Fights

Adrien Broner is putting all his fake supporters on notice ... callin' them out for going MIA on him -- and vowing to be a champion again soon enough.

The 32-year-old welterweight made the guarantee in a lengthy post on his social media page Monday morning ... saying he's been "working my ass off alone" the past two and a half months in order to start the journey back to the top.

In the post, Broner -- who's slated to return to the ring on July 23 -- called out everyone who used to be in his corner while he was a rising star in the sport ... saying he's fine with training alone now, as long as everyone keeps "the same energy when I’m back CHAMPION!!!!!!!"

"I see a lot of people left me and think I won’t be champion again," Broner said. "Now it’s just me @coachmikestafford and @vithecutman and I wanna keep it this way ain’t no hard feelings to nobody."

"Some of the closest people switched up on me and I’m fine with they decision," Broner added, "cause I know I'm a hustla I started this S*** alone and I’m go finish this s*** alone."

Broner will take on Omar Figueroa (28-2-1) in Chicago in the July matchup ... and it's slated to be his first fight since his controversial win against Jovanie Santiago in February 2021.

Broner has had a rocky road since the victory -- he was famously arrested in October.

Cody Rhodes is built different ... the son of WWE Hall of Famer, Dusty, defeated Seth Rollins in a "Hell in a Cell" match after tearing his pectoral muscle earlier in the day.

WWE announced the news on its "Hell in a Cell" kickoff show ... saying Cody had his right pectoral tendon "completely torn off the bone while weight training."

Still, the 36-year-old wrestling star proceeded to fight Seth ... inside, arguably, the most dangerous match in WWE history.

As the match was about to start, Rhodes took off his robe ... showing off the gruesome injury.

Fans were astonished at how bad Rhodes' injury appeared -- his pec was severely discolored and jarring to the eyes -- but that didn't stop Rollins from laughing at the injury and targeting the area during the match.

Cody even took a kendo stick right on the pec ... leaving him writhing in pain (maybe part of the show, maybe not).

Regardless, fans were super appreciative of Rhodes ... and gave him a standing ovation for the tenacity and resiliency after delivering 3 Cross Rhodes finishers to secure the victory.

Jon Jones' first fight at heavyweight should NOT be for an interim title ... UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik adamantly tells TMZ Sports 'cause it just ain't fair!

We asked 34-year-old, 6'3", 255 lb. fighter -- ranked 8th in the division -- about the possibility 34-year-old Bones Jones gets a crack at an interim belt ... a fight that would be his first in the division.

"I'm hearing people calling for an interim title. What is fair, what is unfair, who is gonna fight for it?" Jairzinho asked.

"And, then I heard names like Stipe [Miocic] and Jon Jones. I still think that's unfair to put them in an interim fight instead of real fighters who are keeping the division up and running."

Of course, Jones hasn't fought since beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020. Jon's plan was to move up a weight class and fight champion Francis Ngannou, but the parties couldn't agree on money.

Instead, Ngannou fought and beat former training partner Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, Francis hurt his leg in the lead up to the fight (and 5 rounds with Gane didn't help), and now needs surgery on his leg.

Often, a UFC interim belt is created when a champ is injured for an extended period.

Dana White was asked in March whether Jon could lock down a fight with Stipe for the title, and the UFC honcho responded ... "I haven’t thought about it at all, but yeah, it sounds like something we would do.”

FYI, Stipe hasn't fought since losing to Francis in March 2021.

We also asked Rozenstruik -- who has only 3 career professional losses -- about his clash with #7 ranked contender, Alexander Volkov, at UFC Fight Night Saturday night. Jairzinho has some advice ... don't blink.

"I definitely think it's a first-round, second-round fight. I definitely think it's a first-round, second-round fight."

Rozenstruik also talked about the prospect of him fighting Jones ... though, he doesn't believe it makes sense for Jon due to Jairzinho's awesome power.

And, down the line, JR, who lost to Ngannou just 20 seconds into their UFC 249 fight, would like to make things right with the Predator.

The people of Australia have a lot to deal with when it comes to vicious wildlife -- but very rarely do they have to square up with the country's national animal, the kangaroo -- which makes a new video that much more shocking.

The clip starts out with a man seemingly running for his life, until you see what's chasing him ... a full-grown roo! The man trips, and the animal stomps on him before turning back around the two square up.

From there ... the guy grabs a stick to try and defend himself, but it doesn't phase the kangaroo -- the animal stays on the attack.

Finally, the man grabs the animal by the arm and wrestles it to the ground before putting his weight on the animal and calming it down. Unclear what started the attack or how it officially ended ... but certainly not a battle you see every day.

A viral video of a young woman getting beaten up has led the internet to believe it could possibly be Zendaya -- but based on the visual evidence we've seen ... it's likely BS.

This clip made the rounds this weekend ... it's 7 seconds long, and it shows somebody wailing on this poor girl inside of an apparent store somewhere. After they're done punching, they resort to kicking, sending the woman flying back and knocking her head against a wall.

Indeed, it's incredibly brutal -- and there's no context whatsoever, as far as we can see, that points to where or when this happened, who exactly was involved, or why.

What people do believe they see here, however, is someone who appears to resemble Zendaya -- at least from the quick glimpses of this girl's face you can make out in the video. Yes, we'll admit ... it does look a bit like the actress -- especially from her 'Euphoria' scenes.

Again, there's no telling when this might've been from -- or if it's even Zendaya at all, frankly -- but FWIW, Z isn't rocking this length of hair at the moment ... she's got a much shorter 'do right now, as you can see in recent pap shots of her out and about in Massachusetts.

Her shoe-wear is also different than what's in this video -- rainbow-colored Crocs. Zendaya's got sneakers on here ... and has publicly said she'll either rock tennis shoes or heels, not much in between. Zendaya's never been snapped in Crocs from what we could find.

The bottom line is this ... there's no clear evidence this is, in fact, Zendaya -- and yet, Twitter's got her trending right now since they think it could be her. Zendaya or not though -- others have pointed out that those who are mocking this are sending the wrong message.

Even if it's just a doppelganger ... the filming and recirculation of an assault on a woman of color is something many see as a disturbing trend -- with this just being the latest example.

We've reached out to Zendaya's camp for comment. She hasn't spoken up on this quite yet -- but if it isn't her, it might be worth debunking ... 'cause this thing is running rampant.

Camila Cabello put on a great performance before the UEFA Champions League Final this weekend -- pristine in presentation ... but exactly the opposite of what was unfolding outside.

The singer was tapped for the opening ceremony show at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis just north of Paris -- where Real Madrid was facing off against Liverpool in a huge showdown between Europe's best soccer teams ... a must-see match fans were dying to see.

That might even be literal, because tons of prospective gamers were outside the stadium shortly before kickoff -- while Camila was doing her gig -- and desperately trying to get in by any means necessary ... with several of them hopping gates and having run-ins with security.

Some of these videos are absolutely insane -- people are climbing over each other and risking it all just for a chance to get inside. Unclear if these are people who purchased tickets and were turned away, or if they're simply hooligans trying to take it in for free.

At any rate, the cops and security officers on hand weren't having any of it ... pepper spraying people who were trying to rush the gates and who wouldn't back down. There are some reports (and videos) of minors getting tear gassed as well.

Even the cops themselves were trying to wipe the residue from their eyes ... that's how much they fired off, it seems.

As for Camila ... it appears she was completely oblivious to the pandemonium happening just a couple hundred feet from her on the pitch -- and paid it no mind, doing what she was there to do ... sing. Even if she knew what was going on, it's not really her problem.

BTW, she killed it during the show ... performing for a packed stadium and putting on an elaborate spectacle with backup dancers and a grand entrance to set everything off.

While no one is faulting her for continuing on with the ceremony, some are pointing out it's funny that the contrast here is so stark -- and frankly, it is. A lesson learned ... get to your seats early and often. Also, Euro soccer fans are low-key bonkers for the beautiful game.

Ric Flair is gearing up for his in-ring return ahead of his final wrestling match this summer ... and if you think the WWE legend isn't bustin' his ass in the gym, check out the clip "Nature Boy" just posted.

Naitch shared video of him getting some work in on the rowing machine and the air bike ... in addition to mixing it up with the battle ropes.

"Success Is The Sum Of Small Efforts Repeated Day In And Day Out! WOOOOO!" Flair captioned the workout video.

Of course, the 73-year-old has been doing everything in his power to get in wrestlin' shape ... since announcing the last match of his storied career will be happening in July.

Ric joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weekdays on FS1) and opened up about his motivation for taking another match in his mid-70s.

The 16-time World Heavyweight Champion hasn't competed inside the squared circle since 2011 ... when he fought the icon Sting on TNA Impact Wrestling.

But, despite the 11-year layoff, the "Nature Boy," whose wrestling career began in the '70s, isn't showing any signs of age or ring rust.

In fact, the "dirtiest player in the game" has posted a series of training sessions with former TNA superstar Jay Lethal ... where he shined in vintage Flair fashion.

"I Will Prove Once Again, That To Be The Man, You've Got To Beat The Man!" Flair said at the time.

When we talked to Ric -- who nearly died after a medical emergency in 2019 -- he told us the final match wouldn't be happening if doctors didn't medically clear him.

"I don't have any aches or pains," Ric said. "I know I've had the health issues, but I asked 40 different doctors, and I decided I'm only gonna listen to one."

"Not necessarily the one that was gonna give me the right answer, but that I felt the most comfortable with," he added.

Naitch says he'll never be 100% of the wrestler he was in his prime ... but he says he's pretty damn close, and after watching the new workout footage, we ain't gonna argue with him.

Nick Diaz ain't done yet ... the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to return to the Octagon this year, and he's looking to challenge the very best in the world, Kamaru Usman.

We recently talked to 38-year-old Nick at Represent HQ in SoCal ... and asked the older Diaz bro -- who has fought once since the beginning of 2015 -- if, and when, he wanted to fight.

"We're working on the end of the year," Diaz says.

Nick told us he's "focused on my training right now" ... but made it clear he isn't interested in fighting his way up the rankings against fighters looking to make a name for themselves.

"I don't need to go in there and get my ass whooped by one of them young guys anyway, and it's not that I won't win," Nick says, admitting, "It's just I'm not motivated."

It makes sense ... Nick's been in the sport for over two decades, and has shared the Octagon with everyone from Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, and Robbie Lawler.

FYI, Ruthless' was Nick's last fight ... a loss by TKO at UFC 266 in September 2021. Before and after the bout, Diaz talked about being unhappy with how the fight was scheduled. However, Nick made no excuses for the actual outcome.

As for who he does want to fight, Nick has someone in mind.

"I wanna fight for the title. I don't wanna do all this -- I'm 38 years old."

Of course, the titleholder is also the top pound-for-pound fighter in the MMA world ... Kamaru Usman. The Nigerian Nightmare hasn't lost since May 2013.

How would Nick fare against the world's top pound-for-pound fighter?

The love for Deontay Wilder in his Tuscaloosa hometown will last forever ... 'cause the city just immortalized the heavyweight boxer with a life-size statue!!

The 42-2 fighter was surrounded by his family and fans on Wednesday when he removed the sheets off the new "Bronze Bomber" figure that's located in front of Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports offices on Jack Warner Parkway.

"It's me!" Wilder said while hugging the sculpture.

The statue -- designed by Caleb O'Connor -- looks exactly like the heavyweight boxer ... from his braided hair and mean grin all the way down to his shorts and shoes.

The 36-year-old knew the honor was coming ... and said in the days leading up to the event this week that it would be "a monumental moment" for him.

"For the first time in my life, I'm at a loss for words," Wilder said. "This is generational wealth. This is black excellence. This is greatness."

Wilder's boxing career started in Tuscaloosa when he turned 20 ... and he later went on to become the WBC heavyweight champ from 2015 to 2020.

Chuck Liddell says Brendan Langley should turn his crummy situation into potential cash ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the ex-NFL player should try pro fighting after his wild brawl with an airline employee last week.

The UFC star watched the vid of Langley and a United Airlines worker duking it out while at LAX on Tuesday ... and it wasn't hard to tell, despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the fistfight, the Iceman was impressed with Langley's power.

So much so, Chuck said he believes Langley -- a former Denver Broncos third-round pick -- should seriously consider trying to make a career out of throwing his hands going forward.

"Those fights are doing well," Liddell said of amateurs, viral video stars and celebs getting in the ring. "Turn him into a fighter. Have him fight somebody!"

Liddell says a YouTuber would make sense as a potential opponent for the 27-year-old.

Langley, meanwhile, could be looking for the work ... the Calgary Stampeders announced Tuesday afternoon that they have suspended their wide receiver indefinitely after the fight.

A group of smash-and-grab thieves definitely got more than they bargained for when jewelry store employees decided they weren't going to give up their goods without a fight.

The whole thing went down at Princess Bride Diamonds in Huntington Beach, CA over the weekend. It's business as usual until 4 men in hoodies, covering their faces and armed with hammers charged into the building. One man was able to smash a jewelry case ... but then the employees leap into action.

A male employee comes sprinting to the front of the store, landing some serious haymakers. The female employees turn it on too, kicking, punching and even throwing a chair at the would-be-robbers.

The whole thing is pretty badass ... and the crooks take off without managing to steal any jewelry.

Princess Bride Diamonds let customers know they'll be closed for the next 4 days while they clean up the smashed glass and get their case restored.

Chris Jericho says his niece was seen on video being brutally punched and kicked in the face last week ... and now, the wrestling superstar is pleading for officials to do something about it.

The AEW talent explained the situation on his Twitter page on Sunday night ... saying his niece has been "incessantly bullied" at her middle school in Florida "for months."

Jericho says the bullying took a violent turn just a few days ago ... when she was beaten up in a street.

In the clip Jericho shared to his social media, you can see a girl being socked in the face multiple times -- before she was continuously kicked and punched while bystanders looked on.

Jericho says despite his family's efforts to get officials involved, "nobody did anything to help" -- and he pleaded with school reps to "take action."

He added in a message to TMZ Sports that his niece is "physically ok. But, mentally she’s hurting."

"She's scared to go to school," the 51-year-old wrestler said. "This could've been avoided as the family approached the school a few times prior but nothing was done."

"We need to spread awareness so that the schools do a better job of protecting our kid's mental health and safety. ALL kids. Not just the ones with famous uncles."

We reached out to cops for comment, but they told us they have not been made aware of the situation.

Mike Tyson finally broke his silence about his confrontation on a JetBlue flight with an out-of-control passenger, and one thing's clear ... he's really pissed over what went down.

Mike was on his 'Hotboxin' podcast and was clearly relieved the San Mateo County D.A. decided not to charge Mike for battery. As you know, the video -- obtained by TMZ -- shows Mike punching away at the guy after getting harassed even before the plane took off.

Mike said, "He was f***ing with me, man. I took pictures with this n****."

Mike says he knows there's always the chance someone will become "overly excited," and that's why his wife has been on him not to fly commercial.

Mike concedes, "I shouldn't even be taking public planes," adding, "A bodyguard and a f***ing yes man. What am I gonna do on a plane?"

He admitted situations like the one on JetBlue "trigger me" and he acknowledged ultimately it's a lose/lose situation.

And, speaking of triggering, Mike had reminisced about an incident during the infamous Holyfield fight.

Rolando "Rollie" Romero will have the Royal Badness on his side when he faces Gervonta Davis next weekend ... 'cause the boxer just copped some "Purple Rain" boxing shoes -- complete with a portrait of Prince!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 14-0 boxer hit up Houston artist Aztek Kustoms to get custom-made kicks for his WBA lightweight title match against Tank.

Now, Rollie is a HUGE Prince fan ... so it was only right to pay homage to one of the greatest musicians of all time during the huge event -- and, what better song than "Purple Rain"?!?

Aztek used extra rhinestones and bright colors to create the "Purple Rain" theme ... and Prince's iconic symbol and portrait are etched on the sides of the shoes.

We're told it took eight hours to complete ... and Aztek is super hyped to see the 26-year-old wear 'em in the ring at the Barclays Center in New York on May 28.

"It's pretty exciting," Aztek said. "it'll be my first pair of shoes being worn in a major fight!"

This ain't the first time Rollie got customs kicks featuring Prince ... last year, Aztek painted the cover of the 1984 song, "Erotic City", on his Air Force 1s.

Prince -- who sold over 150 million records worldwide -- would be proud. RIP!

Crazy scene following a Premier League game on Thursday ... ex-soccer star Patrick Vieira -- who now manages Crystal Palace -- kicked a fan in a wild altercation on the field.

It all went down after C.P. lost in heartbreaking fashion to Everton ... when a bunch of Toffees supporters stormed the pitch to celebrate their team's big win.

At one point in the chaos, one of the fans appeared to taunt Vieira -- and an altercation quickly ensued.

You can see in video, Vieira grabbed the man, took a swipe at the fan's face, and then kicked him so hard in the leg -- he fell to the turf.

Another fan then appeared to shove Vieira -- but, thankfully, others intervened ... and the fracas died down before it could escalate any further.

Vieira -- who starred for Arsenal from the late 1990s to 2005 and took over the Crystal Palace managerial role in 2021 -- was asked about the incident by reporters just minutes after it happened ... but he said, "I've got nothing to say on that."

Newly retired Tyson Fury might be done throwing his hands ... but he's clearly not opposed to still using his feet -- 'cause the star boxer attempted to kick a cabbie's car after an apparent altercation with the driver in France.

The incident went down sometime Wednesday ... when Fury seemed to be roaming the streets of Cannes after having just a little too much to drink.

In video shot by a bystander, Fury -- wearing a white shirt and dark-colored shorts -- can be seen needing some assistance as he stumbled to a cab in the middle of the road.

But, even though Tyson and his entourage were attempting to get a lift from the cabbie, it seemed the driver wanted no part of it -- because the guy was continuously waving them off.

Eventually, the driver pulled away from the pugilist and his buddies -- and that's when the 33-year-old fight attempted to stick his boot into the car's bumper.

You can see in the video, Fury appeared to just barely miss. Fury's friend, meanwhile, also seemed to throw a kick at the ride too.

Thankfully, it doesn't seem the altercation escalated any further -- and Fury appeared to joke about his level of intoxication in an IG post on Thursday morning.

"Strong beer!" Fury said while on a run with his father.

Fury -- who retired after beating Dillian Whyte last month -- has been in France for the last several days enjoying his newfound time off ... being spotted on a yacht as well as at different restaurants and watering holes in the country.