Fights

Gervonta Davis is breaking his silence on his domestic violence arrest ... calling the allegations "bulls***" -- while insisting, "I am not a monster."

The star boxer wrote out a lengthy statement on his Instagram page Wednesday afternoon -- shortly after he was released from jail -- saying the battery claims made against him by a woman on Tuesday were flat-out, not true.

Davis said adamantly, "I NEVER PUT MY HANDS ON MY CHILD MOTHER NOR MY F***ING DAUGHTER ARE YOU F***ING CRAZY!!"

He added, "IM NOT A MONSTER."

Davis included a picture of what he says is his family watching "Frozen" -- and said in his statement the photo was snapped just "moments" before he and the mother of his child got into an argument.

Davis went on to say the entire ordeal was a money grab by his accuser.

As we previously reported, Davis was arrested in Parkland, FL on Tuesday at around 2:50 PM after cops say he hit a woman in the face, causing her an abrasion on the inside of her upper lip.

In a 911 call, obtained by TMZ Sports, the woman can be heard telling cops she thought the fighter was "going to kill" her. Davis alleged Wednesday she had only made the call "BECUZ I WOULDNT GIVE HER MY TRUCK!"

Cops say Gervonta Davis roughed up a woman in Florida on Tuesday afternoon -- slapping her with a "closed hand" ... and leaving her with an abrasion on the inside of her upper lip.

Police officers spelled out the allegations against the star boxer in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, claiming the incident happened at a residence in Parkland at around 1:25 PM.

According to the docs, the 28-year-old fighter "did actually and intentionally touch and strike" the woman "against her will" and "did intentionally cause bodily harm to her."

Police say in the docs Davis struck the woman on the right side of her head "with a closed hand type slap." Cops said the woman was left with a facial injury ... but was able to exit the home following the altercation.

As we reported, Davis was arrested about an hour after the alleged incident -- and booked on a domestic violence battery charge. Jail records show he's still in police custody.

Davis is scheduled to fight Hector Luis Garcia in a much-anticipated boxing match on Jan. 7 in Washington D.C.

Following the contest, he was expected to make a super fight with fellow star pugilist Ryan Garcia.

Star boxer Gervonta Davis has been arrested in Florida, TMZ Sports has confirmed ... just days before his scheduled fight against Hector Luis Garcia.

According to jail records, the 28-year-old was booked in Broward County on Tuesday on a battery domestic violence charge. He posed for a mug shot -- and the records show as of late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, he was still in police custody.

Further details surrounding the allegations against Davis were not made immediately available.

The fighter is slated to step in the ring with HLG on Jan. 7 in Washington D.C., though it's unclear if Tuesday's arrest will change plans.

Davis -- 27-0 in pro fights -- is no stranger to trouble with the law ... he's been arrested several times in the past few years ... including in 2020, after he was accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend at a celebrity basketball game in Florida.

Add "Catcher" to Forrest Griffin's resume -- the UFC Hall of Famer and VP of Athlete Development has landed an important new gig -- he's the man responsible for catching Power Slap athletes as they careen towards the floor!

"I'm gonna be a head catcher," Forrest said, describing the person standing at the ready behind slap competitors, waiting to pounce when an athlete's rocked.

Dana White recently launched Power Slap -- taking slap fighting from the underground to the mainstream. The UFC honcho already locked down a TV deal for his new organization.

Power Slap hasn't debuted yet, but if social media's any indication, there's tremendous interest in PS ... teaser videos online have gone viral!

If you've never watched the sport, competitors go back and forth, slapping each other with all their might until someone quits or goes to sleep ... and when they do get knocked down or out, it's important someone's there to stop them from hitting their heads and sustaining trauma.

Enter Forrest.

"That double impact," Griffin said, explaining why the job's so important ... "You’ve taken the first trauma and when your head hits the ground, bang bang, both sides of your brain actually bounce against your skull. We want to prevent that and make it just the initial impact and have that be what causes you or not causes you to win or lose the competition."

Of course, as a fighter, Forrest was the guy doling out the knockouts, not preventing them. He has wins over all-time greats like Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua and more MMA legends. Since retiring, he's dedicated his life to the health, safety and development of the UFC's athletes.

Needless to say, Griffin is the perfect person for the job.

Forrest even showed off some head-catching skills ... on 6'2" 200 lb. Evan (he looks familiar), a Power Slap exec.

All jokes aside, Griffin's doing everything in his power to make the sport as entertaining, but also safe as possible.

You don't want to be an MMA fighter in Chechnya, especially when your opponent is the dictator's son.

There was a ridiculous "fight" between Ali Kadyrov -- the 15-year-old son of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov -- and a dude named Islam Akbarov.

Kadyrov had Akbarov on the mat after landing a blow, and as he hovered over his opponent, the dictator's son delivered feather punches that looked anything but damaging. Akbarov was defending himself well, but the ref jumped in and stopped the fight, declaring the dictator's son the winner.

Some fans were outraged, saying the fight was clearly fixed.

As if more evidence was needed, the dictator Ramzan owns the promotion that hosted the fight.

It clearly pays to be a good person ... 'cause the New England Patriots fan who kept his cool as a Las Vegas Raiders supporter tormented him during Sunday's game is getting the hookup -- with free tickets from Robert Kraft!!

Video of the incident went viral this week ... showing a woman in a Derek Carr jersey berating a man in Tom Brady threads in the Allegiant Stadium stands right after the Pats lost in heartbreaking fashion.

The guy -- Jerry Edmond -- was praised on social media for not stooping to the woman's level ... and Kraft was so moved by his handling of the situation, he decided to give the fan a VIP experience at this weekend's game against the Bengals.

As it turns out, the Pats vs. Raiders contest was Edmond's first NFL experience ... and he said he didn't want to ruin his experience by retaliating toward the heckler.

Not only is Edmond getting free tix to the game, the team says he's going to get a customized jersey and pregame field passes to watch the players warm up.

DaBaby and his legal team are celebrating a big 'W' that's years in the making ... he's come out on top of a battery lawsuit over a 2020 brawl.

You’ll recall … DaBaby and crew were initially hit with allegations of beating and robbing a concert promoter named Kenneth Carey and his buddy. They claimed they'd lost personal items -- including money and a cell phone -- during a fight recorded by bystanders.

As we reported .. the fight was over payment for a Miami event Carey put together, and hired DaBaby to host. When the sides disagreed over dollar figures, it turned into a street brawl.

Prosecutors had dropped a criminal battery charge against DaBaby, but he was still hit with a $6 million federal lawsuit over the incident. The trial wrapped up Monday, with the jury finding in favor of the “Bop” rapper.

His attorney Drew Findling tells TMZ Hip Hop, “Along with our client, Jonathan Kirk (DaBaby), we are thrilled that this federal jury, after a five-day trial, came to the same conclusion that we have maintained for almost 3 years - that these plaintiffs were attempting to use the legal system to shake down Mr. Kirk.”

Findling continued, “Mr. Kirk deserves all the credit in the world for not caving in to these plaintiffs' cash demands and having the confidence in the facts and his legal team to take this to a jury trial for a complete and total victory!”

Trey Songz has voluntarily turned himself in to NYC cops after allegedly punching 2 people a couple of months back ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... TS was busted at the end of November for the alleged incident. We're told he's accused of striking 2 people in the face while they were all at a bowling alley back in October, and one of the alleged victims was hospitalized.

Trey turned himself in at an NYPD station a few weeks later, and we're told he was booked, given a desk appearance ticket for assault and released.

As we'd previously reported, Trey allegedly punched a woman in the face while inside a bowling alley bathroom. The new info is there's a second alleged victim, a guy who claims Trey punched him in the eye. We're told he refused medical treatment.

Still no word on a motive for the alleged beatdown.

Undefeated Rough 'N Rowdy champ Bobby Laing says a fight against Frank Gore is a real possibility ... telling TMZ Sports the ex-NFL star heard his call-out loud and clear -- and he wants to scrap.

"Lights Out" is fresh off beating 12-year vet Adam "Pacman" Jones for the second time at Barstool Sports' RNR 19 last Friday .. and right after having his hand raised, Laing said he wanted a piece of Gore.

We spoke with Laing about potentially squaring up against the 49ers great ... and he tells us the two sides have been talking for a LONG time in hopes of setting up a bout.

In fact, Bobby and Frank have been trading DMs a lot recently ... and Laing's post-fight interview after beating Pacman again reignited talks of a matchup.

"It's definitely an option on the table," Bobby says. "I want to do it. He sounds like he wants to do it. It's just a matter of if Barstool is gonna set it up or not."

FYI -- Frank has two pro fights under his belt ... going 2-0 after losing to ex-NBA star Deron Williams via split decision back in 2021.

Bobby says he expects to keep his undefeated record in tact against Gore ... and claims Pacman was just "step one" of getting into bigger, higher profile matchups.

"I gotta keep beating these people that have more clout than I have," Bobby says. "And then eventually, after a few more wins, maybe then I'll be the guy that people will be like, you gotta beat me to get more clout."

"Guerrilla warfare. I'm gonna take [Sean Strickland's] head off."

That's 38-year-old Jared Cannonier talking about his violent intentions for Saturday night ... when he and fellow middleweight contender, Strickland, 31, do battle in the main event at UFC Fight Night.

TMZ Sports talked to Cannonier -- the 3rd ranked contender at 185 lbs. -- and asked him about the matchup with Strickland ... a fight he expects to test him.

"Strickland is a dog in the cage. He'll get in your face and try and put his fist through it. And if you give him a chance, he'll talk some s**t to you as well. He's as good as anybody else in the top 10," Jared says.

"The Killa Gorilla" added ... "Like I said, he's a dog in there. If I give him the opportunity, he'll sink his teeth in and start shaking me all over the fucking cage, right? I'm ready for that. I'm ready to see somebody try to do that."

Strickland, ranked 7th, is one of the best middleweights in the world ... though he's coming off a loss to Alex Pereira. The now-champ starched Strickland in the first round of their UFC 276 scrap ... when SS made the mistake of trying to strike with Alex.

Cannonier's also coming off a loss -- a title fight at 276 -- where he lost via unanimous decision to Israel Adesanya.

Despite the L to Izzy ... Jared's on the winning side more than not. He's beaten beasts like Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum and Jack Hermansson.

As for how he expects to add Strickland's name to that list ... Jared's gunning to make Sean tap.

"I would like to have a submission. This will be my 15th fight in the UFC. Who knows I might knock him to the ground and jump on a submission or something. It's time to get a submission in the UFC."

As if making history wasn't enough for Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest UFC fighter ever tells TMZ Sports he wanted to return to the Octagon just 7 days after beating his opponent in the very first round!

Of course, at just 18 years and 63 days, Rosas Jr. etched his name in the record books when he stepped foot in the cage, becoming the youngest fighter to ever scrap in the UFC.

But, he didn't just show up ... Raul won, and needed just half a round to beat Jay Perrin, a 29-year-old full-grown adult.

And, when we asked Rosas Jr. when he wanted to fight again, it'd be an understatement to say he didn't want to wait very long.

"Thank God I was able to come out the same way I stepped in which was with no injuries. Thankfully, I feel good, and hopefully, I'm talking to my manager, seeing if I'm able to get a fight this weekend at the APEX. I know there's a show going on," Raul said.

"Hopefully I can step in there, whether it's 135 or 145. I want to step back in there as soon as possible, so hopefully I can fight this weekend, if not, we'll look at dates next year and see when I can step into the Octagon."

Rosas Jr. signed with the UFC after Dana White offered him a contract following his Contender Series fight in September ... a unanimous decision win over a 25-year-old opponent named Mando Gutierrez.

After his UFC 282 fight, Raul said he wanted to buy his mom a new van so she could drive him around.

We also talked to Raul about the van (he's getting it) and much more ... including how his friends reacted to their buddy winning in the UFC.

Clipper Darrell -- the most famous L.A. Clippers fan -- was knocked out during an altercation at a game on Monday ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see Darrell -- real name Darrell Bailey -- in his famous half-red, half-blue suit ... standing with a Crypto.com Arena security guard following the Clippers' game against the Boston Celtics.

The two seem to be in some sort of argument ... where the man wearing a red polo appears to be preventing Clipper Darrell from moving through a concourse at the NBA arena.

At one point, the man can be seen in the video putting his elbow near Darrell's neck in what seems to be an effort to keep him from advancing. Darrell, the footage shows, then swiped at the man's arm to get it off of him.

That's when the man in the red balled up his fist and swung on Clipper Darrell -- connecting straight with the superfan's jaw.

Darrell crashed into a nearby trash receptacle ... and appeared to lose consciousness.

Crypto.com Arena President Lee Zeidman tells us ... the altercation all started after the security officer tried to direct Darrell and other departing fans to nearby exits.

"Clipper Darrell became involved in a verbal and then physical altercation," Zeidman said. "After receiving immediate medical attention, Darryl was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and treatment."

"An investigation of the incident was launched which determined the employee’s behavior to be a direct violation of our training and approved responses resulting in the immediate termination and arrest of the employee by the LAPD."

Clipper Darrell told us on Wednesday morning he's suffering from headaches ... and is still in a lot of pain. He added that he's currently on medication to try to alleviate some of his symptoms.

Sources close to the Clippers, meanwhile, tell us the team is aware of the incident.

Clipper Darrell has been a Clips season ticket holder for two decades -- and has gained notoriety for loudly leading taunts and cheers throughout L.A. games.

An NHL fan had his fingertip bitten off during an insane fight at the Coyotes vs. Bruins game on Friday ... this according to cops.

A spokesperson for the ASU Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... the melee happened at around 9:30 PM at Mullett Arena in Tempe -- when several Boston and Arizona fans got into a scrap.

Video shot by a bystander shows roughly half a dozen people -- including men and women -- shoved each other, threw drinks on each other ... and, at times, whaled on each other for roughly a minute.

Cops eventually jumped into the fray to break it all up -- and according to the ASU PD spokesperson, one fan, Nashaknik Allen Shontz, was arrested after he was accused of taking a chunk out of another person's finger during the fracas.

The spokesperson said Shontz was booked on one count of aggravated assault.

According to the spokesperson, five other people involved in the brawl were issued citations. Cops say they don't know what started the fight -- they're still investigating the matter.

It's unclear if the alleged victim was able to reattach the severed digit.

Jared Gordon is admittedly "really bitter" over the controversial loss to Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett saying everyone knows he won -- even fans of Pimblett -- and he wants a rematch!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Gordon the morning after his heartbreaking, unanimous decision loss to 27-year-old Pimblett -- an outcome that shocked many fans, fighters, and journalists -- and asked how he was feeling.

"I'm obviously upset. I've been in some dark places before, this hasn't reached the level I've been to before but I'm still really bitter, but I believe my stock went up more than it could've if I won say a boring fight. I know everyone knows I won. I know I won."

Gordon continued ... "The UFC staff, major players from the UFC staff, all the fighters. All the fighters. All the of the MMA jouranlist. All of Twitter. The Paddy fans. All the Scousers messaging me, 'Hey I'm from Liverpool. I'm a Paddy fan, but you won. You got a new fan in me.'"

As for what's next ... Gordon wants to run it back.

"I would love a rematch. I'll go to London to fight him, I don't care," Gordon said.

There's actually a card coming up at O2 in March ... UFC 286. Jared says he's 100% down to fight.

"I think it makes sense. I think it'd be great. When I win then I'll be 2-0. But on paper, 1-1. Then we'll have a trilogy and we'll really see what he's about."

The fight was officially scored 29-28 by all three cageside judges (all scored it 2 rounds to 1, for Pimblett).

But, almost all media members who scored the fight -- except one -- picked Gordon as the winner. Many had the fight 3 rounds to zero for Jared.

We also talked to Jared about the actual fight.

"I had him running around the cage. Backing him up. His punches were grazing ... I have a couple of bruises, but his punches were just landing on my hands and arms. I was landing the bigger shots. I got three takedowns. I had 6.5 minutes of control time. He had 30 seconds of control time. I stuffed his shots. I reversed his takedowns. I just don't how, in what world we're living in that he won."

We asked Gordon if he had a message for Pimblett.

His win might've been controversial, but Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett partied like it wasn't ... getting in the DJ booth and hanging with Marshmello after UFC 282 on Saturday!!

The 27-year-old and his entourage of around 50 people hit up XS Nightclub inside the Wynn hours after his fight ... and the dude was treated like royalty as he celebrated his unanimous decision over Jared Gordon.

The crowd had signs, a drumline and confetti in honor of Pimblett's dub ... and the man of the hour even grabbed the mic and got the good vibes going -- telling everyone to "get the party started."

Paddy eventually got in the booth to chat with Marshmello ... and the two shared a brief conversation as they jumped around to the music.

Of course, Pimblett's win had fans torn ... with many saying Gordon should have had his hand raised at the end.

"Jared won," fighter and analyst Paul Felder said. "Give him the fight."

Gilbert Burns added ... "Why the judges did my guy @JFlashGordonMMA like that???"

Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson better be ready for Gervonta Davis ... 'cause the boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's coming for them -- wanting fights with the stars after he gets done whooping Ryan Garcia.

"I'm pushing for it," the 27-0 lightweight says. "I'm pushing for it."

Of course, Tank has a fight already lined up that he has to take care of before he can even think about throwing hands with Haney, Stevenson and Garcia ... his next bout is just a couple weeks away -- against Hector Luis Garcia on Jan. 7.

Tank knows what's on the line in that bout -- a win would make his next fight against Ryan Garcia a HUGE payday ... but a loss could hurt it.

Plus, the match is at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., a skip and jump away from his hometown of Baltimore.

So, does he feel pressured? "It's pressure," he said, "but good pressure."

"I think every fight is pressure," he continued. "You wanna perform, you wanna look good in front of your hometown."

"He's 16 and 0, he's a solid opponent so just trying to make sure I stay focused on that main goal and not lose myself in the midst of it."

If he takes care of Hector Luis Garcia, he knows what's up next -- Ryan Garcia -- a matchup that now has a lot of bad blood in it.

The two boxers got into it recently ... when Gervonta called Ryan Garcia out on Twitter for the fighter's size.

Tank has since deleted the tweets, but he explained to us he's not calling Ryan a cheater -- he just wants to make sure when they fight, it's fair and square.

"Make sure everybody is on an even playing field," Tank says. "I never cheated. If you cheat, not saying he's cheating ... I'm just saying I seen a picture -- he's normally not that size."