Fights

Dwight Gooden's got a real-deal boxing match coming up, and he clearly ain't taking his opponent lightly ... 'cause the MLB legend hit up the UFC Performance Institute in Vegas for a hardcore training sesh.

The 55-year-old NY Mets legend is facing 29-year-old "Nitro Comedy Tour" star Catfish Cooley -- who's gone viral on YouTube for his redneck comedy -- on March 7 at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City.

Gooden -- a 4x All-Star and 3x World Series Champ -- recently hit up the PI ... and worked on his striking with his coaches.

This will be Doc's first fight ... but not the first time he's been inside the squared circle.

Back in 2019, Doc reffed a celeb fight that featured Dustin Diamond ... aka Screech from "Saved By The Bell."

As for the tale of the tape, Catfish squats over 600 pounds and is 36 years younger than Doc ... but he's also 10 inches shorter, and not an all-time legendary athlete.

These guys try to kill each other in just over 3 weeks.

Corey Anderson has zero love for Jon Jones, but he's pumped the UFC star beat Dominick Reyes ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports now he'll be the first to take down the MMA legend.

Anderson -- the #5 ranked UFC light heavyweight -- is taking on Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 167 on Saturday ... and if Corey wins, there's a great chance the prize is Jon.

We talked to Anderson about Jones vs. Reyes ... and the LHW title contender says he totally understands why a lot of people think Jon lost, but he's happy as hell he got the W.

"While I was watching I was like, 'Man, I could lose the opportunity to be the one that beats Jon.'"

Anderson continued ... "At the end, I’m happy that Jon got the win because I get to be the one to dethrone him. I knew if Dom would’ve won, they would do the rematch. And I'd have to wait for that."

FYI -- Jon's one and only (controversial) loss came against Matt Hamill in 2009 ... when he was disqualified for throwing illegal elbows. Jones was dominating the fight.

Corey says he believes Dom exposed Jon ... and when he eventually faces the champ, he'll hand him an even more severe beating.

"Like I said when I saw it going on, my mindset was, 'yeah, I knew he was beatable.' I was the one who always said, 'I know I can beat Jon.' I know ways to beat him, I see the holes. I see what you gotta do to beat him, and Dom went out there, did pretty much a lot of it."

Rapper Yella Beezy is being accused of opening a can of whoop-ass on a guy tied to another rapper with whom Beezy's got serious beef.

Brandon Rainwater is suing Yella claiming he and his crew beat him to a pulp outside the hotspot strip club, V Live in Dallas ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ. We're told the alleged beatdown left Rainwater with a dislocated hip.

Surveillance video taken across the street from the club appears to show the fight in progress.

In docs, Rainwater claims he showed up to the club last month but when he tried getting inside he was told by security to wait. Rainwater manages Dallas-based rapper Mo3 ... who has a history of beefing with Yella. Anyway, Rainwater claims a security guard approached him with a gun in his left hand and Yella standing behind him.

Fearing trouble was about to go down, Rainwater claims he ran out of there but Yella and his crew chased him down and beat him up. Rainwater claims after the dust settled, Yella and his crew headed back to the club's parking lot and bragged about the alleged assault.

Rainwater says he was taken to the hospital that night and is undergoing physical therapy following the assault. He's also suing V Live for inadequate security. He's suing for assault and claims he's owed up to $1 million in damages.

Jon Jones LOVED the first fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov -- but tells TMZ Sports if they run it back, expect another long night for the Irishman.

It's no secret Conor desperately wants a second crack at Khabib after he tapped out at UFC 229 back in Oct. 2018. Khabib recently said he has no interest in giving that "idiot" a rematch.

But, chances are it's more likely to happen than not -- so we asked Jon Jones who he'd pick if they do it again.

"If I would put my money on it, I'm definitely going with Khabib," Jones said ... "For sure."

"I think the cards are always kind of in Khabib's hands. But, Conor definitely has a chance."

Jon says he believes wrestlers typically have the advantage since they can dictate if the fight goes to the mat or not -- and obviously, Khabib has the superior ground game.

Dance it out before you punch it out!!!

That's what UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero did on Friday when they came face to face at a media event in Houston!!!

The two middleweights are set to throw down at UFC 248 on March 7 -- so tensions were high when they both took the stage for a stare-down.

There was trash talk. There were mean mugs. And, then -- out of nowhere -- there was a dance battle!!!

Adesanya busted out some cool moves -- but Yoel busted out a full BACK HANDSPRING!!!

Just as Israel was getting ready to respond with another round of moves, Dana White got involved and chilled them both out ... 'cause nobody wants to see an injury!!!

Israel has become one of the most entertaining fighters in all of MMA -- remember, he busted out a choreographed dance routine during his walk out to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 back in October.

The dance only makes us think ... HOW GREAT IS THE UFC 248 WALK OUT GONNA BE?!?

UFC rising star Katlyn Chookagian says she's gonna whoop Valentina Shevchenko and snatch her belt ... and after that, she's got her eye on Amanda Nunes.

TMZ Sports talked to 31-year-old Chookagian (13-2) last week in NYC ... and the #1 ranked UFC strawweight (125 lbs.) laid out her blueprint for taking over women's MMA.

Step 1 ... beat Shevchenko at UFC 247 this weekend, which would be massive considering Valentina hasn't lost a fight since her war with Nunes in 2017.

"Obviously I'm gonna hear, 'And new!'" KC says.

"No matter where it goes, I'm better than her standing and on the ground. So wherever it goes, I'm gonna be dominant."

Katlyn also says she's down to move up a weight class and fight Amanda Nunes next ... in what could be a chance to be the UFC's next "champ champ."

"The good thing is that I fought at 135 [lbs.]. I fought there before and I won. I feel comfortable."

"125 [lbs.], I feel like a killer, and I feel bigger. But, I fought [at 135 lbs.] before and I'm comfortable there. Win this fight, I would definitely consider going up."

Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest female MMA fighter EVER -- with wins over legends like  Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, Miesha Tate and Holly Holm.

But, Chookagian ain't scared -- saying if Nunes is still the champ, she's down to scrap.

A high school basketball coach in New Jersey was violently attacked in front of his own school in a disturbing incident caught on video ... and now, cops say it was his own players who delivered the beating.

Police say at around 9 PM ET Tuesday, they responded to a call at Malcolm X Shabazz H.S. in Newark, N.J. regarding an assault of a school employee. Multiple reports identify the victim as a coach on the basketball team.

You can see in video of the alleged incident ... the victim was kicked and punched REPEATEDLY by at least four people.

Cops say after they saw the footage ... they identified the attackers as members of the school's basketball team -- but wouldn't release the names of the suspects because they're all minors.

Police say the teens jumped the man after they got off the team bus upon returning from a road game ... but they say the victim declined medical attention when they arrived.

Now, cops say a criminal investigation is underway.

"Our detectives are investigating this incident to identify and to appropriately charge those individuals involved," Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose says ...

"Those found to have participated in this senseless act of violence will face criminal charges."

How the hell do you defend against those legendary Jon Jones elbow strikes?

UFC star Dominick Reyes believes he's got the answer -- and he's demonstrating his violent plan on one of our TMZ staffers!

Of course, Dom and Jon Jones are set to do battle at UFC 247 in Houston on Saturday -- in a fight for the UFC light heavyweight title. It's the biggest fight of Dominick's impressive career.

And, since Jon Jones recently came into the office and taught our own Lucas the art of the elbow strike ... we thought it would be a good idea to see if he could test out his skills on Dom!

The good news ... Reyes is ready and has a plan to keep Jon's elbows out of his mouth by essentially beating him to the punch.

"You gotta strike first," Reyes said while demonstrating his counterattack ... "It's so simple, it just might work!"

We also spoke with Reyes about why he's 100% confident he'll be the very first man to give Jones a legitimate L in the Octagon.

"It's just my time. Simple as that. I've worked my whole life for this."

Reyes says he's played out the first a million times in his head and couldn't be more ready.

As for Jones, he's the champ for a reason.

This is one of the most violent college basketball fights EVER -- courtesy of the women of Alabama St. and Texas Southern.

ASU was being blown out 81-54 on Monday night in a super testy Southwestern Athletic Conference game in Montgomery ... when a fight broke out and escalated QUICKLY.

The benches cleared and a BUNCH of players threw wild haymakers -- some connected, some didn't -- but good lord, it was crazy.

Staffers and security rushed on to the court attempting to stop the brawl -- but the players overpowered them at first.

At one point, the fight spilled on to the scorer's table -- and the combatants came thiiiis close to knocking the whole thing over.

Eventually, officials were able to separate the teams and sent everyone to the locker rooms. A spokesperson for the ASU police tells us there were NO arrests made.

Reps for Alabama State were pretty pissed over the whole incident on Tuesday ... saying there WILL be repercussions for their players' actions.

"I am extremely disappointed by the behavior of our women athletes at the end of their game against Texas Southern University," ASU President Quinton T. Ross Jr. said in a statement.

"Alabama State University has a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior."

Ross added the school is now launching a full-blown investigation into the fight ... with suspensions and other disciplinary actions almost certainly on the way.

Offset's rap partners are defending their buddy after he let the fists fly when someone sprayed champagne on his wife -- and their rationale is basically ... WWYD?

That's pretty much what Takeoff and Quavo told us Saturday in Miami, where all the rappers are hanging out in the days ahead of Super Bowl LIV. We asked 'em if they'd caught what had happened to Offset and Cardi in a club the night before ... sure enough, they had.

As we reported ... Cardi was on the receiving end of some bubbly early Friday morning, and Offset reacted by literally jumping into the crowd with an airborne punch.

According to the Migos boys, the move is fair game when your significant other is involved. Takeoff says Offset "did what he had to" with the way he responded, and Quavo turned it around and asked our camera guy what he would do if it was his wife.

"You got a cast on, bitch -- you lucky!!"

Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman almost got into an all-out brawl on radio row at the Super Bowl in Miami ... and video of their heated confrontation is EPIC!!!

The near-fight all started with some friendly trash talk ... but things got more serious when Usman begged Masvidal -- repeatedly -- to "do something!"

Masvidal seemed to be down for the scrap ... but he told Usman he wasn't going to hit him because of a cast Kamaru apparently had somewhere on his body.

"That's the only reason why nothing's happening to you!" Jorge said.

The two were ultimately separated by their entourages ... but it begs the question, is this the next fight for the two UFC superstars?!?!

Neither has an opponent lined up for their next tilt ... and Dana White himself told us earlier this month that would be "an incredible fight."

After seeing the two in Miami on Wednesday ... we gotta agree. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

Nicki Minaj and her husband got a nasty stare-down by Meek Mill ... and THAT'S what started the epic shouting match.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Nicki and hubby Kenneth Petty had barely walked into the high-end clothing store, Maxfield in WeHo, last weekend when Meek immediately gave them a nasty stare-down.

Like anyone running into an ex, Nicki and Kenneth took offense to Meek giving them a dirty look and that's what triggered the shouting match. Our sources say Nicki and Kenneth did NOT approach Meek by any means. The couple just happened to cross Meek's path when they walked into the store.

This, of course, disputes Meek's side of the story. As we first reported ... the "Championships" rapper said Nicki and Kenneth approached him and started getting loud.

Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez's billion-dollar rematch ain't happening -- not now, not ever -- so says the Mexican superstars' promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.

Remember, the boxing legends fought back in 2013 ... and Canelo -- who was only 22 years old at the time -- was easily handled by Floyd, losing by majority decision.

The two have been talking trash to each other publicly ever since -- Canelo's mocked Floyd for fighting Conor McGregor. Floyd went after Canelo for his positive PED test in 2018. For a second, it started to feel like they were seriously building toward a rematch.

In fact, just last year De La Hoya told us the rematch would be the biggest event in boxing history -- easily a $1.5 BILLION event.

But, things have changed and now, Oscar seems to be slamming the door on getting the superstars back in the same ring.

CM Punk is finally responding to Logan Paul's big MMA call out ... and bad news -- it's a big, fat THUMBS DOWN!

Of course, Paul is looking to continue his combat sports career after that big boxing match with KSI back in November -- and the two names he's thrown out are Antonio Brown and CM Punk.

With AB's troubling legal issues, that fight seems like a long shot now ... so what about Punk?

Remember, 41-year-old Punk has two UFC fights under his belt -- and even though he lost 'em both, we're told he's a maniac in the gym ... and a lot of people would like to see him get another shot.

Paul is one of the people ... telling TMZ Sports he'd LOVE to throw down with the WWE legend and bragging, "I think I would destroy CM Punk if I'm being honest."

So, when we saw CM out in L.A. the other night -- we had to ask if he had any interest.

Kansas Jayhawks player Silvio De Sousa is breaking his silence following the bench-clearing brawl on Tuesday night ... saying straight-up, "I messed up and I am sorry."

De Sousa received the harshest punishment handed down for his part in the melee ... getting slapped with a 12-game suspension.

Remember, De Sousa stood over DaJuan Gordon after a chase-down block, which kickstarted the brawl. During the fight, the 21-year-old is seen holding a stool over his head before a coach yanks it from his hands.

De Sousa owned up to his actions on Wednesday, saying there is no excuse for what he did.

"Yesterday, during the Kansas State game, I displayed highly unacceptable behavior that was a poor representation of my team as well as my own character. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I cannot justify the unreasonable choices that I made yesterday on the court. I not only showed a lack of sportsmanship, but I put myself, my teammates and the fans in danger."

He added ... "I am truly embarrassed by my actions and have let everyone down who has supported me on my basketball journey. There is no amount of regret that I can express that will correct this mistake."

"I understand that I am extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to play for KU and I recognize that I never should have let my emotions get the best of me, but unfortunately that is what happened. By doing so, I put the Kansas reputation at stake because of a moment of weakness and inconsideration."

"I will continue to support my team and do everything I can to help while serving my suspension."

"I messed up and I am sorry."

Antonio Brown not only physically assaulted a moving truck driver -- he also picked up a rock and threw it at the vehicle, causing even more damage ... this according to police.

TMZ Sports has obtained court docs in the AB alleged assault case in which the moving truck driver describes why Brown and his trainer attacked him during a routine drop-off Tuesday at Brown's Florida home.

The driver claims he was hired to deliver belongings AB had stored in California -- but when he arrived and demanded his $4,000 payment, Brown refused to hand over the cash.

The driver claims he tried to leave the home (with AB's property still in his truck) but Brown picked up a rock and threw it at the vehicle causing a dent and a paint chip on the driver's side door. The driver called police to report the vehicle damage.

A short time later, the driver was contacted by the moving company and asked him to go back to Brown's home to redeliver the goods ... telling him Brown was willing to make the initial $4,000 payment PLUS an additional $860 to cover damage to the truck and the extra work time.

Upon arrival, the driver claims AB gave him the $4,000 but refused to pay a cent more -- so again, they argued. But, this time, the driver says Brown forced his way into the driver's side of the main cabin and began to physically strike him.

Brown's associates eventually restrained the NFL star.