MMA

Baby Slice -- aka Kevin Ferguson Jr. -- is putting his MMA career on hold ... 'cause the fighter just signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing, the org.'s CEO tells TMZ Sports.

29-year-old Slice, 3-3 as a professional mixed martial arts fighter with Bellator, recently part with the promotion ... announcing he was transitioning to the boxing ring.

Well, that's now officially official, 'cause Damon Feldman tells us he's signed Ferguson Jr. and is in the process of finding an opponent for him.

Baby Slice will likely fight early next year.

Of course, Baby Slice's dad Kimbo Slice -- who passed away at the age of 42 in June 2016 -- was an absolute legendary streetfighter turned pro MMA star.

Slice rose to fame fighting in backyards across south Florida ... almost always brutally beating his opponent.

Although he wasn't traditionally trained until later in his life, Kimbo more than held his own in the cage ... even beating Ken Shamrock in 2015.

We're told Baby Slice's opponent could be a reality star ... but that he's open to any celeb who wants to step up.

Amanda Nunes says Julianna Peña is straight-up "delusional" for thinking she's gonna take a belt off the champ-champ ... but the Lioness tells TMZ Sports that doesn't mean she's sleeping on the Venezuelan Vixen's skills in the Octagon.

We talked to the 33-year-old UFC star just days before her big UFC 269 fight with Peña ... and Nunes is ready to goooo.

"[Julianna] is delusional, but it doesn't mean I'm not taking her seriously. I do. I trained very hard and very smart, I'm very sharp for her. A lot of things she says are not true, she's being delusional."

We also asked Nunes, a heavy favorite in the fight, how she envisioned beating Peña.

"Honestly I don't see this fight going to the judges at all. Honestly. I'm very sharp. I know she's gonna make a lot of mistakes like she always does."

Amanda added ... "I know I'm gonna catch her many times."

As you might suspect, 32-year-old Peña -- the #3 ranked bantamweight -- believes Amanda isn't taking her seriously ... telling us that's a mistake because she's coming to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

There's more ... we also talked to Amanda and her wife, fellow UFC star Nina Nunes about their adorable baby daughter, Reagan.

"Tyson, I just wanna let you know you're a f***ing bitch and so is your brother. This is an embarrassment and hopefully, you guys can get that vaginitis cleared up super quick, you f****ing dosser."

That's the voice memo Jake Paul sent directly to Tyson Fury live on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (nightly on FS1) hours after it was officially announced the Gypsy King's little bro Tommy was out of the Dec. 18 fight with an injury.

We broke the story ... Tommy's people say the 7-0 boxer has a chest infection AND broken rib, but Jake ain't buyin' it.

"I think the pressure got to this kid. He's only been put in there against people who are meant to lose, who have losing records. It's scary fighting me on the biggest stage possible," Jake told Michael Babcock on the show.

"He's a young kid, he hasn't been through a lot. He's had a silver spoon in his mouth his whole life, so I think the pressure got to him and cracked him and he has vaginitis is what they're saying."

Tommy has sworn up and down that he only backed out when it was the absolute last option ... and made it clear he badly wants to reschedule the fight in the future.

But, the Problem Child tells us Tommy might've missed his opportunity.

"I don't know if I want to give him it anymore. I might just leave him in the dust. This was the biggest opportunity of his life, so it might be a little cynical, but I think it'd be kinda fun to just not give him the chance again, and he's gonna have to fight 20, 30 more times if he wants to get the same payday. So, good luck!"

It goes without saying -- Paul is fuming over Tommy dropping out of the fight, and he got so pissed while talking with Babcock during the interview, he went straight to Instagram and told Tyson exactly how he felt.

How do you celebrate a big-time win in the Octagon?! If you're UFC star Jose Aldo ... you hit up the LV Raiders game, and then pop bottles and dance to music played by Diplo!

35-year-old Aldo beat fellow UFC star Rob Font at Fight Night Saturday night ... in a 5-round unanimous decision.

Aldo was ranked 5th before the fight ... and since he toppled the 4th ranked fighter, he is very much in title contention.

So, a reason to celebrate ... and celebrate he did Sunday afternoon.

We're told Jose attended the Raiders-WFT game (unfortunately for the hometown fans, the Raiders lost 17-15) ... hitting up the Wynn Field Club at Allegiant Stadium with 7 friends, where they watched football.

FYI, Aldo's Brazilian ... so it's unclear if he's an American football fan, or if he just went for the atmosphere and booze.

After the game, we're told Jose stayed for the game-day afterparty hosted by Diplo ... where he enjoyed bottle service with his friends, dancing up a storm.

Tyron Woodley's getting his rematch after all -- Jake Paul just announced Tommy Fury has backed out of their December 18 fight ... with the ex-UFC champ taking his place.

24-year-old Paul just posted a video confirming rumors of Fury pulling out on Monday ... saying he will go head-to-head against Woodley once again in less than 2 weeks' notice.

"When my team woke me up on Friday to tell me Tommy Fumbles was pulling out, I told them I’ll fight anyone on December 18th," Jake said. "Troy, Trey, Trevor, Travis,… I don’t give a f*** who it is."

Naturally, Jake also had some words for Tommy.

"Tommy’s pulling out because of a 'medical condition' called vaginitis," he added. "Unlike the Furys, Tyron actually has some balls, is stepping in, and contractually he is getting an extra $500,000 if he knocks me out."

Of course, Paul and Woodley duked it out in Cleveland on August 29, with the YouTuber getting the split decision win over Tyron.

As we previously reported, Tommy agreed to fight Jake back in October ... after months of trash talk and failed contract negotiations.

Speaking of failed negotiations, Woodley initially lost his shot at the rematch after Paul claimed he took too long to get "I love Jake Paul" tatted on him.

Woodley eventually got the ink a month after the fight ... getting the phrase on his middle finger.

This time around, Jake is guaranteeing a different outcome.

"First time I outboxed him. This time I’m gonna punish him and leave no doubt."

It's a quick turnaround for Woodley ... but the dude's a pro, so we're sure he'll be fine.

Julianna Peña is less than a week away from the biggest fight of her life against Amanda Nunes ... and the "Venezuelan Vixen" has a message for the doubters, telling TMZ Sports she isn't satisfied just being here -- she's gunning to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

32-year-old Peña is the #3 ranked bantamweight in the UFC -- and has been all but demanding a title shot with the 33-year-old champ, Nunes -- because she truly believes she will get the W when they fight at UFC 269.

"I'm ready. I am in the zone. I have never felt more physically or mentally prepared in my life and it's my time. It just feels so great to know that I have literally left no stone unturned. I'm ready to go. I'm in the zone!"

Peña's been with the UFC since 2013 ... and has a professional record of 10-4. She's beaten some badass women like Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano.

Despite the impressive resume, Julianna's a big underdog against Amanda. In fact, bettors have to wager about $900 just to win $100 on Nunes.

And, it's not just the oddsmakers who doubt Peña can win ... 'cause Julianna told us she feels Amanda isn't taking her seriously.

"[Nunes] called me delusional. She said that I'm reckless. I don't think that she's taking me seriously at all and you know, that's fine."

Great news! UFC president Dana White is officially COVID-19 free ... telling TMZ Sports he tested negative for the virus, and he's crediting Joe Rogan's suggested treatment plan of monoclonal antibodies, NAD drip, vitamins, and Ivermectin for the swift recovery.

"I feel incredible! Today is day 5 since testing positive for COVID, and [Friday at 9 AM], I tested negative for COVID. Thank you, Dr. Joe Rogan!"

Dana tested positive for the virus after a Thanksgiving day family gathering ... and immediately contacted the JRE host for advice.

Of course, Rogan beat the virus in a matter of days ... but it wasn't without controversy.

He (also) took Ivermectin ... a drug that some media outlets incorrectly classified as livestock medication (there are animal and human versions of the drug).

But, Dana -- who is fully vaccinated -- says Joe is very well-informed ... and most importantly, his plan works.

"Joe Rogan is a brilliant guy and he talks to the most brilliant people out there. He studies, he does his homework on all this stuff, and it's a fact that this works."

And, work it did -- the UFC honcho tells us ... "Monday I did what Rogan told me to do. Tuesday I had my taste and smell back."

White says if you think his case was a fluke ... the treatment also worked on his wife, daughter, and 80-year-old mother-in-law!

We didn't only talk about viruses ... we also chopped it up about UFC 269 -- which is only a week away (Dec. 11).

Lightweight champ Charles Oliveira is fighting Dustin Poirier ... the man many believe is actually the best in the division.

Amanda Nunes is also fighting Julianna Pena (the "Venezuelan Vixen" told us "Lioness" isn't taking her seriously). "Suga" Sean O'Malley, Cody Garbrandt, and Geoff Neal are also on the card.

We asked Dana which fight he was looking forward to -- outside of the marquee matchups at the top of the card -- and he told us he expects a lot of violence when Josh Emmett and Dan Ige do battle on the prelims.

We also talked to White about Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev ... and he told us he's working on booking the 4-0 fighter an opponent now that Diaz shot down the fight.

If you missed it, earlier this week the superstar from Stockton told us he wouldn't fight "Borz" because he was a rookie who wasn't on Diaz's level.

UFC fighter Geoff Neal was arrested on Thanksgiving after cops say he was drinking and driving with a firearm ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to police records, Neal -- who's slated to fight at UFC 269 on Dec. 11 in Las Vegas -- was taken into custody at 3:47 AM on Nov. 25.

Details surrounding the stop are unclear -- we're working on it -- but records show Neal was booked on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

The records show the 31-year-old was eventually released from jail at 8:08 PM on Thanksgiving night.

Neal is set to scrap with Santiago Ponzinibbio, and, according to the UFC, the fight is still on despite the arrest.

"UFC is aware of the recent situation involving Geoff Neal," UFC officials said in a statement. "The organization has been in communication with him and is in the process of gathering more details. Neal's bout at UFC 269 on December 11th remains as scheduled."

Neal, meanwhile, has denied the allegations against him ... with his attorney telling ESPN this week that he believes bloodwork results will show the UFC fighter was not illegally drinking and driving.

"If it turns out he was not legally intoxicated -- which we expect the blood test will show -- there won't be a gun charge, either," said Brandon Barnett, who claims Neal legally had a licensed gun in his vehicle at the time of the arrest.

"I think it's somewhat premature to report on this at this point," Barnett added. "Doing what I do for a living, there's a lot of occasions where you see an arrest and then based on the evidence that comes back there's never even a case file."

Nate Diaz says he is NOT fighting Khamzat Chimaev -- regardless of who wants to see them scrap -- telling TMZ Sports the Chechen fighter is a "rookie" who flat-out just ain't on his level.

We talked to the UFC superstar at Brickhouse boxing gym in North Hollywood ... and we asked him about the potential fight with Khamzat.

"They're coming at me with [Khamzat], and I'm like, 'hold on, don't disrespect me like that, trying to offer me a fight with a rookie.' I'm cool, you got 4 fights in the UFC. Don't even talk my name," Nate told us.

FYI, 27-year-old Chimaev -- 10-0 in his short career as a fighter (4-0 in UFC) -- bursts onto the MMA scene last year ... becoming one of the biggest draws in the sport.

Khamzat last fought Li Jingliang in October ... beating the Chinese fighter less than 4 minutes into the 1st round.

36-year-old Diaz has one fight left on his UFC deal ... and Dana White told us last month the UFC planned to offer Nate a fight with Chimaev.

Something we now know Nate turned down (however, ND does suggest an opponent for Khamzat).

Chimaev's out, but there's a helluva long list of huge fights the future Hall of Famer could accept ... and Diaz says he's ready to go.

"I'm trying to fight somebody in the UFC, like ASAP, but nobody wants to fight. I've been trying to get somebody for a minute," Nate said, exasperated.

The Stockton superstar later added ... "Anybody from the top 10, I've been trying to fight, in any weight division, but they all wanna keep their mouth shut cause they're all scared."

FWIW, Conor McGregor, who says he has 2 fights left in the UFC, recently said the trilogy fight with Diaz "1 billion percent" will go down.

Of course, McGregor is still healing up from the gruesome lower leg injury he suffered against Dustin Poirier.

We also talked to 28-year-old fighter (and Nate's close friend), Chris Avila ... who is fighting Anthony Taylor on the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury card on December 18.

Taylor is the fighter who lost via decision to Fury on the Jake-Tyron Woodley card a few months ago.

Avila -- who says he's the most experienced fighter on the card -- is clearly pumped for the fight, and even knows who he wants next ... the winner of Jake and Tommy.

Conor McGregor is helping a fellow Irishman and MMA fighter ... by donating $11k to a man who needs money for stem cell treatment after being paralyzed from a horrific injury during training.

The terrible incident happened in July ... when the 1-1 welterweight Ian Coughlan had a freak accident while training for an upcoming fight.

The 29-year-old fighter spent months in Ireland hospitals and rehabilitation in an effort to get back on his feet ... but was told by doctors he may never walk again.

However, another hospital in Germany -- which specializes in spinal cord injuries -- says they can help him out with their Stem Cell and HAL treatment ... but Coughlan needs $73,000 euros ($82,779 in USD) to cover it.

McGregor wasted no time stepping up to help -- sending the Irish fighter 10,000 euros ($11,339 in USD) to his GoFundMe on Thursday.

McGregor is also planning to attend a fundraiser for Coughlan with his coach John Kavanagh -- a super seminar called "Unstoppable" on Dec. 18 in Dublin.

"Guys let’s get together and support this young Irish fighter who suffered a terrible injury at a gym in Ireland," McGregor said via Twitter.

"Coach John and the team at SBG are hosting a training day and my own recovery permitting, I hope to be in attendance. There will be signed fight wear also!"

Other stars like UFC's Johnny Walker and Ultimate Fighter's Brad Katona will also be there in support.

"We’re looking forward to this," coach Kavanagh said, "The 'Unstoppable Seminar’ raising some much needed funds for the unstoppable Ian Coughlan."

"Let’s do this for him. Let’s do this for his family. Let’s show the strength of the MMA and martial arts community."

Frank Mir's daughter Isabella is an MMA fighter ... but it wasn't (only) her former UFC champion dad who inspired her to fight in a locked cage -- that honor belongs to Ronda Rousey.

TMZ Sports spoke to Frank about his 18-year-old daughter ... and while he admits to initially being hesitant to see his girl fight, he says he rather help her win, as opposed to simply being a spectator.

"She loves it. She wants to do it. I said a long time ago, I'd rather be the captain of the ship than be watching from the shoreline."

FYI, Bella is 2-0 in the cage. She had her first pro fight in 2020. She's also a badass wrestler who routinely beat boys in high school. Bella also won the SMC Girls Folkstyle National Wrestling Championships earlier this year.

Mir says years ago neither he nor his daughter believed there was a path to becoming a UFC fighter for a woman ... but Frank says that changed when Ronda burst on the scene.

Of course, Rousey was the female fighter who changed Dana White's mind ... after the UFC prez once vowed women wouldn't fight in his organization.

But, Ronda made her UFC debut in 2013 and became a global superstar ... inspiring many young girls along the way, including Bella.

Mir's daughter might be a pro fighter, but he isn't done in the cage, despite being 42 years old.

Frank, who once beat Brock Lesnar, is fighting boxer Kubrat Pulev Saturday night in Triller's new Triad Combat organization ... where MMA fighters and boxers will fight in a triangular-shaped ring.

We also talked to Rampage Jackson, captain of Mir's MMA team. He's been locked in a war of words with Shannon Briggs, the boxing team captain.

Amanda Serrano recently signed with Jake Paul's boxing promotion, and the boxing star says it was literally the best professional move she's ever made ... 'cause she's finally getting the respect she deserves.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old unified welterweight champ ... and we asked her if she's gotten more shine since signing with the Problem Child.

"Definitely! 100%! It's about time we get recognition, that I get recognition. I've been training and working so hard and all of the stuff I accomplished. With boxing, I never really been acknowledged and it's the best decision I've made."

Jake's Most Valuable Promotion is his boxing promotion organization ... and Serrano was the first fighter he signed. He previously told us he plans to sign a stable of fighters.

Despite the added attention, Amanda is still a super humble person.

"I'm still an average woman and I still have two feet that I walk on every day to the gym and work hard. It's just now it's a little more pressure. I gotta work even harder because I'm under a big platform with Jake Paul so I just want to continue to prove that I'm the best," Serrano told us.

Serrano's first test under the MVP banner is a December 18th bout with 14-1 Miriam Gutiérrez in Florida ... the card that features Jake and Tommy Fury.

Former NFL star Frank Gore and former NBA star Deron Williams are also fighting that night.

And, one thing's clear ... Serrano is looking to put on a show, and show the world why Paul locked her up.

"I'm gonna win no matter what but if it's in the first -- I have 10 rounds to do it, but I'm definitely going in there for a knockout."

Jake Paul let the verbal jabs fly during his presser with Tommy Fury on Wednesday ... and he did it from the comfort of his pool in Puerto Rico.

Jake tuned in remotely as he took on the whole Fury fam -- including heavyweight champ, Tyson -- and while he looked rested and relaxed while wearing sunglasses, a pineapple print hat and sipping on a coconut, it was far from cozy.

Tommy's dad started it off ... taking serious issue with Jake's wardrobe choice. It got so heated, John squared up with the TV that was showing Paul via live stream.

Jake said he's "pretty much on vacation" leading up to the December 18 bout ... saying he's been training non-stop much before the fight was announced.

Tommy's dad chimes in and tells Jake to take his shades off so he can "see the fear" in his eyes ... but Paul shut him down.

"Hey Tommy, Shut your bitches up for me," he said.

The focus switched to Tyson, as Jake bragged and claimed he made more money than the heavyweight champ this year.

Kayla Harrison is a wanted woman ... her manager Ali Abdelaziz tells TMZ Sports everyone from the UFC to WWE is gunning to sign his MMA star client.

We talked to Abdelaziz -- who was having dinner with Kamaru Usman and Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan in Beverly Hills -- about 31-year-old Harrison's fighting future.

"Everybody trying to sign Kayla. Even Walmart try to sign Kayla. The WWE been calling too but we're interested in real fighting," Ali says.

The 3x PFL tourney winner (12-0) has been DOMINANT in the cage ... and is arguably MMA's hottest free agent.

Of course, Kayla, a 2x Olympic gold medalist, wouldn't be the first MMA star to turn to pro wrestling. Her former Judo teammate, Ronda Rousey, was the WWE Raw Women's Champ.

But, Ali tells us Harrison won't be following in Rowdy Rousey's footsteps ... at least not now.

"[Kayla's] focusing on fighting right now. PFL, it doesn't matter where she gonna be -- whatever Kayla wants," Abdelaziz says.

Her manager continued ... "I think she's happy with PFL, but listen. I got great relationships with UFC, Bellator, but I have to show a little loyalty to PFL."

FYI, neither WWE nor the UFC has publicly said they intend (or don't intend) to make a run at Harrison.

Ali also addressed Twitter-gate, answering whether he was the person who fired off an anti-Justin Gaethje message from Khabib Nurmagomedov's account (he was not).

On the topic of Justin, Abdelaziz also sets the record straight on who deserves the next title shot at 155 pounds ... Islam Makhachev or Gaethje.

We also talked to Kayla, and asked her straight-up ... what's the one fight you want more than anything else?

"I think right now the fight is Cyborg. I think Amanda [Nunes] is the greatest of all time for a reason. To get to that point, I have to continue to climb, and I think Cyborg is a step on that ladder," Harrison said.

"[Cyborg's] also one of the greatest of all time. She's no slouch. And, for me, it'd be an honor for me to share the cage with her."

A fight with Cris would likely mean signing with Bellator ... where Cyborg currently fights.

Harrison is technically not a free agent yet (but she will be in a matter of days) ... question is, who will land the MMA star?

Kamaru Usman doesn't care who doubts him ... telling TMZ Sports he STILL wants to box Canelo Alvarez, and wholeheartedly believes he can beat the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.

We shot the UFC welterweight champ Thursday night at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills, and we asked the 34-year-old fighter ... "who's a name that interests you?"

"I've already said the name that interests me. Canelo. That's what interests me."

We then asked Usman about Dana White's recent comments, following Canelo's latest KO win over Caleb Plant, where the UFC president said "[Kamaru] doesn't want to fight Canelo" -- because Alvarez is so damn dangerous in the ring.

But, Usman isn't letting that stop him.

"That's Dana, but I'm fighting. Dana's boss man, but I'm the one who's fighting," Kamaru says.

Prior to that Plant fight, we recently talked to the 31-year-old, and asked the boxing superstar if he was interested in boxing the top pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world.

Canelo didn't exactly slam the door ... but told us he was focused on solidifying his resume as one of the greatest fighters ever.

If the men do fight ... make no mistake, Kamaru isn't doing it just for a paycheck. He straight up believes he can beat Alvarez.

Conor McGregor claims it wasn't Dustin Poirier who gruesomely broke his leg during their trilogy fight ... 'cause the limb was "severely damaged" heading into the scrap.

The 33-year-old former UFC double champ made the declaration in a series of tweets on Wednesday ... saying he knew the leg may give out, but he decided to continue with the fight despite the serious injury.

"In my last camp I’d a severely damaged left leg. Many of my sessions consisted of starting in open guard bottom. And staying there. Full rounds remaining on bottom. I was beating people up until they backed away from me. It then translated to the fight. True story," McGregor fired on Twitter.

In fact, Conor says he didn't have a big reaction to the painful break -- unlike Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva -- because he was well aware the leg may snap during the UFC 264 fight on July 10.

"Same leg, same spot. I attribute it to why I wasn’t in as much shock as Chris/Anderson where. I knew something may happen in advance. Chris was upset with my quote. Felt I was aiming at him. I was not. If any constellation to my reaction, It was because id a heads up it may snap."

McGregor is very much down the road to recovery ... and it's evident he's beginning to plot his return to the Octagon.

But, who will he fight?? Poirier for a 4th time? Max Holloway rematch (McGregor beat him in 2013)? Nate Diaz trilogy?

Whoever it is ... The Notorious says he'll be back and better than ever!