Fights

Luke Rockhold has a message for Paulo Costa ... fight me, or stop running your mouth once-and-for-all -- and oh, stop being a bitch.

TMZ Sports talked to the 37-year-old former UFC champ at Churchill Boxing Club -- director Peter Berg's club -- in Santa Monica ... and we asked the MMA star about Costa's nonstop trash talk.

"July 2nd, international fight week. [A Costa fight is] what the UFC offered. I'm ready to sign the contract, you're making excuses. You're bitching about weight, you're bitching about the fight. Look, I'm right here," Rockhold says, adding, "Whatever the f*** you wanna do, come and step up. It should be an easy win, get yourself back in the limelight. Otherwise, you'd be a bitch running your mouth and walk away."

Of course, 30-year-old Costa, the #4 ranked UFC middleweight (though, he may have to move up to light heavyweight) has been trashing Luke, calling him everything from a guy with a fragile chin to "Luke RockOLD"

"If it's that fragile, come test it. Come and step up. I mean, [Costa] has no clout right now, he has nothing to stand on. He needs a win, he needs to get back in the favorite. He ain't in no f***ing contender ship,  f***in' fighting for the title."

"The motherf***er needs a fight, he needs a name and if he wants to f***in' do it, then let's do it. Otherwise, you're scared and you're a bitch and making excuses. I don't make excuses. I just come and fight."

FYI, Luke, who has beaten everyone from Chris Weidman to Michael Bisping, hasn't fought since losing to Jan Błachowicz in July 2019. It's not that Rockhold hasn't wanted to fight ... but he's dealt with several serious injuries.

But, now Luke is back, and ready to rock with Costa ... who has lost his last two fights (Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya).

He also weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev's meteoric rise to UFC stardom ... something Luke says he didn't necessarily deserve, 'cause he hasn't beaten anyone with a name.

"Who the f*** knows what Chimaev is capable of until he fights a real fighter?! He hasn't fought anybody either. I mean, he's talented for sure, but if he can withstand Gilbert [Burns] and get off his ass, get off his back, but I mean he's talkin' [205 lbs.], I mean c'mon. They offered you the fight versus me and you didn't take that fight so don't talk about 205 and [185 lbs.]."

Regardless, a fight with Khamzat would be down the line.

Dana White says Khamzat Chimaev will likely fight Colby Covington ... IF he can get past Gilbert Burns -- the #2 ranked contender -- at UFC 273 Saturday night.

The UFC honcho joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... and was asked if Chimaev, the #11 ranked welterweight, would get a title shot against Kamaru Usman if he were to beat Burns.

The short answer is no ... but the fight fans can expect is equally as awesome.

"In a perfect world, you know, I have a fight coming up on ABC," White tells us, adding ... "If Khamzat Chimaev should win, I would love to do a fight with him and Colby."

Covington is coming off a win against former-best-friend-turned-enemy, Jorge Masvidal.

Obviously, a lot has to happen (agreeing to date, money, etc.) ... and beating Burns is a monumental task (Durinho's beaten Tyron Woodley and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson), but it'd be a massively popular matchup.

As for the actual fight between Khamzat and Gilbert, the excitement from fans is off the charts.

"Anything to do with Chimaev and Burns is outperforming the main or co-main by six to seven times. It's an interesting card."

FYI, the main and co-main events are both title fights ... featuring Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs. "The Korean Zombie" and Aljamain Sterling (C) vs. Petr Yan.

Chimaev hasn't lost a fight, ever (10-0 overall, 4-0 in the UFC) ... and has literally only been hit two times in four UFC fights. TWICE. Only one of the matches went past the first round.

But, Burns is the toughest test (though, Chimaev says it's MMA fighter Ikram Aliskerov) of his young career. Does Khamzat beat Burns and set himself up for a mega-fight with Covington ... and a possible title fight with Usman to follow?

Or, does Gilbert derail the very fast-moving hype train?

We find out Saturday night at UFC 273.

"Hunger Games" actress Jena Malone acted fast to help an innocent dog who was being abused at the side of the road by his owner ... and other bystanders joined her cause, unleashing a brutal beatdown on the animal abuser.

The whole thing went down Tuesday near Sunset Blvd. in L.A. when Jena and others witnessed the attack. She told NBC LA she chased the man as he abused the dog, signaling for others to help.

Jena says 5 men joined in, and restrained the abuser, but not before kicking the crap out of him first.

Cops eventually showed up, taking the pup -- named Champ -- to an animal hospital ... he suffered from a fractured rib, broken bones in his hind legs and a fracture in the right paw.

Jena posted a series of tweets about the incident, saying while she wishes it didn't have to end in a "brawl," she is grateful Champ is ok.

Turns out the man abusing Champ wasn't his actual owner, and he has reunited with his actual family thanks to a microchip last week. The dog is still in the hospital and will be undergoing surgery.

Khamzat Chimaev says he knows why Kamaru Usman is helping prep former friend and training partner-turned-rival Gilbert Burns for their fight  ... 'cause the welterweight champ is "scared."

TMZ Sports talked to the 27-year-old undefeated fighter days before his huge UFC 273 scrap with 35-year-old Burns, the #2 ranked 170 pounder ... and we asked Borz why Usman was assisting with the training.

"I feel sorry for both those guys. I'm gonna smash the guy and punch his face and his best friend will be standing there in the corner and make him scared as well, ya know," Chimaev told us.

FWIW, Usman isn't cornering Burns. As he usually does, Vicente Luque -- Gilbert's best friend -- will be in his buddy's corner for the fight.

On Friday, we broke the story ... Usman, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the UFC, is helping Gilbert prepare for Khamzat. It was surprising because the Nigerian Nightmare and Burns had a bit of a falling out before they fought for the title in February 2021 ... a fight Kamaru won by TKO.

We asked the 10-0 fighter why he believed Usman was helping Burns ... and if it indicated Kamaru was rooting for Durinho.

"Of course 'cause he's afraid. They push him down under me, you know, because he's scared, that's why. That's why he wants to stop me before I come for him."

We asked Khamzat, currently ranked 11th in the division, if he believes a win would be enough to set him up for a title shot against Usman, who hasn't lost a fight in nearly a decade (Kamaru's won 19 straight!).

"Of course. The guy number two in the division that's why I smash him, what are they gonna do? After that, they have to fight me."

Even though he's ranked significantly lower than Gilbert (who BTW is one of the BADDEST men in the world), Khamzat is a significant betting favorite in their fight ... with bettors having to lay down over $500 to win $100.

Chimaev -- who has run through his previous 4 UFC opponents (just 1 took him to the 2nd round) -- his fight with Burns stands to be the toughest challenge he's faced in Dana White's organization.

Shockingly, Khamzat has only been hit 4 times in those 4 fights ... an incredible stat, but one with which Chimaev ain't concerned.

Floyd Mayweather ain’t done just yet … TBE is returning to the ring in May for an exhibition boxing match on a literal helicopter landing pad in Dubai, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 45-year-old undefeated fighter will take on "Dangerous" Don Moore -- 18-0-1, 12 KOs -- in an 8 round exhibition fight on May 14.

The event is being called "The Global Titans Fight Series" ... and FM's holding down the inaugural card.

And, Mayweather isn’t the only legend on the card.

46-year-old MMA G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva, who previously boxed pro fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June 2021 ... a fight he (surprisingly to many people) won.

Spider also boxed Tito Ortiz last year ... where he knocked out the former UFC champ.

Silva is boxing Brazilian star Bruno Machado.

Former boxing champ Badou Jack (25-3-3, 15 K) is also on the card.

The location of the boxing matches is pretty awesome. The fighters will box outside on the Burj Al Arab Hotel, one of UAE's top hotels.

It'll be the first time Floyd returns to the ring since boxing YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul on June 6. No winner was declared because the fight was an exhibition.

It's unclear if Floyd's fight with Moore will be judged.

The referee who was kicked and punched in the face repeatedly following a Georgia youth basketball game needed 30 stitches to stop the bleeding ... a tournament official tells TMZ Sports.

But, Kenneth Tarver -- the founder of KB Sports who helped put on the youth tourney in Lithonia over the weekend -- says, somehow, the guy is doing better now.

The terrifying incident was all captured on video on Sunday at the Love Of The Game event at the Stronghold Christian Church -- when several young players and other bystanders appeared to beat the hell out of a ref after a game had concluded.

Tarver tells us the game actually featured teams full of eighth graders ... but, he said he has no idea what caused the postgame scuffle.

Tarver said he has spoken to the referee since the incident -- and while he needed to be stitched up after the attack, Tarver said he's going to make a full recovery.

Tarver added that he's banned the team involved in the scuffle going forward ... and he vowed to beef up security at future events as well.

"I'm gonna make it safer for the officials," Tarver tells us.

Several youth basketball players beat the hell out of a referee following a game in Georgia over the weekend -- and the violent punching and kicking was all captured on video.

The alarming scene went down Sunday at Stronghold Christian Church in Lithonia, GA ... when, following a contest on the floor, multiple players from one of the teams went after one of the game's refs.

You can see in video from the scene -- a couple of young men chased after the guy in the striped shirt, who for a few seconds, appeared to be defending himself well.

But, eventually, there became too many people involved in the attack -- and the guy appeared to be brutally beaten on the floor.

Footage shows the man was kicked and punched in the face repeatedly ... before his attackers finally let up.

No word on if the man sustained serious injuries ... but a spokesperson for the Dekalb County Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports cops did respond to the scene in reference to an assault.

The spokesperson added an investigation into the incident is underway.

A rep for the church, meanwhile, said in a statement following the game, "It is truly unfortunate about the turn of events that took place during the basketball game held at our facility this weekend."

"We open our doors to serve our community and our goal is to provide an atmosphere conducive for enjoyment, enrichment, etc."

Tyron Woodley, Nate Robinson and the Houston Rockets mascot all now have something in common -- each has been knocked out by Jake Paul!!

The Problem Child added "Clutch" to his KO victim list in a hilarious scene at the Rockets vs. Timberwolves game in Houston on Sunday -- moments after the furry mascot challenged Paul to a "fight" near his seat.

In video of the "altercation" posted to his social media page Monday, you can see the Houston mascot came over to Jake with some comically large gloves on and challenged him to a boxing match.

At one point, the mascot appeared to tag Jake in the arm -- which got the YouTuber out of his chair.

Jake then quickly put Clutch into his place, hitting the bear to the floor with a big right hand.

Paul talked a little smack and went back to his seat -- and fans found the interaction hilarious.

Of course, the punch was all scripted and the mascot is OK ... but Jake still had fun with it all on his Instagram page -- writing in the video's caption, "Will Smith'd em."

If you thought dropping $5.2 million on a piece of cardboard was a lot, Logan Paul says he paid even more to keep his beloved, rare Pokémon card safe -- shelling out $80k for its iced-out pendant case!!

Paul -- who bought the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator for $5,275,000 and then wore it around his neck at WrestleMania -- is opening up about his Guinness World Record-breaking purchase on Monday ... saying it was a transaction more than a year in the making.

The Maverick says he completely understands spending that kinda coin on a piece of cardboard is "absurd" ... but offers his reasoning behind pulling the trigger.

"The Pikachu Illustrator is the rarest Pokémon card in the world," Paul says. "Only 39 of them exist, and this is the ONLY PSA 10 (perfect condition). Until this weekend, there were no pictures or videos of this card ANYWHERE."

Logan says he was able to track down the owner of the card last year, spent months negotiating ... and then finally made his way to Dubai to make the purchase.

Logan later turned the card into an $80k wearable piece ... which he debuted alongside the Miz at Mania on Saturday.

The case is completely decked out in diamonds and gold ... including a shiny Pokeball bail.

Pat McAfee had a crazy night -- the former NFL punter won his debut match against Austin Theory, fought WWE boss Vince McMahon, and got a "stunner" by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin ... all while wowing the crowd with his athleticism at WrestleMania 38!!

McAfee -- who spent 8 seasons in the NFL, but is now a member of Smackdown's broadcast team -- fought Vince's protégé in his first-ever match in WWE.

The 34-year-old made a grand entrance flanked by Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders ... punting a football into the crowd on his way to the ring.

McAfee's entrance was only the beginning of what turned out to be a historical moment -- once Pat got in the ring to mix it up with Theory, it was clear he came to do more than just hold his own ... he came to win.

Pat attempted a series of high-risk maneuvers -- moves generally left to the pros -- including sticking a landing on his feet after Theory pushed him off the top rope.

McAfee regained his composure, sprang to the top rope, and delivered a massive superplex to Theory.

The WWE universe was in disbelief at what they witnessed ... especially since Pat attempted Jeff Hardy's signature "Swanton Bomb" in the same match.

McAfee rolled up Theory from behind  -- pinning him 1,2,3 -- but he wasn't done yet.

Vince then got in on the action ... and the 76-year-old challenged Pat to another match in front of the raucous crowd.

Theory blindsided Pat by attacking him from behind ... giving McMahon the upper hand in his impromptu bout with the commentator.

Vinny Mac got the best of Pat -- with help from Theory, of course -- and began celebrating, but the sounds of glass shattering went off ... and WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way to the ring to kick some ass.

In vintage Austin fashion, the Texas Rattlesnake hit Theory with a Stone Cold stunner and hit Vince with a stunner, as well ... after sharing a beer with his old nemesis.

Steve asked Pat to join him in some celebratory beers for his incredible WM performance -- and the two chugged some cold ones before Stone Cold hit McAfee with a stunner of his own -- and Pat sold it well.

Johnny Knoxville just pulled off the unthinkable -- the "Jackass" star defeated WWE superstar Sami Zayn in their "anything goes match" at WrestleMania 38 ... with shocking help from his friend Wee Man.

The famous stunt performer just wrestled in his first WWE match -- against bitter rival Sami -- and not only did he hold his own, but he walked away with the W, too.

The former intercontinental champ, Zayn, dominated Johnny for most of the match -- but the tables turned when Knoxville got some much needed help from Chris Pontius AKA "Party Boy" and fan-favorite Wee Man.

Knoxville, who's known for being the KING of pranks, had some special props and traps set up underneath the ring just for Sami.

One of the highlights of the match came when Chris emerged out of nowhere -- Sami looked like he had seen a ghost -- stripped down to his speedos ... and started dancing on Zayn in true party boy fashion.

Zayn disposed of Party Boy -- but Wee Man was there to save the day. The feisty stuntman blindsided Sami when he appeared from underneath the ring ... unleashing a flurry of punches on the pro wrestler.

Knox and Wee Man would join forces back in the ring, where it became a 2-on-1 handicap match (unofficially) ... and Wee Man stole the show when he body slammed Zayn in the middle of the ring at AT&T Stadium.

The crowd absolutely ate it up ... going wild at the impressive feat of strength from the stuntman -- giving Knoxville the upper hand for the first time in the match.

Johnny had one more trick up his sleeve before he put Sami out of his misery. The comedic genius unveiled a life-size mouse trap, put Sami on it, then actually trapped Zayn on it ... as he pinned him 1,2,3.

Logan Paul looked like a total natural in the squared-circle at WrestleMania 38 just now ... dominating his tag team match with The Miz -- and coming away with the win.

Logan and Miz were in control throughout the match against Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik at AT&T Stadium in Arlington ... and the whole thing was filled with action.

The Maverick's performance was a display of his true athletic ability -- he executed some of the most challenging wrestling moves in the book ... including jumping off the top rope.

Worth noting -- at one point, Mysterio tried to pay homage to his friend, Eddie Guerrero, by hitting Miz with Eddie's signature "Three Amigos" move ... but wasn't able to complete the third suplex.

Logan, however, flipped the script -- not only did he hit Mysterio with a "Three Amigos" of his own, he then hit Rey with a "Frog Splash" ... which was also one of Guerrero's moves.

Logan -- who came out wearing a $5.2 million super-rare Pokémon card around his neck -- and Miz rocked matching yellow and black 'fits for the match ... and they looked damn good.

But, in true Heel form, Miz hit Logan with his finisher move -- the Skull-Crushing finale -- after being declared winners ... much to the delight of the crowd, who booed Paul throughout the match.

Sergey Kovalev is the latest pro fighter who wants a piece of Jake Paul ... the ex-boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's down to fight the YouTuber after his next scheduled match.

"Fight with Jake Paul? I'm ready," the 39-year-old former light heavyweight champion said. "And I will knock him out."

Paul has insisted he wants somebody with a name brand for his next bout -- and while Sergey might not have the biggest social media following, he certainly has the resume Paul is looking for.

"Krusher" is 34-4-1 in his 39 career fights -- and has a win over boxing legend Bernard Hopkins on his resume. He's also fought Canelo Alvarez and Andre Ward in his impressive career.

Kovalev says he's all for trying to add Paul to that list of opponents -- saying he'll be happy to try to make the fight after he returns from his long layoff against Tervel Pulev in May.

"Let me make my comeback fight," Kovalev said, "and then we can do any fight."

He added, "Any day."

WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar's grappling looks have been front and center since 2002, and they are Brock solid!

Here's a 30-year-old version of the then 265-pound pro fighter back in 2008, posing at a UFC photo shoot in Minneapolis, Minnesota (left). Brock's 2008 season concluded with two wins, beating Randy Couture and Heath Herring, and one loss to Frank Mir.

"The Beast Incarnate" ... now 44 years old and 286 pounds ... recently shared a selfie of himself in the gym, working on his stacked physique, as he gears up for WrestleMania 38 (right). The current WWE Champion will be going up against Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Brock-n-roll!

The question here is ...

Aljamain Sterling says he'll employ a special move during his rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 273 ... the Will Smith slap!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 32-year-old UFC bantamweight champ about a week before his second fight with heated rival, 29-year-old Yan, the interim champ.

"I am a certified weapon right now, and ready for battle, and I can't wait to go out there and unleash these tools, and put a little beatdown on this guy that he's been deserving for well over a year at this point, and move on to the victim," Aljamain told us.

Of course, the men fought in March 2021 ... a fight that Aljo was losing, but ultimately won when Petr blasted Sterling with a blatantly illegal knee. But, because Aljamain was losing on the cards and fading in the fight, he's dealt with endless crap online, and as you'd expect, that's bothered the starfighter.

"That's the most frustrating part of this whole thing. It's not being able to compete to shut these guys up," Aljo said.

He even compared himself to a caged animal who isn't able to retaliate because he's chained ... but Sterling says the cage door opens at UFC 273.

"Those chains come free April 9 and I get an opportunity to finally put my hands on this guy, and it's gonna be so rewarding to see the shock in people's eyes when I'm out there and I finally get to put my hands on him and see who is really who."

Sterling, the champ, is a big underdog against Yan ... something Aljamain has taken notice of.

"I know the Vegas oddsmakers got me as a big underdog. This is what everyone wants to go out of their way to tell me. I don't give a s***, at the end of the day, I bet on me. And, I know that betting on me is right. I bet on me the last 6 times and I've won every single time," Sterling said.

Lastly, we asked Aljamain if he had a message for Yan ... and he dropped the A-list actor's name while threatening violence against Petr.

"When they lock that door he's gonna get 'Will Smith'd.' I can tell you that. He's gonna get Will Smith'd. And, after that, it's gonna be a lot worse than what Will did to Chris Rock. It's gonna be a beatdown."

The high school track runner who was punched by another athlete mid-race wants to press charges ... and he could even end up filing a lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office claimed neither side wanted to move forward with pressing charges after the incident.

But, the Florida Firm's Nathan Carter, attorney for the punched runner, says that's not the case.

"The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges," Carter said in a statement. "This is false."

"The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery."

"Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges."

Carter adds the runner suffered a concussion as a result of the incident ... and is "exploring civil remedies against all those responsible."

"If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this," Carter added. "They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him."