Fights

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not abandoning hope for a super fight against UFC legend Georges St-Pierre ... his manager tells TMZ Sports he's actively working on getting the two in the Octagon.

Ali Abdelaziz not only reps Khabib -- but he's also close with GSP and helped get Georges back into fighting after a 4-year layoff to take on Michael Bisping in 2017.

Georges won that fight -- but hung up his gloves in early 2019 saying, "You should retire on top."

Now, Ali says the fighters have expressed to him that a Khabib vs. GSP matchup would be a "dream fight" on both ends ... but the trick is getting everyone to agree on money and a weight class.

"It's about weight," Ali says ... "The problem is about weight. What weight class do we fight at?"

If the two sides can strike a deal, the fight wouldn't happen any time in the immediate future -- Ali says Khabib has two fights to get through before he could get to GSP ... including a title fight with Dustin Poirier later this year.

Of course, Conor McGregor is also still in the picture -- he's demanding a rematch after Khabib dominated him at UFC 229 back in October.

Ali says Khabib feels Conor needs to prove he's worthy of a rematch -- considering he's lost 2 of his last 4 fights in the UFC.

Terence Crawford has a 100% chance of losing to Errol Spence when they finally fight ... this according to boxing superstar Jermell Charlo, who says Crawford has ZERO SHOT.

"I definitely believe Terence Crawford stands zero chance against Errol Spence. Zero. Zero."

That's what Crawford said when we got him out the Conga Room in L.A. this week, basically disrespecting the hell out of the undefeated Crawford, but telling us he has his reasons.

"Errol is the bigger, monster fighter."

Crawford vs. Spence is one of the biggest fights in boxing (if it could get made) and although it's known that Charlo and Spence are cool, it's still kinda surprising to hear him go this hard.

Even the Avengers were given a 1 in 14 million chance to beat Thanos ... and he had all 6 Infinity Stones.

Jack Swagger is fighting a factory worker who weighed 330 pounds 3 months ago ... and that regular dude, well ... he says he's gonna knock Swagger's ass out cold.

The former college wrestling and WWE Superstar -- government name Jake Hager -- has his 2nd pro MMA fight Saturday at Bellator 221. Swagger DOMINATED his first opponent ... submitting him in the 1st round.

Enter 6'2", 265 lb. T.J. Jones -- who holds down a 9 to 5 job at a meat factory in Kansas (yes, seriously) -- and basically has no experience as a fighter (he's 1-1).

Almost everyone believes Bellator's feeding Swagger a tomato to inflate his record -- someone who can't beat him.

Except Jones ain't with that program.

"I honestly don't think that he understands how fast I actually am," Jones tells us ... "The one thing that I've always been pretty blessed with is a super sweet left hook and a quick jab, and as soon as I land those, I think he'll go into panic mode."

Most fighter's don't reveal their fight game plan ... but T.J. had no problem laying out the blueprint.

"I'm gonna put my glove on his chin and he's gonna go down. That's the plan. We're gonna find out what his wrestling knows about my power."

You can't punch spectators, Neymar ...

The 27-year-old soccer superstar has been banned for 3 games after socking a fan in the face minutes after his team lost in the French Cup final last month, the French Football Federation announced.

Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain club had just lost to Stade Rennes in a 6-5 penalty shootout -- and the team was forced to walk through the crowd to collect their 2nd place medals.

During the walk, Neymar claims a fan lurched at him and began shouting various insults -- so Neymar popped the guy in the face.

The fan claims he suffered a bloody nose and a split lip from the punch. Neymar later commented, "I was wrong but I don't have cockroach blood."

The saying essentially means he won't back down from people when they cross a line.

Now, the FFF says Neymar won't play in the next 3 games for PSG -- a suspension the team has described as "severe."

Addison Russell was booed by his OWN fans in his return from a domestic violence suspension Wednesday ... with Wrigley Field lighting up the guy with jeers during his first at-bat.

As we previously reported ... the star infielder was banned from the Cubs for 40 games after his ex-wife accused him of physically and verbally abusing her.

Melisa Reidy -- who has a child with the 25-year-old -- accused Russell of name calling, intimidating with personal force and putting his hands on her during their 2-year marriage.

Addison began serving the suspension late last season ... but the Cubs brought him back for their game against the Marlins on Wednesday -- and fans weren't exactly pleased to see him.

For the team's part ... President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said before the game Russell didn't deserve cheers from the home crowd, telling reporters, "I think he will receive an appropriate response and that's something he needs to take responsibility for."

JUNGLE BOY IS BACK!!!

David Arquette got beat up in public Wednesday night -- and the man who served up the smackdown is Jack Perry, son of Luke Perry.

Jack -- aka Jungle Boy -- had taken a hiatus from pro wrestling after his father passed away in March, but he took over the Bootleg Theater in L.A. Wednesday night where he put on a helluva show at Bar Wrestling's "It's Gonna Be May" event.

There were some high-flying acrobatics -- some brute power moves -- and finally, an athletic pin to seal the victory over Arquette.

After the match, Arquette wasn't bitter about the loss -- in fact, he was RAVING about Jungle Boy ... calling him one of the "greatest wrestlers working right now."

"He's just got so much talent, so much heart," Arquette told us ... "He's incredible. He's super smart."

"Little Women: LA" star Christy Gibel says she needs court-ordered protection against her husband, and she needs it now ... TMZ has learned.

The reality TV star filed court docs Wednesday in L.A. County asking a judge to grant her a temporary restraining order against her hubby of 5 years -- Todd Gibel.

Our Christy sources claim Todd has been making life for her and her 19-year-old daughter from another relationship miserable in a number of threatening ways. For one, Christy says Todd has been impersonating her via email and shutting her out of her social media accounts. She also suspects he's been ripping up her mail.

On a more petty level ... Christy says Todd's been doing stuff like unnecessarily raising the temperature in the house to unbearable levels. For that reason and others ... Christy says she fears for her life and needs a force field between her and Todd.

The married couple has certainly been going through a tough time lately, as Todd has been battling depression. He told us late last month that he'd be seeking treatment to better his condition -- which he explained was severely affecting his marriage to Christy.

At the time, Todd said ... "Right now Christy and I still live together, but we are just co-existing."

There's been more drama at home, it seems, in recent days -- social media posts Todd's been putting up paint a picture of constant arguing over family coming to visit and their dogs.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Todd even called cops late Sunday night ... complaining about Christy's pup not shutting its yap when her niece came to visit. We're told cops instructed them to figure it out amongst themselves.

They tried doing that by boarding all three of their dogs up for a day -- Monday, we're told -- but it appears Todd's now fighting with Christy about that too ... saying she's not releasing his own dog, Elvis, to him and holding it hostage against his will.

Former "Big Brother" star Christmas Abbott struck a pretty sweet deal in her criminal mischief case -- she has a hefty bill to pay ... but won't spend any time behind bars.

Abbott -- who finished third on season 19 of 'BB' back in 2017 -- has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service for a violent altercation with her baby daddy's girlfriend last year.

As we reported ... Christmas was arrested in November for the August 2018 incident, in which she drove to a Tampa gym to confront the woman and ended up flying off the handle and ramming into her car in the parking lot.

The only reason Abbott wasn't hauled in on the spot ... she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She turned herself after she gave birth to a son in October.

Anderson Silva ain't mincing words when it comes to his message for Dana White ... telling TMZ Sports he wants a fight with Conor McGregor ASAP!!!!

"Come on, boss," Silva says ... "Give this show for the fans. Give this show for the fans of UFC."

Remember, Silva has pleaded with the UFC honcho ever since Conor said in October 2018 he'd be "interested" in scrapping with Anderson.

But, Silva tells us he's still dead serious about making the fight happen ... and he even explained to Dana why the UFC should set it up!!!

"It's good money for you, Dana. And, a good challenge for me and Conor."

Silva says the fight should take place at a 180 pounds ... which means Conor would have to go up from his normal 155-pound division -- but Anderson says it'll be worth it in the end.

"That's the good fight for me and Conor ... It's a super, super, super fight."

MMA star Kayla Harrison tells TMZ Sports she's 100% confident she could take Khabib Nurmagomedov in a judo match ... if he's man enough to step up!!!

Don't get it twisted, Kayla's not calling for a fist fight -- but if Khabib is down for a pure judo match, Kayla says she KNOWS she can win.

FYI, Harrison was a 2-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016 games) before making the switch to MMA. She's considered the most decorated American judo athlete of all time.

So, could she beat up some of the top guys in MMA???

No. Kayla knows she has a disadvantage when it comes to fighting men in mixed martial arts fight -- but she believes she's got the skill, speed and strength to beat men on the judo mat.

"Am I gonna beat Khabib? I mean I think I would beat him in a judo match. For sure. 100%. I would beat Khabib."

Of course, Khabib is known to have one of the most ferocious ground games in the UFC -- but without the ability to punch, Kayla thinks she has the advantage.

You can see Kayla put her skills on display when she takes on Larissa Pacheco in the main event at PFL1 on Thursday.

... and if Khabib's looking for some groundwork, he might wanna hit her up after the fight.

We also spoke with Kayla's manager, Ali Abdelaziz -- who also manages Khabib -- and he says he's down to set something up ... as long as the money's right!!!

Ex-UFC star Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was arrested for domestic violence Monday night after admitting he got physical during an argument with his girlfriend, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, a woman called police to report an altercation with her boyfriend, Anthony Johnson.

The woman claimed she had started to pack AJ's belongings to throw him out of the house when he forcefully picked her up -- "put her in a football hold" -- and carried her into another room.

The woman claims "she was scared due to his size and martial arts experience."

FYI, 35-year-old Johnson is a former UFC star who was 22-6 as a pro -- with wins over stars like Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader and Alexander Gustafsson.

Cops say the woman did not have any visible injuries.

When cops spoke with Johnson that night, he admitted he had grabbed the woman and carried her during the argument -- but says his intention was never to hurt her. Johnson claimed he simply didn't want to argue anymore.

Cops determined Johnson's actions warranted a domestic violence arrest -- so they took him into custody and hauled him to a nearby station where he was booked on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

Johnson retired from the UFC back in 2017 -- after losing to Daniel Cormier. His profession on the police report is listed as "body building."

Anthony Joshua is turning up the heat on Deontay Wilder -- telling TMZ Sports he wants a crack at the Bronze Bomber ASAP ... and inviting the boxing superstar to "come see me."

Joshua and Wilder have been trading verbal jabs for years but have never been able to come to terms on a fight contract. A Joshua vs. Wilder matchup could be one of the biggest fights in PPV history.

Anthony invited us onto his tricked out sprinter van in NYC moments ago ... and walked us through his fight plans -- including some tough talk for Deontay.

Long story short ... Joshua says he wants to unify the heavyweight titles -- and since Wilder is the reigning WBC heavyweight champ, he wants to fight Deontay as soon as possible to get that belt.

"If he's ready and wants to prove he's the best in the world, [Wilder] can come see me," Joshua says.

Wilder is slated to fight Dominic Breazeale on May 18 -- and if he gets through D.B., he's got options ... including a rematch with Tyson Fury.

As for Joshua, he'll be fighting 29-year-old Andy Ruiz on June 1 -- after his original opponent, Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, tested positive for a bunch of banned substances.

But, Joshua says he ain't holding a grudge -- he hopes Miller can turn his life around and get right.

In the meantime, Joshua says he ain't taking Ruiz lightly -- despite the fact most people don't know who he is.

UFC champ Rose Namajunas says she wouldn't rule out a superfight against Valentina Shevchenko ... but first, she's gotta get through Jessica Andrade.

Rose is the reigning UFC strawweight champ (115 lbs) after posting two amazing wins over UFC legend Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

She's gearing up for a title defense against Andrade this weekend at UFC 237 -- and despite being the champ, Rose is the betting underdog going into the fight.

"It's definitely a familiar feeling. This is not something new. I'm always the underdog. Not always, I shouldn't say that, but generally speaking," Namajunas told us.

"And, it makes sense. Andrade, when you look at her highlights, when you look at her physique, and you look what she does to girls, it's pretty intimidating."

Andrade's a beast ... but if she wins, would Rose -- who's cleaned out her division -- go up a weight class and fight the 125 lb. champ, Shevchenko?

"I've trained a lot with Valentina. Definitely, the training sessions, the way she trains, she's an animal. Of course, I'd love to test myself against her."

The issue? They're friends ... but Thug Rose ain't above punching her buddies.

"She's also my friend too, so that would kinda be strange. But, it's whatever, like I've fought friends before multiple times."

Conor McGregor spent his Monday training his ass off in his MMA gym in Ireland -- and sources connected to the UFC star tell us he's "ready to fight right now."

Conor had a sparring session with Hans Molenkamp -- who created the MMA equipment company, Triumph, and runs the Monster Energy combat program. He's also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who trains with some of the best fighters in the world.

Hans and Conor have been tight for years -- so, when Hans touched down in Ireland, Conor invited him to Straight Blast Gym for a workout.

Our sources at the gym tell us ... Conor looked sharp in sparring sessions -- even cracking Hans in the face with that legendary left (you can see it in the video).

We're told Conor is training like he's getting ready for a fight -- and he's been talking about how badly he wants the rematch with Khabib.

One source extremely close to McGregor put it this way -- "He's ready to fight now. He's in training. Everything needs to line up correctly ... opponent, place and of course, money."

Conor was called out this weekend by UFC legend Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone -- McGregor has yet to respond.

Great news for UFC star Brian Ortega ... the 27-year-old says he's been medically cleared to return to the Octagon -- and he's got his sights set on a rematch with Max Holloway.

Ortega suffered a broken nose and a broken thumb after his Dec. 8 bloodbath with Max at UFC 231 ... a fight Brian ultimately lost when the doctor stopped it at the end of the 4th round.

Brian fought his ass off -- and later said he was "willing to die" in the Octagon.

After the fight, Ortega underwent surgery -- which was successful -- and now the featherweight star tells us he's looking to book a fight as early as July.

Unclear who the opponent will be -- but Ortega says the ultimate goal is to earn another crack at Holloway, an opponent he has tremendous respect for.

Ortega says he's replayed the Holloway fight in his head -- and knows he can win the second time around.

The visual evidence Remy Ma has for prosecutors in her assault case is so cut and dry, she knows they'll have no choice but to drop it ... so says her lawyer.

The rapper's attorney, Dawn Florio, tells TMZ ... Remy has security cameras installed in her house that show she was there at 9:30 PM on April 16 -- the same time "Love & Hip Hop: New York" star Brittney Taylor claims Remy punched her backstage during a concert at NYC's Irving Plaza.

We already knew this, but according to Florio ... prosecutors were "dumbfounded" in court this week when Remy's side claimed to have evidence to support she was nowhere near the spot of the alleged assault.

Remy's lawyer's confident once they review the home security footage, Taylor's case will be destroyed and Remy will be cleared.

There's more -- Florio insists there's NO surveillance footage from Irving Plaza that backs Taylor's claim she was assaulted in the green room area ... AND Florio says she's obtained a photo from the night of the alleged assault timestamped hours afterward that shows Brittney with no visible marks on her face.

Florio also claims after Remy left her house that night, she stopped at Target to pick up some items for her baby and didn't arrive at Irving Plaza until around 10:45 PM ... 15 minutes before she was scheduled to perform at 11.