Fights

Jim Jones is a proud gym rat but when it comes to rats in the gym ... he doesn't have a whole lot to say!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Dipset Capo promoting his new "Back In My Prime" album ... but he immediately burst out laughing and hit a meannnn Milly Rock when we asked his thoughts about 6ix9ine's now infamous lopsided brawl inside an LA Fitness gym.

Tekashi 6ix9nine and Jim have a pretty contentious past ... thanks to 6ix9ine repeatedly attempting to get him arrested after the two clashed several years ago.

Jim finally did offer up some insight in between his hitting the whoa ... and suggested Tekashi's choice of a public gym wasn't the brightest and is certain that would never happen in the facilities he works out at.

The Harlem rapper is currently plotting his own line of Vamp Fitt gyms, and frequents New Jersey's Impact Zone with fellow artists Fabolous, Dave East and Maino ... but discouraged knuckleheads from attempting to pull similar stunts in his sanctuary. You've been warned!!!

Biaggio Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's MMA fighting grandson, may have gotten into the family business, but the PFL star doesn't fight exactly like his legendary grandpa ... "He always said 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.' I want to sting like a scorpion!"

"Honestly, that is what I would say my style's like," Ali Walsh told Babcock in a sit-down with TMZ Sports. "You float, you're light, you're smooth, and when you go, it hurts, it stings. That's the kind of style I want to portray."

And, that's exactly what he's done so far in his handful of MMA fights. After losing his first-ever contest by rear naked choke, Biaggio's looked incredibly impressive -- and powerful -- in the cage.

First, he defeated Bradley Seaver by TKO in under three minutes in August 2022. Shortly after, Biaggio signed with PFL. They pitted him against Tom Graesser ... who only lasted 45 seconds with Ali Walsh during their November 2022 contest.

The potentially scary part is that he's only had three amateur fights, and only started training a few years back.

"I think I'm improving a lot. I believe I was blessed with an athletic ability. An ability to adapt, too. I've just been improving. Staying consistent. I've been grappling, wrestling, doing jiu-jitsu., striking, just blending all the martial arts because that's what you have to do in MMA," Biaggio said.

We also asked Biaggio what his grandfather would've thought about MMA (some boxing purists hate the sport), and Ali Walsh says his grandpa not only would've been into mixed martial arts, but he would've connected with one fighter in particular -- The Notorious.

"I think he would've been a big fan of MMA, especially at the time when Conor [McGregor] was in his featherweight run, doing his peak trash talk. He would've loved it."

We also talked to Biaggio about the pressure of being a fighter related to "The Greatest," when he plans to turn pro, what he wants to accomplish as a fighter (and beyond) and much more!

Tekashi 6ix9ine's baby mama says he didn't just embarrass himself by getting jumped at the gym ... he embarrassed his daughter, too.

Sara Molina, through her rep, tells TMZ ... Tekashi's very public altercations have been sad to see, adding their seven-year-old daughter, Saraiyah, will eventually see the ways he's acted when she grows up.

Although he did nothing wrong when he was beaten at an L.A. Fitness, Sara believes he was reckless by not having security, especially given his history of public altercations.

She also points out he was recently kicked out of the World Baseball Classic because he was heavily intoxicated. Sara says she's surprised 69 has been walking around like he can't be touched, and the beatdown proves he's misguided.

Sara's been concerned with their daughter's safety ever since Tekashi started beefing with other rappers years ago. Sara claims Tekashi hasn't reached out about Saraiyah since late last year ... but she's doing fine, regardless.

All things considered, Sara tells us she's more focused on Trump getting indicted than Tekashi getting jumped at LA Fitness ... but she's hoping her baby daddy will get the help she says he needs.

David Benavidez says an ass whoopin's waiting for Caleb Plant on Saturday ... telling TMZ Sports he's gonna "put a beating" on his longtime enemy during their upcoming fight, and Canelo's next on the hit list!

We spoke to Benavidez (26-0 w/ 23 KOs) -- one of the most talented fighters in the world -- ahead of his highly-anticipated matchup, pitting David vs. Caleb in the main event of Saturday's Showtime Boxing card.

"This fight has everything everybody wants to see,"  Benavidez said. "It has bad blood, it has drama, it has two fighters that really don't like each other go at it. I really dislike Caleb Plant."

He's not kiddin' either. The two boxing stars got into a heated confrontation at their kickoff press conference last month in Los Angeles, with their teams having an exchange of words.

In fact, the beef goes back years, all the way to 2018, when the guys were involved in a scuffle at a boxing gym.

So, as you can see, the friction's real, though Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) told us he believes the verbal attack reeked of "desperation" by Benavidez.

"He can say whatever he wants but I know at the end of the day, he is really scared of me," Benavidez said.

"Everybody I put my hands on I hurt and I know that for a fact... he knows that for a fact."

Benavidez added, "I just don't like this guy. I've been thinking about it for four months, every day, there's only one goal in my head and that's really to put a beating on this guy."

Once he's done with Plant, Benavidez says he's gunning for Canelo.

"After I beat Caleb Plant, and the way I'm gonna beat him, I feel like people are gonna put way more pressure on him to make this [Alvarez] fight happen," Benavidez said.

"If he doesn't make this fight happen, he's gonna get a lot of criticism."

Until then, Benavidez is ready for his 24th knockout win on March 25.

Yianni Diakomihalis, 4x NCAA Freestyle Wrestling National Champion, tells TMZ Sports there's a distinct possibility he gets into MMA ... BUT, not before he makes a run at the United States Olympic team, where he's gunning for gold!

23-year-old Diakomihalis is without exaggeration one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers of all time, becoming just the fifth competitor to win the title four times. The question now has become ... what's next?

"It's a super time, right, coming off a really big milestone in my life and now I have a lot of opportunities presented to me. Obviously, for me, that ultimate goal of being Olympic champ is right in front of me. That's the big thing on my mind right now," Yianni told us.

Diakomihalis continued, explaining the personal importance of the Olympics.

"It's been my dream since I was a little kid like that, and it's something that I don't think I could turn away from and go compete in something else."

FYI, Yianni won the NCAA title at 141 lbs. in 2018 and 2019. After a redshirt season, he won the title at 149 lbs. in 2022 and 2023.

The next Summer Games are in 2024 in France ... where Yianni hopes he'll represent the USA.

We asked him if he was considering transitioning to MMA after the 2024 Games.

"I got a ton of respect for a guy who makes a living getting in there and getting punched in the face. That's an incredibly difficult and tough thing to do. It's one of those things that sounds super cool, sounds like it would be fun to try. I can't imagine not pursuing [the Olympics]. Who knows what's gonna happen in the future, what might change, but right now that's what's really at the forefront of my mind."

Of course, we've seen uber-successful wrestlers like Henry Cejudo (Olympic gold medal winner), Bo Nickal (3x NCAA champ), and others who have successfully transitioned from wrestling to MMA. On the other hand, a wrestling star like Jordan Burroughs opted to never take a punch or kick to the face in a cage.

We also talked to the 4x champ, politics aside, about President Donald Trump attending the NCAA Finals ... and YD believes it's a big plus for the sport, as it's bringing new eyeballs to freestyle wrestling.

The Memphis women's basketball player who socked an opponent in the face during a handshake line following a game Thursday night has been charged with assault, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Bowling Green State Univ. officials ... Tigers senior guard Jamirah Shutes was hit with the criminal charge on Friday morning -- roughly 12 hours after she punched BGSU player Elissa Brett during an incident following their game in the women's NIT.

The two had gotten into a verbal argument after BGSU's 73-60 win ... which led to Shutes sucker-punching the woman in the face.

Brett crumpled to the court in pain, and was later seen in tears. According to police documents, cops noticed swelling in her right eye. The school said Friday, though, she is "recovering and doing well."

It's still unclear what sparked the altercation. A police investigation is ongoing, the university said.

BGSU added in a statement that it's also "conducting its own review" into the matter ... saying, "Violence is never acceptable and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student-athlete."

Neither Shutes nor Brett has publicly commented on it all.

Memphis Univ. did release a statement on the matter on Friday morning, calling the incident "extremely unfortunate and certainly not consistent with, or representative of, our expectations for our programs and student-athletes."

Tekashi 6ix9ine should get the hell out of Dodge or at least up his security after his brutal gym beatdown -- that's what most people think -- but we've learned that ain't the case.

Sources close to Tekashi tell TMZ ... he's actually been going out in public without his hired muscle pretty regularly over the last year -- without issue. We're told he's not about to let one incident change the way he lives. He wants to continue to live as normal a life as possible ... and is chalking up the gym beatdown as an outlier.

What's more, Tekashi has no plans on leaving South Florida, despite the attackers saying snitches weren't welcome in their neighborhood.

As we reported, Tekashi was sent to the hospital after he was pummeled inside the locker room of an LA Fitness -- suffering injuries to his back, face, jaw and ribs. Video obtained by TMZ shows one of the alleged attackers chatting on a cell phone before bringing another inside the facility.

From there, you see both men beeline it to the locker room to execute their attack with a third person.

Lance Lazzaro, Tekashi's attorney, told us he's going to talk with the feds about getting some protection for his client -- but it sounds like 6ix9ine wouldn't be too keen on accepting any.

Ugly scene following an NCAA women's basketball game on Thursday night ... a Bowling Green State Univ. player was socked in the face in a handshake line.

The sucker punch went down just seconds after BGSU beat Memphis, 73-60, in a round of 16 game in the women's NIT.

Broadcast cameras showed Bowling Green's Elissa Brett got into some sort of argument with Memphis' Jamirah Shutes ... before Shutes reared back and threw a straight right at Brett's face.

The punch connected flush -- sending Brett crashing to the court. Shutes was immediately restrained by her coach.

Brett stayed down for several moments -- eventually bursting out into tears. She was, thankfully, ultimately able to walk off the court under her own power.

It's unclear what sparked the incident, after the game, BGSU head coach Robyn Fralick told reporters, "We’re still trying to figure out all those things out and what happened."

BGSU, meanwhile, released a statement late Thursday night saying cops are now involved in the situation.

"The incident that took place following tonight's home WNIT game has been turned over to the BGSU Police Department," the school said.

"Bowling Green State University Athletics does not make comments about active police investigations. Our priority is with the health, safety and support of our student-athletes."

It doesn't appear Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss have lost any feelings for each other despite some serious outside pressure ... sharing a deep convo during the show's reunion.

Check out the pics of Tom and Raquel -- both dressed in black like it's a funeral -- as they sit in the parking lot outside their dressing room trailers for Thursday's taping of the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion show.

Things look serious at times, but happy during others ... all while cameras roll.

Obviously, it's unclear what exactly they're talking about, but the show's special is supposed to get explosive -- as it's the first time Tom, Raquel and his ex, Ariana Madix are all coming face-to-face to talk about Tom's cheating with Raquel.

TMZ broke the story ... show producers also had to navigate the logistics of including Scheana Shay in the reunion as Raquel currently has a restraining order against Shay.

Remember, Raquel claims Scheana attacked her after learning of the cheating situation, dubbed "Scandoval," and the order demands Shay stay 100 yards away from Raquel. We're told Raquel and Scheana will be rotated in and out of the reunion set to avoid each other.

We covered all the latest developments in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast.

Pat Sajak was simply being funny when he showed off his wrestling skills on a contestant ... so says the guy who took it on the chin, and now he's urging folks to cut the "Wheel of Fortune" host some slack.

We spoke to Fred Jackson who tells us ... as a pro wrestler and a showbiz guy, he absolutely loved the moment, and it was actually one of the highlights of the whole show! He says he's the only one who has any business being upset about it, but he's perfectly OK with it.

ICYMI, the 'Wheel' host came under fire after Tuesday's episode, where Fred revealed he's a pro wrestler ... and after he won the bonus round, PS ran over and applied a wrestling move called the "chicken wing."

Fred found it super funny and all done in jest, adding he understands if it isn't everyone's sense of humor -- but he says all the backlash against Pat is taking it too far.

BTW, Fred says the moment was absolutely not staged -- Pat had a really firm grip on him, and he claims he couldn't get loose if he tried.

No injuries, though, so ... no blood, no foul. Standard 'Wheel' rules.

Tyson Fury is in a MUCH better mood after going TF off on Oleksandr Usyk earlier Thursday ... 'cause the boxing superstar announced his wife is pregnant with their 7th baby!!

Just hours ago, the Gypsy King publicly unleashed on Usyk after the two sides couldn't agree on terms to throw hands in the ring next month ... cussing up a storm and claiming his potential opponent was scared.

But Tyson transformed into a completely different man a short time after ... smiling from ear to ear as he shared the big news on Instagram.

"All is not lost!" Tyson said. "I get to do Date night with my beautiful pregnant wife [Paris]. 7th [baby] incoming."

"fantastic news to cheer me up."

Of course, Fury has previously made his intentions to expand their family very clear ... saying he was ready to put a "bun in her oven" last year.

The Furys have kids ranging from one to 13 years ... and even with lucky #7 on the way, there's no telling when they'll be done growing their family!!

Tekashi 6ix9ine might've faced an even more brutal beatdown if it weren't for the quick-thinking gym staff that rushed in to get him to safety after he was ambushed in a sauna.

It's a bummer for 69 ... especially since our sources say he'd actually frequented this gym quite a bit in the past without any issues. We're told he's normally in there for about 20 minutes, and sticks to the StairMaster ... minding his business.

Our sources tell us if Tekashi is ever approached or recognized, most of the interactions are peaceful ... and he's usually accommodating and willing to pose with fans. Of course, he's clearly got enemies out there -- no doubt still lingering from the infamous RICO case.

Belal Muhammad adamantly believes he, NOT Colby Covington, is the fighter most deserving of a title shot vs. Leon Edwards ... and the UFC star says he's willing to prove it in The Octagon!

"I would love to punch Colby in the face. I would love to go out there, let's do it. You think you're the best in the world? You think you're the number one contender, come and get it from me. I'm the rightful number one contender, who the world thinks is the number one contender," 34-year-old Belal told TMZ Sports.

Of course, Dana White wasted no time tapping 35-year-old Covington, the #2-ranked welterweight, as Edwards' next opponent during his post-UFC 286 media session, saying "[Colby] deserves the fight."

The revelation was met almost immediately with outrage from Covington's critics, who point out he's just 2-2 over his last four fights, including two losses to Kamaru.

Meanwhile, Muhammad, ranked fourth in the division, hasn't lost since facing Geoff Neal in January 2019. Throwing out a no contest against a pre-champion Edwards after an inadvertent eye poke, Belal's riding an eight-fight win streak.

During the run, BM beat Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, Vicente Luque, and then-undefeated rising star, Sean Brady, who Muhammad handed his first pro loss.

FYI, Usman is the #1 ranked WW, but obviously isn't getting an immediate rematch. After Colby comes Khamzat Chimaev, the #3 ranked WW. Then Belal. The rankings then go ... Gilbert Burns at five, and Shavkat Rakhmonov at six (more on him in a moment).

Belal believes the work he's done in the cage should warrant him the opportunity to fight for the championship.

"Bro, I don't think there's nobody that doesn't think that I actually deserve, like if they truly look in their hearts, and if they have an IQ, they'll know that I'm the true number one contender.  I'm the true guy that's earned it."

Muhammad continued ... "I put the work in. I put the time in. I fought every single person they put in front of me. I fought backward my last one when I didn't want to, and they forced me to, and I still beat this undefeated kid [Brady], and it was by finish. To get a finish like that, I figured it was 100% gonna happen."

Then, it came as no surprise when we asked Belal about Shavkat's impressive win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ... and while he was very complimentary of the Kazakh fighter, he made it clear he's not looking to fight a guy below him in the rankings.

"Why am I gonna have to fight downward again to fight another hot prospect? It really doesn't make any sense. Why am I the only guy fighting backward when there's guys ahead of me that aren't fighting at all?"

The men allegedly involved in the brutal beatdown of Tekashi 6ix9ine appeared to have had a plan in place to get to the rapper ... as evidenced in new surveillance footage from the gym.

Check out the video, obtained by TMZ, showing one man already inside the South FL LA Fitness location chatting on his cell phone. The man approaches the front door of the gym to let another man in, and after a brief convo with the front desk employee, they beeline it to the gym's restroom and sauna area joined by a third man.

It certainly looks like the two men were in on some sort of plan ... but it's still unclear if they knew Tekashi was going to be at the gym all along, or if one man possibly saw 6ix9ine and called his buddy to help.

TMZ broke the story, Tekashi was rushed to a hospital Tuesday night after the attack, suffering from injuries to his face, back, ribs and jaw. Sources close to Tekashi tell us he's still receiving treatment in the hospital.

Video from inside the gym's sauna area shows a group of men punching, kicking and cussing out the rapper for being a snitch.

Tekashi 6ix9ine was savagely beaten by a group of men inside a South Florida gym ... with injuries so bad the controversial rapper was rushed to a hospital by ambulance.

6ix9ine's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... the rapper was inside the sauna Tuesday at an LA Fitness when all of the sudden he was attacked by several guys without warning.

Lazzaro says 6ix9ine tried to fight off the combatants, but there were too many of them, beating him to a pulp before fleeing. Lance notes 6ix9ine did not have security with him at the time of the attack.

Gym staff heard the commotion and immediately notified a manager. Police and EMS were then called to the scene, and he was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

We've obtained a photo of Tekashi taken from the hospital where you can see the damage to his face -- with gashes and swelling. We're told he also suffered injuries to his jaw, ribs and his back.

The next step, Lazzaro says, is he plans to call the Feds to make sure 6ix9ine gets the protection he clearly needs. Remember, he was granted early release from federal prison after cooperating with authorities to land several of his gang member cohorts behind bars.

It's currently unclear if the gym attack had anything to do with Tekashi's cooperation.

Conor McGregor sure appears ready for a fight later this summer ... he just posted a shirtless selfie showing off his bod -- and he looks GOOOOOOD!!!!

The UFC superstar shared the pic from his bathroom on his social media page late Tuesday night -- wearing nothing but a towel.

In the snap, which seemed to be taken just after he had gotten out of the shower, McGregor showed off some massive biceps, huge traps, and chiseled pecs.

The 34-year-old knew he looked good too ... 'cause in true McGregor fashion, he dropped a hilarious caption with the pic.

"I smell so good," he wrote, "you moan a little if I hug you."

Conor hasn't fought since he suffered a gruesome broken leg in his fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 -- but he's clearly been keeping himself in shape regardless of no planned matches the past two years.

McGregor is expected to scrap with Michael Chandler at some point in the next few months, though -- and he wrote on his Twitter page Tuesday he's actually going to be commencing fight camp in Big Bear "shortly."