Fights

An event at a New Jersey speedway this past weekend looked more like a WWE match ... because, at one point during the race, fans in the stands got into a WILD brawl.

The chaotic scene went down Saturday during a Formula Drift race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown ... when witnesses say fans grew annoyed with a couple that had been roaming around the bleachers.

According to the witnesses, the man in yellow and the woman in the small black T-shirt had been, among other things, grabbing and touching people ... and, eventually, it led to a physical confrontation.

You can see in the footage, the woman in the black tee seemed to lunge at another woman ... kicking off a huge skirmish.

The man in yellow jumped in -- as did another man ... while the two women whaled on each other and wrestled on the ground.

The parties were separated after a few moments ... but the confrontation didn't end there.

When the man in yellow pulled out his phone and appeared to begin filming, another man came over and attempted to smack it out of his hand, which ignited a verbal confrontation.

In a twist, the couple then began making out -- all while cars drifted just feet away -- before security officials finally arrived and appeared to boot them from the area.

Apparently, however, the couple didn't leave the track quietly ... because bystanders filmed them seemingly getting into another dispute outside of the venue with officials.

In the footage, you can see the two appeared to be very aggressive with guards who were trying to get them to leave.

BREAKING!!!! DEVASTATING HAIR NEWS!!!!

UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has chopped off his AWESOME hair in favor of a .... buzz cut.

It's hard to describe the hairstyle pre-cut ... but it was long, high, and pretty damn cool. Sometimes he wore it in a bun.

Why'd he do it?! Jiri told Ariel Helwani it was about a new beginning.

“I cut my hair because I needed to end one chapter of my life. So now I can start with new energy, new wave. Honestly.”

Of course, Jiri just beat then-LHW champ Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 ... forcing the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to tap with less than 30 seconds left in the fight.

Prochazka was losing the fight ... but none of that mattered after the rear-naked choke.

Asked if he'd grow back the luscious locks, Jiri was indecisive.

Mike Tyson is finally telling people why he beat the hell out of an overbearing fan on a recent flight ... with the boxing legend explaining he was just high and irritable at the time!

"Hey listen, I'm usually good at these things," Tyson told Jimmy Kimmel on his show Thursday night.

"I was wrong, that should've never happened. That's me back in my primitive child stages, I shouldn't of done that, but I was just irritated, tired, high, and pissed off. S*** happens!"

"I don't wanna hurt nobody!," MT sang.

So, the dude tried Mike at the wrong time ... and Tyson beat him up for it.

Of course, Mike, who was removed from the plane along with the bloodied and bruised passenger, wasn't charged with a crime for the April 2022 incident.

Melvin Townsend III, the 36-year-old man who was on the receiving end of the beating, hired an attorney several days after the fight ... but it's unclear if he's struck a financial deal with Tyson.

Jokes aside, it certainly seems Mike regrets his actions ... even though anecdotally, most believe the former heavyweight champ was well within his right to serve up the beating.

Kimmel also asked Mike about a possible boxing match with Jake Paul. Mike and Jake are actually buddies ... but Tyson's clearly open to the idea.

Police say former heavyweight boxer Julius Francis -- who famously fought both Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko early in his boxing career -- will not be arrested over his one-punch, street knockout this past weekend.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement Wednesday they have concluded their investigation into Francis' punch -- which went down while he was working as a security guard in the U.K. on Saturday -- and will not arrest the 57-year-old over it all.

"Officers have spoken to all parties involved and have reviewed relevant CCTV," cops said. "No further action will be taken in relation to the incident involving the security guard and male customer."

Police initially began investigating Francis after he was seen on video throwing a right hook at a man's jaw after the guy had appeared to get into a confrontation with security guards at BOXPARK Wembley.

The man was reportedly causing a scene at the venue, and after he was booted by the guards, he became combative.

BOXPARK Wembley founder Roger Wade believed Francis did no wrong ... saying in a statement following the incident that the former fighter was simply defending himself -- and it seems cops agreed with him.

Francis fought professionally 48 times in his career in the 1990s and early 2000s, losing to both Tyson and Klitschko in their matches.

Former heavyweight boxer Julius Francis -- who famously fought Mike Tyson in 2000 -- showed he's still got thunder in his hands ... knocking out a man cold while working a security gig on Saturday.

The ferocious punch went down outside of BOXPARK Wembley in the U.K. ... after a man appeared to get into a confrontation with security guards for an unknown reason.

In video of the incident, shot by a bystander, you can see the man in the du-rag was clearly not pleased with Francis and other guards ... screaming at them, and seeming to shove some of them as well.

As the guards were trying to get the man away from the area, the guy stepped toward Francis -- who clearly didn't like that.

Video shows Francis hit the man square in the jaw with a quick right hook -- sending him straight to the ground. The man appeared to be out cold for several moments.

No word on if the guy suffered any significant injuries.

Local law enforcement, meanwhile, said in a statement they are investigating it all.

"Police are aware of footage circulating on social media showing an incident involving security staff and a member of the public outside Boxpark in Wembley."

"An investigation into the circumstances, including to establish the identity and welfare of those involved, is underway."

They added no arrests have been made at this time.

Francis fought professionally 48 times in the 1990s and early 2000s -- famously losing to Tyson in a January 2000 bout in Manchester.

Jiri Prochazka made history Saturday night -- becoming the first Czech fighter to win a UFC championship -- and thousands of delirious fans showed up to greet the home country hero on Monday.

29-year-old Prochazka was losing his UFC 275 title fight with Glover Teixeira ... but somehow, someway managed to get the 42-year-old champ's neck and force the tap-out with 28 seconds left in the 5-round fight.

The win made Jiri the first Czech-born champ ... and when the newly crowned champ arrived back in his hometown in Brno, there was a huge crowd waiting to give him a hero's welcome!

What's more impressive ... this was only Prochazka's 3rd fight in the UFC. He previously beat Volkan Oezdemir (July 2020) and Dominick Reyes (May 2021).

But, he's been fighting MMA (and other combat forms) for a long time ... going back professionally to 2012. Jiri's overall record is 29-3.

Star boxer Errol Spence Jr. has pleaded guilty to DWI ... nearly three years after he was accused of driving drunk when he horrifyingly crashed his Ferrari in Dallas.

32-year-old Spence Jr. entered the plea last week, according to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, and was sentenced to three days in jail, though he was given credit for three days time served, a D.A. spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

In a statement following the disposition of the case, Spence Jr. admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel on the night of the 2019 crash, and vowed to warn others of the dangers of drunk driving going forward.

"Don't drink and drive," he said in a statement. "Not one drink. It's not worth it."

As we reported, Spence Jr. nearly died during the Oct. 10, 2019 incident ... losing control of his Ferrari and flipping it several times in the wild crash.

Spence Jr. was ejected from the vehicle -- but somehow suffered no broken bones or serious ailments in the wreck.

"I was hanging out and having some drinks with some friends and ended up wrecking my car and nearly killing myself," Spence Jr. said of the crash following his plea. "Fortunately, no one else was involved in the accident and I am most grateful for that."

Blac Chyna says she got screwed again -- this time by the judges in her Celebrity Boxing Match -- which ended in a draw, despite the fact she got put on her ass.

Chyna's ring showdown with fitness model Alysia Magen wasn't the greatest display of the sweet science -- but both women threw lots of punches -- and while BC might argue this, Alysia got in the best single shot.

There was only one knockdown, and that was Alysia putting Blac Chyna on her ass ... but she was able to get back up.

When the Saturday night PPV event was over the judges called it a tie.

Neither "fighter" was thrilled with that outcome ... in fact, they both called it "bulls**t," and neither sounded like they were down for a rematch. Let's be honest, even fans don't want that.

Chyna's only response after the judge's decision was, "Maybe they should check the scores again!"

There was plenty of trash talk before the bell ... as we reported, Chyna lunged at her opponent during the weigh-in after Alysia fired off the perfect Kardashian-themed diss.

While Blac Chyna's not happy with the draw, it's a better ending than her $100 million defamation suit against the Kardashians.

That one was a TKO decision from the jury ... so, maybe ties aren't so bad, Chyna.

Even though Ryan Garcia's 3-year-old daughter, Rylie, has boxing in her DNA, the chances of her becoming a pugilist in the future are zero to none ... according to the baby's mother, Catherine Gamez, who tells TMZ Sports the fighter doesn't want it to happen.

"I don't think her dad will let her," Gamez said. "No, no."

Apparently, there's no harm in Rylie watching the sport, though ... Gamez tells us Garcia is allowing the youngster to at least catch his fights in person.

In fact, Gamez -- who split with Garcia following Rylie's birth in 2019 -- said Rylie had ringside seats at her dad's most recent bout in April.

"She attended her first boxing match actually at his last fight in Texas," Gamez said. "We planned it, and she had a lot of fun."

Gamez says Rylie will likely be at her dad's next match too -- when the 22-0 lightweight boxer takes on Javier Fortuna (37-3) on July 16 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Two months after he went to battle with Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns is ready to return to the Octagon ... and he knows who he wants to face -- Jorge Masvidal!

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Burns -- who lost a (somewhat controversial) unanimous decision to Borz at UFC 273 on April 9 -- and Gilbert says he's dying to get back in the cage.

"It's been too much [time] already. I kind of start itching a little bit to be back in there and then we kind of see the possibilities and I think Jorge Masvidal is one of the possibilities and he's already shown a lot of interest and I got nothing but respect for the guy but its competitive feeling."

Burns says a scrap with Masvidal just makes sense ... he's ranked and very popular.

"I think Jorge Masvidal, he's a big name, he's the name that I'm looking forward to and I think we'll put on a show. UFC is interested, he's interested, I am. I think he got a little injury so we wait for him to get a little bit more recovery and we'll move forward."

Jorge's definitely interested, too.

In fact, when Durinho recently Tweeted a photo of Masvidal, Jorge responded with "Sounds good to me. Let's see."

We asked Burns how the fight with Gamebred -- who's on a three-fight losing streak would look ... and let's just say he's pretty confident he'll get the win.

"I'm gonna finish it. I don't care -- whatever it takes."

"I like that feeling that I had in the last fight like man, the guy's tough, the guy's coming to finish, the guy has all the hype and I think Masvidal kind of gonna bring a little bit of the same," GB says, adding, "That's the fight that I want, you know, a guy that I know is a BMF guy, coming hungry."

Masvidal is coming off three consecutive losses -- albeit against the top two ranked fighters in the division.

Colby Covington beat Jorge at UFC 272 in March 2022. Kamaru Usman twice defeated Masvidal ... at UFC 251 (July 2020) and UFC 261 (April 2021).

Despite the recent losses, JM has some great wins. He's beaten Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till, amongst many more.

Get this ... Burns, a jiujitsu black belt, says he's willing to agree to no takedowns in the fight ... so, strictly stand up, which is Masvidal's strength.

In closing, we asked Gilbert if he had a message for Jorge.

"Florida makes a lot of sense. I live here, he lives here. I do believe we can sell out any arena here and it's gonna be a show bro. I signed the dotted line. No takedowns. We gonna go to war."

Cats are a lot more scrappy and resourceful than we humans ever thought -- and the evidence is right here ... a whiskered warrior that wouldn't let a coyote get the best of it!

Check out this insane video of a house cat being chased around a beach house deck in Surfside Beach, TX -- where it's about to be torn to pieces by a wild canine that made its way onto the property ... which belongs to a guy named Tony Gray.

In his original post, he writes ... "Someone almost lost a cat." Keyword there is almost -- because this kitty put up one hell of a fight to survive. And, in the end, it won.

Watch how the feline outsmarts its opponent. It uses a foldable chair to its advantage and successfully evades the critter. After a lot of back and forth -- and some close calls -- the tabby goes all Sly Stallone on a nearby wooden beam ... hanging on for dear life.

It seems the cat might've ended up with a few bite marks here and there ... but it lived to fight another day, as the coyote trots away. Garfield here wasn't taking any chances though.

Blac Chyna's already heated before she even steps into a boxing ring tonight ... thanks to the well-timed Kardashian-related jab fired off by her opponent, Alysia Magen.

The Celebrity Boxing combatants, who are fighting in a Saturday night PPV event, came face-to-face for the traditional weigh-in and trash talk moment. They didn't disappoint.

Chyna flexed for cameras as she stepped on the scale, and definitely looks like she's been training hard.

First, Chyna grabbed the mic and told Alysia, "I seen your little rap. It was trash" ... referring to an IG post Alysia made to hype the fight.

Chyna's right. It was trash. However, props to social media influencer Alysia for hitting BC with the best comeback possible.

She said, "Hey, I'm not Kim Kardashian. I'm going to knock you both out!" Chyna lunged at her, but a bunch of people stepped in to break it up.

For the record: Chyna weighed in at 140 lbs. ... one more than Alysia.

Alysia was taking a shot at Chyna and her trainer, Tamara Frapasella-Fortune ... who beat Kim in a 2010 charity boxing match.

Anyway, after Chyna lost the $100 million defamation trial against the whole Kardashian family ... Alysia knows how to hit her where it hurts. At least outside the ring.

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is one big step closer to becoming a reality ... 'cause "Iron" Mike tells TMZ Sports he'd absolutely love to fight the Irish superstar.

"Obviously, there's a lot of big fights that Conor could take. A lot of big names, and I'd love to be the other guy on the other side of the Octagon when that cage door closes, and then go out there and make something special," Chandler says.

Of course, earlier this week, Dana White told us he "really likes" the idea of pitting CM and MC against each other when Conor returns to fighting.

Chandler, 36-years-old, is the #5 UFC lightweight ... and is coming off a devastating knockout of future Hall of Famer Tony Ferguson.

33-year-old Conor, he hasn't fought since July ... when he gruesomely snapped his leg while fighting Dustin Poirier.

It's a fight that Chandler has wanted for some time ... but don't expect a whole lot of trash talk coming from the former Bellator champ -- Michael has a lot of respect for McGregor.

"We may never see another talent, another combat sport like Conor McGregor, and not just until when I retire, we're talking about the next couple of decades."

And, Michael isn't looking for an easy fight with Conor ... he wants him at his absolute best.

"I want him at his biggest, his baddest, his best, and his most dangerous."

As for the weight class where the fight would take place ... Chandler's open to moving up from 155 pounds, where both fighters now fight.

"Looking at him, he's looking big, he's looking beefy, he's looking strong, he's looking fast as he always is at 180 pounds, so let's do it at 170. If not, I can always make 155," Michael tells us.

Before we hung up with Mike, we asked him if he had a message for Conor. Here's what he said.

"Number one, I want the opportunity to compete against you. There's no ill-will. There's a ton of respect. The sport of mixed martial arts is a better place when Conor McGregor is a part of it and when you can put yourself in a position to be his opponent, to be his dance partner in the build-up, the lead up, the hype and then the actual contest, its a dream come true for mixed martial artist."

Blueface will be looking to break face on July 30 -- the rapper is slated to fight ex-NBA player Nick Young in a boxing match.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the "Thotiana" MC and NBA champ are going to face off in the ring at Crypto.com Arena as part of the Social Gloves event starring YouTubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib.

Blueface has a bit of history in the ring -- he beat up on TikToker Kane Trujillo in July 2021 ... and ended up having to throw hands that same night after a fan attacked him in the ring.

Young is less experienced ... but he's never shied away from calling people out for a fight in the past. He's previously voiced interest in boxing Logan Paul, Gilbert Arenas and Chad Ochocinco.

We broke the story -- ex-NFL star Le'Veon Bell is also slated to take a fight on the same card ... although his opponent has not been announced.

A Tampa Bay Lightning fan was sucker-punched in the jaw following an argument at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night ... and the blow was so violent, it knocked the man out cold.

The incident happened at around 10:50 PM, some minutes after the Rangers had lost to the Lightning at the famous venue.

According to the NYPD, a witness says the two men in the video were involved in a verbal dispute ... before the man in the red shirt reared back and threw his fist at the Lightning fan's face.

In the footage, captured by a bystander, you can see the punch landed flush -- and knocked the Tampa Bay supporter out cold.

Cops say a witness told them the puncher then attempted to flee the scene. When a witness tried to stop him, the suspect allegedly punched the witness in the face too.

Eventually, police arrived on the scene and arrested the puncher, who they ID'ed as 29-year-old James Anastasio. Cops say he was booked on multiple charges of assault, disorderly conduct and harassment.

The Lightning fan who was KO'd, meanwhile, reportedly woke up several minutes following the punch ... and is in stable condition.

Great news for WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes -- the wrestler went under the knife to fix his torn pectoral ... and he's officially on the road to recovery.

Cody's wife, Brandi, shared the news on Twitter Thursday night ... revealing the 36-year old's injury was about as bad as it could get, but everything went well and he's looking forward to getting better.

"The doctor just repaired Cody's pectoral tendon which was torn completely off the bone," Brandi wrote. "Successful surgery. He is on the road to recovery now."

Rhodes reportedly went to see Dr. James Andrews, a renowned surgeon who specializes in dealing with wrestlers and athletes who injure themselves over the years.

Cody initially suffered a slight tear of his pec just days before his scheduled match with Seth Rollins at the "Hell in a Cell" Pay-Per-View.

However, he would suffer a full tear of the muscle -- which spread from his chest to his entire right arm -- while weight training, leaving his status for the event in question.

Rhodes gutted it out and competed -- defeating Rollins inside the relentless structure -- but he paid the price for it, as Seth continually targeted the injured area throughout the match ... as well as the following night on "Monday Night Raw."

WWE Superstars with Rhodes' same injury are typically sidelined anywhere from 3 to 5 months ... but Cody -- son of Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes -- is hoping to return before that timeframe.