Fights

Floyd Mayweather says he's ALL THE WAY DOWN to scrap with 50 Cent -- telling the rapper to get in line and he'll beat his ass at the end of 2021.

The 43-year-old boxing legend just laid out his schedule for the year ... assuring his fans the postponed exhibition bout with Logan Paul will DEFINITELY happen before the end of the year.

But, Floyd also touched on other boxing challenges ... and responded to 50 Cent who went on V-103's "The Morning Culture" last week and said he'd love a crack at Floyd.

Remember, 50 expressed concern that Floyd is too small and wouldn't agree to a catchweight -- since Floyd usually fights at 150 lbs and Mr. Cent is closer to 180.

Now, Floyd says size doesn't matter one bit -- he'll happily accept 50's challenge.

"I also heard that 50 cent would fight me but claims I'm too small," Floyd said on IG ... "If he wants to lace up at the end of the year we can do an exhibition then."

"I don't care about weight class with any of these guys. The Paul brothers will make great money with the events, but with 50 cent It has to be Winner Takes All.'"

WHO WOULDN'T PAY TO SEE THAT?!?!!

There's more ... Floyd also says he's down to fight Logan's little bro, Jake Paul, but only if he defeats his upcoming opponent, Ben Askren, when they face off in April.

Also on the schedule, 43-year-old Mayweather says he plans to take another exhibition fight in Tokyo -- just like he did back in 2018 when he beat the dog snot out of undefeated kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.

Lamar Odom has agreed to fight Aaron Carter in a celebrity boxing match in June, TMZ Sports has learned ... and the training is already underway!

41-year-old Odom will take on the 33-year-old Carter at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City on June 12 in a 3 round exhibition, Celebrity Boxing honcho Damon Feldman tells us.

Besides the age difference ... there's a significant height differential -- Odom is 6'10" and Carter is 6'1".

Odom obviously has a background as a professional athlete -- playing 14 seasons in the NBA.

He nearly died in 2015 from an overdose at a Nevada brothel -- and subsequently suffered several strokes and heart attacks. Some doctors didn't believe he'd fully recover.

Miraculously, Odom beat the odds and returned to the basketball court during a short stint with the BIG3 league in 2019.

Now, he's turning to boxing ... where he hopes to put a beating on Aaron Carter, who's also struggled with addiction. He sought treatment in 2017.

Both men have been busting their asses in the gym and we're told they're taking the fight very seriously ... no one wants to be the next Nate Robinson!

Sure, Aaron might appear to be the underdog -- but Carter tells TMZ Sports he "grew up street fighting" and he's ready for the challenge.

Damon Feldman -- who's been behind a ton of celebrity boxing events over the years -- says this fight has real potential to be the best one yet.

It's 26 degrees and snowing like crazy in Montreal.

... or as Georges St-Pierre calls it -- PERFECT TRAINING WEATHER!!

"Training in a snowstorm today has reminded me of something very important," GSP said ... "There’s nothing like getting out of your comfort zone in order to improve!"

The 39-year-old UFC legend has been busting his ass in the freezing cold (running, jumping, strength training) but the big question on everyone's mind ... what's he training for?!!?

There are rumbling GSP could come out of retirement to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in one final UFC super-fight ... despite the fact Georges recently told us he's happily retired.

"I think for me it's better if I stay retired," GSP told TMZ Sports back in July ... "It's not worth it for me."

GSP formally retired back in 2019 -- saying he wanted to leave while still on top (his last fight was a '17 victory over Michael Bisping).

But, ex-UFC fighter Kenny Florian -- now a broadcaster who's still super plugged in to all things UFC --  recently said he's heard from a solid source that both GSP and Khabib are preparing for a scrap.

So far, nothing has been announced ... but if they do fight, it would be HUUUUUUGE.

UFC champion Kamaru Usman says he would consider fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov IF the Dagestani star really wanted to scrap ... "but that's not something I'd ever pursue."

In other words, Kamaru says he will NOT chase the UFC's reigning, undefeated lightweight champ -- instead, he's focused on defending his own 170 lb. title.

"If Khabib came back, that's the thing with me and Khabib, we have this respect with one another to where we can always talk to each other like men," Kamaru tells TMZ Sports.

"So, if that's something that he was interested in and he came back and he had a conversation with me like, 'I wanna do that', that's something that we visit at that time, but me personally, that's not something I would ever pursue. Absolutely not."

Usman is on a 16 fight win streak ... and is set to defend his welterweight belt against his former training partner Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 on February 13.

Kamaru tells us he has the utmost respect for Burns, but their friendship all goes out the window the moment they step in the Octagon.

"When we step in, I see no face, I see no friendship," Usman says ... "I see none of that! You chose to -- you wanted this!"

We also asked Kamaru about a possible Conor McGregor fight (remember, The Notorious alluded to pursuing the 170 lb. belt last year) ... and Usman didn't slam the door -- but says Conor will have to earn the opportunity, like everybody else.

You do right by Bills Mafia, they do right by you ... just ask left tackle Dion Dawkins, whose charity has been flooded with donations after coming to his QB Josh Allen's defense in the AFC Championship Game!!

You know the play -- K.C. Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor sacked Allen late in the conference title game last month ... which led to the QB throwing the ball in his face out of frustration.

Okafor then taunted Allen by standing over his body after the play. That clearly didn't sit well with the Bills, 'cause Dawkins and teammate Jon Feliciano rushed over to kickstart a shoving match.

Dawkins and Feliciano were both hit with $10k fines for the pushing attack ... while Allen was hit with a $15k penalty for the throw.

Naturally, Bills Mafia -- which will stop at nothing to find a reason to pull out their wallets for good causes -- decided to band together to thank Dawkins for having their QB's back ... with donations piling into the O-lineman's Dion's Dreamers charity.

So far, WVIB reports the crazed fanatics have donated $3k to the charity, which mentors young men and women in underserved communities.

But, it's not the dollar amount that matters, it's the fact these fans are ALWAYS looking to make an impact -- after all, Bills fans donated over $1 million to John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo after Allen's grandmother passed away.

Lamar Jackson's charity also received over $360k from the Mafia after he suffered a concussion in their playoff game on Jan. 16.

"Deontay Wilder, I’m gonna outbox him, I'm gonna outclass him, if I ever get that opportunity."

That's former NFL great WR Brandon Marshall talking about beating up arguably the greatest heavyweight knockout artist of all-time.

TMZ Sports talked to the 36-year-old, 6'5", 230 lb., 6x Pro Bowler turned boxing enthusiast about his desire to step in the ring ... and his friend Evander Holyfield comparing BM to the 42-1-1 (41 KO's) Bronze Bomber.

"You can't compare me to Deontay Wilder, I'm not Deontay Wilder. Deontay Wilder, obviously, we know him for his power. he's a freak athlete," Marshall tells us.

"But what I'd say, I would challenge Deontay Wilder to dive a little deeper into the sweet science, and that's where I think I separate myself from a lot of these heavyweights."

Brandon is serious ... and says just because he doesn't have a bunch of pro fights under his belt, you shouldn't sleep on his skills in the squared circle -- 'cause he's been boxing for over 30 years.

"You haven't seen me on Pay-Per-View. No, I don't have a win under my belt, or a loss, or a knockout. But at the end of the day, I know how to fight, I know how to box, I know the sweet science."

Marshall -- who says he likes Wilder and has learned from watching him box -- needs to fight this fall ... or he won't fight at all.

"If it doesn't happen before September, I'm gonna retire. I'm retiring from boxing. I'm retiring before I even step foot in the ring."

"If it doesn't happen, I'm just gonna move on to other things because I'm tired of chasing these guys."

Of course, Wilder hasn't fought since losing to Tyson Fury in February 2020 ... and has a list of potential big-time opponents he could face in his return.

Too pretty to bare-knuckle fight, not talented enough to win ... that’s what Paige VanZant's heard for months, but now the combat sports star is finally CLAPPING back at the haters.

TMZ Sports talked to the 26-year-old Bare Knuckle FC fighter days before her fist-fighting debut against Britain Hart at Knuckle Mania on February 5 ... and 12-gauge -- who until now has bit her tongue -- had a message for the doubters.

"My idea was if you talk s*** about somebody then you should be willing to say it to their face and not a single person who has said anything negative about me publicly has been willing to say it to my face," VanZant tells us, continuing ... "And I've seen people in person."

Paige parted ways with the UFC last year ... before signing with BKFC in August.

Some fans and "experts" were super critical of the move, saying VanZant was risking her looks -- and future in the entertainment industry -- to fight BKFC.

FYI, bareknuckle fighting tends to open up cuts -- especially on delicate facial skin -- leading to some brutal fights (awesome to watch if you like blood!!)

But, VanZant's entertainment career is already booming ... she'd done everything from modeling in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to being a contestant on Dancing With The Stars -- and she clearly isn't concerned about her looks.

"'Oh my face' like, grow up! It's a face and it's mine and I can do whatever I want with it! And guess what? I'm still gonna be beautiful even if I get cut open. It's not a big deal."

Jon Jones is gonna love this ...

We did a little rapid-fire round of questions with Dana White the other day -- asking him everything from "Who's the greatest UFC fighter ever?" to "Who's the best UFC fighter right now?"

Of course, Dana answered everything.

Spoiler: Dana says Jon Jones is the G.O.A.T. -- but noted Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest "right now."

It's hard to argue against Jon Jones being the best ever -- he's 26-1 as a pro with wins over everyone from Daniel Cormier to Rampage Jackson, Alexander Gustafsson, Ryan Bader and more.

Most people, including White, don't even acknowledge his 1 loss -- a DQ to Matt Hamill for illegal downward elbows.

Dana explained at the time Jones should have been docked a point instead of being DQ'd -- "It shouldn't have happened that way. He shouldn't have a loss, so it's unfortunate."

As for Khabib ... you probably know, Dana is trying to convince the Dagestani to come back for one last UFC fight -- but it doesn't sound too promising at the moment. Fingers crossed.

WWE superstar Bill Goldberg admits he thought about pursuing an MMA career back in the day -- but ultimately went with pro wrestling because the money was better.

... but the whole thing makes ya wonder -- how would Goldberg have fared in the Octagon?!

Probably pretty well.

"If you know anything about my background when it comes to MMA, I had one of largest MMA gyms in the country back in the late '90s. That was a dream of mine."

Goldberg says he trained alongside UFC legends like Randy Couture and Mark Coleman when they were in their prime.

But, let's get to the point ... how would he do in a real MMA fight?

"I think my stand up skills would have played well, no question," Goldberg tells TMZ Sports ... "because a lot of people have no idea as to what I've done in the past."

"But, I'd be lacking in the ground game, there's no doubt -- and the problem with a guy like myself is I'd end up hurting myself more so than getting hurt by the other person. I'll break a hand on someone's face! I'll blow my shoulder out trying to choke somebody! At the end of the day, I'm my own worst enemy!"

"So the longwinded answer is absolutely I would have loved to have done it if the opportunity was such that it was comparable, if not more advantageous, in the world of professional wrestling. But, at the time, it was a no-brainer for me."

Don't feel too bad for Goldberg, he's had an unreal run as a pro wrestler and is set to face Drew McIntyre in a Championship bout at the Royal Rumble on Sunday.

Goldberg -- who famously trained with UFC star Dustin Poirier back in 2015 -- says the plan is to do to McIntyre what Poirier did to Conor McGregor!

The WWE legend also raved about Poirier -- and told us why he's still inspired by the UFC star ... who's one of the most humble and hardworking athletes he knows.

"He's from Lafayette Louisiana, it's a great story and I just hope people understand -- I've said many times about a few people, his talents are at the top of the game but they pale in comparison to what is actually inside his heart. He's a great person."

Yeah, he's a YouTube kid ... but don't count out Jake Paul in his scrap against Ben Askren, so says Joe Rogan who thinks Jake has real talent.

Joe was talking about the April 17th boxing match on his podcast with ex-UFC fighter Brendan Schaub -- who strongly believes Askren is gonna beat that ass.

Schaub's point is Askren is too accomplished and too experienced as a high-level combat sports athlete to lose to a 24-year-old with only 2 pro fights under his belt.

Schaub also says both of Jake's opponents -- including ex-NBA star Nate Robinson -- were bums with essentially zero fighting experience.

Meanwhile, Askren has been in real, full-contact fights with some elite strikers -- which gives him a tremendous advantage.

Still, Rogan says Askren isn't really known as a stand-up striker -- and without being able to use his elite wrestling skills, it definitely levels the playing field.

"[Ben Askren] is strong as f**k. He knows how to grab ahold of guys, and drag them to the ground and implement his style. He won’t be able to do that. His main thing will be out. His main thing will be completely removed."

As for Jake, Rogan says he's impressed from what he's seen so far.

"You can watch [Jake Paul] hit the bag, watch him hit pads, watch him spar -- he’s got good timing, he’s got very good hand speed, his technique is excellent," Rogan said.

"He’s got very good striking technique."

A school resource officer used a Taser on a female student who cops say was involved in a fight with another student, and severely resisted when the officer got involved.

According to the police report ... the cop approached the girl as she was going after a male student in the cafeteria of Eustis High School in Central Florida. The cop says he tried to stop her, but she attacked him by punching him several times in the head.

The deputy claims he tried to talk her down, but it didn't work and she allegedly punched him in the face. Videos shared on TikTok show the violent struggle the cop had with the student as he tried to restrain her.

The deputy says he warned her he was going to Tase her if she didn't stop resisting. When she ignored that, he fired the Taser and she went down hard.

The girl was transported to the Lake County Jail without further incident, and later released to her guardian on home detention.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office tells us ... the deputy documented at least 18 strikes he took from the student before he fired his Taser. We're told the use of force was reviewed, and the officer was found to have acted lawfully and within agency policy.

This is the second disturbing video to come out of Florida this week in which a school resource officer's seen using force on a Black female student.

As we reported ... the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that their deputy who body-slammed a female high school student is on administrative paid leave pending an investigation.

Jake Paul wants to knock out Ben Askren FASTER than Jorge Masvidal -- so he linked up with the UFC superstar to learn the ways of the master!

Check out Jake and Jorge training together in Miami -- where Gamebred is teaching the 24-year-old a running, punch attack ... similar to the flying knee he threw at Askren's head back in 2019.

Remember, 36-year-old Jorge knocked out Ben in 5 SECONDS at UFC 239 -- setting the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Now, with Paul set to face Askren in a pro boxing match on April 17, he's decided to bring in Masvidal to his training sessions to get a little instruction from the UFC's reigning B.M.F. champion.

Check out the video ... Paul practices the running right hook several times -- and looks pretty good. At one point he tells Jorge, "I'm gonna beat your time!"

Of course, Jorge throws a more violent version of the running punch -- but that guy has been fighting for decades ... he's got a little more experience on his side!

For his part, Ben -- an accomplished MMA fighter with multiple championships under his belt -- thinks Jake Paul is in completely over his head ... and he predicts a violent ending to the YouTube star's boxing career when they clash in April.

"I love seeing a loudmouth get knocked out."

That's Justin Gaethje explaining why he LOVED watching Conor McGregor get knocked on his ass by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 ... and man, he's reveling in the Irishman's defeat!

"I don’t feel bad for him," Gaethje told ESPN's Brett Okamoto ... "I’m happy for Poirier. I’m happy Poirier went out there and did his job and finished him."

"There is nothing that makes me happier. Seeing a piece of s*** get put down? That was great. I loved it.”

Gaethje -- who's previously told TMZ Sports that McGregor has been ducking him for years -- went on to explain why Conor is delusional if he thinks he still deserves a title shot in the UFC's stacked lightweight division.

"What do they have him ranked at, #6? I think he should be ahead of [Tony Ferguson] in the rankings. But, for him to come out and say he wants a title shot next? A rematch versus Poirier, or his coach, they are f**king idiots."

"[Conor has] been treated special over and over and over and he didn’t capitalize on this opportunity. That event was for him, that event was for him to win, and he wants to be Mr. Humble now??? But, you know he would be an asshole if he won that fight."

There's more ... Gaethje, who's currently ranked #2, says he would think about leaving the UFC if Conor gets to cut the line for another title shot.

"That would be preposterous," Gaethje said ... "For one, he’s sitting at #6. He’s won one fight in his entire life in the lightweight division, and he picks and chooses who he fights. So I have no respect for him in that manner."

A new video from the Trey Songz saga shows he had a good excuse to take off his mask at one point during the Chiefs game -- but it won't help his case with cops.

As you can see, Trey's face mask was in chin strap mode as he chowed down on a cup of french fries. While masks were required for all fans, the stadium does allow an exemption for eating and drinking.

However, we're told this was about 10-15 minutes before the KCPD officer came over -- backing up 3 visits from stadium security -- demanding Trey pull up his mask.

The other interesting element to this new video is that you can see there are at least a couple other fans watching the fight who didn't have their masks up.

It does make ya wonder if the singer was being singled out ... whether it be by other fans or security.

Of course, the video police released Tuesday clearly shows Trey throwing the first punch during the interaction with the officer -- so, the french fry excuse only goes so far in explaining what went down.

As we reported, Trey also posed for a masked up pic with a security guard at some point prior to the fight. Worth noting ... he did appear to have the mask down during each of the 3 visits from security.

First, we fight ... then we booze?!

That's the plan for UFC star Gilbert Burns -- who says he can't wait to beat the hell out of his old sparring partner Kamaru Usman on Feb 13 ... and then pound beers together afterward!

Gilbert has earned a shot at Kamaru's welterweight belt at UFC 258 -- and tells TMZ Sports he intends to go after Usman with everything he's got, despite their chummy past.

"If the fight goes a little close to how our sparring sessions used to be ... people are gonna get crazy," Gilbert says ... "Because we used to go after each other hard."

"What we have between us is a high-level competition. I want to beat Kamaru, he wants to beat me. The best man should win that fight and will win that fight. But, there's no animosity."

Usman and Burns are both on FIRE right now -- Kamaru (17-1) hasn't lost a fight in the UFC, with victories over stars like Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington and more.

Burns (19-3) has looked spectacular in recent wins over Woodley, Demian Maia and Gunnar Nelson.

Gilbert says the only way to show his respect to Kamaru is to come at him with everything he's got ... and he intends to end the fight with a knockout.

Still, he offered these kind words to his opponent -- "Stay safe, we're gonna go out there and give it our best -- and we gonna still have all the respect after the fight."

There's more ... Gilbert also opened up about his bout with COVID-19 in 2020 ... telling TMZ Sports it was rough on his body and took a while before he felt 100%.

Jake Paul has locked in his next boxing opponent -- and it's UFC star Ben Askren!!!

36-year-old Askren has been a pro MMA fighter since 2009 with 19 wins in 22 fights ... including a victory over legendary tough guy Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 in 2019. He became welterweight champ in both Bellator and the ONE Championship organization before joining UFC.

But, Askren is known for his dominating wrestling skills -- not his stand-up striking game ... which is what makes this matchup interesting.

And yes, Askren also holds the record as the person who was knocked out the fastest in UFC history -- when Jorge Masvidal took him out with a flying knee in 5 seconds in 2019.

24-year-old Paul only has 2 pro boxing matches under his belt -- but both of his opponents were far from pro fighters. He famously beat up YouTuber AnEsonGib back in 2019 -- and then STARCHED ex-NBA star Nate Robinson in July 2020.

Paul has been calling for tougher opponents -- and now, Askren has answered the call ... with the two sides agreeing to throw down in an 8-round pro boxing match on April 17, according to ESPN.

Just like the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr event, the fight will be presented by Triller (under the Triller Fight Club brand) and will be available on Pay-Per-View. The location of the fight has not been finalized yet.

"I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter," Askren told ESPN ... "I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like."

"Jake has led a privileged life and doesn't really know what the meaning of being a fighter is. I'm going to put his dreams to an end."

Jake Paul also weighed in ... saying, "Ben Askren is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor."

"Me, on the other hand, I started boxing two years ago and I'm still going to knock his ass out faster than Masvidal."

"These MMA guys think because they throw punches they know how to box. The world complained because I knocked out a basketball player and not a real fighter. So now I'm giving the people what they want by taking on a 'real fighter.' After Ben Askren is added to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say?"

"Thank you to Triller Fight Club for giving me the platform to once again put a man to sleep. April 17, it's lights out for Askren."

Triller has not released the full fight card but says there will be legit boxing stars fighting that night. The official card is expected to be released sometime in the next few weeks.