Fights

Khabib Nurmagomedov
Henry Cejudo
Kamaru Usman

... three bonafide legends who happened to be managed by Ali Abdelaziz. But, forced to pick the best fighter he's managed, Ali says it's the "Nigerian Nightmare."

TMZ Sports talked to Abdelaziz days before his star client, 35-year-old Usman, takes on Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City ... and that's when we asked who was #1.

"It's very hard, man. You're talking about Henry Cejudo, two-division champion, defended two-weight divisions, right? Khabib, undefeated, never lost, barely lost a round," Ali told us, continuing, "But when you talk about Kamaru, for me Kamaru at welterweight, one of the hardest divisions in the UFC, he's beating these guys and he's sticking around. He's 35, sticking around."

Abdelaziz says you could argue both Cejudo and Nurmagomedov left the sport while they were in their primes ... while Usman continues to stack wins over the best fighters in the world.

"You can say Khabib a little bit retired early, you can say Henry retired a little bit early, right? Right now, it's tough man. I love all of them. Everybody knows how close I am to Khabib and how I love them. I love Kamaru too but right now, the way Kamaru is doing it, I don't think anybody's doing it the way Kamaru is doing it and he's willing to go up to light heavyweight and do a two-division champion and skip a weight division."

"You have to give it to Kamaru right now. Wherever he is at with his career, it's Kamaru."

Of course, Khabib, Henry, and Kamaru all have absolutely incredible resumes.

- Nurmagomedov: Undefeated. 29-0. Former Lightweight champion. Wins over Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Retired in 2021.

- Cejudo: 16-2. Former Flyweight and Bantamweight champion. One of only a handful of double champs in UFC history. Wins over Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson. Retired in 2020. Currently semi-unretired.

- Usman: 20-1. Current UFC Welterweight champion. Wins over Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns and Rafael dos Anjos. Hasn't lost since his second ever professional fight in 2013.

Can't go wrong with any of the three fighters.

BTW, Abdelaziz has repped a bunch of other incredibly talented fighters ... including Gaethje, Burns, Kayla Harrison, Cody Garbrandt, Rashad Evans, Frankie Edgar and more.

Usman's been kicking ass for a decade, but his star has really taken off recently. Proof? Kamaru recently locked down a role in the upcoming Black Panther sequel ... a film all but guaranteed to become one of the most popular movies of all time.

How'd Usman lock down the gig ... Ali walked us through the process.

Kamaru takes on Leon Edwards this weekend at UFC 278 ... where he'll look to tie Anderson Silva's record for most consecutive wins (16).

Kamaru Usman has an opponent in mind for his next fight after Leon Edwards -- but it's not anyone in the welterweight, or even middleweight division -- the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world says he's eyeing a move to light heavyweight!

"A lot of people think I'm joking when I say [I wanna move up]. I wanted to skip -- skip middleweight and I want the light heavyweight belt because I wanna be a two-division champion," Usman told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

The 35-year-old, 170 lb. champ continued ... "One, not only am I the best in the world, but I wanna prove that I am the pound-for-pound best, so I'm gonna skip that pound-for-pound, I'm gonna take that light heavyweight belt and I'm gonna defend the belt."

There's a reason Kamaru plans to jump two divisions, and not just move up one and fight at 185 lbs. ... the middleweight champ is Israel Adesanya.

Kamaru and Izzy are tight ... and have said they'd never fight each other.

Meanwhile, Kamaru and Jiri Prochazka -- the light heavyweight champ -- not so tight.

29-year-old Prochazka, who beat Glover Teixeira for the title in June, stands 6'4" tall. He hasn't lost since 2015. Not to be outdone ... Usman hasn't been defeated since 2013.

But Usman isn't looking to abandon the division he's ruled for 3.5 years ... the Nigerian Nightmare says he's planning to defend both belts once he beats Jiri.

"I'll defend both belts so people can really understand what it means to be pound-for-pound," Kamaru says ... "Not just this fictitious stuff that they make up. When I actually go up and do it and I walk away from the sport, I'll let you decide what you wanna call me or my legacy."

We also talked to Kamaru about landing a role in the new Black Panther movie ... a project that's incredibly important to the star fighter.

"For one, I'm extremely excited because it's my first one. I knew I was gonna be in movies some point, one day, but to be in that movie, I'm extremely excited because that's a movie that transcends just being a movie star. It's a movie that stands for something, it's a movie that represents something so powerful."

And, it won't be the last film in which Usman appears ... despite the fact people have accused him of being "Hollywood."

"It's crazy 'cause people are 'oh he Hollywood now.' Of course! Ya damn right I'm Hollywood now. I wanted to be Hollywood. What's wrong? You don't want me to be Hollywood?!"

"You want me eat Little Caesars and Ramen noodles in my little shack all day every day for the rest of my life? No, I'm gonna be Hollywood, but one thing they're failing to realize is that it took work to get to this point to be Hollywood."

Usman takes on Leon Edwards for the second time (Kamaru won by unanimous decision in 2015) at UFC 278 Saturday night on ESPN+.

As WWE prepares to celebrate the 1200th episode of "Smackdown," Drew McIntyre tells TMZ Sports he's obsessed with beating Roman Reigns in two weeks at "WWE Clash at the Castle" ... 'cause he has to finally win it all in front of fans!!

McIntyre and Reigns are set to meet face-to-face in the ring Friday night on a historic edition of "Smackdown" -- one of WWE's three flagship programs -- and the former two-time WWE champ isn't backing down from Reigns, whose held both titles for over 700 days!!

"I'm looking to raise those titles and Roman has been on this incredible run. But the truth is, it's been 700 days," Drew said. "He's not here as often as he used to be. I do believe titles need to be represented every single week. He's not able to do that these days."

McIntyre -- a native of Scotland -- told us a victory at 'Clash at the Castle,' which will be held in Wales for the first time in over 30 years, would mean the world to him since his first two title runs came with limited or no fans.

"I am very proud of the fact I was champion during that difficult time," McIntyre said. "I'm glad I was the champ setting the example. As a kid, I had the dream of main-eventing WrestleMania, lifting the title in the main event and I did that."

"But I also imagined there being tens of thousands of screaming people there," Drew said. "Which there wasn't."

"I would like to have some live fans in attendance for that third reign and I have the biggest opportunity of my life to do that in the UK, in the heart of Wales, against Roman. This is something I couldn't have envisioned as a kid because it didn't exist."

McIntyre -- who beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to win his first-ever WWE title during the height of the pandemic -- knows defeating Reigns will be a tall task, but, ultimately, the Scottish native thinks a victory near his home turf is what's best for business.

"I think that titles need to be represented every single week and on the shows and in the live events and the appearances," McIntyre said. "And I want to be that man to represent the company on the highest level."

Zack Clayton is new to the world of wrestling, but the "Jersey Shore" alum already has an idea of the perfect running mate to step inside the squared circle with him -- his wife, JWoww!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the reality TV star -- who got engaged to JWoww (AKA Jenni Farley) last year -- and he told us he would love it if his future wife joined him in the wrestling ring.

"Dude, I would love that," Clayton told us. "I've been trying to get her to do that for so long. I would love it. It's going to take some convincing, maybe from the rest of the cast."

Zack admitted JWoww would need some persuading ... saying that Jenni "gets a little bit of stage fright" -- and adding he would be thrilled if she ever accepted his offer.

27-year-old Clayton also spoke to us about his upcoming debut ... telling us how pumped he is to fight AEW star HOOK (son of WWE legend Taz) for the FTW championship at Rampage Friday night.

"The kid's really good, but there are some things that HOOK is not that I am," Clayton said. "This is going to be his first FTW title defense, and I'm going to say it's going to be his most difficult."

Despite the lack of in-ring experience, Clayton said he knows he will defeat HOOK and walk away with his FTW championship belt ... saying, "It's going to be a great show [and] great match nonetheless."

Despite Michael Irvin's best efforts to keep the peace -- bar patrons still got involved in a wild fistfight near the Hall of Famer in Texas on Monday ... and the crazy scene was all captured in a video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The altercation happened at around 10 p.m. at Knockout Sports Bar near Dallas -- shortly after Irvin had arrived in town from filming ESPN's "First Take" in New York City earlier in the day.

We're told the former Dallas Cowboys superstar was playing some pool with a friend near the bar area -- when a man wearing a teal T-shirt walked up to try to get a picture with The Playmaker.

Witnesses say the man who was playing with Irvin, though, told the guy to scram -- which set the dude in the teal off.

You can see in the video, the man seemed to have a huge problem with Irvin's friend ... but the ex-wide receiver eventually stepped in to get everyone to calm down.

The footage shows Irvin even hugged the guy in the teal in order to prevent a fracas. But, we're told the guy kept pressing -- and eventually, it led to an all-out brawl.

The man swung on Irvin's friend a few times, appearing to connect with his jaw repeatedly. Bouncers raced in, but the melee seemed to continue.

Finally, some of the combatants left the bar, restoring order to the scene.

It should be noted Irvin was NOT involved in the fight in any way -- he was on the other side of the restaurant having a conversation with a server. We're told he left the venue minutes after the scrap concluded.

We reached out to cops, but they said they were not called to the scene and are not investigating.

The Patriots and Panthers' joint practice Wednesday looked more like a WWE match ... 'cause the two teams got into a huge brawl -- and the skirmish was so big, a fan was actually injured in the melee.

The fight initially started after Carolina star running back Christian McCaffrey was pissed over a tackle Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. put on him during 11-on-11 drills.

The 26-year-old got up after the hit and threw the ball at the Pats D-lineman ... and that's when all hell broke loose.

Video shows a bunch of Panthers players going after Wise and his teammates right near fans who were sitting in the bleachers -- and, at one point, players were thrown into the spectators.

According to Pat's reporter Tom Curran, a woman sitting in the stands was injured after one of the players' helmets hit her foot.

She reportedly refused any medical help, and did get an offer for tickets to a game later this season.

This is the second brawl between the Panthers and Pats this week -- on Tuesday, several players, including Pats' Kendrick Bourne, Kristian Wilkerson, and Panthers' Kenny Robinson, went at it.

Adrian Peterson's transition from the football field to the boxing ring is clearly going just fine -- the former Vikings star showed this week he has a NASTY right hand, flattening a guy with it during a recent sparring sesh.

The 37-year-old posted a video of the impressive KO on Monday ... showing him crushing his opponent with a right that caught the man square in the jaw.

In the clip, you can see the dude hit the canvas almost as soon as the punch landed -- and he was so dazed from the blow, he couldn't immediately take Peterson's offer for help up.

Peterson seemingly threw up the vid as a message to Le'Veon Bell -- 'cause he captioned it, "September 10," AKA the date he and the former Steelers star will square off in the Social Gloves boxing event at Banc of California Stadium.

Bell got wind of the footage late Monday night -- and posted a tongue-in-cheek response, appearing to joke about how he was scared to fight Peterson now.

Of course, Bell has looked more than ready for the challenge in the last few weeks -- posting impressive sparring footage of his own.

Adrien Broner hasn't fought in a year-and-a-half -- a streak that was supposed to come to an end this Saturday -- but the 4-weight class world champ just announced he's struggling with his mental health, and is pulling out of the fight.

33-year-old Broner was scheduled to box 32-year-old Omar Figueroa Jr. on August 20 at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL. ... but early Monday morning, AB let the world know the fight's off.

"Man, I'm going thru a lot at this moment in my life but I ain't go give up I set some more goals and UI ain't stopping until I finish what I started but sorry to say this but I'm not fighting #August20th," Broner wrote.

Just hours before AB made the announcement, he was still promoting his Showtime fight on Instagram. But, early Monday morning, he decided to announce he was pulling out because he wasn't feeling full-strength ... and the boxing ring isn't a place for play.

"Sorry to all my fans but #MentalHealth is real and I’m not about to play inside the ring I’ve watched a lot of people die playing with they boxing career and that is something I won’t do just pray for me I love the sport of boxing to much to not give my all and I feel Like I came up short before because my mind wasn’t 100%," Adrien wrote.

Broner says he needs to change some stuff in his life before he takes another boxing match.

"I need to make some changes for the better instead of worrying about other people feelings and pleasing them when In all reality I have nothing to prove to nobody," AB wrote, adding, "I have to step back and overcome this obstacle before I go put my life on the line inside the square circle again I know I’m far from being finished with the sport SEE YALL SOON #Respectfully❤️ 🆎"

Unfortunately, this is the 2nd time AB and Figueroa -- a former lightweight champ with only 2 losses -- were supposed to fight ... before the bout was canceled. In 2018, Omar was forced to pull out with an injury.

As for Saturday's event ... we're told execs are working on finding a new opponent for Figueroa Jr., and with just a few days to work with, there's a good chance it'll be another fighter from the card.

New date, new place, same fights -- the Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib boxing match has officially been rescheduled for September 10 at Banc of California Stadium, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Social Gloves event -- which was originally set to happen at Crypto.com Arena on July 30 -- was pushed back due to issues with Gib getting medical clearance ... and the whole thing was close to getting scrapped altogether.

Luckily for fans, we are told the original card -- including the Adrian Peterson vs. Le'Veon Bell bout and Nick Young vs. Blueface fight -- is still intact ... so there's a lot to look forward to.

Speaking of Young, Swaggy P has been working out like crazy leading up to the fight ... and by looking at his training footage, it's clear he's taking this thing seriously.

Le'Veon is certainly giving it all he's got, too -- previously telling us he's fully focused on his boxing career.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Bud Dupree just pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from his role in a fight at a Walgreens earlier this year, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 29-year-old football player -- according to a court official -- appeared in a Nashville, Tenn. courtroom on Monday and made the plea after striking a deal with prosecutors.

Dupree pled guilty to misdemeanor assault offensive or provocative, the court official tells us.

Dupree was sentenced to unsupervised probation for 6 months, according to the official. He also had to pay $418 in court costs.

The Titans had practice Monday morning ... though it's unclear if the pass rusher -- who signed a 5-year, $82.5 million contract with the Titans in 2021 -- made it to the workout.

As we previously reported, Dupree was initially cited back on Jan. 4 after cops say he attacked an employee at a Nashville-area Walgreens on Jan. 2.

Cops say Dupree grabbed the employee during the incident -- and then attempted to take the man's phone, before eventually fleeing the scene prior to police officers' arrival.

Sources close to Dupree allege the employee had heckled the Titans player ... and threatened to spit on the women he was with, inciting the fracas.

We've reached out to the Titans, Dupree's attorney, and prosecutors for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Sorry boxing fans, a potential Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson exhibition is not happening ... The Real Deal tells TMZ Sports, it's just too late for the legends to square up again now.

Remember, Holyfield and Tyson were trying to set something up in the spring of 2021, but were so far apart in negotiations, they just couldn't come to an agreement.

When we saw Holyfield out at LAX this week -- we had to ask if there's been any movement on the front ... and he said, sadly, no.

"It's too late," the 59-year-old told us.

The two originally squared up back in 1996 and 1997 -- and both fights were epic (for various reasons) ... leading many to believe a third, less-serious tilt a couple decades later would be appealing.

Holyfield actually agreed ... but he added, "I'm done now."

The 59-year-old former boxing champ last fought in September 2021, losing an exhibition match against Vitor Belfort.

There may be just as many eyes on the crowd as on the ring when Teofimo Lopez steps into the squared circle this weekend, 'cause the former unified champ tells us some of the biggest stars in the world are attending his fight.

"I've been contacting everybody to let everyone know honestly we're gonna have Odell Beckham Jr. at the fight, we're gonna have Akon, Lil Wayne, I've been contacting everyone tryna have everyone come and support," 25-year-old Lopez tells TMZ Sports.

"It's all love and support at the end of the day and that's the type of man I am. I wanna let people know, I wanna show that I am that type of fighter, I am that guy. I'm the man of the hour, the man with the power, the man too sweet to be sour."

Lopez, who beat pound-for-pound king Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020, snatching his three belts, lost to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021. It was the first loss of his career.

It'll be the first time Lopez has been back in a ring for a sanctioned fight following the loss ... and his opponent, Pedro Campa, is tough. The 30-year-old fighter has a 34-1-1 record with 23 knockouts.

Despite a tough challenger, Teofimo says he made changes to his team following the L, and he's ready to go.

"We had to cut a lot of people and bring some new people in just so we can what's the different environment that I need. My team now, it feels so more as a team, as a unit, as it should be," Lopez says.

And, Teo feels awesome.

"I'm feeling the greatest right now. What else can I say? Preparation went really well, push myself to the limits, man, to greater heights, and just seeing how much I can really handle. I think that overall it's been amazing."

In addition to the stars that'll be in the building, Oscar De La Hoya will also be in the building. But, this is a business trip for the legendary boxer. His fighter, Ryan Garcia, is a possible opponent for Lopez.

That's why Teofimo says he extended an invite to The Golden Boy.

"I actually invited Oscar De La Hoya a couple weeks before he decided to make that announcement so it's been on his mind," Lopez said, referencing ODLH telling the media he was going to scout TL.

But, Lopez isn't convinced Ryan actually wants to fight.

"If you're gonna call me out, better keep that same energy 'cause after Saturday night, I don't want them to make some excuse. If you're gonna talk about it, be about it. I've seen Ryan Garcia call out so many fighters and yet, has fought one of them. I don't believe anything until it's on contract and it's on paper."

"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.