UFC

Power Slap's going international for the first time, and they're doin' it with some star power, 'cause TMZ Sports has learned Paige VanZant will compete on October 24 in Abu Dhabi!

30-year-old VanZant, one of the biggest stars in combat sports, will be one of the athletes holding down the Power Slap 9 card at Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi.

PS9 goes down the same week as UFC 308, headlined by Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria, all happening on "Fight Island."

Dana White dug deep into his wallet, but it wasn't to pay a UFC fighter bonus, or buy something extravagant ... the UFC honcho donated $100K to help people whose lives were turned upside down by Hurricane Helene.

White made the donation online Monday afternoon, using the GoFundMe that says it was launched by his good friend Donald Trump.

"President Donald J. Trump has launched this GoFundMe campaign as an official response for MAGA supporters to offer their financial assistance to their fellow Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene," DT's team wrote, adding, "All donations will be directed to help those most affected by Hurricane Helene. Any level of generosity will go a long way for your fellow Americans who are suffering."

Pro boxer Mylik Birdsong -- a 15-1-1 pugilist who was slated to step in the ring as part of a UFC Fight Pass card in just a few weeks -- was killed on Sunday ... during a shooting in Los Angeles.

The LAPD says the incident took place at around 4:50 PM near Watts -- just a few miles south of downtown -- when several men inside of a dark-colored SUV drove up on the fighter and opened fire.

Cops say as Birdsong attempted to flee -- two men got out of the car, chased him down, and shot at him further.

Ailin Pérez may not have gotten her opponent in a rear naked choke during her UFC fight Saturday ... but, she certainly got her own rear working -- twerking in her opponent's face after winning by submission.

The bantamweight fighter hopped in the Octagon at UFC Paris against Daria Zhelezniakova ... and, she quickly dominated her opponent -- getting DZ to tap out in the first round.

Perez jumped to her feet ... and, ya gotta watch as she swished her booty back and forth right in front of her red-faced opponent, still gasping for breath.

Renato Moicano is not overlooking the skills of his UFC Paris opponent Benoit Saint-Denis ... saying he may one day sit atop the division -- but it ain't happening on his watch!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 11th-ranked lightweight contender ... days before he's set to take on 12th-ranked Saint-Denis in his home country of France, and while Moicano sees a bright future for the 28-year-old Frenchman, he's looking to derail his rise to the top.

"I'm here to stop him," Moicano said. "I'm here to get the W in Paris and to keep climbing the rankings."

UFC fighter Colby Covington showed off his moves Saturday by putting Lil Pump in a choke hold, and you see the rapper gasping for air as CC continues to hold his grip.

At a point, you see Lil Pump's body go limp, but Colby doesn't let go. Pump struggles at first to free himself, but at a point, his body fails and his eyes widen.

It's unclear how long Colby had Pump in the hold. The video starts with Covington choking Pump, and you see the UFC fighter tighten his grip. That lasted for around 10 seconds before Covington released the hold.

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler ain't happening -- at least not right now -- so, with that fight seemingly on life support, fans have put forth another name -- Justin Gaethje. But, is he interested??

The short answer is yes, according to the 35-year-old fighter's manager, Ali Abdelaziz ... who says the bigger question is whether McGregor would step into an Octagon with Gaethje.

"If this is what [Conor] wants, if this is what the UFC wants, I think Justin Gaethje will like to smash his face. 100%. I would love to see Justin Gaethje smash his face," Ali told TMZ Sports, adding ... "Everybody knows I don't like this guy. None of us like him. But, he brings a lot of unique things to the table. And, Justin is open to it, fighting someone like him."

With antisemitism on the rise, a Jewish organization at Harvard is making sure its members can defend themselves ... bringing one of the most dangerous people in the world to teach self-defense, UFC fighter Natan Levy.

32-year-old Levy, an 8-2 pro-MMA fighter, recently taught students at Harvard Chabad -- a Jewish student organization at the Ivy League School -- amid fears the Jewish students could be in physical danger.

Natan taught a wide range of techniques ... from strikes (jabs, crosses, kicks, etc.) to wrist grabs and more over the course of an hour-long class.

Raul Rosas Jr. says he's ready for a ranked opponent ... as the 19-year-old MMA star hopes to supplant Jon Jones as the youngest-ever UFC champion!

TMZ Sports talked to Rosas Jr. fresh off his unanimous decision victory over Qileng Aori at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas ... and RR says he wants a step up in competition.

"I still have to talk to my manager about what's next. Obviously, that's what I would love and that's what I want 'cause I know it would take me a step closer to my dream, which is to become a UFC champion," Raul told us.

Sean O'Malley will have to wait to get back in the win column -- the former bantamweight champion just announced he is scheduled for surgery following his loss at UFC 306.

The 29-year-old made the announcement after hopping on a call with streamer Adin Ross -- saying he suffered a torn labrum in his hip 10 weeks ago -- but still managed to get through fight camp for his title bout against Merab Dvalishvili.

"I tore my left labrum in my hip," O'Malley said. "That's the only reason I'm going to be out for so long. This surgery should only take two months to come back from, then a couple months recovery. A year is a long time, could be six to eight months. You never know."

Canelo Alvarez's strength and punching power may scare some boxers, but not Terence Crawford, who tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely sure he'd get the victory over the Mexican superstar if the two fought.

Of course, at the moment, it's a big "if" ... as even though Crawford's made it clear he wants the scrap -- Canelo doesn't seem so sure.

If you missed it, following his Saturday night victory over Edgar Berlanga -- which Crawford actually attended -- Canelo said straight up "no comment" when asked about a potential tilt with Bud.

Irene Aldana's flaunting her newly fixed face after the bantamweight fighter had her wig split open at UFC 306 ... in what was one of the most gruesome cuts you'll ever see!

The 36-year-old Mexican fighter -- who lost by unanimous decision to Norma Dumont -- provided fans an update following her bout, posting several pics and videos after the doctor sutured her up.

Aldana needed stitches in multiple places, but the worst gash came courtesy of an unintentional clash of heads resulting in a deep, 2-ish-inch cut extending from her hairline to eyebrow.

Terence Crawford ain't m.A.A.d after the UFC broadcast mistook him for Kendrick Lamar on Saturday ... telling TMZ Sports he laughed it all off -- 'cause he's convinced it was done on purpose!!

Bud went viral for his appearance at Noche UFC at the Sphere in Vegas ... when a lower third graphic misidentified him as the "Not Like Us" rapper.

Screengrabs of the goof made rounds on social media ... and it was pretty ironic, as K. Dot name-dropped the boxing superstar on his "euphoria" diss track directed at Drake earlier this year.

Merab Dvalishvili had himself quite the weekend ... he defeated Sean O'Malley for the UFC Bantamweight championship, and celebrated the win deep into the night at a Sin City hotspot!

We're told the 33-year-old Georgian hit up XS Nightclub inside Wynn Las Vegas around 1:30 AM ... rolling up to the joint with around 70 people to celebrate the massive moment -- and of course was showing off his new hardware!

MD received a welcome worthy of a champ -- he was greeted with illuminated LED marquees, massive photos, and an LED drumline as confetti flew in the air.

The UFC did not disappoint with the first-ever sporting event at The Sphere in Vegas ... and Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, was right there chronicling the whole amazing night.

Lots of celebs hit up UFC 306, including Chris Brown, Taylor Lewan, Andrew Schulz, Bob Iger and Shannon Sharpe.

Of course, Jeff and Lauren sat cage-side -- seats were SUPER expensive, but they scraped up enough dough -- as she pulled out her cell phone and sprayed the venue with video for her followers.

Brian Ortega is one of the twenty fighters who will scrap on the UFC's one and ONLY Noche event at the Sphere ... something the veteran MMA star describes as an "honor."

"Bro, it's another level. We get to fight on a historic event by a promotion that's already known for making history. So it's an honor to be chosen to go in there, a featured fight and kind of kick off the night for both co-main and main event," T-City told TMZ Sports earlier this week, just days before his clash with 29-year-old Diego Lopes.

Remember, Ortega, 33, and Lopes were supposed to fight in June at UFC 303 ... but the fight was scrapped the same day the men were due in the Octagon after Brian, who was coming off a win over Yair Rodriguez, got sick and couldn't fight.