Fights

Tenshin Nasukawa has touched down in Las Vegas -- and put on an impressive workout at Floyd Mayweather's private boxing gym ... where he told us he'll do better in the ring against Floyd than Conor McGregor!!!

The 20-year-old kickboxer looked lightning fast, strong and scary athletic when he showed off his skills in the ring ... and then humbly told reporters he's just hoping to land a shot on Floyd.

But, let's get serious ... dude looks good. He looks hungry. And, Floyd could be in real trouble.

Of course, Floyd and Tenshin are set to throw down in Japan on New Year's Eve in a 3-round exhibition as part of the RIZIN 14 event at the Saitama Super Arena just outside of Tokyo.

Tenshin is a stud kickboxer in Asia -- racking up a 27-0 record in his impressive young career. He looks fast and strong but the big question ... will he be able to connect with one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time?

The workout is expected to begin around 3 PM PT -- and with all Mayweather events, ya never really know what craziness could be in store.

Dana White says Rachael Ostovich is "totally cool" fighting on the same card as Greg Hardy in January ... despite his history with domestic violence.

There's been backlash over the decision to put Hardy on the Jan. 19 card considering Ostovich was JUST involved in a D.V. incident last month -- and claims she suffered bad injuries at the hands of her MMA fighter husband.

But, Dana White appeared on TSN in Canada early Thursday morning and addressed the issue head-on -- saying he will NOT move Hardy off the card ... and that Ostovich has "no problem" with the decision.

White explained that Hardy will be tied to the domestic violence allegations for the rest of his life -- but he's put in the work to rehabilitate himself and White feels he's a changed man who deserves a 2nd chance.

White says during his conversation with Ostovich, Rachael told him, "[Greg's] story is not my story and I believe in second chances."

Dana says having Rachael's support was a "key factor" in making the decision to keep Hardy on the card.

Ostovich will Paige VanZant that night. Hardy will square off against Allen Crowder.

The Cleveland Police Dept. says one of its officers leaked a copy of the Kareem Hunt police report to the NFL back in February -- and now it's launched an internal investigation.

"Following an internal review, it has been determined that in February 2018 a member of the Cleveland Division of Police provided a copy of the police report involving the February 10, 2018 assault incident at The 9 to a representative from the National Football League," the PD said.

"The report did not go through the official public records request process."

So, what's the takeaway? The statement implies the NFL did go outside of official channels in an effort to gather information about the incident.

The CPD also says it's looking into the "overall response" by the PD regarding the Hunt incident -- but did not get specific about other issues.

One big question ... why didn't the responding officers make more of an effort to view the surveillance video on the night of the incident?

The woman was seen on police body cam video begging the officers to view the tapes -- but cops said they were stuck because the hotel is a "private facility" and "they don't have to show us unless they're ordered by a court."

Emotional moment between Brian Ortega and his UFC 231 opponent, Max Holloway -- when Ortega told Max he's been praying for him ever since the Hawaiian's health scare back in July.

Brian and Max are set to fight each other on Saturday -- it'll be Max's first time in the Octagon since he backed out of UFC 226 with "concussion-like symptoms" just days before the fight.

Holloway says he never got a clear answer about his health -- so he's launched a "private medical investigation" to find out what happened to him.

Still, he's been cleared to fight Ortega -- and at the pre-fight press conference in Toronto on Wednesday, Brian got very serious when asked about Max's health.

"At the end of the day, I really do care about your health and how you are and how you're doing," Ortega told Holloway.

"I know you've got a son. I mean, bullsh*t aside, I know we're fighting and all that sh*t, but I do hope you're alright."

Ortega continued ... "I pray for you. Swear to god."

The crowd cheered and Holloway appeared to thank Ortega for the kind words.

UFC star Kamaru Usman says Dana White offered him a fight with Colby Covington next month ... and he's waiting on Donald Trump's favorite fighter to sign the contract.

Both fighters have been dying to get a shot at the welterweight champ Tyron Woodley -- and it seems the winner of the proposed January 19 bout would get their wish.

TMZ Sports talked to Usman ... who tells us Dana called this week and made the offer.

Kamaru ain't exactly confident the fight will actually happen ... saying Colby has refused to accept the match on 4 other occasions in the past.

So yeah, Kamaru and Colby hate each other ... and straight-up, Usman says Covington is scared.

If he accepts, Usman vs. Covington would join a bunch of solid fights on the first UFC event on ESPN -- including Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich and Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder.

Usman just dominated Rafael dos Anjos when they clashed on Saturday night at "The Ultimate Fighter" finale.

Covington's last fight was also against RDA -- Colby scored the "W" in a 5-round decision at UFC 225 back in June.

After the fight, Colby underwent surgery to correct a nasal issue. He visited Trump at the White House in August and took a pic with POTUS while Donald held the UFC interim welterweight championship belt over his shoulder.

We reached out to Covington for comment ... so far, no word back.

Greg Hardy's 1st UFC opponent says he has extra motivation to destroy the ex-NFL star -- telling TMZ Sports he wants to get the victory to honor Rachael Ostovich.

Hardy is set to fight Allen Crowder at UFC on ESPN on Jan. 19 -- the same night Ostovich will return to the Octagon after her domestic violence incident.

As we previously reported, Ostovich was hospitalized last month following an altercation with her MMA fighter husband Arnold Berdon, who was later arrested and charged with assault.

Some critics are upset with the UFC -- claiming the organization is tone deaf putting Hardy and Ostovich on the same card because of Hardy's past domestic violence issues.

FYI, Hardy was found guilty of domestic violence by a judge in 2014 -- but the conviction was thrown out in 2015 when he appealed to have the case go in front of a jury ... and his accuser stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

Dana White has previously told us he's spoken with Hardy about the incident -- but he's convinced Greg is a changed man.

So, how does Greg's new opponent feel? We spoke with Crowder -- who's fought against beasts like Curtis Blaydes and Justin Willis -- and he spelled it out for us.

"I definitely want to win this fight for [Ostovich]. I'm very against men beating women. And, I'm definitely not a woman, so he's gonna have a lot harder time with me then he did the last person."

God came down from above to wake Tyson Fury up from a 12th-round knockout Saturday ... and did it so Fury and Deontay Wilder could have an epic rematch -- so says Wilder himself.

"God lifted that man up from that knockout," Deontay tells TMZ Sports ... "So now when we have the rematch, it's nothing that's going to be said."

Wilder and Fury put on a show at Staples Center in their heavyweight tilt -- all highlighted by a vicious 12th-round left hook from Wilder that put Tyson flat on his back.

"The last knockdown was a devastating one, where the eyes rolled in the back of the head," Deontay says ... "9 times out of 10, a referee would have stopped that immediately."

But, the ref didn't ... and Wilder's convinced it's all 'cause a higher power wanted to see Wilder-Fury II in a few months.

"I think he had an army of prayers around him that night, and I think God don't make mistakes, though. I think God woke that guy up for the rematch."

As for what that means for the highly anticipated Wilder-Anthony Joshua fight ... Deontay says he "don't give a f*ck" about that scrap anymore -- at least for now.

Deontay says Joshua had his shot to make the mega-fight, but right now, he's solely focused on the rematch with Tyson.

"He thought he was the only one in this sport, the biggest thing in this sport," Wilder said of Joshua.

"But, you're not. Me and Fury, that's all it's about -- me and Fury. I don't give a f*ck what they talking about ... He's on the backburner. Ain't nobody talking about him."

YouTube superstar Deji says he wants REVENGE on his arch nemesis, Jake Paul, after their PPV boxing match back in August ... but there's just one small thing keeping that from happening.

"He's too p***y to fight me again."

The first fight was wild ... with Jake getting the victory when Deji's camp threw in the towel in the 5th round of their bloody slugfest.

Deji was spending some of that hard-earned fight money on Rodeo Drive this week when he was asked about the possibility of the 2 YouTubers beating each other up in the ring again -- but it sounds like it ain't happenin'.

Why?? -- "He's too scared to lose the title."

But, Jake Paul ain't the only guy Deji's beefing with right now -- turns out, he's in a real-life feud with his own brother, KSI.

KSI is reportedly furious with Deji after his lil bro posted KSI's bank statements online. Deji also made some scandalous claims involving his brother and a woman.

But, Deji says the feud runs deeper than that -- explaining, "There's a lot of stuff my brother's done."

Doesn't seem like they're even close to burying the hatchet at this point which is crazy considering how close they were.

Deji also says he's got a big problem with KSI's crew, "The Sidemen" -- a group of British YouTube stars -- and says he's never really been cool with them.

The Dynamite Kid -- one half of the famed British Bulldogs tag team duo -- has died, his family announced Wednesday.

The wrestler -- real name Tommy Billington -- had been battling health issues for years though his exact cause of death has not been revealed.

He turned 60 years old on Wednesday ... the same day he passed away.

Dynamite made his WWF debut back in 1984 and famously wrestled stars like Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.

His biggest moment was winning the tag team championship with British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith at Wrestlemania II back in 1986.

The duo defeated The Dream Team of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Greg Valentine on the same night Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match.

Dynamite Kid's nephew, Davey Boy Smith Jr. -- a former pro wrestler himself -- issued a statement on his passing Wednesday morning,

"It deeply saddens me to announce the passing of Tom Billington the 'Dynamite Kid.' I was really happy and glad I got to see Dynamite one last time last June in the UK."

"Dynamite was certainly an inspiration to myself and many others and really revolutionized professional Wrestling as we now [sic] it today. He flew high, and gave it his all every match. Thanks for everything and sad to have lost another family member. Rest In Peace Dyno."

12/4 10:40 AM PT -- The move cost Beverley a nice chunk of change ... 'cause he just got slapped with a $25,000 fine for "throwing the game ball at a spectator," the NBA announced Tuesday.

L.A. Clippers player Patrick Beverley fired a basketball at a courtside heckler Sunday night after the fan allegedly said, "F*ck your mother" ... the 2nd major incident between a player and a Mavs fan in 2 weeks.

The 30-year-old guard had reportedly been trading verbal jabs with Don Knobler -- a local celeb in Dallas -- throughout the Clippers' game on Sunday ... when things reached a boiling point in the 4th quarter.

So, what set Beverley off? Don't talk about his mother.

Beverley grabbed the ball and threw it at Knobler -- who calmly collected it after it struck him in the leg. Beverley was ejected.

After the game, Beverley told reporters Knobler said, "F*ck your mother" twice.

Knobler later admitted to talking about Patrick's mom but denies using the f-bomb in his trash talk.

Seems Mavs fans have really been getting to opponents lately -- it was just Nov. 17 when Kevin Durant cussed out a different courtside fan who had been running his mouth.

Durant was fined $25,000 for the incident. He later bashed the heckler as "corny and weak."

In both instances, Durant and Beverley alerted refs and security about the heckling fans ... but ultimately took matters into their own hands.

TMZ Sports obtained video of a very upset Kareem Hunt being restrained in the moments after he allegedly beat up a 37-year-old man inside of a Kansas City nightclub back in January.

As we previously reported, a man filed a police report back in January claiming Hunt and George Atkinson -- along with others -- jumped him at the Mosaic nightclub around 2 AM on Jan. 7.

In the police report, the man claims the Chiefs players had been partying at the club after being bounced out of the playoffs by the Titans a few hours earlier. The man claims he suffered broken bones and bruises in the attack.

In the video, you can clearly see Hunt being held back by a security guard -- while other patrons try to calm him down. We're told Hunt was eventually escorted out of the club.

Neither Hunt nor Atkinson were arrested and no charges were filed. Law enforcement tells us the accuser eventually stopped cooperating with police.

Of course, the very next month Hunt got into a violent altercation with a woman at a hotel in Ohio -- and despite being restrained in that incident, he broke free and brutalized the woman.

Hunt allegedly got into a 3rd altercation at a resort in Ohio in June. He was not arrested or charged with a crime in that incident either.

There's no reason Kareem Hunt shouldn't be arrested and charged with battery for attacking that woman back in February ... so says famed prosecutor Christopher Darden.

"I would have filed battery charges against him," Darden tells TMZ Sports ... saying the video evidence would essentially make it an "open-and-shut case."

Darden is most famous for his work in the O.J. Simpson trial, but also prosecuted tons of cases during his 15-year run as a part of the L.A. County District Attorney's office.

In fact, Darden tells us exactly what he would do to get the conviction -- even if the victim refuses to cooperate.

Darden also says prosecutors in Ohio still have time to make things right and arrest Hunt -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the NFL star would benefit from a court-ordered sentence like a diversion program, therapy or anger management.

Worth noting ... the victim has 18 months from the day of the incident (Feb. 10, 2018) to go to prosecutors and seek criminal charges before the statute of limitations expires.

TMZ Sports has obtained a police report filed by a man who claims he was brutally attacked by Kareem Hunt in a Kansas City nightclub back in January ... though Hunt was never arrested.

The accuser claims he was at Mosaic nightclub around 2 AM on January 7, 2018 -- hours after the Chiefs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans.

According to the police report, filed 4 days later on Jan. 11, the man says he saw his friend getting shoved by 3 men ... one of whom was George Atkinson, a running back for the Chiefs at the time.

The man claims he confronted Atkinson -- but the NFL player punched him in his shoulder. The man claims he fought back, but Atkinson and his crew (which included Kareem Hunt) beat the daylights out of him.

The man claims he was struck in his body and head multiple times and believes he was knocked unconscious. He told police he was treated at the North Kansas City Hospital emergency room for a broken rib, broken nose and multiple bruises and contusions.

Cops note in the report the accuser had cuts on his mouth at the time he filed his report.

The man told cops he did not want to file the report but his family members convinced him it was the right thing to do.

We spoke with the Kansas City PD -- and a rep says neither Hunt nor Atkinson were arrested and no charges were ever filed in the case.

Cops told us the victim stopped cooperating with investigators after filing the report -- so the case never went anywhere. Unclear why the man went off the grid.

We reached out to the alleged victim for comment but haven't been able to reach him.

It's a similar ending to the February incident involving Hunt -- when the victim initially told cops she wanted to press charges ... but also stopped cooperating.

The nightclub incident is the 3rd allegation of violence involving Hunt this year. In addition to the Feb. attack captured on video, Hunt was also accused of punching a man at an Ohio resort in June 2018.

Conor McGregor claims UFC fighter Michael Chiesa shouldn't be able to sue him for intentional infliction of emotional distress because he wasn't the intended target in his NY bus attack.

We broke the story ... Chiesa sued Conor over the injuries he suffered from the April 5, 2018 incident at Barclays Center where McGregor threw a steel dolly at a bus packed with UFC fighters and staffers, including Chiesa.

Chiesa was hit by shards of glass and suffered cuts to his face that were so bad, he was forced to pull out of his UFC 223 bout against Anthony Pettis.

Now, McGregor has filed a response to Chiesa's suit admitting his conduct was "unquestionably inappropriate," but should not be considered "outrageous."

So, why does that distinction matter? Because proving "outrageousness" is essential for collecting damages when it comes to intentional infliction of emotional distress.

McGregor also argues that his actions were "clearly not directed at [Chiesa] at all" -- which the judge should consider in evaluating the "outrageousness" of the incident.

Conor has publicly acknowledged that his target was Khabib Nurmagomedov -- who was also riding the bus that day.

Conor had flown into New York from Ireland to attack Khabib after the Russian fighter got into it with one of Conor's friends days before the bus attack.

In his court docs, McGregor also claims Chiesa has failed to prove that he suffered any real emotional distress from the incident -- noting that he's a "seasoned combat sports fighter" ... and therefore should be used to physical trauma.

McGregor was arrested for the incident and later pled guilty to disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to 5 days of community service, and ordered to complete an anger management class.

When Kareem Hunt allegedly punched a man in the face at a resort in Ohio 4 months after brutalizing a woman in Cleveland … the eye in the sky was NOT watching, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story … the ex-KC Chiefs star allegedly got into a violent altercation at the Put-in-Bay Resort in Ohio on June 3.

Days after the incident, sources told us Hunt punched the resort guest in the face after he had been partying all weekend long at the pool and DJ booth.

At the time, the alleged victim told us he did not plan on pressing charges.

Now, we’ve spoken to the owner of the resort who tells us the incident was NOT captured on surveillance cameras.

In other words, there’s no smoking gun like in the February incident.

Still, our sources tell us NFL investigators paid multiple visits to the resort in an effort to gather information and any possible video evidence.

We’re told the resort was cooperative with the NFL.

As for Hunt — who was not punished by the league — he insists he’s not the violent maniac seen in the video … and hopes to move on from the incident.

Floyd Mayweather ain't gonna like this ...

George Foreman tells TMZ Sports it doesn't matter if Money goes ANOTHER 50-0 ... he'll never consider him the greatest boxer of all-time -- 'cause he ain't a heavyweight!

"If Floyd Mayweather goes out and gets a real beer belly and comes back and challenges the heavyweights, I'll call him all that," George tells us.

"But right now, he's thin as a rail."

Floyd's 50-0 and owns victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley and just about every other great fighter of this era ... and even has a win against one of the UFC's best too (sorry, Conor).

But, Foreman clearly doesn't care ... telling us ya gotta beat the BIG boys to wear the GOAT crown.

"He's got to say, 'I'm one of the best.' That's all he can say."