UFC

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."

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.

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.

Alexandre Pantoja says it'd be an "honor" to fight Demetrious Johnson -- if Mighty Mouse ever were to return to the UFC -- a guy he's looked up to for years, in and out of the cage!

TMZ Sports talked to 33-year-old Pantoja, the UFC's flyweight champion, ahead of his first title defense against Brandon Royval at UFC 296 on Saturday (more on that in just a minute) ... but we also talked about DJ.

"For me, if I have the opportunity to train with Demetrious Johnson it's gonna be awesome for me. If I think about fighting him it's gonna be like heaven. I have respect for him. He's one of the best guys fighting in the world fighting pound-for-pound," Pantoja said of the ONE champ.

But, it's not just about Johnson's exploits in the cage ... it's about how he conducts himself as a person, too.

"He's a family guy. He's a very good example for me. Not just for me, for everyone. He cares about his kids. He cares about his wife. Don't make mistakes, don't make trash talk. Don't try to go to the media with fake news. He is a true warrior and true man and family guy. A very good example of what this world needs right now."

That's about the best compliment a person could get from a peer.

As for what a fight would look like between the champs ... we asked Alexandre, and he answered with a Dragon Ball Z comparison.

Of course, the 125 lb. division was on life support for years ... but thanks to guys like Pantoja, Brandon Moreno, and Deiveson Figueiredo (who has moved up to bantamweight), who built upon what DJ started, the flyweight division is thriving.

If you need proof ... Pantoja and Royval are the co-main event on one of the year's most anticipated cards.

There's more with Alexandre ... who breaks down the matchup with Brandon, and while it's clear AP has a ton of respect for BR, he doesn't plan on giving up his belt come Saturday night!

We also talked to Royval ... who tells us why he's the best in the world and soon-to-be UFC Flyweight champ!

Mark Zuckerberg's torn ACL won't derail his MMA career ... the Meta founder just revealed he's got plans to continue fighting once his knee heals up.

The 39-year-old provided an update on his recovery on his Instagram on Friday -- just about six weeks after he went under the knife to fix his busted-up knee -- and he said everything is "going well so far."

He then added that he's got about nine months to get healthy enough to step back into an Octagon and resume his fighting dreams.

"I can already walk and bike," he said. "Working towards running for the next couple of months. Then full leg strength."

He added, "Taking the time to do this well and come back stronger."

Zuckerberg, of course, has taken his MMA career very seriously over the last few months -- winning gold and silver in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament earlier this year ... while also famously challenging Elon Musk to a scrap.

Zuck has trained with UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski to get pointers on how to get better in the cage as well.

Dana White isn't backing down on his decision to work with Bud Light again despite the blowback ... saying anyone proud to be an American should be drinking the UFC's official beer straight from the keg.

The UFC honcho addressed the recent sponsorship deal in an interview with Tucker Carlson this week ... and when the host suggested everyone should still be boycotting Anheuser-Busch over its Dylan Mulvaney partnership, White dug in his heels.

"If you consider yourself a patriot, you should be drinking gallons of Bud Light," White said with authority. "Gallons of Bud Light."

"You should have Bud Light drums stacked in your garage."

White explained he has an inside look on the beer biz ... and people should take him at his word when he said the common drinker is "way more aligned with Bud Light" than any other brand out there.

Of course, it echoes what White initially said shortly after the deal was announced ... when he revealed there were other options before he picked Bud Light after several years with Modelo, but he preferred AB for its values as a company.

Carlson also talked to Kid Rock about the Bud Light controversy recently ... and the singer said he is moving on from the boycott, as he feels the beer company got the message.

Dana White no se echa atrás en su decisión de trabajar con Bud Light de nuevo a pesar de las críticas, diciendo que cualquier persona estaría orgullosa de beber la cerveza oficial de la UFC directamente del barril.

El jefe de la UFC abordó el reciente acuerdo de patrocinio en una entrevista con Tucker Carlson esta semana y cuando el anfitrión sugirió que todo el mundo debería seguir boicoteando Anheuser-Busch por su asociación con Dylan Mulvaney, White se aferró a sus talones.

"Si te consideras un patriota, deberías estar bebiendo galones de Bud Light", dijo White con autoridad. "Galones de Bud Light".

"Deberías tener bidones de Bud Light apilados en tu garaje".

White explicó que tiene una mirada desde dentro en el negocio de la cerveza y la gente debe tomarle la palabra cuando dijo que el bebedor común está "mucho más alineado con Bud Light" que cualquier otra marca por ahí.

Por supuesto, se hace eco de lo que White dijo inicialmente poco después de que se anunciara el acuerdo, cuando reveló que había otras opciones antes de elegir Bud Light después de varios años con Modelo, pero prefirió AB por sus valores como empresa.

Carlson también habló recientemente con Kid Rock sobre la polémica de Bud Light y el cantante dijo que está dejando atrás el boicot, ya que cree que la compañía de cerveza ha entendido el mensaje.

Colby Covington will have a very powerful supporter on hand next Saturday when he fights Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title ... 'cause Chaos tells us his friend Donald Trump will be in the building!

"110%, the greatest president in history, 45 and soon to be 47th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, will be in attendance front row," 35-year-old Covington told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

In fact, Colby says he nearly arranged for DT to escort him to the Octagon before the title fight.

"I was trying to get him to walk out with me. He was really excited to walk out with me, but it's a logistical concern for the UFC, and I understand that. The guy comes with a lot of Secret Service, and it's a big deal anytime he walks in. Unfortunately, I won't be able to have him walk out, but he will be front row cheering me on, and I'll get to put that belt around his waist. It's gonna be amazing!"

Of course, Trump is a huge UFC fan ... and has a relationship with Colby and Dana White. In fact, DT attended UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden last month where he received a raucous ovation (from everyone besides Bill Burr's wife).

Colby then took a shot at Leon ... who has been the 170 lb. champ since beating Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.

"It shows that I'm the A-side in this fight. Is he bringing out the Royal family? Is he bringing out Mary f***ing Poppins? Is he bringing out Paddington the Bear? Naw, he's a f***ing nobody!"

Covington hasn't fought since March 2022, when he beat former best-friend-turned-rival Jorge Masvidal. We asked CC how he felt after the long layoff.

"I feel great, man. I've never felt better.

"I haven't wanted to take this time off, but the time off has been good so I could focus on some of my weak areas. I feel like I'm the most well-rounded fighter in the game right now and next Saturday night fans are going to be surprised, they're going to be shocked. It's gonna be a great night, it's gonna be a 1776-type night, and that means the British don't come to American soil and call the shots. It means you're about to come all the way over here to America to get your ass kicked and over back home to the UK empty-handed, Junior. See you soon, Leon Scott."

Ric Flair wasn't saying "WOOOO" after his recent run-in with Michael Chandler ... it was more like "OWWWW," 'cause the WWE legend was straight-up tackled to the ground!!

Naitch and the UFC star had an "altercation" at a bar recently ... and the footage of their wild trash-talkin' session that turned violent quickly spread on social media.

Of course, many rightfully suspected there wasn't any real bad blood between the two -- after all, they've starred in commercials for Car Shield in the past ... and actually have another spot dropping next week.

But we reached out to Chandler about the whole thing ... and he explained what exactly went down.

"It was a work," the lightweight contender told TMZ Sports. "Ric was teaching me the art."

Regardless, it's still just as funny to see the two get in full character for the clip ... with 74-year-old Flair showing he's still just as good with his lip service, and 37-year-old Chandler slapping him and doing a double leg takedown.