Fights

The man who punched Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Spencer Jones in the face repeatedly in a violent bar brawl earlier this month claims he was simply acting in self-defense, insisting his actions were "legally justified."

Walker Brown says -- just before a camera filmed him whaling on Jones in a bathroom at Logie's on the Corner in Norman, OK -- he was the one who was initially attacked at the bar on Feb. 13.

Brown, through his attorney, Steve Stice, says Jones and his friends were the aggressors in the situation ... and had roughed him up prior to the violent affair on the bathroom floor.

"There is more to the story than what is depicted in the video," Stice said this week. "What is not shown is the original assault and battery suffered by Mr. Brown at the hands of Mr. Jones and his friend shortly before the captured footage."

"As can be seen, my client's nose and clothing were bloodied prior to the beginning of the video. Mr. Brown was legally justified in defending himself in this matter."

In fact, Stice says Brown was actually seriously injured in the melee ... claiming Brown suffered a torn biceps tendon that will require surgery as well as bruises and lacerations.

The Norman Police Department tells TMZ Sports it's currently investigating the fight ... after Jones called in to report an assault 3 days after the brawl.

Jones, meanwhile, is currently recovering after having surgery to repair eye damage he suffered in the scrap.

Jones' attorney, Woodrow "Woody" Glass, said earlier this week Jones was NOT the aggressor in the situation, insisting the football player was just trying to play peacekeeper.

Boxing star Ryan Garcia is pointing the finger straight at Manny Pacquiao -- saying it's Manny who pulled the plug on their fight after offering it to Garcia earlier this year.

"Manny came to offer me the fight," Garcia explained on his way into Boa Steakhouse in L.A. on Wednesday.

"Obviously, I would love to fight Manny Pacquaio, but that's on him. That's on him."

Garcia had announced the fight back in January -- posting on IG as if it was a done deal.

"A dream turned reality," Garcia said at the time ... "It’s an honor to share the Ring with @mannypacquiao. I will always respect what you did in and out the ring. Here’s to the best Man Winning."

But, something went wrong ... and Garcia says the only person to blame is Manny.

Still, 22-year-old Garcia is ready willing and able to fight ... if 42-year-old Manny ever decides to put pen to paper.

Instead, Garcia is focusing on lining up another opponent -- his priority is Gervonta Davis ... but he's also open to fighting Vasyl Lomachenko.

"I think I made it very clear I want Gervonta Davis. That's the man I want and I'll knock him out in 2 rounds."

Garcia and Tank have been trading insults on social media for YEARS now -- while both obliterating opponents in the ring. Seems like the obvious fight to make.

Oklahoma wide receiver Spencer Jones, who played in every game for the Sooners this past season, nearly lost his eye in a violent altercation in a bar bathroom earlier this month.

The wild scrap was all caught on video ... and the footage is insane, showing Jones and another man getting in a fistfight on Valentine's weekend at Logies on the Corner in Norman, OK.

It's unclear what started the fight ... the video picks up with Jones and another person arguing with two men.

In the clip, you can hear Jones tell one of the men repeatedly, "Get the f*** out of here!" before he takes several punches to the face.

Jones is then thrown on the ground, punched some more, and ultimately put into a chokehold.

A separate fistfight, meanwhile, also broke out while Jones and the other man were wrestling on the ground.

The commotion was eventually broken up ... but Jones suffered serious damage in the melee -- with his attorney, Woodrow "Woody" Glass, telling OUDaily.com the Sooners' redshirt senior almost lost his eye.

Glass said Jones had to undergo a lengthy surgery to fix his issues ... adding doctors told Jones and his family afterward the football player was "extraordinarily lucky" to still have his eye.

As for what started the fight, Glass said Jones was simply trying to play peacemaker and ended up being the victim of an assault.

We've reached out to cops in Norman to see if a police investigation is underway, but so far, no word back yet.

Diamonds, Bugattis, sushi ... and scantily clad butts.

That's what surrounded Floyd Mayweather at his 44th birthday bash on Thursday night -- a wild "futuristic" event in Florida.

The boxing superstar rolled up to "The Venue" in Fort Lauderdale for a massive bash dubbed, "Floyd's Futuristic 44th Birthday Extravaganza."

He arrived in one of his $2 million Bugatti supercars -- dripping in millions of dollars worth of diamond chains.

On the way in, he was asked for an update on his recently postponed exhibition boxing match with Logan Paul -- is it still going to happen?

"I know it's going to happen," Floyd said ... "We just want make sure everything is right and everything is where it should be."

Inside, the party was wild -- tons of food, live music, booze, and hot ladies on rollerskates to entertain the crowd.

The venue is called "The Venue" -- it's a massive 32,000 square foot event space "outfitted with the most advanced technology in sound and lighting, special effects including laser capability and 3D Projection Mapping," according to its website.

In other words, it's super high tech.

Celeb guests included Rick Ross, Larsa Pippen, Jacquees (who performed) and President Joe Biden's brother, Frank Biden.

Floyd's cake was pretty cool too, complete with money and a private jet ... he shared the party with friend Jas 'Limitless' Mathur who plunked down $700k for the bash. We're told there was $200k worth of champagne, ice sculptures and dancers to complete the vibe.

We're told there was a COVID protocol in place -- people were screened at the door, temperature checks and an emphasis on social distancing.

That said, Floyd did not appear to be wearing a mask at any point of the evening.

Mayweather doesn't actually turn 44 until Feb. 24th -- but he clearly wanted to get the party started early.

Gilbert Burns' title hopes were crushed by Kamaru Usman only days ago ... but the UFC star's already plotting his return to the Octagon -- and he wants Colby Covington!!

TMZ Sports talked to Burns following his 3rd round TKO loss to Usman at UFC 258 last weekend ... and the 34-year-old fighter made it clear he ain't looking for R&R after having his 6-fight UFC win streak snapped.

"[Covington's] the one that I want with all my heart. That's the fight that I asked right after he beat Demian Maia. That's the one that I want."

Still, Burns -- who says he suffered NO serious injuries in his fight -- knows he isn't the only one lookin' for an Usman rematch (Chaos wants one too) ... so GB's down to fight any of the top guys in the welterweight division.

"Sometimes we don't get what we want, but I'm open to any one of the top 6, top 7 guys," Burns tells us.

Gilbert says he doesn't care about Colby's trash-talking and antics outside the cage ... he just wants to get his hands on the #1 ranked contender.

"Just sign the contract. Let's fight. You can call me whatever you want. Let's fight sooner than later. I'm in my prime, you're in your prime, we both want the rematch. Let's see who wins first."

Burns says the ultimate goal is still a UFC goal ... and he wholeheartedly believes he will fight Usman again -- in the not too distant future -- and that he will win this time around.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the wild bar fight that led to the arrest of ex-NFL star Pacman Jones ... and you can hear people begging for the violence to stop.

The barstools were flying. People went crashing to the ground. And, it's a miracle more people weren't seriously hurt.

Here's the backstory, per the witness who shot this video ...

The drama began after 37-year-old Pacman and someone from his crew left the Clutch OTR bar in Cincinnati around 1 AM on Monday morning -- and the security staff wouldn't let them back inside.

"Pacman pushed his way back in and it started getting aggressive," the witness tells us.

We're told Pacman got into a heated verbal confrontation with the DJ -- and when security got involved, Pacman took a swing.

"Pacman knocked the security guy out then proceeded to kick the guy in the head multiple times. That’s when a lot of the staff stepped in and my video starts."

The footage shows several people grabbing bar stools and throwing them across the room while bystanders scream for everyone to stop. Unclear if any of the chair-throwers in our footage is Pacman, but you can clearly see him standing in the center of the bar when things begin to calm down.

A pissed off person in the bar brandishes a bar stool and screams, "F*ck with me. I dare you."

As we previously reported, cops arrived at the bar and arrested Pacman. He was booked on 1 count of misdemeanor assault.

The police report says Jones "punched and kicked" an employee at the establishment, "causing the bouncer to lose consciousness."

Jones later went on The Pat McAfee Show and claimed it was the bouncer who was the aggressor and when he saw his brother getting attacked, he jumped in and "did what I needed to do."

More legal trouble for Adam "Pacman" Jones ... the ex-NFL star was arrested again Monday morning after he allegedly beat a person unconscious.

Jail records show Jones was booked at 1:54 AM ET in Hamilton County, Ohio ... with court records revealing the 37-year-old was formally charged with one count of misdemeanor assault.

Details surrounding the incident are unclear ... we're working on it -- but according to court docs obtained by WCPO, Jones is accused of punching and kicking somebody in the head until they were knocked out.

Jones is due in court to face a judge later Monday.

Jones is no stranger to a jail cell, he's been arrested multiple times the past few years ... including once back in 2019 when he snapped after he was accused of cheating at an Indiana casino.

Officials in court docs said Jones threatened cops, and even told one of them to "suck my d***."

Jones eventually cut a deal with prosecutors in the case ... agreeing to plead guilty to one count of felony cheating at gambling and one count of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail.

And, don't forget Pacman's infamous airport fight -- when he knocked a dude out inside a terminal. Jones was NOT accused of wrongdoing in that incident, but he definitely put his fighting skills on display.

Jones had a great NFL career after being selected in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft ... logging one Pro Bowl selection and one All-Pro honor before retiring in 2019.

Stefan Struve -- the massive 7-foot tall UFC fighter -- has retired from MMA, claiming he suffered permanent damage from a recent viral infection.

32-year-old Struve -- known as "The Skyscraper" -- has been fighting in the UFC since 2009, and famously beat current UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic in 2012.

But, the giant from the Netherlands has decided to hang up gloves after dealing with vertigo, hearing loss and other issues.

"I was contacted by the UFC last week for a fight," Struve said ... "However, I’ve decided it’s my time to retire from fighting."

"I’ve had an inner ear issue that I’ve been battling since May [of] last year. I caught a viral infection that has damaged my vestibular system and the hearing nerve in my right ear."

Struve says his doctors expected him to make a full recovery -- during his fight against Tai Tuivasa in October 2020, he got flush on his right ear, which made everything worse.

"After that fight I was having more issues again and the doctor scheduled new tests," Struve explains.

"After these tests I was told the damage in my ear and the vestibular issues caused by the viral infection I’ve been dealing with are mostly permanent."

Struve says he has "no big issues" when living his everyday normal life ... it's only when he trains hard that his medical issues flare up and cause serious discomfort.

"The extreme intensity I have put my body through and training camp to get ready for fights I can’t do anymore."

"At this juncture I realize that it’s time to hang up the gloves for good, and put my health and family first."

Struve says the fact he has a 5-month-old child is also a factor in his decision -- he wants to be able to focus on being a good father.

He may not have been the greatest fight in the UFC, but he was always fun to watch. Congrats on a pretty amazing career.

Adrian Broner is FINALLY getting back in the ring after a wild 2-year layoff -- and he's got a message for everyone who thinks he's washed up.

(Earmuffs, kids)

"Eat a d*** and put gravy on it."

Yep, after all sorts of personal, professional and legal drama ... 31-year-old Broner will return to action on Feb. 20th to fight undefeated Jovanie Santiago on Showtime.

The last time Broner saw action was January 2019 when he lost to Manny Pacquiao via unanimous decision.

In fact, Broner hasn't won a pro fight in 4 years -- but the former 4-division world champ tells TMZ Sports he's got his swag back and will return to greatness.

"Our goal is to be another -- a 5-time world champion soon -- so it's starting off February 20."

Broner has made a TON of headlines since his last fight -- but for all the wrong reasons. He's been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, assaulting people in public and he's been sued multiple times for not paying jewelry debts.

In the past year alone he was ripped by a judge for failing to pay more than $800,000 to a woman he sexually assaulted in a nightclub back in 2018 and was arrested for DUI after passing out behind the wheel of his Rolls Royce.

But, Broner insists he's turning over a new leaf -- trying to clean up his life and get back to the top of the boxing world.

"I've matured a lot, I've been through a lot and ya know, it's just time to get to business and make my money and do what I do best and that's box."

Before Lamar Odom and Aaron Carter beat the hell out of each other this summer, TMZ Sports got both stars together on Zoom for the 1st time -- and the trash talk was INTENSE!!

We broke the story ... 41-year-old Odom and 33-year-old Carter are boxing June 12 at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City -- all part of a big Celebrity Boxing card.

During the convo, we hit on everything from the huge height difference (Odom's 6’10, Carter's 5’11”-ish), the pressure to represent for NBA players after Nate Robinson was KO'd by Jake Paul, and whether the fight is actually real.

Some highlights:

Lamar says although he doesn’t officially have any fights on his record ... that doesn’t mean he isn’t experienced in the ring.

“I’ve always boxed, in my best years with the Lakers, I used boxing for training, and so for me to go and show what I've learned on my man's face, this is like retribution for Nate Robinson. This is gonna be easy work.”

We asked Aaron if he could realistically beat Lamar ... a giant, elite athlete who played 14 seasons in the NBA.

Without hesitation, Carter basically said ... hell yes.

“I know I can [beat Lamar]. Come June 12th, like I said, like Apollo Creed said, ‘I’m gonna drop him like a bad habit,’ and I mean that.”

Lamar ... well, he doesn’t see it goin' down that way.

“I’m pretty good, bro. It’ll be fun. But, you’ll have fun getting knocked out.”

Carter’s response??

“You will not knock me out! You will not knock me out!”

If all the trash talk didn’t convince you, Aaron made it known this is very much a real fight -- and he’s looking to do real damage.

“I want to make something very clear too, just so everybody knows. There was no secret meetings, nothing gets staged. This is as real as it gets.”

But, don't expect the beef to carry over outside of the ring, after the fight ... 'cause Lamar says there won’t be any hard feelings. In fact, he wants to chill and party with the pop star in AC.

“I’m gonna be real with you, dinners on me cause I don't want you to take this ass whoopin' personal."

UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman says he's laser-focused on beating Gilbert Burns this weekend -- but after that, he'd LOVE a crack at Georges St-Pierre!

Usman is on a 16-fight win streak -- and he's tied with GSP for most consecutive wins in the UFC's welterweight division (12). The dude is on fire.

If Usman beats Burns at UFC 260 on Saturday, there's a strong argument he should be considered the greatest UFC welterweight of all time.

Of course, GSP retired in 2019 -- his last fight was 2017 -- but he's been training like a maniac in the snow and there have been rumors the 39-year-old is considering one last go in the Octagon.

Kamaru says if GSP wants a scrap, just say the word!

"If he wants to do it, you gotta come see me. If he doesn't want it, that's okay. More power to him!"

"I respect the retirement because he's done it all. He doesn't need to come back for no reason. If he wants to come back, he cuts the line, he beats everybody! He cuts the line from everybody! He gets the shot right away."

As for Burns, he's trying like hell to be the spoiler -- he also wants to be remembered as the greatest to ever do it.

"I'm looking forward for this one so much because if I beat the guy that is in the conversation of being one of the greatest, they gotta put my name in the conversation," Burns tells TMZ Sports.

Dana White says Kamaru Usman is quietly becoming one of the greatest UFC fighters ever ... and this weekend, he could break one of the organization's most revered records.

The 33-year-old welterweight champion is gearing up to face his old training partner, Gilbert Burns, at UFC 258 on Saturday in a fight White is VERY excited about.

"Stylistically, this fight is awesome. I've been waiting for this fight for so long," White tells TMZ Sports.

One of the reasons for Dana's excitement?? Kamaru has a chance to make history.

"Usman is tied with George St-Pierre for consecutive UFC [welterweight] wins with 12. If he wins this weekend, he breaks GSP's record for 13. He's on a 16-fight winning streak. This guy has not lost in 7 years."

It's true, Usman chalked up his first victory in the UFC back in 2015 and hasn't lost since -- defeating stars like Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington in the process.

Now, White says Usman has a chance to solidify himself as one of the best ever.

"If he can get through Gilbert Burns on Saturday night, which is gonna be a tough fight, he's a guy that will just keep grinding and then one day we're all gonna wake up and go 'Oh wow!' We're all gonna be talking about G.O.A.T status with this guy."

Of course, Burns ain't exactly about to roll over -- he's on a 6-fight win streak and he's super motivated for what he believes is the biggest fight of his life.

"The only thing we don't know is who used to get the better of who in the gym when they use to train together. That has to have a huge mental advantage during this fight on Saturday night."

There's more ... we also asked White about Kelvin Gastelum, who's trying to stop a 3-fight losing streak when he takes on Ian Heinisch this weekend.

Could another loss lead to Kelvin getting cut from the UFC?

"Tell me that last fight Kelvin Gastelum was in that sucked?!" White said ... noting his last 3 performances (Israel Adesanya, Darren Till and Jack Hermansson) have been impressive and fun to watch, even though he didn't get the win.

Leon Spinks -- former undisputed heavyweight boxing champ -- who defeated Muhammad Ali in 1978 ... has died after a 5 year battle with cancer.

TMZ Sports has confirmed Spinks passed away Friday evening at the age of 67 ... surrounded by his wife Brenda and several other close friends and family.

Leon's health had been in decline recently ... the former boxing champ courageously battled prostate cancer for 5 years.

Spinks was the victor in one of the biggest upsets in sports history ... when he shocked the world by defeating Ali in a 15-round, split decision win in Las Vegas in February 1978.

In defeating Ali, Spinks -- the new heavyweight champ -- became the only fighter to ever take a belt from The Greatest.

The Ali fight was the most memorable moment of Leon's career ... but definitely not the only highlight.

In 1976, Spinks won a gold medal as a light heavyweight fighter in the Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Spinks -- born in St. Louis in 1953 -- developed a passion for boxing while in the U.S. Marines.

Pugilism ran deep in the Spinks family ... Leon was the older brother of boxer Michael Spinks -- a former 2-weight class world champion, and Olympic gold medalist (both brothers won gold in '76).

Leon was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.

Pour one out for NHL player Jordie Benn ... the dude got ROCKED in an on-ice fight with Wayne Simmonds on Thursday night -- at one point eating 13 straight haymakers!!

The scrap went down late in the third period of the Maple Leafs' 7-3 blowout of the Canucks ... when Benn challenged Simmonds to a fight after the Toronto star had smashed one of Jordie's teammates into the boards.

The battle started off promising for Jordie -- he looked pretty tough callin' out the 32-year-old NHL enforcer!!!

But, quickly, Wayne put 33-year-old Benn in his place ... watch the clip, Simmonds connected on just about every one of his 13 straight haymakers to start the brawl!!

To Jordie's credit, he weathered the storm and threw a few punches of his own ... but Wayne blocked them all and went right back to work, dropping some more left-handed bombs!!!

Ultimately, the fight ended with respect between the two parties ... you can see Wayne told Jordie "good job" after the one-sided tilt.

The best part of it all, though? The Leafs and the Canucks are set to play again on both Saturday AND Monday.

Jake Paul is flipping the script on Floyd Mayweather -- issuing his own list of demands if Floyd is serious about wanting to fight him in 2021.

... so why does Jake feel like he's got the upper hand?

Paul says it's pretty simple ... claiming Mayweather is an aging fighter who's only taking exhibitions because he knows he would LOSE if he took another pro fight.

That's why Jake says if Floyd is serious about a scrap, he REFUSES to do an exhibition match -- it has to be a sanctioned bout that would count on both of their records.

"I'm 2 and 0 with 2 KO's with pro fights," Jake says ... "If Floyd wants to do these exhibitions, ya know ... cool! But, I'm a real fighter. He has to take me seriously and I think the reason he wants to do these exhibitions is because he's afraid to risk his legacy of his 50 and 0 record in case he were to lose."

"But, I'm not doing the exhibition s**t. It doesn't interest me. Those are like fake patty-cake fights."

Of course, Floyd is set to take on Jake's older brother, Logan, in an exhibition match later this year ... and he's also toying with the idea of fighting his former BFF, 50 Cent.

Jake says the whole thing reeks of desperation.

"This guy is out of his mind! He just calls me out, out of nowhere -- same with 50 Cent! I mean, he hasn't even fought my brother yet. It just seems like he's losing his marbles ... like what the f*** is this guy doing?!"

Jake also thinks there's another motivating factor behind the scenes for Floyd ... money!

"It just seems like this guy is money hungry. It seems like he hasn't paid his taxes or some s**t and he just wants to fight everyone."

But first, Jake needs to focus on his next opponent, UFC star Ben Askren -- the two will step in the ring on April 17.

Despite Askren's impressive career as an MMA fighter, Jake says he wasn't impressed by new video of Ben hitting the heavy bag in his boxing gym.

Conor McGregor is pushing hard for a 3rd fight with Dustin Poirier -- claiming he's 100% certain he can correct the mistakes that got him knocked out cold at UFC 257.

... and Dustin Poirier is 100% on board.

The Irishman says he's been watching and re-watching the fight tape from the Jan. 24 event on Fight Island ... and was mostly impressed with his performance.

McGregor says his conditioning was top-notch, his shots still "held their pop" ... and he thinks he's finally figured out how to defend Dustin's crushing leg kicks.

"Despite the loss I am on the correct path of evolution," McGregor assured his fans in a long IG post.

Conor says he regrets not mixing up his fighting style against Dustin -- admitting he relied too heavily on his boxing skills.

"It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against [Manny Pacquiao]," Conor says.

McGregor once again praised Dustin for getting the victory -- but says there's still some unfinished business.

"1 a piece now with a Trilogy bout for all the marbles," McGregor said, referencing his 2014 victory over Poirier.

"Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be. This is exactly how this was always meant to be! Buzzing!!"

Poirier responded to Conor's post to let everyone know he's down to run it back -- "You know we are going to do it a 3rd time."