Fights

Chris Rock is NOT going to file a police report -- at least for now -- against Will Smith after the latter smacked him squarely across the face ... but the window is still open.

LAPD brass said Sunday night that they were aware of an incident during the 94th Academy Awards between two individuals ... in which one person slapped the other. Obviously, they're referring to Will and Chris -- but they also note ... CR declined to press charges.

They add ... if Chris wants to file an investigative report at a later date, he can do that -- and they'll be all ears.

Now, as for how exactly the cops got involved in this has been a bit of a mystery until now -- namely, nobody really knew if they were called or if they actually spoke to Chris directly. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were LAPD officers on site during the actual incident, whom we're told witnessed the hit -- and then approached Chris' team thereafter.

Essentially, they watched what they believed to be a crime ... otherwise, they wouldn't have approached him. Since Chris said he wasn't interested in pursuing it, it's routine in a case like this for cops to stand down.

Presumably ... Will could be dinged on assault and battery, but at the moment -- it doesn't seem he's going to face any repercussions for what he did. It's also unclear if the Academy will hold him accountable.

As you know by now, Will struck Chris on stage during the live broadcast following a joke the comedian cracked about Jada Pinkett -- which was about her shaved head ... a direct result of the alopecia she suffers from.

Will Smith certainly hijacked the Oscars by smacking Chris Rock in the face, but the question ... was he justified??? You be the judge.

Jake Paul wants in on the Will Smith vs. Chris Rock feud -- the YouTuber-turned-fighter is offering both actors $15 MILLION to take their beef to the boxing ring!!

Shortly after the slap heard around the world went down at the Oscars, "Impractical Jokers" star Sal Vulcano joked about how much the Most Valuable Promotions founder would cough up to get both legends in the ring for an epic event for the ages.

The 25-year-old fighter -- who previously offered Pete Davidson and Kanye West $30 milli each to face off in the ring -- delivered on his new proposition late Sunday night ... claiming he already has $30 million set aside for a Smith vs. Rock bout.

"I got $15m for Will Smith and $15m for Chris Rock ready to go," Paul tweeted ... adding he already has a date in mind.

"Let’s do it in August on my undercard."

FYI -- The biggest Pay-per-view ever is 4.6 million buys for Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

A Will vs. Chris fight would undoubtedly be successful, but don't hold your breath on it ever happening -- after all, both guys have all the money in the world and it would be quite the height/weight disadvantage for Rock ... but Jake's got the financial backing to make it happen.

Will Smith's got people in his corner following his on-camera altercation with Chris Rock ... getting a big hug from Trevor Noah at the Vanity Fair after-party, having a long, and private, conversation.

Will was still emotional when he got to the party Sunday night in Bev Hills, taking pictures with tears in his eyes ... which is when Trevor came up to the Best Actor winner.

They embraced for quite a while -- more than 1 minute -- clearly trying to have a conversation over the loud music blaring in the room. When it was all said and done, they smiled at each other and posed for some photos.

There's no doubt what they were discussing for so long ... Will slapped Chris Rock after his "G.I. Jane 2" jab at Jada Pinkett Smith.

The crowd, and even Chris, was stunned ... things got more real after Will continued to shout "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth" from his seat.

Trevor tweeted after the slap heard, and seen, 'round the world ... saying, "Wtaf????? That wasn’t scripted?????"

Safe to say he had some questions, and maybe got them answered when he and Will hugged.

Will went to the after-party with the whole family surrounding him -- Jada, daughter Willow, and sons Trey and Jaden.

Will Smith's slap heard-round-the-world seems to have Hollywood kinda split on whether it was right or wrong -- but there's one person who's firmly in the guy's corner ... his son.

The entire world seems to have reacted to Will's violent behavior, and celebrities are no exception -- with several high-profile stars weighing in online ... and some even defending WS and Jada Pinkett by extension, including Nicki Minaj.

The rapper had a lot of thoughts on the matter, writing ... "You just got to witness in real time what happens in a man’s soul when he looks over to the woman he loves & sees her holding back tears from a “little joke” at her expense. This is what any & every real man feels in that instant. while y’all seeing the joke he’s seeing her pain."

She adds, "Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald. You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone?"

So, clearly ... Nicki is team Will/Jada. But, there are far more who condemned the assault -- including Judd Apatow, who was emphatic. Judd wrote, "He could have killed him. That's pure out of control rage and violence. They've heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshmen in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind."

Others seemed to be either baffled or amused by what had occurred ... Billy Eichner, Jodie and Conan O'Brien fall into that category. But, the most telling response came from Will and Jada's own flesh and blood.

Jaden Smith sounded off in the aftermath, writing ... "And That's How We Do It," apparently co-signing what his old man had just done.

It would also seem that Jada herself appreciated Will getting up there -- because as soon as the broadcast went to break ... a photo shows Chris Rock leaning down from the stage trying to talk to both of them, with none other than Denzel Washington standing in between them.

In the pic, you can see Will and Jada holding hands ... appearing to put on a united front.

There's also a lot of chatter today about "toxic masculinity" and whether Will is a personification of that. Many feel he is, but there seems to be an opposing group who say he was simply doing what a good partner/man should do to defend his woman.

Charlotte Flair is putting Ronda Rousey on notice ... telling TMZ Sports the former UFC superstar is in for a rude awakening when she steps inside of the squared circle with her at WrestleMania 38 in Texas.

We spoke with the WWE Smackdown Women's Champion -- and daughter of legend Ric Flair -- out in NYC this week ... and she tells us the damage she caused to Ronda on Smackdown is a preview of what the former MMA star can expect when they collide.

Charlotte and Ronda came to blows in the leadup to WrestleMania ... with Charlotte getting the best of Rousey in front of her hometown crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the aftermath of their fight, Ronda said she was having difficulty talking on a gaming stream ... and she explained she suffered a torn labial frenulum -- the tissue in your mouth that connects your lip to your gums.

While the "Baddest Woman On The Planet" didn't specify how she sustained the injury, you have to assume the attack she suffered at the hands of Charlotte (with help from a kendo stick) played a role.

The good news is "Rowdy" Ronda fully expects to be 100% by the time Mania rolls around ... and Charlotte is looking forward to colliding with her on the grandest stage of them all.

"If that hurt her, [I] can't wait to see Mania," the champ said.

Rousey won the women's Royal Rumble match back in January ... which gave her the right to fight either Charlotte or Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

Ronda chose Charlotte, paving the way for the two women to share the ring again ... in hopes of resolving their longstanding feud.

WrestleMania, the Super Bowl of pro wrestling, is an event that makes stars ... but Charlotte says Ronda still has to make a name for herself in the biz.

Jake Paul tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about an MMA fight with Conor McGregor ... saying even in an Octagon, under UFC rules, he'd KO the Irish star.

Paul has called out McGregor a bunch of times over the last couple years ... but now, more than ever, he seems ready to make the tilt actually happen.

And, this time, he tells us he's willing to go onto Conor's turf to do it.

"Conor is on a downhill spiral," Jake said. "His limbs are all broken. So, stand-up game, I'm coming out and knocking him out, first round."

Paul tells us he and McGregor weigh the same now, and he's legitimately looking into leaving boxing for MMA to make the fight.

Jake also said he wants to throw down with McGregor in the UFC in order to try to persuade Dana White to give more of the company's revenue to fighters.

"If I win, then Dana has to increase the minimum of fighter pay," Jake said. "If I lose, then they can take all of the money and whatever and so be it."

"But, I know I can beat Conor."

If the matchup with Conor doesn't happen, there's still a chance Jake heads to MMA for his next fight regardless. He tells us he's been in talks with Bellator and PFL -- "and other MMA entities" -- to try to hammer out some kind of deal to potentially fight in a cage.

"You gotta expect that out of f***ing Colby Covington. He's a bitch for pressing charges. And, if I got a message for him it's 'snitches get stitches' around here homie. That's some bitch s**t."

That's 35-year-old rising UFC welterweight star Daniel Rodriguez going in on Colby Covington ... after the #1 ranked 170 lb. contender cooperated with police and pressed charges against Jorge Masvidal for allegedly attacking him and cracking his tooth outside a fancy Miami restaurant earlier this week.

"I'd do the same thing," D-Rod told us Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Of course, Masvidal allegedly attacked Colby as he was leaving Papi Steak in South Florida Monday night. Police responded, and took a report for battery.

Days later on Wednesday, Jorge turned himself into a local jail around 10 PM local time, and was hit with several charges, including felony battery, which can carry a lengthy prison sentence.

Some fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, believe Colby was out of line for going to the cops -- especially after some of the trash talk the men engaged in leading up to their UFC 272 fight -- and you can count Rodriguez in that group.

"I respect Khabib for that. He's always been that kind of fighter that doesn't disrespect, especially family. Trying to promote, trying to sell a fight is one thing. But, when you throw family in the mix, it's kind of personal. So, ya know, I'm not mad at Jorge Masvidal for this incident where he ran up on [Colby] in Miami."

It remains to be seen if fellow welterweight fighters will heed Khabib's advice and not fight Covington. However, it's almost impossible to imagine fighters passing on an opportunity to take on the consensus 2nd best 170 lb. fighter in the world.

We also talked to Daniel, 6-1 in the UFC, about his health.

Hayden Panettiere and her boyfriend Brian Hickerson look less like lovers, and more like tag-team partners after getting into a huge melee at a famous Sunset Strip hotel.

We got this insane video from Thursday night outside the Sunset Marquis where HP, and mostly Brian, threw down with a large group of people. At one point, security was able to calm the situation ... but then Brian broke free, ramping things up again.

An eyewitness tells us everything started inside at the hotel bar, where some sort of argument started between Hayden, Brian and some other patrons. We're told one of the people from the other group claimed Brian spit on them, and the manager kicked everyone out ... leading to this wild scene on the street.

During the fight, you can see Hayden do her best to try to pry Brian off the others -- and it even appears she gets kicked in the face while she was in the scrum. She's heard yelling, "Brian, jail!" ... likely warning him what could happen if cops show up, because he's on probation until 2025.

Once everyone finally gets separated -- Brian and Hayden head back into the hotel -- where she apologizes to staff, and the other group leaves.

Hayden and Brian certainly have a tumultuous history -- he's been arrested for domestic violence and assault for alleged attacks against the actress. Last night, at least, they were a united front.

Jorge Masvidal is in jail in Florida ... he's been arrested over his alleged attack on Colby Covington.

Jail records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the 37-year-old UFC star was booked in Miami at 10:27 PM ET on Wednesday, where he posed for a mug shot.

The records show he was booked on two charges -- aggravated battery with a mask, and criminal mischief. His bond has been set at $15,000, the records show.

WPLG Local 10 News shot video of Masvidal as he entered the jail in cuffs. The footage shows he sprinted into the station without taking any questions from reporters.

As we previously reported, Masvidal has been accused of punching Covington twice as his UFC rival was leaving popular restaurant Papi Steak on Monday night.

In police documents, cops say Covington told them Masvidal hit him in the mouth and the eye -- causing him to fracture a tooth.

Cops also say Covington suffered an abrasion on his wrist and a damaged watch.

In video we obtained shortly after the alleged incident, Covington can be heard appearing to describe the attack, saying, "He's over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran ..."

Covington has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Story developing ...

Khabib Nurmagomedov is hoping Colby Covington gets hit where it hurts -- his bank account -- saying he wants fighters to boycott taking bouts with "Chaos" after he pressed charges against Jorge Masvidal.

The Eagle and his team absolutely despise Colby ... and there was certainly bad blood between the two before his beef with "Gamebred."

Nurmagomedov is now giving his take on the Covington/Masvidal incident in Miami -- and he thinks Colby had it coming after comments he made about Jorge's kids.

"If you are stronger than someone inside the Octagon, it does not mean you can insult his children," Khabib said on Twitter on Thursday morning.

"No one has the right to insult someone's family. Once you have gone down that path, then be ready to back up your words."

As we reported, Colby pressed charges after Jorge allegedly ambushed him in Miami on Monday night ... claiming he was punched twice, resulting in a fractured tooth. He also said his watch was damaged in the scuffle.

Nurmagomedov clearly has an issue with Colby going to police ... and he wants the former interim champ to suffer consequences for it.

"You were attacked by a professional fighter, the same as you are, your own size, and you go press charges against him to the police?"

"I think all welterweights should refuse to fight Colby, just don’t accept fights with him, let him sit without a fight, it will probably significantly affect him and all fighters who even think of insulting families, who is provoking the fighters to look for someone in restaurants to deal with him."

Masvidal was arrested on Wednesday night and booked on two charges -- aggravated battery with a mask, and criminal mischief.

Conor McGregor wants to fight Kamaru Usman ... something UFC legend Clay Guida believes would be an enormous mistake that could actually lead to the ending of The Notorious' MMA career -- that's how bad the UFC vet believes McGregor would get beat.

TMZ Sports caught up with 40-year-old Guida at Commerce Casino in SoCal -- where he was supporting a buddy fighting in an Alta event over the weekend (Alta takes non-fighters and puts them through a rigorous training camp, before taking an actual fight!) -- when we asked about Conor, still recovering from the broken leg sustained against Dustin Poirier, after the world's most popular MMA fighter recently declared he wanted his comeback fight to be against Usman, with the welterweight belt on the line.

"Myself versus Usman for the 170 lb. title in my comeback fight is the one I'm eyeballing at the minute," Conor said during an interview with TheMacLife.

"Why cut the weight? I've already won the 155 lb. title. I got myself to a lightweight frame, but you know, I'm big now. I feel big. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I've got good energy. I'm coming back from a gruesome injury. I don't want to be depleting myself. There should be no need to deplete myself."

When we talked to Clay, we asked him for his thoughts on a Kamaru vs. Conor fight.

"That might be his last fight. Usman is on a whole another level right now. I think that would be a poor decision, physically, for Conor McGregor," Guida says, adding "I love [McGregor], he's pure entertainment. The guy's fun to watch, but Usman is on a different level right now."

But, no chance Conor wins that fight?? Clay doesn't think so.

"I think we've all seen Usman what he's done to Tyron Woodley who I thought was unbeatable, what he did to Colby Covington who I thought was unbeatable. He's the greatest welterweight, and GSP. Greatest welterweight of all-time."

So, Clay clearly doesn't want to watch Kamaru and Conor fight. But, he's got another opponent in mind for the Nigerian Nightmare.

And, it happens to be the world's top pound-for-pound boxer.

"I would be more intrigued to see Usman fight the boxer he's calling out. Canelo. Just because it's great for both sports, why not? Just like I wanna see Henry Cejudo fight Volkanovski. Those, I think, are great for wrestling, it's great for MMA. It's great for both sports."

BTW, the

We also talked to Guida -- whose 2009 fight with Diego Sanchez was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame a few years back -- when he plans on laying down his gloves for good.

And, good news for fans of Clay ... he ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon!

UFC star Colby Covington told cops Jorge Masvidal punched him in the face twice and fractured his tooth in an attack outside of a Miami hotspot on Monday night ... police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the docs, cops say Covington told them as he exited Papi Steak restaurant, Masvidal "ran up to him from his left, and without notice, punched him with a closed fist two times in the face."

Cops in the report say Covington told them one punch landed on his mouth, while the other connected with his left eye.

According to the docs, cops say Covington heard Masvidal yell, "You shouldn't have been talking about my kids."

Several other males then allegedly tried to get involved, though cops say Covington told them he pushed one of the men away and ran back into Papi Steak, where he called police.

Cops say Covington told them he fractured his front left tooth in the attack, and also suffered an abrasion on his wrist. Police in the documents say Covington's watch was damaged as well.

Masvidal is listed as a suspect in the docs. The incident type is described as a battery/felony. Police added an investigation into the allegations is underway.

One of Young Dolph's suspected killers apparently has some enemies behind bars ... because he was recently attacked by another inmate.

Justin Johnson, who is in custody on a slew of charges including first-degree murder, was punched by a fellow inmate at Tennessee's Shelby County Jail while in the middle of a phone call Friday ... his attorney tells TMZ.

Johnson's lawyer, Juni Ganguli, says JJ was on the phone in the jail's visitation area when an inmate walked up and socked him. We're told there is no word on a motive and Johnson was not severely injured.

A rep for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... there was an incident Friday involving Johnson and another inmate, and it's under investigation. We're told there were no reported injuries.

Remember ... Johnson was named as a suspect in Young Dolph's murder earlier this year, and in January he was captured and arrested by U.S. Marshalls. He claims he is innocent.

Mike Tyson is down to fight Jake Paul ... in what'd be one of the most talked-about boxing matches of all time.

There's just one catch -- Iron Mike wants a BILLION dollars.

55-year-old Tyson made the comments on his "Hotboxin'" podcast this week ... when his convo with boxer Jermell Charlo and Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce turned to a rumored fight against Jake.

Pierce said he heard Mike was going to fight Jake, but Tyson seemed to be unaware of the rumor.

"Nobody told me that," Tyson said. "Hey, I ain't got no f***ing money. So, where's the f***ing contract?"

"I've never heard this from nobody, I've just heard this from you guys."

Now, Tyson and Paul are buddies.

In fact, you could argue Jake owes at least some of his boxing success to Mike. The Problem Child's career exploded after he flatlined Nate Robinson on the Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. undercard in November 2020.

The men have become good friends ... and Mike even said they were recently together in St. Barts, where they partied.

When Pierce asked Mike if he'd ever fight again, specifically against Jake, Tyson quickly said "a billion bucks" ... setting his price tag to fight Jake.

Tyson previously denied reports he was in "advanced talks" to fight Jake in a $49 million boxing match ... though his latest comments seem to suggest the fight isn't totally off the table.

Jorge Masvidal yelled at Colby Covington and needed to be held back by several men following their alleged fight outside of a Miami hotspot on Monday night ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the clip, you can see as Covington, wearing a tan shirt and grey pants, retreated back into Papi Steak, Masvidal -- wearing a hat and a black t-shirt -- screamed at him, "Don't talk about my kids!"

Masvidal appeared to be charging at Covington while yelling, though a couple of guys outside of the restaurant prevented him from getting to the UFC star.

Masvidal then appeared to say, "I got you, bitch," before he got into an awaiting car.

As we previously reported, sources say Masvidal attacked Covington after Colby had stepped outside of the restaurant following dinner with the Nelk Boys.

In footage we obtained of the aftermath, Colby can be heard saying, "He's over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran ..."

Later in the video, Colby asked social media star Bob Menery, "How would he know I'm here?!"

Covington has yet to publicly comment on the incident. Masvidal, meanwhile, has posted several videos appearing to poke fun at Colby over it all.

He also tweeted Tuesday morning, "Good morning to everyone except those that think talking about someone's kids is cool."