Fights

"I don't give a f*** and don't be surprised they like me more out there."

😂😂😂😂😂

That's Marlon "Chito" Vera (candidly) talking about fighting former UFC champ/future Hall of Famer Dominick Cruz in his hometown of San Diego ... the main event at Saturday's UFC Fight Night.

FYI, Vera is 29 years old and ranked 5th in the bantamweight division. Cruz is 37, and the #8 ranked bantamweight.

"I bring what people want to see, I bring what they like and it's the fire," Chito told us, adding ... "Maybe, in the beginning, they might be a little going for him but crowds love me, dude."

Chito has won three fights in a row, including beating Frankie Edgar (November 2021) and Rob Font (April 2022), and believes the Cruz fight is a chance to put the world on notice.

"It's a great opportunity to shine. It's a great opportunity to show the world what's up. It's a great opportunity to just let the UFC know I'm the next guy coming out for that belt and I can say all the crazy s*** I want but at the end of the day, I gotta get there and win and I'm prepared for that."

There's much more in the video with Vera!

We also talked to Dom -- who believes he's on the path to once again being champ -- and he couldn't be more pumped to continue that journey in front of his hometown fans.

"Well, it's incredible. San Diego, you know, we've been known a lot for saying we can't get that world championship -- baseball, football, all these sports. You've had a two-time world champion that was born here that has been representing that state for a long time."

"I'm here! I'm the champion of San Diego!"

Police had the opportunity to save Gabby Petito's life after responding to her domestic dispute with Brian Laundrie before she was killed ... this according to her family, which is now looking to sue the police department for a ton of cash over it.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Petito's family blames the Moab City PD for Gabby's death ... claiming Brian killed Gabby shortly after the department "failed to adequately respond to reports and evidence of domestic violence between Brian and Gabby."

The docs go on to recount the events leading up to her death ... including when police interviewed them on the side of the road last year -- with one officer saying she was crying uncontrollably and had cuts on her face and arm.

As you know, Brian told officers Gabby had been under emotional distress, allegedly pushing her away as she tried to slap him.

But, the family says there were inconsistencies in Brian's story -- including claiming he wanted to walk away from Gabby despite a witness alleging he tried to drive off without her.

Gabby's family claims the police didn't do enough probing of the situation to save Gabby -- adding that an independent investigator later concluded the officers "made several mistakes and could not rule out that Gabby's murder might have been prevented if the officers had handled the situation properly."

Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, tells TMZ, "The Moab police, in my view, did not contribute to the death of Gabby Petito in any way. My understanding of the Moab incident is that Gabby was the aggressor and admitted on camera to hitting Brian first. The Moab police report indicated that they could have arrested Gabby but chose not to and instead separated Brian and Gabby."

He continues, "The intervening days and events from the Moab incident to the date of Gabby's death appear to be far enough removed from the reasonable actions of the officers on the scene. I see no legal liability but maybe the City of Moab will settle the matter. So best of luck to the Petito family in their quest to recover for their loss from another source."

Add Hall of Famer X-Pac to the growing list of people who think highly of Logan Paul's wrestling future -- the legend tells TMZ Sports the newly-signed WWE Superstar is a "natural" and has the serious makings of a champion one day.

We spoke with Pac -- a two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame -- out at LAX this week, and he was effusive in his praise of Paul, who won his first singles match as a competitor over The Miz at SummerSlam last week.

"He's a natural, man," Pac said. "Huge future."

Pac admits he used to not think so highly of the Maverick following his suicide forest video scandal ... but can tell Paul has truly grown as a person.

Pac -- a former NWO and D-Generation X member -- said what separates Paul from other newcomers is his athletic ability coupled with his intuitive feel for knowing what to do inside the squared circle.

"A lot of people can be great athletes like him, but he has like an aptitude for this, man. His timing is really good. He grasps the psychology of a match."

"I got nothing but praise for that guy," he added. "He could be like WWE champion material at some point."

"Gotta call it like you see it."

Since making his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38, Logan has been setting the WWE on fire ... earning the respect of fans in the WWE Universe and higher-ups like "The Game" Triple H.

"Platinum" Mike Perry says his upcoming fight with Michael "Venom" Page isn't just the biggest Bare Knuckle bout ever ... it's one of the biggest fights of all time, period.

We talked to the 30-year-old fighter just two weeks before his BKFC 27 fight in London against MVP on August 20 ... a fight featuring two MMA stars turned bare-knuckle boxers.

"This is one of the biggest fights in my opinion," Platinum told TMZ Sports, seemingly leaving out the BKFC descriptor when we asked about the magnitude of this fight.

"Period?" ... we followed up.

"Yeah, I mean for the fans that love fighting, I go in there and do what it do. I get angry and I try to take a guy out. MVP is flashy. He tries to take a guy out and, you know, I'm trying to touch that line too. Flashy, angry, try to keep my cool, but I'm always so aggressive because I have that in my back pocket, that ferocity. I gotta be able to take it and give it."

What's undeniable ... this is a fun fight. Biggest or not.

Perry, who is tough as nails and down for a brawl, has been locked in a cage with some of the baddest dudes in the world like Paul Felder and Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira, and not just come out in one piece, but victorious.

As for Venom Page ... he's got a different style than Perry -- he's flashy -- and has lost only twice throughout his entire career -- spanning back to 2012.

We also talked to Perry about going to hostile territory for the fight ... something he's actually reveling in.

"Man, [the hostile crowd] fires me up! Gets my blood boiling and I'm pumped to go out there and put on the show," Mike says, adding, "I hope they're throwing violent slurs at me and like, you know, just trying to really get me in the zone for the fight."

As for how the fight will look, Perry says he doesn't know if it'll last a minute, a round, or more ... but he knows one thing, he's getting a knockout.

Add AJ McKee to the list of people who want to beat up former kickboxing champ and internet star Andrew Tate, with the Bellator star telling TMZ Sports, "I wanna put my fist in his mouth!"

35-year-old Tate -- one of the most polarizing people on the internet -- has become a staple on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok ... with his often very controversial takes.

Enter McKee, the 18-1 MMA star says he's tired of Tate popping up on his stream, 'cause the guy rubs him the wrong way.

"There's nothing really up with us. I'm just tired of hearing and seeing and -- like bro, every time I get on Instagram, I see him in my feed. It's annoying! He's always talking. He tries to project himself as this macho, just this OG guy."

And, AJ isn't sweating the significant size difference.

"I'm a 155-pounder now, you're a kickboxer, cool. We can step in the boxing ring and box. I'd love that. I mean, I can't find a boxing match at the moment so I mean, if I gotta jump three weight classes up there, I'm fine with that," McKee says.

AJ clearly takes umbrage with Tate's views on men and women, telling us "[Tate's] rude as s**t. It's like you're a misogynist towards women. It's like bro, how do you feel about your mother, ya idiot! She's the reason why you're on the planet. You talk that way about your mother?"

Now, 6'1", 200-ish lb. Tate isn't any ordinary internet star ... he was a legit, professional fighter. A kickboxing champion. He also beat Luke Barnatt in an MMA fight in 2010. Luke went on to fight in the UFC.

AJ says he's not doing this for notoriety -- he just wants to show off his talents -- and he's down to do it in an MMA cage or boxing ring.

"I ain't chasing clout. I'm looking for opportunities to showcase my skills in any and every area like boxing. I mean, I ain't trying to kickbox with him, he's a big boy, but we can definitely throw some hands. We can definitely do some MMA if he wants to kick."

As for McKee's skills ... he's simply one of the best fighters in the world. He was the 145 lb. Bellator champ ... and only lost his belt after a controversial decision loss vs. fellow star Patricio "Pitbull" Freire. It's the only time AJ's ever been defeated.

Tate's already been rumored to be a future boxing opponent for Jake Paul ... but if that doesn't happen, AJ's ready to go.

McKee left us with this message to Tate.

A hockey player from an adult league in Canada straight-up kicked an opponent in the face with his skate during a mid-game scuffle ... and the incident was so reckless, police now tell TMZ Sports they're investigating it all.

The scary scene happened during an Adult Safe Hockey League game on July 29th at Scotia Barn in Burnaby.

You can see in the video from the arena, two players from opposing teams were fighting each other in the 3rd period ... when, suddenly, one of the guys appeared to intentionally kick the other with the blade of his skate.

The player wearing a #90 jersey immediately fell onto the ice and covered his face. His teammates, meanwhile, went after the kick suspect before refs ultimately intervened. The guy was issued a penalty, and ejected from the game.

The Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police tells us the victim received medical treatment for injuries he suffered from the kick -- adding that they've since launched an investigation.

"Burnaby RCMP is continuing to investigate the circumstances and actions that led to the player’s injuries," the officials said.

"Burnaby RCMP is in possession of video showing one angle of the incident, which has been collected as evidence. Investigators are still in the process of speaking with players and witnesses."

In addition to the ejection, the kick suspect also received an indefinite suspension from the ASHL, which said in a statement, "The conduct and on-ice behaviour depicted in the video in no way aligns with the values of our league and the rules of the game."

Adrien Broner feels some type of way about "big bro" Floyd Mayweather failing to hit him up for a fight, saying if the shoe was on the other foot, they would've already boxed and got PAID!

It's not like 33-year-old Broner -- a 4 weight class world champ -- hasn't made millions, but it's nothing close to Mayweather's crazy paydays ... like the $300+ million he says he made for the Conor McGregor fight.

And, AB doesn't understand why Floyd hasn't shared the wealth by setting up their own exhibition.

"Me, as a real n****, if I was Floyd and he was me, he would never have to fight again," AB said to Nah G Chill on CIGARTALK this week.

Broner says he and Floyd would earn north of $100 million, easy.

"This is so easy! This is a layup," AB said.

"We can do an exhibition, 10 rounds, and the whole world is gonna watch it and we gonna get in there and go to work! Hug and go in the back and get a bag but at the end of the day, I don't know what's his feelings."

For now, Broner (34-4) is gonna have to settle for Omar Figueroa Jr. (28-2) ... who he'll face on August 20 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida.

Newly crowned interim UFC Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno tells TMZ Sports his highly anticipated 4th fight with champ Deiveson Figueiredo -- where they'll unify the belts -- is the biggest fight in the history of the 125 lb. division.

And, it's not even really up for debate.

We talked to the 28-year-old fighter on Wednesday, and asked him about the significance of the fight.

"Man, tell me another example [of a bigger fight], please. The 4 fights between Figueiredo and I is the biggest one, easily. Tell me the second place," Brandon told us.

It's hard to think of a more anticipated fight. Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo fought twice ... and Cejudo's win over Mighty Mouse in 2018 was improbable and thrilling. But, as legendary as both fighters are, Brandon and Deiveson's rivalry is just different.

In fact, just a few years ago, the division was in jeopardy of being scrapped altogether. Now, it features arguably the best current rivalry in MMA.

Speaking of those fights, Brandon and Deiveson already fought three times ... each man has one win. The first and third fights were incredibly close.

UFC 256, Dec. 2020, Draw
UFC 263, Jun 2021, Moreno won, submission via rear naked choke
UFC 270, Jan 2022, Figueiredo won, unanimous decision

Fast forward to last Saturday in Dallas, TX. After Moreno defeated Kai Kara-France with a perfectly placed liver kick to capture the interim title, Brandon and Deiveson came face-to-face in the Octagon.

But, despite a lot of s**t talk in the past, the men kept it respectful ... and that's the way BM says it'll stay.

"I understand I had the opportunity to make more drama, but it's not my way. I understand the business I'm in, I'm trying to entertain the people, but I'm entertaining people with my fight. I'm done with the drama, with all the bad feelings."

If Jake Paul can't fight Hasim Rahman Jr. on August 6, there's someone else willing to step in the ring in his place -- Hasim Rahman Sr.!!

That's right ... the 49-year-old, 2x heavyweight champion tells TMZ Sports he's down to fill in for Jr. and box the Problem Child.

Oh, and for good measure, he says he'll fight Logan, too ... same night.

"How about this?" Hasim says, "If somebody would sanction this, I will fight Jake and Logan back to back. We can go eight rounds a piece. Neither one of them will make eight rounds but we can sanction for eight rounds and I promise you, if I don't knock Jake and Logan out, they win."

Of course, Jake and Jr. were set to box Saturday at MSG ... but the fight was scrapped after Paul accused Rahman of ignoring their contractually agreed-upon weight limit.

Now, let's be honest ... two fights in one night ain't happening, but you get Hasim's point. He isn't all that impressed with what he's seen in the ring from the Paul bros.

In 2001, Rahman Sr. shocked the sports world when he knocked out one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever, champ Lennox Lewis ... becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world.

Throughout his career, Hasim racked up a 50-9-2 record with 41 KO's. He retired in 2014.

We also asked Rahman about the possibility Jake and his son could still fight another time ... and Hasim had a suggestion for ensuring the terms of the contract are followed.

"If the public demands it, both sides can put up a million dollars in escrow. That way we can be sure that ain't nobody gonna not make weight. If somebody miss weight, whatever the contractual demands are, they will be met or somebody gonna lose their million dollars."

So will it be Hasim Rahman Sr.? Rahman Jr.? Tommy Fury? Someone else? Stay tuned.

Horrifying scene at a soccer game in Argentina this weekend -- when a male player absolutely lost it and attacked a female referee after being handed a yellow card.

It all went down during a third division match between Garmense and Independencia of the Tres Arroyos Regional League ... when player Cristian Tirone unleashed on official Dalma Cortadi while her back was turned.

In video of the incident, you can see several players try to stop the attack ... but to no avail.

Cortadi fell to the ground after the hit ... but was eventually able to get back to her feet. She was later taken to a hospital, but luckily, she didn't suffer any serious injuries.

Tirone was immediately taken off the field and arrested .... and Cortadi says she has filed charges against the player.

Garmense released a statement on the awful incident ... saying, "Given the events that occurred this Sunday during the Third Division football match that was played in the city of Adolfo Gonzales Chaves between Garmense and Independencia, during which a player from Garmense physically attacked the woman who officiated as referee, the Club expresses its energetic repudiation of this action that is at odds with the spirit that is intended to instill with the practice of this sport."

Tirone has been permanently banned from the soccer league ... and Cortadi agrees with the decision.

"You have to kick him out forever," she told La Nacion. "He should never be in any club. He is a violent person. He must also be in his daily life. I saw it on the video: a normal person does not do what this man did. No person deserves this. We don’t go to the [matches] to be beaten."

Blueface got into a knockdown, drag-out fight with gf Chrisean Rock on the streets of Hollywood early Tuesday morning ... and it's all caught on video.

It appears Chrisean is the initial aggressor, following the rapper as he walks down the street and grabbing at his shirt, yanking him backward.

She pushes Blueface while still clutching his shirt, and then smacks him across the face.

Blueface then slugs Rock in the head, knocking her to the ground and ripping off the chain around her neck.

She then drags him by his shirt around the corner, where Blueface throws her against the wall and strikes her several times in the head and body.

It's a bizarre encounter ... at times seemingly in slow motion. Eventually, the fight just peters out, and they go their separate ways.

Cops were called but by the time they arrived both Blueface and Chrisean were nowhere in sight.

We've reached out to Blueface ... so far no word back.

Dev Patel sprung into action when cameras weren't rolling -- stopping a knife fight between a man and woman down in Australia ... but apparently not wanting credit for his heroic deed.

The English actor -- famous for roles in 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'Lion,' 'The Green Knight,' etc. -- was involved in a skirmish Monday in the city of Adelaide, where he currently resides. According to 7News, DP threw himself between a couple who were going at it.

Witnesses say this guy and gal had been arguing at a service station/convenience store, and were getting so heated that others tried stepping in to break them apart -- but they kept at it.

The woman allegedly then stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, and it's at this point that Dev was reportedly in the mix. It seems whatever he did to separate them helped keep a bad situation from getting worse -- and he stayed on the scene afterward to talk to cops.

The man was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, so it seems he's okay. The woman, meanwhile, was arrested. Now, Dev should be taking all the pats on the back he can get right now, he doesn't seem to want much acknowledgment for what he did here.

Hasim Rahman Jr. out -- Bola Osundairo in ... vs. Jake Paul?!

If one of the brothers who assisted Jussie Smollett in his hate crime hoax gets his way, that's exactly what'll happen ... 'cause Bola tells TMZ Sports he's ready to fight Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, as was originally scheduled.

“Do not cancel that fight Jake Paul. Fight me instead. I am ready to fight this Saturday," 28-year-old Bola said Monday afternoon.

The 2-0 pro fighter (who also had several amateur fights) tells us he's a superior fighter to both boxers Jake was set to scrap with August 6.

"I’m ready to fight. I’m better than Hasim Rahman Jr., or Tommy Fury. I’m actually ranked higher than Tommy Fury and he has 8 pro fights, and I have 2 pro fights. He’s ranked 340, I’m ranked 193."

23-year-old Fury -- Jake's original opponent -- dropped out of their fight after having Visa issues, leaving him unable to reach the U.S.

Of course, Bola was one of the two brothers who assisted Jussie in his hoax attack ... before cooperating with authorities. Smollett was ultimately convicted of 5 felonies.

In ways, the fight makes more sense than Rahman Jr., who's significantly bigger than Jake (Hasim previously fought weighing over 260 pounds). The fight fell apart over weight issues ... the 12-1 boxer wasn't going to be able to make 200 pounds, as was contractually obligated.

Bola is 6'1", 188 pounds ... virtually identical to the 6'1", 190 pounds that Paul weighs.

And, Osundairo says he's more well-known than Rahman Jr. ... so it'd be an even bigger draw.

"People know me. People know of me. I’m one of the Nigerian brothers involved in the Jussie case, the Jussie Smollett case. So it will sell, this fight will sell. People know me more than Hasim Rahman Jr. Nobody knows him outside of boxing."

Bola ended with a shot at Jake (and Jussie).

Jake Paul purposely ran away from his fight against Hasim Rahman Jr. ... so says the former boxing champ's son, who claims he easily could have made weight for their August 6 bout -- but the YouTube superstar got scared.

HRJ faced the music hours after Paul's Most Valuable Promotions announced the bout at Madison Square Garden was scrapped ... and he claims it's a sketchy situation.

Rahman claims he could've easily made weight for the fight ... but the Problem Child simply didn't want to risk losing.

HRJ says he "absolutely" could have made it to 205 pounds in order to make the fight happen ... but claims Jake's camp wouldn't let it happen.

Rahman has some words for Paul ... basically calling him a fraud and vowing to keep the YouTuber from ever claiming a real belt.

WARNING -- if ya haven't finished your morning Cheerios yet, you might want to do so before clicking here!!!

MMA fighter Blake Perry horrifyingly broke his nose during a match on Sunday -- after taking a brutal knee to the face.

The gruesome injury happened in the first round of Perry's tilt with Marcel McCain at Urijah Faber's A1 Combat event in Stockton, Calif.

As the two were dukin' it out in the opening moments of their fight -- McCain grabbed the back of Perry's head with his arms ... and then drove his knee right into Perry's grill. Video of the strike shows McCain's knee landed flush, and caved in Perry's nose.

Somehow, though, Perry kept fighting despite his face's disfigurement.

But, during the break following the first round ... it became clear Perry shouldn't continue, and doctors ultimately stopped the contest.

No word yet on how Perry is doing today -- but something tells us breathing ain't exactly easy work.

Jake Paul's boxing match against Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled, according to the Problem Child's boxing promotion, after the 12-1 fighter allegedly failed to meet contractual obligations tied to his weight.

Paul vs. Rahman Jr. was set to go down August 6 at Madison Square Garden in NYC ... but just one week before the highly anticipated scrap, Most Valuable Promotions announced the fight was off.

It all has to do with the weight of Hasim, who previously fought at heavyweight, weighing more than 260 pounds. For the fight with Jake, Rahman Jr. agreed to weigh a maximum of 200 pounds at weigh-ins, the day before the fight.

However, MPV says Rahman Jr. was obligated to show the NY state athletic commission officials he was losing weight in the lead-up to the fight, in an effort to prevent a big weight cut in an attempt to make 200 pounds.

Unfortunately, MVP says Hasim had lost less than one pound since signing the contract for the fight more than 3 weeks ago.

Due to this development, the athletic commission dictated the fight would be fought at 205 pounds instead. Paul -- who weighed in at 190 pounds for his second fight with Woodley -- says he agreed to the change.

But, MVP claims Rahman Jr. then demanded the match be fought at 215 pounds ... a huge jump from the originally agreed upon 200 pounds.

That's where Jake drew the line ... and that's why MVP says the fight isn't happening.

"MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner. Therefore, MVP is left no choice but to cancel the August 6th event. This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event," a statement released by the promotion said.

A few weeks ago we talked to Rahman Jr. ... and he seemed to take issue with the weight cut.

Jake responded to the cancelation, saying ... "First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me."

"I apologize to all of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans."

Of course, Hasim wasn't Jake's original opponent. That was supposed to be Tommy Fury ... but Tyson's bro pulled out over issues traveling to the U.S.