Fights

Allen Crowder -- the UFC fighter who took a vicious knee to the head from Greg Hardy on Saturday -- says the move was NOT a dirty one ... telling TMZ Sports, "sh*t happens."

Hardy and Crowder squared off in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ ... but the match ended in the 2nd round after Greg blasted Allen with a right knee to the temple while he was still down.

Hardy was DQ'd ... and given his troubled past -- many wondered if the ex-NFL player who has been previously accused of domestic violence MEANT to throw the illegal shot.

But, Crowder says he doesn't think Hardy had any malicious intentions with the move ... saying, "it's a fight. It's the heat of the moment."

"There's a lot of people that have made the same mistake. I have no hard feelings against him at all. He was tired, and sh*t happens. I have no hard feelings about it at all."

For his part ... Greg says he didn't know the knee was illegal -- saying, "it was not intentional."

FYI ... Crowder says if officials had given him another 30-or-so seconds -- he woulda gotten up and continued the fight.

As for a rematch ... Crowder says he'd be down -- if the price is right.

Tiffany Haddish gave Adrien Broner's swollen face something to grin about after loss to Manny Pacquaio ... bum-rushing his post-fight press conference and doing her best to lighten the mood.

Broner took to the podium to explain once again how he didn't lose the fight ... and after a couple of regular questions from media, a very familiar voice from "South Central News" started in.

Of course, that reporter was Haddish -- and rather than ask anything about the fight, Tiff wanted to know how and where she could get some Fashionova duds from Broner, who's been rocking the brand lately.

Broner shoulda been ready for questions from Haddish, because she'd turned up earlier in the presser, asking equally amusing questions to light heavyweight champ Marcus Browne.

Now we don't know how Tiffany made it into the event, or why she did it, but we do know this ... it was the most entertaining part of the night.

Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley is pissed at Adrien Broner ... saying Adrien cost him a grip of cash when he got punished by Manny Pacquiao ... a $20,000 grip to be exact.

Broner got his ass handed to him Saturday night, in a fight where he only landed 50 punches and spent most of the match on his bike, running from a 40-year-old.

After the fight, Broner told Jim Gray he believed he won the fight -- and noted his pals in the "hood" were behind him.

"I did this for the hood," Broner said during the post-fight interview ... "You know I beat that boy."

Most of Twitter was disgusted with AB's performance, but Tee was especially pissed -- taking to social media to throw major shade at Broner.

"AB, what hood was you doing that sh*t for bro? You shootin' dice and all in the airport playing and sh*t, you shoulda been training. I lost 20 racks f*cking with you."

It was a brutal scene outside a White Castle in Paterson, NJ early Friday morning -- and the new video clearly shows it -- as a group of people appear to be attacking Lezhae Lowder, Fetty Wap's baby mama and her friends.

Alexis Skyy was there, laying low inside her Benz Truck, which you can see in the drive-thru while the melee occurs ... at least that's what Lezhae tells TMZ.

Lezhae and Alexis allegedly got into it earlier in the night at a bar. According to Alexis, she and her friends then went to the White Castle where Lezhae pulled up and tried to confront her with a knife.

Although there are no signs of a knife in the video, you see the violence ... someone is stomped and punched repeatedly before being dragged by the hair. At one point you see Lezhae on the ground, covering herself.

The most frightening moment comes when a car tries to drive through the crowd, almost hitting multiple people before crashing into the side of the White Castle. The violence erupts again as the crowd rushes the car, smashing the back windshield.

Adrien Broner went off the rails Saturday night in a post-fight interview after pretty much getting destroyed by Manny Pacquiao for the WBA welterweight championship ... telling Showtime's Jim Gray he could beat the crap out of him if he wanted.

Pacquiao dominated the fight -- pretty much everyone but Adrien agrees -- and Broner went on a tirade with Gray, who warned him to keep it civil or else he'd pull the plug on the interview.

Broner suggested the fight at the MGM Grand in Vegas was rigged, but Gray stood his ground ... not only saying the outcome was the right one but questioning Broner's future.

Check out the vid ... Broner doesn't really have a comeback to Gray regarding his recent losses, but he does say he'd have an unblemished record if Gray would step in the ring with him.

Broner posted a photo to Instagram shortly after the fight to show off the absence of bruises.

Nick Cannon's confident he'd whoop Kanye West if they ever came to blows, but if Ye and Drake ever threw down ... his money's on the guy who's got more fire.

The "Wild 'n Out" host sat down with Raquel Harper for a new episode of BET's "Raq Rants," and dished on some real hip-hop feuds hypothetically coming to blows.

You'll recall ... Nick and Kanye had beef in September after Ye got pissed because Nick talked about Kim Kardashian's body. They eventually squashed it, but it still lends itself to fight fodder.

Cannon makes it clear he thinks he'd take Kim's husband down -- and explained why. Now, Kanye and his current nemesis, Drake, squaring off is a different story ... in Nick's eyes.

You gotta see Nick and Raq break down the fight. BTW, they both think if Diddy ever slapped Kanye the way he allegedly slapped Drake ... things would have turned out a lot differently.

Kimora Lee Simmons allegedly went to battle with another driver over a primo parking spot, and in the end ... they both ended up going to the cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Russell Simmons' ex-wife got into a dispute with a woman last week in a FedEx store parking lot in L.A., and it got physical. We're told the ladies were arguing over a spot and shoved each other before Kimora took off.

The cops were called by the other woman -- who filed a battery report against Kimora -- but later in the day ... Simmons contacted police and filed one of her own against the lady.

We're told cops are looking into it and plan to pull surveillance footage of the incident.

Dana White says it's obvious to him ... Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter EVER.

But, when you add men to the mix -- is she better than Jon Jones?

White broke it down for us ... saying Nunes has not only beaten the best of the best, but destroyed Cris Cyborg -- "the most feared fighter out there" -- and made it look easy.

Don't forget, she also dominated Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice) and Miesha Tate.

Dana says Jon's got a pretty solid case too ... beating the hell out of stars like Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, Alexander Gustafsson (twice), Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader.

Oh, and Dana says he's SUPER impressed by the fact JJ beat Daniel Cormier on two separate occasions because DC is an "unbelievable" fighter too!

So, who really is the G.O.A.T.?

Manny Pacquiao says that if he faces off against Floyd Mayweather again things will be "different," because his body is totally healthy, and he feels 20 years younger.

Translation: Manny thinks his shoulder held him back in the first Mayweather fight, and that he'd kick Floyd's ass now.

We talked to Pac Man ahead of his big fight against Adrien Broner on Saturday, and although the Filipino legend was totally focused on AB, we asked him about a possible rematch against Floyd.

Manny was dominated by Floyd in their first fight, but many blamed a shoulder injury for the bad performance ... an injury Manny says is now totally healed.

"I feel like I'm in my late 20s. The way I work hard, the way I move, it's still the same, nothing's changed."

So, the question is, now that Manny's found the fountain of youth, would the result be different if he and Floyd fought again? People think it might happen if he beats Broner.

"Of course, it's different. It's very big difference when you're healthy or not healthy."

Cody Rhodes is looking to staff up his new All Elite Wrestling organization with some killer new talent -- and tells TMZ Sports he thinks UFC fighters could be a real solid fit.

Rhodes has teamed up with fellow wrestling superstars the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Tony Khan -- whose family owns the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. Together, they're launching the next major pro wrestling federation. It's got huge potential.

The former WWE superstar says now he's on the hunt for talent -- gunning for fresh new wrestlers who can kill it in the ring.

We brought up the possibility of hiring talent from the UFC -- especially with the pro wrestling success of ex-MMA stars like Ronda Rousey and Matthew Riddle.

Rhodes says the idea makes a lot of sense ... with one real important caveat -- they need to have a real PASSION for pro wrestling.

"That's one of my big knocks ... you can't teach passion."

"So, as long as it's somebody who's passionate about [wrestling] and knows it's kind of a hard gig ... I could imagine that would be a cool little crossover."

"90 Day Fiance" star Larissa Dos Santos Lima has been hit with a domestic violence charge after allegedly attacking her husband last week.

The charge is a misdemeanor and was filed Wednesday in Vegas. The criminal complaint -- obtained by TMZ -- states Larissa, "Did willfully and unlawfully use force or violence against or upon the person of her spouse."

TMZ broke the story ... Larissa was arrested last Friday after she allegedly punched her estranged husband, Colt Johnson, in the face. Colt suffered a bloody lip as a result of the attack.

Johnson told cops Larissa became enraged -- accusing him of cheating -- after she discovered he had purchased porn. According to the police report -- obtained by TMZ -- Colt said Larissa had downed half a bottle of antidepressants and was suicidal.

Larissa claimed Colt was the aggressor, scratching her in the face and on her torso ... but after their investigation, cops determined Larissa was the aggressor.

Greg Hardy says he's a changed man -- telling TMZ Sports he's got a new attitude and a new perspective after dedicating his life to mixed martial arts.

You already know Greg's backstory ... the NFL star was accused of domestic violence against a woman back in 2014 and initially convicted. The conviction was overturned in 2015.

He was also arrested for cocaine possession in 2016.

Hardy was essentially blackballed from the NFL ... so he ultimately decided to train in MMA.

We're told he made a real effort to clean up his lifestyle and focus on the sport -- and so far, he's been incredibly successful in his new career ... racking up a 5-0 record in his first 5 fights.

Now, he's set to fight at UFC on ESPN+ on Saturday -- and acknowledges that his past has become an issue since the card also features Rachael Ostovich, a domestic violence victim.

Hardy tells us he's staying focused on his fight and trying not to be a distraction from all of the other fighters on the card ... since he knows how hard everyone worked to get to this level.

Hardy isn't getting into specifics about his legal past -- but says he's got a new lease on life and a new attitude and wants to be a respected professional moving forward.

As for his fight with Allen Crowder ... Hardy says he wants his opponent to know he's a "very dangerous man inside the Octagon and I'm very serious about what I do."

When Blac Chyna and Alexis Skyy almost came to blows it was squarely over Rob Kardashian, and a scolding Chyna felt was long overdue ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to both women tell us BC did not simply invite Alexis over for a friendly chat during a house party last weekend. Her true goal was setting Alexis straight about her past interactions with Rob ... which Chyna found inappropriate.

We're told Alexis and Rob have known each other since way back in 2016 when he was still with Chyna -- who, we're told, thinks Alexis was a little too friendly with her baby daddy.

Our sources say Chyna wanted to finally clear the air.

Contrary to how Alexis portrayed it on social media, we're told she was the one who started acting wild when Chyna brought up the past -- and that's why BC threw the drink.

Our sources also say Alexis only started barking about a smackdown when her male friend showed up, and they'd been tossed from the party.

Despite the showdown with Chyna -- Alexis and Rob seem to be rekindling whatever they had going on years ago. He's called her his "WCW" and she seems to be totally down.

Hope Rob looks good in referee stripes -- round 2 is coming, we suspect.

Boxing superstar Sergey Kovalev has been charged with felony assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face back in June -- but he claims he's not guilty ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... the Russian fighter was arrested in Big Bear, CA on June 9 after a woman told police the former light heavyweight champion socked her in the face, causing serious injuries.

Sources connected to the case tell us ... the woman is claiming Kovalev had hit on her at a party earlier in the evening but rejected his advances. She claims Sergey and a friend followed her back to her cabin and that's where the alleged attack occurred.

We're told the woman claims she suffered major injuries including a severely broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disk in her neck.

FYI, Kovalev earned his nickname "Krusher" for his devastating punching power. 28 of his 32 wins have come by way of knockout.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... they began searching for Kovalev immediately and arrested him a short time later.

He was charged with assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury -- which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.

Kovalev appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea.

What's interesting ... Kovalev fought Eleider Álvarez in August -- just 2 months after the arrest -- and lost in a shocking upset.

Kovalev is due back in court in March. He also has a rematch with Alvarez lined up for Feb. 2.

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich says she's "grateful" to be fighting on Saturday night -- after a domestic violence incident in November nearly derailed her MMA career.

"I'm feeling so grateful to be here," Ostovich told us in NYC ... "There was a point where I wouldn't have been here."

As we previously reported, Ostovich suffered a broken orbital bone when she was allegedly attacked by her MMA fighter husband in their Hawaii home on Nov. 18.

Ostovich initially pulled out of her fight with Paige VanZant due to the severity of the injuries -- but after she was cleared by another doctor, she asked Dana White to be put back on the card.

Ostovich says she's received a ton of support from a bunch of UFC fighters -- including VanZant.

"She's an amazing person and she's been very supportive and I love that," Ostovich said.

We also spoke with Paige who says she has a TON of respect for Ostovich -- but the bottom line, when the cage door closes ... they're going to war.

Dana White isn't taking kindly to being called "tone-deaf" over his decision to book Greg Hardy and Rachael Ostovich on the same UFC fight card ... saying, "I could give a sh*t."

... and it didn't stop there.

First, some backstory ...

Both Hardy and Ostovich are fighting at the big UFC on ESPN event on Saturday night -- which drew heavy criticism from ESPN's main MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani, who sounded off Wednesday.

"I found this decision to be incredibly tone-deaf, to put it mildly," Helwani said on ESPN.

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.

Ostovich suffered serious injuries in an alleged domestic violence incident back in November. She claims her husband (who's also an MMA fighter) snapped and beat her ruthlessly.

Helwani and others have expressed concern over having them fight on the same card -- so, when we saw White in NYC on Thursday morning, we asked for his thoughts.

"I don't give a sh*t what Ariel Helwani thinks," White said ... "Who the f*ck is Ariel Helwani to question anything that we do."

"I think we've done a pretty good job in 20 years. I could give a sh*t what he thinks, or anybody else for that matter."

So, why are they on the same card? White says they're both on the UFC roster and it was bound to happen at some point.