MMA

UFC fighter Ryan Spann trains at the gym owned by ex-NBA star Deron Williams ... and the light heavyweight contender once sparred with the hooper -- AND GOT HIS BUTT KICKED!!

"Deron whooped my ass one day. I'm dead serious. You can call him and ask him," Spann told TMZ Sports.

Context? We talked to the 30-year-old, 6'5", 205 lb. fighter just days before he's set to face 6th ranked LHW, Anthony Smith ... and we asked the 11th ranked fighter if he ever rolled around with 6'3" Williams at their gym, Fortis MMA in Dallas.

"I was training for a fight, and coach was like, 'Deron, get in.' And, I already knew he hooped, and I knew who he was, but I never got to go with him," Ryan said, "I think it was my 2nd or my 3rd round with a fresh body, and you put Deron in, I was like, 'Oh s**t, nice, I get a round off.' Little did I know Deron used to wrestle. And, he was about 230 at the time."

FYI, Williams was a damn good wrestler as a kid. Long before he starred at Illinois, was drafted with the 3rd overall pick, or made any All-NBA teams, Deron was a state champion on the mats in Texas. He won titles as an 8 and 12 year old ('93 & '97).

So, Ryan and the 3x NBA All-Star sparred. How'd it go?!

"It wasn't until Deron was on top of me and me struggling to get up, and coach gonna look at me and say 'I've been working with him for the last couple of years. You thought you were gonna get this round off?'"

Shocking, on the surface, considering Spann is one of the most dangerous men in the world ... meanwhile DW, surely a good wrestler as a kid and great athlete in general, is a basketball player -- not a fighter.

Then it was time for a little payback ... in the form of a knuckle sandwich.

"He got me, but the next round I hit him with the right hand and he hasn't sparred me since."

So, would Deron -- who's only 37-years-old and hasn't played ball professionally since he was with the Cleveland Cavs in 2017 -- ever take a real fight??

Ryan says Deron was once pitched a fight with Pro Bowl defensive lineman turned UFC fighter Greg Hardy (we actually talked to Deron about this in 2018) ... but unfortunately, the scrap never came together.

UFC fighter Dan Hooker's fight against Nasrat Haqparast is in serious jeopardy ... with the lightweight begging for a visa to make it to Vegas for UFC 266 next Saturday.

31-year-old Hooker -- who is from Auckland, New Zealand -- sent out a public cry for help to the U.S. Embassy’s Kevin Covert on Twitter on Thursday.

FYI -- Auckland is currently experiencing widespread COVID-19 outbreaks ... which has led the government to require folks to stay home and remain in bubbles.

Hooker tweeted at Covert in hopes of getting his situation handled ASAP ... saying, "Hi Kevin, apologies for messaging on here but it’s a last resort."

"My visa is with the US embassy here in NZ as I fight next week in Las Vegas on #UFC266 Update today is it won’t be approved until next week due to lock down which will cancel my fight. Please help."

"The embassy has my passport and all the completed documentation, all I need is it to be processed and returned," he added.

"This is an absolute last resort."

Hooker is slated to fight 26-year-old Haqparast --who is 5-2 since joining the UFC in 2017 -- on September 25.

Brian Ortega vs. Alex Volkanovski and Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler are also on the card.

The embassy responded to Hooker's tweet by asking him to reach out to them directly ... so it seems they may be on the case.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller allegedly broke a guys ribs in a bar fight just days before his domestic violence arrest, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our law enforcement sources tell us they recently responded to a fight at a San Fernando Valley bar. When they arrived, the altercation was over, and we're told no one wanted to press charges, so everyone was allowed to leave.

However, the next day, one of the people involved in the brawl went to the hospital ... and was diagnosed with several cracked ribs.

We're told at that point, cops took an incident report for felony battery. They're expected to turn the case over to the L.A. district attorney sometime in the near future ... and they'll decide whether or not to charge Mayhem for the bar fight.

Of course, we broke the story last week, Miller -- who has a long history of trouble -- was arrested for felony domestic violence after a woman accused the fighter of roughing her up early Friday morning.

During the domestic violence arrest, Mayhem didn't go easy, with cops using a taser in order to slap the cuffs on him.

Police said the alleged victim had injuries to her face and neck.

That case is still active ... and depending on what the D.A. decides, Miller could be hit with more charges from a totally separate alleged incident.

Anderson Silva knocked Tito Ortiz out cold, but there's no bad blood between the MMA legends ... 'cause the day after, Spider gave his 1st class plane ticket to The Huntington Beach Bad Boy's GF -- so she could sit with her man.

46-year-old Ortiz posted a video on social media thanking 46-year-old Silva for the sweet gesture.

"The biggest thing I think Anderson Silva has ever done to me, I'm very thankful. He just actually gave up his 1st class ticket for Amber to sit here," Ortiz says.

"The flight's messed up, the airline, Jet Blue, messed up. But, Anderson Silva gave up his seat for Amber to sit next to me."

Tito's GF is Amber Nichole Miller ... one of the original UFC Octagon girls.

Of course, Anderson flatlined Tito towards the end of the 1st round of their Triller fight (full fight replay available on FITE) on Saturday ... catching Ortiz on the ear when a quick, left hook, sending him to the canvas, face first.

Tito ended his video with a final thank you to Silva.

"Anderson Silva, you're the man, dude. Thank you very much. Amazing man. Nothing but respect."

Derek Brunson admits he lost to Israel Adesanya, fair and square, but says he wasn't right before the 2018 fight -- his last loss -- and now he wants to run it back with Stylebender, promising a different result.

"I'm not gonna discredit Izzy. He did a great job in the first fight. But, after looking at the fights, my coaches were like, 'Are you okay? What's wrong? Cause that ain't you,'" 37-year-old Brunson tells TMZ Sports.

Derek says he couldn't train for 2 weeks before the Adesanya fight ... as he was dealing with a hurricane that disrupted his routine. The time away from the mats made DB rusty.

Brunson also says he stopped lifting weights in the lead-up to the fight ... in an effort to increase his cardio. However, Derek says the strategy backfired in the fight.

Bottom line, Israel won, but Brunson says that won't be the case next time.

Since takin' the L, Brunson's been on a rampage -- winning his last 5 fights -- with dubs over Edmen Shahbazyan (his 1st loss), Kevin Holland and Darren Till, in addition to 2 others.

Adesanya's likely going to fight Robert Whittaker later this year or the beginning of next year.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller, troubled ex-MMA fighter, was arrested for felony domestic violence in L.A. ... after allegedly getting physical with a woman, TMZ Sports has learned.

40-year-old Miller was taken to jail ... and his bail has been set at a whopping $1.385 million.

He is still currently in custody.

Our law enforcement sources tell us cops in the San Fernando Valley received an emergency call before 3 AM Friday morning ... made by a female who was screaming on the phone.

Police -- lights and sirens blaring -- raced to the scene code 3 ... and found the female caller with visible marks on her face and neck.

At that point, cops *attempted* to arrest Miller inside the home ... but, he didn't cooperate.

A struggle ensued, and LAPD tased him.

Finally, police were able to cuff Miller ... and he was taken to the hospital to be checked out by doctors.

Miller was ultimately booked for felony domestic violence.

It's not the first time Mayhem's lived up to his name ... he's got a (very long) rap sheet.

In 2011, Miller was arrested for allegedly putting his sister in a headlock ... and refusing to release her.

Then in 2012, he was arrested for allegedly going into a church and spraying a fire extinguisher, before getting buck naked.

In 2015, Jason was locked up for allegedly trying to use a ceramic tile as a weapon against cops ... before being tased and arrested.

UFC fighter Daniel Rodriguez is fresh off a win over Kevin Lee ... but the L.A. native doesn't plan on sitting back and chilling -- he wants to fight, and he's got a name in mind.

TMZ Sports talked to the 34-year-old fighter who just cracked the welterweight division top 15 (he's ranked #15) ... and asked him who's next on the hit list, if he could call his shot.

"I think Belal Muhammad, I think like #9. I'm on the fast track," Rodriguez says.

And, D-Rod isn't concerned about being taken down by Belal ... 'cause he strongly believes his stand-up game is superior.

"At the end of the day, the fight starts on the feet, and that's my world."

FYI, 33-year-old Muhammad is coming off a unanimous decision win over Demian Maia in June.

Of course, Daniel is also coming off a big dub ... against Lee, who's no slouch. KL's beaten the likes of Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa and Gregor Gillespie.

Most importantly, D-Rod -- who's fought 7 times in the last 18 months (6-1 during that time) -- says he wants to remain active, and anyone ranked above him can get it.

And, he doesn't plan on slowing down the breakneck pace ... 'cause Rodriguez says Kamaru Usman's belt is within his grasp.

Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes have held UFC titles in 2 divisions ... but a 3-division champ -- that's never been done -- at least not yet.

That's exactly what 28-year-old UFC star Darren Till tells TMZ Sports he's trying to do.

"For me, I’m chasing something totally different. I want to be great. I'm on a path to greatness and I'm a top contender. I want to be a champion in two divisions, maybe three. I know it sounds like I’m dreaming, but I’ve got to dream. That’s me."

18-3 Till, the #9-ranked UFC Middleweight (185 lbs.), has wins over big-name opponents like Kelvin Gastelum, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Stephen Thompson.

DT has a big fight this weekend against #5-ranked Derek Brunson. The winner, with an impressive performance, could find themselves in prime position for a title fight against Israel Adesanya or Robert Whittaker (they're likely fighting in early 2022).

That's 1 division ... but there'd still be 2 left to conquer, Welterweight (170 lbs.) and Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.). A 35 pound difference is HUGE ... but Till, who's 6'0" tall, believes he can shed the pounds.

"I believe [I can do it]. I know I can do one last hoorah at 170 [lbs.] against the champ Kamaru Usman, and 205, but who knows. I’ve always dreamed of being a two-weight division world champion in the UFC."

"I know three is a stretch and I know I need to rack up a lot of wins but I'm a young kid dreaming."

In fact, Darren used to fight at welterweight ... but dropping the lbs. was brutal.

But, he thinks he can make the weight ... and when it comes to the actual fighting, Till doesn't think there are many people more dangerous in the Octagon.

The 1st step towards ruling 3 divisions starts this Saturday at UFC Fight Night.

Stay tuned ...

"Finally, you know my name. You see what I've done to Edson Barboza. It took me just 2.5 rounds, and if you step inside the Octagon with me, I'm sure I will finish you in 2 [rounds]."

That's rising UFC star Giga Chikadze -- 7-0 in the UFC (14-2 overall) -- throwing down the gauntlet ... right at the feet of featherweight G.O.A.T. Max Holloway.

33-year-old Chikadze knows a little something about beating legends ... he rather easily handled Barboza at UFC Fight Night on Saturday -- and is now the 8th ranked fighter in the division.

Giga -- who has called out 29-year-old Max before -- believes Blessed has been dismissive of him in the past ... and Chikadze is ready to prove he's more than a worthy opponent.

"Guess what, I'm not just a kicker guy, I kick the s**t out of the people, I mention this. I want to face him inside the Octagon and tell him what's up."

However, there's an issue ... Max has a fight scheduled against Yair Rodriguez in November at UFC.

Bottom line, Giga wants to fight Holloway, and prove it's him who is actually the best in the division.

"If [Max] thinks he's the best 145'er, that time has gone, now is a different time," Chikadze says.

Olympic wrestling champ Gable Steveson CAN beat Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou in a UFC Octagon ... all he needs is a few years of MMA training, according to Henry Cejudo.

If anyone knows what it takes to make it as a wrestler-turned-mixed martial artist, it's Cejudo. Henry won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling (just like Steveson) in 2008 ... and then became a 2 weight class champion in the UFC.

So, when TMZ Sports talked to Triple C, we asked how Gable would fare in the UFC.

"I do believe, like within the next couple of years, he could beat a guy like Jon Jones or even Francis Ngannou. He's like, he's the biggest threat because of his wrestling pace, which is extremely scary," Cejudo told us.

But, Henry made it clear, Gable couldn't just walk into an Octagon right now, without any training, and beat 2 of the biggest men on the planet.

"He's a real heavyweight. But, right now, if you were to put him in there right now, Jon Jones would hurt him. Francis Ngannou would hurt him," Cejudo says.

"And I've been there before when I first fought Demetrious Johnson. And I, you know, I had already had stand up and whatnot, and I got knocked out at 2 minutes and 36 seconds. So, you do have to respect the game."

FYI, Henry started his UFC career 4-0 ... before facing the champ, Mighty Mouse. Johnson beat Cejudo at UFC 197 in 2016 via TKO. Years later, in 2018, HC won a rematch against DJ -- becoming flyweight champion.

Of course, 21-year-old Steveson -- who just won a gold medal -- has options on top of options.

WWE is reportedly interested in the wrestling star (GS will be at Summer Slam this weekend). Gable also says he's been hit up by multiple NFL teams. And, then there's the UFC.

Dana White recently told us he planned to meet with Steveson this weekend in Las Vegas ... to discuss potentially signing him to a deal.

There's more ... we also talked to Cejudo about his fighting future -- and while taking shots at Alex Volkanovski and T.J. Dillashaw -- Henry gave us the latest on whether he'll ever fight again.

Jared Cannonier -- the #3 ranked UFC middleweight -- believes his next fight could be for the 185 lb. title against Israel Adesanya, that is IF he can secure a dominating win over Kelvin Gastelum Saturday night.

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Cannonier ahead of his UFC Fight Night scrap with Gastelum ... and we asked him if he believed beating Kelvin could catapult him past Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa in the rankings -- and set him up for a fight with Izzy.

"It definitely can, given the state of the division. You know, there’s only one clear-cut contender outside of Robert, you know, well there’s two. You know, me, Paulo, and then all the other up-and-coming guys," Jared says.

Cannonier continued ... "But, so you know, that top 3. Me, Paulo, and Robert. So, winning over Kelvin, I’m sure a dominant win over Kelvin, would definitely send that message, 'Hey give this guy a title shot.'"

JC is a beast in the Octagon ... with wins over the legendary Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson.

We also talked to 29-year-old Gastelum -- the #9 ranked middleweight (Kelvin doesn't agree with his ranking) -- and he also believes a win over Cannonier would put him right back in title contention.

One of the most INSANE cards ever created -- featuring signatures from eight sports legends including Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather -- has just hit the auction block, and it could sell for the price of a brand-new car!!

The piece is wild -- it's got autographs from McGregor, Mayweather, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Errol Spence Jr., Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Chloe Kim on it ... and Leaf Trading Cards says it's the only one of its kind ever created.

TMZ Sports has learned bidding on the card at Goldin Auctions just began this week -- and we're told the expectation is for it to ultimately sell later this month for somewhere around $20,000!!

And, given the names on the piece -- and how Giannis' star has absolutely exploded this summer -- seems like a pretty great price to us.

As for how the card was obtained ... we're told someone actually pulled it in a box break -- which, yeah, talk about great luck.

The card was given an 8 grade by Beckett ... with a perfect 10 for its sharp corners.

Gable Steveson could be one step closer to signing with the UFC ... 'cause Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's planning to meet with the Olympic wrestling superstar this weekend in Vegas.

21-year-old Steveson was one of the breakout stars at the 2020 Olympics ... and has expressed interest in everything from the NFL, to WWE, to the UFC.

So, we asked the UFC prez if he had interest in Steveson ... and that's when White revealed he planned to link up with the gold medalist.

"[Gable] will be in town this weekend, and I think we're gonna hook up and talk."

Steveson -- who recently got an offer to train from WWE superstar Seth Rollins -- is gonna be in Sin City for SummerSlam.

FYI, Gable is a BEAST on the mats. He won the NCAA title this year at the University of Minnesota, as well as the championship at the Pan American Games. Gable hasn't lost a single match in 2 years.

But, just 'cause Dana's meeting Gable, doesn't mean a signing is guaranteed.

"Obviously there's a lot of work for him to do before he could make it to the UFC, but we'll see what happens."

If Steveson does ultimately sign a deal with the UFC ... fellow Olympic gold medalist turned UFC double champ Henry Cejudo recently told us he believes Gable -- with 2 or 3 years training -- could beat top heavyweights like Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

Either of those fights would be HUGE. But, first step is White and Steveson's Vegas meeting.

Dana White says The Ultimate Fighter 29 finalist, Tresean Gore -- the man many expected to win the show AND a UFC contract -- is OUT of the finale fight after suffering a knee injury.

The UFC prez broke the news while talking to TMZ Sports ... announcing 27-year-old Gore was recently injured, forcing him out of the scrap.

"Bryan Battle versus Tresean Gore. Nobody knows this yet, TMZ is breaking it. Tresean Gore is injured. It looks like his meniscus," White says.

Gore, a 3-0 fighter out of Georgia, arrived at the show unbeaten ... and has been super impressive ever since.

In fact, many thought Tresean was going to win the finale fight vs. Battle on August 28 at UFC Vegas 35 ... and the UFC deal that comes along with winning the show.

"I think a lot of people figured that this kid could win it. You know, obviously a great fight with him and Bryan Battle. Gore is out, probably gonna be out for 6 months. Now, Bryan Battle will be facing Gilbert Urbina."

FYI, 25-year-old, 6-1 Urbina lost to Tresean in the semifinals ... via a 2nd-round knockout.

Bad news for Gore ... but there's a silver lining.

Dana says Tresean will "100%" get a shot on a future UFC card ... once his knee heals.

"Brutal for this poor kid, you know? But, what we’ll do is when Tresean Gore is healthy, does he fight Bryan Battle if Bryan wins the fighter? You know, I don’t know. We’ll see how this thing plays out. But, yeah, Gore is out."

Speaking of middleweights and TUF, we also talked to Dana about Kelvin Gastelum's fight with Jared Cannonier Saturday night at UFC Fight Night ... a matchup White predicts will be a "badass fight."

Kayla Harrison says she'll be the biggest free agent in MMA history in mere months ... and the current PFL star tells us she's looking for big fights and "life-changing money" wherever she signs next.

With only a few fights left on her Professional Fighters League deal, we talked to 31-year-old, undefeated (10-0) Harrison about her future in the sport.

"I worked hard my whole life to hopefully become one of the biggest free agents in the history of the sport," Harrison says.

"Obviously, if PFL comes to the table and, you know, has a good game plan, talks about life-changing money, or has a ton of new talent in the pool, then that’s something that, you know, we’re going to talk about."

Harrison clearly wants big fights against top competition ... namely Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes.

"I’m not here to be second best," Kayla says, later continuing ... "And, right now I feel like those two females who are my weight, are ahead of me. So, you know, when the time is right, and hopefully the stars align and everything works out, I get to fight, you know, Cyborg preferably."

We also asked Kayla -- who'll presumably have every organization from PFL, Bellator, ONE and UFC recruiting her -- whether she thinks she'll be the most coveted free agent in the history of the sport.

"Thus far in the history of the sport, I think I will be. But, again, I have to go do my job, you know, I have to go out, I have to dominate, I have to put on a hell of a show and make it so that everyone wants to tune in and see what Kayla Harrison is up to on Thursday nights."

FYI, PFL fights typically go down on Thursdays.

Halle Berry is getting dragged into the legal ring by a former UFC fighter ... Cat Zingano is suing, claiming Halle offered her a movie role but was ultimately snubbed.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Cat claims she met with Halle back in July, 2019 to talk about a movie HB was directing, "Bruised," and says Halle told her she was perfect for the project.

Cat claims Halle told her to keep her schedule clear because film production was on the horizon, but she says the UFC came calling soon thereafter with a big fight offer.

In the docs, Cat claims she talked to Halle about the fight offer and claims Halle advised she pass on the fight if she wanted to be in the film, citing liability concerns from the movie's insurer.

Cat claims she agonized over the decision -- the movie versus the big fight -- and says she ultimately turned down the fight.  She says the UFC then released her from her contract.

According to the suit, Cat claims she looped Halle in on her decision not to fight and her subsequent release from the UFC, and says she was shocked and dismayed when Halle told her she could no longer be involved in the movie because she was no longer fighting in the UFC. She claims she was told the movie could only work with UFC fighters.

Cat -- who's currently a Bellator fighter -- claims Halle has cut off all communications from her. She's suing for damages, claiming she relied on Halle’s promise and ended up getting screwed.