UFC

Paige VanZant -- one of the toughest women on the planet -- is putting everyone in the MMA community on notice ... saying she's not done with fighting, despite signing a wrestling contract with AEW.

TMZ Sports spoke with the 27-year-old former UFC star/host of "TMZ Fight School" on Snapchat ... and she says any talk of her leaving combat sports full-time for wrestling isn't the case.

In fact, she says she has a Bare Knuckle FC bout coming up later this year ... and has other promotions lining up to sign her when her current contract is up.

Paige says she is in awe at some of the offers she received ... calling them "life-changing."

As we previously reported, the Bare Knuckle fighter officially became a professional wrestler this month ... when she inked a deal the same night she surprised AEW fans by appearing at Dynamite.

The world of professional wrestling is a different kind of combat ... and Paige admits the jump from one sport to the other is a lot.

"It's a big difference, but I got plenty of time on my hands," VanZant said. "I like to stay busy. I have pro wrestling training, and then I have training for Bare Knuckle boxing as well."

UFC fighter Eryk Anders suffered a super GNARLY injury this week ... when he was chopping trees down with a chainsaw, and SAWED INTO HIS OWN FOOT!!

And, it's just as gross as it sounds.

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Anders just days after he was forced to seek emergency treatment at a local hospital for the chainsaw injury.

"I was cutting down trees, and of course, I was on the last one, and I'm not a professional or nothing. It was a pretty big tree," Anders says, adding, "and I was cutting it and the tree leaned into the blade, so it kinda got stuck. With my other hand I reached up to push the tree, and I thought the chainsaw would keep cutting."

But, that's unfortunately not what happened.

"I guess I didn't have any pressure on the chainsaw to keep it moving in that direction and it kind of skipped off the tree and bounced off my foot."

Ouch.

How much did it hurt? We asked Eryk.

"I didn't even know I did it. Obviously, I felt the weight of the chainsaw land on my foot. I took a second. And, then the tree fell. So, I had to dodge the tree, so it was a big clusterf**k, all in the snap of a finger."

It goes without saying Anders is one tough dude. Not only is he a UFC fighter ... but he used to be a star on the University of Alabama football team, where he won a national championship under Nick Saban.

Thankfully, Anders was patched up by a doctor at the hospital (he needed 20 stitches) and is already back in the gym (maniac).

But, that's likely the end of Anders's logging career.

UFC rising star Paddy Pimblett is roasting Ilia Topuria -- AKA "Mr. Hand Sanitizer" -- after the rival fighters came to blows in a hotel ... after engaging in a social media tiff a few months back.

TMZ Sports talked to 27-year-old Paddy "The Baddy" one day after he got into it with 25-year-old Topuria ... and it's safe to say the scuffle didn't do anything to squash the beef.

Pimblett -- 17-3 as a pro -- says he was just minding his own business, "warming me eggs up" in the hotel kitchen when Ilia -- "that little bitch ass" as Paddy refers to him -- approached him in an aggressive manner.

Paddy says Topuria made the first move, "So, I bounced hand sanitizer off his head so from now he'll forever be known as Mr. Hand Sanitizer."

"He tried to throw a right hook at me which is about four years away from me because he's like 5'7". It's hard to make it look good on his part when he looks like an absolute idiot. I can't believe he posted that video. He's made himself look so stupid saying 'I warned you.'"

"Well you're the one with hand sanitizer bounced off your head lad. Nothing happened to me. You didn't land a single punch. There was six of you and ya done nothing," Paddy said.

The drama started last April when Paddy Tweeted ... "Lad how stupid are these Georgians man ... no wonder the Russians terrorize their lives." Pimblett erased the message and apologized, but it's clear Ilia didn't forget.

The guys clearly still have issues ... so we asked Paddy if he was interested in fighting Topuria in the future.

"He's beneath me. As I say it, I don't even know his name, lad. He's Mr. Sanitizer to me. That's all he is. I don't know his name, lad. He's gonna get knocked out Saturday by my man Jai [Herbert], and then he'll crawl back to the featherweight division."

FYI, both men are fighting this weekend at UFC Fight Night ... but they're not fighting each other. Pimblett's taking on Rodrigo Vargas (we also talked to PP about his fight).

Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett -- two rising stars in the UFC -- threw punches and bottles in a wild hotel lobby altercation  ... and it was all over an offensive tweet.

The skirmish went down just days before UFC Fight Night in London ... where Topuria is slated to fight Jai Herbert, and Pimblett is set to face off against Rodrigo Vargas.

But it was Topuria vs. Pimblett on Tuesday ... as the 11-0 Georgian fighter confronted him for crossing the line in a Twitter exchange last year.

The video is pretty nuts -- Topuria walks right up to 17-3 Pimblett and appears to either throw an object or swipe at him. In response, Paddy throws a bottle.

The two then throw punches ... but nothing seems to connect before Ilia is pulled away by his team.

FYI -- "The Baddy" was called out for tweeting "Lad how stupid are these Georgians man ... no wonder the Russians terrorize their lives" in April of last year.

Paddy later deleted the tweet and apologized ... but it's clear Topuria hasn't forgotten about it, nor has he forgiven the 27-year-old.

Topuria, 25, posted the quick altercation on Instagram just minutes ago ... saying, "I warned you! This is what happens when you disrespect me and my country!"

"You saw me and wanted to greet me because you s*** your pants ... and you should thank my team because if it wasn’t for them separating me, I would have taken your head off."

Kevin Holland is basically Batman at this point.

The UFC star just took matters into his own hands and stopped a crime dead in its tracks -- AGAIN -- this time, subduing a gunman at a sushi restaurant.

The 29-year-old welterweight was at Ra Sushi in the Highland Village of Houston around 11:30 PM on Monday ... when witnesses say someone entered the restaurant and fired a gun into the air.

But, while most of the folks in attendance ducked for cover, three customers -- including Holland -- rushed to stop the alleged shooter.

One of the heroes, Patrick Robinson, spoke with ABC 13 about the heroic effort ... saying, "We were eating and the next thing you know, a gunshot just popped off. So everything paused and then everybody started running to get down under a table."

"We got him down, apprehended him, got the gun away from him and the bag that he had."

By the time cops arrived, the 24-year-old suspect was already subdued and had his weapon taken away!!

The suspect is now facing charges of possessing a stolen gun and discharge of a firearm, the outlet reports.

Remember, this isn't the first time Holland -- who just beat "Cowboy" Oliveira at UFC 272 -- put his MMA skills to use outside the Octagon. Last year, he helped stop a carjacker just days after competing at UFC Fight Night!!

Get this guy a medal.

Kayla Harrison says she happily resigned with PFL -- but only after company execs proved they were serious about making a super fight with Cris Cyborg, the undefeated MMA star tells TMZ Sports.

31-year-old Harrison -- a 2x PFL tourney winner -- has made it clear she wants to fight the best (think Cyborg and Amanda Nunes) ... so when Kayla recently hit the free-agent market, she talked to Bellator and UFC.

But, the 12-0 fighter says the PFL bosses convinced her they could put together a Harrison-Cyborg fight in the near future.

"PFL and I talked in depth about that and they let me know in no uncertain terms that they are gonna -- Cyborg only has two fights left on her contract, but also I know that they're very open to talking with Bellator," Harrison tells us.

"They're very open to co-promoting, cross-promoting, streaming, Pay Per Viewing, CBS, ESPN, they're open to all of it."

36-year-old Cyborg -- who's only lost twice since turning pro in 2005 -- is laying her title on the line, fighting Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 in April. But, after that, it's clear Kayla believes there's a path to make the fight.

And, Harrison, a 2x Olympic gold medalist, believes she's ready ... and has been for some time.

"To be frank, honestly, and blunt, I am ready now to test myself. I feel like I've been held back by my coaches, by my advisors for a while. I've been ready, I've been chomping at the bit, I've been ready to go out there and test myself."

Along with the new deal comes a whole bunch of money, too (PFL described it as a “historic new contract”). But, Kayla says the cash comes second to her legacy.

"After talking to [PFL Founder] Donn Davis, I do feel really hopeful. I think that he really wants to make the [Cyborg] fight happen. I think that's he's innovative, I think that he knows that this is very important to me."

Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev isn't the main event at UFC 273, but it's the fight everyone's dying to see ... and Durinho says he'd love to flatline the undefeated fighter, he believes the highly anticipated fight will be a slugfest.

"The perfect scenario, I'll go there and take the guy out with a punch. Boom, knockout! That was the perfect scenario but I think it's gonna be a war. I don't think it's gonna be that easy. I think that guy's a dog, he's gonna come hungry, excited trying to put on a show," Gilbert told TMZ Sports.

27-year-old Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in 2020 ... amassing a 4-0 record (10-0 overall) in Dana White's promotion, all while becoming a huge star.

All but one of Khamzat's fights have ended in the first round (the other ended just a minute into the 2nd round) ... and the man has literally been hit just two times.

But, #11 ranked Chimaev hasn't faced a top 10 opponent ... and certainly no one like Burns, Gilbert says.

"I think [Khamzat's] very tough, I think he's very good, but let's be honest, he's never seen on one on my caliber, grappling wise, jiu-jitsu, striking, speed, in a lot of actual experience. I've been there many times in the UFC title fights, many events. I think I have a lot of experience but I see that guy very, very tough -- very, very dangerous. I'll take him very seriously."

FYI, the 35-year-old fighter is the #2 ranked UFC welterweight ... and has beat the likes of Tyron Woodley, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Demian Maia.

Paige VanZant is a professional wrestler now -- the ex-UFC star just signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling ... and is set to begin her training ASAP!!

PVZ literally signed her contract in the ring during an appearance at "AEW Dynamite" on Wednesday ... after coming out of the crowd and attacking wrestler Tay Conti from behind.

The run-in caused Conti's boyfriend, "Spanish God" Sammy Guevara, to lose his TNT championship to The Men of the Year's Scorpio Sky.

"Wanted to give the world one more reason to hate on me 💋😉 PVZ TAKING OVER!!!!," VanZant wrote on Twitter after announcing the news.

Of course, Paige is no stranger to the AEW crowd -- she's made several appearances since debuting alongside Jorge Masvidal in September ... and got a huge pop from fans on Wednesday.

The terms of the deal have not been revealed, but AEW prez Tony Khan expressed his excitement over the new addition ... saying, "It’s official! @paigevanzant is ALL ELITE!"

You'll recall, Paige made a name for herself as a combat fighter ... going 5-4 in UFC before signing a massive deal with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2020, where she posted an 0-2 record.

The former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant's future with BKFC is unclear, but it seems Paige is now focused on wrestling ... and it's only a matter of time before we see her compete inside an AEW ring.

The move shouldn't come as a complete surprise -- Paige previously told TMZ Sports back in 2018 she was hoping to take her talents to the squared-circle.

Renato Moicano says he's happy the ref didn't stop his co-main event fight with Rafael dos Anjos, despite receiving a beating for much of the UFC 272 match, 'cause he got to test himself in the harshest conditions ... and he'd do it all over again if asked!

"I'm really thankful that the judge didn't stop the fight because otherwise, I would not know what I'm made of. I always try to go forward, I always try to fight back and for me, it was perfect. The referee did his job, it was a great job."

32-year-old Moicano is a bad man. He's beaten the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson and Calvin Kattar. He stepped up to fight a 5 round fight against RDA -- a future Hall of Famer -- on 5 days' notice, and lost a unanimous decision Saturday night.

But, that doesn't tell the whole story. RDA was dominating the fight, and the commentary team and fans and fighters on social media said the fight should've been stopped.

At least twice the ringside doctor examined Moicano's eye, but told ref Marc Goddard the fight could go on. Goddard also warned Renato to pick up the pace or he was calling the fight.

"For me, the referee did his job. Was a great job," Moicano said of Marc.

About the eye -- which looked terrible during the fight -- we asked Renato if it hurt him a day and a half later.

"No, I'm not feeling pain. It's just black, you know?"

In the late stages of the final round of the fight, Moicano somehow mounted an offensive, landing heavy shots on RDA as the fight came to a close.

Renato says because of the short notice, he wasn't fully prepared for the fight. He says he was actually on vacation, eating and drinking good,

"I flew straight to Brazil, and I was enjoying my vacation. You know, drink some beers, eat some steaks. But, the opportunity shows up, and when an opportunity like that shows up you have to give it a try, and I was ready to beat him. His game plan was better than mine."

UFC fighter Maryna Moroz has been on a roller coaster of emotions -- the Ukrainian fighter got a huge win at UFC 272, but tells TMZ Sports she's terrified for her family's safety as war rages in her home country.

"A lot of emotions because after 24 hours, I didn't sleep. I tried to answer everybody for my fans, for my family, for my friends. So back in Florida, a little bit of rest, try to stay more calm but still have emotions like crazy, but happy," Moroz says.

But, despite feeling good about the hard-earned 2nd round submission win over Mariya Agapova, Maryna's still very worried about her relatives in Ukraine.

"My family is okay but I know many of my friends, like, I know this guy died. It was so sad, but for me, it's very important to save my family right now. I don't want somebody to come touch my family. It's still nervous, still scary to me, I'm scared right now, but I try to be strong."

Even though Moroz was on the undercard, her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan got a lot of attention after Maryna talked about the emotions she dealt with leading up to fight night.

In spite of the terrible situation facing her loved ones on the ground in Ukraine, she says her family is thrilled for her success.

The combat sports world is rallying behind Cain Velasquez ... with huge names like Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, Rey Mysterio, and more calling on the judge in the UFC legend's case to let him out of jail.

TMZ Sports has learned over 30 people -- many famous -- penned letters to Judge Shelyna Brown asking her to let Velasquez post bail, which would allow him to mount his defense from home, not a cell.

In addition to the UFC honcho and the guys above, others like Bellator boss Scott Coker, Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader, UFC contender Kelvin Gastelum, UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev, UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez, former UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno (and many more) sent letters to Judge Brown.

Unfortunately for Velasquez -- who was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and other charges -- it doesn't seem the letters swayed the judge.

Brown denied Cain bail, saying his alleged actions were "reckless," and the "risk is too great" to allow the future UFC Hall of Famer out of county jail.

But, it's the reason behind those so-called "reckless" actions that has motivated so many people -- from stars in the MMA world to ordinary people -- to demand Cain's release.

Velasquez is accused of attempting to kill a man named Harry Goularte ... after the 43-year-old was arrested for allegedly molesting a member of Cain's family -- possibly multiple times.

Now, barring the prosecution changing its position, Velasquez will sit in a jail cell until at least April 12, when he is scheduled to again stand before the judge.

Cain Velasquez will remain behind bars for the immediate future ... a judge just denied the UFC legend's request for bail.

In announcing her decision at a hearing in a Santa Clara County courtroom on Monday, judge Shelyna Brown said "the risk is too great" to release Velasquez from custody.

Cain -- who showed up to court in shackles and a black and orange jumpsuit -- is now expected to stay in a cell until at least his next court date, which is currently set for mid-April.

As we reported, Velasquez is facing 10 criminal charges -- including one count of felony attempted murder -- after authorities say he tried to kill Harry Goularte, who's been accused of molesting one of Cain's close relatives.

In court documents, officials say Cain rammed his truck into a car carrying Goularte and family members on Feb. 28, and then fired his gun into the vehicle. Officials say Goularte's stepdad was struck in the gunfire.

Velasquez has received support from many since his arrest -- with Ronda Rousey, Joe Rogan and UFC fighter Derek Brunson all publicly defending the MMA star.

In fact, several Cain supporters were seen outside of the courthouse on Monday, pleading with officials to release him from custody.

Joe Rogan didn't mince words when defending Cain Velasquez in wake of the UFC legend's arrest last week ... saying straight-up he wishes the fighter had beaten his relative's alleged molester "to death."

The UFC analyst explained his stance on a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," telling Michael Bisping he's firmly on Velasquez's side.

"I mean, my only wish is that he did it with his hands," Rogan told Bisping during a conversation about the allegations against Velasquez.

"My only wish is that he just ran the car off the road, pulled that guy out of the f***ing car, and beat him to death. F*** you."

Bisping wholeheartedly agreed, telling Rogan, "And even that would have been too good for him."

As we reported, Velasquez is accused of attempting to murder Harry Goularte on Feb. 28 after authorities said Goularte molested one of Velasquez's "close" relatives days before.

Cops say Velasquez tried to chase down Goularte and two of his family members on the road in San Jose, CA. ... claiming the 39-year-old rammed his truck into their car, and fired several rounds into it in an attempt to kill Goularte.

Velasquez was eventually arrested and hit with 10 criminal charges over it all, and has been sitting in a jail cell for nearly a week. He's set for a bond hearing in court later Monday afternoon.

Rogan isn't the only one defending Velasquez following the arrest ... UFC fighter Derek Brunson made "Free Cain Velasquez" t-shirts, while Ronda Rousey also backed the former UFC star.

Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz won her match Saturday night, and she dissolved into tears afterward telling fans about the heartbreak she and her family are going through in the wake of Putin's war.

Maryna's win against Mariya Agapova was awesome ... an arm-triangle choke ended the fight in the second round.

Joe Rogan talked to Maryna in the Octagon after the decision was announced, and she confessed it's been a hard week for her and her family. She says she's heartbroken over the attack on her country ... "My family is in Ukraine. I had a hard week. I worried, I cried, because my family is right now in a bad situation."

She added, "Thank you to everyone who messaged me, because this week was hard for me. I want to cry because of this war my country is in. It's a hard time for Ukraine. I want to support my country, my president, whole army in Ukraine, and I want to say we don't want war. I worry about my family right now."

Drake lost a fortune on UFC's main event Saturday night, and the winner was quick to trash him by talking about his "s**tty" music.

Drake plunked down $275,000 on Jorge Masvidal, who squared off against Colby Covington. Unfortunately for Drake -- and Masvidal -- Covington won a unanimous decision, and it wasn't even close.

Covington was quick to trash talk ... "Let's talk about all the money that Drake lost tonight. He needs to go back to selling those s**tty albums to get back the money."

He wasn't done, adding, "Drake, you suck at sports betting. Go back to your s**tty little albums and rapping."

There was definitely an upside to the bet since Masvidal was the underdog. If Masvidal won, Drake would have pocketed a cool $1 mil.

In case you were wondering who's going to win the highly anticipated bout between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, look no further ... 'cause fellow UFC star Kamaru Usman tells TMZ Sports Covington is going to walk away with the W.

We spoke with 34-year-old Usman, and he tells us the fight on Saturday at UFC 272 is a close call, but the difference in skillset will be the reason Colby emerges victorious.

"Man, I think it's an incredible fight," Usman said. "I think both guys are skilled and both guys know each other. I just think Colby has a little bit more tools to be able to win."

Kamaru went on to say Masvidal does have an advantage in the speed department, but preceded that comment by saying Colby has the edge in wrestling, cardio, and striking.

Usman fought both Covington and Masvidal two times each on separate occasions -- scoring victories over both men -- so he knows what each guy brings to the table.

The feud between Colby and Jorge -- who used to be best friends at one point -- is well documented, with Covington going as far to call it a "blood feud."