterweight champion, fighting 39 pro fights along the way.

It was Pat's third arrest for driving drunk ... he was popped in 2019 and 2021.

The arrest comes as Miletich is preparing to return to the MMA cage. He's fighting 38-year-old Mike Jackson (of CM Punk fame) at Caged Aggression on October 14.

Sean Strickland is upset Natan Levy didn't really kick the crap out of his troll last month ... telling TMZ Sports if he had been in the same situation, he would've straight-up carved a "J" on the guy's forehead with his elbow.

Levy, who's Jewish, knocked the dog snot out of a social media heckler in Las Vegas in August after the guy had defended an antisemite in an exchange on X ... but Strickland says he wished the beatdown had gone even further.

"Like, if that was me, broken bones in the face, blood," the UFC star said. "But, Natan's a nice guy. I think we're gonna have to work on him to be a little bit more savage."

Strickland, who's teammates with Levy at Xtreme Couture in Nevada, said the troll's actions were so disrespectful, he would've tried to permanently scar the guy if he were wearing Natan's gloves.

"Like if it was me," Strickland said, "I would've tried to carve a big ol' f***ing 'J' in the forehead."

Of course, Strickland hasn't had much time to devote to the issue recently ... he's been preparing for a title fight with Israel Adesanya that will go down later Saturday night.