Fights

Ras Kass has made peace with his drunken ball drop with Jay-Z from years ago, but now that he knows what he knows ... he'd opt for the $500K in the Jay dinner debate.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the West Coast MC Wednesday night at Projector L.A.'s Halloween bash, where he told us his wounds from ruining his chance to spearhead Jay's label have long healed.

But, he's learned a valuable lesson: All up-and-coming rappers better be ready to lose themselves at ANY given moment.

And, steer clear of all wack hip hop!!!

RK met up with Jay in NYC in the early 2000s in hopes of being the flagship artist for the developing Roc-A-Fella West label division.

When they arrived at their club destination, RK says paranoia crept in as he got the hunch he and Jay could end up fighting -- so he began downing some liquid courage.

No club brawls took place, but when Jay introduced RK on the mic, he was too slizzard to nail his rhymes ... and Jay lost his number!!!

In hindsight, RK tells us he forgot the real reason he was there that night, and fumbled the bag -- but there's no hard feelings.

While he praises Jay for his shrewd business sense, Ras Kass has no shame in his game ... he says he'd definitely take the imaginary $500K over a second chance meeting with the mogul.

Hey, that's exactly what Jay's advising everyone to do!!!

Michael Blackson can't wait to get into the ring after inking a deal with Celebrity Boxing ... and, naturally, he's got his eyes on a bout with fellow comedian Kevin Hart.

The actor and comedian just signed his contract with CB founder Damon Feldman, and they're both pumped, and Michael's trash talking is already on point ... as he's calling out other celebs.

Clearly, he wants a piece of Kevin, first and foremost -- they've had beef in the past, which they ultimately squashed a couple years ago, but it sounds like MB may be reversing course.

Other celebs on Michael's radar include DC Young Fly, DeRay Davis and Katt Williams ... and he's got some choice words for all three.

You know Michael's going to promote the hell out of his eventual fight ... and he's already getting his Don King on.

Justin Gaethje is manifesting a title shot.

The #2 ranked lightweight, despite being ranked a spot below Charles Oliveira, probably has the strongest case for the next crack at the 155 lb. belt ... and the UFC superstar tells us he's preparing to fight Islam Makhachev in early 2024!

"No, I haven't had any conversations yet [with the UFC about fighting Makhachev]," Gaethje told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), adding ... "I'm expecting to fight [Islam] February, March of next year, so that's what I'm getting ready for."

34-year-old Gaethje's coming off an impressive KO win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023. Justin's now ranked 2 at lightweight, while Charles is 1, and Islam's champ.

Oliveira and Makhachev were supposed to fight in the main event at UFC 294 on Saturday, but Charles was forced to withdraw less than 2 weeks before the fight over an injury.

Justin clearly believes Charles, who previously fought and lost to Islam by submission in late 2022, has missed the bus on a title shot ... at least in the immediate future.

"Like I said, Oliveira had his chance and then he had his second chance and backed out," Gaethje said.

It's clear JG believes the fight's his, so we asked him ... how do you match up with the champion?

"With the experience I've had with Khabib, I understand that he's not the same fighter. I wasn't scared of Khabib, but that's an intimidating guy to go up against, and that factor will not be there. I'm more confident," Gaethje said, reflecting on his experience with Nurmagomedov, and how the Makhachev fight would be different.

"I think I'm a great matchup. I think it's a much better match-up for myself than Khabib was, and I think I'll be able to really be effective with my striking and then create some opportunities to maximize the damage that I'm creating."

John Cena's new movie, "Freelance," comes out this week, but actors are still on strike, and that means the WWE legend cannot do press to promote the film.

Enter the 16x WWE champion's friends -- including Alexa Bliss, LA Knight, and TMZ Sports' own Mojo Muhtadi, in addition to a bunch more -- who in place of Cena, attended a premiere of the movie at Regal Waterfod Lakes in Orlando.

Of course, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, is still at odds with the Hollywood studios. As part of the strike, actors cannot do media to promote a project ... and if you did, that'd be crossing the picket line.

Obviously a big no-no (ask Drew Barrymore).

So, Cena's buds did the next best thing.

As for the movie, it's got an impressive cast ... with Alison Brie and Christian Slater also starring in the movie, which the studio described like this:

An ex-special forces operative takes a job to provide security for a journalist as she interviews a dictator, but a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, and they are forced to escape into the jungle where they must survive.

While he undoubtedly was bummed he couldn't be at Orlando showing, we're told Cena was seriously touched by his friend's show of support!

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic will not happen at UFC 295 next month -- Dana White just announced the heavyweight champion suffered a torn pectoral tendon while training earlier this week ... sidelining him for the next eight months.

"What's up, everybody? Here we are again," Dana said in a social media video late Tuesday night. "Jon Jones was training last night, got injured. He was wrestling and he tore the tendon that connects your pec to the bone off the bone."

"Eight months, gonna need surgery. He's out."

White shared footage of the moment Jones went down ... showing him wincing in pain as he reached for his chest.

The UFC honcho said fans can now tune in to see Sergei Pavlovich take on Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 11 ... which will be the co-main event alongside the Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira bout.

Despite the bumming news about Jones vs. Miocic, White is clearly fired up about the new fight ... as No. 2-ranked Pavlovich is 18-1 with 15 knockouts, and No. 4 Aspinall is 13-3 with 10 K.O. and three submissions -- meaning he's never let any of his wins go to the judges.

"A combined 25 knockouts, 26 first-round finishes -- No. 2 vs. No. 4 in the heavyweight division for the interim heavyweight title."

No, Jake Paul was NOT doing bumps of cocaine in the ring after his brother Logan's boxing match last weekend ... so says the Problem Child himself, who's combating the allegations with comedy.

The 26-year-old internet superstar and pugilist was spotted on camera touching his nose as he stood behind his older bro following his win over Dillon Danis in Manchester ... with many going to social media to accuse him of sniffing the booger sugar in plain sight.

Paul addressed it all in his most recent YouTube video ... poking fun at the wild claims by surrounding himself with Coca-Cola cans and tossing a white powder in the air like LeBron James.

"Y'all want some Coke?" Paul asked his friends as he pretended to be drugged out.

After laughing it off, Paul got serious ... saying his gesture was the result of being a sweaty guy -- even zooming in on his nose to show how moist his skin gets from "five minutes of existing."

On top of that, his involvement in the post-fight scuffle certainly didn't help his perspiration problem.

"This is the thing, is I go to brawl in the ring to save my f***ing brother," Paul added. "Forty grown men around me, everyone's huffing and puffing, I'm yelling, 'You bitch, you're lucky I didn't kill you.' and I'm literally drenched in sweat."

"I come out, everyone knows I'm the most sweatiest person in the world. So I get into the ring to like, go be there for my brother and s***, and I put my hat on and I'm literally sweating down my face, so I'm just like this, trying to get the sweat off of my f***ing face."

Paul's girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, backed her man ... saying she's seen first-hand how seriously he takes care of his body -- and all the haters need to quit trying to create a false image of him.

Nate Diaz le está dando a los luchadores un gran regalo de bienvenida. Repartió lujosos colgantes bañados en oro y diamantes.

TMZ Sports informa que la leyenda de la MMA se acercó a la famosa tienda Ice Box para conseguir algo especial para la gente que se unió a la promoción Real Fight Inc. que se lanzó en 2022.

Nos dicen que ordenó un total de siete colgantes y cada uno viene con poco menos de 10 quilates de diamantes y más de 50 gramos de oro. Las piezas también vienen con una cadena de cuerda de oro de 14 quilates a juego.

No estamos seguros de qué combatientes obtendrán el nuevo bling, pero los que figuran en la lista de Real Fight Inc, con exclusión de Díaz, son Chris Ávila, Alan Sánchez, José Sguayo y Luciano Ramos.

Díaz, que luchó por última vez contra Jake Paul en agosto, está tomando su promoción muy en serio después de salir de la UFC el año pasado, diciendo que su objetivo es centrarse en el boxeo, MMA y BJJ.

"Dije que cuando saliera, iba a hacer mi propia promoción como Jake estaba haciendo con Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)", dijo Díaz en Full Send.

"Bueno, me metí de lleno y sentí que el negocio era mío todo el tiempo".

Nate Diaz is giving his fighters a helluva welcoming gift ... 'cause he hooked 'em all up with iced-out pendants to make sure everyone knows they're the "Real" deal!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the MMA legend reached out to the famous Icebox shop to get something special for the folks who joined the Real Fight Inc. promotion he launched in 2022.

We're told he ordered a total of seven two-toned pendants ... and each comes with just under 10 carats of VS diamonds and over 50 grams of gold. The pieces also come with a matching 14K gold rope chain.

Unsure which fighters will get the new bling ... but the badasses listed on Real Fight Inc., excluding Diaz, are Chris Avila, Alan Sanchez, Jose Aguayo and Luciano Ramos.

Diaz -- who last fought Jake Paul in August -- is taking his promotion very seriously after he left the UFC last year ... saying his goal is to focus on boxing, MMA and BJJ.

"I said when I get out, I was going to do my own promotion like Jake was doing with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)," Diaz said on Full Send.

"Well, I just jumped right in, and I felt like the business was mine the whole time."

Angela Lee has no plans of returning to the cage after recently shocking the MMA world with her retirement announcement... telling TMZ Sports her focus is now on providing mental health services to combat sports athletes!

Lee -- who retired and vacated her 115-pound ONE title at Fight Night 14 on September 30 -- launched her non-profit, Fight Story, in honor of her younger sister and MMA fighter, Victoria, who died by suicide in December 2022.

Lee also revealed she attempted to take her own life in 2017 when she purposely crashed her car.

"I wouldn't say that I have fully recovered [from my sister's death] because healing processes take some time," Lee told us, "but I have gotten a lot better with the help and support of my husband, my daughter, and also with the nonprofit organization I created in honor of her."

Angela added ... "We're hoping to acknowledge our past and our personal experience but also take steps to proactively take care of our mental health [and] physical health."

The 11-3 mixed martial, who holds the record for longest championship reign in ONE, knows about the stress/pressure MMA fighters face ... and she pointed out combat sports athletes don't get the same mental health resources as other sports.

"I wanna highlight this group of individuals because the fact is the topic of mental health or mental health support is pretty much nonexistent in the fight world," the 27-year-old said.

"I think with Fight Story," Lee said, "we have lots of plans for the programs that we wish to implement and bring to the community."

Lee told us several fighters have already reached out to help the cause ... and they're hosting two big events, including a kickoff party that's going down on December 3 in Hawaii.

Angela says she's thankful for the support she's received ... and how it keeps the memory of her sister alive.

"I feel whenever I'm doing things with Fight Story, I really feel like Victoria is with me and helping me to work on this," Lee said.

"Something we're doing together."

The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers nearly got into a bench-clearing brawl after a beanball incident during the 8th inning of their Friday night championship game.

The teams were going head-to-head in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series when Houston relief pitcher Bryan Abreu wound up and hurled a 98.9 mile-per-hour fastball, striking Rangers batter Adolis Garcia in his left arm.

Check out this video posted on X ... Garcia looks furious as he pushes Houston catcher Martín Maldonado, while the umpire gets between them.

Both teams then pour onto the field and run toward each other, gathering in one big heap near home plate.

The players start yelling and shoving one another, but the tense situation never escalates into a full-scale fight.

Still, Garcia continues to blow off steam as his teammates hold him back -- and eventually escort him off Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

The umpires ejected three people: Abreu, Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker.

When the game resumed, the Astros went on to beat the Rangers 5-4. The Astros now hold a 3-2 lead in the series as they travel back to Houston for Game 6.

Bummed Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa ain't happening on Saturday?! Don't be ... 'cause UFC legend Chuck Liddell says he's actually more pumped for the fight vs. Kamaru Usman!

"I'm excited about it. That card fell apart, and I'm actually more excited about the card now [with Usman fighting Chimaev] than I was before [when Costa was fighting Khamzat]," the UFC legend told TMZ Sports this week at LAX.

Of course, both the main and co-main events of UFC 294 were lost last week ... when Charles Oliveira -- scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev -- and Paulo Costa were both forced out with injuries.

Thankfully, Alex Volkanovski and Kamaru are bonafide badasses ... and both guys agreed to travel thousands of miles and fight on less than two weeks' notice.

(We also talked to Liddell about "Dad Bods" ... hence this ⬇)

We followed up with The Iceman, asking him about the wisdom of stepping in the Octagon with an undefeated fighter on 10 days' notice.

"Kamaru Usman is always ready. He trains all the time. He stays in shape. He's a good guy. I'm excited about this fight. If he took it on 10 days' notice he thinks he's going to win."

Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of, if not the most dominant UFC fighter ever, but the retired, undefeated, former champion wants someone to actually be better than he was ... Islam Makhachev!

Of course, Makhachev is fighting Alex Volkanovski in just a few hours in the main event at UFC 294 ... and we recently spoke with Ali Abdelaziz, Islam and Khabib's manager and close friend, about their relationship.

"Khabib wants Islam to be better. That's what's beautiful about it," Ali said of Nurmagomedov's desire for his pupil to surpass his accomplishments.

Whether 31-year-old Makhachev is better in certain areas (striking, for example) is up for debate ... but when it comes to pure dominance of an opponent, Ali doesn't believe Islam's quiet on Khabib's (29-0) level just yet.

"Islam lost, Khabib never lost. Islan might be all the way technically better, but dominance, I don't think anybody can be as dominant as Khabib is. You see Henry lose, Kamaru. A lot of guys lost. Khabib never even have one blood leave his body. When you have a guy who never bled in 29 fights, it's very hard to match him. It's a very tall order to match him. It's almost impossible."

But, that's exactly what Khabib wants for Islam ... who has a record of 24-1. His sole loss came in 2015.

Abdelaziz does think there's another fighter who is closer to Nurmagomedov's dominance ... Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin.

Umar is 16-0, and 4-0 in the UFC ... and the 12th ranked bantamweight.

"The guy who is closer to Khabib than anybody is Umar. I truly believe Umar is the closest to Khabib's dominance."

For Islam, the #3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the entire UFC, a win over #2 ranked Volkanovski would be another step towards fulfilling Khabib's wish.

Anthony Joshua is going all Aaron Rodgers ... the heavyweight boxing star is in the midst of a four-day darkness retreat with little to no technology!

AJ recently revealed his plan to Men's Health Magazine ... telling them he was beginning the retreat all by his lonesome starting October 16.

"Four days in the dark," Joshua said in the interview. "Alone with your mind."

"By October 20th, I will be one of the coolest people, coming out after sitting for four days in the dark."

The 34-year-old explained the process ... there's no internet access whatsoever and he just hopes to have a decent bed after paying $2k (chump change to him).

"There is a door, they open the door, slide in your food on a tray, you eat. You don’t see them," AJ said.

"No phone. No TV. No radio. No audiobooks. Nothing."

Joshua -- who won his 26th fight against Robert Helenius in August -- said he's looking forward to the interesting experience with the intention of gaining more character.

Obviously, Anthony isn't the first athlete to do this. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sent the internet into a frenzy when he did the same thing earlier this year ... as he was contemplating his NFL future.

There's only one man breathing who has been in an Octagon with Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev -- Gilbert Burns -- and now "Durinho" is breaking down the highly anticipated UFC 294 co-main event!

37-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... and having shared the cage with both title contenders, he told us where each man has the advantage.

For Khamzat, Burns says it's a plus he had a full camp -- even though he was training for a different opponent in Paulo Costa. Still, Usman didn't have any camp ... save for a few days before he left for Abu Dhabi.

When it comes to Kamaru, Gilbert believes his vast array of experience can't be discounted. Usman has been in virtually every situation ... and that can't be said for Chimaev (this will be his 7th UFC fight, and Kamaru's 18th in Dana's promotion).

Two of those fights came against Burns.

Kamaru and Gilbert's scrap was the main event at UFC 258 in February 2021 ... a fight Usman won by 3rd round TKO. The fight was very competitive, especially early, until KU took over, and ended things, retaining his title.

Khamzat and Gilbert fought a year and change later at UFC 273 in April 2022 ... a fight Chimaev won by unanimous decision. Despite the judge's scorecards, many believe Burns actually won the razor-close fight. It was without any doubt the first time Borz was pushed ... and while he certainly bent, he didn't break.

Burns breaks down much more about the looming fight ... touching on everything from speed and punching power to strength and ability on the ground.

Usman, who took the fight on 10 days notice, is a sizeable underdog ... around +250 at most sportsbooks (wager $100 to win $250, whereas you'd risk around $300 to win $100 on Chimaev).

Gilbert didn't exactly pick a winner -- at least not straight up -- but given his expertise, and the odds ... he had this to say.

"I think you should put a lot of money on Kamaru Usman," Burns said.

Sólo hay un hombre que ha estado en el octágono con Kamaru Usman y Khamzat Chimaev—Gilbert Burns— y ahora "Durinho" está analizando el esperado evento co principal de la UFC 294.

Burns, de 37 años de edad, se unió a Babcock en el programa de televisión de TMZ Sports (se emite todas las noches en FS1) y después de haber compartido la jaula con ambos contendientes al título, nos dijo donde está la ventaja de cada hombre.

Para Khamzat, Burns dice que es una ventaja haber tenido un tiempo de entrenamiento completo, a pesar de que estaba entrenando para un oponente diferente (Paulo Costa). Sin embargo, Usman no tuvo ningún tipo de entrenamiento, salvo unos días antes de partir hacia Abu Dhabi.

En lo que respecta a Kamaru, Gilbert cree que no se puede descartar su vasta experiencia. Usman ha estado en prácticamente todas las situaciones y eso no se puede decir de Chimaev (esta será su 7ª pelea en la UFC, y la 18ª de Kamaru en la promoción de Dana).

Dos de esas peleas fueron contra Burns.

La pelea de Kamaru y Gilbert fue el evento principal en UFC 258 en febrero de 2021. Una pelea que Usman ganó por TKO en la tercera ronda. La pelea fue muy competitiva, especialmente al principio, hasta que Kamaru tomó el control y terminó las cosas, reteniendo su título.

Khamzat y Gilbert pelearon un año y pico después en UFC 273 en abril de 2022. Una pelea que Chimaev ganó por decisión unánime. A pesar de las puntuaciones de los jueces, muchos creen que Burns en realidad ganó la pelea. Fue sin duda la primera vez que Borz fue empujado. Ciertamente, se dobló, no se rompió.

Burns desglosa mucho más sobre la inminente pelea, tocando todos los tópicos, desde la velocidad y el poder de golpe hasta la fuerza y la habilidad en el suelo.

Usman, que tomó la pelea en 10 días, es un subestimado considerable ... alrededor de +250 en la mayoría de las casas de apuestas deportivas (apuesta $ 100 para ganar $ 250, mientras que arriesgaría alrededor de $ 300 para ganar $ 100 en Chimaev).

Gilbert no eligió exactamente a un ganador, al menos no directamente, pero dada su experiencia y las probabilidades dijo lo siguiente.

"Creo que deberías apostar mucho dinero por Kamaru Usman", dijo Burns.

Nate Diaz is letting Jake Paul know his calendar is WIDE OPEN on December 15 ... and what better time for a rematch, according to the MMA superstar from Stockton!

The Problem Child announced he was returning to the ring in mid-December, but didn't name an opponent. 38-year-old Diaz clearly wants the fight ... and even went as far to post a flyer promoting the fight.

"Rematch December," Diaz said in the IG caption. "You ain’t got nobody to fight."

"So I’ll beat your ass Dec 15th."

Of course, the men fought in August ... a fight Nate lost by unanimous decision. Paul knocked Diaz down in the fight, but overall, it was an entertaining fight.

Still, reaction seems mixed over the idea of a second scrap. But, there are some notable MMA fighters who seem eager to watch the guys go at it again, including Anthony Pettis, Roy Nelson, and BJ Penn.

"Easy money 💰!!!!!!," Penn wrote in the comments, "Nate will hurt him when they step in the ring again."

Paul did respond to Diaz's offer on Thursday, instead suggesting he fight Derek from Betr, who has clashed with Nate in the past.