Fights

Jorge Masvidal's FINALLY gettin' the respect he's long deserved -- thanks to his brutal Ben Askren flying knee KO -- so says UFC star Robbie Lawler.

TMZ Sports talked to Lawler -- who was in NYC promoting his August 3 fight with Colby Covington -- about his former teammate Masvidal's monster win at UFC 239 last weekend.

"That was damn impressive. Masvidal is awesome and it was cool to see him go out there and showcase his skills," Lawler says ... "He's been in the sport a long time and never got the respect that I think he was due. And, hes earning it now." 

"He has almost 50 fights. He's fought a lot of the good guys in the sport. He's impressive!"

FYI -- Masvidal's 34-13 with wins over guys like Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Darren Till.

Of course, Masvidal FLATTENED Askren, the formally undefeated fighter in 5 seconds ... the fastest UFC KO ever.

What's interesting -- Robbie and Ben have history ....they fought in March (Askren won), but the match ended in controversy.

Lawler (and a lot of fans) believed ref Herb Dean prematurely stopped the fight while Robbie was getting choked.

In fact, Dana White publicly said he wanted to rematch the fight ... but it never came together.

A$AP Rocky's canceling his European festival performance and several other upcoming tour dates ... because being locked up in a Swedish jail cell makes it hard to get onstage in Spain.

The rapper's management tells TMZ he'll be detained "for an unknown period of time for acting in self-defense during an altercation that took place," so, therefore ... he's been forced to cancel all his upcoming shows in July.

He was scheduled to perform at Sonar -- a music fest in Barcelona, Spain -- on Friday, July 19 ... but Sonar says it's now looking for a replacement.

A$AP's scheduled to headline Wednesday night at the Green Theatre in Moscow, but that's clearly not happening. His other upcoming shows getting axed due to him being locked up include the Splash! Fest in Germany on the 12, concerts in Ukraine and Belgium on the 13 and 14, a sold-out gig in Milan on the 17 ... and 2 others on the 20 and 21.

We broke the story ... the rapper's team says he's being held in inhumane conditions in his Swedish cell, and one official for the U.S. Embassy there commented, "Walking into that place was like walking into a toilet."

Rocky can be held for at least 2 weeks while prosecutors decide whether to charge him for aggravated assault stemming from a street brawl. That's despite video showing the alleged victim being the initial aggressor ... physically attacking Rocky and his crew prior to the incident.

Ex-L.A. Chargers defensive end Chris McCain -- 6'5", 250 lbs -- DOMINATED his opponent in his first amateur MMA fight ... and the video is brutal. 

The 27-year-old played 4 seasons in the NFL for various teams -- including a stellar 5-sack season with the Chargers in '17 -- but he was cut by the Colts in 2018 and has been training to become a pro fighter ever since. 

Fast forward to Saturday night when McCain made his MMA debut at Shawne Merriman's Lights Out Xtreme Fighting promotion in Burbank, CA ... where he entered the cage wearing his old Chargers jersey.  

McCain fought Jamal Harris (0-2) and even though his opponent ain't exactly Francis Ngannou ... McCain showed real potential, ending the fight 38 seconds into the 2nd round. 

The issue for McCain is his troubled legal past -- back in October, he pled no contest to 2 counts of misdemeanor battery stemming from allegations he got violent with a woman in Jan. 2018. 

As we previously reported, the woman claimed McCain grabbed her neck and spit on her during an altercation in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to community service and ordered to complete an anger management program.

Now, it's clear McCain is hoping to follow in Greg Hardy's footsteps -- hoping to get a fresh start in MMA while keeping his nose clean outside the cage. 

McCain is getting support from some of his old NFL teammates -- including Keenan Allen who attended the fight in person. 

It's unclear when McCain plans to fight again -- but it's obvious he wants to get back in the cage ASAP. He'll need a few more wins before Dana White would ever consider signing him to a UFC contract. 

Justin Bieber is stoking the battle flames again by nominating Tom Cruise after doing the bottle cap challenge and saying the cap could be Tom's dome, if he wants to join the party.

JB threw up a video Sunday, showing himself doing the now-famous viral challenge that tons of celebs have taken part in. He tells the cameraman, "This could be Tom Cruise's head," and then does a spinning kick to fully unscrew the cap and send it flying.

In his caption, Bieber wrote ... "I nominate Tom cruise and Hailey Bieber." Besides the fact that we're likely to see Hailey's version of the challenge, it's obvious that the Biebs actually DOES want to fight ol' Tommy ... despite telling paps that he was just messing around when he sent out that bizarre tweet. 

Bieber even said at the time that TC would probably whoop his ass in a real fight, but based on what we're seeing here ... we're not so sure. Bieber's got some karate moves in the shed, it seems.

There's one person we know who would be happy to make it happen ... Dana White. He's already told us it would be the biggest purse in UFC history and could possibly go down. There's even been rumblings that Tom might actually be interested in getting in the Octagon. 

Fact is though, he hasn't uttered a peep about it ... so who the hell knows. In the meantime, put this bottle cap challenge up there with the best of 'em.  

If you blinked, you missed it!!!

UFC star Jorge Masvidal set a UFC record Saturday -- knocking out Ben Askren in 5 seconds!!!

The two faced off at UFC 239 in Las Vegas -- after months of some serious trash talk between the welterweight stars. 

When the opening bell rang, Ben -- a highly decorated wrestler -- put his head down and went for a takedown ... something Masvidal clearly expected. 

Masvidal had clearly been training for that move -- and came sprinting out his corner with a flying knee that connected right to Askren's temple. 

Askren was out cold before he hit the mat -- but Masvidal continued to smash him until the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. 

Askren eventually woke up -- he was helped to the back where he was treated by medical staffers. He was later transported to a local hospital. Hopefully, he's okay. 

As for Masvidal ... wow. 

Ex-UFC fighter Melvin Guillard pled guilty to knocking out civilians on TWO separate occasions ... but TMZ Sports has learned the guy won't have to spend more time behind bars after the pleas.

36-year-old Guillard first ran into trouble on June 15, 2018 when the former fighter was working as a bouncer at The Ginn Mill bar in Denver, Colorado.

Cops say a man walked up to the entrance of the bar and confronted Guillard ... and that's when they say Melvin pushed the guy and socked him in the face -- knocking him unconscious.

The second incident happened just a few months later on Sept. 3, 2018, when Melvin was a patron at Bar Standard in Denver.

Cops say Guillard threw punches and knocked another man out after a dust-up inside the club ... and in video obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the full melee break out. 

Guillard was eventually hit with SIX total charges for the two incidents ... including multiple felony assault counts.

But, we've learned Guillard struck a plea deal with prosecutors last month, and in exchange for guilty pleas -- he won't have to spend more time behind bars.

In the bouncer case, we're told Guillard pled guilty to one count of assault in the second degree in order to have the other assault charge dismissed.

In the club brawl case, we're told Guillard pled guilty to one count of assault in the 3rd degree in exchange for having the other three charges of assault dropped.

Seems it was a good deal for Melvin -- who was facing MULTIPLE years in prison -- because court officials tell us the terms of his sentencing allowed him to not have to spend any more time behind bars due to the pre-sentence confinement he had already accumulated.

Court officials add Guillard was also hit with 2 years of probation and will be required to pay some sort of restitution as part of his plea agreement.

Guillard was a pretty promising MMA fighter when he first started out -- appearing on "The Ultimate Fighter" season 2. He famously scored a victory against UFC stud Jeremy Stephens back in 2010.

Could Jon Jones be the 4th member of the New Day?

Kofi Kingston ain't ruling it out ... telling TMZ Sports he'd love to see the UFC star get involved in pro wrestling -- but he's gotta see Jon's hip-shaking ability before bringing him into the group!!!

Check this out ... Kofi says he actually met Jon recently and admitted he was straight-up starstruck -- "He's one of the greatest of all time man!"

"It was a real honor meeting him ... real cool."

And, with former UFC star like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey killling it in the WWE, Kofi thinks Jon could be the next great crossover.

"He's definitely got the height, he's got the skill," Kofi says. "From what I see he's got the right attitude."

"I think a lot of people would love to see Jon Jones in there."

Of course, before Jon can even consider a wrestling career, he's gotta get through Thiago Santos at UFC 239 in Vegas on Saturday night.

A$AP Rocky is in even more trouble than we thought, because Swedish authorities have just made it clear ... they have no plans to release him anytime soon.

Swedish prosecutors are asking a judge to allow them to hold A$AP Rocky and members of his crew for 2 weeks, while they investigate the alleged assault Tuesday for which he was detained. Swedish authorities are normally allowed to keep people for only 3 days, so they are clearly gunning for him.

And, there's even more ominous news. As you know, authorities jumped into action after a video surfaced of A$AP and his crew pummeling a guy on the street, leaving him battered and bloodied.

But then, another video surfaced, showing the alleged victim harassing A$AP and hitting his bodyguard with a set of headphones. The guy was harassing A$AP and his crew for about a half hour before they had enough.

A$AP actually tried to be a peacemaker ... telling the guy, "We don't wanna fight y'all. We don't wanna go to jail."

It's unclear if authorities saw that second video before they jailed A$AP, but they have seen it now. What's really significant ... Swedish prosecutors tell us they are releasing the bodyguard now due to "insufficient evidence" but they are not releasing A$AP. That suggests the second video doesn't do it for prosecutors, and they still view this as an assault.

This is really serious for A$AP ... if convicted, he faces 6 years in prison.

DaBaby's facing a second lawsuit in less than two weeks ... this time from a promoter who is pissed the rapper bailed on a gig after his crew allegedly beat the crap outta another rapper.

Nothing To Something ENTertainment is suing DaBaby claiming it's out tons of cash after the rapper bailed on a scheduled gig back in May at Centro Night club in Lawrence, MA. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the promoters say they paid DaBaby up front and also shelled out thousands to promote the performance but the rapper dipped out before it even began.

As we first reported ... DaBaby's posse beat another fellow rapper to a pulp, sending him into a coma. The alleged victim, Don Trag, had also been scheduled to perform at the same venue. His family told us Trag just wanted a pic with DaBaby, who turned him down.

Sources close to DaBaby had said Trag was overzealous ... and when Trag kept getting turned down, he started talking smack. That's when DaBaby's crew unleashed a beating. Trag sued DaBaby for injuries to his head, neck and spine. The promoters are now going after DaBaby too.

UFC legend B.J. Penn tried to get into a scrap with a strip club DJ before he ultimately got into a street brawl with the bouncer ... this according to 911 calls obtained by TMZ Sports.

Penn was involved in a melee at Club Femme Nu in Honolulu last week ... with the UFC Hall of Famer mounting a man and shoving his elbow into the guy's throat.

Cops were called to the scene ... but since no victim came forward -- Penn was never arrested, and charges haven't been filed.

But, now, we're learning more about the incident ... with a 911 caller telling dispatch Penn had tried to fight the club's DJ before he got into the street fight outside.

"So B.J. Penn is here causing a fight with the DJ," a woman tells dispatch.

The woman is clearly annoyed with Penn ... and goes on to say he had been stirring up problems throughout the night, saying, "It's really pissing me off."

"He's just running around with shorts and no shirt on. Screaming and yelling and trying to cause problems again."

In another 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports ... you can hear a man clearly concerned about the fight Penn was in outside, with the guy telling dispatch they need help separating the two.

Can size and strength overcome decades of hardcore MMA training if a UFC fighter and an NFL lineman threw down in a real life street fight?!

It's a debate we've been having in the office for months ... so we brought in 2 guys who would know a little something about it to hash it out on the "TMZ Sports" TV show. 

Bryant McKinnie is a 6'8", 375 pound former NFL lineman with crazy athletic ability -- and played pro for 11 seasons. 

Tyron Woodley is 5'9" and fights at 170 pounds -- and is considered one of the greatest UFC welterweight champs of all time. 

So, who wins if they fight in the street???

"Somebody's gotta get the business," Woodley said ... "I can't be on the receiving end!"

You gotta listen to the two superstars go back and forth and state their cases about why they would emerge victorious ... it's actually really interesting. 

But, the bottom line here ... DON'T FIGHT WITH EITHER ONE OF THESE GUYS IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!!

Blueface wants to get his side of the story out as to why he kicked his mom and sister out of his house -- so he's posted more footage of the altercation with an explanation.

The "Thotiana" rapper threw up multiple clips of what appears to be surveillance video from inside his home, which was the site of chaos last weekend ... as the family drama played out on Instagram Live. But, he says this new video tells the full story of what was going down,

In Blueface's clips, you can see 2 women causing a ruckus in his crib -- shouting at him from downstairs with a small child in their company as well.

The MC captioned his post, writing ... "Sense [sic] they wanna go viral so bad this the real story my mom got tired of my broke ass sister free loading at her house so she brought her to mine an I wasn’t going for it I already got her an apartment guess that wasn’t enough she want my car she want me to buy her a car off the lot an some more stuff."

He adds that he once had to live out of his car and struggle to get to where he's at now, and then goes on to blame his fans for turning against him before they had the full context of the fight.

The reason his fans, and also non-fans, were disturbed is because it seems like he got physical with his female family members, and did in fact kick them out.

Word online is that Blueface's live-in girlfriend didn't like his mom and sis, and the assumption was that his reaction here was based off that alone. He says that's not the case though.

Sounds like he's claiming they rolled up unannounced to leech off him without his consent. *Insert grimacing "yikes" emoji here*

A$AP Rocky is under arrest in Sweden for a street fight and now faces a very serious charge -- this despite video that seems to show he and his team were NOT the aggressors.

Law enforcement in Stockholm tell us ... cops busted A$AP on suspicion of aggravated assault. TMZ broke the story ... the rapper and his team got into the brawl last weekend.

We posted the first video of the incident, showing Rocky and his entourage tossing a guy and punching him.

Witnesses told us the fight started because the man was hounding A$AP and his team over a pair of headphones he claimed they had broken.

However, AR later posted a nearly 3-minute long video which showed the man had actually broken his headphones when he smashed them on the head of A$AP's bodyguard. Even after that clear first shot was taken ... Rocky is seen on camera playing peacemaker, trying to calm the situation.

It appears the fight erupted several minutes later when the man continued to hound A$AP and co., and after a woman claimed the man had groped her butt.

We're told Stockholm cops can now hold Rocky for up to 3 days while prosecutors determine whether to charge him. If they do, he's looking at the possibility of up to 6 years in a Swedish prison.

We're told 3 other people were also arrested ... 2 on suspicion of aggravated assault, and 1 for suspicion of assault. It's unclear what their relationship is to A$AP.

A$AP Rocky tried his best to calm things down moments before he and his crew got into a crazy brawl with a guy who ended up getting battered and bloodied.

New video shows the rapper wanted no trouble with a guy who kept following him over the weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. The video starts with A$AP's massive bodyguard telling the guy to take a hike, but the guy didn't listen. He kept harassing A$AP's group, and eventually used his headphones to swing on the bodyguard. You can hear them shatter on the bodyguard's head. 

Check out the vid ... you can see Rocky put his left hand over the guy's shoulder and tell him, "Listen, listen. We don't wanna fight y'all. We don't wanna go to jail." At one point, Rocky also looks into the camera and says "We don't want no problems with these boys. They keep following us. Look at them." 

As you know by now ... A$AP's patience ran out. TMZ posted the video of Rocky and co. pummeling the guy. When the dust settled, Rocky and his crew were long gone and the guy was knocked out on the ground.

Law enforcement sources told us they're looking into the incident and reviewing video. 

A$AP Rocky and his crew pummeled a guy in Sweden, leaving him battered and bloodied in the street ... according to witnesses on the scene.

TMZ obtained video that starts with the rapper having an intense convo with a couple of guys at Max restaurant in Stockholm Sunday night ... allegedly over Rocky breaking a pair of their headphones earlier.

Our sources say the 2 young men kept following AR and threatened to call the cops over the headphones. We're told someone stepped in to translate the argument between the 2 parties, and Rocky delivered this message -- stop following us ... or else.

Apparently, that's when another woman interrupted the convo, and accused one of the 2 men of grabbing her ass earlier. Witnesses say that's when A$AP and his crew decided to throw down.

The video shows Rocky -- in a white hoodie and green shorts -- absolutely toss one of the guys like a ragdoll. You can also hear someone smash a bottle during the fight. Three other men, apparently on Rocky's side -- jumped in and joined the beatdown, punching and kicking the guy.

Our sources say Rocky and his crew then took off, leaving the guy knocked out on the ground. An ambulance and cops showed up shortly after and took statements from witnesses.

Law enforcement sources tell us officers are looking into various fights that went down Sunday night in the center of Stockholm, but they had no info about A$AP Rocky being involved.

Sources close to A$AP Rocky's team tell us he and his friends were only responding to "an assault."

TMZ Sports has obtained video of NFL star Kareem Hunt talking with several police officers this weekend in Cleveland after a night of partying after an alleged "small argument" with a friend. 

Here's what we know so far ... the Cleveland Browns running back went to the Barley House party spot on Saturday night with a bunch of friends and stayed late into the evening. 

Right after he left, SOMETHING happened -- and several cops went over to speak with the 23-year-old. He wasn't arrested. Wasn't detained. He left without incident. 

But, a witness tells TMZ Sports ... Hunt was involved in a physical altercation with another man before the cops came over. The witness wasn't sure if it was a "real" fight or if he was just horsing around with a buddy. 

At one point, one of the officers can be heard on video telling Kareem, "I saw him push you."

Barley House owner Bobby George told WKYC3 that Hunt was involved in a "small argument with one of his friends ... People blew it out of proportion."

We reached out to the Cleveland PD but despite the video, they have no record of the interaction -- "There wasn't a police report or any calls that we have located."

Either way, it's notable considering Hunt had publicly stated he was seeking help for alcohol and anger management in the wake of TMZ Sports posting video showing him in a 2018 physical altercation with a woman.