MMA

The champ is home -- and the party is underway!!!

Charles Oliveira returned to Brazil on Monday after an amazing knockout victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 on Saturday night ... and the people are going crazy!!!

Oliveira rode on top of a fire truck as he returned to his favela in Brazil -- where crowds of people were cheering for the 31-year-old UFC lightweight champ ... and literally dancing in the streets!

Oliveira has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 -- and went through some hard times over the years ... leading some to wonder if he would ever reach his potential.

Well, he did just that on Saturday -- overcoming adversity to floor Chandler in the 2nd round of the championship fight.

Oliveira has been glued to the belt ever since -- even sleeping with it on Saturday night ... and can ya blame him?!!

Now, he's back home to continue the celebration -- and it's clear he's made his country proud!!!

Charles' coach Diego Lima posted footage of the welcome party -- and said, "Brazil is celebrating, the Favela is celebrating, @charlesdobronxs number 1 in the world, CONGRATULATIONS bro!"

Lima added, "Thank you for bringing this happiness to our country, thank you for showing that everything is possible for those who believe, you shocked the world once again, and it's just the beginning of a legacy!!!!"

"You want to see a guy who's wiling to die in that Octagon? I think that's Tony and I."

That's UFC fighter Beneil Dariush telling TMZ Sports that he and Tony Ferguson are ready to sacrifice their lives in order to earn a victory at UFC 262.

Yeah ... heavy stuff.

We talked to the 32-year-old, #9 ranked Iranian-American fighter -- the co-main event Saturday night in Houston -- about the biggest fight of his life ... and what both men are ready to risk.

"I think two guys who are willing to go out there, if we have to leave in pieces, we'll leave in pieces, but we love the victory," Dariush says.

"I think that's one of the similarities that Tony and I have and I think that's one of the reasons why everybody should watch the fight.

FYI, Beneil is on a 6-fight win streak ... meanwhile 37-year-old Ferguson is in the midst of a 2-fight losing streak (Gaethje & Oliveira).

Regardless, Tony is still considered one of the most dangerous dudes in the lightweight division.

So, how does Dariush get the dub against El Cucuy?

"I think it can go all three ways. Knockout, submission or decision Whatever it is, I gotta stay one step ahead of him."

This is an incredible video!!!

UFC star Michael Chandler is fighting in the biggest bout of his life at UFC 262 on Saturday night ... and TMZ Sports spoke to his ex-college teammates for some last-minute encouragement before competing for the lightweight title!!!

Oh, and should we mention those ex-teammates are Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley?!?!?

The superstar Missouri Tigers wrestling alums shared some final thoughts with us before their friend takes the Octagon against Charles Oliveira in Houston.

"I think his first performance with the UFC was outstanding,  Askren tells us. "Hey man, he's not a newbie. I think he's been in the game just as long as we have so go out there, fight hard, have fun and enjoy your moment."

Woodley -- who considers himself a "big brother" to Chandler also had some kind words for the guy .... saying, "He's always talked about wanting to be the best, the best in the world, wants to be best and have the glory and have the fame and have all these things."

"I know he's got that Tiger style. I'm sending love out to him, peace and prayers and he represents us when he goes out there. Not just to wrestle, not just the OG fighters but just that pedigree of people that did it the right way and worked hard."

And, if you checked out the video ... you can tell just how much the soundbites meant to Chandler.

"Man, it's pretty emotional because when I think about Tyron and I think about Ben and I just think about being a Mizzou Tiger, I think about where I came from," Chandler tells us.

"I think about walking on to the University of Missouri. I was the lowest guy on the totem pole. I was the guy that didn't really truly believe that ridiculous success was something that I can achieve."

"I worked hard, you can ask Tyron -- Tyron was a 5th-year senior, Ben was a 3rd or 4th year when I came in, they already had the accolades, they already had the mindset, they had the achievements and I looked to those guys like they were gods."

He continued ... "Like, they were the guys that I wanted to emulate. They immediately became my big brothers, they immediately instilled in me most of the time to know that, Michael, you can be an All-American, you can be a national champion and I just think back to the little guy from the little town that was taught to do little things that I was and because of guys like Tyron, because of guys like Ben,"

Of course, Michael DID achieve all those goals ... becoming an All-American wrestler at the Division I level ... and getting a bid to the NCAA Championships 3 out of 4 seasons as a starter.

Chandler says no matter what happens Saturday night, it just goes to show how the Mizzou fam is a strong bond.

"It's not about me getting to the top. It's about Tyron Woodley, who wanted to see me at the top with him. It's about Ben Askren who wanted to see me a the top with him. Two of the greatest to ever grace Mizzou wrestling. Two of the greatest to ever compete in mixed martial arts and they wanted to bring other people up with them."

Chris Weidman is simply not a human being ... 'cause the UFC star is up and WALKING just 3 WEEKS after suffering his horrific leg injury!!

Yeah ... the dude is pretty much a damn superhero at this point.

The 36-year-old former middleweight shared an incredible recovery update on Thursday ... showing his ability to walk on the same leg he snapped while attempting a kick on Uriah Hall just 17 seconds into their fight at UFC 261 on April 24.

Weidman underwent successful surgery to repair the damage a few days later ... and was told he wouldn't be able to walk on his leg for at least 8 weeks.

But, he's been busting his ass nonstop during recovery ... and proved he only needed a 1/4 of the time to start putting pressure on his leg!! INSANE!!

The video is wild -- Weidman uses crutches to slowly walk, but is clearly putting a bit of weight on his wrapped right leg.

"We are moving!! #progress #recovery #theallamerican," Weidman said on Instagram.

The All-American has made great strides in such a short amount of time -- even using an anti-gravity treadmill to help his progress.

It's a great sign for Weidman -- after all, his training partner/friend Stephen Thompson said the ex-champ WILL return to fighting when he's recovered.

Jake Paul is just a clout chaser going after easy fights to look cool ... so says ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley, who tells TMZ Sports he's more than happy to put the YouTube superstar in his place with a violent beatdown!!!

Of course, The Chosen One is super tight with Paul's most recent victim, Ben Askren ... and even acted as his cornerman at Triller Fight Club last month.

Now that Paul's working on getting his next opponent, Woodley tells us he believes the guy's too scared to fight anyone he could actually lose to ... calling the 24-year-old a "culture vulture" for his wild antics.

"Jake Paul is -- well we kinda recognize he came from Disney, we expect him to be like this little f***ing macho macho man that he's playing, but he keeps calling out everybody but me," Woodley says.

"I'm the one with the real smoke with you."

The former welterweight champ added Jake will do anything to make headlines ... and says his "gotcha hat" moment with Floyd Mayweather stole the shine from his bigger bro, Logan.

"They just culture vultures. Like he'll vulch the juice from his own damn flesh and blood ... My dogs don't move like that."

Woodley says it's clear Paul picks low-hanging fruit to save his image as a boxing badass ... but if he wants to go up against a REAL fighter, Tyron's his guy

"Come and get this smoke for real. I'm in and I can actually find him. People that keep talking about fighting him, they're not even in position to fight him. I can actually fight him. I can fight him tomorrow if I want to."

But, it's not all talk -- Woodley tells us he's dead serious about fighting Paul ... and wants it to happen ASAP.

Just hours after knocking out his opponent at Bellator 258 on Friday ... Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was arrested -- and cops say it's all 'cause the MMA star is an identity thief.

According to police records, Johnson had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from an incident in 2019 in which he allegedly used someone's credit card without their permission to purchase a flight.

Cops say Johnson illegally bought a round-trip ticket from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Newark, NJ with the card.

So, when 37-year-old Johnson was in Connecticut on Friday for his fight at Mohegan Sun Arena against Jose Augusto -- cops nabbed him shortly after he scored the big knockout victory.

Records show New Canaan Police Dept officers put Johnson in custody at the arena and then transported him to headquarters for processing -- where he took a mug shot.

Johnson was booked on several charges, including identity theft, and was later released on $500 bond. He's due in court in June for a hearing in the case.

Rumble's fight against Augusto was his first pro bout since 2017 -- and it was an impressive win for him, considering the long layoff and the fact that he was knocked down in the 1st round.

Prior to the arrest, Johnson had been looking to become a big star in Bellator after a long and successful career with the UFC that included wins over guys like Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira.

Logan Paul took on FOUR members of the Gronkowski family while training for his upcoming match against Floyd Mayweather ... and claims he handled all of 'em!

But, there's no beef -- it's all love -- and Logan and Rob Gronkowski spelled out the whole situation to TMZ Sports.

Rob didn't actually fight because of that whole football thing he's got going ... which probably makes Tom Brady and the Bucs happy.

But, all 4 of his brothers -- Glenn, Dan, Chris and Gordie -- laced up the gloves to go a few rounds with Paul back in April ... and it seems Rob was genuinely impressed!

"I was the official referee," Rob tells us ... "and good thing I was the official referee. My referring skills were pretty legit, 12 out of 10!"

The Gronks were trained up by two legendary fighters -- Winky Wright and Antonio Tarver ... and Logan says his main focus point was avoiding getting rocked!

"They're massive," Logan tells us ... "I'm f**king 6'2", 200 pounds and I go in there and all of Rob's brothers are towering over me! They're all taller than me vertically, they're all wider than me horizontally. These are huge humans! "

"Honestly, I walked in and I was like. 'Alright, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna kick their ass but I cannot get hit obviously.' They don't know how to box but they got some power and if they hit me, that could be it, man!"

Logan says Rob's youngest bro, Glenn -- who played fullback in the NFL -- has some legit skills and even connected with a quick jab ... but ultimately, Paul proved to be the superior fighter.

Logan tells us he plans to release all of the sparring footage later this week.

Again, the session was super friendly -- and the guys are all joking about it now ... but Logan says he thinks Rob could have a real future in fighting if he commits to it after his NFL career wraps up.

"Anyone with Rob's height and size and power ... if he just dedicated himself to it then yeah!"

Michael Chandler REALLY hopes Conor McGregor can return to his old, dominant self ... not just because he loves a comeback story, but also he knows it would be HUGE for his bank account.

Chandler is currently the #4 ranked UFC lightweight -- and he's fighting #3 ranked Charles Oliveira Saturday night at UFC 262.

If he wins that fight, Chandler will likely get the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor ... and he's fired up about the whole situation.

"They’re #1 & #1A in my book," Chandler says ... "I’ll be watching, keenly, to see who my next opponent is."

Chandler says he has a ton of respect for Poirier but admits, "I want to see Conor come back, man. There’s nothing better than when a guy as big as Conor McGregor, falls short, loses and is able to pull himself back and win. It’s a huge story, it’s a huge storyline."

Of course, Conor was one of the most feared fighters in the UFC around 2015, 2016 ... but lost some of his momentum after taking L's to Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and Khabib in 2018.

McGregor was also knocked out by Dustin Poirier in January 2021 -- leaving some to wonder if Conor's best days are behind him.

But, Chandler says a McGregor victory over Poirier would be huge for the sport -- and could also set up a very lucrative fight for himself.

"Obviously, the athlete in me wants to fight the winner of [Poirier vs. McGregor], the businessman in me wants to fight Conor of course, but all of it hinges upon me having a phenomenal performance on May 15."

As for his current opponent, Charles Oliveira, Chandler knows how dangerous he is.

"Charles Olivera has cut his teeth in this UFC lightweight division over the last couple of years. 8-0 in his last 8 fights. [He has the] most submission wins in UFC history," Chandler says ... "He’s dangerous every single place."

“I guarantee you I’m the best striker [in the UFC] and a much better striker than Max Holloway. I just need my chance to prove it."

That's UFC rising star Giga Chikadze officially throwing down the gauntlet ... challenging the featherweight G.O.A.T. to a scrap when talking to TMZ Sports.

Chikadze's stock is soaring after the 32-year-old put Cub Swanson away with a BRUTAL liver kick only 63 seconds into their co-main event fight last weekend.

Giga -- 13-2 (8 KO's) -- is now the #10 ranked featherweight ... so we asked him to name his dream fight.

“For sure Max Holloway.”

Why Blessed? He's the definition of a problem inside the Octagon.

"His fight against Calvin Kattar, I watched that fight and it was probably one of the best performances I’ve seen in a featherweight division," Giga says.

"Every time he was doing some crazy boxing combo I said, 'Man, I wanna fight him!'"

Of course, Holloway didn't just dominate Kattar (he landed a record 445 significant strikes) ... he's beaten Jose Aldo (twice), Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis and Jeremy Stephens -- to name a few.

Despite his ridiculous resume, Chikadze isn't afraid to say he has better hands (and legs) than the former champion ... and a fight with Max would be over inside 10 minutes.

“It doesn’t matter if it's gonna be a 3-round fight, 5-round fight ... I only give [Holloway] 2 [rounds]. That’s the max.”

Huge opportunity for Michelle Waterson ... who knows a victory over Marina Rodriguez tonight will get her one step closer to her goal -- avenging her loss against the champ, Rose Namajunas.

Waterson -- aka "The Karate Hottie" -- is currently ranked #9 in the UFC's strawweight division and coming off an incredible victory over Angela Hill.

She's squaring off against #6 ranked Rodriguez on Saturday night -- and says there's extra motivation to get that "W" ... revenge.

The current strawweight champ is Rose Namajunes -- who choked out Waterson when they clashed in 2017.

Michelle says she thinks about that fight all the time ... and she's laser-focused on earning a chance to run it back.

"I would love a rematch," Waterson tells TMZ Sports ... "In actuality, I was doing really well against her right up until I wasn't. So, it was just that moment that lost me the fight."

"You have to be able to rein it all in on that very, very special day and those very, very special 25 minutes and I've come to realize that and I understand how important it is to stay in the zone the entire time."

First, she needs to get through Rodriguez -- who's been impressive since joining the UFC in 2018 ... with only 1 loss on her record.

"9 fights into my career, I believe that I'm going to be the greatest."

That's 30-year-old MMA star Kayla Harrison predicting that she -- NOT Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg or anyone else -- will go down as the best mixed martial arts fighter ever.

TMZ Sports talked to Harrison -- a 2x PFL tourney winner who's undefeated in the cage -- after DOMINATING Mariana Morais at PFL 3 ... where she won by TKO in only 83 seconds.

After the fight, Harrison sent a message to the MMA world ... saying, "If anyone thinks they can step to me they can come get in the cage. From now on, I'm the baddest woman, in this room and in any room."

Of course, only 1 person can be the baddest ... and if it's Kayla, that means it's not the current (widely accepted) G.W.O.A.T., Nunes -- the UFC's bantamweight and featherweight champ.

But, was Harrison -- who is also a 2x Olympic gold medalist -- calling out Nunes?! Kayla says definitely not.

"It's not personal. It's not directed at Amanda [Nunes]. It's not directed at Claressa [Shields]. It's not directed at Cyborg. This is about me and my belief in myself."

FYI, Harrison and Nunes are super cool with each other ... and even train at the same gym -- American Top Team -- in Florida.

Why'd Kayla make the bold proclamation ... well, she says she got tired of being politically correct.

"I think I just realized that it’s time to stop being this golden girl or like this miss congeniality. I truly believe that what I said I feel is the truth. So why wouldn’t I say it."

There's more -- after her fight, Harrison took a jab at "YouTuber idiots" who think they can fight ... so we asked the combat sports star about Jake Paul.

Kamaru ain't the only member of the Usman family making noise in the MMA world ...

Meet Mohammed Usman -- Kamaru's younger brother -- who's set to compete in the PFL's $1 million heavyweight tournament ... and turns out, fighting talent runs in the family.

32-year-old Mohammed is 6'2", 265 pounds -- and previously played defensive end at the University of Arizona.

Now, he's focused on MMA -- he's 7-1 as a pro and currently on a 4-fight win streak.

Usman will step into the cage to fight Brandon Sayles on Thursday -- and hopes to score a win to advance to in the $1 million tourney.

Mohammed says he knows his brother's rise to superstardom makes him more of a target -- but he loves the pressure and can't wait to show the world he's a legit contender.

"I'm at a point in my life and my career that I'm a complete fighter," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "So, I'm gonna go out and put pressure and everything that I want to happen will happen."

Kamaru -- the UFC's reigning welterweight champ -- also believes his bro is the real deal.

"The thing is Mohammed ... he was just a raw, athletic specimen and I’ve got him to commit to it. He’s really putting in the time and the effort right now."

Mohammed says he's got a friendly competition with his big bro when it comes to knockouts ... and since Kamaru obliterated Jorge Masvidal in the 2nd round of their fight, Mo is gunning for a 1st round KO on Thursday.

Work hard, Twerk harder!

Here's UFC star Mackenzie Dern blowing off some steam on a boat in Mexico -- dancing her ass off with a pretty famous Brazilian singer!

Hey, it's Cinco de Mayo -- why not enjoy yourself, right?!

Mackenzie is coming off a dominant victory over Nina Nunes at "UFC on ABC" back in April ... extending her win streak to 4 in a row!

The 28-year-old is the #5 ranked UFC strawweight becoming a legitimate title threat ... with sites set on challenging Rose Namajunas for the belt one day.

But, for now, she's earned the right to party -- and she's doing just that on a boat in Cancun with her friend Lexa!

FYI, 26-year-old Lexa is pretty huge in Brazil -- she even had her own reality show on MTV a few years back.

Mackenzie is married to Brazilian surfer Wesley Santos. They have one daughter together. But, neither Wes nor the kid seem to be on this trip, which appears to be a fun girls' getaway!

Welp, here's a scary threat from Kamaru Usman to Jake Paul -- cut the crap before you get hurt, for real.

Yeah.

Okay, here's the quick backstory ... Jake Paul has been looking for ALL THE SMOKE from UFC fighters after ferociously knocking out Ben Askren.

He's called out Conor McGregor, beefed with Tyron Woodley and went face-to-face with Daniel Cormier at UFC 260.

Kamaru -- the reigning UFC welterweight champ -- told TMZ Sports back in April he was getting sick of Paul's trash talk and said he would love the opportunity to "beat the s**t" out of him.

Paul responded to Usman, "Challenge accepted" -- adding, "If your boss Dana gives you permission to box me and make more money than you ever have, let me know and we can lace them up. I promise it will be your biggest pay day."

The two continued to trade shots over social media -- with Jake accusing Usman of "backing out."

Which led to Usman responding yet again on Wednesday morning ...

"I understand you think this is a game which is probably why you don’t realize that this is how people Truly get hurt," Usman said.

"I don’t play fighting and I can change your life in the worst way."

He's not kidding ... Usman is coming off one of the most violent KO's of the year when he flattened Jorge Masvidal with a killer right hand at UFC 261.

Usman's manager Ali AbdelAziz certainly wants a fight to happen -- telling us he thinks it would be one of the most successful PPV events in combat sports history.

Uh oh, Tito.

MMA legend Tito Ortiz is in hot water for allegedly filing for unemployment against the City of Huntington Beach ... despite still drawing a full monthly check.

And why is he drawing a check? BECAUSE HE'S THE MAYOR PRO TEM!

Yeah, not a good look!!

Records show 46-year-old Tito -- real name Jacob C. Ortiz -- filed paperwork with the  California Employment Development Department back on Feb. 22, claiming he hasn't been able to work full time as a City Council member since Feb. 9 due to the COVID pandemic.

FYI, Ortiz won his City Council seat back in November 2020 and was sworn in on Dec. 7.

The job reportedly pays $1,500 per month in salary -- plus Ortiz also receives a stipend and expense allowance.

The problem with Tito's claim ... officials say Tito has NOT taken a pay cut due to the pandemic and his claims appear to be bogus.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr told NBC4 in L.A., "[Ortiz has] been receiving the same amount of wages and hours."

She also expressed concerns that Ortiz's claim may constitute fraud.

Ortiz may have a perfectly good explanation -- but so far, he hasn't commented publicly about the situation.

Tito made a ton of money during his MMA career -- and flaunts it regularly. He lives in a massive house in Huntington Beach and drives fancy cars around town. Have you seen his boat?

Ortiz -- a huge Trump supporter who once claimed COVID-19 wasn’t real -- has butted heads with many people in the city since taking office.

During his 1st planning meeting on November 5, Mayor Carr refused to let Tito into the building because he refused to wear a mask.

All class from UFC star Dominick Reyes ... who's praising the man who knocked him out cold this weekend -- saying, "What an elbow!"

Reyes was in a war with Jiri Prochazka at UFC Vegas 25 on Saturday when the 28-year-old blasted Dominick in the jaw with a sensational spinning back elbow, ending the fight in the 2nd round.

There was serious concern for Reyes who crumbled to the ground and laid sprawled out on the Octagon for several minutes while he was tended to by a team of medical personnel.

But finally, some good news from the 31-year-old fighter ... who said Monday evening, "Finally home and surrounded by those I love."

Reyes didn't reveal too much about his condition -- but said, "I’m doing good healing up ... I’ll be OK."

As for the fight, Dom says he fought his heart out -- and is understandably upset he didn't get the result he wanted.

"I went out and fought and for that I can say I’m proud. I love this game and at times it does not love me back but that’s what we all have signed up for."

Reyes added, "Congrats to Jiri Prochazka ... hell of a fight and what an elbow! It’s the ones you don’t see coming to get you."

Reyes is currently the #5 ranked UFC light heavyweight. He began his career with a 12-0 run -- defeating guys like Chris Weidman, Jared Cannonier and Volkan Oezdemir.

He put up a hell of a fight against Jon Jones at UFC 247 -- but lost the fight in a unanimous decision. Since then, he's lost to Jan Błachowicz and now Jiri Prochazka.

But, don't sleep on Dom -- dude's legit and vows to get back to the top of the division.