MMA

"I truly believe today Kayla Harrison is the baddest woman in any room. No disrespect to nobody."

That's undefeated PFL star Kayla Harrison's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, making it clear ... the 2x Olympic gold medalist is a better fighter than every other woman on planet Earth.

But ... but, what about Amanda Nunes??

Abdelaziz says Kayla "looks up to Amanda very much" ... but he's confident Harrison could handle the consensus greatest female MMA fighter ever -- and it's a fight he wants to set up.

"Listen, if somebody writes the check for 8 figures, we can make this fight happen tomorrow."

How about Olympic gold medalist and boxing champ turned 1-0 MMA fighter, Claressa Shields?

"It’s kind of disrespectful when people bring Claressa Shields in the same sentence as Kayla," Ali says.

Abdelaziz says Shields is an amazing boxer ... "probably a future Hall of Famer" -- but she'd stand no chance against Kayla in the cage.

"In reality, you know, it’s 187. It’s a murder. You know, it’s a fact. If Kayla fought the boxer, that wouldn’t even make sense. Claressa fighting in MMA, it’s not going to last probably 60 seconds."

Kayla's manager also brought up Ronda Rousey ... Kayla's former roommate and Judo teammate.

"[Kayla's] everything that Ronda Rousey was supposed to be. She’s Ronda Rousey 6.0. You know what I’m saying?" Abdelaziz says.

Anderson Silva is taking his talents to the boxing ring ... and the ex-UFC champ says after his fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this weekend -- he's totally open to fighting the Paul bros!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 46-year-old MMA G.O.A.T. just days before he fights former middleweight champion, 35-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the squared circle.

FYI, Chavez Jr. -- the son of legendary Mexican fighter, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. -- has a professional boxing record of 52-5-1 with 1 no contest. He's shared the ring with Canelo Alvarez and Danny Jacobs.

But, if you thought this was a 1-and-done event, you're wrong ... 'cause Spider says he's down to take on all comers -- INCLUDING the Paul bros.

"In the future, everything's possible. The Paul brothers, I respect both. There are good boys," Silva says.

Of course, there are fight game purists who hate the idea of a legit legend like Anderson fighting a YouTuber ... but Silva says things have changed.

"Everything's changing in the world. People like to see the big shows, entertaining shows."

It's finally happening -- Oscar De La Hoya is making his highly anticipated return to the boxing ring in September ... and he's going up against MMA star Vitor Belfort in an exhibition match!!

Of course, 48-year-old ODLH announced his return back in March ... saying he was ready to take a fight on July 3.

The date was pushed back a few months as Oscar searched for an opponent ... and now he's finally got one -- the 44-year-old former UFC champion!!

We all know what Oscar can do in the ring -- he won belts in six divisions and was one of the biggest superstars in the sport before retiring in 2008.

Belfort on the other hand, has one boxing match under his belt -- a quick TKO over Josemario Neves in 2006.

The Triller event is set to go down on September 11 with Las Vegas as the target location. The venue and undercard are set to be announced at a later date, according to reports.

Oscar's been teasing a comeback for years -- he even said he wanted to fight UFC honcho Dana White at one point -- training nonstop to get back in fighting shape.

WWE Superstar-turned-AEW talent scout Mark Henry says we might not have seen the end of Braun Strowman ... telling TMZ Sports he's hoping to bring the former champion to his company!!!

Of course, Strowman was recently let go by Vince McMahon's organization ... after spending the past 8 years as one of wrestling's biggest stars.

Now that Henry is an analyst, coach, scout and mentor with All Elite Wrestling, we had to ask if he's planning to bring his buddy on board.

"Super high on my list," Henry tells us. "It's not an all Mark Henry decision, but there's already interest on both sides."

"Hopefully by the time he's allowed to wrestle in August, I think the middle of August, then we could have a serious conversation about contractual things of that nature but right now there's interest on both sides. I love that dude."

Henry and Strowman -- real name Adam Scherr -- go WAY back to their strongman days ... and Mark played a huge role in getting him into the wrestling game.

Now, there's a good chance at a reunion once Scherr's contract is up.

"I talked to him, I mentored him but I tell him all the time, I can't talk business," Henry added. "When your contract expires, you call and let me know and then we'll have a talk."

If Scherr does make the switch, he'll have to go by a different name ... 'cause WWE holds the rights to the "Braun Strowman" -- but it's a small sacrifice for fans who wanna see him back out there.

There's even more awesome news ... we had to ask if we could see 50-year-old Henry enter the squared circle with AEW ... and he's hoping to make it happen!

"I got a lot left in the tank," he says. "I said this before, man. Once I turn 50 ... I said I wanna wrestle again so I can say I wrestled in 4 decades."

"Not many wrestlers get to that, not many. Especially at a high level. I wanna be able to get there and hopefully by October I'll be at 100%."

Henry says he has a bit of work to do to get back into fighting shape ... but it's clear he's spent a lot of time pondering the idea.

"I want it to be very skillful and I want it to be well thought out."

No big layoff for Claressa Shields -- the boxing champ turned MMA sensation says the plan is to get back in the cage in 2 to 3 months!!

The 26-year-old is coming off a stunning victory in her MMA debut on Thursday -- pummeling Brittney Elkin so brutally at PFL 4, the ref stopped the fight.

Shields is still FIRED UP about the win and tells TMZ Sports ... a TON of her famous friends have been blowing up her phone to send love -- from Halle Berry to Ray Lewis, Dwight Howard and more!

But, Claressa isn't spending too much time celebrating -- she'll be back in the gym to start training for her next MMA fight in just a few weeks!!

"I have another MMA fight I believe in August or September … and [after that] we're saving the end of the year for boxing."

Why so much activity?

"I'm young and I'm hungry," Shields says ... noting she's busted her ass in boxing but never got the paychecks she believes she deserves.

Shields strongly believes the path to becoming rich is through MMA -- and says, "I believe that I'll be a millionaire sooner than we think."

The end goal isn't just money ... Shields says the goal is to become champion in both sports -- and she's convinced it'll happen in due time.

Look, Shields knows her performance could have been better -- especially when it comes to her ground game, but she's dedicated to working on her weaknesses in the gym and wants to become a well-rounded fighter.

"We got a long way to go, but I'm happy to start [my career with a win] and take care of business."

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.