Fights

Forget Conor McGregor ... UFC fighter Kevin Lee wants to throw down with Kamaru Usman next -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks that scrap would be WAY more challenging than one with The Notorious.

"He might not bring the attention and the money," Lee says ... "But, as a competitor, he'll bring a lot more."

Of course, Lee has been trying to set up a fight with Conor and Khabib Nurmagomedov for the last year ... telling us in the past he'd beat both their asses.

But now, he's saying those fights don't intrigue him as much as a possible scrap with Kamaru does ... saying, "Seeing what he did to Tyron Woodley, that's kind of adding a little bit to me."

Either way, Lee knows fights with any of those three won't go down if he can't get past Rafael dos Anjos in their ESPN+ fight this Saturday night ... which is why he tells us he's laser-focused on that scrap right now.

Alec Baldwin's foe in a bitter battle over a parking spot lied when he said Alec punched him ... and the actor says he has video to prove it.

In new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Baldwin's attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, say there's video surveillance footage proving he didn't punch or attempt to punch Wojciech Cieszkowski during their parking squabble in November ... squarely contradicting the man's story.

Instead, Baldwin claims the footage shows both men standing face-to-face during their argument before Alec "lightly taps" the other guy's chest. Baldwin is adamant ... claiming he never threw a punch, and now says the video irrefutably backs him up.

In the docs, Baldwin also claims Cieszkowski's own medical records prove he didn't suffer any injuries ... and get this, Baldwin claims the guy's doctor recommended he take a SINGLE Tylenol and that's it.

As we reported ... Baldwin was arrested for assault after the incident, but cut a deal in January to plead guilty to a lesser charge of harassment in the 2nd degree and accept anger management classes as punishment.

But, that wasn't the end of it. Cieszkowski sued Baldwin last month for assault and slander, maintaining the actor punched, shoved and ruined his reputation by going on 'The Ellen Show' and saying he thought Cieszkowski was going to run over his wife with the car.

As for the slander allegations ... Baldwin's calling BS and says his comments to Ellen were just opinion.

Deontay Wilder says Anthony Joshua is straight-up DELUSIONAL if he thinks he holds the cards when it comes to negotiating their long-awaited super fight ... saying AJ is now a "desperate" man.

Wilder couldn't wait to fire back at Joshua after the British heavyweight told TMZ Sports that Wilder should "come see me" about putting a fight contract together.

"WE DID THAT 5 TIMES," Wilder told us ... "And, they denied me! So, I don't want to hear him talking about 'coming to see me' because we came and saw you, ya'll still ran!!!"

In other words, Wilder says he went to Joshua multiple times with various fight offers -- including a $50 MILLION upfront check if AJ would agree to throw down. But, Wilder says his offers were rejected every time.

Now, Wilder says Joshua is desperately seeking a high-profile opponent -- and has "nowhere to go" -- essentially claiming Joshua has lost all negotiating power.

"Now you want me to come and see you? Nah. Now it's on our terms. We'll come and see you when we WANT to come and see you," Wilder says.

Wilder says he's sick of being the one who always has to make concessions -- and says it's Joshua who should be BEGGING him for the privilege of fighting him.

Meanwhile, Wilder says he's got his sights set on Dominic Breazeale -- they're fighting on Saturday, May 18 at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn ... and Deontay says it's personal.

Back in Feb. 2017 -- the two got into a major brawl at an Alabama hotel after fighting on the same card earlier that night.

Wilder says he felt incredibly disrespected by Dominic -- and vows to make him pay for the incident when they step in the ring.

"When you make it personal for me, now I really want to hurt you," Wilder said.

NBA legend Paul Pierce is being sued over an altercation with a security guard in the stands at the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The man behind the suit is Christopher Mostello -- who was working security at the T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 6, 2018, for UFC 229 when he got called over by a supervisor to respond to an incident involving Pierce.

Mostello claims he rushed over and was told Pierce had gotten aggressive and physical with the security supervisor -- a woman -- because she had asked for his ticket before allowing him back to his seat.

Mostello claims he was told Pierce grabbed the woman by the arms and pushed her to the side -- so he stepped in front of Paul to try and stop him.

But, Mostello claims Paul didn't stop -- instead Paul screamed "F*ck you" and accused Mostello of being a racist.

Footage of the altercation was captured by other fans in the stands and posted on TMZ Sports -- where you can clearly hear Pierce call the man a racist.

Mostello claims he's NOT a racist -- and he only engaged Pierce in the capacity of doing his job.

Now, Mostello claims his reputation has taken a serious hit and he's been subjected to public embarrassment, harassment and ridicule.

In the suit, filed by attorney Jesse Sbaih, Mostello accuses Pierce of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He's demanding more than $15,000 in damages plus attorney's fees and other costs.

Good news, bad news for a Judo fighter who had his phone slip out of his pocket mid-match in a major competition last week ...

The Good? Hey, the screen didn't crack!!

The Bad? Dude was disqualified immediately!!

The most egregious dropped call ever went down in the Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan ... where Portuguese judoka Anri Egutidze took on Sweden’s Robin Pacek.

As the two locked up in the beginning stages of the fight ... Egutidze bent over -- and his phone slipped right out of his gi.

The ensuing moments were about as awkward as a judo match has ever gotten -- 'cause Pacek picked up the phone, and Egutidze tried to play it off like it was no big deal.

But, the ref wasn't having any of it -- apparently, carrying a phone during a match is against the rules -- and he immediately DQ'd Egutidze.

Heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev -- who kissed a female reporter without consent -- has been ordered to complete a sexual harassment course in order to be licensed to fight in California again.

Pulev appeared in front of the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday to address the March 23 incident when he kissed reporter Jenny Sushe during a post-fight interview.

Sushe claimed she did NOT give permission for Pulev to kiss her -- and hired attorney Gloria Allred to go after the 38-year-old fighter.

CSAC had suspended Pulev indefinitely following the incident -- but when the boxer faced the Commission in person on Tuesday, they agreed to reinstate him on July 22 if he completes a sexual harassment training course.

Pulev must also pay a $2,500 fine within 6 months from the incident -- and if he commits any similar offenses in the future, he could face a lifetime ban in California.

During the hearing, the CSAC commissioner lectured Pulev about the incident -- telling him he needs to understand why his actions are unacceptable and dangerous.

Pulev said he understood and wants to get back to work fighting as soon as possible.

Pulev is 27-1 as a pro -- with his only loss coming at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko.

Washington Redskins safety Montae Nicholson is off the hook in his assault case -- prosecutors have dropped the criminal charges against him ... despite video showing the NFL player KOing a guy.

As we previously reported, Nicholson was arrested in Virginia back in December for assault and battery, and public drunkenness after video showed the 23-year-old beating the hell out of a guy in the middle of the street around 2 AM.

You can see Nicholson throw a solid left which connects -- and the other man goes limp as he collapses to the ground.

But Tuesday, Nicholson appeared in court -- where prosecutors dropped the assault charge, according to court records.

Nicholson's attorney told the Washington Post prosecutors had "insufficient evidence."

Unclear why they would reach that conclusion with the evidence at hand -- it's possible he reached a settlement with the victim, who then refused to cooperate with prosecutors. We just don't know yet.

Blac Chyna's altercation with her hairdresser -- where a knife was allegedly pulled and soda cans hurled -- was caught on video, and there's a little bit of good news for BC.

TMZ has obtained the surveillance footage capturing the action outside of Chyna's San Fernando Valley home early Saturday morning. As we reported, she got into it with her hairdresser over payment ... the hairdresser filed a police report claiming Chyna got hot and wielded a knife ... something Chyna denies.

The video seems to back Chyna's claim the hairdresser threw soda cans at her Rolls-Royce. The stylist seems to be lugging something ... aiming for the expensive whip and launching what looks like cans.

You see Chyna and co. come out and confront the hairdresser. In classic Chyna fashion, she removes her shoes and throws them at the woman. And, then there's the obligatory shouting.

As for the knife ... no evidence of that from the video. It's possible, of course, Chyna could have pulled the weapon off-camera or inside the home.

It seems like Chyna deescalates ... eventually walking inside while the brouhaha continues.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Tyrone Crawford is being prosecuted for that crazy bar fight at the Coyote Ugly Saloon -- but shockingly, he's not being charged with assault.

Remember, we posted footage showing the Cowboys defensive team captain WRECKING several bouncers at the Panama City Beach, FL bar on March 15. We also know Crawford shoved TWO police officers while they were in the process of making an arrest later that night.

But, despite the footage, court records show Crawford was only charged with the single misdemeanor count of unlawful assembly, which a maximum sentence of up to 60 days in jail.

It does not appear as if Crawford was ever formally arrested -- but we know he's already entered a not guilty plea and is currently fighting the charge. He's due back in court next month.

We know the Panama City Beach Police Dept. conducted an investigation -- and spoke with multiple Coyote Ugly staffers.

One staffer told police Crawford's party had been bothering a female bartender at an inside area earlier that evening and they had been told to stay outside for the rest of the night or leave the premises.

25 minutes later, a fight broke out and several bouncers tried like hell to restrain Crawford and his brother -- and judging by the video, it didn't go very well.

The issue for Crawford and the Cowboys ... the NFL can discipline Tyrone for his conduct if they feel he violated the league's personal conduct policy ... even if he ultimately beats the criminal charge.

More details have come to light in Raz B's altercation with his girlfriend that led to his arrest ... including photos of her alleged injuries.

Cops have released photos of Raz's GF -- obtained by TMZ -- showing the aftermath of him allegedly strangling her outside a Macy's in Minneapolis. Some redness can be seen on both sides of her neck ... which the police report indicates are consistent with the neck being squeezed.

Cops also say during the arrest, Raz B stared at his GF "with intense eyes and a clinched jaw while trying to get her attention" ... which was perceived as an attempt to intimidate her.

We broke the story ... the B2K singer was arrested for domestic assault by strangulation but claimed the 2 had an argument that turned physical when she attacked him, and he was simply defending himself.

Dispatch audio and the police report reveal a witness claimed to see Raz grabbing her throat and dragging her into a parking area.

Prosecutors declined to press charges against Raz after investigating the incident, however, citing insufficient evidence. According to the report ... the girlfriend declined to speak with authorities about the case too.

UFC star Johnny Walker says his shoulder surgery was a massive success and he wants to get back in the Octagon the next 2 months ... with the hopes of fighting Jon Jones by the end of the year.

Walker jacked up his left shoulder back in March while doing The Worm dance to celebrate a violent 34-second victory over Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235.

The 26-year-old underwent surgery right after the fight -- and tells us he's back in L.A. for a checkup with the doctor who performed the surgery.

The good news ... Walker -- who's on a 9-fight win streak -- says he feels great but doesn't want to rush his return, he wants to "heal properly" so he can fight at 100%.

Walker says he's still hoping to book 1 or 2 fights before he gets his dream match with Jon Jones ... who previously told us he's interested in fighting Walker too.

As for Jones, he's scheduled to take on Thiago Santos at UFC 239 in July ... and while Walker says he always supports his fellow Brazilians, he's conflicted this time because he wants to be the guy to give Jones his first loss.

"I want to beat Jon Jones," Walker says ... "I have to make history by myself."

Oh, and if you're wondering if Walker is ready to retire his "worm" celebration after the injury ... he ain't.

A soccer fan claims he was beaten within an inch of his life at a Chivas vs. America soccer game in Lodi, CA -- losing his eye and suffering brain damage in a brutal attack captured on video.

The fan is Hilario Cruz -- a huge fan of Club America, a pro team based in Mexico City.

Cruz says he brought his family to Lodi to watch past greats from Club America take on past greats from rival Chivas at the Grape Bowl back in June 2018.

The history between the two teams is well documented ... think Yankees vs. Red Sox on steroids.

Cruz -- dressed in his yellow Club America jersey -- claims his family was trying to safely enter the stadium but got rerouted by a security guard who inadvertently directed them into a group of Chivas fans.

In his suit, Cruz claims the fans were armed with metal pipes -- and began beating him mercilessly just because he supported Club America.

Cruz claims he suffered serious injuries in the attack including the complete loss of his left eye, brain damage, multiple skull fractures and permanent disfigurement.

We spoke with Cruz's attorney, Bill Daniels, who sent us video of the attack -- in which you can hear concerned bystanders shouting at the attackers to stop.

The violence expanded -- with Lodi police saying a full-scale brawl broke out with more than 100 people involved.

Now, Cruz is suing the promoters of the game and the City of Lodi for unspecified damages -- claiming organizers failed to provide adequate security ... especially since they promoted the game as a family-friendly event.

Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.

As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.

In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.

He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.

Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.

This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.

12:51 PM PT -- Shams Charania of The Athletic is now reporting that the Mavericks are investigating the incident Kristaps was involved in. He says the current understanding by the team is that he was jumped at a club, assaulted and hit with objects.

The Mavericks have yet to release an official statement.

Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis was reduced to a bloody mess in his home country of Latvia after he was apparently involved in a brawl that left him wanting more.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ Sports ... the Euro NBA player was in his hometown of Liepaja over the weekend, where we're told he was celebrating some occasion through a number of clubs and pubs in the area.

Our sources say that a handful of Russians confronted Kristaps, supposedly upset with the fact that he was traded from the Knicks to the Mavs ... and an all-out tussle broke out. It would appear to have been pretty violent, 'cause Kristaps was bleeding from his head.

This video appears to capture the aftermath of the fight ... which almost wasn't over if Kristaps would have had his way. You can see him -- again, bleeding and with a torn shirt -- being held back by a woman at first, who he shoves aside.

Kristaps charges another group that's off camera, but a couple police officers plead with him to calm down and stand down. The entire exchange seems to be going on in their native tongue, Latvian.

The Mavericks haven't said anything about the altercation, and Kristaps himself has been quiet too.

The gruesome injury Meghan Markle's nephew suffered is definitely NOT for the squeamish ... and TMZ's got video of it in the aftermath of a massive drunken brawl.

It all went down a week ago at around 11 PM outside the Wonder Bur Lounge in Grants Pass, Oregon, where Meghan's nephew, Tyler Dooley, somehow got dragged into a street fight that ballooned 20 people strong ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ.

It's unclear what triggered the fight, but cops say Dooley was shoved to the ground and somehow broke his left ankle in spectacular form. If ya got the stomach for it ... check out the vid.

You can see Dooley tried walking it off ... but he can't stand on his own two feet cause his ankle's mangled. Cops say he was so drunk he didn't feel the pain from his ankle practically snapping off. Dooley was taken to a hospital and nobody was arrested.

Witnesses tell us as he was being wheeled inside the ambulance he said, "I have a Rolex. I can pay for this." Again, he was drunk.

Dooley, of course, is part of Meghan's extended family. You'll recall he and his brood traveled to London last year ... even though they weren't invited to Meghan's Royal wedding.

10:34 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Blac Chyna appears as a named suspect on an assault with a deadly weapon report.

Blac Chyna and her hairdresser got into it early Saturday AM, and it allegedly ended with Chyna pulling a knife on the stylist who then hurled soda cans at Chyna's car.

Chyna and her stylist were at her San Fernando Valley home when things got heated ... we're told over money Chyna alleged owed the hairdresser.

We know the hairdresser filed a police report, claiming Chyna threatened her with a knife when the stylist asked for payment. Our Chyna sources deny she pulled a knife, but claim the hairdresser left in a huff and threw soda cans at Chyna's car.

We're told Chyna's 6-year-old child, King, whom she shares with Tyga, was present during the fight ... and now that a police report has been filed, we're told the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services will get involved and at the very least do a welfare check.

This isn't the first time Chyna has gotten into it with the hired help. She and her makeup artist got into a fight in January at Chyna's home and the police were called.

Originally Published -- 9:49 AM PT