Fights

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield are teaming up once again ... but this time, it's not in the boxing ring -- the two legends are releasing a cannabis gummy collection together!!

Iron Mike has become quite the weed businessman with his Tyson 2.0 brand in recent years ... and went viral when he released his "Mike Bites" edibles, which are a reference to the time he infamously took a chunk out of Real Deal's ear during their infamous 1997 bout.

Tyson is now including Holyfield in the money-making opportunity ... joining forces with his former nemesis to create a new line called "Holy Ears."

The ear-shaped gummies -- which are "Cherry Pie Punch" flavored -- have Holyfield's stamp of approval ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he took one and was knocked out!!

"It put me to sleep!" Evander tells us ... adding he thinks the finished product is "great."

Holyfield says he was honored when Mike called and pitched the idea ... and considering the benefits of cannabis, he couldn't pass on the opportunity to help the cause.

Tyson's partner, Chad Bronstein, says the product will drop next week ... and both THC and Delta 8 versions will be available all over the country.

Tyson gives credit to his wife for coming up with the idea for "Holy Ears" ... and admitted it wouldn't be right to release the new collection without Evander on board.

Jake Paul might have to get ready for a rematch ... but we're not talking Tyron Woodley or Anderson Silva -- his first-ever opponent tells TMZ Sports he'd love to have another shot at the Problem Child!!

Internet superstar Deji goes up against the one and only Floyd Mayweather Sunday in an exhibition in Saudi Arabia ... and he spoke with us about his preparations for The Best Ever -- as well as potential future matchups.

Deji says he's treating the fight 100% seriously as he gears up for the bout ... but at the same time, he doesn't want to psyche himself out before stepping in the ring.

As far as his boxing game goes, Deji tells us he isn't just in it for a huge paycheck -- he wants the viewers to see how much he's improved his game since going up against Jake in 2018.

Remember, Jake ended up beating Deji via stoppage in his first boxing match ... and Paul went on to beat NBAer Nate Robinson and a number of UFC stars.

Deji says he'd love to avenge his loss to Jake in due time ... telling us it's something he'll always want to do, but he may need to add a bit more to his record before going up against Jake again.

For Sunday's fight, Deji knows there'll be a ton of big names -- including Jake -- who would be checking out how much he's improved over the years.

"It's the same as it was wrestling for me. I just wrestle against able-bodied people, and I beat able-bodied people. Now I'm fighting able-bodied people, and I'm gonna knock out able-bodied people. It's as simple as that. I'm a fighter."

Zion Clark is once again proving there's absolutely NOTHING he can't do -- despite being born without legs -- the former All-American wrestler tells us his next crazy accomplishment ... is taking an MMA fight!

"I'm trying to run this s**t up! It's not just a rinky-dink fight. This s**t's going on pay-per-view. This shit is a legit sanctioned fight," Zion told Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), adding, "It's gonna be big!"

There's a good chance you've seen or heard about the 25-year-old's incredible story.

Clark was born in Ohio in 1997 with a rare birth defect called Cadual Regression Syndrome which caused him to be born without legs. Zion was put up for adoption after he was born. He bounced around the foster care system.

In elementary school Clark was introduced to wrestling ... but he wasn't very good at first. In fact, he didn't win a single match for years. But, after meeting his H.S. wrestling coach, Zion and the man developed a bond, and ZC's wrestling ability improved dramatically.

As a senior, he finished 33-15 ... wrestling against kids who had four limbs. Clark then went to Kent State, where he continued his successful wrestling career.

Zion's now training for the 2024 Olympics ... where he'd like to wrestle. He's also gunning to compete in the Paralympics in wheelchair racing ... where he's one of the most elite racers in the world.

He's also known as the "fastest man on two hands" ... Zion was a track champ in high school, too.

Clark also recently set two Guinness World Records ... for highest box jump (record was 24 inches. Zion jumped 33) with the hands and most diamond push-ups (248 in under 3 minutes).

As for Clark's MMA fight ... it's scheduled to go down December 17. Zion says he doesn't even know his opponent's name ... that's how unbothered he is about the fight.

It's not that he isn't taking the fight seriously ... in fact, it's just the opposite. Zion says he's beating his ass in the training room, sparring with MMA stars like Rampage Jackson and AJ McKee.

Check out the clip ... Zion talks about training with those legends, and what we can expect when he steps in the cage for the first time in just a few weeks.

Alex Pereira says he's open to squashing the beef with Israel Adesanya after their UFC title fight in NYC this weekend ... but tells us he's not so sure Izzy feels the same way.

The 35-year-old, #4 contender and Izzy have some serious bad blood ... they previously kickboxed twice several years back. Since Pereira joined the UFC in 2021, many fans pinpointed this matchup as a future megafight -- and now it's here, and the beef is real.

"On my end, no problem but I don't think on his side everything that happened it's possible," AP said through a translator.

And, it sounds like Alex is right. The champ joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) last week and said he wanted to turn the scrap into a "horror movie."

As for the previous fights, Pereira twice defeated Adesanya (decision, KO) ... however, the fights were very close. In fact, many people believe Izzy won the first fight. In the rematch, Israel had Alex in trouble in the early rounds ... but was knocked out in the third round.

It should be noted ... the previous fights were in kickboxing, NOT MMA.

Despite this fight being in a different sport, Pereira says he's ready for everything.

"I'm ready for five rounds. Wherever the fight goes, it's hard to predict but I'm ready for everything."

Adesanya vs. Pereira is at the top of the 281 card ... but there is a bunch of other super compelling fights slated for tonight, including Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier.

Mike and Dustin, much like Izzy and Alex, don't exactly love each other.

We recently asked Michael about the bad blood.

"I think there were some words exchanged, but ultimately bad blood, I think there's bad blood in every single fight whether we like to admit it or not because you got two guys or gals trying to climb the same mountain, heading to the same destination. This one's no different."

But, there's more.

We also chatted with strawweight champion Carla Esparza ... who despite holding the belt, is a big-time underdog to Zhang Weili.

Esparza says she's drawing inspiration from a very famous, albeit fictional movie character from Philly who was once counted out against a physically superior opponent from Russia!

"I feel a little bit like Rocky going into this fight versus Drago. Big strong, verse the little one with a lot of heart. Whatever. I'm going in there to do my thing and I'm excited!"

Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira is going down tonight at UFC 281 ... and not a damn person knows who's going to win.

But, there's one fighter who not only faced the men (others have), he beat them both (something no one else has done) ... Jason Wilnis, former Glory middleweight champion. Wilnis is 1-0 against Israel (decision win, 2017) ... and 2-1 against Alex (decision win in 2015, TKO win in 2012).

TMZ Sports talked to Wilnis ... and we asked him to compare the two world-class fighters.

First, who hits harder?

"I can say, from my experience, that Alex Pereira hits harder, man. His punches aren't normal, man."

And, Wilnis says it isn't just punching power where AP has the edge ... he's got the overall strength advantage, too.

"The last time I fought [Pereira], he was so strong. You can see he put in work in the last years. He was too strong, too quick, so yeah, I think Pereira gives me bigger problems right now."

As for who's going to win, fans and experts alike are torn, and so is Wilnis.

"It's hard to say, man, but if I go for the experience, you know, Adesanya got the experience. He got the smarter moves but if I go for the hunger, the beast, it's Pereira. He's very hungry, so it's difficult to say," Jason told us.

But, when push comes to shove, he's going with Pereira, because Adesanya has already reached the MMA mountaintop, but Alex hasn't.

"I would say Pereira, man, for the hunger."

Of course, Adesanya, despite being the undisputed middleweight champ and a bonafide superstar, he isn't exactly lacking hunger ... and with teammate Alex Volkanovski, he may well be the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter on the planet.

Tommy Fury, returning to the squared circle this weekend in Dubai, has a message for rival Jake Paul -- who is expected to be ringside -- you better not step foot in the ring, or else.

23-year-old Fury, a perfect 8-0 as a pro boxer, is the co-main event on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Deji card ... going down Saturday from Dubai (DAZN PPV). Tommy's taking on Paul Bamba, an American fighter from NYC, who enters the ring with a 5-2 record.

Speaking of entering the ring ... that's something Fury warns Jake he should NOT do.

"I'm not bothered if [Jake's] at ringside, anyone's at ringside. KSI, Jake Paul, whoever's there, I'm not interested cause my full focus is on Paul Bamba and when I beat Paul Bamba and I come through him, then I'll revert my attention to them at ringside. But until then, it's Paul Bamba, he's got my full attention on Sunday night."

"But, if they are there, better not get into the ring after the fight 'cause I'll be nice and warmed up, put it that way," Fury cautioned.

As for the fight ... Tommy says Bamba isn't much of a threat to him.

"Paul Bamba presents a challenge in he's southpaw. But apart from that, that's pretty much it."

"I mean he's knocked a few people out at super middleweight. He's not the biggest light heavyweight that's out there. At the end of the day I've been sparring southpaws this whole camp. I been sparring the best southpaw in the world in Tyson, so there's not a lot that I'm not prepared for."

Of course, Tommy's brother is Tyson Fury ... the best heavyweight fighter in the world, and one of the greatest ever.

"I been sparring Tyson, I been sparring heavyweights, middleweights for speed, I've covered every box, so on fight night, there's no good building it up in the head about something it's not. It's another day in the gym because I've sparred better people than this man."

And, Fury tells us he's pumped to fight on the same card as 50-0 Mayweather ... who's boxing KSI's brother in an exhibition.

AEW star Max Caster threw shade at Tom Brady, Kyrie Irving and Herschel Walker while rapping right before his match on Wednesday -- targeting three of the most controversial athletes of the moment.

Max and his tag team partner, Anthony Bowens, were walking to the ring to take on The Gunns and Swerve In Our Glory ... when the 33-year-old got busy on the mic.

Caster wasted no time going after TB12, who's struggled all season (game-winning drive on Sunday, aside) as he deals with his high-profile divorce from ex-wife Gisele.

Check out the performance.

"Acclaimed on the mic got the place going crazy, ya'll about to take more L's than Tom Brady," Caster rapped.

"Keep the fence work (???) it's awkward, we got the receipts like he's Herschel Walker."

"I'll make you cry til' you're eyes are burning, I'mma make you say sorry like Kyrie Irving."

Sheesh!

Of course, Tom's Bucs squad is 4-5 ... and after struggling on the field at times, some fans have wondered if he should have stayed retired.

Meanwhile, Herschel, a football legend and current U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia (his race is going to a runoff in early December), has been under attack after he was accused of reportedly paying for a woman's abortion ... despite running on a pro-life platform.

As for Kyrie ... he recently apologized to the Jewish community (though many were unfulfilled by his words) after he posted a link to a controversial film containing antisemitic messaging.

A Jake Paul vs. Andrew Tate fight might actually happen ... the two came face-to-face and are negotiating terms for a fight, according to The Problem Child.

Paul -- an undefeated cruiserweight boxer -- and the former kickboxing champ met up at the PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani's Kamani Club in Dubai on Thursday.

You can see the shirtless fighters face-off in front of a boxing ring in Paul's social media post ... with the caption, "Negotiations."

It's a fight that's been talked about for a long time. In fact, Tate -- a controversial influencer -- offered Jake $3 million to fight back in 2021 ... but Jake had other opponents in mind at the time.

But, during a recent episode of brother Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast, Jake claimed the 76-9 kickboxer -- who also had a short stint in MMA -- doesn't really want to fight him, or Logan.

"I don't think he gets in the ring with one of us," Jake said in August.

"It's too big of a risk for him. He's 'alpha male,' right? That's his whole entire thing."

Paul added, "And when he loses -- he will lose to either one of us he fights -- his whole schtick and all the women will be like, 'Yeah!' and his whole schtick goes out the window."

The Problem Child also ripped Tate for his catchphrase.

"He runs with this whole thing like 'what color is your Bugatti?'," Paul said, "Andrew, it's not cool to tell kids that they need a Buggati to be cool."

An Alabama city councilman accused of using racial slurs was arrested after punching the town's Black mayor ... and it's all on video.

Police in Tarrant, AL just released the footage ... and cops say the video shows Councilman Thomas Bryant punching Mayor Wayman Newton in the face.

There's a bunch of people who cops say saw the punch, which went down Monday in the City Hall parking lot, with witnesses including the Tarrant Police Department's own police chief. Officers arrested Bryant at the scene and took him to jail.

Police say Bryant was initially charged with harassment, but the charge was since upgraded to third-degree assault.

The dispute reportedly arose from a heated meeting inside City Hall, where Bryant challenged the mayor to step down.

Video shows the guy who took the punch run away before falling to his knees and then getting back up and jumping around.

Bryant's been accused of racism in the past ... just last year he allegedly referred to another council member as a "house n*****" during a public meeting.

Former boxing champ Jose Zepeda -- who owns a career 35-2-2 record -- was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police, officers responded to a battery call in Baldwin Park ... and following an investigation, arrested Zepeda.

Per a Baldwin Park Police Dept. spokesperson, the 33-year-old was eventually issued a citation ... and the case has since been kicked over to prosecutors for review.

Further details surrounding the allegations were not made immediately available.

The arrest couldn't come at a worse time for Zepeda -- he's slated to fight Regis Prograis in a title fight in less than three weeks on Nov. 26.

It's unclear if the fight could be in jeopardy over Tuesday's incident.

Zepeda has held several belts in his career ... most recently winning the WBC Silver light welterweight title in Oct. 2020. He's currently on a five-fight win streak, which includes a win over Josue Vargas in his last match on Oct. 30, 2021.

If any haters are still out there doubting Jake Paul ... boxing champ Lawrence Okolie clearly believes they need to drop that opinion ASAP -- praising the guy as the real deal in the ring following a sparring sesh with the former YouTuber on Wednesday.

Okolie and Paul traded blows at PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani's Kamani Club in Dubai ... getting in work so intensely, they were drenched in sweat.

And, afterward, Okolie said Paul is no joke with the gloves.

"He's better than most boxers," the WBO cruiserweight world champ said, according to boxing reporter Michael Benson. "People just hate because of his influencer background."

Of course, many boxing fans have discredited Paul, despite his 6-0 record ... simply because none of his victories have come against actual boxers.

Paul, though, has tried to fight real boxers in the past few months ... setting up matches with both Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. But, both bouts fell through before the first-round bell could sound.

Boxing star Aidos Yerbossynuly is currently in a medically-induced coma ... after the super middleweight was brutally knocked out in his first career loss on Saturday.

The 30-year-old went down in the final round of his Premier Boxing Champions bout against Cuban boxer David Morrell at the Minneapolis Armory in Minnesota.

In video from the event, the Kazakh boxer (17-1, 11 KOs) is shown attempting to dodge Morrell's punches when he was struck with a fierce right hook, knocking him down to the ground.

As Morrell (8-0, 7 KOs) celebrated in the ring, Yerbossynuly tried to stand up on his own ... but needed assistance from referee Tony Weeks, who then waved off the fight.

Yerbossynuly was clearly not okay ... falling backwards into the ropes.

He was taken to a nearby hospital after the loss -- the first of his 7-year boxing career -- and was put into a medically-induced coma following surgery on a subdural hematoma.

Morrell went to Twitter after the sad update on Yerbossynuly's condition ... saying even though he got the win, he's focusing on Aidos' recovery.

"It is a great moment for me but at the same time super hard for others," Morrell said.

"Let's pray for a super fast recovery and ponta for Aidos," he added. "God bless you and be with you."

Other boxers sent Aidos well wishes as well ... including Muhammad Ali's boxing grandson Nico Ali Walsh who wrote, "Please send many prayers to my Muslim brother Aidos Yerbossynuly for a speedy recovery."

A Premier Boxing Champions spokesperson said they are working with Aidos' team and TGB Promotions to monitor Yerbossynuly's situation.

"I want to make this a horror movie."

That's UFC champion Israel Adesanya, who joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... making it crystal clear he wants to do a lot more than simply defeat his rival Alex Pereira when the two striking savants battle inside the Octagon at UFC 281 in NYC.

"I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up. I want to make sure I'm right in his line of sight so he's looking at me," the 33-year-old MMA superstar said.

Of course, Adesanya and Pereira are headlining the November 12th card -- with two title fights and a Michael Chandler-Dustin Poirier matchup -- which will go down inside Madison Square Garden.

Israel and Alex fought twice previously and Pereira won both times ... in 2016 (decision) and 2017 (knockout), but they were kickboxing, NOT MMA (overall, Izzy had a kickboxing record of 75-5, while Alex was 33-7.)

We asked Adesanya, who last fought and beat Jared Cannonier in July, if people were making too big a deal over the previous fights.

"100%, even though the way you defend is different, the way you attack is different. It's kinda stupid sometimes. No disrespect to kickboxing," Izzy said.

"I always felt my striking was better suited for MMA, for the glove size but also the way, the freeness of attacking, I can clinch someone and trip 'em down. I can elbow, things like that and I know he's good at stuff like that as well but I've been doing this a lot longer."

The reality is ... Adesanya rarely lost kickboxing, but he's never lost in his division in the UFC (sole L came against Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight).

Despite it being a much different discipline, Izzy says he did rewatch the fights.

"I've looked back at them and I've taken a few things away from them but it is a different fight. I'm not the same guy, he's not the same guy either, but again, I've been doing this a lot longer and people forget," Adesanya said.

"For me, I have reminded them. I always do when it's time. I remind people and show them how great I am. This is just another one of those times I have to do it."

Instant. Classic.

Logan Paul knew he was in for the fight of his life against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel ... and even though he got an assist from his brother, Jake, he couldn't come away with the championship.

Logan proved once again he belonged in the ring on Saturday ... showing off his remarkable athleticism against the undisputed WWE Universal Champion in an incredibly entertaining fight.

Logan paid homage to WWE legend Eddie Guerrero -- as he did in his WrestleMania 38 match -- by hitting Reigns with a frog splash off the top rope through the announcer's table.

The craziest part ... he did it with a phone in his hand, recording the entire stunt -- talk about insane!!

Logan also showed Shawn Michaels some appreciation ... when he attempted to hit the WWE champ with The Heartbreak Kid's signature sweet chin music finisher -- though he was unsuccessful.

As we previously teased ... the "Problem Child" was in Saudi Arabia to watch his brother ahead of the biggest match of his life -- but also to look out for Logan in case he ran into any trouble against Reigns.

Well, that moment arose when the Usos -- a part of "The Bloodline" group with Roman -- started attacking Logan's entourage, who had been sitting ringside.

Jimmy and Jey Uso then started beating up Logan's buddies in the ring ... when suddenly, Jake hit the stage and walked down to the ring to confront the Usos while his "It's Everyday Bro" song blared through the speakers.

The undefeated 6-0 boxer got into the ring without hesitation and even dropped one of the undisputed tag team champs!!

Logan's performance had social media buzzin' ... his former boxing nemesis and Internet celebrity KSI was thoroughly pleased with the spectacle, tweeting, "What a match, bro."

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon was arrested again this week ... after he allegedly attacked two McDonald's security guards in Chicago.

TMZ Sports has learned ... 39-year-old Gordon was taken into custody around 3:30 AM on Friday. Chicago PD says the 2004 third-overall pick was being escorted out of the Mickey D's when he got physical.

Police say Gordon struck a 29-year-old male guard in the face and threw him to the ground ... before shoving a second 21-year-old male guard to the ground as well.

It's unclear why Gordon was being kicked out of the restaurant in the first place.

Gordon was booked for two counts of misdemeanor battery -- cause bodily harm and make physical contact -- as a result of the alleged altercation. The two guards declined medical attention.

The arrest comes less than one month after Gordon was accused of punching his 10-year-old son in the head at an airport for dropping a book.

Shortly after making bail in that arrest, Gordon was taken into custody in connection to an open assault case for a 2020 incident in Manhattan.

Gordon won an NCAA Championship at UConn in 2004 ... and averaged 14.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in the Association.

Alvin Kamara reared back and punched a man repeatedly during a violent altercation inside of a Las Vegas hotel earlier this year ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

But, sources connected with Kamara say the video doesn't tell the full story, claiming the alleged victim became violent first.

The incident happened back on Feb. 5 ... inside The Cromwell Hotel and Casino.

According to an October lawsuit filed by Darnell Greene, the altercation all went down after he and the New Orleans Saints superstar got into an argument outside of an elevator of the hotel's popular Drai's Nightclub.

Greene alleged he tried to get on the lift with Kamara and Kamara's associates. But, he claimed in his suit the football player barred him from getting on by "throwing his arm across Greene's chest," and then brutally attacking him.

In the new footage, you can see Kamara -- wearing a light shirt and signature dreads -- throwing multiple blows at Greene.

The clip shows the punches ultimately took the man to the ground. While down, the video shows several other men jumping into the attack -- kicking and stomping the guy, before clearing out.

The footage appears to match pictures that Greene's attorneys included in the lawsuit against Kamara last month. According to the suit, as a result of the beatdown, Greene suffered injuries to his neck, back, head, shoulder, knees and face ... including "a disfiguring facial fracture to" his right orbital bone.

Greene is suing Kamara for $10 million.

Kamara, meanwhile, was arrested following the 2022 Pro Bowl game for his alleged role in the incident ... and charged with felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and misdemeanor conspiracy to commit battery.

At the time of the arrest, cops claimed in police documents that Kamara did admit to punching the man.

Kamara -- who's had an up-and-down season for the Saints this year -- is due back in court for a hearing on the case next week.