MMA

Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury II could be on deck!

The Predator joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) on Monday ... where we talked to the boxing and MMA superstar about his HUGE upcoming clash with 34-year-old Anthony Joshua on March 8, as well as his plans for the future.

Of course, 37-year-old Ngannou has his hands full with AJ, one of the most physically imposing athletes in the world (as is Ngannou) ... but that's not to say he doesn't know what he wants after he scraps with Joshua.

To the contrary, he does ... and it's not necessarily the victor of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who are fighting for the heavyweight belts in February, weeks before Francis and Anthony.

"I'm not looking for the winner of Tyson Fury. I'm looking for Tyson!" the former UFC heavyweight champ told us.

"Tyson owes me a fight. I don't give a s*** about the winner of Usyk and Tyson. I'm coming after Tyson. Win or lose, I want Tyson!"

FYI, Fury is 34-0 with 24 KOs ... with one of those wins coming against Ngannou. However, many people around boxing believe Tyson actually lost their October fight, which he officially won by split decision.

But, first things first, Ngannou-Joshua.

Despite the success against Tyson, Francis is a fairly substantial underdog (risk $100 to win $500) ... a betting line he says he understands.

"I'm going in against a former champion and getting guys that have been in the game for so long, winning, and all this stuff," Ngannou said.

"I think he's 30-something and I'm zero and one. C'mon man. How do you make me a favorite?"

"He's seen me box already so he knows a little bit what he's coming after unlike Tyson Fury that was out of the blue, didn't know what to expect," Ngannou said.

Even with his inexperience in the boxing ring, Ngannou says he still expects Joshua to study his fight with Fury, and make adjustments. Francis is intent on showing the Tyson fight was no fluke.

"I think this time I need to put it up even more to get the job done."

The contract isn't yet signed, but Michael Chandler says he's fighting Conor McGregor on June 29 in Las Vegas ... and he's totally cool with the scrap going down at 185 lbs!

37-year-old Chandler joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where he broke his silence on the highly anticipated fight, days after The Notorious broke the news on social media.

"The last year has been a nice little hiatus and it looks like we're finally gonna be getting this fight moving forward," Chandler said.

"Now it looks like we got ourselves a date, we got ourselves an opponent, and seemingly a weight class a little bit above what we thought it was gonna be!" ... Mike added with a big smile.

Of course, Chandler's referring to the fight going down at 185 pounds -- technically a middleweight fight -- a full 30 pounds over the lightweight limit where both men have been two of the best in the world.

FYI, Sean Strickland (6'1"), Israel Adesanya (6'4"), and Alex Pereira (6'4") are the last three MW champs ... and those guys are huge.

We asked him about fighting at a much heavier weight.

"I'm cool with whatever weight. The way I see it, Conor and I are within a couple of pounds of each other. So it doesn't matter if we cut weight all the way down to 155, we fight at 170, or we fight at 185."

"We're the same size guys. I don't need to bulk up to 200-something fans to get down to 185, it's just not how I would operate in this training camp. So I'm excited about it if it is 185."

Fans are excited, too.

After all, it's a fight that's been in the works forever ... since Mike and Conor served as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter."

There's a bunch more with Chandler ... including whether he'll return to the lightweight division after the Conor fight.

We also asked him if he was concerned Conor was clean ... as many people have speculated 35-year-old McGregor might be taking something to bulk up (the former champ-champ has never failed a drug test).

Ryan Garcia is blockin' all jabs when it comes to his friendship with Floyd Mayweather ... saying the boxing legend is mentoring him and he "loves and respects him."

The 24-1 (20 KOs) fighter took to social media on Thursday to defend his new bond with Mayweather after receiving backlash for hanging out with Floyd on several occasions, including their infamous 3 AM jog in Las Vegas.

"Floyd is mentoring me, And I love and respect him, he is so authentic so stop judging him," Garcia said to the haters.

"Judging a book by its cover will stop you from reading but Derrick James is my coach, and I love him too."

Some boxing fans have been confused by the relationship ... as Ryan is still in business with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions. ODLH is a rival of TBE.

For what it's worth, not even De La Hoya seems too bothered. He told FightHype he was okay with Ryan and Floyd linkin' up, though he did add the situation would've been seen as a "conflict of interest" back in the day.

Other people have complained that Garcia lost at the hands of Gervonta Davis, whom Floyd is close with. Mayweather even celebrated with Tank in the ring after he beat Garcia.

But, Ryan doesn't want to hear it.

"You guys don’t know him and most of you will never. But he is authentic has a good heart and extremely generous," Ryan said.

"HES 50-0 and he’s almost half a 100 lmao but Love him and I respect him so put respect on his name. He may be Money Mayweather but he really tries to be as authentic as possible."

Devin Haney also came for Garcia ... sending him this Instagram DM: Floyd can't save or help u..

Ryan García está tapando la boca a todos los críticos cuando se trata de su amistad con Floyd Mayweather, diciendo que la leyenda del boxeo es su mentor y "lo ama y respeta".

El boxeador 24-1 (20 KOs) usó sus redes sociales el jueves para defender su nuevo vínculo con Mayweather después de recibir críticas por salir con Floyd en varias ocasiones, incluyendo su infame trote a las 3 AM en Las Vegas.

"Floyd es mi mentor, y lo amo y respeto, él es muy auténtico, así que dejen de juzgarlo", le dijo García a los haters.

"Juzgar un libro por su portada puede restringirte de leer, pero Derrick James es mi entrenador y yo también lo amo".

Algunos aficionados al boxeo se han mostrado confusos por la relación, ya que Ryan sigue en el negocio con Oscar De La Hoya y Golden Boy Promotions. ODLH es un rival de TBE.

Por lo que vale, ni siquiera De La Hoya parece demasiado molesto. Dijo a FightHype que estaba de acuerdo con que Ryan y Floyd se relacionaran, aunque añadió que la situación habría sido visto como un "conflicto de intereses" en su momento.

Otras personas se han quejado de que García perdiera a manos de Gervonta Davis, con quien Floyd mantiene una estrecha relación. Mayweather incluso celebró con Tank en el ring tras vencer a García.

Pero, Ryan no quiere oírlo.

"Ustedes no lo conocen y la mayoría nunca lo conocerá. Pero es auténtico, tiene buen corazón y es extremadamente generoso", dijo Ryan.

Devin Haney también criticó a García, con un DM en Instagram que decía: Floyd no puede salvar o ayudarte...

Bryce Mitchell was on the wrong end of one of the most frightening and brutal knockouts in MMA history, and now the UFC fighter has been banned from sparring or fighting for six months ... a restriction he imposed on himself.

If you watched the UFC 296 bout between Josh Emmett and Mitchell on December 12, it's a scene you're unlikely to forget. Just minutes into the fight, JE, a heavy hitter, landed a crushing right to Bryce's head, sending him crumbling to the Octagon floor. Mitchell began to convulse in what was an incredibly scary incident to witness.

Thankfully, after some time passed, Bryce was able to walk off under his own power.

The knockout immediately went viral.

In the aftermath, Mitchell is taking his health seriously, telling ESPN he's in his "own concussion protocol."

"I'll consult with my coaches, too, and we're basically just saying, 'You know, don't spar for six months,'" Mitchell said.

The 29-year-old fighter, who stepped up on short notice to fight Emmett after Giga Chikadze was forced to pull out, also pointed out he's got a lot going on in his personal life ... including the upcoming birth of his first baby. He's also building a house.

It's a hectic time that the featherweight will use to fully heal up.

But, when mid-2024 rolls around, it's right back on the horse for Bryce.

“I’m right into my next training after that. The good thing is I don’t have to rush into it.”

As for the knockout, Mitchell said the hardest part for him was dealing with everyone else worrying.

“The worst part is dealing with everybody afterwards, 'cause they all thought I was dead.”

Bryce, though, did find a silver lining.

"On the bright side, that was the easiest fight for me. I've never had a fight where I've come out feeling so great. I just woke up in the ambulance and barely remembered what happened. There's no pain, I'm telling you."

Kanye West se está disculpando -en hebreo- por sus desvaríos antisemitas y su apoyo a Hitler, esto después de que su nombre fue escrito en un aparente misil israelí que está siendo utilizado en la guerra contra Hamás.

El rapero escribió el martes un extenso comunicado en su reactivada cuenta de Instagram, mostrándose arrepentido por sus comentarios ofensivos hacia el pueblo judío durante el año pasado. Curiosamente, Kanye expresó su arrepentimiento en el idioma del judaísmo: el hebreo.

Esta es la traducción íntegra del mensaje de Kanye: "Pido sinceras disculpas a la comunidad judía por cualquier arrebato involuntario causado por mis palabras o acciones, no era mi intención herir o faltar al respeto y lamento profundamente cualquier dolor que pueda haber causado".

Kanye continuó: "Me comprometo a empezar conmigo mismo y a aprender de esta experiencia para garantizar una mayor sensibilidad y comprensión en el futuro. Su perdón es importante para mí y me comprometo a enmendar las cosas y promover la unidad".

Las palabras... bueno, suenan más corporativas que Kanye.

Su disculpa se produce después de que el luchador israelí de MMA Haim Gozali publicara una foto en X, mostrando un misil con el siguiente mensaje escrito en él: "Kanye West volando a Gaza Haim Gozali".

Por supuesto, Gozali se refería a la actual guerra entre Israel y Hamás en la Franja de Gaza. También escribió en el pie de foto: "@kanyewest no te gustamos los judíos. Así que a nosotros tampoco nos gustas".

Desde 2002, Kanye ha criticado repetidamente a los judíos en foros muy públicos.

En primer lugar, fue en las redes sociales y declaró que iba "a la muerte con 3 en la gente judía". Luego Kanye se sentó para una entrevista de televisión con Piers Morgan, diciendo que le deseaba mal a los judíos por intervenir en sus acuerdos musicales.

Pero no se detuvo ahí... Kanye apareció en "Infowars" presentado por el loco de la conspiración de extrema derecha Alex Jones, mientras proclamaba: "Veo cosas buenas sobre Hitler". Luego habló muy bien de los nazis, afirmando: "Ellos también hicieron cosas buenas. Tenemos que dejar de menospreciar a los nazis todo el tiempo".

Kanye West is apologizing -- in Hebrew -- for his antisemitic rants and his support for Hitler, this after his name was scribbled on an apparent Israeli missile being used in the war against Hamas.

The rapper wrote a lengthy statement Tuesday in an effort to his reactivated Instagram account, showing contrition for his offensive remarks to the Jewish people over the past year. Interestingly, Kanye expressed his remorse in the language of Judaism: Hebrew.

This is the entire translation of Kanye's message, "I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused."

Kanye continued, "I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity."

The words ... well, they sound more corporate than Kanye.

His apology comes after Israeli MMA fighter Haim Gozali posted a photo on X, showing a missile with the following message written on it: "Kanye West Flying to Gaza Haim Gozali."

Of course, Gozali was referring to the current Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. He also wrote in the caption, "@kanyewest you don't like us jewish. So, we don't like you too."

Since 2022, Kanye has repeatedly ripped Jews in very public forums.

First, he went on social media and declared he was "going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE." Then Kanye sat for a TV interview with Piers Morgan, saying he wished harm on Jewish people for doing him wrong in their music deals.

But it didn't stop there ... Kanye appeared on "Infowars" hosted by far-right conspiracy nut Alex Jones, while proclaiming, "I see good things about Hitler." He then spoke highly of the Nazis, stating, "They did good things, too. We have to stop dissing the Nazis all the time."

Tyron Woodley has been open about wanting to fight Georges St-Pierre for years, going back to their UFC days ... and even though the guys are no longer with Dana White's organization, T-Wood still wants smoke with GSP!

In fact, TMZ Sports was talking to 41-year-old Woodley this week when he revealed that he has not only launched his own fight promotion (more on that coming), but he offered St-Pierre a crapload of money to scrap.

"Like Georges St-Pierre, I offered him a dumb bag, he said 'No. I'm not in that world anymore,'" Woodley revealed.

Tyron added ... "When I say dumb, I'm talking pushing the eight figures, a lot of money."

Eight figures indicates $10,000,000 ... a lot of money by any standard.

GSP last fought in 2017 ... when he returned after a four-year layoff to fight Michael Bisping. He won by submission (rear-naked choke) in the third round.

As for the promotion ... Tyron says it's not just about fighting.

"It's called The Realest International Promotion, TRIP. We're promoting all things art, we're not just doing mixed martial arts," Tyron explained, adding, "We're doing music, concerts, festivals, cryptocurrency, e-sporting events, boxing, and then we just doing a lot of crossovers."

There's a bunch more with Tyron ... including the former longtime welterweight champ's revelation that he, not John Gotti III, was originally scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition boxing match earlier this year.

Kanye West's name was written onto an Israeli missile that's apparently going to be used in the war in the Middle East -- and a prominent MMA fighter is taking credit for the stunt.

A photo was posted Sunday by Haim Gozali, an Israeli mixed-martial artist who was once affiliated with Bellator -- and who's been very outspoken on the conflict between Israel and Hamas ... oftentimes mocking the death of Palestinians over these past few months.

He caught heat back in November for writing the names of Muslim UFC fighters onto a bomb that seemed to be on the front lines -- including Khabib Nurmagomedov and others who've expressed support for Palestine. Haim was clearly trying to taunt them.

It's unclear if he himself is the one that's actually writing the names, or if he's having someone else in the IDF do it on his behalf -- but in any case, the guy has owned it all.

Now, a new photo of some missiles apparently in the possession of Israeli soldiers has been posted to his Twitter account -- and he's roping Kanye in ... in very crude and cruel fashion.

Above the pic of the missile -- which looks real -- he wrote, "@kanyewest you don’t like us jewish. So  we don’t like you too !!!" The picture itself features a shell with the writing ... "Kanye West Flying to Gaza Haim Gozali." The photo echoes what he'd posted before.

Haim appears to have been recently banned from X, but he's back now ... and reveling in the ability to post again -- with this image being one of the first things he's thrown up.

Of course, the reason he's even invoking Ye has to do with KW's antisemitic rhetoric over the past year or so. He hasn't explicitly talked much about the war, but he has spent a lot of time in that region for the past several months working on and finishing his new album.

Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua is the biggest fight in boxing, period ... according to The Bronze Bomber, who says the two heavyweight stars are finally ready to deliver the fight fans have wanted for nearly a decade!

TMZ Sports talked to 38-year-old WIlder about the tentatively scheduled March 9 bout set to go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ... assuming Deontay and AJ can successfully navigate their fights this weekend against Joseph Parker and Otto Wallin, respectively.

"I'm looking forward to all this," Wilder told us. "It's a beautiful time for me."

Deontay then put the magnitude of the fight into perspective.

"Me and the Joshua talk has been something, like you said for a decade," adding ... "and that is the biggest fight in the world."

Despite the talk about AJ, Wilder (43-2, 42 KOs) knows he has to first handle Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) ... who's no average Joe. In fact, Joseph told us earlier this week that he plans on putting Deontay to sleep on Saturday.

"The only thing with words, you have to believe what you say," Wilder said in response to Parker's statement. "Now, Joseph can say what he wants but do he believe what he says?!"

"We know that when Deontay says things, he speaks it, he believes it, he receives it."

Deontay said it was a beautiful time for him ... and he's not lying. He has a ton of big things going on, including talk of a major crossover MMA/boxing event with Francis Ngannou ... something Deontay seems interested in.

"This is something I'm very serious about getting into and I wanna do," Wilder said.

Neither Leon Edwards, nor his coach, believes Belal Muhammad deserves the next title shot. Belal has a message for the champ and his people.

"Leon's coach goes on the interviews today and says 'I think Gilbert Burns deserves it.' And I'm looking at these guys like, 'I really think their whole team is dumb blondes.' Like they're not smart," Belal told TMZ Sports.

He continued ... "I'm looking at these guys like ... Gilbert Burns, who I just beat, deserves it more than me? Even Leon Edwards after the fight, I don't think that Belal should skip the line. I'm number 2 in the world you moron, skip what line? There's nobody ahead of me. I'm the guy that's next. What are you talking about?"

If you're looking at the rankings, Belal's right ... he's the number 2 ranked contender, behind only Kamaru Usman. And right now, Usman isn't in play for a title shot. He recently fought Khamzat Chimaev on short notice across the world. He's also lost twice to Leon in the last 18 months.

After Belal, Shavkat Rakhmonov is the third-ranked contender ... after beating Stephen Thompson at UFC 296, where he jumped up two places. Burns is 4th ... but is coming back from an injury he sustained while fighting Muhammad. Colby Covington is fifth.

We asked Belal about Shavkat, and while he was very complimentary, calling him an "amazing fighter," he added, "he should not be skipping me."

Muhammad also addressed the idea that Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champ, could move up to face Leon.

"Islam, you have plenty of fights at 155. Oliveria rematch. Justin Gaethje. And if I'm the UFC, Leon didn't earn a double champ fight or a huge fight cause that fight was so lackluster, what are we gonna reward you with a Sean Strickland fight when you didn't even do nothing? [Performance vs. Colby] was terrible."

Dana White hasn't yet indicated what's next for Leon.

If they do fight ... it'll be a rematch of their March 2021 fight that ended in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke.

What's next for Jake Paul?!

That's the question many fans are asking after The Problem Child dispatched Andre August with a vicious uppercut less than 3 minutes into their boxing match on Friday in Orlando.

TMZ Sports asked Tyron Woodley, who was behind the microphone for Paul's scrap with August last week, who the YouTuber-turned-combat sports star should challenge next.

"I think if you're gonna fight anyone in MMA, you fight me MMA. I'm the one that did the numbers with you. I'm the one that did the millions and millions of views in the press conference. I'm the one that was a 5x champion. I'm the one who took the fight on 2 weeks' notice," Woodley told us.

The UFC legend continued ... "I was doing Cobra Kai for 14 hours straight. I trained at 3 AM and I saved that card. That card was not going to happen. People would not have been buying Christmas gifts had I not stepped up to the plate. So to talk about fighting anyone in MMA outside of me is disrespect."

Tyron added ... "If you really, really wanna prove that you can do it in my world, you fight the number one guy in that world."

Of course, 26-year-old Paul signed with PFL earlier this year, and he hasn't been shy about his desire to fight MMA.

Jake and Tyron fought twice previously ... but in a boxing ring.

The first bout in August 2021 went to the judges ... and Paul won by split decision. Later that year, T-Wood stepped up on short notice in place of Tommy Fury, saving the event. The former longtime UFC welterweight champion lost by 6th round knockout.

As for how 8-1 (5 KOs) Jake looked against August -- billed as the first true boxer he faced -- Woodley was impressed with the performance.

"I thought he did a great job."

"I literally said, 'Hey man, Andre better watch ducking his head 'cause he's gonna get hit with an up, I couldn't even say uppercut. I just got the U-P off and then he was sending him to the moon."

Tyron also talked about the experience of being on the losing side of things against Jake.

"I know how it is to be on both sides of it, thinking I won the fight, and then two judges thought it went the other way, and also being in there winning the fight every millisecond of the fight, and then all of the sudden you drop your hands one time, he got enough power to get the job done," Woodley said.

Donald Trump se presentó a ver uno de los nocauts más violentos en la historia de la UFC, pero su atención se desvió por una chica del ring en bikini.

Trump estaba allí para apoyar a uno de sus fans más acérrimos, el luchador de la UFC Colby Covington, que terminó perdiendo por decisión en el evento principal ante Leon Edwards.

Covington, al más puro estilo Trump, arremetió contra los resultados, diciendo que recordaban a las elecciones "amañadas" de 2020. Luego se puso político sin más, diciendo: "Pueden retrasarnos, pero no pueden negarnos. Él va a hacer que América vuelva a ser grande. Necesitamos fronteras seguras, necesitamos que baje la inflación y necesitamos que América vuelva a ser lo primero. Donald Trump es el único que va a hacer eso de nuevo, ¡Trump 2024!"

Un montón de celebridades estuvieron presentes, incluyendo a Mark Wahlberg, Jared Leto, Mario López, Theo Von, Jack Black, Kyle Gass y Zac Brown.

Todos vieron cómo Josh Emmett destrozaba a Bryce Mitchell con un puñetazo que sonó como si hubieran golpeado a alguien con un bate de béisbol.

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis had the most memorable fight of the year at UFC 296 ... thing is, it wasn't in the octagon.

Sean was cage-side for the eventing when Du Plessis, who was sitting behind Sean a few rows, started smack-talking him.

Sean then got out of his seat and pointed his finger at Du Plessis, as if he were firing a shot. Du Plessis was clearly up for some action, telling Sean with his hands to bring it on.

Sean then goes ham, and asks the son of UFC fighter Gilbert Burns to move, which then cleared the path for Sean to jump over a couple rows and start attacking Du Plessis.

This is all the lead-up to what will probably be an epic fight between the 2 guys next month at UFC 297.

They were also at the UFC press conference Friday, where they had to be separated.

Donald Trump showed up to watch one of the most violent knockouts ever in the UFC, but his attention got diverted by a bikini-clad ring girl.

Trump was there to support one of his die-hard fans, UFC fighter Colby Covington, who ended up losing by decision in the main event to Leon Edwards.

Covington, in true Trump fashion, railed on the results, saying it was reminiscent of the "rigged" 2020 election. He then just got political, saying, "You can delay us but you can’t deny us. He’s going to make America great again. We need these borders secure, we need inflation down and we need America first again. Donald Trump is the only one that’s going to do that again — Trump 2024!”

A bunch of celebs were on hand, including Mark Wahlberg, Jared Leto, Mario Lopez, Theo Von, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, and Zac Brown.

They all watched as Josh Emmett destroyed Bryce Mitchell with a punch that sounded like someone got hit with a baseball bat.

Tony Ferguson may have lost his last 6 fights, but Paddy Pimblett is NOT overlooking the future UFC Hall of Famer ... telling TMZ Sports he's preparing for the "best version" of El Cucuy!

We talked to 28-year-old Pimblett ahead of his UFC 296 scrap with the 39-year-old legend ... and asked what he expected out of Ferguson.

"We've prepared for the best Tony Ferguson possible," Paddy said.

"What I just say is he's on a bit of a decline, and that's why I've said this fight is a lose-lose for me, cause when I win, people are gonna be like, 'you only beat a washed-up Tony' when he's still a dangerous motherf*****, and then if I did happen to lose, people would be like, 'Oh, Paddy's finished. He's just been beat by a finished Tony.'"

Ferguson, who once went on a 12-fight win streak in the UFC (where he beat the likes of Josh Thompson, Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, Edson Barboza and others), has dropped his last 6 fights, albeit to some of the best fighters in the world (Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira).

As for 20-3 Pimblett, he's won 6 in a row, including all 4 of his UFC fights. However, his last victory over Jared Gordon wasn't without controversy, and Paddy is looking to make a statement to remind people who he is.

"Biggest fight of my life, definitely. Biggest opponent. Coming back off three major surgeries. Gotta make a big statement after me last fight, simple as that," Pimblett said.

There's a bunch more with Paddy The Baddy ... we also talk about Ferguson training with David Goggins, and a recent impromptu meeting Pimblett had with Ian Garry (we talked to Pimblett before IG was pulled from his fight) at the UFC's gym in Las Vegas, where PP shared advice with the embattled 26-year-old fighter.