Fights

Conor McGregor doesn't REALLY want to fight Justin Gaethje ... it's all smoke and mirrors ... so says Tyron Woodley who thinks JG would bust him up!

Of course, Conor just announced he's fighting on Jan. 18 -- but wouldn't reveal the name of his opponent. Most people think the front-runners are Justin Gaethje or Cowboy Cerrone.

But, Tyron says his money's on Cowboy ... simply because he thinks Justin poses a much bigger threat that Conor doesn't really want!!!

"If I was him, Gaethje ain't the fight he want. Gaethje punch too hard. His chin is too crazy. He's gonna come forward with all that pressure. I don't think that's the fight."

Tyron says Cowboy is a "safe fight" for McGregor ... and thus, the more likely match-up.

"I think the Gaethje sh*t is just him just talking smoke and mirrors. I don't think he really want that noise. He don't wanna fight guys like me."

There's A LOT more -- Tyron sends a message to his pal Randy Couture, explains why Israel Adesanya is the next UFC superstar and daps up Tony Hawk!

Finn Balor is breaking his silence on his shocking heel turn -- telling TMZ Sports he kicked Johnny Gargano in the head Wednesday because the guy had it coming!

Balor pulled a total sneak attack his fellow good guy on "NXT" sending WWE fans into a frenzy. Seriously, NOBODY SAW THIS COMING!!

So, when Finn touched down at LAX on Friday, we asked if the incident officially makes him a bad guy.

"Am I a bad guy or do I just do bad things sometimes," Balor told us ... "I don't know. You tell me."

"Lines are blurred in this day and age. We don't know what's going on."

Now, everyone wants to know ... who does Balor want to take on next? Finn says he's got someone in mind but won't be revealing a name until Friday night on "WWE Backstage" on FS1.

Conor McGregor was attacked by a pissed off Dagestani man in Russia on Friday who threw a water bottle at the UFC star as retaliation for trashing Dagestan.

You gotta see the video ... it's intense.

The man went to a media event in Moscow on Friday specifically to get answers from Conor about why he's been trashing Dagestan lately.

Remember, just Thursday ... Conor said he "wouldn't go to Dagestan to take a s**t" in a tirade bashing his UFC rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who hails from Dagestan.

Clearly, people in Dagestan -- a part of Russia -- heard the insult and the man who crashed the media event Friday decided to take matters into his own hands.

He pressed Conor about the statement and demanded answers about why he "hates" Dagestan so much.

Conor tried to justify his hatred saying people in Dagestan have been mean to him (boo-hoo) -- but the answer wasn't satisfactory to the Dagestani, so he fired off a water bottle.

The man shouted at Conor, "All the people? My father, my brother ... you think are all cowards?"

Conor replied, "Yes, yes, yes."

The man shot back, "My father?! What did he do to you?! My brother, what did he do to you?!"

Conor managed to duck out of the way and shouted back, "Shut up, you fool." The man was escorted out by security.

McGregor didn't seem fazed -- he just stood there.

Conor McGregor just announced his return to the Octagon -- saying he WILL fight on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas ... but his opponent is still shrouded in mystery.

The UFC star just held a media event in Russia, where he's promoting his Irish whiskey, and of course the conversation turned to his fighting career.

After trashing Khabib Nurmagomedov and telling reporters he would NOT wait around for Khabib to agree to a rematch, Conor said he's ready to move forward with his career.

"I would like to announce the return of The Notorious Conor McGregor will take place on January 18 in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada,” McGregor said.

"That is my comeback fight. It’s 12 weeks this Saturday. I’m in prime physical condition. I have agreed the date with the company. As far as the opponent, I have the opponent’s name, but for me, the game I am in and from experience, if I was to give you people the name, which I would love to do, I know the UFC would flip it because they’re a crafty company."

Conor says to ask the UFC to reveal the opponent because "I don't give a f**k who the opponent is."

McGregor says the Jan. 18 fight will be "the beginning of my season" ... as he teased more fights in 2020.

"I will then look to compete against the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal for the Bad MotherF**ker title. Obviously, I have history with Nate Diaz, we are set to make the trilogy bout, so we will see how that goes."

"Then I will seek [a] Moscow bout and it will be against the winner of Tony Ferguson and .  Khabib Nurmagomedov."

Conor botched the pronunciation of Khabib's name ... but told reporters, "I can't even say the guy's name. Who gives a f**k what the guy's name is."

Conor adds of a possible fight with Khabib -- "The people of the world deserve this bout to take place. It is an inevitable rematch. It is a rematch that I will come in sharp, fresh, I will have no injuries, I will have no alcohol, I will have no outside influences, I will be fully focused -- exactly what the people deserve. Exactly what the fans deserve, and we will settle it once for all."

If Jon Jones really wants a piece of Francis Ngannou, The Predator tells TMZ Sports he's 1 million percent down to clash with the UFC superstar!!!

Of course, it's not that simple ... Jon's the light heavyweight champ and currently fights at 205 lbs. Francis is the #2 ranked heavyweight ... and negotiations haven't even gotten started yet.

But, Ngannou says the bottom line is that he's game ... IF Jon's serious about moving up a weight class and actually signing on the dotted line.

"Listen, let's be clear about something. If that's what you want to know, if I would fight Jon Jones if he goes up to heavyweight, of course. I would say the same thing as he says, it's inevitable if Jon Jones goes to heavyweight. I'm gonna fight him."

Francis is referring to a tweet Jones sent Tuesday night ... when a fan asked him if he could ever imagine himself fighting Ngannou.

Jones -- who recently said none of the light heavyweight contenders excite him -- responded ... "I feel like that fight is inevitable."

During our conversation with Ngannou, he also revealed the UFC offered him a crack at Alexander Volkov on November 9 -- with only 18 days notice -- but says he rejected the fight 'cause he didn't have time to prep and fighting a lower-ranked guy didn't make sense.

Greg Hardy -- who we spoke to about the match on Tuesday -- ultimately accepted the fight.

While he waits, Ngannou -- coming off KO's of Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos -- is clearly frustrated with the UFC ... 'cause he thinks they're dragging their feet booking him a fight.

"I just want to tell the UFC to pay me some respect and give me a damn fight, that's what I'm asking for. I was expecting to have a fight by December to make my Christmas and New Year for my family," Francis tells us.

"Hey, man ... I need a fight. I need to make money."

Cash ... well, a Jon Jones fight would make hella money.

Ben Askren says there's a ZERO percent chance his next UFC fight ends after 5 seconds with a knee to the head. And, why's he so confident?

"I don’t think [Demian Maia] can jump that high!"

Ben's actually got a pretty great attitude going into Saturday's bout with Maia considering his last outing ... well it didn't go so well.

Askren was KO'd with a flying knee from Jorge Masvidal -- setting the record for fastest KO in UFC history.

"I think the best way to deal with adversity is obviously to hop right back in there so that’s what I did," Askren said.

"The UFC gave me the call pretty quickly after the Jorge Masvidal fight, and said ‘Hey would you want a main event in Singapore?’ And, I said 'Yeah, let’s go.' And, I thought that was a good time for me to hop back into the cage, so I’m excited."

Maia is currently the #10 ranked welterweight. Askren is #11 ... and Ben knows if he wins this fight, a title shot could be right around the corner.

"Obviously, I have to get the win on Saturday, and then once I do that, I can go to work calling people out and see where that can take me, but I don’t feel like I’m too far away from the top."

One of those guys at the top is Masvidal (ranked #3) ... and Ben says he's open for a rematch if the UFC is down.

"Yeah obviously that would be nice, and I think it would be an easy fight for me to get because the story’s so easy to tell."

Logan Paul says the Mayweather family "doesn't give a f**k" if KSI wins their boxing rematch next month ... telling TMZ Sports Floyd's fam is only training him to promote their YouTube channel.

Of course, KSI has been training with some of the top guys in the industry -- including "team advisor" Jeff Mayweather (Floyd's uncle) -- leading up to the Nov. 9 bout at Staples Center, which will stream on DAZN.

24-year-old Paul was training at Wild Card Boxing gym in L.A. on Tuesday ... when he told us his opponent is being used by the legendary family for clout.

"I think the Mayweathers are smart. I think they know if they put KSI's name in their video, they'll get views on their YouTube channel," Logan said.

"Let's be honest. I'm pretty sure Floyd Mayweather or any of the Mayweathers don't give a f**k if he wins or loses the fight ... but you got those views on that YouTube channel!! Way to go!!"

FWIW -- we spoke with KSI earlier this month about his training ... and he's so serious about pursuing a career in the sport, he's already spent $300k of his own dough on training, diet, equipment, etc.

Good news wrestling fans ... Ronda Rousey WILL return to the WWE -- it's just a matter of time.

That's according to WWE honcho Triple H, who says the superstar just has a lot going on right now.

Ronda hasn't been inside the squared circle since WrestleMania back in April -- since then, she's been shooting TV shows and taking time to begin family planning.

Some people are worried we've seen the last of Ronda as a wrestler -- but The Cerebral Assassin says, "She'll be back at some point. She's just getting a lot done."

There's more ... Triple H hit on a bunch of topics while out in NYC.

-- Will 50-year-old Triple H get back in the ring and wrestle again?

"It all depends. Hopefully not. I'm too busy right now to try to. It's a lot of work to get in the ring. Still training all the time, but a lot of work."

-- Is WWE targeting boxing champ Tyson Fury for a full-time contract?

"I'm sure he's got a lot left to do in the boxing world. He's got Deontay Wilder coming up at the beginning of the year ... but never say never. He's custom-made for what we do, right??"

One issue with Tyson Fury ... after this clip was shot, Fury reportedly injured his ankle in a WWE training session. Scripted injury? Maybe. But, maybe not!

Greg Hardy says he's fired up to fight an "actual monster" in Alexander Volkov -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's time to make a statement."

Hardy just agreed to fight the #7 ranked UFC heavyweight on Nov. 9 in Moscow -- replacing his training teammate Junior Dos Santos, who suffered an injury.

The former NFL star hasn't been beat in his pro career -- though he was DQ'd for an illegal knee against Allen Crowder ... and his victory over Ben Sosoli this past weekend was overturned because Greg used an inhaler between rounds.

Still, Hardy has been fairly dominant in the Octagon and when the opportunity came to fight a top-ranked opponent, the 30-year-old says he jumped at the chance.

"I'm excited, man," Hardy tells us ... "This is a a big-time fight, high-level competition. This is what any Prince of War or future King of War could ever hope for."

Hardy says he respects Volkov but believes he can knock out the Russian in under 3 rounds ... just like Derrick Lewis did in 2018.

"If 'Pillow Hands' Lewis can do it, I can go in there and compete," Hardy says.

Hardy says he plans to use this opportunity to show UFC fans he's the real deal.

"It's time to make a statement. It's time to step up and put my mettle to the test ... put my hands up and fight with an actual monster, fight with a top-ranked elite assassin."

We also spoke with Hardy about the inhaler controversy and he took full responsibility for the infraction -- vowing to make sure he's more educated on the rules for his next fight.

Hardy says he's not mad at his coaches and fight team for allowing him to use the inhaler -- saying they've done so much for him over the years, he can't get upset over one stupid mistake.

"This is the best team in the country, best team in the world ... two years ago I was a football player who couldn't throw a punch."

No hostility, just respect ... at least that's how it went down when Canelo Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev met backstage for a recent fight event -- with Kovalev even asking for a selfie!!!

The two came face to face during a Sept. 18 promotional event leading up to their big Nov. 2 fight in Las Vegas ... and it was like old friends getting together!!!

Sergey commented on Canelo beefing up as he prepared his body to jump two weight classes to fight Kovalev as a light heavyweight ... the first time Canelo's ever fought at that weight.

And, after a friendly exchange and a fist pound, Canelo agreed to pose a quick selfie.

It was all captured for DAZN's docu-series, "40 Days: Canelo vs. Kovalev" -- which features all of the behind the scenes drama leading up to what could be the fight of the year.

The 3-part series, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter's Uninterrupted brand -- along with Mexican soccer superstar Carlos Vela -- kicks off Tuesday night ... and features stars like Gabriel Iglesias, Draymond Green and DJ Khaled.

Ronda Rousey absolutely DESTROYED her real-life husband, Travis Browne, in an underground fight club on Monday ... and it was all for an episode of the show, "9-1-1."

Ronda is a regular cast member on the FOX hit -- and this week Ronda's character, Lena, brought her firefighter coworker, Eddie, (played by Ryan Guzman) to a parking lot fight club to work out his anger issues.

But, Ronda wasn't a spectator, she was there to fight -- and her opponent is a giant, bearded tattooed man ... whose face you never really see.

But, when we slowed down the tape, it was obvious that dude is Browne -- a 6'7", 250-pound former UFC fighter!!!

The fight doesn't go too well for Browne ... Ronda's character easily ducked a few punches before hitting him with a flying knee.

She followed up with a superman punch, slammed his head against a truck, hit him with a judo throw and then obliterated his face with some elbow strikes from the top position.

All in all ... pretty good stuff!!!

Remember, it ain't all glitz and glamour for Rousey ... who seriously JACKED UP her finger in real life while shooting a scene for the show earlier this year.

As for Browne, he was 18-7 as a pro-MMA fighter -- with wins over guys like Matt Mitrione, Fabrício Werdum, Brendan Schaub and Alistair Overeem.

Gervonta Davis is officially off the hook in his ATM assault case -- after officials say the boxing superstar made things right with his alleged victim ... using cold hard cash.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 24-year-old Davis allegedly got physical with a man at an ATM at an upscale outdoor mall in Virginia on Feb. 17. And, when cops arrived, the situation got even CRAZIER.

Cops say Gervonta "directed derogatory and offensive language" at them ... and pics obtained by TMZ Sports show a clearly heated Gervonta speaking with one of the officers.

Davis was later charged with one misdemeanor count of assault -- and was facing up to 1 YEAR in jail for the crime.

But, a court official tells TMZ Sports the charge was formally dismissed on Monday ... saying Davis reached a deal with prosecutors.

According to the official, Davis agreed to write the alleged victim a check for injuries suffered in the incident. Officials would not say how much Gervonta forked over. But, in exchange, prosecutors dropped the charge.

It's good timing for Gervonta ... the Floyd Mayweather protege has seen his stock soar over the past year -- and at 22-0, he's in line for some BIG MONEY fights.

Pittsburgh Steelers LB Anthony Chickillo spent part of his bye week behind bars ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the 26-year-old was arrested after cops say he admitted to getting violent with his track star GF.

Cops say Chickillo was out at the exclusive Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Penn. when he got into an argument with his girlfriend, Canadian track athlete Alysha Newman, at the resort's casino.

FYI, 25-year-old Newman is a star pole vaulter in Canada. She made the Olympic team in 2016 and won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Newman told officers the spat began over table games ... and when the argument carried on into the couple's room, things turned violent.

Newman told cops that Chickillo grabbed both of her arms and threw her against a wall and door. She says the 6'3", 253-pound football player then shoved her to the ground.

Newman also claims Chickillo smashed her $900 iPhone in the altercation ... and says she was forced to lock herself in the bathroom until police arrived to diffuse the situation.

When cops showed up ... they say they noticed "visible redness" to both Newman's right and left bicep areas as well as "bruising beginning to form" -- and say Chickillo admitted to pushing her to the ground.

They arrested Chickillo ... and eventually hit the linebacker with charges of simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment.

Cops also tell TMZ Sports Newman was hit with a summary citation for harassment for her role in the altercation.

Chickillo -- who had his arraignment hearing in Pennsylvania on Sunday -- was released on $10,000 bail ... but is due back in court next week.

The Steelers -- who were on a bye this past week and are set to play the Dolphins next Monday -- released a statement, saying, "We are aware of an incident involving Anthony Chickillo last night and are still gathering information. Until we have further details we will not provide any further comments."

PnB Rock and his crew appear to have gotten into a pretty nasty brawl -- but for now, it seems no one's gone running to cops yet.

The Philly born rapper was in his hometown Saturday with his boys, where they were hanging out at the Hill Creek projects at one point ... chatting up locals and shooting video of each other goofing around and smoking up -- all of which they posted on IG.

Later, the same group of guys -- including PnB Rock and rapper PnB Meen -- were allegedly seen beating the crap out of three men inside a Neiman Marcus at the King of Prussia Mall ... just outside of Philly. Eyewitnesses tell TMZ that PnB and the crew rolled up to the store in an Escalade and rushed in to attack the 3 dudes, whom we're told were just shopping.

Based on video we got of the fight, it looks like PnB and co. were rolling at least 5 deep. Most of them also appear to be wearing the same clothes from their IG stories.

According to bystanders on the scene, the attack looked unprovoked. After the beatdown, we're told PnB Rock and his friends hopped back in their car and peeled away. Our sources say the 3 guys immediately ran into the main mall area, presumably to alert someone.

King of Prussia's security division refused to comment on the incident, and the Upper Merion Township Police -- which oversees this specific area of PA -- tell TMZ they're unaware of any such fight at Neiman Marcus and haven't received a complaint about it.

NFL safety Su'a Cravens got into a crazy fight with Denver Nuggets guard Malik Beasley in an apartment lobby ... and TMZ Sports has the insane video.

It all went down at an upscale apartment complex in Denver on August 9 -- and you can see 22-year-old Beasley pacing the lobby without a shirt while wearing his Nuggets shorts.

We're told Beasley was heated over a situation involving a mutual female friend -- Instagram model Montana Yao -- and had called out Cravens to settle things once and for all.

You can see in the video, Cravens -- who was a member of the Broncos at the time -- enters the lobby and is immediately confronted by Beasley.

One thing quickly leads to another and the fists begin to fly.

The 2 pros trade blows for a minute before Su'a takes Beasley to the ground and appears to be winning the fight from the top position.

You can see Yao and a male friend of Beasley's jump in and removed Cravens. The NFL player eventually backs away from the scrum.

Yao is seen trying desperately to hold Beasley back -- using all of her strength to keep him from continuing the fight. After literally forcing herself in between the two combatants, she eventually throws herself to the ground and appears to be sobbing.

Meantime, we're told Cravens continued to taunt Beasley -- and invited him to "step outside" to continue the fight. Beasley DID go outside, but we're not sure what happened next.

What we do know ... Cravens went to Snapchat after the fight and bragged about beating Beasley up.

"I just had to beat a n***a ass that just tried me," Cravens said while wearing the same cloths from the brawl ... "Scratched my face, but I f*cked that n***a up, ol bitch ass n***a."

We're told law enforcement was NOT called about the fight ... and both parties have tried their damnedest to keep the incident under wraps.

Cravens was a star at USC before getting selected by the Washington Redskins in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He signed with the Broncos in 2018 but was cut on August 30 2019. He's currently a free agent.

Beasley played one season at Florida State before going to the Nuggets with the 19th overall pick in 2016.

We know you're wondering ... so here's the tale of the tape.

Su'a is 6'1", 224 lbs. Beasley is 6'5", 195 lbs.

We've reached out to Cravens', Beasley's and Yao's reps ... so far, no word back.

Porn star Bridget Powers is quickly learning that stabbing her BF with a butter knife will make life anything but smooth ... cause she's now staring at SERIOUS prison time.

According to a Clark County, Nevada criminal complaint obtained by TMZ ... Bridget's been charged with 3 felonies -- burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, battery with use of a deadly weapon constituting domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon.

As for the burglary charge ... prosecutors allege she entered her BF Jesse's place with the intention of committing a crime. If convicted on that charge ... she faces up to 15 years in prison. The battery and assault with a deadly weapon charges bring 5 and 6-years max sentences, respectively.

TMZ broke the story ... Bridget got into a nasty argument with her BF last month after she caught him sleeping with another woman. She flew into a violent rage ... allegedly stabbing her BF in the calf with a butter knife.

As we reported ... Jesse told cops he woke up when Bridget stabbed him in the right calf, but he didn't really know what was happening because he was half asleep.