Fights

Paige VanZant says she's got a lot of pent up "anger and aggression" to unload on Rachael Ostovich when they fight in Jan. ... telling TMZ Sports her nasty arm injury has made her BETTER!

Remember, Paige broke her arm throwing a spinning back fist at Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Fight Night 124 back in Jan. 2018 -- and she needed TWO surgeries to fix the injury.

But, despite the 10-month layoff, the 24-year-old star says she's been working on other parts of her game and truly feels she's a more well-rounded fighter.

"I'm gonna be so much better," Paige told us while out in Portugal ... "'I've been able to focus on so many other things while the arm was healing."

Paige says she's been champing at the bit to get the fight deal done -- explaining how UFC has been trying to make it happen for a while.

The problem ... Paige's first surgery on the arm failed -- despite doctors using a titanium plate to try and stabilize the bone -- so she needed to go under the knife for the second time.

That surgery worked and Paige says she's been training her ass off ever since.

Paige and Rachael will face off Jan. 19 in Brooklyn -- Paige says she expects it to be a helluva fight.

Florian Munteanu -- the guy who plays Ivan Drago's son in "Creed 2" -- says training for the flick got him in the best shape of his life ... and he's got the abs to prove it.

First off, count the abs ... 8.

Ridiculous.

A few other things -- Florian talks about the movie plot without spoiling it noting there won't be a Vladimir Putin look-alike character in this movie to replace the Mikhail Gorbachev spoof in "Rocky IV."

"We didn't aim for that," Florian said while strolling through Reagan National Airport with the film's director, Steven Caple Jr.

"It's about family and loyalty, a lot of father/son relationships going on on the Creed side ... but no political issues."

28-year-old Florian -- a pro boxer who hails from Romania -- also says he hopes this movie propels him into being a Hollywood star ... but it's up to the audience to decide if he's good enough.

"The audience have to decide if they like my performance or not but I'm pretty happy with it."

Neither Drita D'Avanzo nor Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander will get to be in the ring with Farrah Abraham for a celebrity boxing match ... but that didn't stop the duo from laying a serious smackdown on the ex-"Teen Mom" star.

We spoke to Drita ... who says Farrah backed out of a charity boxing match at the last minute because she was straight-up scared. As you know ... Farrah quit claiming she got screwed out of her deal.

Alas, that won't be the case ... and the ex-"Mob Wives" star thinks it was less about her (remember, there's no love lost between them) and more about Hoopz' skills in the ring.

Hoopz is also trashing Farrah after she threw in the towel ... saying this is typical Farrah crying wolf. Hoopz even has a word to describe her behavior ... making it crystal clear how she feels about Farrah.

UFC star Israel Adesanya says Floyd Mayweather needs to "grow some f*cking cajones" and make his upcoming fight MMA-style ... otherwise, Israel ain't gonna watch it.

"What's all this, 'Yeah, man, we gonna f*cking fight! What's up! Oh, but, nah, um, you can't touch -- no legs, no knees, no grappling,'" Israel tells TMZ Sports.

"I mean, what the f*ck are we doing?!"

Of course ... Floyd just announced he's gonna fight 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Toyko on NYE -- but no word yet on whether it will be boxing rules or a legit MMA bout.

Israel -- fresh off his dominating performance at UFC 230 -- says there better be knees, feet and legs involved ... 'cause he says he's tired of hearing Floyd talk without backing it up with a REAL fight.

As for Floyd's chances in a scrap like that ... Israel says he'd actually give Mayweather a shot -- especially if the legendary boxer was willing to take some time off to train for it.

"Take a chance! He could take a year off and just learn grappling. Learn wrestling ... but f*cking stay in your little bubble then if you want to be that bitch."

As for all the talk about what an MMA loss would do to Floyd's legacy ... Israel says Money needs to read up on James Toney's fight career to see why that's really not an issue.

"Ink Master" star Chris Blinston ended an argument with his girlfriend by picking up a safe and using it to clear the room ... according to the cops who locked him up.

Blinston was busted for simple battery Monday night in Palm Beach County, FL. According to the police report, he told his GF he wanted the social security cards and birth certificates for their 3 kids. She told him they were locked in a safe and she'd grab them later, but instead, Blinston grabbed the safe and threatened to take an axe to it.

In the report, obtained by TMZ, Blinston's GF told cops he pressed the safe against her chest and moved her out of the way. He denied touching her, but he got hauled off to jail. He was released Tuesday, but must stay away from her.

Heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder says you're only as good as your last fight ... and that's why Floyd Mayweather could ruin his ENTIRE LEGACY if he gets blasted in his upcoming fight.

Floyd is putting his 50-0 record on the line when he faces off against undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Toyko on New Year's Eve in what could be an MMA rules fight (they're still working it out).

Wilder says Mayweather is putting more than his perfect record on the line because if he looks bad, his entire untouchable career could be tainted forever.

"People only remember the last thing you done. Just imagine me, I've knocked out 39 guys this is gonna be my 40th one. Let's just say this is my last fight ever, and I just go the rounds or I lose, they won't fully remember all my knockouts. That's why in boxing we must retire at the right time when we're on top."

It's an interesting point, and while other huge fighters like Muhammad Ali have looked bad in their final fights and it HASN'T affected their legacy ... that was before social media.

Floyd Mayweather's first order of business after announcing his big fight in Japan?? Well, he ain't sprinting to the gym just yet ... he had to check in on his L.A. Clippers first.

As we previously reported ... Floyd is going up against undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa at RIZIN 14 on Dec. 31 in what might be an MMA match (the 2 sides are still deciding on the rules).

After the surprise press conference in Japan on Sunday night, the 41-year-old returned to the States on Monday in time to catch the tip off in his usual courtside seats at Staples Center.

Floyd is famous for staying in fight shape -- even when he's not fighting -- so, it's not like 1 day off will really matter.

Then again, Mayweather claims Tenshin is super fast and motivated -- so taking the fight lightly could be a mistake.

That said, critics like 50 Cent say this Tenshin guy is like fighting an Uber driver -- so, Floyd could stuff his face with hot dogs and popcorn and still light him up.

Farrah Abraham pulled no punches trash talking the celebrity boxing promoters she says did her dirty ... claiming they bullied her outta an anti-bullying event. Oh, the irony.

We got Farrah Monday night in WeHo outside of Catch restaurant and asked about her doomed fight against Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander. You'll recall Farrah pulled the plug claiming promoters screwed her by not providing her with hotel rooms, plane tickets and fight tix.

The ex-'Teen Mom' turned her guns on event organizers, including promoter Damon Feldman. Farrah says she's turning her attention to her new show.

Daniel Cormier tells TMZ Sports the fight with Brock Lesnar is 100% going to happen -- and he's already putting together a timeline to prepare his training camp.

The two have been going at each other in public for months but Brock's obligations to the WWE are an issue, especially since he's now the WWE Universal Champion.

But, Cormier says he's thinking about a March date for the Lesnar fight -- which lines up perfectly with UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas.

"My preparation for that fight won’t start until the beginning of the new year," Cormier told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

"I got the Gilroy High School wrestling season up until February (he's a coach at the high school in Northern California). So, it has to be after that. So, I’m off limits until early March."

Cormier insists he's deadly serious about walking away from fighting on his 40th birthday -- which is March 20 -- so, UFC 235 would make the most sense.

That said, Cormier's career is on fire right now -- both in and out of the Octagon. So, we asked if Dana White came to him with an 8-figure offer to fight Jon Jones for a 3rd time, would he take it?

Triple H went to Saudi Arabia ... and all he got was this lousy pectoral injury!!!

GOOD LORD!!!

The WWE superstar suffered a pectoral tear during the pay-per-view show in Riyadh last week during a tag team between D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction.

Despite the injury, the 49-year-old legend finished the match -- and even put Kane into his trademark Pedigree finishing move.

But, the damage to his chest was pretty bad -- you can see the discoloration in his right pec ... it's bad.

The good news, Triple H scheduled surgery for Tuesday morning and he'll hopefully make a full recovery.

Wrestling -- still think it's fake?

Triple H isn't exactly a full-time wrestler anymore -- but he's been known to getting in the ring and mixing it up every now and then.

Tekashi69 says the reason he almost came to blows with Slim 400 at ComplexCon all has to do with Benjamins he's making, and Slim isn't.

We got 6ix9ine Monday in L.A. where we asked what went down with Slim Sunday night at ComplexCon in Long Beach. TMZ got video of him being held back from attacking Slim, who was doing some major trash talking while blocking the door.

Tekashi has choice words for Slim, who he calls "dirty" and "broke" ... among other insults. 6ix9ine says they're beefing because only one of 'em is making bank, while the other's stuck in the hood. Ouch!

Sounds like Tekashi is aware of his precarious legal situation right now, telling us there's no way he was about to risk getting thrown in jail over a physical altercation.

Tekashi69 still can't open a few doors -- the rapper and his crew walked away from ComplexCon after Slim 400 started beefing at the entrance -- and Tekashi was PISSED!!!

We've obtained video of the showdown between 6ix9ine and Slim 400 and, as you can see, there was no love lost between them -- just tons of hostility and insults being hurled every which way.

You see Tekashi rolling deep Sunday night to the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach. His crew was immediately confronted at the door by Slim 400 and his squad, and the tension mounted while both sides yelled back and forth.

Tekashi had to be held back, but eventually chose to walk away. Pretty amazing when you watch the video, because it definitely feels like violence is about to go down.

6ix9ine and Slim have been feuding for months. We're told Slim's crew was posted up outside the door as if they were waiting for Tekashi's arrival. Sources close to Tekashi tell TMZ the rapper was livid after he was invited to perform at the event, and was met by Slim and his squad instead of proper security to escort him in. He chose to walk away from the whole performance, rather than risk things escalating.

Farrah Abraham will NOT strap on boxing gloves after all, and another reality TV star will be her replacement in the upcoming celebrity boxing match ... TMZ has learned.

Our sources say the ex-'Teen Mom' star stood her ground with the promoter, saying she'd been screwed out of freebies, and refused to show up to Saturday night's bout. So, we're told the fight organizer, Samantha Goldberg, decided to pull the plug ... and immediately signed "Mob Wives" star Natalie DiDonato to replace Farrah.

So, the new main event is Natalie taking on Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander on Nov. 10 in Atlantic City. Another 'Mob' star, Drita D'Avanzo, will be the referee. Bias??

TMZ broke the story, Farrah felt she had an agreement the promoter, Damon Feldman, would hook her up with free fight tickets, hotel rooms and flights for her friends and family. But, Feldman insisted he'd hooked up Farrah and her daughter -- first-class, no less -- and she was just making outlandish demands at the last minute.

Ray J understands better than anyone why Farrah Abraham's refusing to fight in a celebrity boxing match ... 'cause promoters can't keep their word in the money department.

We're told Ray J was all set to referee Farrah's fight with Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander, slated for November 10 in Atlantic City. Ray's team initially wanted $50k plus travel costs and security but the promoter, Damon Feldman, didn't have the cash, so Ray agreed to do it for $25k.

Problem is ... a few weeks ago Feldman and fight investor Samantha Goldberg came back to Ray and asked if he'd ref for less dough 'cause the event wasn't selling. Ray's manager, David Weintraub, wasn't having it ... saying no dice and pulling out of the event altogether.

Sounds like this was the beginning of the end. As we reported ... Farrah, also repped by Weintraub, pulled the plug on the event because she says the same promoter screwed her on the deal.

Farrah Abraham is on the brink of locking down her own show after getting the boot from "Teen Mom OG" ... and she's setting up meetings with Hollywood producers to make it happen.

Abraham was spotted leaving a lunch meeting Friday in Studio City with her manager David Weintraub, and reality TV mastermind Jeff Jenkins. Jenkins was the EP behind "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "The Simple Life" and "Little Women: LA."

Sources tell us the trio met to continue discussions about a show they've created ... starring Farrah.

You'll remember -- Abraham was fired by MTV from 'Teen Mom' last year -- she claimed she was only canned because she'd done work as an adult film star. MTV says she was impossible.

We're told the new show will center around Farrah and other single working moms, trying to balance work, family and their romantic life.

Floyd Mayweather has signed a deal to fight on New Year's Eve in Japan -- and it might be an MMA match -- but, it ain't against Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Just like TMZ Sports told you would happen ... the 41-year-old boxing superstar announced he'll be fighting at RIZIN 14 on Dec 31, against an undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer named Tenshin Nasukawa.

We broke the story ... Floyd was in talks to get a fight done in Asia back in September. The plan is to get 2 fights under his belt ... a tune-up fight and then a bigger opponent, someone like Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd says he's still working with the promotion to decide on whether it will be boxing rules, kickboxing rules, MMA rules, etc.

Floyd says the fighting rules will be sorted out in the coming weeks. Floyd also says the two sides are still figuring out what weight the fight will be at.

Floyd held a press conference in Japan late Sunday night -- Floyd did not say how much money he expects to make for the fight.

As for Tenshin, RIZIN says he's 20-years-old and has more than 30 fights under his belt. His kickboxing record is 27-0.

The fight will go down at Saitama Super Arena -- the 3rd largest indoor arena in the world. It seats around 36,500 people.

As we previously reported, Floyd has had some MMA training in the past -- and UFC champ Tyron Woodley has offered to work with him because he believes Mayweather can really win.

Floyd says he chose to have this fight in Japan because he loves the country and the people.

As for his opponent, Floyd says the guy is in great shape -- "very young, very fast" -- and he's impressed with Tenshin's physique. Says the guy looks like a serious gym rat.

Tenshin says Floyd is taller than he looks and he believes he'll be able to "hit him" when they fight.

Floyd is 50-0 as a pro boxer -- with his last victory coming over Conor McGregor.

Mayweather has recently told us he's been itching to fight again and predicted his next bout would be a 9-figure boxing match against Khabib. Now that he's inked this deal, seems the Khabib fight will be on the backburner ... at least for now.

"I'm very happy to be back in Tokyo," Mayweather told the media ... "I look forward to coming back more often."