UFC

Jake Paul is sending a warning to Myles Garrett ... saying the Cleveland Browns star better not get in the ring with his older bro, Logan -- 'cause he'll get KNOCKED OUT!!!

The 24-year-old YouTube superstar is responding to Garrett's recent comments to Complex ... in which he claimed he would "beat the brakes off of Logan Paul" if he were to ever take a celebrity fight.

Jake -- who is a Browns fan -- gave his two cents on the matchup ... saying there's no doubt in his mind Logan would whoop the defensive end's ass.

"Stick to football, my friend," Paul told the "3 Things to Know" podcast.

"I like Myles. I have nothing against him, he’s an amazing player. But you saw what happened when Nate Robinson from the NBA tried to step into the ring. People don’t realize it’s a whole different sport."

Of course, 6'4", 272-lb. Garrett is no stranger to fighting -- remember, he was suspended in 2019 for ripping Mason Rudolph's helmet off and swinging it at him.

He's also spent time with ex-UFC champ Stipe Miocic ... who said the guy is insane in the gym.

With that being said, Jake isn't convinced Garrett would stand a chance against 6'2". 180-lb. Logan.

"My brother sparred against all of the Gronkowski brothers, who are 6’5", 6’6", 6’7" and he took them all down in the same sparring session."

"People don’t realize this is a sport where time and experience is really the only thing that gets you better. So long story short, my brother would knock him out, no question. But nothing against Myles."

Olympic wrestling champ Gable Steveson CAN beat Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou in a UFC Octagon ... all he needs is a few years of MMA training, according to Henry Cejudo.

If anyone knows what it takes to make it as a wrestler-turned-mixed martial artist, it's Cejudo. Henry won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling (just like Steveson) in 2008 ... and then became a 2 weight class champion in the UFC.

So, when TMZ Sports talked to Triple C, we asked how Gable would fare in the UFC.

"I do believe, like within the next couple of years, he could beat a guy like Jon Jones or even Francis Ngannou. He's like, he's the biggest threat because of his wrestling pace, which is extremely scary," Cejudo told us.

But, Henry made it clear, Gable couldn't just walk into an Octagon right now, without any training, and beat 2 of the biggest men on the planet.

"He's a real heavyweight. But, right now, if you were to put him in there right now, Jon Jones would hurt him. Francis Ngannou would hurt him," Cejudo says.

"And I've been there before when I first fought Demetrious Johnson. And I, you know, I had already had stand up and whatnot, and I got knocked out at 2 minutes and 36 seconds. So, you do have to respect the game."

FYI, Henry started his UFC career 4-0 ... before facing the champ, Mighty Mouse. Johnson beat Cejudo at UFC 197 in 2016 via TKO. Years later, in 2018, HC won a rematch against DJ -- becoming flyweight champion.

Of course, 21-year-old Steveson -- who just won a gold medal -- has options on top of options.

WWE is reportedly interested in the wrestling star (GS will be at Summer Slam this weekend). Gable also says he's been hit up by multiple NFL teams. And, then there's the UFC.

Dana White recently told us he planned to meet with Steveson this weekend in Las Vegas ... to discuss potentially signing him to a deal.

There's more ... we also talked to Cejudo about his fighting future -- and while taking shots at Alex Volkanovski and T.J. Dillashaw -- Henry gave us the latest on whether he'll ever fight again.

Jared Cannonier -- the #3 ranked UFC middleweight -- believes his next fight could be for the 185 lb. title against Israel Adesanya, that is IF he can secure a dominating win over Kelvin Gastelum Saturday night.

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Cannonier ahead of his UFC Fight Night scrap with Gastelum ... and we asked him if he believed beating Kelvin could catapult him past Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa in the rankings -- and set him up for a fight with Izzy.

"It definitely can, given the state of the division. You know, there’s only one clear-cut contender outside of Robert, you know, well there’s two. You know, me, Paulo, and then all the other up-and-coming guys," Jared says.

Cannonier continued ... "But, so you know, that top 3. Me, Paulo, and Robert. So, winning over Kelvin, I’m sure a dominant win over Kelvin, would definitely send that message, 'Hey give this guy a title shot.'"

JC is a beast in the Octagon ... with wins over the legendary Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson.

We also talked to 29-year-old Gastelum -- the #9 ranked middleweight (Kelvin doesn't agree with his ranking) -- and he also believes a win over Cannonier would put him right back in title contention.

Conor McGregor says he's absolutely crushing his leg rehab ... telling TMZ Sports he's three weeks ahead of schedule!!!

The UFC superstar shared the great news following a visit to the doc's office in L.A. on Thursday ... giddily explaining that he's been cleared to ride a bike nearly a month earlier than medical experts initially expected.

"Five weeks, five days since the surgery and they told me I wouldn't be able to cycle until eight weeks," Conor said. "And, he just told me just here today that I can cycle again!"

It's a very positive update from the 33-year-old ... 'cause back on July 10, he snapped his leg in gruesome fashion in his fight against Dustin Poirier that many believed could alter his life permanently.

You'll recall ... the leg bent in a way no leg every should -- and he needed hours of surgery just days later to repair the damage.

But, Conor's been in great spirits ever since going under the knife ... and he showed us again Thursday that he's genuinely pleased with how the injury is progressing.

"I can cycle again, my man!" Conor said before driving off from his doctor appointment. "Three weeks ahead of schedule!"

As for who he wants to fight when ultimately makes his return ... Conor clearly ain't ahead of schedule in that department -- telling us, "we'll see what happens."

Gable Steveson could be one step closer to signing with the UFC ... 'cause Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's planning to meet with the Olympic wrestling superstar this weekend in Vegas.

21-year-old Steveson was one of the breakout stars at the 2020 Olympics ... and has expressed interest in everything from the NFL, to WWE, to the UFC.

So, we asked the UFC prez if he had interest in Steveson ... and that's when White revealed he planned to link up with the gold medalist.

"[Gable] will be in town this weekend, and I think we're gonna hook up and talk."

Steveson -- who recently got an offer to train from WWE superstar Seth Rollins -- is gonna be in Sin City for SummerSlam.

FYI, Gable is a BEAST on the mats. He won the NCAA title this year at the University of Minnesota, as well as the championship at the Pan American Games. Gable hasn't lost a single match in 2 years.

But, just 'cause Dana's meeting Gable, doesn't mean a signing is guaranteed.

"Obviously there's a lot of work for him to do before he could make it to the UFC, but we'll see what happens."

If Steveson does ultimately sign a deal with the UFC ... fellow Olympic gold medalist turned UFC double champ Henry Cejudo recently told us he believes Gable -- with 2 or 3 years training -- could beat top heavyweights like Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

Either of those fights would be HUGE. But, first step is White and Steveson's Vegas meeting.

Dana White says The Ultimate Fighter 29 finalist, Tresean Gore -- the man many expected to win the show AND a UFC contract -- is OUT of the finale fight after suffering a knee injury.

The UFC prez broke the news while talking to TMZ Sports ... announcing 27-year-old Gore was recently injured, forcing him out of the scrap.

"Bryan Battle versus Tresean Gore. Nobody knows this yet, TMZ is breaking it. Tresean Gore is injured. It looks like his meniscus," White says.

Gore, a 3-0 fighter out of Georgia, arrived at the show unbeaten ... and has been super impressive ever since.

In fact, many thought Tresean was going to win the finale fight vs. Battle on August 28 at UFC Vegas 35 ... and the UFC deal that comes along with winning the show.

"I think a lot of people figured that this kid could win it. You know, obviously a great fight with him and Bryan Battle. Gore is out, probably gonna be out for 6 months. Now, Bryan Battle will be facing Gilbert Urbina."

FYI, 25-year-old, 6-1 Urbina lost to Tresean in the semifinals ... via a 2nd-round knockout.

Bad news for Gore ... but there's a silver lining.

Dana says Tresean will "100%" get a shot on a future UFC card ... once his knee heals.

"Brutal for this poor kid, you know? But, what we’ll do is when Tresean Gore is healthy, does he fight Bryan Battle if Bryan wins the fighter? You know, I don’t know. We’ll see how this thing plays out. But, yeah, Gore is out."

Speaking of middleweights and TUF, we also talked to Dana about Kelvin Gastelum's fight with Jared Cannonier Saturday night at UFC Fight Night ... a matchup White predicts will be a "badass fight."

Brendan Schaub -- former UFC star and comedian -- saved 3 children from a terrifying car wreck last week ... after their father allegedly drove the wrong way on the highway, killing the kid's mom in a fatal collision.

38-year-old Schaub was driving to a restaurant with his girlfriend on August 12 around 7 PM... when he saw an 18-wheeler and a mangled 2003 Lincoln were involved in a serious accident.

Schaub says he saw a child sitting on top of the vehicle, screaming for assistance ... so he pulled over and immediately sprang into action, rushing to the car to help.

At the same time, Brendan says he saw a shoeless man run from the smashed-up car, across the highway ... where he was hit by another vehicle, leaving him stunned on the ground.

When Schaub got to the wreck, he had to bust out a window and remove the kids from the car. He says the big rig's gas tank was punctured, spilling gasoline all over the road.

According to an incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, there were 4 kids in the vehicle when it crashed.

Tragically, Brendan says the mom of the kids, who was sitting in the front seat, died before he arrived ... and he made sure her children did not see the traumatic scene as they left the car.

Schaub talked about the experience on his podcast, "The Fighter and The Kid," getting emotional while breaking down about the harrowing situation.

We've also learned that the 31-year-old shoeless man who ran across the highway was the father of the kids ... who was subsequently arrested for murder.

According to docs, the man -- who was not seriously injured in either of the crashes -- was combative with cops, according to law enforcement, and had to be tased.

Thankfully, the children only suffered minor injuries.

The family of the deceased mom has started a GoFundMe -- already over $46k -- to raise money for a funeral.

"My niece Aimee García (26) was Killed In Wrong-Way Driving Collision With Big Rig On 101 Freeway In Encino. She leaves behind four beautiful children all under the age of 8," the fundraiser profile reads.

"She was a loving, caring mother unfortunately she was a victim of domestic violence for many years and yesterday the aggressor fulfilled his objective and enter the freeway the wrong way intentionally killing my niece. Thank God the children are fine but very traumatized."

Schaub was one of the best heavyweights in the world as a fighter ... beating guys like Matt Mitrione in the UFC.

NFL. UFC. WWE.

Those are three of the lucrative options U.S. Olympian Gable Steveson reportedly has on the table after winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Games.

TMZ Sports ran into Seth Rollins at LAX ... and we asked the WWE Superstar if pro wrestling would be a good career move for 21-year-old Steveson.

"I mean, we’d love to have him. He seems like an incredible athlete, and decent dude. And, you know, we've had some luck with Olympic gold medalists before, so why not?" Rollins said.

Seth is referring to Kurt Angle ... who won a gold medal in wrestling at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta before ultimately joining WWF (now WWE) in 1998 -- where he became a legend in the squared circle.

But, freestyle wrestling and pro wrestling are VERY different sports ... which is why Rollins is offering Gable some assistance.

"I do have a wrestling school, Black and Brave Wrestling Academy, so if he wants to move to Davenport, Iowa for three months, we'll get him ready."

Of course, since defeating the #1 seed in the gold medal match in Tokyo with fractions of a second remaining, 6'1", 260+ lb. Steveson says he's received interest from the NFL (Ravens, Bills), UFC, Bellator, and WWE ... to name a few.

Gable hasn't ruled out signing with any of the organizations ... making it clear if they write a big enough check, he's interested in football -or- wrestling -or- fighting.

Halle Berry is getting dragged into the legal ring by a former UFC fighter ... Cat Zingano is suing, claiming Halle offered her a movie role but was ultimately snubbed.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Cat claims she met with Halle back in July, 2019 to talk about a movie HB was directing, "Bruised," and says Halle told her she was perfect for the project.

Cat claims Halle told her to keep her schedule clear because film production was on the horizon, but she says the UFC came calling soon thereafter with a big fight offer.

In the docs, Cat claims she talked to Halle about the fight offer and claims Halle advised she pass on the fight if she wanted to be in the film, citing liability concerns from the movie's insurer.

Cat claims she agonized over the decision -- the movie versus the big fight -- and says she ultimately turned down the fight.  She says the UFC then released her from her contract.

According to the suit, Cat claims she looped Halle in on her decision not to fight and her subsequent release from the UFC, and says she was shocked and dismayed when Halle told her she could no longer be involved in the movie because she was no longer fighting in the UFC. She claims she was told the movie could only work with UFC fighters.

Cat -- who's currently a Bellator fighter -- claims Halle has cut off all communications from her. She's suing for damages, claiming she relied on Halle’s promise and ended up getting screwed.

A gruesome leg injury will NOT end Conor McGregor's fighting career ... so says the UFC superstar himself, who announced Sunday he's gunning for a 2022 return to the Octagon.

Just about a month removed from having serious surgery to repair a broken leg ... Conor told fans during a social media Q&A he's still trying to fight again.

"I'm improving rapidly!" McGregor said. "Working with the best team money can buy! I'll be back in no time, lock loaded!"

If his actions in L.A. since his surgery are any indication ... it ain't hard to see Conor making that goal an easy reality.

McGregor has been out and about all over the city post-surgery ... crutching around hotspots, hanging with Justin Bieber, putting weight on his leg, and appearing to be in great spirits.

In fact, just a few days ago, he ensured TMZ Sports his recovery was going to be an epic one.

Conor also started a bit of a tiff with Kamaru Usman during his social media sesh with fans on Sunday night ... suggesting he'd "spark" the welterweight champ if he returned to the octagon at 170 pounds.

"I fight for the 170lb title I will spark him too," Conor wrote.

Usman, though, fired back Monday morning ... saying, "Spark who?? You must be talking about that pipe you’ve been smoking. Unlike you, if I'm gonna talk shit ill @ U. Now be quiet before I call Poirier or Khabib or Diaz to finish you again."

Between Usman, Dustin Poirier and everyone in between, it sure seems like Conor will have no shortage of potential opponents when he does make his return to the UFC.

Jake Paul says Tyron Woodley training with "The Best Ever" could be the worst thing ever for the UFC star ... telling TMZ Sports it'll be a HUGE "disadvantage" for their fight this month.

Paul and Woodley are set to face-off in the ring in Cleveland on Aug 29 ... and "The Chosen One" has been in the gym with Floyd leading up to the bout -- something Paul believes he'll regret.

"I think it's a disadvantage for him, actually," Paul says. "Him like hopping around with different coaches, trying to learn different styles. That's not how you progress in this sport."

"Floyd didn't even have a strategy to go in and beat my brother. So, how is he going to tell Tyron what to do?!?"

Paul says the only reason Mayweather's even training TW is because he still feels some type of way about the "gotcha hat" incident ... as well as his jealousy over the YouTube superstar's rising success in boxing.

"He sees what I'm doing in the sport and he wants to put an end to it."

"He's a very greedy guy. He doesn't want anyone to be more popular or more claim than him."

Paul added, "I think he wants to see me lose. He wants to see this whole train get stopped."

But, the 24-year-old says that ain't gonna happen with this fight -- telling us he's gonna give Woodley the Nate Robinson treatment.

"Tyron don't let your kids this man, you're gonna be in the unconscious on the canvas bleeding out!!!"

"I said the same thing to Nate Robinson and I'm gonna say the same thing to you!"

Don't count on Tito Ortiz and Anderson Silva grabbin' a beer after their upcoming boxing match ... 'cause the UFC legend says he's lost ALL RESPECT for Spider after contentious contract negotiations.

46-year-old Ortiz broke down the beef when TMZ Sports talked to him at RVCA Training Centre in Costa Mesa, CA ... explaining how Silva demanded the fight go down at 195 pounds -- 10 pounds under the weight he last fought.

"He wants me down to 195. He's fought at 205 over 6 times in his career and he wants me down to 195. So, it shows that he's afraid of my power."

That's an issue 'cause it means Ortiz has to cut extra weight and deplete his body before the fight -- and frankly, that ticks Tito off.

"I lost respect for the guy man. He's one of the best in the world in mixed martial arts, but I have no respect to him."

The 2 legends are fighting September 11 on Triller ... a card that also includes Oscar de la Hoya and Vitor Belfort.

Silva is coming off a big time win in the ring over former boxing champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. ... a fight that shocked many experts.

But, don't count on the impressive performance scaring Ortiz ... he's veryyyy confident he's gonna whoop Silva's ass.

"Am I the toughest fighter? I'm way tougher than him, 100%. Am I gonna make it vicious? Am I gonna make it just a blood fight? Yes. I hope he's ready for a dogfight. That's what it's gonna be. It's gonna be a dogfight."

"I ain't in here for an exhibition. I'm not here for pitter patter, you know, do a dance. I'm here to fight. I'm a fighter."

We also talked to Tito's boxing coach, Jason Parillo -- one of the best trainers in the sport -- who told us the key to beating Silva.

Vicente Luque is surging in the rankings ... and now the rising UFC star is going big name hunting -- calling out none other than Nate Diaz.

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Luque -- fresh off his 1st round submission dub over top 5 fighter, Michael Chiesa -- and we asked, who's next!?!

"I do want to wait and see what's gonna happen with [Usman-Covington], with the title fight. Maybe I can get in there, maybe I can jump the line and fight for the title," Vicente says.

But, #4 ranked Luque knows that's likely a long shot ... so he's got some names in mind in the event he doesn't fight for the strap.

"Leon Edwards could be a guy, you know, a rematch against him could be something that would interest me. Also, a super fight against a guy like Nate Diaz, which I've called out a couple of times. That also would be a fight that would interest me."

Vicente lost to Leon via unanimous decision back in 2017 ... but has been on a tear of late -- coming off wins over Chiesa (submission), Tyron Woodley (submission), Randy Brown (KO), Niko Price (TKO).

Of course, Diaz just fought Edwards himself -- losing via unanimous decision -- but not before almost KO'ing Leon in the last round of the June fight.

There's another option ... serve as the backup fighter in case of injury or illness for Usman vs. Covington -- a fight that doesn't yet have a date.

"I think that would be something interesting. Even if I'm not, you know, officially a backup, I do plan to stay ready. And, possibly, you know if something, I hope nothing happens, but if something happens, I can step in there and save the day."

Bottom line ... Vicente Luques' a problem in the welterweight division.

UFC fighter Jordan Williams whooped a dude's ass with violent knee strikes after he says the guy tried to steal his whip -- and the whole incident was caught on video.

The 30-year-old MMA star says it all went down on Wednesday ... when he claims a man tried to steal his ride right out of a convenience store parking lot.

Williams says the scene was captured on surveillance video ... claiming you can see in the footage a man got into his car while he was inside the store and then tried to drive off.

The video appears to show Williams confronting the guy before he got too far, though ... with the footage showing him ripping the man from the ride while kneeing him in the face.

In the clip, you see the man appears to run off while holding his head.

Williams says he could have made things even more violent ... writing on his social media page, "Wish I would of hit him with the trip after the clinch work when I tossed him out of the whip and finish off with some ground and pound."

"But," he added, "I'll settle with getting my car back."

Unclear if Williams went to the police over the incident, we're working on it.

Williams added in his social media post that the whole thing taught him he ALWAYS needs to lock his doors ... saying, "Needless to say my lesson was learned and I hope so was his."

Conor McGregor's tour of the biggest spots in L.A. continues ... this time, the injured UFC star crutched his way to Delilah in WeHo shortly after midnight on Friday -- and TMZ Sports has the video.

33-year-old McGregor has been on a tear as of late ... and despite needing crutches to get around, the former champ is definitely having no trouble finding his way to a good time.

As we previously reported, Notorious recently hit up Craig's restaurant last week ... drawing a massive crowd and signing autographs for his fans.

Before that, Conor has been spending time poolside with Justin Bieber ... and even hit up the "Peaches" singer's concert at SoFi Stadium.

But, it hasn't been all play and no work -- McGregor's somehow been going HAM in the gym ... working out as much as he can while letting his leg recover.

The injury hasn't prevented Conor from getting into huge beefs in the UFC, however -- McGregor's been going OFF on Daniel Cormier, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz recently ... proving his Twitter fingers are still 100% healthy.

Conor snapped his leg against Dustin Poirier on July 10 ... but told us last week he's anticipating a full recovery.

Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou -- interim champ vs. champ -- will unify the UFC's heavyweight title in the near future ... and when the 2 goliaths fight, "Bon Gamin" wants it to go down in France.

Both fighters have a strong connection to the country. 31-year-old Gane was born in La Roche-sur-Yon, France. 34-year-old Ngannou moved to the country as a 22-year-old ... traveling to Paris to start his MMA career.

So, when TMZ Sports talked to Gane -- fresh off his dominating victory over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 -- we asked him if there's been talk of holding the event in Ciryl's home country.

"Yes, a lot of people talk about [the fight in France]. Yes this is possible, and I hope, hopefully, this is going to be in my country," Gane says.

"I think for the debut of the UFC, probably it will be a great fight for starting this, and it will be a big success for sure. We have a lot of fun and friends, and big potential."

There's a good reason there hasn't been a UFC fight in France ... the sport was illegal in the country until last year. But, now it's not ... and it's clear Gane thinks now is a perfect time to bring the promotion to the country.

We also asked the 10-0 fighter about his newfound fame ... and whether he plans on following fighters like Randy Couture and Michael Bisping into the acting world.