UFC

Kamaru Usman was ready to party his face off after practically knocking Jorge Masvidal's face into space during UFC 261 ... and he did that and then some at a post-fight rager.

The Nigerian mixed martial artist swung by Myth Night Club late Saturday night after beating the brakes off Masvidal at the nearby VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL ... and club-goers were definitely ready to embrace the welterweight champ.

Usman was dressed to impress as well ... rocking a clean suit and some shades. He was ready to boogie too -- the guy didn't shy away from the dance floor, or the DJ booth.

We're hearing Usman showed up near closing time ... when DeeJay Capone was still blasting music. After the normies were kicked out -- an after-party proceeded ... which is what you see here in the video of the event we obtained. Looks like a good time was had by all.

The man had every reason to celebrate ... this after knocking out Masvidal cold with a clean, hard punch to the jaw. The KO went down in the second round, about a minute or so in.

Masvidal was actually laughing at Usman seconds before he got his clock cleaned ... and the crowd was absolutely stunned at how it all unfolded.

Jake Paul is trying to shame Dana White into ponying up BIG money by using an old clip of DW flippantly saying he'd bet a million bucks on Ben Askren ... but the video proves nothing.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer posted a series of snippets Saturday on his IG Story, showing he and Snoop Dogg are still trying to collect on a bet they insist Dana made over the boxing match from last weekend. In Jake's eyes, he's got the smoking gun to prove his case.

He resurfaced an interview Dana did on Mike Tyson's 'Hotboxin'' podcast -- in which he casually said he'd bet a million dollars that Askren would whoop Paul in the ring.

Since then -- and in light of Jake actually winning -- both he and Snoop have been demanding he fork over anywhere between 1 and 2 million dollars ... while Dana has denied ever making such a bet with them, specifically. Fact is, Dana seems to be right.

First off, this clip that Jake surfaced isn't new ... it's been out for a month now and everyone was well aware Dana said he'd throw down a mil. However, it seems like Jake/Snoop are the only ones who took it literally and for some reason ... think they're owed something.

There's also the fact that there's ZERO evidence suggesting Dana made a one-on-one bet with Snoop at any point ... not for a million, and not for two million. Dana has repeatedly denied doing so, even explaining that if he was gonna bet that big ... he'd do it in Vegas with better odds. So again, Jake's video doesn't appear to be anything more than a troll job.

Fact is ... harping on a hypothetical bet is a little absurd at this point. By the looks of it, Dana doesn't owe Jake or Snoop a dime ... so this social media campaign won't go anywhere.

UFC superstar Kamaru Usman was hit so hard by COVID following his July 2020 fight with Jorge Masvidal, he drove himself to the emergency room for treatment.

Usman says he was so dehydrated, he peed blood, lost his sense of smell and dropped 17 pounds as a result of the virus ... telling ESPN he was seriously concerned about dying.

The good news ... Usman insists he has recovered and is ready to go for his UFC 261 rematch with Masvidal this weekend.

But, man, the story behind his illness is scary stuff.

Usman told ESPN he started feeling symptoms after he flew from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi to his home in Colorado.

At first, Usman says he felt sick -- and he thought he would beat it easily. But, things escalated quickly.

After five days of symptoms, Usman says he couldn't wait it out anymore and went to a local emergency room for treatment.

Usman was admitted to the hospital, where he tested positive for COVID and was immediately given medicine to help him recover.

Usman tells ESPN his mind went to a dark place, admitting he thought to himself, "Man, I just made all this money and I'm not gonna be able to spend it."

Fortunately, Usman was able to make a complete recovery ... and returned to the octagon in February 2021, where he defeated the #1 welterweight contender, Gilbert Burns.

"I think they're awesome people and I can't wait to see what the baby's gonna look like!

That's UFC star Rose Namajunas sending big love to Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne on their newly announced pregnancy ... telling TMZ Sports, "She's gonna be a great mother!"

Rose and Ronda go way back ... in fact, Namajunas posted a pic with Rousey way back in 2014 (before Rose shaved her head!).

The two have had a friendly relationship ever since, with Ronda even showering Rose with praise after her 2018 victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

And, now that Ronda and Travis are expecting, Rose couldn't be more excited for them -- "I'm really happy for them and their family."

Meanwhile, Rose is gearing up for a highly anticipated showdown with Zhang Weili for the UFC strawweight title at UFC 261 on April 24.

Weili hasn't lost a fight since her pro debut back in 2013 -- since then she's been on a 21-fight win streak with victories over stars like Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade and Tecia Torres.

Rose tells us she's got the right skillset to break the streak.

"My movement, the way that I move, the way that I think and my fighting spirit. They're all unique."

So, how does she see the fight going?

"My game plan is the same every time. I go in there and punch their face, take their back and choke 'em out. It may manifest differently each time but that's my goal and that's what I'm focused on."

BADDEST BABY ON THE PLANET!!

UFC legend Ronda Rousey just announced she's 4 months pregnant -- and she's fired up!!!

Ronda and her husband, ex-UFC fighter Travis Browne, made the announcement in a video Wednesday morning ... saying, "Umm, how do I put this? Pow, 4 months pregnant!"

Ronda explained, "I've been pregnant since January -- so 4 months, baby bump! I can't hide it anymore so it's time to show it off."

Ronda and Travis have been talking about wanting to have children for the past few years -- she even took a hiatus from her gig with WWE back in 2019 to focus on starting a family.

Ronda said in the video there's "much more to the story" behind the pregnancy -- but didn't want to focus on those details just yet.

For the record, Ronda and Travis have NOT revealed the gender yet -- but insist they will break that news soon.

Due date -- September 22!

Ronda sent a message to her fans saying, "Thank you everybody for all the well wishes and all the positivity to get to this point."

"Baddest baby on the planet coming to you soon!"

Congrats!!!

Ronda is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time -- she was the UFC's inaugural women's bantamweight champion and defended the belt 6 times!

Before her MMA career, she was a decorated judo athlete -- who won the bronze medal for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics.

Kayla Harrison is an undefeated MMA fighter with 2 Olympic gold medals, but the PFL star admits cage fighting is SCARY, and says that's why she isn't underestimating her next opponent ... despite being a huge favorite.

TMZ Sports- talked to the 30-year-old, 8-0 fighter weeks before she attempts to win the Professional Fighters League million-dollar tournament for the 3rd straight time!!

Harrison is a massive favorite heading into her May 6 fight with 26-year-old Mariana Morais ... but don't make the mistake of asking Kayla (like we did) if it's hard to get motivated to fight the 16-10 journeyman when everyone expects her to easily win.

"Have you ever been in a cage with someone? It's the most terrifying thing in the world. It's like this person is trying to take your head off so there's no, I don't have to pump myself. There's no taking her lightly. Everyone is tough until you beat them," Harrison tells us.

Since joining the sport, Kayla has run through everyone she's faced ... causing some critics to say she isn't facing premier competition -- a claim Harrison takes umbrage with.

"That's fine, say that I'm fighting cans, say that I'm fighting bums. That's just 'cause I'm that good. That's what I want. That's fine, I want people to say that."

We also spoke to Kayla about a future super fight with Amanda Nunes (the opposite of a can) ... a match MMA fans badly want.

Nunes recently ran through top-contender Megan Anderson ... and many experts believe Harrison is the only woman who can give Lioness a run for her money.

Speaking of money ... Kayla says it's gonna take a whole lotta cash -- and some other things -- before that fight ever happens.

But ... she definitely didn't say no!!

Before he smashed his way into the UFC, Daniel Rodriguez was honing his fight skills on the streets and in jail -- telling TMZ Sports he's 200-0 OUTSIDE the Octagon.

D-Rod -- who obliterated Mike Perry on the main card at "UFC Vegas 23" this past weekend -- says he's been fighting his whole life ... and his experience on the streets has helped him become the successful pro he is today.

"That’s how this all started. It all started in the street ... I’m a hood baby. I'm from L.A. you know.?!"

34-year-old Rodriguez says he was in and out of jail growing up -- something he attributes to running with the wrong crowd and making bad choices.

Daniel says he cleaned up his life and is laser-focused on his MMA career -- racking up an impressive 14-2 record as a pro.

So, what's scarier ... fighting in a jail cell or in the UFC Octagon? D-Rod says there's no comparison.

"There's a referee in [the Octagon]. There’s somebody to stop it."

"I’ve been in situations where ain't nobody gonna stop it ... so it's kill or [be killed]."

So, what's next for Rodriguez INSIDE the Octagon? He's gunning to fight a ranked opponent and would love a crack at the legendary Robbie Lawler.

Lawler is currently the #15 ranked welterweight -- but Rodriguez says he's confident he'll make Robbie look like Mike Perry when it's all said and done!

Conor McGregor will NOT be charged with a crime stemming from an alleged attempted sexual assault in Corsica -- officials confirm the case has been dropped due to lack of evidence.

As we previously reported, McGregor was detained by police on the French island of Corsica back in Sept. 2020 -- after a woman claimed the UFC superstar committed acts described as "attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition."

Conor had denied wrongdoing from the start -- and he was released from custody without being formally arrested or charged with a crime.

Now, TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors in the City of Bastia have sent McGregor a letter explaining that after an investigation, they didn't find enough evidence to move forward with a case against him.

The document was sent in French -- but the translation reads this way:

"The examination of the present proceedings does not justify any criminal prosecution since:

-- The facts or the circumstances of the facts of the proceedings could not have been clearly established by the investigations.

-- The pieces of evidence are therefore not sufficient for the offense to be constituted and for criminal prosecution to be engaged."

McGregor had railed on his accuser in a social media post in the days after the allegation was levied against him -- calling her claims "bulls**t" and vowing to never pay a dime to "anyone coming at me with vicious lies."

Arnold Schwarzenegger opened up his L.A. mansion to some combat sports legends -- Mike Tyson and Henry Cejudo -- and even let 'em swing around his legendary "Conan" sword!

Mike and Henry flew in on Tuesday to shoot an episode of Mike's "Hotboxin" podcast -- and Arnold couldn't have been a better host!

He played some chess with Mike. He let Cejudo flex with his famous bodybuilding statue.

And, after they left Arnold's home -- Mike and Henry decided to play a little golf at another location while Mike puffed away on a big ol' joint.

What a fun day!

Afterward, Cejudo -- one of the greatest UFC fighters ever -- thanked Arnold for welcoming him into his home.

"It’s an [honor] to be invited to the man’s house who’s cut from the same cloth as me," Cejudo posted.

"[Arnold], you are The American Dream."

There are pics of Mike Tyson and Arnold hanging out together from way back in the '80s -- but it's unclear if they were friends or just friendly ... considering they were both mega-stars back then and probably ran into each other at events.

MMA star Justin Wren says Conor McGregor is just WRONG for trying to paint Dustin Poirier's charity foundation as some shady operation ... and it's more evidence that Conor is simply not a good person.

Wren is widely respected for his charity work all over the world -- in fact, Joe Rogan has praised Wren's "Fight for the Forgotten" foundation for years for all of the work he's done helping impoverished communities in Africa.

So, when Wren learned McGregor was backing out of his $500,000 pledge to Dustin Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation" -- Wren wasn't happy.

As we previously reported, Conor not only bailed on the donation he had been promising since October -- but he made Poirier's foundation seem like a clown show, incapable of explaining how the money would be deployed to actually help people in need.

McGregor called Poirier a "fool" with "no plan in place" for such a sizable donation.

Of course, Poirier has called B.S. on Conor -- saying his team reached out to McGregor's camp multiple times to address their concerns, but never got a response.

So, who's lying?

Wren says he's personally worked with Poirier's foundation and can vouch that's it's not only legitimate -- but it's made a REAL impact in communities in need in Dustin's home state of Louisiana.

"Dustin is an honorable man, a good character, who’s a family man, who has literally done everything he ever said he was gonna do and more ... and the other guy hasn’t followed through on a lot of the things that he has said. So, I think that this really calls Conor's character into question even more so than it's already been."

Wren says he's been in touch with Dustin and his wife, Jolie, over the past few days -- and they're upset Conor would take such a "cheap shot" at an organization that was created to help people in need.

"I think that this has really changed Dustin's opinion on who Conor is as a person. He’s not a good guy."

Wren adds, "Conor didn’t rob Dustin of anything. What he did was he cheated or stole from the people he would’ve helped."

Wanna see Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill face off against a UFC badass in an ultimate pickleball showdown for the ages??

You're in luck ... 'cause Julian Marquez tells TMZ Sports he's made contact with the K.C. Chiefs superstars after issuing his public challenge -- and they're already planning the big game!!

The 30-year-old Kansas City native called out the trio of Super Bowl LIV champs right after choking out Sam Alvey during UFC Fight Night on Saturday ... saying he's ready to prove once and for all he's the pound-for-pound top dog in his city with a friendly game of pickleball.

The guys responded on Twitter ... with Mahomes, Kelce and Hill ALL agreeing to the challenge.

But, it wasn't all talk -- "The Cuban Missile Crisis" says he's been in touch with the guys since the call-out ... and it's a matter of WHEN, not IF, they face off on the court!!!

"I've actually been talking to Travis Kelce, he's 100% down," Marquez tells us. "The Kansas City Chiefs are 100% down. The local Kansas City fans are 100% down, and that's all we need. We just gotta figure out the right times for us all."

Marquez points out Mahomes is still recovering from foot surgery to fix a turf toe injury ... so he wants to make sure the guy is fully healthy before they compete.

"I don't want him to have an excuse when we go at it on the pickleball court."

As for the biggest threat on the court, Marquez thinks Kelce is the guy to watch.

"There would be a lot of trash-talking, a lot of jokes. Maybe a couple dances. We'll probably TikTok it out, but I'm just saying, I hope he comes with that same energy he brings on the field."

We also got an update on Marquez's budding friendship with Miley Cyrus ... and he tells us the "Prisoner" singer could be popping up at a UFC fight in the future!!

Another bad look for Conor McGregor ... who's admitting he never forked over the $500,000 donation check to Dustin Poirier's charity, despite promising to make the payment before they fought back in January.

In the lead up to their main event scrap at UFC 257, McGregor repeatedly publicly declared he would send the sizable donation to Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation," a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides resources to underprivileged youth in Poirier's home state of Louisiana.

McGregor initially pledged the money in October 2020 -- repeated the $500k promise again in November ... and vowed to cut the check again in the days before the fight.

But, Poirier revealed Sunday night his organization NEVER got a cent from Conor's team -- claiming McGregor's team went MIA on Poirier's charity "after the fight" in January.

Poirier later explained, "We thanked him because his team reached out fight week to initiate the process but ghosted us the past 2 months after the fight."

"My foundation has reached out 3 times since with no reply. We've moved past it! We will be announcing our next goal soon! It's a big one."

Conor sheepishly replied on Twitter with allegations of his own -- saying, "A donation, not a debt. We’ve been awaiting the plans for the money that never came. I do with all my donations. Know where it’s going dot for dot. Otherwise it goes walking. As is the case with a lot of these foundations, sadly. You took the McG over the belt shows I was right."

McGregor is trying to paint Dustin as more interested in money than legacy -- both in and out of the ring.

He's insinuating Dustin only took the Conor fight because of the massive check -- instead of taking a fight with another opponent that would have brought him closer to winning the UFC lightweight title.

Dustin responded to Conor early Monday morning ... saying, "100% never a debt. You offered, we accepted, and like I said your Team never responded to our emails regarding the process of where funds would be put to work! July 10th you will taste defeat yet Again."

So, here's the long and short ... McGregor is suggesting Poirier's charity is shady -- which is a pretty heavy allegation to make publicly.

But, McGregor had MONTHS to do his own research before making a public declaration to donate such a hefty amount.

Props to Dustin for dealing with the situation with class.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager has a warning to pro wrestlers who want a crack at the UFC legend -- be careful what you wish for!!

Now that Khabib has retired from MMA, the big question everyone is asking ... what’s he gonna do next?

A crossover into WWE seems like a natural fit -- and Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz tells us Nurmagomedov will gladly smash anyone who has the stones to get in the ring.

"Let’s be real, [if] any of these soft steroid freaks wanted to go ahead and have a wrestling match with Khabib and they wanna get beat up for real, they know who they need to call," Ali tells us.

"He’ll go there and he’ll smash John Cena’s face. No problem."

Tons of MMA fighters have successfully transitioned into pro wrestling -- and they’re usually super successful at it. From Ronda Rousey to Ken Shamrock to Bobby Lashley and more.

As for now, Khabib has made the transition to coaching ... sharing his expertise with fighters like Luke Rockhold, who recently told us the champ is looking to follow in his father's footsteps as a legendary coach.

Ali explains why Khabib is such a natural in the switch to coaching ... saying, "He got no egos, he loves his friends, he loves his peers and he's there for them."

"You're gonna see a lot of new generation coming from his team. They're probably going to dominate the UFC or MMA in general."