UFC

Unbelievable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Justin Gaethje says he -- NOT Conor McGregor -- deserves the next title shot against Charles Oliveira ... and he's gonna lose it if that doesn't happen.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old #1 ranked UFC lightweight -- the guy who almost everyone believes will fight for the belt -- about McGregor's recent social media post.

If ya missed it, Conor fired off a message ... "So what date am I fighting Oliveira?" shortly after the UFC 269 fight between Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.

"I'll burn it all down, dude! What do you mean? F***ing burn it down, that's what I'd do," Gaethje told us when we asked how he'd react to Conor (#9 ranked) leapfrogging him.

Justin continued ... "[Conor's] so irrelevant. He has not won a fight since 2016 in the lightweight division. I'm ranked number one."

But, how about this ... if Gaethje wins, would he want to defend his strap vs. McGregor ... who he's been lowkey beefing with for years?

Nope.

"I would absolutely not allow him fight for the title. He did not win to go through the process. He's not gonna s*** on everything that we -- there's too many. Beneil Dariush, Islam Makhachev. Those are the guys that we fight. Not Conor McGregor. That's not how it works. He's becoming more and more irrelevant as time goes on. Pretty soon you won't be even asking me these questions. It's gonna be a beautiful f***ing day."

It's pretty cool ... Justin says he's finally on the doorstep of the moment he's been waiting for since he got into fighting.

"My whole life I've been working towards this. That is what's next. If not, I f***ing burn it down. It doesn't matter. I'll show up and start throwing dollies everywhere."

Jake Paul is only 24, but he's suffering from memory loss and slurred speech, and it's largely because of boxing -- and it could get even worse with tonight's fight.

Jake appeared on "In Depth With Graham Besinger," and talked about something boxers rarely discuss when they're still in the game -- how boxing messes up their head.

Jake told Graham, "I notice it in conversations with like, with my girlfriend or friends, like, not remembering something that I should be able to remember that happened a couple days ago."

He went on ... "Sometimes in my speech, where like every hundredth or two hundredth word, I'll mess up or, like, slur, which I didn't do that before."

Jake says his problems actually started with football, but are clearly worsened by boxing. He doesn't even remember how many concussions he's suffered -- somewhere between 20 and 30.

Again, something boxers don't say ... Jake says he's scared about the long-term effects, although he thinks certain psychedelic drugs could help abate the problems.

It's pretty shocking he's saying all this when he's about to square off with former UFC Champ Tyron Woodley Saturday night. He beat Tyron by split decision in the past and the rematch promises to be fierce.

Jake said his doctor was blunt -- stay away from the ring, but that's not gonna happen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

😳😳😳😳

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Notorious wasn't done Tweeting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is dumb.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amanda Nunes says Julianna Peña is straight-up "delusional" for thinking she's gonna take a belt off the champ-champ ... but the Lioness tells TMZ Sports that doesn't mean she's sleeping on the Venezuelan Vixen's skills in the Octagon.

We talked to the 33-year-old UFC star just days before her big UFC 269 fight with Peña ... and Nunes is ready to goooo.

"[Julianna] is delusional, but it doesn't mean I'm not taking her seriously. I do. I trained very hard and very smart, I'm very sharp for her. A lot of things she says are not true, she's being delusional."

We also asked Nunes, a heavy favorite in the fight, how she envisioned beating Peña.

"Honestly I don't see this fight going to the judges at all. Honestly. I'm very sharp. I know she's gonna make a lot of mistakes like she always does."

Amanda added ... "I know I'm gonna catch her many times."

As you might suspect, 32-year-old Peña -- the #3 ranked bantamweight -- believes Amanda isn't taking her seriously ... telling us that's a mistake because she's coming to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

There's more ... we also talked to Amanda and her wife, fellow UFC star Nina Nunes about their adorable baby daughter, Reagan.

How do you celebrate a big-time win in the Octagon?! If you're UFC star Jose Aldo ... you hit up the LV Raiders game, and then pop bottles and dance to music played by Diplo!

35-year-old Aldo beat fellow UFC star Rob Font at Fight Night Saturday night ... in a 5-round unanimous decision.

Aldo was ranked 5th before the fight ... and since he toppled the 4th ranked fighter, he is very much in title contention.

So, a reason to celebrate ... and celebrate he did Sunday afternoon.

We're told Jose attended the Raiders-WFT game (unfortunately for the hometown fans, the Raiders lost 17-15) ... hitting up the Wynn Field Club at Allegiant Stadium with 7 friends, where they watched football.

FYI, Aldo's Brazilian ... so it's unclear if he's an American football fan, or if he just went for the atmosphere and booze.

After the game, we're told Jose stayed for the game-day afterparty hosted by Diplo ... where he enjoyed bottle service with his friends, dancing up a storm.

Julianna Peña is less than a week away from the biggest fight of her life against Amanda Nunes ... and the "Venezuelan Vixen" has a message for the doubters, telling TMZ Sports she isn't satisfied just being here -- she's gunning to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

32-year-old Peña is the #3 ranked bantamweight in the UFC -- and has been all but demanding a title shot with the 33-year-old champ, Nunes -- because she truly believes she will get the W when they fight at UFC 269.

"I'm ready. I am in the zone. I have never felt more physically or mentally prepared in my life and it's my time. It just feels so great to know that I have literally left no stone unturned. I'm ready to go. I'm in the zone!"

Peña's been with the UFC since 2013 ... and has a professional record of 10-4. She's beaten some badass women like Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano.

Despite the impressive resume, Julianna's a big underdog against Amanda. In fact, bettors have to wager about $900 just to win $100 on Nunes.

And, it's not just the oddsmakers who doubt Peña can win ... 'cause Julianna told us she feels Amanda isn't taking her seriously.

"[Nunes] called me delusional. She said that I'm reckless. I don't think that she's taking me seriously at all and you know, that's fine."

Great news! UFC president Dana White is officially COVID-19 free ... telling TMZ Sports he tested negative for the virus, and he's crediting Joe Rogan's suggested treatment plan of monoclonal antibodies, NAD drip, vitamins, and Ivermectin for the swift recovery.

"I feel incredible! Today is day 5 since testing positive for COVID, and [Friday at 9 AM], I tested negative for COVID. Thank you, Dr. Joe Rogan!"

Dana tested positive for the virus after a Thanksgiving day family gathering ... and immediately contacted the JRE host for advice.

Of course, Rogan beat the virus in a matter of days ... but it wasn't without controversy.

He (also) took Ivermectin ... a drug that some media outlets incorrectly classified as livestock medication (there are animal and human versions of the drug).

But, Dana -- who is fully vaccinated -- says Joe is very well-informed ... and most importantly, his plan works.

"Joe Rogan is a brilliant guy and he talks to the most brilliant people out there. He studies, he does his homework on all this stuff, and it's a fact that this works."

And, work it did -- the UFC honcho tells us ... "Monday I did what Rogan told me to do. Tuesday I had my taste and smell back."

White says if you think his case was a fluke ... the treatment also worked on his wife, daughter, and 80-year-old mother-in-law!

We didn't only talk about viruses ... we also chopped it up about UFC 269 -- which is only a week away (Dec. 11).

Lightweight champ Charles Oliveira is fighting Dustin Poirier ... the man many believe is actually the best in the division.

Amanda Nunes is also fighting Julianna Pena (the "Venezuelan Vixen" told us "Lioness" isn't taking her seriously). "Suga" Sean O'Malley, Cody Garbrandt, and Geoff Neal are also on the card.

We asked Dana which fight he was looking forward to -- outside of the marquee matchups at the top of the card -- and he told us he expects a lot of violence when Josh Emmett and Dan Ige do battle on the prelims.

We also talked to White about Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev ... and he told us he's working on booking the 4-0 fighter an opponent now that Diaz shot down the fight.

If you missed it, earlier this week the superstar from Stockton told us he wouldn't fight "Borz" because he was a rookie who wasn't on Diaz's level.