MMA

Claressa Shields -- the greatest boxer in the world -- is now undefeated in TWO sports after winning her pro MMA debut on Thursday with an incredible 3rd round stoppage!!

The 26-year-old took on Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 in New Jersey. FYI, Elkin is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jjitsu!

As the fight started, it was clear Elkin's plan was to take Shields to the ground and try to force the boxer to tap out.

Elkin's plan worked during the first 2 rounds -- smothering Shields and attempting to submit her with arm-bar attempts and other holds.

But, Shields stayed calm and repeatedly escaped danger.

Then, in Round 3 ... Shields went off!!!

Not only did she stuff Elkin's take-down attempt -- but she gained top position and unloaded on Elkin with a barrage of violent punches to the head.

It got so bad, the ref stopped the fight -- SHIELDS WINS!!

Claressa was STOKED after the victory -- and later explained her mentality going into that 3rd round.

"I may have lost these two rounds, but I'm not losing this fight," Shields said.

"She had me on the ground, but she couldn't hurt me ... Her punches didn't hurt me. She tried to get me in me an armbar and that didn't hurt me!"

Now, Shields has proven a true force to be reckoned with the cage. She obviously needs to work on her ground game, but an impressive start nonetheless!!

UFC champ Francis Ngannou ain't ready to move on from a possible showdown with Jon Jones ... telling TMZ Sports that's the ONLY fight on his mind.

Ngannou was strolling through Beverly Hills this week when we asked about his fighting future ... considering the UFC and Jones seem to be miles (and millions of dollars) apart from making a deal.

In fact, Dana White has repeatedly said he's targeting Derrick Lewis for Ngannou's next opponent ... and hopes that fight will take place in the summer.

But, Ngannou says he's still got Jones on the brain when we asked who he wants to fight next -- "I want Jon Jones ... I love that fight."

In fact, seems Ngannou is still pretty hopeful the two sides can work out a deal -- and we're guessing every MMA fan out there is hoping he's right!

When we spoke with White a few weeks ago, he told us he's "absolutely moved on" from trying to make that fight ... and said he doesn't know if Jon will ever fight in the UFC ever again.

"That's up to Jon," White said ... "He could absolutely fight again at 205 lbs. He said he wouldn't fight [Stipe Miocic] and now Derrick and Francis are fighting so we'll see how that fight plays out."

Dana White told TMZ Sports Kim Kardashian vs. Amanda Nunes would be the biggest event in the history of MMA ... leading Nunes to ask Kim K -- WANNA FIGHT?!

Clearly, Amanda is just joking around ... as she would clearly murder any non-fighter -- male or female -- who stepped foot in the Octagon against her.

But, that didn't stop Nunes from hitting Kim on social media ... and c'mon, you'd pay good money to watch that fight!

Nunes is one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time -- and is currently on a 12-fight win streak with victories over killers like Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Cris Cyborg.

Amanda hasn't lost since 2014.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... he hopes Floyd Mayweather finally hangs up the gloves after his exhibition with Logan Paul.

... but as for Logan Paul fighting in the UFC one day, Dana ain't exactly saying no!

INTERESTING!!!

First, Floyd ...

"I would love to see Floyd retire," White tells us ... "He's had an incredible career and to do these type of fights, it's silly."

Now, to Logan ... who has repeatedly said he would kill for a shot to fight in the UFC since he has a legitimate wrestling background and feels he could actually compete in the Octagon.

So, Dana ... would you ever sign Logan Paul to a UFC deal?

"I don't know man ... I don't know."

"Here's the thing, not to say that I haven't taken a guy in that's been 0-0 into the UFC and done those types of fights before ... I don't know."

White is obviously referencing CM Punk, the former WWE superstar who got 2 fights in the UFC despite no prior professional MMA experience. Punk lost both of his fights in a lopsided fashion.

But, White respects Logan's work ethic and athletic ability -- as well as his marketing power ... and says there will always be a market for famous people to get in the ring.

"Imagine if Kim Kardashian wanted to fight Amanda Nunes ... how big do you think that fight would be?!"

"What do you think Kim Kardashian would make if she fought Amanda Nunes ... probably more than anybody's ever made, ever!"

There's more ... we also talked about that STACKED card for UFC 263 this weekend featuring the Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori and the return of Nate Diaz!

Rob Font is fresh off the biggest win of his career -- an impressive dub over Cody Garbrandt -- and now the UFC star tells TMZ Sports who he has his sights set on next.

"I'm one fight behind. I really am. We have the champion [Aljamain Sterling], he's got to obviously do the rematch with Petr Yan and then you have Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw that needs to happen."

The 33-year-old, #3 ranked bantamweight fighter continued ... "I feel like the winner of that fight, I fight and then we eventually fight for the belt."

Rob -- with a professional record of 19-4 -- was super impressive last Saturday night at UFC Fight Night, beating the former 135 lb. champ via unanimous decision.

As far as Cory and T.J. ... the men are fighting June 24. It'll be Dillashaw's 1st fight back after a 2-year suspension for a doping violation.

We also asked Rob whether he's been in contact with the guys who got him into MMA.

He says he hasn't talked to them, but he's trying to reach them -- and has a message for the guys.

If you're unfamiliar with his origin story ... Font was 24 years old and delivering pizzas, when he brought food to a house and saw some dudes doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

He was interested in the sport, so he joined a BJJ gym.

Sorry, fight fans ... Chuck Liddell says there will be no upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul -- the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he'd HURT the YouTuber if a scrap ever went down.

Liddell told us out in L.A. that even though the two have beefed publicly over the past couple weeks ... it just makes no sense for Jake to box him, even at Chuck's current age.

"He's not good enough to fight me," the 51-year-old said of the 24-year-old.

"It just doesn't make sense for him. None of it makes sense for this guy. He's going to risk getting hurt like that?!"

If you're wondering why it's even being rumored ... it's 'cause the two went after each other on social media following Jake's huge win over Ben Askren.

A fan on Twitter asked Chuck to shut Jake up ... and Liddell responded, "I’m ready anytime for that clown."

Paul fired back a short time later, posting a pic of the two after the Askren fight and saying, "This guy Chuck Liddell begged me for a pic after my fight and now is talking s*** on Twitter."

“Bitch, in your dreams! In your wildest dreams!”

That's Claressa Shields -- 26-year-old boxing champ turned MMA fighter -- giving a message to upcoming PFL opponent Brittney Elkin ... after Shields says she heard B.E. promise a quick highlight reel finish when the women fight June 10 at PFL in Atlantic City.

TMZ Sports talked to the 11-0, undisputed light-middleweight champion boxer only weeks before she makes her mixed martial arts debut ... and we asked Shields if she had a prediction for her fight with Elkin (3-6 as a pro-MMA fighter).

"Everybody wants the knockout, everyone wants the stoppages, but for me, I just really want the experience," Claressa says.

"I want to get in there and get out as quick as possible, I'm fine with that. But, if I have to go 15 minutes and have an all-out war with Brittney Elkin, I'm fine with that."

And, that's when Claressa dropped the hammer.

Shields later continued ... “I saw an interview where Brittney Elkin said she wants to make me a 15-second highlight reel. Like she wants to go in there and knock me out in 15 seconds. And, I was just thinking to myself, 'Bitch in your dreams. In your wildest dreams.'"

"I wasn’t gonna talk trash for the fight because I feel like I don't have that right because it's my first fight in MMA."

Welp, there goes that.

To make sure Shields isn't on the wrong side of a quick KO or submission, she's been training at Jackson Wink in New Mexico -- one of the most famous MMA gyms in the world -- which happens to be where UFC stars Jon Jones and Holly Holm train.

“I’ve actually spent hours working with Jon. One of the most strategic people I’ve been able to work with in MMA thus far. Like Holly is very strategic too, but she’s super energetic.”

Potentially huge news from Dana White ... who tells TMZ Sports he's considering making Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje -- in a fight that could be one of the most violent matchups of all time!!

Chandler is coming off a tough loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 ... but MC flashed the K.O. power and explosiveness that fans have come to love in "Iron Michael."

Michael said he wants to get back in the mix and work his way back into a title picture ... and when we spoke to Dana, he told us he's considering #2 ranked lightweight, 32-year-old Gaethje as Chandler’s next opponent.

"That's a good question. I mean, there's a few opportunities," White says ... "He can fight Gaethje, we'll see. We don't have anything done yet but that makes sense and that'd be a fun fight. Imagine Chandler and Gaethje."

Gaethje is also coming off a tough loss. He was submitted in the 2nd round by Khabib at UFC 254 in October 2020 ... Nurmagomedov's final fight.

But, the bottom line is both Michael and Justin aren’t just top-level fighters... they're exciting as hell to watch.

Both men pack dynamite in their fists ... and have racked up 29 combined professional knockouts.

Now, it’s not a done deal ... but when Dana likes something, he usually finds a way to make it happen.

We also asked White about 28-year-old star, Mackenzie Dern ... and the UFC honcho broke some news.

Dana says Dern will face 34-year-old Marina Rodriguez -- who just beat Karate Hottie, Michelle Waterson -- at an upcoming event (DW didn't have the date.)

"[Mackenzie] does have a fight coming up. I was just talking about her this morning. We haven't announced it I'm sure, but I'll give it to you anyway. Hopefully, it's done. My people hate when I do this. She's taking on Marina Rodriguez next which is a great fight."

Dern has looked super impressive in her last few fights ... and recently submitted Nina Nunes via armbar.

Beneil Dariush -- the #3 ranked UFC lightweight -- has a message for newly crowned champ, Charles Oliveira ... I deserve next!!

TMZ Sports talked to Dariush -- fresh off his dominating win over UFC legend Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 -- and we asked the 32-year-old fighter who he has his sights set on next.

"Charles, we were supposed to fight. The man kinda owes me a fight. I signed up to fight him on short notice and he kinda bailed on me," Dariush says.

"Now, he's the champ and I'm number 3, but I have the highest streak in the top 3, in the top 4, whatever. You owe me a shot again. The shot you didn't give me the first time."

FYI, Beneil -- 21-4 as a pro -- says he and do Bronx -- 31-8 -- were supposed to fight late last year ... but the fight fell apart. Then, BD says Oliveira decided to fight El Cucuy instead (C.O. won via unanimous decision).

Fast forward to last weekend ... Charles knocked out Michael Chandler, to secure the belt.

Dariush tells us he believes he should be the top contender ... even with McGregor and Poirier set to scrap for a third time this July.

I think right now, I should be the number one contender, and I understand that Dustin Poirier and Conor are a big fight and they're the money fight and it makes sense for them to get the title, but you got to remember, those guys aren't easy to work with when it comes to contracts."

After his fight with Tony, Beneil said he wants to take some time off while he awaits the birth of his daughter. So, when does he want to get back in the Octagon?

"I think in December, Charles and I can get a go at it. I think it would be a very exciting fight but stylistically, I think I'm a bad matchup for him."

Dana White says he won't hold up the UFC's heavyweight division to wait around for Jon Jones -- telling TMZ Sports the company is "moving on."

Jones -- arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever -- had expressed interest in fighting Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title ... but hasn't been able to make a deal with the UFC.

It's obviously a huge fight that fans would love to see ... but Dana tells us the two sides are at loggerheads and he's gotta keep the business moving.

"Yeah, I've absolutely moved on," White says ... "Listen, I put on fights every Saturday. We have a window where we try to build some fights and make some things happen. If the fights don't happen within that window, we move on, and realistically, I mean I've been saying it since the beginning, Derrick Lewis is the guy who should be getting the title shots. He beat Francis Ngannou. He's next in line, he's coming off of great performances and that's a wrap. We're moving on."

So, is Jon Jones' run in the UFC done for good?

"That's up to Jon," White said ... "He could absolutely fight again at 205 lbs. He said he wouldn't fight [Stipe Miocic] and now Derrick and Francis are fighting so we'll see how that fight plays out."

"There's nothing wrong with going out on top either -- Jon Jones is undefeated, he's never been beat."

"For those people that don't know, you see that 1 loss on his record, he didn't lose that fight he won that fight in dominant fashion like most of his fights. It was a time when the Nevada Athletic Commission was at its weakest and there was a referee that shouldn't have been in there and he stole that fight from Jon Jones. So, it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to go out on top."

Meanwhile, White is also focusing his energy on "The Return of the Ultimate Fighter" -- the 29th season of the UFC's iconic reality competition show.

The new season, which airs every Tuesday at 9 PM on ESPN+, features Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski as coaches -- working with 16 up-and-coming fighters, all of whom are battling to make the UFC roster.

The series has been a springboard for superstars like Kamaru Usman, Forrest Griffin, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson and more ... and Dana clearly feels there's serious talent in this class as well.

The champ keeps on winning!!!

Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Fernanda Gomez, over the weekend ... just a few days after beating the crap out of Billy Joe Saunders.

So yeah, it's safe to say the dude was confident he was gonna come out without a scratch ... or the couple would've needed to hire a serious photo editor for the wedding pics!!

But, that wasn't the case, as Canelo looked spotless for his beautiful ceremony by the water ... with his wife sharing a quick snap of the setting on Instagram.

The World Boxing Organization also posted a kissy shot of the nuptials ... congratulating the new Mr. and Mrs. on their big day.

"The WBO Family wishes lots of love and happiness to the recently married couple, unified WBO Super Middleweight Champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Fernanda Gomez."

Canelo and Gomez have been together for about 5 years ... and have one child together -- Maria, born in 2017.

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.