MMA

Tyron Woodley is NOT retiring despite getting knocked out by Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports he plans to fight several times next year.

We talked to the 39-year-old UFC legend at Amalie Arena in Tampa after he was KOd by Paul in the 6th round of their rematch fight ... and asked if he'd hang up his gloves after losing to Jake for the second time, but T-Wood's adamant he'll be back.

"I didn't look like a fighter that was slow. I didn't look like a fighter that didn't have fight in him. I gotta make that choice. I already planned to stay super busy in 2022, and that doesn't change."

We also asked Tyron how he was feeling after the fight.

"I'm good. I'm healthy. Bummed obviously, I didn't wanna lose. I felt like I was winning the fight," Woodley said.

As for his performance in the ring ... Woodley believes he was winning the fight up until he dropped his hands right before the knockout, and it's eating him up.

"One f***ing hand drop. And I'm looking at it, why did I drop my hands? That's driving me crazy."

Woodley -- who looked sharp, especially early on -- was clearly more aggressive this time around ... moving forward for much of the fight.

And, Tyron says you might not just see him in a boxing ring, 'cause he wants to take several different kinds of fights in 2022.

"I just wanna do four different forms of combat sports. One being boxing, at least one time. One MMA, for sure. And just finish out like a winner."

Everyone says they hate the 'Island Boys' -- the Florida twins behind that train wreck of a TikTok "song" -- and it turns out lots of those haters were waiting for the boys in the crowd at Jake Paul's boxing match.

The brothers did NOT get a warm welcome Saturday night in their home state -- as soon as they entered Tampa's Amalie Arena and walked to their ringside seats, the boos started raining down.

Now, we're not saying they had targets on their backs, but Flyysoulja and Kodiyakredd's bleach-blond spiky faux locks make 'em stand out in any crowd -- and after the boos came actual booze. Several objects were hurled their way, including at least one full beer.

We all know, stadium beers ain't cheap ... so you gotta really hate to toss one of those. Then again, we present exhibit A.

The 20-year-old twins dropped their poolside freestyle back in October, which instantly went viral ... and not because people were loving it.

Still, the Island Boys persisted ... cranking out an official music video this month to go with the nonsensical bars they dropped -- and yeah, that's a viral hit too.

Unbelievable.

If you ever had any doubt about Jake Paul's skills in the boxing ring, the guy just flatlined a UFC legend -- beating Tyron Woodley in the 6th round of Saturday night's matchup.

Of course, Jake was initially slated to go against Tommy Fury, and he had a message for the "Love Island" star after putting Tyron on the canvas.

Check the video -- Jake celebrates the major win ... and says he's ready to face Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz to follow up -- calling them bitches in the process.

The win is by far the best of Jake's career -- he took the fight on less than a month's notice after Fury backed out.

The knockout was beautiful. Jake faked to the body, forcing Tyron to drop his hands. Then Paul came over the top with a right that landed flush on Woodley’s ear, sending him falling to the canvas. It was clear Tyron was out, so the referee didn’t count … the fight was over.

As for Woodley, he looked sharp up until the KO. The future UFC HOFer was far more aggressive ... and landed some nice, powerful punches.

Now that Jake erased any doubt this time around vs. Woodley, it seems likely a Paul vs. Fury fight will be in the works.

It all went down at Amalie Arena in Tampa .. and Jake's definitely gonna celebrate his ass off tonight.

Jake Paul knows Tommy Fury will be glued to the TV when he faces off against Tyron Woodley on Saturday ... and that's why he tells TMZ Sports he's planning to troll the hell outta TNT before his big fight.

You surprised??

We spoke with the Problem Child before his big rematch with the former UFC champ ... and asked if he thought his original opponent would be tuning in.

"100%," Jake said. "Tommy, you know, this could've been you."

"I have a message to send to him during my walkout. People will see my message for Tommy Fury while I'm walking out. It's pretty funny."

Now, Jake is known to be a world-class troll, even when it's time to rumble -- remember, this is the guy who wore a basketball chain and had matching music for his entrance before the Nate Robinson fight.

We also talked all about the upcoming fight ... and Jake says he can't wait to silence his critics again.

"I'm feeling really good," he added. "To me, it doesn't matter who I fight and this is an opportunity to right my wrongs. Last fight, obviously, I still won. But now, I wanna knock him out. That's a big opportunity to show people how much better I've gotten since then."

We also spoke with Tyron ... and he's guaranteeing to knock Jake out and make that extra money.

The fight card -- also featuring Deron Williams and Frank Gore -- is set to go down at 6 PM PT on Showtime.

Welp, the fights were supposed to be tomorrow ... but, fighters gon' fight.

Nate Diaz, UFC fighter Nick Maximov, Chris Avila and the 209 crew nearly came to blows with Bellator champ A.J. McKee, Anthony Taylor, and their guys on Friday ... and we got the vid.

Of course, 28-year-old Avila is fighting 32-year-old Taylor Saturday night in Tampa ... before Jake and Tyron square up for a second time.

There's a history here -- both guys fought in Bellator in 2020, with Taylor getting the win.

There was pushing and shoving just minutes ago ... but thankfully, it doesn't appear any punches were thrown, and nobody was hurt.

It actually adds even more juice to undercard bout ... 'cause the guys clearly don't like each other.

During the press conference on Thursday, Taylor clowned Avila for the way he talks, saying he was trying to imitate the Diaz bros.

If you aren't familiar with Chris ... he's been one of Nate's closest friends for years.

Robert Whittaker has touched down in Tamriel -- the former UFC middleweight champion will now be a fully-voiced character in the uber-popular video game, "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

The Reaper -- the #1 middleweight contender who's set to fight Israel Adesanya in February -- will soon be available in the game as part of a companion mod from the creators, Bethesda.

For those who haven't played, Skyrim is an action/adventure role-playing game where the main character goes on a quest to slay a dragon -- it's got quests, ghosts, magic and all that good stuff.

Yes, we're underselling the hell out of it, but just play the game already ... It's been out for 10 freaking years.

With the new mod, Whittaker's character will now roam the area called Whiterun, where he can be spotted training young kids how to fight, according to PC Gamer.

The character looks just like the guy -- all the way down to his signature tattoo. The companion will also have combative behavior and a unique fighting style.

Whittaker getting the voiced mod treatment is pretty rare ... but the guy is a Bethesda ambassador and a big fan of the game, so it seems like that's paying off.

RW could be giving his character a spin on Thursday ... announcing he's going to play the game on a live stream to raise money for Cure Cancer and Game On Cancer.

Jon Jones' domestic violence charge was dismissed earlier this week after the UFC star copped a plea deal with prosecutors ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court records in Las Vegas show officials dropped the misdemeanor count against the fighter on Tuesday ... after he pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of destroying property of another, $25-$250.

As part of his sentencing, records show the 34-year-old has been ordered to stay out of trouble, pay restitution to the victim, and take anger management counseling.

As we previously reported, Jones was hit with the dom. violence charge as well as a felony charge of tampering with a vehicle after he allegedly pulled his fiancee's hair and then headbutted a police car in a wild incident on Sept. 24.

In police documents, cops say they were called to Caesars Palace around 5:08 AM for a report of a "domestic disturbance" in a hotel room.

Once there, cops say they stopped Jones outside ... and claim he snapped during questioning -- smashing his head onto the front hood of a patrol vehicle.

Officers say the blow dented the car and chipped the paint.

When cops eventually met with Jones' fiancee, they say they noticed she had blood stains on her sweatshirt and she was bleeding from her lip. They say she told them that Jones "touched the back of my head and pulled my hair a little bit but he did not hit me or anything."

Jones was eventually arrested -- and he said after the incident he was stepping away from booze for good.

"I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol, my brain simply can't handle it anymore," Jones said at the time. "Now is the time to work harder than ever."

Kayla Harrison has a message for Julianna Pena -- "don't bite off more than you can chew"  -- after the new UFC champ said the 2x Olympic gold medalist fought in the "B-leagues."

31-year-old Harrison -- the hottest free agent in MMA -- was in the building when ATT gym mate Amanda Nunes shockingly lost her bantamweight title to Pena.

After the fight, Julianna crapped on Kayla, questioning her ability in the cage.

While talking to TMZ Sports on Tuesday, 12-0 Harrison responded ... and it's very ominous.

"I know [Julianna] must be on cloud 9 right now and I would just caution her to be careful. You don't say stuff like that to people like me unless you mean it."

The 3x PFL tourney winner later continued ... "[Pena] went out here and she executed a great game plan and she did what she had to do but I'm not the lesser of anything or anyone or anybody. When I come to fight, you're gonna know you're in a fight and be careful what you say."

At the end of the day, Kayla says the women fight in two different weight classes (JP 135, KH 155) ... so unless Pena's willing to meet in the middle, Harrison believes the trash talk is pointless.

"I think it's just dumb too, ya know? She fights at 135. I fight at, right now, 155, so unless you're willing to back it up, then don't say stuff like that. Don't open that can of worms. Don't go there. Honestly, I'd probably have to chop off my arm to make 135."

"I think that it would only take one arm to beat her."

😳😳😳😳

If you missed Pena's original comments, here's what she said about Kayla:

“I think she’s the lesser of the training partners for her and Amanda Nunes,” Pena told MMA Junkie earlier this week.

Julianna later said ... “She’s been fighting the B-leagues. I’ve been fighting in the UFC. I’ve been fighting at the top of the division. I’m fighting in the biggest league of this sport, so I’m not paying too much attention to what she’s doing down there.”

We also talked to Kayla about her feelings watching Nunes lose in person (she's "heartbroken") ... and her free agency.

Of course, Harrison's PFL contract just ended ... after again (seemingly easily) winning the $1 million prize.

The former Judo star has been in communication with the UFC ... and is presumably being courted by all the other major MMA promotions.

Julianna Peña admits Amanda Nunes deserves an immediate rematch -- telling TMZ Sports she'll get it soon (after the "Venezuelan Vixen" goes to Disney, of course) -- this after the MMA fighter shocked the world at UFC 269.

We talked to 32-year-old Peña -- fresh off her decisive win over the G.O.A.T., Nunes -- and asked her about a potential rematch.

"[Amanda] was the champ for so long. She definitely deserves a rematch and she wants it. So, she wants it, and I want it, and I'm willing to give it. It looks like it just needs to be a matter of time before they set it up," the champ told us.

And, let's be honest ... if any former champ deserves to run it back right away, it's Amanda.

Before Saturday night, Nunes hadn't lost in 7+ years ... when Cat Zingano beat her via TKO at UFC 178 in September 2014.

Peña walked us through what exactly it was like to face Nunes ... and although she might've made it look relatively easy, it was anything but.

"I knew that I was going to be facing arguably the best women combat sports athlete ever. She came 100 percent. Her shots were amazing. Her leg kicks she threw with massive intent. It hurt, but I definitely knew that at the end of the day, if I could just keep my composure, that I would get my hand raised."

But first, Peña says she wants to celebrate her daughter's 4th birthday like many champs ... in style, at Disney.

"I've been grinding for so long, I just really think my daughter deserves a little bit of attention. Her birthday's coming up in January, I'd like to taker her to Disney World. And then, after that, I'm ready to go. So, whenever they decide, is probably gonna be good."

Something tells us Peña might again be the underdog ... but she surely isn't going to catch anyone off guard this time around.

Julianna Peña can fight her ass off ... and she proved it Saturday night.

Screw debates ... how's this for politicians settling a disagreement?!

39-year-old Simao Peixoto, mayor of Borba, Brazil ... participated in a 3-round slugfest with political rival, 45-year-old Erineu Alvas Da Silva, a former councilor in the area.

Da Silva had been critical of the mayor online, calling him a "scoundrel" (fightin' words!), so the politician accepted the fight ... which went down under MMA rules.

So, punches, kicks, elbows, takedowns ... all legal.

Peixoto ended up winning the fight -- which was streamed by his staff -- by decision, according to the Daily Mail ... despite eating a flurry of heavy leg kicks which clearly hurt the mayor in the first round.

Before the fight, the mayor said this while agreeing to lace up the gloves.

"I'm not a street fighter … I'm the mayor of the municipality of Borba."

Peixoto continued ... "But if he really wants to fight … we're ready to fight … I've always been a winner."

It's certainly a more entertaining way to settle a dispute.

Conor McGregor doesn't believe there's any doubt about who should fight UFC champ Charles Oliveira for the title next -- despite losing his last 2 -- 'cause it's obviously him!

"So what date am I fighting Oliveira," McGregor tweeted Monday morning.

McGregor's tweet comes just days after 32-year-old Oliveira picked up the 32nd victory of his great MMA career, beating Dustin Poirier by 3rd-round submission.

Oliveira -- though champ -- was a slight underdog in the fight.

Of course, it's nearly impossible to objectively say McGregor -- a former 2 weight class UFC champ -- deserves a title shot when he returns to the Octagon.

Not only will Conor -- currently the #9 ranked lightweight -- be coming off a devastating injury (broken leg) ... but he lost his last 2 fights to the guy who just lost to Oliveira (and 3 of his last 4 overall).

The Notorious wasn't done Tweeting.

He also referenced his epic win over Brazilian Jose Aldo ... posting a photo of the Irish flag and the Brazilian flag next to the number 2.

Remember, Conor starched the UFC superstar with a perfectly placed punch in only 13 seconds during their December 2015 fight.

Oliveria is a Brazilian star ... hence Ireland vs. Brazil 2.

Charles has not yet responded to Conor ... who also posed for a photo with his old UFC belt.

As for who he will fight next ... it'll likely be #2 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje. But, Conor's still the biggest star in the sport ... and likely only a good win away from another title. shot.

Tyron Woodley says it was actually a blessing Tommy Fury got hurt and had to pull out of his December 18 fight with Jake Paul -- because nobody wanted to see that crap!!!

Hey, T-Wood said it ... not us.

TMZ Sports talked to the 39-year-old future UFC Hall of Famer just days before he's set to step in the ring with the Problem Child, and Woodley tells us the real winners here are the viewers.

"Nobody wants to see no f***ing Tommy Fury fight, come on now," Tyron tells us, saying, "Now his brother is lit. But, he can't ride the coattails of Tyson."

TW went on to say that Fury may go on to have a solid boxing career ... but as of right now,  he simply doesn't present the same threats as Woodley.

So, when we asked Tyron if he was a more difficult opponent ... he didn't hesitate.

"Of course I am, s***. That's why he took [the Fury] fight instead. He made a double wager and then didn't honor it because s***, why would he go back and give me the chance to finish off what I started now that I've been in there with him."

Of course, Tyron and Jake scrapped back in August ... a fight that the YouTuber turned boxing star won by split decision (Woodley wholeheartedly believes he won the fight).

Since, Woodley has all but demanded a rematch ... but Paul shot him down. That is until Tommy pulled out of the fight last week with a chest infection and broken ribs, per his reps.

So, Tyron's in ... and this time he says he will not leave things up to the judges.

"I just feel like, definitely, I can't leave any doubt."

Dustin Poirier's fighting for the lightweight title on Saturday ... but the UFC star openly admits the drama with Conor McGregor isn't over -- and never will be.

TMZ Sports talked to a very focused Poirier -- just days before his UFC 269 main event title fight with Charles Oliveira -- and we asked if the beef with Conor was finally squashed.

"Nah, the chapter will never be closed," Dustin says, clearly not loving the McGregor topic.

It's not a surprising comment ... as Conor said some very personal things about Dustin and his wife.

Of course, 33-year-old Conor and 32-year-old Dustin have already fought 3 times. The first scrap was way back in 2014 ... when McGregor won by TKO.

However, DP beat CM twice this year ... in January and July, when The Notorious gruesomely snapped his leg.

But, a 4th fight is anything but guaranteed ... 'cause Poirier -- who has won 7 of his last 8 -- is fighting for a title, and McGregor's still nursing the busted leg.

"I don't know [about a 4th fight], we'll see what happens. [Conor and I are] in 2 completely different spots if I get my hand on this belt."

BKFC fighter Jordan Nash suffered a NASTY eye injury Thursday night, forcing his fight to be stopped ... and it's pretty darn hard to look at.

Nash was fighting fellow bare knuckle boxer Noah Cutter ... when the horrific injury, a gash to his eyelid, happened in the ring.

Yikes.

In the pic (look if you dare), you can see the gruesome eye injury up close and personal. Nash is bleeding profusely from his left eye, and appears unable to open it.

Despite fighting with only one eye, Nash showed tremendous heart -- somehow making it to the fifth and final round of the fight -- before it was ultimately stopped by officials.

It was Nash's first professional loss.

Of course, horrendous injuries are common in fighting ... especially bare knuckle, where gloveless hands can gash skin.

The silver lining ... if fans didn't know Jordan Nash before, they certainly do now.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson wants all the smoke -- the mixed martial artist tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about fighting Shannon Briggs ... and when he does, "he's gonna f*** him up."

"That guy's a f***ing a**hole," Jackson told us this week. "I want to box and I think that his old ass would be a perfect match to be my first boxing match."

"I'ma f*** him up. I'm sick of that guy. All he does is troll me. Imma f*** him up."

Rampage didn't stop there ... "He think I'm playing with him. He think it's all fun and games. That man 50 years old. He too old to be acting like that," he continued.

Jackson says his desire to clash with the former heavyweight champ came after Briggs called him out following his last loss.

"I told him I wanted to have a boxing match and Shannon agreed to get in there with me," Jackson said. "We putting MMA fans vs. boxing fans."

The feud between Jackson and Briggs ain't new -- last month, they got into a shoving match at a Triad Combat weigh-in (the two were captains of opposite teams) ... an event that pitted MMA fighters against professional boxers.

Jackson tells us that any clash he has with Briggs will be bigger than just pride and ego ... saying that he's gonna show the world that MMA fighters are the best.

"I'm coming to get that respect," Rampage said. "You boxers, y'all don't respect us. Better put some respect on my name."

We might not have to wait much longer to see the former champs lock horns ... 'cause Rampage also told us that we could see the highly anticipated bout sometime in the new year.

This is dumb.

UFC superstars Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz -- who made a living off being fearless and smashing faces in the Octagon -- are in their feels over comments made about each other's commentating skills ... and the whole thing is incredibly petty.

Of course, Cruz recently blasted DC's fighting analysis at UFC 269 media day ... saying he mutes the TV when Cormier is on the mic, claiming he doesn't do his homework or watch enough film.

DC confronted the Dominator in a one-on-one sit-down on his YouTube channel Wednesday night ... calling out his fellow fighter for making the comments in public, instead of in private.

"You say so many things privately that I would never say publicly," DC said. "You and I say things privately that we would never say publicly."

Cruz responded by saying there's no "rule" against what he said ... claiming it was meant to hold him accountable and be taken as constructive criticism.

As for how much film DC watches, he admits he doesn't take as much time as Cruz does when preparing to call a fight ... but adamantly denies not being prepared to provide commentary.

But, the criticism wasn't one-sided -- when Cruz asked DC to share his own thoughts, Cormier said he felt Dominick's analysis can be a bit dry.

DC even goes as far as to say Cruz was "wrong" to make the comments in public ... adding, "As a colleague, a professional courtesy, you don't do that to your teammates. You don't go publicly. Those things you don't say in the public."

Overall, both guys make it clear they're still cool despite the beef ... which means the whole thing was pretty trite.