MMA

How the hell did Tony Ferguson survive that NASTY arm bar from Charles Oliveira on Saturday night at UFC 256????

Simple ... Tony says it's a combination of crazy genetics and mental fortitude.

The UFC star opened up about his jacked up arm on social media late Monday -- saying it's not as bad as it looked.

"My Arm Is Aright," Ferguson posted on IG ... "The Armbar Was Really Tight."

"The Thought Of My Son ArmandAnthony’s Ability To Be Double Jointed In His Elbow During That Sequence & My Mental Capacity To Endure Pain Got Me Through It. # Breathe # MentalTUFness."

There have been rumblings that Ferguson could consider wrapping up his MMA career after 2 bad losses in a row ... but T-Ferg says he ain't going nowhere.

"We Are Far From Being Retired," Tony said ... while dropping a middle finger emoji to his haters.

"I Can’t Wait Til We Compete In Front Of A Big Loud Crowd Again, It’s Not The Same Without You All."

In the meantime, Ferguson says he's working on healing up his arm -- with a focus on increased blood circulation.

He even underwent some cupping therapy to help out.

Canelo Alvarez has touched down in Texas for his big fight against Callum Smith ... and he's traveling in style!

The boxing superstar took off Sunday in a private jet from San Diego -- where he trains -- and landed in San Antonio just before midnight.

Once he landed, Canelo was driven to his hotel where he went through COVID safety protocols -- including a temperature check and walk through one of those sanitizing misters.

Canelo is set to fight the undefeated Englishman (27-0) on Saturday night at the Alamodome.

Promoters say, "A limited amount of fans will be in attendance" due to the pandemic.

It's been a whirlwind month for Canelo -- who split with longtime fight promoter Oscar De La Hoya after some issues with CA's famous $365 MILLION contract.

Alvarez officially split with Golden Boy in early November -- and quickly booked the fight with Smith.

Tyson Fury says he's "optimistic" he will fight Anthony Joshua in 2021 -- telling his rival, "Grow a pair and sign the contract, Big Boy!"

The Gypsy King appeared on "Good Morning Britain" where Piers Morgan referenced a report that the fighters could sign a 2-fight deal worth more than $500 MILLION!!!

"Well that doesn’t sound too bad," Fury said ... "but then again, I don’t believe everything I see in the paper."

"Let’s hope this fight happens. I’m willing to take the fight, I don't know if they are. I’ve been willing to take the fight for the last 5 years. It’s not happened so far but I’m very optimistic that will happen in 2021."

Of course, Joshua is coming off a violent victory over Kubrat Pulev -- he demolished the heavyweight Saturday night with a 9th-round knockout.

After the fight, Joshua was asked about a possible matchup with Fury -- and Tyson wasn't satisfied with his answer!

Tyson even mocked AJ on social media -- "Anthony Joshua just sh*t himself live on television! He got asked did he want the fight … and he went around the bushes and put his ass on the edge!"

"I want the fight! I want the fight next! I'll knock him out inside 3 rounds! He's a big bum dosser, I can't wait to knock him out!"

31-year-old Joshua is 24-1 as a pro with his only loss coming by way of Andy Ruiz. He defeated Ruiz handily in the rematch.

32-year-old Fury is 30-0-1 -- with his 1 draw coming by way of Deontay Wilder. He smashed Wilder in the rematch.

"[Sean O'Malley] is a cry baby. He's a little bitch! He's a bitch once, you're gonna be a bitch forever! I don't care about the guy! He can talk whatever he want."

That's 28-year-old UFC fighter Marlon "Chito" Vera opening up a verbal can of whoop-ass on Suga Sean ... 4 months after handing O'Malley the 1st loss of his career.

Remember, Vera won by TKO in the first round after O'Malley suffered an apparent ankle injury early in the fight.

After the loss, O'Malley wasn't exactly complimentary of his opponent -- saying, "I lost to a guy I feel like is not that good."

O'Malley also recently posted a photo of him punching Vera with the caption ... "Unbeaten."

These guys hate each other's guts ... so, rematch??

Very unlikely, according to Vera, who tells TMZ Sports he's got bigger fish to fry.

"Let's be real. There's not big money in the rematch because first thing, he's not Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, that's money," Vera says.

"Whoever fights Conor McGregor, it's money! O'Malley is just like a lower version of Conor McGregor. He's like the China version of him -- he's made in China. He's fake!"

Despite the trash talk, Vera says if UFC honcho Dana White offered him the fight, he wouldn't turn it down.

"Don't get me wrong, Dana White told me, 'You never refuse a fight.' They know I never refuse a fight, so if they call me one day to fight him or somebody else, I'd take it!"

Music to the ears of fans who want to see these dudes back in a locked cage together. But first, Vera has his hands full next weekend at UFC Fight Night 183 with MMA legend Jose Aldo.

"[Aldo's] definitely a killer. He's definitely a tough fighter, but of course, I definitely believe his time has passed."

"[Conor McGregor] is one of the greatest fighters on Earth right now. He shouldn't be fighting kids that have f**king YouTube videos."

That's Dana White stomping all over Jake Paul's dream of fighting Conor McGregor -- telling TMZ Sports there's a "zero percent" chance that fight ever happens.

Remember, Jake Paul called out Conor McGregor after knocking  Nate Robinson out cold in the 2nd round of their Nov. 28 boxing match.

Jake later told TMZ Sports his team reached out to Conor's manager to begin talks about a possible fight -- and added, "I'm going in there to f**k Conor McGregor up."

And, with Jake's big bro, Logan Paul, scoring a boxing exhibition with Floyd Mayweather, seems anything's possible these days.

While Dana says he applauds both Paul bros for "injecting themselves into the fight world" ... he makes it pretty clear when it comes to fighting skill, they're not even on the same planet as Conor and Floyd.

"There's a market for these kinda fights. It's just not what I do," White says.

"There will be a day when Conor McGregor could do these types of fights and make a bunch of money," White adds ... but it ain't happening any time soon.

“These guys have a life outside. They have families to look after. They have other things going on. I don’t have anything else going on besides chasing this mother f**king title.”

That's 27-year-old UFC rising star Marvin Vettori putting the entire middleweight division on notice ... telling TMZ Sports his singular goal in life is to SMASH Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya -- and get the championship belt.

We talked to Vettori fresh off his 5-round, unanimous decision win against #4 ranked 185 lb. fighter, Jack Hermansson Saturday night in Vegas.

The fight was INSAAANE!! Vettori and 32-year-old Hermansson -- who says he suffered a broken eye socket during the scrap (see pic below) -- set a record for significant strikes landed in a middleweight fight.

After the fight, Vettori initially called out Paulo Costa ... but the Italian star obviously changed his mind, and has his sights set on even bigger fish.

“I wanna go after the title. And, if anything, fight for the #1 contender spot. And, if [Adesanya] goes away, fight for an Interim title. And, I think the most legitimate guy out there, the #1 legitimate contender is Robert Whittaker.”

FYI, Vettori is referring to Izzy (temporarily) moving up a division to fight Light Heavyweight champ Jan Błachowicz next year.

If Marvin beats #1 ranked Whittaker, it'd set up a rematch with Adesanya. The men fought in April 2018 ... and some people -- including a judge from the fight -- felt Vettori won the fight.

"I want to be the legitimate #1 contender for this f**king title," Vettori says, continuing ... "And then I want to be the one that dethrones that bulls**t ass champion called Israel Adesanya."

He's gone viral for a violent body slam KO finish ... but UFC fighter Jordan Leavitt felt horrible afterward and says the move should be outlawed from MMA.

The 25-year-old -- nicknamed The Monkey King -- was taking on 37-year-old Matt Wiman on Saturday when Leavitt picked up his opponent and slammed him into unconsciousness just 22 seconds into the 1st round.

Wiman's body went stiff -- and it was pretty scary to watch as medical personnel raced into the octagon to tend to him.

Leavitt tells TMZ Sports ... he's happy he won the match but hates the manner in which he got his W.

"I think slams are ugly and I think they’re dangerous," Leavitt tells us.

"I would have preferred to have won in any other way. I’m happy -- I mean it's a highlight and it's good for my career and notoriety -- but that's not the way I wanted it to be."

Leavitt says he tried to ensure Wiman landed on the side of his head instead of the back -- but it still looked pretty nasty.

The move is legal -- but Leavitt says he would be in full support of banning slams from the sport.

"I also 100% agree that I feel like the sport would be a much safer, artful thing if slams like that weren’t allowed."

"But, when you’re out there, when you’re in that cage you have to decide, 'Am going to pay rent tonight? Or am I going to have to downgrade to my house, and have to put my family in an unstable position?'"

"I feel like any person what do what I did in that situation. And, I did what I have to do."

Leavitt says he spoke with Wiman's wife after the match -- and apologized for the way the fight ended ... but there were no hard feelings on her end.

"She just said it's the fight game, it happens."

Marvin Vettori is straight-up GIDDY to become the first Italian to main event a UFC card -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's f*ckin' massive, man. It's beautiful."

The 27-year-old old middleweight -- born and raised in Trento, Italy -- is set to take on Jack Hermansson at "UFC Fight Night" on Saturday in Las Vegas.

"It's super exciting, man," Vettori tells us ... "I'm proud of this moment. But man, we've gotta make it a memorable f*ckin' day."

Vettori is 15-4-1 as a pro fighter -- but he's on a 3 fight win streak ... and says the goal is to prove he's worthy of a title shot.

FYI, Vettori is currently the #13 ranked UFC middleweight. Hermansson is #4.

The last time Marvin took an "L" was in 2018 to Israel Adesanya -- a split decision loss that Marvin badly wants to run back.

He's even talkin' some trash to the reigning middleweight champ.

But, Vettori says he's focused on the goal at hand ... beating Jack Hermansson.

Boxing superstar Claressa Shields says the boxing business is straight-up SEXIST -- with promoters screwing her out of paydays for years because she's a woman ... and that's why she's jumped to MMA.

25-year-old Shields -- one of the greatest female boxers ever -- just inked a 3-year contract with the Professional Fighters League, a global MMA promotion.

And, get this, Sheilds says one of the biggest reasons she made the move is because of PFL's biggest star, Kayla Harrison -- who's already won PFL's $1 million tournament, TWICE!

"Kayla, I watch all her fights," Shields says ... "She had a chance to fight for a million dollars [in MMA] before I had a chance to fight for a million dollars in boxing and I've accomplished everything there is to accomplish in boxing."

Claressa is right -- she's won every title imaginable and is widely regarded as the top pound-for-pound female boxer in the world.

But, despite her accolades and her talent on the microphone (she's entertaining as hell) -- Shields says she's been constantly low-balled by the shot-callers in her beloved sport.

"Boxing is so sexist," Claressa said ... claiming they treat her like a charity case instead of a world champion.

"These men are fighting for multiple millions that haven't accomplished half of what I accomplished but I'm supposed to just be happy?? Like yeah, go ahead and pay me $300k and then offer me $150k for the next fight?"

So, instead of bitching about it ... Claressa simply left the sport.

She's been training like a maniac and tells TMZ Sports the promoters at PFL aren't trying to turn her career into a circus by immediately booking her to fight Kayla Harrison.

Instead, Claressa says she'll start fighting opponents with similar MMA experience and she'll move up from there.

"I'm happy that they understood that this is not a ... 'Oh, I'm just coming over here like a Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather type of deal,'" Shields tells us.

"This is a 3-year deal we have together ... It's very lucrative. 160 different countries that they'll be showing my fights. I'll be able to grow my brand and just continue to be a bigger role model."

"And I'm just happy they understood that and just didn't come talking to me like, 'Hey, we want you to get in the cage and fight Kayla Harrison the first main event.'"

As for her training, Shields says she's been in the gym every day -- and has gone from bench pressing 135 pounds to 185 pounds since kick-starting her training in June.

"Just trying to get stronger and fast to be more explosive -- and really just treat my body like a temple so we can get ready to go through all these different changes we're about to go through having to be an MMA fighter."

There's more -- Shields says the MMA community has welcomed her with open arms ... and name-drops some huge stars in the sport who have offered to help her as she begins her new journey.

What was UFC star Brandon Moreno doing when he received the biggest phone call of his life???

Eating a DELICIOUS burger ... of course.

Here's the deal ... 26-year-old Moreno -- the #1 contender in the UFC's flyweight division -- got a big 1st round win against Brandon Royval at UFC 255 last Saturday night.

Moreno -- who had to weigh in at 125 lbs. -- wanted to blow off some steam after the fight ... so naturally, he went to grab a cheeseburger.

Enter the biggest opportunity of Moreno's career ... when his manager called him and said Dana White had just offered him a title fight against 32-year-old champ, Deiveson Figueiredo.

The catch??

The fight is December 12 at UFC 256 ... ONLY 14 days from today.

Moreno tells us ... “I was eating some burger from Shake Shack, and then my manager called me and said, ‘I’m with the matchmaker now. Do you wanna fight December 12?’"

"I said, ‘Man, this is really, really close to the fight.’ I talked with my head coach, and he said, ‘Man you are ready. You don’t have any injuries from the fight. So let's go. This is the opportunity of your life.’ So I take it. I’m ready. I’m so ready!”

BTW, Figueiredo ALSO fought on Saturday ... submitting Alex Perez in the 1st round.

Moreno -- without hesitation -- said yes to the fight ... but he has to weigh 125 lbs. in a few weeks. So, did he finish the burger??

Damn straight!

Vitor Belfort says MMA G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva has been living off the kick that KO'd VB nearly a decade ago ... and now the MMA legend wants REVENGE!!

Remember, Silva knocked out Belfort with a wicked front kick (followed by a flurry of ground and pound) at UFC 126 in February 2011. That's the one and only time the 2 greats ever fought.

Fast forward to today ... 43-year-old Belfort -- who's beaten beasts like Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Luke Rockhold and "Rumble" Johnson -- is currently signed to ONE Championship.

45-year-old Anderson Silva was just released by the UFC after his latest loss to Uriah Hall ...but Spider has indicated he would still like to fight.

So, Belfort tells TMZ Sports he wants to avenge the loss by stepping back in the cage with Silva.

"Anderson, ya know, he's living off of that kick. So let's go."

The rivalry is very real ... but, believe it or not ... there's actually someone Vitor wants to beat up even more than Anderson.

Chael P. Sonnen.

"I want Chael Sonnen. I really want him to shut his mouth. We were supposed to fight one time, but he got caught up in steroids," Belfort says ... "I'm okay with it. You can take whatever you want. I'll beat your ass, Chael Sonnen. Let's go!"

That wasn't all the trash talk.

"[Chael's] moms gonna root for me. Chael's family likes Vitor Belfort. They don't like Chael. Even his family don't like Chael."

So, Vitor's got his hands full with Chael and Anderson, right? Couldn't possibly want to fight anyone else, right?

Wrong.

Belfort tells us he also wants to fight boxers in a hybrid-style MMA-Boxing matchup ... and he's calling out some of the greatest pugilists of all-time.

Boxing greats like Roy Jones Jr. Lennox Lexis. Evander Holyfield. Wladimir Klitschko.

No fancy car. No fancy Rolex -- MMA fighter Emiliano Sordi spent his $1 MILLION prize money on something much more important.

HE USED EVERY CENT TO FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE IN HIS HOME COUNTRY!

Amazing, right?!

The 29-year-old earned his $1 mil check by winning the Professional Fighters League light heavyweight season and playoffs in 2019. Dude can fight.

Now, Sordi -- AKA "He-Man" -- is revealing how he spent the dough ... and it'll warm even the coldest of hearts.

The Argentinian fighter says the COVID pandemic has been especially brutal in his home town of Rio Cuarto -- and in an interview with the Hablemos MMA podcast on Monday, he explained why he felt compelled to step up and help.

"Everything here is very rough," Sordi said (via MMA Junkie). "The economy is very bad. The situation is looking very ugly."

"We started giving food to about 300 people and we got to a point where we gave food to 3,000. So economically, I didn’t enjoy any of [the $1 million prize]."

Sordi said he worked with the city to obtain the proper permits to deliver food throughout the area via pickup truck from March through August ... and the operation grew as time went on.

"I didn’t buy anything. I didn’t go on vacation. I mean, I was locked at home. But I used those resources to help people who were going through a rough time."

Emiliano (22-8) says despite his efforts, there are still folks in need ... but he understands he's made an impact with what he's done so far.

He's got TWO of the best knockouts of the year -- but UFC rising star Joaquin Buckley says he's still not ready to quit his day job ... at Walgreens!

Buckley first went viral for that insane spinning back kick knockout of Impa Kasanganay back on Oct. 11 -- a knockout Dana White praised as one of the greatest finishes EVER.

He followed that up at UFC 255 by destroying Jordan Wright in the 2nd round -- earning his second "Performance of the Night" bonus in a row!

So, when we spoke with the 26-year-old St. Louis native, we asked if he was finally ready to leave his gig at the pharmacy chain and focus on MMA full time.

The short answer ... he's not ready to part ways with the big "W" just yet!

"The thing is ... besides UFC -- and they're giving me these big checks -- I still don't have a business of my own. So, I need to just keep working," Buckley says.

The fighter says it's important for him to maintain a "working mentality and work ethic" -- "So, I'm gonna just keep holding down a job."

Buckley says if he's able to grow a real business from his MMA exposure, he'd consider walking away from Walgreens ... but for now, he's not going anywhere!

Buckley says he's working on a clothing apparel line called Solid Foundation and he's optimistic about it -- but "until my business is off the ground, we still gon' be working at Walgreens, yessir."

The craziest part, Buckley is already trying to get back in the Octagon and fight again IN JANUARY!!

He's hoping to get a crack at 34-year-old welterweight James Krause -- and it's obvious, these two have VERY bad blood.

"He's just out here spreading lies and spreading rumors [about me] ... it's getting frustrating and for him to think he can just keep talking his stuff without any type of punishment or any type of consequences, it's ridiculous!"

Amanda Nunes is the ONLY woman to beat Valentina Shevchenko in the last 10 years ... and now the UFC flyweight champ tells TMZ Sports a 3rd fight with the Lioness is 100% goin' down!!

We talked to the 32-year-old Shevchenko -- who's defending her belt at UFC 255 against Jennifer Maia Saturday night in Vegas -- about the possibility of the highly coveted match-up with Nunes, the 32-year-old bantamweight and featherweight champ.

"You know right now I'm not thinking about [Amanda] cause my goal is to defend my belt," Shevchenko says ... "One day it’s gonna come to the point when it's gonna [make] much more sense, and it's not gonna be other than to make this 3rd fight."

Valentina continued ... "And when this day comes, it comes. But, now I'm not rushing it. I'm not trying to delay it. So I'm just living my life and waiting for when it comes, and I know for sure it comes."

Of course, the women fought 2 super competitive bouts in 2016 (UFC 196) and 2017 (UFC 215). Nunes won both fights ... but some people believe Shevchenko -- who's 19-3 as a pro -- was robbed in the 2nd fight.

Bottom line, Shevchenko is undoubtedly the toughest opponent Amanda -- the greatest female MMA fighter of all-time -- has ever faced ... and if Valentina's right, a 3rd scrap is on the horizon.

"I have no plans to continue fighting."

That's Khabib Nurmagomedov saying pretty matter of factly he will NOT return to the octagon ... despite UFC boss Dana White suggesting otherwise.

"There will always be rumors about my comeback," Khabib said this week ... "because Dana White or other promoters who could replace him in the future will always want me to fight."

He's right -- Khabib is one of the biggest combat sports stars in the world ... dominating everyone from Conor McGregor to Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

But, Khabib has insisted he's lost the desire to compete again and wants to focus on his career outside the octagon.

"Of course, I am in my prime and there’s still tons of money I could earn, but I had a different goal," Khabib says.

"And, as for money -- from now on we will earn it somewhere else."

Dana White has been saying for weeks -- and again during an interview we shot on Thursday -- that he strongly believes Khabib will come back for a 30th fight. He's even considering opponents for Khabib.

But, Khabib insists he's done for good -- saying there's nobody else out there for him to fight.

BEND THE KNEE!!!!

UFC superstar Henry Cejudo just can't lose -- he's got a brand new lady friend ... and good lord.

We're told her name is Ana -- she's a model from Brazil, and the two are newly dating.

Check them out on a stroll through Tulum, Mexico recently ... showing off their impressive physiques.

Cejudo definitely has a type -- just last year, he was spotted on the beach with another beautiful Brazilian lady ... a soap opera actress named Sandra.

The UFC star moved on after that and began dating Amanda Dallago Chaves -- and things got pretty serious.

But, the two reportedly broke up back in September after realizing it just wasn't meant to be.

Now, 33-year-old Cejudo is back on the horse ... and by the looks of things, he's pretty happy to be dating again!

Cejudo announced his retirement from MMA after his May 9 victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 ... though he's suggested he would come back and fight again for the right price.

In the meantime, it looks like Henry is staying in shape ... and staying busy.