Fights

The Floyd Mayweather boxing comeback is back on -- he's actively looking for new exhibition fights after shutting things down earlier this year.

We broke the story ... Mayweather had previously been gunning for 2 fights in 2020 -- one against a pro boxer and one against an MMA star (he was really into the idea of Khabib Nurmagomedov).

But, some unforeseen circumstances changed those plans -- not just the COVID pandemic ... but Floyd was also crushed by the unexpected deaths of his uncle, Roger Mayweather, and Josie Harris, the mother of his children.

Back in March, Floyd was telling people close to him he wasn't in the right state of mind to focus on a comeback ... but now in July, he says he's ready for some exhibition fights in Japan.

"We’re working on some things right now for Tokyo," Floyd told Forbes ... "Whether 2020 or 2021."

The opponents are still up in the air -- but Floyd is making it crystal clear, these will be boxing matches and NOT mixed martial arts fights,

“No [I won’t compete in MMA],” Mayweather said -- "I think just like how winning teams receive home-field advantage in the playoffs ... you don't fix what isn't broken, and my record isn't broken.”

Floyd had previously teased the idea of an MMA fight -- and even began MMA training -- but ultimately decided, he'll stick to fists-only.

As for a Conor McGregor boxing rematch -- Mayweather says there's no deal in place, but he's keeping the opportunity open.

"For now, I'm happily retired. You never know, but it would have to be worth it,” Mayweather said.

Georges St-Pierre says he's VERY flattered by Kamaru Usman's call-out ... but he's just not ready to un-retire and get back in the Octagon.

"I think for me it's better if I stay retired," GSP tells TMZ Sports ... "It's not worth it for me."

Of course, GSP formally retired back in 2019 -- saying he wanted to leave while still on top (his last fight was a '17 victory over Michael Bisping).

But, 39-year-old GSP still trains like a maniac -- and people close to him say he's still in dangerous fighting shape.

In fact, UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman called him out earlier this month -- saying he would love to bait GSP out of retirement for one last fight before he truly rides off into the sunset.

But, St-Pierre tells us he's given it some serious thought ... and he just isn't feeling a comeback -- at least not right now.

"Sometimes I'm watching the fights and I'm like, 'Man I think I can beat these guys' or after when I'm done training I feel like I'm very confident," GSP says.

"But, after I go home at night and I'm thinking about all that crazy thoughts and I'm like 'I'm gonna be 40 years old soon, do I really wanna go back and do a hardcore training camp of 2 months? Put myself in jail so to speak and get ready for hell? I'm like, no I don't."

"I've done it for a very long time and unfortunately there's too many guys that retire too late and I do not want to be one of these guys."

"I'm very fortunate, I'm healthy most importantly and I'm also wealthy. I came out at the right time, I made a lot of money and I think the problems are when I matured and calculated the pros and cons, it's better that i stay retired."

GSP had nothing but praise for Usman -- saying the guy is one of the smartest fighters out there and has big things in his future ... but he's just not ready to throw down right now.

But, watch the whole clip ... St-Pierre says he's always willing to entertain an offer if the UFC calls him up.

A despicable man spewed a racist epithet at someone he felt was blocking his car ... then turned his vitriol toward the guy recording his disgusting behavior.

Check out this video from Brooklyn ... the racist gets out of his car and screams at a person to get out of the middle of the street, then unloads with the n-word.

He then realizes a guy walking by is recording the incident, and he seems surprised and pissed off, and then launches into a homophobic tirade followed by a full-on physical assault. The racist steals the man's phone and slams it on the ground.

The racist dude insists he doesn't care if the video gets posted online -- he even says he'll win fans because of it.

Sadly, that may be the case.

It was like a scene outta 'Kill Bill' -- a WWE superstar had his eye popped out of his head on live TV!!

And, just like that scene in 'Kill Bill' -- it was totally scripted and not real!!!

Still kinda gross/cool though ... that is, if you dig content involving a detached eyeball!

Here's the deal ... Rey Mysterio was taking on Seth Rollins on Sunday in a match dubbed the Eye For an Eye at an event called The Horror Show.

Rollins took control and shoved Rey's eye into the corner of the steel steps -- and the POP GOES THE EYEBALL!!!

It wasn't exactly as violent and gory as when Pai Mei snatched the peeper from Elle Driver's head ... but still, gnarly!

Rollins -- playing up the moment -- was so "grossed out" by the bloody eyeball forced himself to BARF! So gross!!

Khabib Nurmagomedov is NOT retiring from MMA, despite reports to the contrary -- and he WILL fight Justin Gaethje before the end of 2020, so says his manager.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz, who manages both Khabib and Justin -- and he tells us straight-up, both guys are on board.

"We have a blockbuster main event [Khabib] versus Justin Gaethje. Two of the best lightweights in the world today in the recent era."

There have been questions about Khabib's fighting future ever since his father passed away from COVID earlier this month.

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wasn't just Khabib's father -- he was also his coach, mentor and best friend.

"Everybody understands how close Khabib and his father were," Ali says ... "We lost something very important and the UFC's been so awesome, especially Dana. He's been communicating with Khabib, the whole team has been amazing."

Ali says Khabib is "heartbroken" -- "but at the end of the day, Khabib's father has a legacy he wanted Khabib to accomplish."

In other words, Ali says Abdulmanap would WANT Khabib to continue fighting ... to share his talents with the world.

And, Ali believes Justin Gaethje is the perfect opponent.

"We see what Justin Gaethje did to his last opponent. He dismantled Tony Ferguson, he made him look an absolute amateur."

UFC rising star Amanda Ribas says Fight Island was one of the BEST experiences of her life -- telling TMZ Sports she was treated like a princess from the second she stepped off the plane!

Of course, 26-year-old Ribas flew to Abu Dhabi to take on Paige VanZant at UFC 251 -- and after securing an armbar submission in less than 3 minutes, OF COURSE SHE WAS HAPPY!

But, Amanda says Fight Island was a dream come true ... she was treated like a rock star from start to finish -- and LOVED the food, especially the desserts!

Ribas is 10-1 as a pro and her star is exploding right now -- with signature wins over high-profile fighters like Paige and Mackenzie Dern.

So, how does Ribas want to exploit her newfound fame?

She wants to give back to the children back home in Brazil.

"In my city, we have a project there and I'm trying to put more money there to invest in people, invest in children because they are our future."

Jahreau Shepherd -- a pro MMA fighter who competed for Bellator in 2018 -- has died after officials say he was stabbed at his own 30th birthday party in London.

Shepherd was found bleeding with stab wounds around 10 pm on Saturday in the Kensington area, according to the Evening Standard -- and while emergency personnel rushed to the scene, they were unable to save him.

Earlier in the evening, Shepherd was celebrating at a backyard BBQ with friends and family ... including his mother and small children.

But, something went terribly wrong ... and later in the evening, Shepherd was reportedly attacked, suffering fatal wounds in the process.

A tribute to Shepherd has already sprung up at the site where he was killed -- with flowers and pictures.

Scotland Yard is treating Shepherd's death as a murder -- describing it as a "terrible attack" -- though so far, no arrests have been made.

Officials are asking for witnesses to come forward -- but it sounds like they have some leads.

Shepherd was 6-2 as a pro and earned a TKO victory over Marcin Zywica at a Bellator event in May 2018.

Coronavirus seems to have people wound up tight and ready to blow -- case in point, this road rage incident that turned into real-life "Street Fighter."

Check out these 2 dudes throwing down on what appears to be a residential road in Philly -- one of them is a younger guy, and the other is older. Either way, they're both hurling punches and trying to knock the other out.

The guy in the green shirt eventually got in one good hit on the other dude as he was trying to walk away. The guys recording it are hooting and hollering watching it go down, joking by saying they thought "white lives matter."

After the final devastating blow, green shirt hops on his motorcycle and zooms off down the street seconds later. Yeah, he was definitely ready to make a clean getaway ... no question.

Now, it's unclear what might've sparked this crazy road rage ... but in any case, it seems obvious that folks are ready to tussle at a moment's notice these days.

MMA star Lance Palmer has a message for the PFL fighting promotion ... give me a fight or let me out of my contract!!

Palmer is a 32-year-old 2-time winner (2018, 2019) of the Professional Fighters League's million-dollar tournament ... and hoped to earn another milli competing in this year's competition.

COVID-19 had other plans ... and when the virus hit the U.S., PFL execs pulled the plug on the season.

But, now that combat sports -- the UFC, Bellator, boxing -- are back ... Lance tells TMZ Sports he's done sitting on the sidelines watching other fighters earn a living.

"PFL needs to hold an event, and it needs to be before the year's end for the athletes that are under contract, or there needs to be a release of some sort."

Despite how it may sound, Palmer says he has a ton of respect for the people who run PFL ... and isn't trying to beef with them.

"There's no threat about it. It's more of, do the right thing, and let's get a fight scheduled."

FYI, Lance hasn't fought since Dec 2019 ... and says PFL doesn't plan on booking him a bout until next summer -- an 18-month layoff.

"More than making money, it's about competing in my prime. And, to have 18 months off, and to try and hold us out until next June for the actual season, I don't agree with it at all, and that's kinda when I'm speaking out for everybody on the roster at PFL."

Palmer says plenty of other fighting organizations and sports leagues have figured out how to safely hold events while keeping athletes safe and healthy ... so blaming the layoff on COVID-19 doesn't fly anymore.

"The excuse of the coronavirus isn't an excuse anymore. There are ways to go around it, and still make it safe for the athlete."

Demian Maia is the ONLY MAN who's fought both Kamaru Usman AND Jorge Masvidal ... and he's got a gut feeling about who's gonna win at UFC 251.

Remember Maia BEAT Jorge Masvidal back in May 2017 -- in a 3 round split decision.

But, he took an "L" to Usman when they clashed a year later in 2018 in a 5 round unanimous decision.

So, with both of Demian's former opponents set to do battle tonight on Fight Island, we had to ask ... WHO YA GOT?!

Short answer ... Kamaru Usman -- and here's why.

"Fights is all about styles and matchups. It doesn't mean that if I had a difficult time with Kamaru and I won against Jorge, doesn't mean that the same will reflect on the fight," Maia says.

"I think there's some things that makes this fight more Kamaru favorite for this fight. I think he's more well-rounded, he's a very good wrestler and he's also you know he had that full camp."

"Masvidal, ya know, he didn't have this camp, he just got this fight so that's why I think Kamaru is the favorite, but MMA is a crazy sport."

There's more ... Maia also told us how Jorge can upset the reigning welterweight champ in the UFC 251 main event.

Tyron Woodley isn’t ready to write off Mike Perry after that crazy fight video at a Texas restaurant -- and he’s asking the UFC fighter tell his side of the story before it’s too late.

Woodley admits the video is a horrible look for Perry -- but asks fans to try and withhold judgment until we hear from Perry himself.

Of course, Tyron and Perry have been friendly for years -- and while Woodley isn't justifying Mike's actions, he's asking to reserve judgment until we hear from Mike.

Tyron explains everything in this week's "Hollywood Beatdown" -- and tells us why he still believes Conor McGregor's violent outburst at a bar in Dublin last year was even worse.

Woodley also tells us what he thinks of UFC's Fight Island -- and even picks a winner in the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal fight.

"Even with the 'rona right now, I'll beat the sh*t out of Nate Diaz right now, if I had to."

That's UFC star Gilbert Burns -- who was pulled from UFC 251 for testing positive for coronavirus -- saying he's still down to scrap with Nate Diaz, even while being ravaged by COVID!!!

Yeah, this is some gangster stuff!

Long story short ... Burns was supposed to fight Kamaru Usman in the main event at Fight Island on Saturday -- but COVID killed those plans.

Instead, Jorge Masvidal is taking his place -- and Gilbert says he's super bummed out because he was REALLY looking forward to his title shot.

Still, Burns says he has faith that God has a plan for him -- "My time is gonna come."

In the meantime, Nate Diaz has talked some trash about Burns -- claiming his scrap with Usman wouldn't have been a "real fight."

"This guy is a clown," Burns says ... "I'm as real as it gets."

"If it wasn't for COVID-19, [Usman] would be my 3rd fight in 5 months. And, all tough fights, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman, the reigning champion."

"And, this guy [Diaz] comes from a loss that he gets beat up from Masvidal."

Burns says simply, "He's just talkin' sh*t ... he don't want no smoke from me."

So, what's next for Gilbert -- he hopes to fight the winner of Usman vs. Masvidal ... but if that doesn't work out, "I would love to beat the sh*t out of Nate Diaz."

As for Gilbert's COVID battle, he's feeling better but he's not out of the woods yet.

"I hope he gets help."

That's UFC fighter Dan Ige telling TMZ Sports why he's rooting for Mike Perry to get his life together after that horrible violent incident this week at a Texas restaurant.

As we previously reported, Perry -- a popular UFC fighter -- allegedly struck several people (including a woman and an older man) while leaving Table 82 in Lubbock.

Fact is, Perry is lucky he didn't kill anyone during the incident.

Perry isn't commenting on the incident -- but several people in the UFC world are concerned the fighter is heading down a dangerous path.

Count Ige as one of those people -- telling TMZ Sports, he REALLY hopes Perry can turn his life around before it's too late.

"Mike Perry is definitely battling some demons in my opinion," Ige says ... "I just feel like he needs some guidance. "

"I'm not trying to tell him how to live his life. But, it's sad. You don't want to see guys spiral downhill. And, I hope he gets help. I hope he gets himself on the right path."

There's more ... Ige is facing Calvin Kattar in the main event at "UFC Fight Night" on July 15 -- in a fight that could lead to a title shot down the line.

"Huge opportunity," Ige says ... "I'm going out there to prove I'm champion worthy."

Ige is on a 6-fight win streak -- and says he's FIRED UP about getting to throw down on Fight Island.

50 Cent flew into a rage, throwing a table and chair, after getting into it with a guy he's beefed with in the past.

The incident went down Wednesday night in the patio area at the Edgewater Commons Mall in Edgewater, NJ ... where the rapper was enjoying drinks with a woman sitting on the other end of the table.

We're told at some point a man outside walked up to 50's area and exchanged words before the incident turned violent. You can see in the video Fiddy grabbed a table and launched it in the man's direction. It ended up hitting a Lexus. Fiddy then picked up a chair and tossed it at the man, who at that point had ripped off his shirt looking for a fight. The man ultimately fled, and 50 and his companion also left ... hopping into his white Rolls-Royce.

Law enforcement tells us no arrests were made and they will NOT pursue charges.